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Drug Control: U.S. Nonmilitary Assistance to Colombia Is Beginning to Show Intended Results, but Programs Are Not Readily Sustainable (open access)

Drug Control: U.S. Nonmilitary Assistance to Colombia Is Beginning to Show Intended Results, but Programs Are Not Readily Sustainable

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2000, the U.S. government has provided a total of $3.3 billion to Colombia, making it the fifth largest recipient of U.S. assistance. Part of this funding has gone toward nonmilitary assistance to Colombia, including programs to (1) promote legitimate economic alternatives to coca and opium poppy; (2) assist Colombia's vulnerable groups, particularly internally displaced persons; and (3) strengthen the country's democratic, legal, and security institutional capabilities. GAO examined these programs' objectives, reported accomplishments, and identified the factors, if any, that limit project implementation and sustainability. We also examined the challenges faced by Colombia and the United States in continuing to support these programs."
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Administration: More Effort Needed to Assess Consistency of Disability Decisions (open access)

Social Security Administration: More Effort Needed to Assess Consistency of Disability Decisions

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Each year, about 2.5 million people file claims with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for disability benefits. If the claim is denied at the initial level, the claimant may appeal to the hearings level. The hearings level has allowed more than half of all appealed claims, an allowance rate that has raised concerns about the consistency of decisions made at the two levels. To help ensure consistency, SSA began a "process unification" initiative in 1994 and recently announced a new proposal to strengthen its disability programs. This report examines (1) the status of SSA's process unification initiative, (2) SSA's assessments of possible inconsistencies in decisions between adjudication levels, and (3) whether SSA's new proposal incorporates changes to improve consistency in decisions between adjudication levels."
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Brownfield Redevelopment: Stakeholders Report That EPA's Program Helps to Redevelop Sites, but Additional Measures Could Complement Agency Efforts (open access)

Brownfield Redevelopment: Stakeholders Report That EPA's Program Helps to Redevelop Sites, but Additional Measures Could Complement Agency Efforts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Brownfields are properties whose use may be hindered by the threat of contamination. Cleaning up and redeveloping these properties can protect human health and the environment and provide economic benefits. Under the Brownfields Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides grants to state and local governments and others for site assessments, job training, revolving loans, and cleanups and to assist state efforts. GAO was asked to (1) obtain stakeholders' views on EPA's contribution to brownfield cleanup and redevelopment, (2) determine the extent to which EPA measures program accomplishments, and (3) obtain views on options to improve or complement EPA's program. Stakeholders GAO surveyed included grant recipients, state program officials, interest groups, and others."
Date: December 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Taxation: Information on Federal Contractors With Offshore Subsidiaries (open access)

International Taxation: Information on Federal Contractors With Offshore Subsidiaries

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Every year, U.S.-based multinational corporations transfer hundreds of billions of dollars of goods and services between their affiliates in the United States and their foreign subsidiaries. Such transactions may be a part of normal business operations for corporations with foreign subsidiaries. However, it is generally recognized that given the variation in corporate tax rates across countries, an incentive exists for corporations with foreign subsidiaries to reduce their overall tax burden by maximizing the income they report in countries with low income tax rates, and minimizing the income they report in or repatriate to countries with high income tax rates. Various studies have suggested that U.S.-based multinational corporations appear to engage in transactions such as these that shift income from their affiliates in high-tax countries to subsidiaries in low-tax countries to take advantage of the differences in tax rates in foreign countries. In 2002, GAO reported that 4 of the 100 largest publicly traded federal contractors are incorporated in a "tax haven" country that either does not tax corporate income or taxes the income at a low rate. As a follow-up to the report, Congress asked us …
Date: February 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Uranium Enrichment: Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund Is Insufficient to Cover Cleanup Costs (open access)

