This report documents major proposals asking for the reform of the Universal Military Training and Service Act, along with the opinions of the Marshall Commission, Clark Panel, and the President on each proposal.

This report addresses the Organized Crime Task Force and a summary of the basic report.

Discussions are presented concerning integral experiments primarily on water and graphite systems. A description of experimental facilities is included along with details of die-away experiments, infinite-medium spectrum measurements, spatially dependent spectrum measurements, spectrum measurements for graphite systems, and development of a subcritical assembly program. (J.R.D.)

An investigation was conducted to measure the pressure obtained when the pyrotechnic mixture TiH/sub x//KClO/sub 4/ was ignited in a confined variable-volume system. It was possible to derive an expression of the form PV/sup ..gamma../ = k for the pressure-volume relationship obtained. This expression is a polytropic expansion of the ideal gas equation that best fits the data generated. For this particular work, values of ..gamma.. = 0.53 and k = 69.3 were obtained where P is in megapascals and V is in cubic centimeters. In addition, estimates of the reaction rates were calculated based on the times to achieve maximum pressure for a given volume system. An explicit expression relating rate to pressure was derived by a simplified least-squares fit of the data obtained.

This project revolves around understanding the fundamental processes involved in the catalytic removal of harmful oxygenated organics present in coal liquids. We will model the complex type of sulfided Mo catalyst proposed for these reactions with a simple single crystal surfaces that display a controlled range and number of reaction sites and can be extensively characterized by surface science techniques.

This report summarizes the results of a joint project on renewable energy of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the US DOE. NARUC'S Task Force on Renewable Energy conducted a review of the current state of renewable energy technologies to evaluate their potential and extract key policy lessons from experience already gained in deployment of these technologies in numerous states. The main focus of this effort has been to clarify how utility regulators affect the development of renewable energy resources. The goal of the project was twofold: (1) identify the factors that have led to success or failure or renewable energy technologies in various energy markets, and (2) to develop an agenda on renewable energy and utility regulation for NARUC and the DOE. This report consists of three sections: renewable energy contributions, costs and potential; factors affecting development of renewable energy resources; and a renewable energy agenda for NARUC.

In the course of an extensive investigation of tritium in the aquifer underlying the Mound Facility site, an unusual behavior was noted for a beta-emitting radionuclide contaminant present in the environs of the abandoned Miami-Erie Canal adjacent to the laboratory site. The soil contaminant was determined to be tritium, of which 90% was in the form of a relatively stable or bound species that was not readily exchangeable with the free water in the soil. (Bound-to-exchangeable transfer half-time was found to be approximately 3 yr.) The contamination was found to be concentrated within two feet of the surface in the center of the canal channel and near the Facility site drainage ditch and canal confluence. In order to characterize the contaminant and to assess its potential for reaching the aquifer, an analysis program and study were initiated in September 1976. The results and findings from the first phase of this work which was completed in February 1977 are the subject of this report.

Different aspects of radiation damage in both synthetic NaCl crystals and various natural rock salt samples as well as granite, basalt and other minerals which will be important for radioactive waste disposal applications are being investigated. The principal means of measuring radiation damage is the determination of F-center concentrations, and the concentration and size of sodium metal colloid particles. Formation of these and other defects during irradiation and the annealing of defects and characterization of other processes occurring after irradiation are being studied as a function of dose rate, total dose, sample temperature during irradiation, strain applied prior to and during irradiation, etc. Measurements are being made on synthetic NaCl and natural rock salt samples from different geological locations, including some potential repository sites. It will be necessary to determine if radiation damage in the minerals from different localities is similar. If non-negligible differences are observed a detailed study must be made for each locality under consideration. Almost all current studies are being made on rock salt but other minerals particularly granite and basalt are being phased into the program. It is now established that radiation damage formation in both natural and synthetic rock salt is strongly dependent on strain. …

Progress is reported on phase II in sections on final design, procurement, fabrication, testing, packaging, and crew training. A summary of completed phase I work on concept evaluation and preliminary design is also included. (J.R.D.)

