This report discusses the reorganization of the General Services Administration (GSA) after the GSA's Inspector General discovered that funds were acquired in a manner not consistent with congressionally authorized procedures. Congressional approval was required for this reorganization due to the replacement of the congressionally authorized fund with a new one.

During the third and final period of this grant, our goal was to refine the algorithmic approaches used to detect and visualize magnetic islands and their corresponding null points within both the NIMROD and M3D data sets. We refined our geometric approach, which gave a greater confidence in the accuracy of the Poincareplots created. The final results are best demonstrated through Figures 2-6 attached to the report. Technical details this work was reported in both the Physics and Visualization communities. The algorithms used to analyze the magnetic field lines and detect magnetic islands have been packaged into a library and were used within the SCIRun Problem Solving Environment which is being used by members of the CEMM for visualization. In addition, the library interface was developed so that it could be used by both the NIMROD and M3D codes directly. Thus allowing the fusion scientist to perform this analysis while their simulations were actively running. The use of the library for analysis and visualization was not limited to just within the CEMM SciDAC. Other groups such as the SciDAC for the Simulation of Wave Interactions with Magnetohydrodynamics using Silo code have used the tools for the analysis of their simulations, …

Synthetic Cd{sub 1-x}Zn{sub x}Te or 'CZT' crystals are highly suitable for the room temperature-based spectroscopy of gamma radiation. Structural/morphological heterogeneities within CZT, such as secondary phases that are thought to consist of Te metal and have detrimental impacts on detector performance. In this study, we used electron and X-ray-based imaging techniques to examine heterogeneous properties of detector grade CZT. Using experimental analytical techniques rather than arbitrary theoretical definitions, our study identifies two dominant secondary phase morphologies. The first consists of numerous empty, 20 {micro} m wide, pyramidal bodies (tetrahedra) or 'negative' crystals with trace quantities of particulate residue that exist as 65 nm sized particles containing Si, Cd, Zn, and Te. The other consists of 20 {micro}m hexagonal-shaped bodies, which are composites of metallic Te layers that contain a teardrop-shaped core of amorphous and polycrystalline CdZnTe which finally surrounds an irregular-shaped void.

We report recent measurements for the branching fractions of charmless hadronic B decays obtained from data collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy collider at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

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This report provides information about the Federal Contract Labor Standards Statutes.It also presents a brief historical introduction to the three federal labor contract statutes.

A Glass Furnace Model (GFM) was developed under a cost-shared R&D program by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in close collaboration with a consortium of five glass industry members: Techneglas, Inc., Owens-Corning, Libbey, Inc., Osram Sylvania, Inc., and Visteon, Inc. Purdue University and Mississippi State University's DIAL Laboratory were also collaborators in the consortium. The GFM glass furnace simulation model that was developed is a tool industry can use to help define and evaluate furnace design changes and operating strategies to: (1) reduce energy use per unit of production; (2) solve problems related to production and glass quality by defining optimal operating windows to reduce cullet generation due to rejects and maximize throughput; and (3) make changes in furnace design and/or operation to reduce critical emissions, such as NO{sub x} and particulates. A two-part program was pursued to develop and validate the furnace model. The focus of the Part I program was to develop a fully coupled furnace model which had the requisite basic capabilities for furnace simulation. The principal outcome from the Phase I program was a furnace simulation model, GFM 2.0, which was copyrighted. The basic capabilities of GFM 2.0 were: (1) built-in burner models …

The infrastructure for transportation in the United States allows for a high level of mobility and freight activity for the current population of 300 million residents, and several million business establishments. According to a Department of Transportation study, more than 230 million motor vehicles, ships, airplanes, and railroads cars were used on 6.4 million kilometers (4 million miles) of highways, railroads, airports, and waterways in 1998. Pipelines and storage tanks were considered to be part of this deteriorating infrastructure. The annual direct cost of corrosion in the infrastructure category was estimated to be approximately $22.6 billion in 1998. There were 583,000 bridges in the United States in 1998. Of this total, 200,000 bridges were steel, 235,000 were conventional reinforced concrete, 108,000 bridges were constructed using pre-stressed concrete, and the balance was made using other materials of construction. Approximately 15 percent of the bridges accounted for at this point in time were structurally deficient, primarily due to corrosion of steel and steel reinforcement. Iron-based amorphous metals, including SAM2X5 (Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4}) and SAM1651 (Fe{sub 48}Mo{sub 14}Cr{sub 15}Y{sub 2}C{sub 15}B{sub 6}) have been developed, and have very good corrosion resistance. These materials have been prepared as …