Uranium Enrichment: Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund Is Insufficient to Cover Cleanup Costs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Decontaminating and decommissioning the nation's uranium enrichment plants, which are contaminated with hazardous materials, will cost billions of dollars and could span decades. In 1992, the Energy Policy Act created the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund (Fund) to pay for the plants' cleanup and to reimburse licensees of active uranium and thorium processing sites for part of their cleanup costs. This report discusses (1) what DOE has done to reduce the cleanup costs authorized by the Fund, and (2) the extent to which the Fund is sufficient to cover authorized activities."
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Air Act: Key Stakeholders' Views on Revisions to the New Source Review Program (open access)

Clean Air Act: Key Stakeholders' Views on Revisions to the New Source Review Program

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revisions to the New Source Review (NSR) program to control industrial emissions have drawn attention from state and local agencies that implement the program, as well as industry and environmental and health groups. Under the revisions, companies may not have to install pollution controls when making some facility changes. GAO was asked to obtain the opinions of state air quality officials and other stakeholders on the impact of both the final and proposed revisions EPA issued in December 2002. GAO obtained survey responses from NSR program managers in 44 states and certain localities and contacted six environmental and health groups, and eight industry groups active in the NSR debate. Survey details are available in GAO-04-337SP."
Date: February 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wildfire Suppression: Funding Transfers Cause Project Cancellations and Delays, Strained Relationships, and Management Disruptions (open access)

Wildfire Suppression: Funding Transfers Cause Project Cancellations and Delays, Strained Relationships, and Management Disruptions

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2003, wildfires burned roughly 4 million acres, destroyed over 5,000 structures, took the lives of 30 firefighters, and cost over $1 billion to suppress. The substantial expense of fighting wildfires has exceeded the funds appropriated for wildfire suppression nearly every year since 1990. To pay for wildfire suppression costs when the funds appropriated are insufficient, the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have transferred funds from their other programs. GAO was asked to identify (1) the amount of funds transferred and reimbursed for wildfire suppression since 1999, and the programs from which agencies transferred funds; (2) the effects on agency programs from which funds were taken; and (3) alternative approaches that could be considered for estimating annual suppression costs and funding wildfire suppression."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Management: Continuing Questionable Reliance on Commercial Contracts to Demilitarize Excess Ammunition When Unused, Environmentally Friendly Capacity Exists at Government Facilities (open access)

Defense Management: Continuing Questionable Reliance on Commercial Contracts to Demilitarize Excess Ammunition When Unused, Environmentally Friendly Capacity Exists at Government Facilities

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In April 2001, we reported that the Army Materiel Command's guidance required that 50 percent of the excess conventional ammunition demilitarization budget--a figure for which we did not find any analytical basis--be set aside for commercial firms that use environmentally friendly demilitarization processes. This resulted in the retention and underutilization of environmentally friendly demilitarization capabilities at government facilities and in additional program costs. We thus recommended that the Department of Defense (DOD) develop a plan in consultation with Congress that included procedures for assessing the appropriate mix of government and commercial sector capacity needed to demilitarize excess ammunition. Our intent was to have DOD reexamine the cost-effectiveness of using commercial versus government facilities to demilitarize excess ammunition. Over the past several months we have conducted work to determine the specific actions taken to implement our recommendation. We made extensive use of our prior work as a baseline to compare the changes in demilitarization capacity and utilization at government-owned facilities since our prior report. We conducted our analysis of DOD's demilitarization program in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. The purpose of this letter is to note that …
Date: April 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
FAA Budget Policies and Practices (open access)

FAA Budget Policies and Practices

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In recent years, Congress has raised concerns about cost growth in the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) operating budget. Appropriators noted several expenses in FAA's fiscal year 2004 facilities and equipment (F&E) account budget submission that appeared to be ongoing operating expenses. The House and Senate appropriations subcommittee reports on FAA's fiscal year 2004 budget submission highlighted 17 such budget items and recommended that the expenses for these items either be transferred to the operations budget or not receive funding. As a result of these concerns, the Conference Report accompanying the fiscal year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Act directed us to conduct an audit of FAA's policies and practices for determining whether an expense should be budgeted in its operating accounts or in the capital account. Specifically, this report addresses the following questions: (1) What are FAA's policies for determining whether an expense--including personnel compensation, benefits, travel, and related expenses--belongs in its capital (F&E) or Operations accounts? (2) How did FAA implement its policies for determining whether 17 specific budget line items identified by appropriators belong in its F&E or Operations accounts, including personnel compensation, benefits, travel, and related expenses? …
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
NASA: Compliance with Cost Limits (open access)

