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The 2001 outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Europe (Ferguson et al. 2001a, 2001b; Bouma et al. 2003) and concern about the possibility of an intentional introduction of a devastating foreign animal disease triggered renewed interest in both theoretical and experimental research related to FMD. Theoretical models of disease transmission, which influenced the tactical decisions of the United Kingdom (UK) government during the epidemic (Taylor 2003), resulted in large numbers of uninfected animals being slaughtered. After the epidemic, the adopted control policies were sharply criticized (Kitching 2004;, Taylor 2003). Still, the role of computationaL modeling for analyzing the scope of the epidemic and devising control strategies was recognized as substantial and necessary.

Three complex target penetration scenarios are run with a model developed by the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, called PENCURV. The results are compared with both test data and a Zapotec model to evaluate PENCURV's suitability for conducting broad-based scoping studies on a variety of targets to give first order solutions to the problem of G-loading. Under many circumstances, the simpler, empirically based PENCURV model compares well with test data and the much more sophisticated Zapotec model. The results suggest that, if PENCURV were enhanced to include rotational acceleration in its G-loading computations, it would provide much more accurate solutions for a wide variety of penetration problems. Data from an improved PENCURV program would allow for faster, lower cost optimization of targets, test parameters and penetration bodies as Sandia National Laboratories continues in its evaluation of the survivability requirements for earth penetrating sensors and weapons.

This study is about the history and evolution of the offshore oil and gas industry in southern Louisiana in an objective and comprehensive way.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In the face of growing demand for veterans' health care, GAO and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) have raised concerns about the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) ability to maximize its third-party collections to supplement its medical care appropriation. GAO has testified that inadequate patient intake procedures, insufficient documentation by physicians, a shortage of qualified billing coders, and insufficient automation diminished VA's collections. In turn, the OIG reported that VA missed opportunities to bill, had billing backlogs, and did inadequate follow-up on bills. While VA has made improvements in these areas, GAO was asked to review internal control activities over third-party billings and collections at selected medical centers to assess whether they were designed and implemented effectively."

An historical evaluation and documentation of the offshore oil and gas industry and its impact on the economy of Southern Louisiana from its inception in the early decades of the twentieth century.