A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Effective management of the government's day-to-day operations has been hampered by a lack of necessary data. The Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1990 calls for the modernization of federal financial management systems, including the systematic measurement of performance; the development of cost information; and the integration of program, budget, and financial information. The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA) encourages agencies to have systems that generate timely, accurate, and useful information with which to make informed decisions and to ensure accountability on an ongoing basis. Auditors for 19 of the 24 CFO Act agencies reported that their agencies' financial management systems did not comply substantially with FFMIA requirements, compared to 21 agencies reported as not being substantially compliant for 1999. The auditors for five CFO Act agencies reported no instances in which the agencies' systems did not substantially comply with FFMIA. These auditors, however, did not definitively state whether the agencies' financial management systems substantially complied with FFMIA. FFMIA requires agencies to prepare remediation plans to overcome financial management systems problems. These plans have improved over the fiscal year 1998 plans; however, further …

Guidance issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This publication supersedes GAO-01-703G, Strategies to Manage Improper Payments: Learning From Public and Private Sector Organizations (Exposure Draft), May 2001. Improper payments are a significant problem in both government and the private sector. In the private sector, improper payments are generally an internal problem that threatens profitability. In the public sector, improper payments can result in wasteful spending, a higher tax burden, and fewer people receiving services. Despite increased scrutiny, most improper payments associated with federal programs still go undetected. Improper payments are more likely in programs with complex criteria for computing payments, a high volume of transactions, or an emphasis on speedy payments. This report highlights strategic actions taken by study participants to reduce improper payments."

A staff study issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The nation's physical infrastructure consists of a broad array of systems and facilities, including transportation networks, such as roads, airports, rail, and mass transit; housing; federal buildings including postal facilities; and telecommunications services. In the 21st century, the following trends are likely to influence the nation's need for interconnected infrastructure systems and services: (1) the total population of the United States is expected to increase by nearly 50 million people, or about 17 percent; (2) the number of Americans aged 55 and over is expected to increase by about 60 percent; and (3) the suburbanization of population and employment will continue. The steps that the nation takes to anticipate these trends in infrastructure policy and investments will have a direct effect on America's economy and quality of life. To better understand these connections, GAO sponsored a conference in June 2001 to consider infrastructure issues from a crosscutting perspective. This report discusses the findings and conclusions of that conference."

Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This journal of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) includes articles regarding (1) the XI Assembly of the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (OLACEFS) from August 20-24, 2001, in Panama City, Panama; (2) data envelopment analysis in performance evaluation; (3) an audit profile of the State Audit Office (SAO) of Finland; and (4) activities within INTOSAI."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony describes the benefits to the federal government of public-private partnerships on real property. Under these partnerships, the private sector finances the renovation or redevelopment of real property contributed by the federal government. Each partner then shares in the net cash flow. Key factors typically considered in public-private partnerships are whether the properties are in areas with a strong real estate market or strong demand for office space. As a result of these partnerships, the federal government can potentially gain efficient, repaired space, and properties that were once a net cost to the government can become revenue producers. This testimony summarized a July report (GAO-01-906)."

Since the mid-1980s, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has been participating in the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA's) efforts to mitigate for the negative impacts to fish and wildlife resulting from the development and operation of the 7 Columbia Basin Federal Hydropower System. BPA's mitigation obligations were formally recognized and mandated by the Northwest Power Act of 1980 and are guided by the Northwest Power Planning Council's (NWPPC's) Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. BPA funds fish and wildlife projects throughout the Basin to meet the habitat and population restorative goals and objectives outlined in the NWPPC's Fish and Wildlife Program and to fulfill its mitigation responsibilities under the Power Act. Impacts to wildlife resulting from hydrofacility construction/inundation were estimated using Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) in the mid and late 1980s and are documented in BPA' s Wildlife Loss Assessments (Rasmussen and Wright 1990,a,b,c,d) and in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lower Snake River Wildlife Habitat Compensation Evaluation (ACOE 1991). The loss assessments provided estimates of lost habitat quality and quantity for the target species selected to represent the habitat cover types impacted by hydropower construction/inundation. The NWPPC incorporated these losses into their Fish and Wildlife Program, …

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Comparative studies of dynamics of photoexcited carriers in range of Si-based materials of interest for PV applications.