NASA: Compliance with Cost Limits

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Section 202 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Authorization Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-391) requires that GAO verify NASA's accounting for amounts obligated against established limits for the space station and related space shuttle support. Under the act, obligations are limited to $25 billion for the space station and $17.7 billion for shuttle support."
Date: April 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan Reconstruction: Deteriorating Security and Limited Resources Have Impeded Progress; Improvements in U.S. Strategy Needed (open access)

Afghanistan Reconstruction: Deteriorating Security and Limited Resources Have Impeded Progress; Improvements in U.S. Strategy Needed

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In October 2001, in response to the Taliban regime's protection of al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States, coalition forces forcibly removed the regime from Afghanistan. In December 2002, Congress passed the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act authorizing assistance funds to help Afghanistan rebuild a stable, democratic society. The act directed GAO to monitor the implementation of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance. This report analyzes, for fiscal years 2002-2003, (1) U.S. obligations and expenditures in Afghanistan, (2) results of assistance projects, (3) the assistance coordination mechanisms and strategy, and (4) major obstacles that affected the achievement of U.S. goals."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing Effective Software Patch Management Processes (open access)

Information Security: Agencies Face Challenges in Implementing Effective Software Patch Management Processes

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Flaws in software code can introduce vulnerabilities that may be exploited to cause significant damage to federal information systems. Such risks continue to grow with the increasing speed, sophistication, and volume of reported attacks, as well as the decreasing period of the time from vulnerability announcement to attempted exploits. The process of applying software patches to fix flaws--patch management--is critical to helping secure systems from attacks. At the request of the House Committee on Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, GAO reviewed the (1) reported status of 24 selected agencies in performing effective patch management practices, (2) tools and services available to federal agencies, (3) challenges to this endeavor, and (4) additional steps that can be taken to mitigate risks created by software vulnerabilities. This testimony highlights the findings of GAO's report, which is being released at this hearing."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Farmer Mac: Greater Attention to Risk Management, Mission, Public Purpose, and Corporate Governance Is Needed (open access)

Farmer Mac: Greater Attention to Risk Management, Mission, Public Purpose, and Corporate Governance Is Needed

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony is based on GAO's October 2003 report, Farmer Mac: Some Progress Made, but Greater Attention to Risk Management, Mission, and Corporate Governance Is Needed (GAO-04-116). GAO's testimony presents a brief overview of Farmer Mac and discusses issues raised in its 2003 report, including Farmer Mac's risk management practices and line of credit with Treasury, mission related activities, board structure, and oversight, which is provided by the Farm Credit Administration (FCA)."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Analysis of Consumption of Inventory Exceeding Current Operating Requirements Since September 30, 2001 (open access)

Defense Inventory: Analysis of Consumption of Inventory Exceeding Current Operating Requirements Since September 30, 2001

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 1990, GAO has identified the Department of Defense's (DOD) inventory management as a highrisk area. Ineffective management practices--such as the use of inaccurate data, lack of inventory controls and visibility, and information system weaknesses--have contributed to high levels of inventory. DOD has reduced its inventory since 1990, from about $100 billion to about $67 billion as of September 30, 2002. However, at the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, about half of the inventory exceeded current operating requirements. GAO, under its statutory authority, analyzed the extent to which inventory that exceeded current operating requirements as of September 30, 2001, was consumed through cutoff dates ranging from March through October 2003 and identified three ineffective and inefficient inventory management practices."
Date: August 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Status of Key Recommendations GAO Has Made to DHS and Its Legacy Agencies (open access)

