Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO published a performance and accountability challenge report on government programs and functions that GAO has identified as "high risk" because of their greater vulnerabilities to waste, abuse, and mismanagement."

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided information on the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program's current financial management initiatives, activities, and practices."

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, organizations and donors have provided Russia with tens of billions of dollars in economic assistance to helping it transition to a market economy within a democratic state. This transition presents opportunities and challenges to the Russians and to those providing economic assistance. This report focuses on the assistance given to Russia by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the 1992 Freedom Support Act, and the European Union's Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States program. GAO found that the success of the assistance programs has been mixed. Although there have been several individual successes, such as small business development, GAO's interviews with the financial institutions revealed that overall program goals are not being met. GAO identified three obstacles toward attaining program objectives: (1) difficult conditions in Russia, (2) limitations in how programs were designed and implemented, and (3) the interdependent nature of Russia's transition needs. The financial institutions and donors, along with the Russian government, are reevaluating the design of their programs. …

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses GAO's need to access to records concerning the administration's process for approving United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping operations. To complete this study, GAO needs (1) access to all records at the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Council that are considered to be relevant to GAO's study, and (2) independent access to these agencies' records for the U.N. peacekeeping operations covered by this study. The copies of the requested documents that GAO received were so heavily redacted that they did not provide any useful information. GAO believes the process used by State and DOD threatens its independent access to records as well as the quality and validity of the study. GAO also believes that the existing process of allowing federal agencies to collect the relevant documents and edit their contents before releasing them to GAO is unacceptable and must change."

This law was passed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in order to control marine pollution, protect public health, and sustainably use marine resources.

Water use in the pulp and paper industry is very significant, and the U.S. pulp and paper industries as well as other processing industries are actively pursuing water conservation and pollution prevention by in-process recycling of water. Bleach plant effluent is a large portion of the water discharged from a typical bleached kraft pulp mill. The recycling of bleach plant effluents to the kraft recovery cycle is widely regarded as an approach to low effluent bleached kraft pulp production. The focus of this work has been on developing an electrodialysis process for recycling the acidic bleach plant effluent of bleached Kraft pulp mills. Electrodialysis is uniquely suited as a selective kidney to remove non-process elements (NPEs) from bleach plant effluent before they reach the chemical recovery cycle. Using electrodialysis for selective NPE removal can prevent the problems caused by accumulation of inorganic NPEs in the pulping cycle and recovery boiler. In this work, acidic bleach plant filtrates from three mills using different bleaching sequences based on chlorine dioxide were characterized. The analyses showed no fundamental differences in the inorganic NPE composition or other characteristics among these filtrates. The majority of total dissolved solids in the effluents were found to be …

Each content code uniquely identifies the generated waste and provides a system for tracking theprocess and packaging history. Each content code begins with a two-letter site abbreviation thatdesignates the physical location of the RH-TRU waste. The site-specific letter designations for eachof the DOE sites are provided in Table 2. All TRU waste generating/storage sites are included inTable 2 for completeness. Not all of the sites listed in Table 2 have generated/stored RH-TRU waste.

Semiweekly newspaper from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas that includes local, national, and campus news along with advertising.

Weekly student newspaper from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas that includes campus and local news along with advertising.

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The HMX {beta}-{delta} solid-solid phase transition, which occurs as HMX is heated near 170 C, is linked to increased reactivity and sensitivity to initiation. Thermally damaged energetic materials (EMs) containing HMX therefore may present a safety concern. Information about the phase transition is vital to predictive safety models for HMX and HMX-containing EMs. We report work on monitoring the phase transition with real-time Raman spectroscopy aimed towards obtaining a better understanding of physical properties of HMX through the phase transition. HMX samples were confined in a cell of minimal free volume in a displacement-controlled or load-controlled arrangement. The cell was heated and then cooled at controlled rates while real-time Raman spectroscopic measurements were performed. Raman spectroscopy provides a clear distinction between the phases of HMX because the vibrational transitions of the molecule change with conformational changes associated with the phase transition. Temperature of phase transition versus load data are presented for both the heating and cooling cycles in the load-controlled apparatus, and general trends are discussed. A weak dependence of the temperature of phase transition on load was discovered during the heating cycle, with higher loads causing the phase transition to occur at a higher temperature. This was especially true …

