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Survey of NASA's Lessons Learned Process (open access)

Survey of NASA's Lessons Learned Process

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) procedures and guidelines require that program and project managers review and apply lessons learned from the past throughout a program's or project's life cycle. Managers must also document and submit any significant lessons learned in a timely manner. NASA's principal mechanism for collecting and sharing lessons learned from programs, projects, and missions agency wide is the Lessons Learned Information System. The goal of the system is to prevent NASA from having to "relearn" the lessons of the past. NASA also shares lessons learned through revisions to its policies and guidance. Furthermore, lessons learned from a mishap or operational event are captured in procedure and process documents. GAO surveyed all of NASA's program and project managers to obtain their perspectives on NASA's mechanisms to ensure that past lessons learned from mission failures are being applied. GAO found fundamental weaknesses in the collection and sharing of lessons learned in NASA by program and project managers as well as in the system. Although some lessons learning does take place, lessons are not routinely identified, collected, or shared by program and project managers. In addition, …
Date: September 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Decennial Censuses: Historical Data on Enumerator Productivity Are Limited (open access)

Decennial Censuses: Historical Data on Enumerator Productivity Are Limited

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed census data to better clarify the relationship between the Census Bureau's data collection workload and the time and work force needed to complete it. These factors--used to calculate productivity--are some of the largest drivers of census costs, and the Bureau developed its budget for the 2000 Census using a model that contained key assumptions about expected workload and enumerator productivity. GAO was unable to calculate productivity levels for the 2000 census or most of the earlier censuses examined because data was largely unavailable, incomplete, or not comparable. Moreover, definitional differences in how the Bureau counted the number of enumerators who worked on the census, and variations in census-taking methodologies, limited the comparability of productivity data from one census to the next."
Date: January 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Management: Assessment of the Airline Industry's Estimated Losses Arising From the Events of September 11 (open access)

Financial Management: Assessment of the Airline Industry's Estimated Losses Arising From the Events of September 11

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The airline industry's losses from the terrorist attacks will total at least $5 billion through December 2001. Even so, carrier-by-carrier losses are likely to vary significantly from the formula-derived allocations of $5 billion. Therefore, some carriers may experience losses higher than their individual formula amount, while others' losses may be lower."
Date: October 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Acquisition of Leased Space for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (open access)

Acquisition of Leased Space for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews the data, assumptions, and conclusions reached by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) on the acquisition of about two million square feet of leased space for the consolidation of PTO activities. This build-to-suit lease, valued at approximately $1.2 billion over its 20-year term, was signed in June 2000. this report responds to allegations and questions from two public interest groups about the PTO lease acquisition. One public interest group alleged that during the procurement process for the lease (1) GSA improperly awarded the lease to an offeror who had not complied with the solicitation's stated requirements, (2) GSA failed to compete the construction of the interior finishes phase of the project as required by law, and (3) GSA used an illegal cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contract. The second public interest group asked (1) whether the requirements in GSA's Solicitation for Offers for the PTO lease transformed the lease from an operating lease to a capital lease under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11; (2) whether the new facility will be able to house all PTO employees and contractors throughout the …
Date: June 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996: Department of Agriculture Faces Challenges Implementing Certain Key Provisions (open access)

Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996: Department of Agriculture Faces Challenges Implementing Certain Key Provisions

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The testimony discusses debt collection efforts by two major components at the Department of Agriculture--the Rural Housing Service (RHS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 requires agencies to (1) notify the Department of the Treasury of debts more than 180 days delinquent for the purposes of administrative offset against any amounts that might otherwise be due and (2) refer such debts to Treasury for centralized collection. To facilitate collection, agencies can administratively garnish the wages of delinquent debtors throughout government. GAO found that agencies are excluding most reported debt more than 180 days delinquent from referral requirements. To more fully realize the benefits of debt collection, agencies need to improve their implementation of the act. The Financial Management Service is making steady progress in collecting delinquent federal non-tax debt through the Treasury Offset Program--a mandatory governmentwide debt collection program that compares delinquent debtor debt to federal payment data. Agriculture and other agencies still have not used administrative wage garnishment to collect delinquent non-tax debt even though experts have testified that it can be an extremely powerful tool for debt collection. If …
Date: December 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Relations: Migration From Micronesian Nations Has Had Significant Impact on Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (open access)

