Two separate but closely related issues confront Congress each time the President introduces armed forces into a situation abroad that conceivably could lead to their involvement in hostilities. One issue concerns the division of war powers between the President and Congress, whether the use of armed forces falls within the purview of the congressional power to declare war and the War Powers Resolution. The other issue is whether or not Congress concurs in the wisdom of the action. This issue brief does not deal with the substantive merits of using armed forces in specific cases, but rather with the congressional authorization for the action and the application and effectiveness of the War Powers Resolution. The purpose of the War Powers Resolution (P.L. 93-148, passed over President Nixon’s veto on November 7, 1973) is to ensure that Congress and the President share in making decisions that may get the U.S. involved in hostilities.

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We describe implementation of the KALMAN code in the EMPIRE system and present first covariance data generated for Gd and Ir isotopes. A complete set of covariances, in the full energy range, was produced for the chain of 8 Gadolinium isotopes for total, elastic, capture, total inelastic (MT=4), (n,2n), (n,p) and (n,alpha) reactions. Our correlation matrices, based on combination of model calculations and experimental data, are characterized by positive mid-range and negative long-range correlations. They differ from the model-generated covariances that tend to show strong positive long-range correlations and those determined solely from experimental data that result in nearly diagonal matrices. We have studied shapes of correlation matrices obtained in the calculations and interpreted them in terms of the underlying reaction models. An important result of this study is the prediction of narrow energy ranges with extremely small uncertainties for certain reactions (e.g., total and elastic).

This is the final report of the work performed under the LANL contract on neutron cross section evaluations for ENDF/B-VII (April 2005-May 2006). The purpose of the contract was to ensure seamless integration of the LANL neutron cross section evaluations in the new ENDF/B-VII library. The following work was performed: (1) LANL evaluated data files submitted for inclusion in ENDF/B-VII were checked and, when necessary, formal formatting errors were corrected. As a consequence, ENDF checking codes, run on all LANL files, do not report any errors that would rise concern. (2) LANL dosimetry evaluations for {sup 191}Ir and {sup 193}Ir were completed to match ENDF requirements for the general purpose library suitable for transport calculations. A set of covariances for both isotopes is included in the ENDF files. (3) Library of fission products was assembled and successfully tested with ENDF checking codes, processed with NJOY-99.125 and simple MCNP calculations. (4) KALMAN code has been integrated with the EMPIRE system to allow estimation of covariances based on the combination of measurements and model calculations. Covariances were produced for 155,157-Gd and also for 6 remaining isotopes of Gd.

Laboratory studies demonstrate that fractional crystallization is a viable process for separating Hanford medium-curie waste into high-curie and low-curie fractions. The product salt from the crystallization process qualifies as low-curie feed to a supplemental treatment system (e.g., bulk vitrification). The high-curie raffinate is returned to the double-shell tank system, eventually to be sent as feed to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Process flowsheet tests were designed with the aid of thermodynamic chemical modeling. Laboratory equipment design and test procedures were developed using simulated tank waste samples. Proof-of-concept flowsheet tests were carried out in a shielded hot cell using actual tank waste samples. Data from both simulated waste tests and actual tank waste tests demonstrate that the process exceeded all of the separation criteria established for the program.

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This report assesses the extent of the Army officer shortfall, examines perceived causes, reviews recent retention initiatives, identifies other possible retention incentives, and concludes with a review of possible options for Congress. This report is focused on the Army’s “line” or basic branch officers.

This is a construction project for an end station at the ALS, which is optimized for measuring NEXAFS of nanostructures with fluorescence detection. Compared to the usual electron yield detection, fluorescence is able to probe buried structures and is sensitive to dilute species, such as nanostructures supported on a substrate. Since the quantum yield for fluorescence is 10{sup -4}-10{sup -5} times smaller than for electrons in the soft x-ray regime, such an end station requires bright undulator beamlines at the ALS. In order to optimize the setup for a wide range of applications, two end stations were built: (1) A simple, mobile chamber with efficient photon detection (>10{sup 4} times the solid angle collection of fluorescence spectrographs) and a built-in magnet for MCD measurements at EPU beamlines (Fig. 1 left). It allows rapid mapping the electronic states of nanostructures (nanocrystals, nanowires, tailored magnetic materials, buried interfaces, biologically-functionalized surfaces). It was used with BL 8.0 (linear polarized undulator) and BL 4.0 (variable polarization). (2) A sophisticated, stationary end station operating at Beamline 8.0 (Fig. 1 right). It contains an array of surface characterization instruments and a micro-focus capability for scanning across graded samples (wedges for thickness variation, stoichiometry gradients, and general …