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Long duration and exploration class space missions will place new requirements on human performance when compared to current space shuttle missions. Specifically, assembly and operation of the International Space Station (ISS) will place significant new demands on the crew. For example, maintenance of systems that provide habitability will become an ongoing activity for the international flight crews. Tasks for maintaining space station habitability will need to be integrated with tasks associated with scientific research. In addition, tasks and resources will need to be prioritized and allocated dynamically in response to changing operational conditions and unplanned system breakdowns. This paper describes an ongoing program to develop a habitability index (HI) for space operations based on the critical function approach. This pilot project focuses on adaptation of the critical function approach to develop a habitability index specifically tailored for space operations. Further work will then be needed to expand and validate the habitability index for application in the ISS operational environment.

The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC), at the Savannah River Site (SRS), operates a pilot scale testing facility in the TNX Area. Research conducted in the TNX Area generated wastewater that was disposed of in earthen basins until 1988. As a result of these operations, shallow groundwater and sediments beneath the TNX Area are contaminated with both dissolved and residual chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE), carbon tetrachloride, and perchloroethylene (PCE). In 1996, the SRS initiated an Interim Remedial Action to capture and contain the dissolved contamination that was greater that 500 {micro}g/L TCE (WSRC, 1999). The Interim Remedial Action included the installation of a recovery well network and air stripper, and a vertical recirculation well. The objective of the recovery well network and air stripper is to provide hydraulic containment of the contaminated groundwater and provide a mechanism for the treatment of purge water generated during monitoring of the Interim Remedial Action. A vertical recirculation well, TVR1A, was installed to test the in-well vapor stripping (IVS) technology. Results from the test indicated that the IVS technology was not effective in the TNX Area. A single well soil vapor extraction test was conducted during June of 1997 …

Bimonthly newsletter from DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies to promote the use of energy-efficient industrial systems.

This report describes the results of groundwater and soil gas sampling conducted at the Distler Brickyard Site, Hardin County, Kentucky, June-August, 2000. The purpose of the sampling activities was to address remaining data gaps regarding the feasibility of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) for remediation of chloroethene/ane contamination. Specifically, data gaps fall into four categories: 1) effect of seasonal recharge on contaminant concentrations, 2) geochemical conditions in the Fine Grained Alluvium (FGA), 3) conditions along the flowpath between Wells GW-11 and MW-3, and 4) the extent of aerobic degradation in the Coarse Grained Alluvium (CGA). A data collection strategy composed of both groundwater sampling and passive soil vapor sampling devices (Gore-Sorbers?) was used. The Gore-Sorber? technology was used to collect data from the FGA, which because of its low hydraulic conductivity and variable saturation makes collection of groundwater samples problematic. Gore-Sorbers were deployed in 15 wells, most of them being in the FGA, and groundwater samples were collected in 17 wells, which were mostly in the CGA. Both sampling methods were utilized in a subset of wells (7) in order to determine the general comparability of results obtained from each method. Results indicate that water levels in both the FGA and …

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory is evaluating in situ bioremediation of contaminated groundwater at its Test Area North Facility. To determine feasibility, microcosm and bioreactor studies were conducted to ascertain the ability of indigenous microbes to convert trichloroethene and dichloroethene to non-hazardous byproducts under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and to measure the kinetics of microbial reactions associated with the degradation process. Microcosms were established from core samples and groundwater obtained from within the contaminant plume. These microcosms were amended with nutrients, under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, to identify electron donors capable of stimulating the degradation process. Results of the anaerobic microcosm studies showed that lactate, acetate and propionate amendments stimulated indigenous cell growth and functioned as effective substrates for reductive degradation of chloroethenes. Bioreactors inoculated with cultures from these anaerobic microcosms were operated under a batch mode for 42 days then converted to a fed-batch mode and operated at a 53-day hydraulic residence time. It was demonstrated that indigenous microbes capable of complete anaerobic reductive dechlorination are present in the subject well. It was also demonstrated that aerobic microbes capable of oxidizing chlorinated compounds produced by anaerobic reductive dechlorination are present. Kinetic data suggest that controlling the type …

