Resource Type

Degree Department

2008 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report (open access)

2008 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Department of Energy. Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anti-Money Laundering: Improved Communication Could Enhance the Support FinCEN Provides to Law Enforcement (open access)

Anti-Money Laundering: Improved Communication Could Enhance the Support FinCEN Provides to Law Enforcement

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Financial investigations are used to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, crimes that can destabilize national economies and threaten global security. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) within the Department of the Treasury supports law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to investigate financial crimes by providing them with services and products, such as access to financial data, analysis, and case support. As requested, GAO examined the extent to which the law enforcement community finds FinCEN's support useful in its efforts to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. GAO analyzed statutes governing FinCEN's mission and documentation describing the support it provides to LEAs, such as annual reports. Using FinCEN data, GAO selected a sample of 29 LEAs, including primary users of FinCEN's services and products, and obtained their opinions through a survey and interviews. While the results of the survey and interviews are not generalizable, they provide insights about the usefulness of FinCEN's support."
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense: FY2010 Authorization and Appropriations (open access)

Defense: FY2010 Authorization and Appropriations

This report provides an overview of the administration's fiscal year 2010 budget request. The report discusses base budget, war costs and issues regarding the defense appropriations for FY2010.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Towell, Pat
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background and Analysis (open access)

Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background and Analysis

The Department of Defense (DOD) increasingly relies upon contractors to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has resulted in a DOD workforce in those countries comprising approximately a comparable number of contractors (218,000) as uniformed personnel (195,000). This report discusses the issues raised by this fact including (1) what role contractors should play in contingency operations, (2) whether DOD is gathering and analyzing the right data on the use of contractors, (3) what steps DOD is taking to improve contract management and oversight, and (4) the extent to which contractors are being effectively included into military doctrine and strategy. The report examines current contractor trends in Iraq and Afghanistan, the steps DOD has taken to improve contractor oversight and management, and the extent to which DOD has incorporated the role of contractors into its doctrine and strategy. The report also reviews steps Congress has taken to exercise oversight over DOD contracting, including contracting issues that have been the focus of hearings and legislation.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Schwartz, Moshe
System: The UNT Digital Library
Historical Evaluation of Film Badge Dosimetry Y-12 Plant: Part 2–Neutron Radiation ORAUT-OTIB-0045 (open access)

Historical Evaluation of Film Badge Dosimetry Y-12 Plant: Part 2–Neutron Radiation ORAUT-OTIB-0045

A summary of the major neutron sources involved in radiation exposures to Y-12 workers is presented in this TIB. Graphical methods are used to evaluate available neutron dose data from quarterly exposures to Y-12 workers and to determine how the data could be used to derive neutron-to-gamma dose ratios for dose reconstruction purposes. This TIB provides estimates of neutron-to-gamma dose ratios for specific departments and a default value for the neutron-to-gamma dose ratio based on the pooled neutron dose data for all Y-12 departments.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Kerr, G. D.; Frome, E. L.; Watkins, J. P. & Tankersley, W. G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security Department: FY2010 Appropriations (open access)

Homeland Security Department: FY2010 Appropriations

This report describes the FY2010 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration requested a net appropriation of $44.1 billion in budget authority for FY2010. This amounts to a $2.8 billion, or a 6.7% increase over the $41.2 billion enacted for FY2009 (not including supplemental funding). Total budget authority requested by the Administration for DHS for FY2010 amounts to $55.1 billion.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Lake, Jennifer E. & Haddal, Chad C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminals: Siting, Safety, and Regulation (open access)

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminals: Siting, Safety, and Regulation

This report provides an overview of recent industry development of new LNG import terminals. The report summarizes LNG hazards and the industry's safety record. It discusses federal laws and regulations related to LNG terminal siting with a focus on the authorities of key federal agencies and safety provisions in the permitting of onshore facilities.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W. & Vann, Adam
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress (open access)