Foreign Relations: Migration From Micronesian Nations Has Had Significant Impact on Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Migration from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau has had a significant impact on Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The health and education needs of these migrants have particularly affected the budgetary resources of Guam and the CNMI. The budgetary impact on Hawaii is smaller but is expected to grow as Hawaii absorbs health care costs once covered by the U.S. government. Public health is an important concern for all three U.S. island areas. Migrants from the region with limited financial means are able to enter the United States with few restrictions, and U.S. island areas are absorbing much of the health care costs of this population. Furthermore, Guam, Hawaii, and the CNMI can be expected to continue to experience migration as long as weak economic conditions persist in Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Targeting future U.S. assistance to Micronesia and the Marshall Islands for education and health purposes could reduce some of the motivation to migrate. Improvements in migrant health and education status might be expected to reduce immigration to U.S. destinations."
Date: October 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Customs Service Modernization: Results of Review of First Automated Commercial Environment Expenditure Plan (open access)

Customs Service Modernization: Results of Review of First Automated Commercial Environment Expenditure Plan

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the U.S. Custom Service's expenditure plan for its Automated Commercial Environment System (ACE). GAO found that (1) Customs' expenditure plan satisfies the legislative conditions specified in the 2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act, (2) activities described in the plan are consistent with GAO's two open recommendations regarding the need for Customs to justify and make ACE investment decisions incrementally and strengthen ACE software acquisition management, and (3) there are two areas needing improvement. Customs has not adequately justified investing in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) pilot project parallel with, and separate from, planned ITDS efforts under ACE modernization. Also, Customs has defined conflicting roles and responsibilities for its independent verification and validation (IV&V) contractor."
Date: June 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Freight Railroad Regulation: Surface Transportation Board's Oversight Could Benefit From Evidence Better Identifying How Mergers Affect Rates (open access)

Freight Railroad Regulation: Surface Transportation Board's Oversight Could Benefit From Evidence Better Identifying How Mergers Affect Rates

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Railroads have been a primary mode of freight transportation for many years, especially for bulk commodities such as coal and grain. Over the last 25 years, the freight railroad industry has undergone substantial consolidation largely to reduce costs and increase efficiency and competitiveness. Some companies that rely on rail shipments are concerned that the mergers have reduced railroad competition and led to higher rail rates and poorer service. This report reviews (1) the role the Surface Transportation Board plays in reviewing proposed railroad mergers and overseeing mergers that have been approved and how post-merger oversight is conducted, (2) how the Board mitigates potential harm to competition, and (3) how the Union Pacific/Southern Pacific merger affected rail rates in selected geographic areas. GAO found that the Board reviews railroad merger proposals and approves those that are consistent with the public interest, ensures that any potential merger-related harm to competition is mitigated to preserve competition, and oversees mergers that have been approved. The Board imposes conditions on mergers to mitigate potential harm to competition. The Board also focuses on the overall direction and magnitude of rate changes when …
Date: July 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: Information on Selected IRS Tax Enforcement and Collection Efforts (open access)

Tax Administration: Information on Selected IRS Tax Enforcement and Collection Efforts

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses (1) the relationship between Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits of taxpayers and other programs IRS uses to ensure that taxpayers' returns are accurate and (2) how IRS is managing the increased workload in two of its programs--offers-in-compromise and innocent spouse claims. IRS audited more than 600,000 taxpayers in fiscal year 2000, either face-to-face or through the mail. IRS has several programs that use computerized screening procedures to review all tax returns to detect certain types of errors. These programs result in millions of contacts with taxpayers to inform them of adjustments IRS made to their liabilities, seek explanations for errors IRS believes were made, or ask taxpayers to check whether they erred on their returns. The programs vary in their similarity to audits; some of the programs are most similar to audits that IRS conducts through the mail. The programs that IRS uses to detect errors on tax returns rely completely on information that taxpayers report on the tax returns and that IRS receives from third parties. Therefore, audits remain an important tax enforcement tool. Several factors suggest that IRS may be gaining better management …
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bioterrorism: Coordination and Preparedness (open access)

