Criteria and guide lines are presented for the design, construction, and operation of safe, economical, and efficient glove boxes and associated facilities based upon present conditions and anticipated changes. Comprehensive discussion of glove box materials and components, safety and fire prevention methods, health physics problems, operational considerations, and brief descriptions of AEC installations are included. (39 references) (C.H.)

The Knowledges and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operations: Savannah River Site (SRS) Production Reactors, provides the basis for the development of content-valid certification examinations for Senior Reactor Operators (SROs) and Central Control Room Supervisors (SUP). The position of Shift Technical Engineer (STE) has been included in the catalog for completeness. This new SRS reactor operating shift crew position is held by an individual holding a CCR Supervisor Certification who has received special engineering and technical training. Also, the STE has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or a related technical field. The SRS catalog contains approximately 2500 knowledge and ability (K/A) statements for SROs and SUPs at heavy water moderated production reactors. Each K/A statement has been rated for its importance to the safe operation of the plant in a manner ensuring the health and safety of the public. The SRS K/A catalog is presently organized into five major sections: Plant Systems grouped by Safety Function, Plant Wide Generic K/As, Emergency Plant Evolutions, Theory and Components (to be developed).

A listing of environmental surveillance sampling endeavors for the years 1978 and 1979 is given in which sampling media, i.e., ambient air, stack effluent air, water, and soil are considered. Sampling locations, frequency of sampling, parameters analyzed, and control limits also are given. The objectives of the sampling are considered in defining the program.

Pilot plant studies were conducted to develop a continuous process for recovering uranium from nichrome fuels (HTRE). The process consisted of dissolution of fuel in mixed HCl--HNO/sub 3/ solution, removal of the chloride ion by stripping with HNO/sub 3/ in a packed column, and then recovery of the uranium by TBP solvent extraction. Recovery of uranium from nichrome fuels at satisfactory rates and efficiencies can be obtained by this process. Reactor fuels containing large amounts of silica may present a solids problem during chloride removal. Titanium is a suitable material of construction for the dissolver, stripping column, and their associated equipment (feed, off-gas, and product vessels). Stainless steel equipment is suitable for the solvent extraction system. (auth)

A general formulation of multi-phase fluid flow coupled to chemical reactions was developed based on a continuum description of porous media. A preliminary version of the computer code MCCTM was constructed which implemented the general equations for a single phase fluid. The computer code MCCTM incorporates mass transport by advection-diffusion/dispersion in a one-dimensional porous medium coupled to reversible and irreversible, homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions. These reactions include aqueous complexing, oxidation/reduction reactions, ion exchange, and hydrolysis reactions of stoichiometric minerals. The code MCCTM uses a fully implicit finite difference algorithm. The code was tested against analytical calculations. Applications of the code included investigation of the propagation of sharp chemical reaction fronts, metasomatic alteration of microcline at elevated temperatures and pressures, and ion-exchange in a porous column. Finally numerical calculations describing fluid flow in crystalline rock in the presence of a temperature gradient were compared with experimental results for quartzite.

Analyses of clam shells for Sr, Sr/sup 90/, and Ca are reported. The data include 208 Sr, 80 Sr/sup 90/, and 35 Ca analyses. Information on age of the clam and shell weight are also included because the Sr concentration in some shells is affected by age and growth rate. A detailed description of sample treatment and preparation is also included. (auth)

Report that describes the role of clerk of the house and secretary of the senate. It discusses lobbying disclosure guidance document and semi-annual report of certain contributions

Report that discusses current laws that prohibit discrimination in education, and continues with an analysis of the specific provisions contained in SNDA, including provisions relating to coverage, prohibited acts, and enforcement and remedies under the proposed legislation.

Report that is concerned with the current legislative framework for cybersecurity as well as proposals to amend more than 30 related acts of Congress.

Report that begins with an overview of major online procurement systems that support certain acquisition processes, or contain data about agencies' procurements.

Report that provides information on the procedure for the appointment of an "independent counsel," a "special prosecutor," or a "special counsel" to investigate and prosecute potential or possible violations of federal criminal law by officials in the executive branch of the federal government and in federal agencies.

Report that briefly outlines an array of science and technology policy issues that may come before the 113th Congress.

Report that contains information on congressional pay procedure and recent adjustments. It includes historical information on pay rates since 1789; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared to actual adjustments in Member pay; details on past legislation enacted with language prohibiting the annual pay adjustment; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992.

Report that contains information on the pay procedure of members of Congress and recent adjustments. It provides information on previous actions and votes by year, from 1990-2010.

