A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2002, Congress has directed GAO to assess the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) annual fiscal year cost, schedule, testing, and performance progress in developing the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). This year's report specifically assesses MDA's progress in (1) delivering missile defense assets as scheduled (2) improving accountability and transparency over the past year (3) implementing the European Phased Adaptive Approach (4) implementing changes to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program (5) implementing the targets revised acquisition strategy identified in 2009, and (6) testing the BMDS and developing its modeling and simulations to assess performance. To accomplish this, GAO reviewed MDA's progress reports to the Congress, pertinent Department of Defense (DOD) policies and reports including a DOD assessment and plan related to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In August 2008, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began defining a new strategy for modernizing the way it manages individual taxpayer accounts. The strategy, known as Customer Account Data Engine (CADE) 2, is expected to provide service, compliance, and other benefits to IRS and to taxpayers beginning in 2012. IRS expects to implement CADE 2 in three phases. The first phase is expected to be delivered in 2012, the second in 2014, and the third at a later yet to be determined date. GAO was asked to (1) determine whether IRS has identified the expected benefits of CADE 2 and set targets for measuring success, (2) examine the estimated costs and assess IRS's process for developing them, and (3) assess IRS's process for managing the risks associated with CADE 2 and describe the risks IRS has identified using this process. To do so, GAO reviewed relevant documentation, attended program review meetings, and interviewed IRS officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated that as of fiscal year 2009 the total alien--non-U.S.-citizen--population was about 25.3 million, including about 10.8 million aliens without lawful immigration status. Some aliens have been convicted and incarcerated (criminal aliens). The federal government bears these incarceration costs for federal prisons and reimburses states and localities for portions of their costs through the Department of Justice's (DOJ) State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). GAO was asked to update its April and May 2005 reports that contained information on criminal aliens. This report addresses (1) the number and nationalities of incarcerated criminal aliens; (2) the types of offenses for which criminal aliens were arrested and convicted; and (3) the costs associated with incarcerating criminal aliens and the extent to which DOJ's methodology for reimbursing states and localities for incarcerating criminal aliens is current and relevant. GAO analyzed federal and SCAAP incarceration and cost data of criminal aliens from fiscal years 2003 through 2010, and conviction and cost data from five states that account for about 70 percent of the SCAAP criminal alien population in 2008. GAO analyzed a random sample …

This presentation is part of the faculty lecture series UNT Speaks Out, the Symposium on Well-Being. In this presentation, the author discusses the importance of quality of life to achieve happiness and wellness.

This poster introduces the faculty lecture series UNT Speaks Out, the Symposium on Well-Being. This series features Dr. Celia Williamson, associate professor of rehabilitation, social work and addictions, and Dr. Mark Vosvick, associate professor of psychology and director of the psychology departments' Center for Psychosocial Health Research.

This report provides committee funding requests and authorizations as adopted pursuant to primary expense authorizations for House committees in the 104th-112th Congresses.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

Weekly newspaper from Port Aransas, Texas on Mustang Island that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.

Free weekly newspaper that includes business and classified advertising.

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.

This report looks at Japan-U.S. relations since WWII. The report focuses on some problems which can be addressed by Congress, including the earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan in March 2011, the Futenma Marine Air Station in Okinawa, bilateral trade, and economic issues resulting from the recent credit crisis and related economic recession.

This report is designed to assist members of Congress as they consider the costs and benefits of the U.S.-South Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA.) It examines the provisions of the KORUS FTA in the context of the overall U.S.-South Korean economic relationship, U.S. objectives, and South Korean objectives.

This report discusses some of the most relevant factors to take into account when considering whether or not biopower is carbon neutral. It does not discuss carbon accounting for other bioenergy pathways.

This report examines congressional responses to the two most recent work stoppages in the National Football League (NFL), which occurred in 1982 and 1987. Congress is interested in the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA), set to expire in 2012, because of the status of labor-management relations in professional football. The report also examines the 1994 Major League Baseball strike to examine how Congress has responded in the past to work stoppages in professional sports.