Bioterrorism: Coordination and Preparedness

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses on the efforts of federal agencies to prepare for the consequences of a bioterrorist attack. GAO found that federal agencies are participating in research and preparedness activities, from improving the detection of biological agents to developing a national stockpile of pharmaceuticals to treat victims of disasters. Federal agencies also have several efforts underway to coordinate these activities on a formal and informal basis, such as interagency work groups. Despite these efforts however, coordination between agencies remains fragmented. GAO also found emerging concerns about the preparedness of state and local jurisdictions, including insufficient state and local planning for response to terrorist events, inadequate public health infrastructure, a lack of hospital participation in training on terrorism and emergency response planning, insufficient capabilities for treating mass casualties, and the timely availability of medical teams and resources in an emergency. This testimony summarizes a September 2001 report (GAO-01-915)."
Date: October 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Computer Security: Weaknesses Continue to Place Critical Federal Operations and Assets at Risk (open access)

Computer Security: Weaknesses Continue to Place Critical Federal Operations and Assets at Risk

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This testimony discusses GAO's analysis of security audits at federal agencies. The widespread interconnectivity of computers poses significant risks to federal computer systems and the operations and the infrastructures they support. GAO's evaluations show that federal computer systems are riddled with weaknesses that continue to put critical operations and assets at risk. GAO found weaknesses in following six areas: (1) security program management, (2) access controls, (3) software development and change controls, (4) segregation of duties, (5) operating systems controls, and (6) service continuity. Weaknesses in these areas place a broad range of critical operations and assets at risk for fraud, misuse, and disruption. Federal agencies have tried to address these problems, and many have good remedial efforts underway. However, these efforts will not be fully effective and lasting unless they are supported by a strong agencywide security management framework. Establishing such a management framework requires that agencies take a comprehensive approach that involves both (1) senior agency program managers who understand which aspects of their missions are the most critical and sensitive and (2) technical experts who know the agencies' systems and can suggest appropriate technical security …
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Logistics: Unfinished Actions Limit Reliability of the Munition Requirements Determination Process (open access)

Defense Logistics: Unfinished Actions Limit Reliability of the Munition Requirements Determination Process

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "To determine the number and type of munitions needed, the military annually evaluates its munition requirements using a multiphase analytical process. The Department of Defense (DOD) is working to ensure that the requirements determination process yields accurate numbers and the types of munitions needed to defeat threats specified in the Defense Planning Guidance. Although DOD has made progress and has identified specific areas still requiring attention, there is no clear plan with time frames for resolving key issues. Some of these issues have only been partially completed and others are in the early stages of evolution. Specifically, target templates have not been completed and munitions effectiveness data has not been updated, nor have decisions been made on more detailed warfighting scenarios and the ranking of scenarios. Consequently, the reliability of the services' munitions requirements remain uncertain and could affect munitions planning, programming, budgeting, and industrial production base decisions. Until these issues are resolved and a revised Capabilities-Based Management Requirements instruction is issued, the accuracy of the munitions requirements will remain uncertain."
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Consumer Protection: Federal Actions Are Needed to Improve Oversight of the Household Goods Moving Industry (open access)

Consumer Protection: Federal Actions Are Needed to Improve Oversight of the Household Goods Moving Industry

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "For moving services, the primary responsibility for consumer protection lies with consumers to select a reputable household goods carrier, ensure that they understand the terms and conditions of the contracts, and understand and pursue the remedies that are available to them when problems arise. Available information indicates that consumer complaints in the household goods industry are increasing. In addition, there was widespread agreement among the government, industry, and consumer organizations GAO contacted that the Department of Transportation's lack of action has contributed to the growth of problems. The Department contends that safety activities are the primary focus of its motor carrier efforts. However, the Department has not taken steps to understand the nature and extent of problems in the industry--and therefore to determine whether its limited approach to oversight and enforcement is appropriate. Nor has it made more than minimal efforts to provide information to consumers that would assist them in making more informed choices. Consumer education as a preventive tool takes on increased importance if the motor carrier administration is to pursue its course of limited oversight and enforcement. The motor carrier administration has recently …
Date: March 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prescription Drugs: Prices Available Through Discount Cards and From Other Sources (open access)

Prescription Drugs: Prices Available Through Discount Cards and From Other Sources

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report compares prices for prescription drugs purchased using drug discount cards with prices available at local pharmacies or over the Internet. Using a list of 17 widely prescribed drugs, GAO documents prices from (1) five companies that administer large drug discount card programs, (2) five Internet pharmacies, and (3) several retail pharmacies in four different areas."
Date: December 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
District of Columbia Issues: D.C. Workforce Reductions and Related Funding Issues (open access)

