Federal - Executive Branch
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from the U.S. Executive Branch, covering all aspects of the Obama administration including cabinet departments, federal agencies, regulatory and independent agencies.
Featured Stories
Expanded Coverage of Phytocompounds by Mass Spectrometry Imaging Using On-Tissue Chemical Derivatization by 4-APEBA
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
Probing the entirety of any species metabolome is an analytical grand challenge, especially at a cellular scale. Where spatial metabolomics, completed primarily by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), has limited molecular coverage for several reasons. To expand the scope of spatial metabolomics, we developed an on-tissue chemical derivatization (OTCD) workflow using 4-APEBA for confident identification of several dozen elusive
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
Probing the entirety of any species metabolome is an analytical grand challenge, especially at a cellular scale. Where spatial metabolomics, completed primarily by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), has limited molecular coverage for several reasons. To expand the scope of spatial metabolomics, we developed an on-tissue chemical derivatization (OTCD) workflow using 4-APEBA for confident identification of several dozen elusivephytocompounds, including several phytohormones, which have various roles within stress responses and cellular communication. Superiority of 4-APEBA is established in comparison to other derivatization agents with (1) broad specificity towards carbonyls, (2) low background, and (3) introduction of bromine isotopes, where the latter two facilitate confident bioinformatics. The outlined workflow trailblazes a path towards spatial hormonomics within plant samples, enhancing detection of carboxylates, aldehydes, ketones, and plausibly phenols.
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/expanded-coverage-phytocompounds-mass-spectrometry-imaging-using-tissue-chemical
Exploring sustainable electricity system development pathways in South America's MERCOSUR sub-region
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
South America has abundant natural water and energy resources, and exploiting these resources to achieve a clean energy future is central to the continent's economic and sustainable development objectives for the next several decades. Designing pathways to achieving this clean energy future requires better understanding the structural, techno-economic, and policy forces that may influence the future development of the electricity sector in the
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
South America has abundant natural water and energy resources, and exploiting these resources to achieve a clean energy future is central to the continent's economic and sustainable development objectives for the next several decades. Designing pathways to achieving this clean energy future requires better understanding the structural, techno-economic, and policy forces that may influence the future development of the electricity sector in theregion. Here, we focus on an interconnected electricity system of five South American countries - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay - which represent major electricity generation, consumption, and trade dynamics in the region.
We explore the implications of various forces that could shape the future composition of the power sector in the sub-region, including: evolving renewable energy cost and performance, natural gas prices, cross-border interconnection facilities, early retirement of installed hydropower, and different decarbonization goals. We use a model framework based on a power system planning platform (GridPath) to co-optimize investment and operations of generation, storage, and transmission facilities out to 2050. Our results in a Reference scenario indicate that the electricity system can maintain a relatively clean energy portfolio by leveraging existing hydropower capacity and integrating increasingly cost-competitive wind and solar power. However, dependence on natural gas in the region is likely to remain high.
A low-carbon electricity system can cost-effectively be achieved through policy interventions (e.g., renewable portfolio standards) and by diversifying investments in wind, solar, battery storage, and some new hydropower capacity. We also find that existing hydropower is critical for maintaining reliable future grid operations. Enhanced regional electricity trade, mostly based on existing interconnection capacities with nominal investment in new transmission, can significantly benefit the clean energy transition in the region.
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/exploring-sustainable-electricity-system-development-pathways-south-americas-mercosur
Readout of U.S.-Slovakia High Level Defense Group
WASHINGTON, April 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release:
Department of Defense Spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz provided the following readout:
On April 23, 2024, Ms. Lisa Sawyer, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, co-chaired the U.S.-Slovakia High Level Defense Group (HLDG) with Mr. Igor Melicher, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence for the Slovak Republic, at the Slovak Ministry of Defence in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Participants discussed the global security environment, including
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WASHINGTON, April 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release:
Department of Defense Spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz provided the following readout:
On April 23, 2024, Ms. Lisa Sawyer, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, co-chaired the U.S.-Slovakia High Level Defense Group (HLDG) with Mr. Igor Melicher, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence for the Slovak Republic, at the Slovak Ministry of Defence in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Participants discussed the global security environment, includingcountering Russian aggression in Ukraine, the People's Republic of China's influence in Europe, stability in the Taiwan Strait, and ongoing instability in the Middle East. Leaders shared their commitment to strengthening the NATO Alliance ahead of the 75th anniversary NATO Summit July 9 - 11 in Washington, D.C.