Status of Key Recommendations GAO Has Made to DHS and Its Legacy Agencies

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the federal government has undertaken numerous actions to enhance the nation's homeland security, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). One of the primary reasons for the establishment of DHS was to unify the vast national network of organizations and institutions involved in efforts to protect our nation. Since it began operations on March 1, 2003, DHS has faced enormous challenges to protect the nation from terrorism while it organizes itself into a coherent and integrated agency. We support Congress by reviewing various government programs and activities to help improve their performance and accountability. When our work identifies a significant need for action by the Congress or an agency, we develop recommended solutions. These recommendations identify actions we believe the department, agency, bureau, or office should implement to ensure government programs operate effectively and efficiently. This report responds to a Congressional request that we provide status information on key recommendations we have made to DHS and its legacy agencies. On June 30, 2004, we briefed Congress on the results of our review. This report transmits information provided …
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: Continued Action Needed to Improve Software Patch Management (open access)

Information Security: Continued Action Needed to Improve Software Patch Management

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Flaws in software code can introduce vulnerabilities that may be exploited to cause significant damage to federal information systems. Such risks continue to grow with the increasing speed, sophistication, and volume of reported attacks, as well as the decreasing period of the time from vulnerability announcement to attempted exploits. The process of applying software patches to fix flaws, referred to as patch management, is a critical process to help secure systems from attacks. The Chairmen of the House Committee on Government Reform and its Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census requested that GAO assess the (1) reported status of 24 selected agencies in performing effective patch management practices, (2) patch management tools and services available to federal agencies, (3) challenges to performing patch management, and (4) additional steps that can be taken to mitigate the risks created by software vulnerabilities."
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Waste Disposal Act (open access)

Waste Disposal Act

This law was passed by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to improve environmental sanitation and public health through the regulation of waste disposal.
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: China (Republic : 1949- )
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization of Helium Bubbles in Aged Plutonium (open access)

Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization of Helium Bubbles in Aged Plutonium

The self-irradiation damage generated by alpha decay of plutonium results in the formation of lattice defects, helium, and uranium atoms. Over time, microstructural evolution resulting from the self-irradiation may influence the physical and mechanical properties of the material. In order to assess microstructural changes, we have developed and applied procedures for the specimen preparation, handling, and transmission electron microscopy characterization of Pu alloys. These transmission electron microscopy investigations of Pu-Ga alloys ranging in age up to 42-years old reveal the presence of nanometer-sized helium bubbles. The number density of bubbles and the average size have been determined for eight different aged materials.
Date: November 2, 2004
Creator: Schwartz, A J; Wall, M A; Zocco, T G & Blobaum, K M
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference on Fossil Energy Materials. (open access)

Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference on Fossil Energy Materials.

The 18th Annual conference on Fossil Energy Materials was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 2 through June 4, 2004. The meeting was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy through the Advanced Research Materials Program (ARM). The objective of the ARM Program is to conduct research and development on materials for longer-term fossil energy applications, as well as for generic needs of various fossil fuel technologies. The management of the program has been decentralized to the DOE Oak Ridge Operations Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The research is performed by staff members at ORNL and by researchers at other national laboratories, universities, and in private industry. The work is divided into the following categories: (1) structural, ceramics, (2) new alloys and coatings, (3) functional materials, and (4) technology development and transfer.
Date: November 2, 2004
Creator: Judkins, RR
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for Power Electronics Applications (open access)

Comparison of Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for Power Electronics Applications

Recent developmental advances have allowed silicon (Si) semiconductor technology to approach the theoretical limits of the Si material; however, power device requirements for many applications are at a point that the present Si-based power devices cannot handle. The requirements include higher blocking voltages, switching frequencies, efficiency, and reliability. To overcome these limitations, new semiconductor materials for power device applications are needed. For high power requirements, wide-bandgap semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and diamond, with their superior electrical properties, are likely candidates to replace Si in the near future. This report compares wide-bandgap semiconductors with respect to their promise and applicability for power applications and predicts the future of power device semiconductor materials.
Date: January 2, 2004
Creator: Ozpineci, B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A second order accurate embedded boundary method for the wave equation with Dirichlet data (open access)