District of Columbia Issues: D.C. Workforce Reductions and Related Funding Issues

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report reviews whether the DC government had the authority to use $18 million from the Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority for severance payments during fiscal year 2000. GAO concludes that the District lacked the authority to use the $18 million in Section 157 funding for the fiscal year 2000 workforce reduction. District officials told GAO that they believed that they had the Financial Authority's approval to use 157 funding and, consequently, spent $14.3 million during fiscal year 2000 on workforce reduction activities. However, the District could not document that the Financial Authority had certified compliance with the requirements of Section 157 to authorize the use of the funds. The Financial Authority maintains that it did not approve the use of the funds by the District and had denied in writing the District's request for reimbursement for severance payments. The District accounted for the workforce reduction costs during fiscal year 2000 as if it had access to the Section 157 funding. The District concluded that, had the Section 157 funding been unavailable, one agency would have ended fiscal year 2000 with an operating deficit and two agencies …
Date: November 5, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
AN INTEGRATED RELAP5-3D AND MUTLIPHASE CFD CODE SYSTEM UTILIZING A SEMI-implicit coupling technique (open access)

AN INTEGRATED RELAP5-3D AND MUTLIPHASE CFD CODE SYSTEM UTILIZING A SEMI-implicit coupling technique

An integrated code system consisting of RELAP5-3D and a multiphase CFD program has been created through the use of a generic semi-implicit coupling algorithm. Unlike previous CFD coupling work, this coupling scheme is numerically stable provided the material Courant limit is not violated in RELAP5-3D or at the coupling locations. The basis for the coupling scheme and details regarding the unique features associated with the application of this technique to a four-field CFD program are presented. Finally, the results of a verification problem are presented. The coupled code system is shown to yield accurate and numerically stable results.
Date: September 5, 2001
Creator: Aumiller, D.L., Tomlinson, E.T., and Weaver, W.L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Use of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Imaging Plates and Reader for Arms Control Applications (open access)

Use of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Imaging Plates and Reader for Arms Control Applications

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technology has been pioneered at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for applications in personnel radiation dosimetry and commercially has become highly successful in replacing older technologies such as Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (TLDs) and film. OSL phosphors are used to measure radiation exposure by illuminating them with light after ionizing radiation exposure and measuring the amount of light emitted by the OSL phosphor. By using a two-dimensional plate of OSL material and raster scanning a light beam across the OSL plate a radiation pattern or image can be measured. The Arms Control community requires an electrons-free medium to measure the attributes of extent and symmetry on Pu pits in storage containers. OSL technology, used in the two-dimensional imaging mode, provides a means to measure these attributes with exposure times on the order of an hour. A special OSL reader has been built by PNNL to measure OSL imaging plates with a size of 20 cm by 30 cm. The reader uses 10 light emitting diode clusters with 10 corresponding photomultiplier tubes to measure an OSL imaging plate in less than 5 minutes. The resolution of each of the 10 measurement assemblies is 1 square-centimeter. A collimator assembly …
Date: July 5, 2001
Creator: Miller, Steven D.; Tomeraasen, Paul L.; Burghard, Brion J. & Traub, Richard J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001 (open access)

Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper published in Duncanville, Texas that includes local Cedar Hill, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: Crooks, Kristi
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001 (open access)

Today Cedar Hill (Duncanville, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper published in Duncanville, Texas that includes local Cedar Hill, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: July 5, 2001
Creator: Crooks, Kristi
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, October 5, 2001 (open access)

University Press (Beaumont, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, October 5, 2001

Semiweekly newspaper from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas that includes local, national, and campus news along with advertising.
Date: October 5, 2001
Creator: Jordan, Kasey A.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001 (open access)

The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 14, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper from Canadian, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: Ezzell, Nancy & Brown, Laurie Ezzell
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bogata News (Bogata, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001 (open access)

Bogata News (Bogata, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper from Bogata, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: Nichols, Nanalee & Nichols, Thomas
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bogata News (Bogata, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001 (open access)

Bogata News (Bogata, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper from Bogata, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: July 5, 2001
Creator: Nichols, Nanalee & Nichols, Thomas
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001 (open access)

Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 5, 2001

Weekly newspaper from Rusk, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: April 5, 2001
Creator: Whitehead, Marie
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History