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) developed a new geometric form: hollow glass microspheres (HGMs), with unique porous walls. The new geometric form combines the existing technology of HGMs with basic glass science knowledge in the realm of glass-in-glass phase separation. Conceptually, the development of a HGM with porous walls (referred to as a PWHGM) provides a unique system in which various media or filling agents can be incorporated into the PWHGM (via transport through the porous walls) and ultimately has the capacity to serve as a functional delivery system in various industrial applications. Applications of these types of systems could range from hydrogen storage, molecular sieves, drug and bioactive delivery systems, to environmental, chemical and biological indicators, relevant to Energy, Environmental Processing and Homeland Security fields. As a specific example, previous studies at SRNL have introduced materials capable of hydrogen storage (as well as other materials) into the interior of the PWHGMs. The goal of this project was to determine if the microstructure (i.e., pore size and pore size distribution) of a PWHGM could be altered or tailored by varying composition and/or heat treatment (time and/or temperature) conditions. The ability to tailor the microstructure through composition or heat treatments …

When the afterglow fades at the site of a long-duration {gamma}-ray burst (LGRB), Type Ic supernovae (SN Ic) are the only type of core collapse supernova observed. Recent work found that a sample of LGRB had different environments from a collection of core-collapse supernovae identified in a high-redshift sample from colors and light curves. LGRB were in the brightest regions of their hosts, but the core-collapse sample followed the overall distribution of the galaxy light. Here we examine 263 fully spectroscopically-typed supernovae found in nearby (z < 0.06) galaxies for which we have constructed surface photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The distributions of the thermonuclear supernovae (SN Ia) and some varieties of core-collapse supernovae (SN II and SN Ib) follow the galaxy light, but the SN Ic (like LGRB) are much more likely to erupt in the brightest regions of their hosts. The high-redshift hosts of LGRB are overwhelmingly irregulars, without bulges, while many low redshift SN Ic hosts are spirals with small bulges. When we remove the bulge light from our low-redshift sample, the SN Ic and LGRB distributions agree extremely well. If both LGRB and SN Ic stem from very massive stars, then it seems …

This project report summarizes the results of a 3-way collaboration between researchers at Montana State University’s (MSU’s) Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE) (Drs. Robin Gerlach and Al Cunningham), the WSU/NSF IGERT Center for Multiphase Environmental Research (CMER) at Washington State University (WSU) (Dr. Brent Peyton who recently moved to MSU), and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) (Drs. William Apel and Frank Roberto). At WSU, removal of uranium (U) from aqueous solution was studied using Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6, under anaerobic, non-growth conditions. The Cellulomonadaceae are environmentally relevant subsurface bacteria, and strain ES6 was isolated from the DOE Hanford subsurface. To better understand the role of the pH buffer in the U immobilization process, both bicarbonate and PIPES buffers were used. Our results show for the first time the strain ES6 has multiple U immobilization mechanisms within one organism. Citations to resulting publications are included in the report.

We present a measurement of the branching fraction and photon energy spectrum for the decay B {yields} X{sub s}{gamma} using data from the BABAR experiment. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 210 fb{sup -1}, from which approximately 680,000 B{bar B} events are tagged by a fully reconstructed hadronic decay of one of the B mesons. In the decay of the second B meson, an isolated high-energy photon is identified. We measure {Beta}(B {yields} X{sub s}{gamma}) = (3.66 {+-} 0.85{sub stat} {+-} 0.60{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4} for photon energies E{sub {gamma}} above 1.9 GeV in the B rest frame. From the measured spectrum we calculate the first and second moments for different minimum photon energies, which are used to extract the heavy-quark parameters m{sub b} and {mu}{sub {pi}}{sup 2}. In addition, measurements of the direct CP asymmetry and isospin asymmetry are presented.

The authors report the results of a study of the decays B{sup +} {yields} J/{psi}{omega}K{sup +} and B{sup 0} {yields} J/{psi}{omega}K{sub S}{sup 0} using 383 million B{bar B} events from {Upsilon}(4S) decays with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e{sup +}e{sup -} storage rings. They observe evidence for Y(3940) {yields} J/{psi}{omega} with product branching fractions {Beta}(B{sup +} {yields} Y K{sup +}, Y {yields} J/{psi}{omega}) = (4.9 {+-} 1.0(stat) {+-} 0.5(syst)) x 10{sup -5} and {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} Y K{sup 0}, Y {yields} J/{psi}{omega}) = (1.5{sub -1.2}{sup +1.4}(stat){sub -0.2}{sup +0.2}(syst)) x 10{sup -5}. The measured mass and width are M(Y) = (3914.6{sub -3.4}{sup +3.8}(stat){sub -1.9}{sup +1.9}(syst)) MeV/c{sup 2} and {Lambda}(Y) = (33{sub -8}{sup +12}(stat){sub -5}{sup +5}(syst)) MeV, respectively.