Quarterly newsletter from DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies to promote the use of energy-efficient industrial systems. This issue's focus is alternative power sources.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Results using light-biasing EBIC are illustrated for dual-junction InGaP/InGaAs solar cells.

The Buildings for the 21st Century newsletter is produced by the Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs and contains information on building programs, events, products, and initiatives, with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The fall issue includes information on weatherization, Boise's geothermal heating system, the BTS Core Databook, the Solar Decathlon, a Rebuild America partnership, the BigHorn Home Improvement Center, AIA's Top Ten Buildings, a sub-CFL procurement program, the U.S. investment in energy efficient research, new efficiency standards, PNNL's building software, and a calendar of meetings and conferences.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: The Thin Film Partnership has organized three National Research Teams in CIS, CdTe, and amorphous silicon.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Describes performance of 1-kWac CdTe PV array from First Solar operated at NREL from 6/95 to 14/00. This paper describes the performance of a 1-kW{sub ac} CdTe PV array from First Solar (formerly Solar Cells, Inc.) operated at NREL from June 1995 to November 2000. The PV array operating efficiencies over the 5.5-year period were calculated from 15-minute averages to determine changes in seasonal and annual performance. Performance measurements of each module were also made before installing the modules outdoors and again in August 2000 using NREL's indoor SPIRE 240A pulsed solar simulator and the Standard Outdoor Measurement System (SOMS). Although some modules showed increases in efficiency and others decreases, the average efficiency of the modules in the PV array did not change. For modules that showed changes in efficiency, analysis of module I-V parameters indicated that the changes in efficiency were primarily a consequence of changes in fill factor.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: DOEs Concentrating Solar Power program is investigating the viability of concentrating PV converters as an alternative to thermal conversion devices.

The 36,000-square-foot Cambria Office building in Ebensbug, Pennsylvania houses the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Designers of the energy-efficient building used integrated design to minimize energy use and pollution created in the production of the materials they used, and reduced the overall pollution and environmental impact the building will create over its lifetime. The building also employs daylighting and renewable energy technologies.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Energy production and performance of polycrystalline silicon technology photovoltaic modules in the field. Six polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic modules--two apiece from three manufacturers--were simultaneously deployed outdoors on the performance and energy ratings testbed at NREL's Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) in June 2000. In situ electrical performance and energy production from these modules obtained under ambient conditions in the field between June 2000 and August 2001 are compared. The average effective efficiency--derived from module energy out divided by solar energy in calculations averaged on a weekly basis--is analyzed and compared with module current-voltage measurements performed at standard reporting conditions (SRC). The effective efficiencies exhibit seasonal variations correlated with average module temperatures--becoming larger at colder temperatures. The performance ratios (PRs) defined as the effective efficiency divided by the efficiency at SRC, range from 78% to 96%, depending on the module and time of the year. The PRs exhibit seasonal variations that range from 11% to 15%.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Modeled diffusion of H in 2-step Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} passivation process invoking concept of storage of H. H stored during nitridation is redistributed during subsequent anneal. The modeling results agree with this hypothesis, and the conclusions also appear to concur with the observations.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Overview of the Fundamental and Exploratory Research project with the DOE Basic Sciences program and the National Center for Photovoltaics. This paper presents an overview of the Fundamental and Exploratory Research project within the U.S. Department of Energy's National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV). The idea behind the project is to identify, support, evaluate and coordinate an optimal spectrum of complementary projects that either contribute to the fundamental understanding of existing PV technologies or to explore the less conventional, or far out, technological possibilities. Two other programs, one for close collaborative university/industry partnerships in crystalline silicon and an educational/research program involving undergraduates at eight historically black colleges and universities, are also managed under this same task. In sum, this effort represents directed high-risk, long-term basic research targeting possibilities for optimal configurations of low cost, high efficiency, and reliability in PV related devices whatever form they may ultimately take.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Electron microscopy studies of MOVPE layers of materials that are potential 1-eV bandgap semiconductors for solar cells.