A second order accurate embedded boundary method for the wave equation with Dirichlet data

The accuracy of Cartesian embedded boundary methods for the second order wave equation in general two-dimensional domains subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions is analyzed. Based on the analysis, we develop a numerical method where both the solution and its gradient are second order accurate. We avoid the small-cell stiffness problem without sacrificing the second order accuracy by adding a small artificial term to the Dirichlet boundary condition. Long-time stability of the method is obtained by adding a small fourth order dissipative term. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of the method. The method is also used to solve the two-dimensional TM{sub z} problem for Maxwell's equations posed as a second order wave equation for the electric field coupled to ordinary differential equations for the magnetic field.
Date: March 2, 2004
Creator: Kreiss, H O & Petersson, N A
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interpretation of long-offset transient electromagnetic data fromMount Merapi, Indonesia, using a three-dimensional optimizationapproach (open access)

Interpretation of long-offset transient electromagnetic data fromMount Merapi, Indonesia, using a three-dimensional optimizationapproach

In the years 1998, 2000, and 2001, long-offset transientelectromagnetic (LOTEM) surveys were carried out at the active volcanoMerapi in Central Java. The measurements investigated the conductivitystructure of the volcanic edifice. Our area of interest, which is belowthe summit and the upper flanks, was investigated using horizontal andvertical magnetic field time derivative data from seventransmitter-receiver setups. Because of topography and athree-dimensional (3-D) underground structure, a 3-D interpretation isused. The method optimizes few parameters of a 3-D model by a stableleast squares joint inversion of the data, providing sufficientresolution capability. Reasonable data fits are achieved with anonhorizontally layered model featuring a very conductive basement belowdepths of 1.5 km. While hydrothermal alteration is also considered, wetentatively explain the high conductivities by aqueous solutions withrelatively high salt contents. A large magma body or a small superficialreservoir below Merapi's central volcanic complex, as discussed by otherauthors, cannot be resolved by the LOTEM data.
Date: June 2, 2004
Creator: Commer, Michael; Helwig, Stefan L.; Hordt, Andreas & Tezkan, Bulent
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gamma-Ray Imaging with Position-Sensitive HPGe detectors (open access)

Gamma-Ray Imaging with Position-Sensitive HPGe detectors

None
Date: April 2, 2004
Creator: Vetter, K.; Burks, M. & Mihailescu, L.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Potential energy sputtering of EUVL materials (open access)

Potential energy sputtering of EUVL materials

Of the many candidates employed for understanding the erosion of critical Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) components, potential energy damage remains relatively uninvestigated. Unlike the familiar kinetic energy sputtering, which is a consequence of the momentum transferred by an ion to atoms in the target, potential energy sputtering occurs when an ion rapidly collects charge from the target as it neutralizes. Since the neutralization energy of a singly charged ion is typically on the order of 10 eV, potential energy effects are generally neglected for low charge state ions, and hence the bulk of the sputtering literature. As an ion's charge state is increased, the potential energy (PE) increases rapidly, e.g. PE(Xe{sup 1+})= 11 eV, PE(Xe{sup 10+}) = 810 eV, PE(Xe{sup 20+}) = 4.6 keV, etc. By comparison, the binding energy of a single atom on a surface is typically about 5 eV, so even relatively inefficient energy transfer mechanisms can lead to large quantities of material being removed, e.g. 25% efficiency for Xe{sup 10+} corresponds to {approx} 40 atoms/ion. By comparison, singly charged xenon ions with {approx} 20 keV of kinetic energy sputter only about 5 atoms/ion at normal incidence, and less than 1 atom/ion at typical EUV source energies. …
Date: July 2, 2004
Creator: Pomeroy, J. M.; Ratliff, L. P.; Gillaspy, J. D. & Bajt, S.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library