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Bruce Merrifield, trained as a biochemist, had to address three major challenges related to the development and acceptance of solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The challenges were (1) to reduce the concept of peptide synthesis on a insoluble support to practice, (2) overcome the resistance of synthetic chemists to this novel approach, and (3) establish that a biochemist had the scientific credentials to effect the proposed revolutionary change in chemical synthesis. How these challenges were met is discussed in this article.

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Earthquake activity in the Yucca Mountain from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 (FY03) is assessed and compared with previous activity in the region. FY03 is the first reporting year since the 1992 M 5.6 Little Skull Mountain earthquake with no earthquakes greater than M 3.0 within 65 km of Yucca Mountain. In addition, FY03 includes the fewest number of earthquakes greater than M 2.0 in any reporting year since the LSM event. With 3075 earthquakes in the catalog, FY03 represents the second largest number of earthquakes (second to FY02) since FY96 when digital seismic network operations began. The largest event during FY03 was M 2.78 in eastern NTS and there were only 8 earthquakes greater than M 2.0.

Canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) have long been an important part of recreational and commercial rockfish fishing from southeast Alaska to southern California, but localized stock abundances have declined considerably. Based on age estimates from otoliths and other structures, lifespan estimates vary from about 20 years to over 80 years. For the purpose of monitoring stocks, age composition is routinely estimated by counting growth zones in otoliths; however, age estimation procedures and lifespan estimates remain largely unvalidated. Typical age validation techniques have limited application for canary rockfish because they are deep dwelling and may be long lived. In this study, the unaged otolith of the pair from fish aged at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada was used in one of two age validation techniques: (1) lead-radium dating and (2) bomb radiocarbon ({sup 14}C) dating. Age estimate accuracy and the validity of age estimation procedures were validated based on the results from each technique. Lead-radium dating proved successful in determining a minimum estimate of lifespan was 53 years and provided support for age estimation procedures up to about 50-60 years. These findings were further supported by {Delta}{sup 14}C data, which indicated a minimum estimate of lifespan was 44 {+-} 3 …

This presentation will highlight the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) FutureGen project − a $1 billion government-industry partnership to design, build, and operate a near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant. The lead organization for the FutureGen initiative is the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), a multi-purpose laboratory operated by the U.S. DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy. NETL has a mission to conduct R&D from fundamental science to technology demonstration for resolving the environmental, supply, and reliability constraints of producing and using fossil energy resources. The commercial-scale FutureGen R&D facility is a pathway toward future fossil-energy power plants that will produce hydrogen and electricity while nearly eliminating emissions, including carbon dioxide. The 275-megawatt FutureGen plant will initiate operations around 2012 and employ advanced coal gasification technology integrated with combined cycle electricity generation, hydrogen production, and carbon capture and sequestration. Low carbon emissions would be achieved by integrating CO2 capture and sequestration operations with the power plant.

The paper describes the generalization of the method to produce secondary particles with a low-energy and low-intensity primary beam circulating in a Storage Ring with the Emittance-Recovery by Internal-Target (ERIT).

Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Fernald Environmental Management Project. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Kansas City Plant. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for Los Alamos National Lab. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

The automatic alignment system for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a large-scale parallel system that directs all 192 laser beams along the 300-m optical path to a 50-micron focus at target chamber in less than 30 minutes. The system commands 9,000 stepping motors to adjust mirrors and other optics. Twenty-two control loops per beamline request image processing services running on a LINUX cluster to analyze high-resolution images of the beam and references. Process-leveling assures the computational load is evenly spread on the cluster. Algorithms also estimate measurement accuracy and reject off-normal images. One challenge to achieving rapid alignment of beams in parallel is the efficient coordination of shared laser devices, such as sensors that are configurable to monitor multiple beams. Contention for shared resources is managed by the Component Mediation System, which precludes deadlocks and optimizes device motions using a hierarchical component structure. A reservation service provided by the software framework prevents interference from competing instances of automated controls or from the actions of system operators. The design, architecture and performance of the system will be discussed.