This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration has requested and how much Congress has appropriated for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs) since 2000. It also provides a brief description of the MDBs and the ways they fund their operations.

Daily student newspaper from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and campus news along with advertising.

Weekly Jewish newspaper from Fort Worth, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.

Child welfare services are intended to ensure and improve the safety, permanence, and well-being of children. This report provides a brief description of each child welfare program and recent and proposed funding of the program.

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is preparing to initiate processing of Sludge Batch 7a (SB7a) in May 2011. To support qualification of SB7a, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested to execute a variability study (VS) to assess the applicability of the current Product Composition Control System (PCCS) durability models for the Frit 418-SB7a compositional region of interest. The objective of this study was to demonstrate applicability of the current durability models to the SB7a compositional region of interest and acceptability of the SB7a glasses with respect to the Environmental Assessment (EA) glass in terms of durability as defined by the Product Consistency Test (PCT). To support programmatic objectives, twenty-eight SB7a glasses were selected based on the nominal sludge projections used to support the frit recommendation. Twenty-three of the SB7a VS glasses were based on the use of Frit 418, while 5 glasses were based on the use of Frit 702. Frit 702 was also identified as a viable candidate for SB7a, especially if SO{sub 4} concentrations are found to be higher than anticipated. Frit 702 has shown a higher SO{sub 4} retention capability as compared to Frit 418. With respect to acceptability, the PCT results of the …

A target's terminal ballistic effects involving explosively generated fragments, along with the original blast, are of critical importance for many different security and safety related applications. Personnel safety and protective building design are but a few of the practical disciplines that can gain from improved understanding combined loading effects. Traditionally, any engineering level analysis or design effort involving explosions would divide the target damage analysis into two correspondingly critical areas: blast wave and fragment related impact effects. The hypothesis of this paper lies in the supposition that a linear combination of a blast-fragment loading, coupled with an accurate target response description, can lead to a non-linear target damage effect. This non-linear target response could then stand as the basis of defining what a synergistic or combined frag-blast loading might actually look like. The table below, taken from Walters, et. al. categorizes some of the critical parameters driving any combined target damage effect and drives the evaluation of results. Based on table 1 it becomes clear that any combined frag-blast analysis would need to account for the target response matching similar ranges for the mechanics described above. Of interest are the critical times upon which a blast event or fragment impact …

Shipping containers used to transport radioactive material (RAM) in commerce employ a variety of closure mechanisms. Often, these closure mechanisms require a specific amount of torque be applied to a bolt, nut or other threaded fastener. It is important that the required preload is achieved so that the package testing and analysis is not invalidated for the purpose of protecting the public. Torque compliance is a means of ensuring closure preload, is a major factor in accomplishing the package functions of confinement/containment, sub-criticality, and shielding. This paper will address the importance of applying proper torque to package closures, discuss torque value nomenclature, and present one methodology to ensure torque compliance is achieved.

As a part of the Actinide Removal Process (ARP)/Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Life Extension Project, a next generation solvent (NG-CSSX), a new strip acid, and modified monosodium titanate (mMST) will be deployed. The strip acid will be changed from dilute nitric acid to dilute boric acid (0.01 M). Because of these changes, experimental testing with the next generation solvent and mMST is required to determine the impact of these changes in 512-S operations as well as Chemical Process Cell (CPC), Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) glass formulation activities, and melter operations at DWPF. To support programmatic objectives, the downstream impacts of the boric acid strip effluent (SE) to the glass formulation activities and melter operations are considered in this study. More specifically, the impacts of boric acid additions to the projected SB7b operating windows, potential impacts to frit production temperatures, and the potential impact of boron volatility are evaluated. Although various boric acid molarities have been reported and discussed, the baseline flowsheet used to support this assessment was 0.01M boric acid. The results of the paper study assessment indicate that Frit 418 and Frit 418-7D are robust to the implementation of the 0.01M boric acid SE into …

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate in memory of Don Meredith, former SMU and Dallas Cowboys quarterback and longtime sportscaster.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate designating the Sunday through Saturday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, each year as Texas Suicide Prevention Week.