This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and Bahrain's relationship with the United States.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Recently, there has been an increased focus on developing the ability to provide early detection of and situational awareness during a disease outbreak. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act sought to enhance this capability, in part, by creating the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) within the Department of Homeland Security. NBIC is to help provide early detection and situational awareness by integrating information and supporting an interagency biosurveillance community. The act directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the state of biosurveillance and resource use in federal, state, local, and tribal governments. This report is one in a series responding to that mandate. This report focuses on the actions taken by NBIC to (1) acquire resources to accomplish its mission and (2) effectively collaborate with its federal partners. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed documents, such as NBIC's Concept of Operations, and interviewed officials at NBIC and 11 federal partners."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Recent cases of corporate fraud and mismanagement heighten the Department of Justice's (DOJ) need to appropriately punish and deter corporate crime. Recently, DOJ has made more use of deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements (DPAs and NPAs), in which prosecutors may require company reform, among other things, in exchange for deferring prosecution. In June and November 2009, GAO testified on DOJ's use and oversight of DPAs and NPAs, and this report discusses additional findings, including (1) the extent to which DOJ has used DPAs and NPAs to address corporate misconduct and tracks use of these agreements, (2) the extent to which DOJ measures the effectiveness of DPAs and NPAs, and (3) the role of the court in the DPA and NPA process. GAO examined 152 DPAs and NPAs negotiated from 1993 through September 2009 and analyzed DOJ data on corporate prosecutions in fiscal years 2004 through 2009. GAO also interviewed DOJ officials, prosecutors from 13 DOJ offices, 20 company representatives, 11 monitors who oversee company compliance, and 12 federal judges. While not generalizable, these results provide insight into decisions about DPAs and NPAs."

Provides background information on the Y-12 coworker external dosimetry data and includes tables with annual values that may be used in the process of assigning doses for unmonitored years of employment.

This paper examines some simple calculations of a 2D model of a telescope in order to understand how different design parameters affect the design. For the design of a telescope it is assumed that they need a design that minimizes deflections of the dish and also minimizes the size of the motors and torques needed to rotate in elevation. A common belief is that a lighter dish and minimum counterweight is desirable. However, these calculations show this is not necessarily true. The torque needed for rotation depends on the moment of inertia and if the telescope is balanced about the elevation axis. A light dish with no CW requires that the elevation axis be several meters in front of the dish (8-9m) in order to be balanced. This is not practical from a structural point of view. If the elevation axis is only 2m in front of the dish and there is no counterweight then the telescope will be unbalanced and the toruqes required will be very high - much higher than the torques needed only to overcome inertia. A heavy dish though can act as its own counterweight and the elevation axis only has to be 2-3m in front …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) consumes about 60 percent of all energy used at federal government facilities. To encourage an increased use of energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, (1) the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (the 2005 Act) directs DOD to consume at least 3 percent of its total electricity from renewable resources starting in fiscal year 2007; (2) Executive Order 13423 (the 2007 Executive Order) directs that an amount equal to half of the statutorily required renewable energy be generated by sources placed into service in 1999 or later; and (3) the 2007 Defense Authorization Act directed that at least 25 percent of electricity consumed by DOD come from renewable sources in fiscal year 2025. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine (1) DOD's progress toward these three key goals for consuming renewable energy in fiscal years 2007 and 2008, (2) challenges to DOD meeting those goals, and (3) DOD's plans to meet the goals. GAO reviewed relevant laws and DOD and Department of Energy (DOE) policy, plans, and data; interviewed agency officials; and visited DOD facilities."

Control software and wireless sensors designed for closed-loop, monitoring and control of IT equipment's inlet air temperatures in datacenters were evaluated and tested while other datacenter cooling best practices were implemented. The controls software and hardware along with each best practice were installed sequentially and evaluated using a measurement and verification procedure between each measure. The results show that the overall project eliminates 475,239 kWh per year, which is 21.3percent of the baseline energy consumption of the data center. The total project, including the best practices will save $42,772 per year and cost $134,057 yielding a simple payback of 3.1 years. However, the control system alone eliminates 59.6percent of the baseline energy used to move air in the datacenter and 13.6percent of the baseline cooling energy, which is 15.2percent of the baseline energy consumption (see Project Approach, Task 1, below, for additional information) while keeping temperatures substantially within the limits recommended by ASHRAE. Savings attributed to the control system are $30,564 per year with a cost $56,824 for a simple payback of 1.9 years.

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This report provides background information on continuation health insurance under Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) and on the COBRA population.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Information is a crucial tool in securing the nation's borders against crimes and potential terrorist threats, with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the FBI, having key information sharing roles. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which (1) local and tribal officials in border communities received useful information from their federal partners, (2) federal agencies supported state fusion centers'--where states collaborate with federal agencies to improve information sharing--efforts to develop border intelligence products, and (3) local and tribal agencies were aware of the suspicious activities they are to report. To conduct this work, GAO analyzed relevant laws, directives, policies, and procedures; contacted a nongeneralizable sample of 20 agencies in border communities and five fusion centers (based on geographic location and size); and interviewed DHS and FBI officials."