DASD Sawyer applauded Slovakia's 20th anniversary as a NATO Ally, its commitment to exceed defense spending targets, and its efforts to contribute to the security of NATO's Eastern Flank.
Slovak defense officials affirmed their commitment to bilateral security cooperation priorities to include military modernization, exercises, English language and other training, military-to-military engagements, technical cooperation, contributions to global security, and Slovakia's longstanding State Partnership Program with the Indiana National Guard.
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Original text here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3752752/readout-of-us-slovakia-high-level-defense-group/
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Phase Field-Volumetric Lattice Boltzmann Model of Ion Uptake in Porous Nuclear Waste Form Materials Under Continuous Flow
WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
The flow field within the mesopores of sorbent particles plays a crucial role in radionuclide diffusion and ion uptake kinetics, thus, impacts the overall performance of porous nuclear waste form materials. To fundamentally understand the influence of microstructures and material properties on radionuclide uptaking processes requires a multi-physics coupling model that considers the convection and diffusion within the flow field,
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WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
The flow field within the mesopores of sorbent particles plays a crucial role in radionuclide diffusion and ion uptake kinetics, thus, impacts the overall performance of porous nuclear waste form materials. To fundamentally understand the influence of microstructures and material properties on radionuclide uptaking processes requires a multi-physics coupling model that considers the convection and diffusion within the flow field,the reaction at liquid-solid interfaces, and finally, the solid-state diffusion within a complex nanoporous medium.
This study employs the volumetric lattice Boltzmann method (VLBM) to accurately and efficiently calculate the steady state velocity field inside the mesopores of sorbent particles. The obtained velocity field is then utilized to calculate the convection of ions in the steady flow. A phase field (PF) model of ion uptake is used to describe the reaction occurring at the solid-liquid interface and diffusion inside the porous medium. The integrated PF-VLBM model is validated in terms of the mass conservation and numerical efficiency. Then, it is applied to study the influence of thermodynamic and kinetic properties, as well as flow field conditions on the ion uptake kinetics. The numerical results demonstrate that the ion uptake kinetics in porous particles has three distinct stages, which is in agreement with the observations in continuous flow experiments.
In the first stage, the kinetics is predominantly controlled by the flow field and ion diffusivity in the liquid phase. The kinetics in the second stage is primarily governed by ion diffusivity in the solid phase. In the third stage the system reaches a dynamic equilibrium without net uptake at the interface. It is also found that porous structures significantly affect the efficiency and capacity of ion uptake. The simulation results can help to understand the physics behind the observed ion uptake kinetics in experiments and to facilitate the development of constitutive equations that can account for heterogeneous microstructures in engineering performance codes.
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Citation
Mao Z., X. Zhang, Y. Li, V. Proust, A. Gossard, T. David, and R.O. Montgomery, et al. 2024. Phase field-volumetric lattice Boltzmann model of ion uptake in porous nuclear waste form materials under continuous flow. Journal of Nuclear Materials 596. PNNL-SA-192472. doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155103
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/phase-field-volumetric-lattice-boltzmann-model-ion-uptake-porous-nuclear-waste-form
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Gcamfaostat - An R Package to Prepare, Process, and Synthesize FAOSTAT Data for Global Agroeconomic and Multisector Dynamic Modeling
WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
The gcamfaostat R package is designed for the preparation, processing, and synthesis of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Statistics (FAOSTAT) agroeconomic data. The primary purpose is to facilitate FAOSTAT data use in global economic and multisector dynamic models while ensuring transparency, traceability, and reproducibility.
Here, we provide an overview of the development of gcamfaostat (v1.0) and demonstrate its
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WASHINGTON, April 25 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Pacific Northwest National Laboratory issued the following abstract of a journal article:
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Abstract
The gcamfaostat R package is designed for the preparation, processing, and synthesis of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Statistics (FAOSTAT) agroeconomic data. The primary purpose is to facilitate FAOSTAT data use in global economic and multisector dynamic models while ensuring transparency, traceability, and reproducibility.