Abstract: "This report describes a flame photometric system which continuously monitors a process water stream for ppm quantities of alkali metals, and automatically diverts the stream when the contamination exceeds a pre-determined level."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since 2003, a global epidemic of avian influenza has raised concern about the risk of an influenza pandemic among humans, which could cause millions of deaths. The United States and its international partners have begun implementing a strategy to forestall (prevent or delay) a pandemic and prepare to cope should one occur. Disease experts generally agree that the risk of a pandemic strain emerging from avian influenza in a given country varies with (1) environmental factors, such as disease presence and certain high-risk farming practices, and (2) preparedness factors, such as a country's capacity to control outbreaks. This report describes (1) U.S. and international efforts to assess pandemic risk by country and prioritize countries for assistance and (2) steps that the United States and international partners have taken to improve the ability to forestall a pandemic. To address these objectives, we interviewed officials and analyzed data from U.S. agencies, international organizations, and nongovernmental experts. The U.S. and international agencies whose efforts we describe reviewed a draft of this report. In general, they concurred with our findings. Several provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) has not followed sound data collection practices in designing and maintaining the Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) database, raising concern that the database is not a useful tool for describing the nature, use, and extent of excess and underutilized federal real property. For example, FRPC has not ensured that key data elements—including buildings' utilization, condition, annual operating costs, mission dependency, and value—are defined and reported consistently and accurately. GAO identified inconsistencies and inaccuracies at 23 of the 26 locations visited related to these data elements (see the fig. for an example). As a result, FRPC cannot ensure that FRPP data are sufficiently reliable to support sound management and decision making about excess and underutilized property."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) methods for estimating excess capacity outside of a congressionally-authorized Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process have limitations. DOD used similar processes in its excess capacity analyses conducted in 1998 and 2004. This process included three major steps: (1) categorizing bases according to their primary missions and defining indicators of capacity; (2) developing ratios of capacity-to-force structure for DOD's baseline year of 1989; and (3) aggregating the analysis from the installation level across the military services and department-wide."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Eighty federal programs are authorized to fund transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged, but transportation is not the primary mission of most of the programs GAO identified. Of these, the Department of Transportation administers 7 programs that support public transportation. The remaining 73 programs are administered by 7 other federal agencies and provide a variety of human services, such as job training, education, or medical care, which incorporate transportation as an eligible expense in support of program goals. Total federal spending on transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged remains unknown because, in many cases, federal departments do not separately track spending for these services. However, total funding for the 28 programs that do track or estimate transportation spending, including obligations and expenditures, was at least $11.8 billion in fiscal year 2010."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Intermodal transportation enables freight and passengers to cross between different modes of transportation efficiently and can improve mobility, reduce congestion, and cut costs. In 1991 Congress called for a National Intermodal Transportation System and created the Office of Intermodalism within the Department of Transportation (DOT). However, as GAO and others have reported, there are barriers to planning and implementing intermodal projects. GAO's report examines (1) barriers that inhibit intermodal transportation; (2) actions DOT has taken to address these barriers and support Congress' goal; and (3) additional actions, if any, that DOT could take to better address barriers. GAO analyzed information from DOT and transportation experts and talked with transportation officials from various states and localities throughout the country."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "All of the Intelligence Community (IC) elements except for one are participating in the Joint Duty Program and the IC elements generally view the program as beneficial. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Defense Security Service, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and 15 other IC components have identified an office or individual responsible for facilitating the program. However, the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard), which ordinarily operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), does not participate in the program, even though the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and IC guidance stipulate that the Joint Duty Program applies to the defined IC, which includes the Coast Guard’s civilian personnel in its National Intelligence Element. Coast Guard officials stated it delayed its participation in the program because it first plans to conduct a workforce study that will determine how the Coast Guard will participate, but it has not identified a timeframe for the study’s completion, and the position assigned to conduct the study is currently vacant. As a result, personnel in other IC elements may …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) conducted the Count Question Resolution (CQR) program to correct errors in the count of housing units as well as dormitories and other group living facilities known as group quarters. GAO was asked to assess whether CQR was consistently implemented across the country, paying particular attention to whether the Bureau identified census errors that could have been caused by more systemic problems. GAO also evaluated how well the Bureau transitioned to CQR from an earlier quality assurance program called Full Count Review."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Maritime security threats to the United States are broad, including the naval forces of potential adversary nations, terrorism, and piracy. The attacks on the USS Cole in 2000, in Mumbai in 2008, and on the Maersk Alabama in 2009 highlight these very real threats. The Department of Defense (DOD) considers maritime domain awareness--that is, identifying threats and providing commanders with sufficient awareness to make timely decisions--a means for facilitating effective action in the maritime domain and critical to its homeland defense mission. GAO was asked to examine the extent to which DOD has developed a strategy to manage its maritime domain awareness efforts and uses a risk-based approach. GAO analyzed national and DOD documents; interviewed DOD and interagency maritime domain awareness officials; and conducted site visits to select facilities engaged in maritime related activities. This report is a public version of a previous, sensitive report.."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past decade, average college tuition and fees increased between 20 and 38 percent, depending on the type of institution. This rising cost of college affects all students--both veteran and nonveteran students--who rely on a mix of family resources, grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study to finance their education. Students may face particular hardships when the cost of attendance outpaces students' available resources. For example, some lenders recently have tightened the eligibility criteria for obtaining student loans in response to problems in financial markets. In fiscal year 2007, the Department of Education (Education) provided $82 billion in financial aid in the form of grants, loans, and work-study programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, to 11 million students and their families. The primary Title IV aid programs include Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and campus-based aid programs. Veterans also may be eligible for federal financial aid from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA awarded about $2 billion in Chapter 30 education benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill1 (Chapter 30 GI benefits) to more than 300,000 veteran students in fiscal year …