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare claims are screened against enrollment information, using automated enrollment-related prepayment edits, in an effort to prevent improper payments to ineligible providers and suppliers—such as those that are no longer active in the Medicare program or are not properly licensed to provide the services for which they have submitted claims. Officials with the contractors we interviewed described the use of several types of prepayment edits to ensure that claims data are valid. For example, verification edits are intended to check the provider’s National Provider Identifier (NPI), which indicates whether the claim was submitted by an active provider or supplier. However, factors such as the frequency with which contractors have updated provider and supplier enrollment information and limitations of the data used may affect the timeliness and accuracy of data used to screen claims—in turn limiting the ability of the edits to prevent improper payments from occurring. For example, to update information maintained in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS)—CMS’s centralized database for Medicare enrollment information—the contractors have relied on a variety of data sources that vary in the frequency with which they are updated …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The KC-46 program has made good progress over the past year—acquisition costs have remained relatively stable, the critical design review was successfully completed, the program is on track to meet performance parameters, and the contractor started building development aircraft. As shown, total program acquisition costs—which include development, production, and military construction costs—and unit costs have changed less than 1 percent since February 2011."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force has managed its remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilots using some strategic human-capital approaches, such as planning for the different levels of experience that it needs in these pilots. However, it continues to face challenges. High-performing organizations manage human capital to identify the right number of personnel and to target the right sources to fill personnel needs. In 2008, the Air Force determined the optimum number of RPA pilots—the crew ratio—for some units, but it did not account for all tasks these units complete. Air Force officials stated that, as a result, the crew ratio is too low, but the Air Force has not updated it. Air Force guidance states that low crew ratios diminish combat capability and cause flight safety to suffer, but the Air Force has operated below its optimum crew ratio and it has not established a minimum crew ratio. Further, high work demands on RPA pilots limit the time they have available for training and development and negatively affects their work-life balance. In addition, the Air Force faces challenges recruiting officers into the RPA pilot career and may face challenges …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "On October 15, 1990, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was enacted providing for payments to individuals who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases presumably as a result of their exposure to radiation released during aboveground nuclear weapons tests or as a result of their employment associated with the uranium mining industry during the Cold War era. The RECA Amendments of 2000 required that GAO report to the Congress on the Department of Justice's administration of RECA not later than 18 months after the enactment of the amendments and every 18 months thereafter. GAO originally reported on the status of the program in September 2001. The objectives of this report are to update information on claims processing, payments from the Trust Fund, and administrative expenses."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During the last several years, the United States has criticized Germany's handling of international parental child abduction cases that have been filed by U.S. parents. Both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government have criticized Germany for not fully and consistently following the criteria and procedures established under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which governs such cases. The primary criticisms include the inappropriate use by German courts of certain provisions of the Hague Convention to justify retaining abducted children in Germany, the length of time it has taken to adjudicate cases, and the failure to enforce left-behind parents' visitation rights. GAO examined the actions that Germany has taken or plans to take to reform its handling of international parental child abduction cases and how these actions may affect U.S. cases. GAO found that German authorities have pledged their commitment to take steps to improve the handling of Hague Convention cases and Germany has taken action to address two of the three primary criticisms. Germany has established a task force to monitor German reforms and active cases, initiated …