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Measurements of backsheet moisture permeation and encapsulant-substrate adhesion. At the March 2001 NCPV workshop on ''Moisture Ingress and High-Voltage Isolation'', industry participants identified several properties associated with PV module durability that are critical for commercial success. These include interface conductivity, adhesion of encapsulants to substrate materials as a function of in-service exposure conditions, and moisture permeation through backsheet materials as a function of temperature. Electrical data is discussed in a companion paper; adhesion and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) measurements are presented herein.

New fact sheets for the DOE Office of Power Technologies (OPT) that provide technology overviews, description of DOE programs, and market potential for each OPT program area.

The purpose of this document is to describe the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project Organization and the top level roles and responsibilities of the managers charged with executing the Project.

A 2-day workshop ''Physical and Chemical Property Measurements for the Gas Hydrate R&D Community'' was held on 17-18 September 2001. Putting together this workshop was a joint effort by LLNL, MBARI and the USGS, Menlo Park. Twenty-two people from a wide variety of institutions and backgrounds participated. An additional eighteen people were forced to cancel at the last minute due to the events of 11 September 2001. The premise of the workshop was that progress in nearly every aspect of gas hydrate research depends fundamentally on the availability of high-quality property data and the development of laboratory insights into the physics and chemistry that govern gas hydrates in nature. One objective of the workshop was to develop a dialogue between laboratory scientists who make property measurements of gas hydrates and scientists who use these data for quantitative modeling. A second objective was to help facilitate research among experimentalists and the acquisition of reliable gas hydrate properties. The latter focused mainly, but not exclusively, on researchers from institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area to energize a community that has a geographic advantage in collaborative relationships. The workshop was successful at meeting both of these objectives, although the unique perspectives of …

The Task Group on Computational Modelling for Explicit Analyses in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code committee was set up in August 2008 to develop a quantitative finite element modelling guidance document for the explicit dynamic analysis of energy-limited events. This guidance document will be referenced in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III Division 3 and NRC Regulatory Guide 7.6 as a means by which the quality of a finite element model may be judged. In energy limited events, which the guidance document will address, ductile metallic materials will suffer significant plastic strains to take full advantage of their energy absorption capacity. Accuracy of the analyses in predicting large strains is therefore essential. One of the issues that this guidance document will address is the issue of the quality of a finite element mesh, and in particular, mesh refinement to obtain a convergent solution. That is, for a given structure under a given loading using a given type of element, what is the required mesh density to achieve sufficiently accurate results. One portion of the guidance document will be devoted to a series of element convergence studies that can aid designers in establishing the mesh refinement …

Abstract – The AGR-1 irradiation experiment contains seventy-two individual cylindrical fuel compacts (25 mm long x 12.5 mm diameter) each containing approximately 4100 TRISO-coated uranium oxycarbide fuel particles. The experiment accumulated 620 effective full power days in the Advanced Test Reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory with peak burnups exceeding 19% FIMA. An extensive post-irradiation examination campaign will be performed on the AGR-1 fuel in order to characterize the irradiated fuel properties, assess the in-pile fuel performance in terms of coating integrity and fission metals release, and determine the fission product retention behavior during high temperature accident testing. PIE experiments will include dimensional measurements of fuel and irradiated graphite, burnup measurements, assessment of fission metals release during irradiation, evaluation of coating integrity using the leach-burn-leach technique, microscopic examination of kernel and coating microstructures, and accident testing of the fuel in helium at temperatures up to 1800°C. Activities completed to date include opening of the irradiated capsules, measurement of fuel dimensions, and gamma spectrometry of selected fuel compacts.