Here, we provide an overview of the development of gcamfaostat (v1.0) and demonstrate itscapabilities in generating and maintaining agroeconomic data required for the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM). Our initiative seeks to enhance the quality and accessibility of data for the global agroeconomic modeling community, with the aim of fostering more robust and harmonized outcomes in a collaborative, efficient, and open-source framework.
One of the important features of the package is the possibility to construct the FAO Food Balance Sheets at the disaggregated commodity level (with over 500 commodities), which provides a comprehensive and detailed data input for a variety of analytical and modeling applications. The processed data and visualizations offered by gcamfaostat can also be valuable to a broader audience interested in gaining insights into the intricacies of global agriculture.
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Citation
Zhao X., M. Chepeliev, P.L. Patel, M.A. Wise, K.V. Calvin, K. Narayan, and C.R. Vernon. 2024. gcamfaostat: An R package to prepare, process, and synthesize FAOSTAT data for global agroeconomic and multisector dynamic modeling. Journal of Open Source Software 9, no. 96:Art. No. 6388. PNNL-SA-192383. doi:10.21105/joss.06388
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Original text here: https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/gcamfaostat-r-package-prepare-process-and-synthesize-faostat-data-global-agroeconomic
Fla. U.S. Attorney: Former Comptroller General of Ecuador Convicted for $10M International Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme
MIAMI, Florida, April 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release on April 24, 2024:
A federal jury in Miami convicted the former Comptroller General of Ecuador yesterday for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as Comptroller
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MIAMI, Florida, April 25 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release on April 24, 2024:
A federal jury in Miami convicted the former Comptroller General of Ecuador yesterday for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2010 to 2015, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, 73, solicited and received over $10 million in bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate. Polit, in his position as ComptrollerGeneral of Ecuador, was responsible for protecting public funds against fraud and rooting out corruption. Instead, Polit took bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for removing fines and not imposing fines on Odebrecht's projects in Ecuador. Additionally, in or around 2015, Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for assisting the businessman with obtaining certain contracts with the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador.
"This verdict is a reminder of our office's firm commitment to investigating and prosecuting corrupt foreign officials who bring their criminally obtained funds to South Florida to buy real estate," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida.
"As Comptroller General of Ecuador, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni was entrusted to protect the people of Ecuador from the misuse of public funds. Instead, Polit abused his position as a public official by soliciting and pocketing over $10 million in bribes and then laundering the illicit funds in Miami," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "The Criminal Division is committed to ensuring that the United States is not a safe haven for the illicit funds of corrupt officials."
From in or around 2010 and continuing until at least 2017, at the direction of Polit, another member of the conspiracy caused proceeds of Polit's bribery scheme to "disappear" by using Florida companies registered in the names of friends and associates, often without the associates' knowledge. The conspirators also used funds from Polit's bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in Florida.
"This conviction shows that despite your wealth, title, or influence, nobody is above the law," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. "HSI and its partners on the El Dorado Financial Crimes Task Forces will continue to pursue corrupt foreign officials who utilize their official positions for their own illicit gain".
The jury convicted Polit of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of concealment money laundering, and two counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 in the Eastern District of New York to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.
HSI's Miami Field Office investigated this case. The FBI International Corruption Squad investigated the Odebrecht case and provided substantial assistance in this case.
The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department also thanks the assistance of law enforcement authorities in Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Curacao with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx P. Calderon for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department's FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa .
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-CR-20114.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/former-comptroller-general-ecuador-convicted-10m-international-bribery-and-money
Earth Day: Marine Corps Installations Command's Environmental Readiness is Mission Readiness
QUANTICO, Virginia, April 25 -- The U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command issued the following news:
Every year, increasingly erratic and unpredictable climate forces are threatening Marine Corps installations and capabilities. Typhoon Mawar made this clear less than a year ago when it struck Guam - scattering debris on runways and shuttering access to essential services across the island - or more recently in California when stormwater washed out roads at San Onofre Beach near Marine Corps Base (MCB) Pendleton. More than five years later, the Marine Corps is still rebuilding from 2018's Hurricane
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QUANTICO, Virginia, April 25 -- The U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command issued the following news:
Every year, increasingly erratic and unpredictable climate forces are threatening Marine Corps installations and capabilities. Typhoon Mawar made this clear less than a year ago when it struck Guam - scattering debris on runways and shuttering access to essential services across the island - or more recently in California when stormwater washed out roads at San Onofre Beach near Marine Corps Base (MCB) Pendleton. More than five years later, the Marine Corps is still rebuilding from 2018's HurricaneFlorence, which caused $3.6 billion in damage to installations on the east coast of the United States.
In 2023 the Marine Corps made great strides in building resilience against myriad types of environmental threats at its installations around the world. Notably in October Marine Corps Installations Command (MCICOM) released its Installation Campaign Plan for Environmental Resilience and Energy Readiness, which sets aggressive targets for installations to continue to build projects and establish practices to ensure operations in even the most hostile natural environments. While some of these policies are new, they are building on successes we have already seen across the Corps.
"Environmental resilience is all about being able to take a punch from mother nature and stay standing," said Colonel Joseph Novario, Modernization and Development Director at MCICOM. "The current and future operating environments demand our installations have the resilience to maintain their force projection capability after the worst types of environmental disasters."
There is a lot of progress to celebrate, including a recent determination that, between 2007 and 2022, the Marine Corps reduced its water consumption by nearly 28%, improving efficiency and prolonging reserves in the event of a drought. MCB Camp Lejeune is continuing to rebuild structures to withstand high winds and flooding, with a recent replacement of railroad infrastructure, damaged by Florence, between MCB Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point finishing ahead of schedule in December 2023. During a simulated blackout as part of exercise Steel Knight in November, MCAS Miramar successfully demonstrated their recently constructed microgrid, which allows the installation to generate its own energy for up to 21 days.
In the conservation space, the most recent round of awardees and projects from the DoD's Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program included Marine Corps installation partnerships from South Carolina to Hawaii. In the Pacific, MCB Camp Blaz, the newly reactivated Marine Corps installation on the island, is taking advantage of REPI and partner funding to protect against climate-related threats as well as preserve vital habitat for endangered species. In fact, the Guam Environmental Quality Team at MCB Camp Blaz was just named the 2024 winner of the Secretary of Defense Environmental Quality Individual/Team Award for their work aiding in the recovery from Typhoon Mawar as well as their safeguarding of the island's fragile environment and ecosystems amid a major uptick in construction for the installation.
"Strengthening an installation's environmental resilience can help prepare against other threats, too," said Novario. When installations manage water and energy efficiently, they establish vital reserves and fortify infrastructure against both natural disasters and adversaries. "The added benefit of environmental resilience is that we, in many cases, have secured ourselves against manmade threats and increasing installations' self-sufficiency in times of peace means we are even more prepared for times of conflict. The reality is that we are preventing and mitigating disruptions to our operations regardless of the threat that causes them." said Novario.
MCICOM is continuing to invest in modernizing our facilities to maintain continuity of operations for critical infrastructure while supporting force and power projection, regardless of disruptions from man-made threats or natural disasters. By 2030, the Marine Corps aims to achieve 99.9% backup power availability for key mission critical Marine Corps facilities, with 14 days of off-grid capability for mission critical facilities by 2035. This will allow Marines to minimize, adapt to, and recover from any energy disruption to sustain essential functions and critical services.
It's no coincidence that Marines, known for our flexibility and efficiency, are adapting to new challenges by investing in smart, resilient, and networked installations and developing partnerships with local communities, agencies, industry, and academia. We adapt to the fight - regardless of whether it is against a near-peer competitor or against mother nature herself.
The Marine Corps will provide more information at its upcoming Installation Resilience panel at Modern Day Marine. The following link provides more information on how to attend this panel at the event: https://marinemilitaryexpos.com/
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Original text here: https://www.marines.mil/News/News-Display/Article/3753743/earth-day-marine-corps-installations-commands-environmental-readiness-is-missio/