The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress

This report outlines current progress towards establishment of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), presents current and projected funding levels and timelines, and describes policy issues of potential interest to Congress, such as agency coordination, possession of viruses, construction timelines, disposition of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC), and community safety concerns.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Shea, Dana A.; Monke, Jim & Gottron, Frank
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act: Overview and Issues for Congress

This report describes Congress's pursuit of postal reform, and summarizes the major provisions of the new postal reform law. The report also suggests PAEA-related oversight issues for Congress. President George W. Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA; P.L. 109-435; 120 Stat. 3198) on December 20, 2006. The PAEA was the first broad revision of the 1970 statute that replaced the U.S. Post Office with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), a self-supporting, independent agency of the executive branch.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposals for a Commission to Address the Federal Government’s Long-Term Fiscal Situation (open access)

Proposals for a Commission to Address the Federal Government’s Long-Term Fiscal Situation

None
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAMPLING OF TANK 18 IN F TANK FARM (open access)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAMPLING OF TANK 18 IN F TANK FARM

Representative sampling is required for characterization of the residual floor material in Tank 18 prior to operational closure. Tank 18 is an 85-foot diameter, 34-foot high carbon steel tank with nominal operating volume of 1,300,000 gallons. It is a Type IV tank, and has been in service storing radioactive materials since 1959. Recent mechanical cleaning of the tank removed all mounds of material. Anticipating a low level of solids in the residual material, Huff and Thaxton [2009] developed a plan to sample the material during the final clean-up process while it would still be resident in sufficient quantities to support analytical determinations in four quadrants of the tank. Execution of the plan produced fewer solids than expected to support analytical determinations in all four quadrants. Huff and Thaxton [2009] then restructured the plan to characterize the residual floor material separately in the North and the South regions: two 'hemispheres.' This document provides sampling recommendations to complete the characterization of the residual material on the tank bottom following the guidance in Huff and Thaxton [2009] to split the tank floor into a North and a South hemisphere. The number of samples is determined from a modification of the formula previously published …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Shine, G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAMPLING OF TANK 19 IN F TANK FARM (open access)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAMPLING OF TANK 19 IN F TANK FARM

Representative sampling is required for characterization of the residual material in Tank 19 prior to operational closure. Tank 19 is a Type IV underground waste storage tank located in the F-Tank Farm. It is a cylindrical-shaped, carbon steel tank with a diameter of 85 feet, a height of 34.25 feet, and a working capacity of 1.3 million gallons. Tank 19 was placed in service in 1961 and initially received a small amount of low heat waste from Tank 17. It then served as an evaporator concentrate (saltcake) receiver from February 1962 to September 1976. Tank 19 also received the spent zeolite ion exchange media from a cesium removal column that once operated in the Northeast riser of the tank to remove cesium from the evaporator overheads. Recent mechanical cleaning of the tank removed all mounds of material. Anticipating a low level of solids in the residual waste, Huff and Thaxton [2009] developed a plan to sample the waste during the final clean-up process while it would still be resident in sufficient quantities to support analytical determinations in four quadrants of the tank. Execution of the plan produced fewer solids than expected to support analytical determinations in all four quadrants. Huff …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Harris, S. & Shine, G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Review & Assessment of Current Operating Conditions Allowable Stresses in ASME Section III Subsection NH (open access)

A Review & Assessment of Current Operating Conditions Allowable Stresses in ASME Section III Subsection NH

The current operating condition allowable stresses provided in ASME Section III, Subsection NH were reviewed for consistency with the criteria used to establish the stress allowables and with the allowable stresses provided in ASME Section II, Part D. It was found that the S{sub o} values in ASME III-NH were consistent with the S values in ASME IID for the five materials of interest. However, it was found that 0.80 S{sub r} was less than S{sub o} for some temperatures for four of the materials. Only values for alloy 800H appeared to be consistent with the criteria on which S{sub o} values are established. With the intent of undertaking a more detailed evaluation of issues related to the allowable stresses in ASME III-NH, the availabilities of databases for the five materials were reviewed and augmented databases were assembled.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Swindeman, R. W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
SALTSTONE 3QCY09 TCLP RESULTS (open access)