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO examined how best practices could help the Department of Defense (DOD) maximize the benefits of integrated product teams in its development of weapon systems. GAO conducted eight case studies--three from leading commercial firms; four from DOD programs experiencing cost, schedule, and performance problems; and one from a DOD program that has been meeting its objectives. GAO found that effective integrated product teams can make significant development decisions quickly and without relying on heavy consultations with organizations outside of the team. These teams have developed and delivered superior products within predicted time frames and budgets--often cutting calendar time in half compared with earlier products delivered without such teams. Officials from the more successful programs GAO reviewed--three commercial and one from DOD--all cited integrated product teams as a main factor in achieving such results. GAO found that the teams did not operate as effectively in the four DOD programs that were not meeting cost and schedule objectives. Their decision-making processes were sequential and involved many outside consultations for information and approval."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Under TRICARE, the Department of Defense's (DOD) managed care program, military-operated hospitals and clinics are supplemented by contracted civilian services. Since the inception of TRICARE, DOD has made many changes to these contracts via contract change orders. Since July 1997, when GAO reported that DOD was trying to improve its change order process, the backlog of change orders has continued to grow. This report evaluates (1) the status of the change order backlog and how DOD addressed it, (2) factors that contributed to the growth of the backlog, and (3) DOD's new initiative to improve the change order process. GAO found that as of June, 2000, the number of change orders issued had almost tripled, while the number of unsettled change orders had more than doubled since July 1997. Despite recommendations to devote high-level attention to managing improvements to the change order process, this was not done. Until recently, none of TRICARE Management Activity's (TMA) many initiatives significantly improved the process or reduced the backlog. The current small backlog is the result of recent concerted effort, not better management over time. TMA's new Change Management Process …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on U.S. government programs intended to help businesses promote their products and services in overseas markets, focusing on: (1) the federal agencies involved in promoting exports of U.S. goods and services and the export promotion activities they perform; (2) these agencies' total resources devoted to export promotion in fiscal year (FY) 1999; and (3) the agencies' overseas resources devoted to export promotion during this period."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Preventive medicine, including immunizations for many diseases and screening for some types of cancer, holds the promise to extend and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans. Medicare now covers three preventive services for immunizations and three for screenings, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors "interventions" to increase the use of preventive services. GAO found that the use of preventive services varies widely by service, state, ethnic group, income, and education. The greatest differences among ethnic groups were for immunization rates. Cancer screening rates tended to differ according to income and education level. CMS pays for interventions that promote breast cancer screenings and pneumonia and flu shots. Most of the techniques being used, such as reminder systems that medical offices can use to alert doctors and patients to needed cancer screenings, have been effective. CMS is evaluating what its current efforts have accomplished and expects the results later this year."

A 15% Fe/SiO/sub 2/ catalyst was prepared. H/sub 2/ and CO chemisorption uptakes were measured for the catalysts prepared to date. Very small uptakes were noted for the silica supported iron catalysts. Reactor activity tests in synthesis gas were conducted for 3% Fe/SiO/sub 2/, 15% Fe/SiO/sub 2/ and 10% Co-B/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ catalysts. These preliminary tests aided the final development of a laboratory microreactor system. Criteria for avoiding heat and mass transfer limitations on intrinsic rate measurements were examined and applied to the catalyst activity tests.

Some radioisotopes are introduced into the Columbia River by return of the water used to cool the Hanford reactors. Trace amounts of both fission product and activation product radioisotopes are present and measurable by sensitive radiochemical methods to allow determination of the self-purification processes occurring as the water moves downstream. By comparing the radioisotope input at given times with the amounts present in the river after traveling downstream, a measure of the self-purification rate was obtained. Removal in the first 40 miles downstream from the reactors was about 35% for 15 of the most prominent radioisotopes. The removal rate seemed to decrease with subsequent distance traveled downstream for three radioisotopes for which measurements were made. Radiochemical analyses of water, filterable solids, and sediment samples taken at downstream locations indicate that incorporation in sediments accounts for most of the removal. Because of the intense scouring action of the Columbia River, sediments are deposited in significant amounts only in slack water sections. The first extensive slack water section downstream from Hanford is the McNary Dam reservoir, Lake Wallula. Radiochemical analyses of some of the long-lived radioisotopes, including Mn/sup 54/, Co/sup 60/, Zn/sup 65/, and Cs/sup 147/ on sectioned sediment core samples indicate …

This report examines the source of the contempt power, reviews the historical development of the early case law, outlines the statutory and common law basis for Congress's contempt power, and analyzes the procedures associated with inherent contempt, criminal contempt, and the civil enforcement of subpoenas. It also includes a detailed discussion of two recent information access disputes that led to the approval of contempt citations in the House against then-White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder. Finally, the report discusses both non-constitutional and constitutionally-based limitations on the contempt power.

This report focuses on the potential implications of China's naval modernization for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. The report particularly discusses how potential United States responses to China's military modernization effort -- including its naval modernization effort -- have emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning.

This report examines the source of Congress's contempt power; analyzes the procedures associated with inherent contempt, criminal contempt, and the civil enforcement of subpoenas; and discusses the obstacles that face Congress in enforcing a contempt action against an executive branch official.