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of forced convection heat transfer in a narrow rectangular duct fitted with a circular tube and/or a delta-winglet pair. The duct was designed to simulate a single passage in a fin-tube heat exchanger. Heat transfer measurements were obtained using a transient technique in which a heated airflow is suddenly introduced to the test section. High-resolution local fin-surface temperature distributions were obtained at several times after initiation of the transient using an imaging infrared camera. Corresponding local fin-surface heat transfer coefficient distributions were then calculated from a locally applied one-dimensional semi-infinite inverse heat conduction model. Heat transfer results were obtained over an airflow rate ranging from 1.51 x 10-3 to 14.0 x 10-3 kg/s. These flow rates correspond to a duct-height Reynolds number range of 670 – 6300 with a duct height of 1.106 cm and a duct width-toheight ratio, W/H, of 11.25. The test cylinder was sized such that the diameter-to-duct height ratio, D/H is 5. Results presented in this paper reveal visual and quantitative details of local fin-surface heat transfer distributions in the vicinity of a circular tube, a delta-winglet pair, and a combination of a circular tube and a …

The outlook for nuclear power in the U.S. is currently very bright. The economics, operations and safety performance of U.S. nuclear power plants is excellent. In addition, both the safety and economic regulation of nuclear power are being changed to produce better economic parameters for future nuclear plant operations and the licenses for plant operations are being extended to 60 years. There is further a growing awareness of the value of clean, emissions-free nuclear power. These parameters combine to form a firm foundation for continued successful U.S. nuclear plant operations, and even the potential In order to realize a bright future for nuclear power, we must respond successfully to five challenges: • Nuclear power must remain economically competitive, • The public must remain confident in the safety of the plants and the fuel cycle. • Nuclear wastes and spent fuel must be managed and the ultimate disposition pathways for nuclear wastes must be politically settled. • The proliferation potential of the commercial nuclear fuel cycle must continue to be minimized, and • We must assure a sustained manpower supply for the future and preserve the critical nuclear technology infrastructure. The Generation IV program is conceived to focus the efforts of …

The Demonstration of Decision Support Tools for Sustainable Development project integrated the Bechtel/Nexant Industrial Materials Exchange Planner and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory System Dynamic models, demonstrating their capabilities on alternative fuel applications in the Greater Yellowstone-Teton Park system. The combined model, called the Dynamic Industrial Material Exchange, was used on selected test cases in the Greater Yellow Teton Parks region to evaluate economic, environmental, and social implications of alternative fuel applications, and identifying primary and secondary industries. The test cases included looking at compressed natural gas applications in Teton National Park and Jackson, Wyoming, and studying ethanol use in Yellowstone National Park and gateway cities in Montana. With further development, the system could be used to assist decision-makers (local government, planners, vehicle purchasers, and fuel suppliers) in selecting alternative fuels, vehicles, and developing AF infrastructures. The system could become a regional AF market assessment tool that could help decision-makers understand the behavior of the AF market and conditions in which the market would grow. Based on this high level market assessment, investors and decision-makers would become more knowledgeable of the AF market opportunity before developing detailed plans and preparing financial analysis.

The Low-Activity Waste Process Technology Program anticipated that grouting will be used for disposal of low-level and transuranic wastes generated at the Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center (INTEC). During fiscal year 2000, grout formulations were studied for transuranic waste derived from INTEC liquid sodium-bearing waste and for projected newly generated low-level liquid waste. Additional studies were completed using silica gel and other absorbents to solidify sodium-bearing wastes. A feasibility study and conceptual design were completed for the construction of a grout pilot plant for simulated wastes and demonstration facility for actual wastes.

The purpose and objective of this analysis is to determine the present grounding requirements of the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) subsurface electrical system and to verify that the actual grounding system and devices satisfy the requirements.