SALTSTONE 3QCY09 TCLP RESULTS

A Saltstone waste form was prepared in the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from a Tank 50H sample and Z-Area premix material for the third quarter of calendar year 2009 (3QCY09). After the prescribed 28 day cure, samples of the saltstone were collected, and the waste form was shown to meet the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (SCHWMR) R.61-79.261.24 and R.61-79.268.48(a) requirements for a nonhazardous waste form with respect to RCRA metals and underlying hazardous constituents. These analyses met all quality assurance specifications of USEPA SW-846. The Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) receives waste from Tank 50H for treatment. In the third quarter of the 2009 calendar year (3QCY09), Tank 50H accepted transfers of approximately 37 kgal from the Effluent Treatment Project (ETP) waste, approximately 5 kgal from Tank 710 - the H-Canyon General Purpose Evaporator, approximately 26 kgal from Tank 221H, approximately 319 kgal from the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Decontaminated Salt Solution Hold Tank (DSS-HT), and approximately 358 kgal from Tank 23H. The Saltstone Grout Sampling plan provides the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) with the chemical and physical characterization strategy for the salt solution which is to be disposed of …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Reigel, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Second International AMMA Conference (November 26-30, 2007)" (open access)

"Second International AMMA Conference (November 26-30, 2007)"

None
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Lamb, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts (open access)

U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts

None
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Postal Service: The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to Injured Employees Is Under Way, but Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management (open access)

U.S. Postal Service: The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to Injured Employees Is Under Way, but Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Between 50,000 and 60,000 United States Postal Service (Service) employees, or 7 to 8 percent of the Service's workforce, occupied a modified work assignment during fiscal year 2008. The Service must provide these assignments to employees with workplace injuries if work is available to perform within their medical restrictions. Historically, the Service has returned employees to work as soon as possible, partly to reduce its costs for workers' compensation. In 2006, the Service initiated a program, the National Reassessment Process (NRP), to ensure that modified work assignments are medically suitable and necessary to carry out the Service's mission. This requested report addresses (1) the goal of the program, (2) how it is being implemented, and (3) the program's status and outcomes. To perform its work, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed data and documentation, visited four districts selected to illustrate a range of conditions, and interviewed Service officials."
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Background and Policy Issues (open access)

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Background and Policy Issues

This report examines the role of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Afghanistan and discusses the obstacles the organization faces in coordinating international efforts and explores related policy issues and considerations for the 112th Congress.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Margesson, Rhoda
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress (open access)

The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

This report provides historical background of the Council, including the role of the previous Commission. It discusses the Council's current mandate and structure, as well as U.S. policy and congressional actions.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Construction: VA Is Working to Improve Initial Project Cost Estimates, but Should Analyze Cost and Schedule Risks (open access)

VA Construction: VA Is Working to Improve Initial Project Cost Estimates, but Should Analyze Cost and Schedule Risks

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the largest health care systems in the country. As of August 2009, VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) had 32 major ongoing construction projects with an estimated total cost of about $6.1 billion and average cost per project of about $191 million. Some of these projects were initiated as part of VA's Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process, which was a comprehensive assessment of VHA's capital asset requirements. In response to a congressional request, GAO (1) described how costs and schedules of current VHA major construction projects have changed, (2) determined the reasons for changes in costs and schedules, and (3) described the actions VA has taken to address cost increases and schedule delays. To do its work, GAO reviewed construction documents, visited three construction sites, and interviewed VA officials."
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Water Quality Sampling Locations Along the Shoreline of the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington (open access)

Water Quality Sampling Locations Along the Shoreline of the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington

As environmental monitoring evolved on the Hanford Site, several different conventions were used to name or describe location information for various sampling sites along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. These methods range from handwritten descriptions in field notebooks to the use of modern electronic surveying equipment, such as Global Positioning System receivers. These diverse methods resulted in inconsistent archiving of analytical results in various electronic databases and published reports because of multiple names being used for the same site and inaccurate position data. This document provides listings of sampling sites that are associated with groundwater and river water sampling. The report identifies names and locations for sites associated with sampling: (a) near-river groundwater using aquifer sampling tubes; (b) riverbank springs and springs areas; (c) pore water collected from riverbed sediment; and (d) Columbia River water. Included in the listings are historical names used for a particular site and the best available geographic coordinates for the site, as of 2009. In an effort to create more consistency in the descriptive names used for water quality sampling sites, a naming convention is proposed in this document. The convention assumes that a unique identifier is assigned to each site that is …
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Peterson, Robert E. & Patton, Gregory W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Who Regulates Whom? An Overview of U.S. Financial Supervision (open access)

Who Regulates Whom? An Overview of U.S. Financial Supervision

Federal financial regulation in the United States has evolved through a series of piecemeal responses to developments and crises in financial markets. This report provides an overview of current U.S. financial regulation: which agencies are responsible for which institutions and markets, and what kinds of authority they have.
Date: December 14, 2009
Creator: Jickling, Mark & Murphy, Edward V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of a Hydronic Rooftop Unit-HyPak-MA (open access)

Development of a Hydronic Rooftop Unit-HyPak-MA

The majority of U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by rooftop HVAC units (RTUs). RTU popularity derives chiefly from their low initial cost and relative ease of service access without disturbing building occupants. Unfortunately, current RTUs are inherently inefficient due to a combination of characteristics that unnecessarily increase cooling loads and energy use. 36% percent of annual U.S. energy, and two-thirds of electricity, is consumed in and by buildings. Commercial buildings consume approximately 4.2 quads of energy each year at a cost of $230 billion per year, with HVAC equipment consuming 1.2 quads of electricity. More than half of all U.S. commercial floor space is cooled by packaged HVAC units, most of which are rooftop units (RTUs). Inefficient RTUs create an estimated 3.5% of U.S. CO{sub 2} emissions, thus contributing significantly to global warming5. Also, RTUs often fail to maintain adequate ventilation air and air filtration, reducing indoor air quality. This is the second HyPak project to be supported by DOE through NETL. The prior project, referred to as HyPak-1 in this report, had two rounds of prototype fabrication and testing as well as computer modeling and market research. The HyPak-1 prototypes demonstrated the high performance capabilities of the HyPak …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Lee, Eric & Berman, Mark
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oxbow Fish Hatchery Snake River Sockeye Salmon Smolt Program, 2008 Annual Report. (open access)

Oxbow Fish Hatchery Snake River Sockeye Salmon Smolt Program, 2008 Annual Report.

This contract proposal is in response to the Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion Implementation Plan/Update Proposed Action (UPA) associated with increasing the number of Snake River sockeye smolts by 150,000. To accomplish this proposal the cooperation and efforts of three government entities has been planned (e.g., Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)). Improvements at the IDFG Eagle Fish Hatchery and NMFS Burley Creek Hatchery will focus on increasing sockeye salmon captive broodstock and egg production. Improvements at the ODFW Oxbow Fish Hatchery will be made to accommodate the incubation, hatching and rearing of 150,000 sockeye salmon smolts for release into Idaho's Sawtooth Valley, Upper Salmon River near IDFG's Sawtooth Fish Hatchery and/or Redfish Lake Creek 1.4 km downstream of Redfish Lake. Modifications to Oxbow Fish Hatchery (ODFW) will include retro-fit existing pond drains so pond cleaning effluent water can be routed to the pollution abatement pond, and modifications to the abatement pond. Also included in this project as an added phase, was the rerouting of the hatchery building effluent water to meet state DEQ guidelines for the use of formalin to treat salmonid …
Date: November 14, 2009
Creator: Banks, Duane D.
System: The UNT Digital Library