The bounding conditions were briefly summarized for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) that is the leading candidate in the Department of Energy Generation IV reactor program. Metallic materials essential to the successful development and proof of concept for the NGNP were identified. The literature bearing on the materials technology for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors was reviewed with emphasis on the needs identified for the NGNP. Several materials were identified for a more thorough study of their databases and behavioral features relative to the requirements ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division 1, Subsection NH.

This report reviews the creation of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), examines how NSPS operates, discusses litigation against it, and analyzes lessons that can be learned from NSPS as Congress decides whether to maintain the GS, create a new federal pay system, or modify existing ones.

This report reviews the creation of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), examines how NSPS operates, discusses litigation against it, and analyzes future options for lawmakers regarding it.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A serious problem for U.S. communities along the U.S.-Mexico border is the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation systems. Inadequate systems can pose risks to human health and the environment, including the risk of waterborne diseases. Numerous federal programs provide grants, loans, or other assistance to rural U.S. communities, including those in the border region, for drinking water and wastewater projects. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to determine (1) the amount of federal funding provided to rural U.S. communities in the border region for drinking water and wastewater systems and (2) the effectiveness of federal efforts to meet the water and wastewater needs in the region. GAO analyzed agency financial data; reviewed statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures; and interviewed federal, state, local, and private sector officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2006, the United States and Canada signed the Softwood Lumber Agreement. The agreement, among other things, imposed export charges and quotas on Canadian lumber exports to the United States. To assist in monitoring compliance with the agreement, in 2008 Congress passed the Softwood Lumber Act, which imposed several data collection and analysis requirements on the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and required two reports from GAO. This report discusses (1) CBP's processes for meeting the act's requirements and (2) how these requirements contribute to U.S. efforts to monitor compliance with the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement. GAO issued a report in June 2009 on U.S. agency efforts to monitor compliance with the 2006 agreement. This report includes an update on these efforts. GAO analyzed information from relevant U.S. agencies, interviewed knowledgeable officials, and discussed these issues with U.S. and Canadian industry representatives."

Annual financial report of the Texas Lottery Commission for fiscal year 2009, providing statements of assets, expenditures, revenues, and other relevant data as well as the report of an independent auditor.

This report discusses background information on U.S. public diplomacy, the current structure of public diplomacy within the Department of State as well as its budget and personnel levels, overview of some of the major related policy issues, and proposed legislation intended to reform and improve U.S. public diplomacy.

This report provides background on U.S. public diplomacy, and discusses the United States information agency, current structure of public diplomacy within the Department of State, and the public diplomacy budget.

Three 9975 shipping packages were examined to investigate the non-conforming condition of an axial air gap greater than 1 inch. This condition typically indicates the presence of excess moisture in the fiberboard overpack, and may be accompanied by degradation in the fiberboard properties. The package with the largest axial air gap (9975-01818, with an air gap of 1.437 inches) was found to contain significant excess moisture, and the lower fiberboard assembly was covered with mold and was significantly degraded in strength. This condition is very similar to that observed previously in package 9975-01819. Both packages (-1818 and -1819) appear to contain a similar amount of excess moisture, which was previously estimated for 9975-01819 as {approx}2.5 liters. The condition of 9975-01818 was also evidenced by several rust spots along the bottom chime of the drum, although no significant rust was noted on the closure bolts. Packages 9975-01903 and 9975-02287 were also examined. The axial air gap in these two packages was less than in 9975-01818, but still exceeded 1 inch. These two packages contained elevated moisture levels, although not significantly higher than seen in other 'typical' packages. The fiberboard in these two packages was of sound integrity, and appeared generally consistent …

The goal of this project was to use molecular simulation to quantify the impact of additives on the onset and structure of bicontinuous phases in linear diblock copolymers (DBC). The focus was on understanding how additives with selective affinity for a given block will distribute and perturb the structure of complex bicontinuous phases (like gyroid, double diamond, and plumbers nightmare whose minority component block forms two interweaving 3D networks) in DBCs; it was hypothesized that a suitable choice of additive type, size, affinity, and concentration may suppress or stabilize a particular bicontinuous phase. The ultimate goal in this line of investigation is to elucidate the rational design of the optimal additive for which the composition range of stability of a particular bicontinuous phase is maximized. Ours are the first published simulation studies to report on the formation of the gyroid phase in DBC melts and of other bicontinuous phases in DBC-modified by homopolymer. The following tasks were carried out: (i) simulation of bicontinuous phases of pure DBCs via both on-lattice Monte Carlo simulations and continuum-space Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, (ii) determination of the effect of selective additives (homopolymer) of different sizes on such bicontinuous phases, and (iii) development …

This report relies on a comprehensive set of data on capital flows, represented by purchases and sales of U.S. government securities and U.S. and foreign corporate stocks, bonds, into and out of the United States, that is reported by the Treasury Department on a monthly basis.

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This report provides an overview of Iraq's political transition from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to a plural polity that encompasses varying sects and ideological and political factions. This report also addresses ongoing governmental instabilities and their causes, as well as U.S. concerns about possible Iranian influence in Iraq as U.S. forces depart the country.

Landstreamer Seismic Reflection Vender Report by Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Montana Tech of the University of Montana, collected in FY2009 under CHPRC Contract 35789.