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Renewable energy certificates (RECs) represent the bundle of information that describes the characteristics of renewable electricity generation, and may be (and increasingly are) sold separately from the underlying electricity itself. RECs are a relatively new phenomenon, emerging as a tradable commodity in voluntary markets in the late 1990s, and gaining strength as a means of compliance with various state policy requirements affecting renewable generation in the early 2000s (Holt and Bird 2005). Twenty states and Washington, D.C. now have mandatory renewables portfolio standard (RPS) obligations, and most of these may be satisfied by owning and retiring RECs. Many states also have fuel source and emissions disclosure requirements, for which RECs are useful. Even where state policy does not allow unbundled and fully tradable RECs to meet these requirements, RECs may still be used as an accounting and verification tool (REC tracking systems are in place or under development in many regions of the U.S.). These applications, plus REC trading activity in support of voluntary green claims, give rise to potential ''double counting'' to the extent that the purchaser of the RECs and the purchaser of the underlying electricity both make claims to the renewable energy attributes of the facility in …

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This report contains a summary of Argentina's sovereign debt and the resolving of its sovereign defaults.

Congress passed and the President signed a reconciliation bill (P.L. 109-171) to reduce mandatory spending by $39 billion between FY2006 and FY2010. A revenue reduction reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297) has not been enacted as of the date of this report. Many argue that tax and spending reductions will stimulate economic growth, whereas many others argue that tax cuts will lead to a larger deficit with adverse economic effects and that spending cuts will reduce critical government services. This report examines the effects of government spending and taxation on economic growth and economic well-being by comparing the United States with 20 other industrial Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

Congress passed and the President signed a reconciliation bill (P.L. 109-171) to reduce mandatory spending by $39 billion between FY2006 and FY2010. A revenue reduction reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297) has not been enacted as of the date of this report. Many argue that tax and spending reductions will stimulate economic growth, whereas many others argue that tax cuts will lead to a larger deficit with adverse economic effects and that spending cuts will reduce critical government services. This report examines the effects of government spending and taxation on economic growth and economic well-being by comparing the United States with 20 other industrial Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

The study of the electrochemical behavior of wrought and welded Alloy 22 was carried out in 5 M CaCl{sub 2} as a function of temperatures between 45 and 120 C with Multiple Crevice Assembly (MCA) specimens. The susceptibility to corrosion was found to increase with increase in electrolyte temperature in both the wrought (in the mill annealed condition) and the welded forms of the alloy. The weld metal was found to be less susceptible to localized corrosion under the conditions tested.

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The United States spends a large and growing share of national income on health care. In 2006, health spending is expected to approach $2.2 trillion and account for more than 16% of gross domestic product. This report contains information on the background of the healthcare industry in the United States, key issues for Congress in this policy area, and three policy directions to consider: changing health care, changing federal programs, and changing tax policy.

The authors have discovered nine ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in the Virgo Cluster, extending samples of these objects outside the Fornax Cluster. Using the 2dF multi-fiber spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope, the new Virgo members were found among 1500 color-selected, star-like targets with 16.0 < b{sub j} < 20.2 in a two-degree diameter field centered on M87 (NGC4486). The newly-found UCDs are comparable to the UCDs in the Fornax Cluster, with sizes {approx} 100 pc, -12.9 < M{sub B} < -10.7, and exhibiting red, absorption-line spectra, indicative of an older stellar population. The properties of these objects remain consistent with the tidal threshing model for the origin of UCDs from the surviving nuclei of nucleated dwarf ellipticals disrupted in the cluster core. The discovery that UCDs exist in Virgo shows that this galaxy type is probably a ubiquitous phenomenon in clusters of galaxies; coupled with their possible origin by tidal threshing, the UCD population is a potential indicator and probe of the formation history of a given cluster. They also describe one additional bright UCD with M{sub B} = -12.0 in the core of the Fornax Cluster. They find no further UCDs in our Fornax Cluster Spectroscopic Survey down to …

This report examines the opinions written by Judge Alito relating to civil rights for individuals with disabilities and includes a discussion of cases relating to the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA), the individuals with disabilities education Act (IDEA), SECTION 504 of the Rehabilitation ACT of 1973, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act.

Direct assaults against Presidents, Presidents-elect, and candidates have occurred on 15 separate occasions, with five resulting in death. Ten incumbents (about 24% of the 42 individuals to serve in the office), including four of the past six Presidents, have been victims or targets. Four of the ten (and one candidate) died as a result of the attacks. This report identifies these incidents and provides information about what happened, when, where, and, if known, why.

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Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances the national interest in reducing the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles that could deliver them. China has taken some steps to mollify U.S. concerns about its role in weapons proliferation. Skeptics question whether China's cooperation in weapons nonproliferation has warranted President Bush's pursuit of stronger bilateral ties. This report discusses the national security problem of China's role in weapons proliferation and issues related to the U.S. policy response, including legislation, since the mid-1990s.

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