Least cost planning from a customer's perspective (open access)

Least cost planning from a customer's perspective

In this paper, I offer some thoughts about least cost planning, not from the perspective of the regulator or utility, but from the perspective of a residential customer. The problem that I address is, as a homeowner in northern Virginia, I am about to make a long term fuel choice for my household, where the options include, natural gas, electricity and fuel oil. An additional choice is the energy efficiency capital investment in my home that could decrease my monthly fuel costs. My decision process, hopefully as a rational consumer, offers implications about the efficiency of various services provided by all three fuel suppliers, including the local natural gas distribution companies (LDC).
Date: March 2, 1992
Creator: Sutherland, R.J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Organization for Science and Technology, 91st Congress, 2nd Session: A Listing of Congressional Committees and Subcommittees Having Jurisdiction over Scientific and Technological Activities (open access)

Congressional Organization for Science and Technology, 91st Congress, 2nd Session: A Listing of Congressional Committees and Subcommittees Having Jurisdiction over Scientific and Technological Activities

This report provides a listing of congressional committees and subcommittees related to science and technology.
Date: March 2, 1970
Creator: Ayton, Mauree W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Piqua Nuclear Power Facility Radiological Surveillance Program (open access)

Piqua Nuclear Power Facility Radiological Surveillance Program

Results of the annual radiological survey of the retired Piqua Nuclear Facility in Piqua, Ohio are presented in this report. The overall survey did not reveal the existence of any significant changes within the facility. This survey marked the inception of a surface soil sampling program. Analysis of the soil revealed that concentrations of radioactivity are comparable to those found at other locations in Ohio. (DMC)
Date: March 2, 1982
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and testing of an air quality model for Mexico City (open access)

Development and testing of an air quality model for Mexico City

Los Alamos National Laboratory and Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo have embarked on a joint study of options for improving air quality in Mexico City. The intent is to develop a modeling system which can address the behavior of pollutants in the region so that option for improving Mexico City air quality can be properly evaluated. In February of 1991, the project conducted a field program which yielded a variety of data which is being used to evaluate and improve the models. Normally the worst air quality for both primary and photochemical pollutants occurs in the winter Mexico City. During the field program, measurements included: (1) lidar measurements of aerosol transport and dispersion, (2) aircraft measurements of winds, turbulence, and chemical species aloft, (3) aircraft measurements of earth surface skin temperatures, and (4) tethersonde measurements of wind, temperature and ozone vertical profiles. A three-dimensional, prognostic, higher order turbulence meteorological model (HOTMAC) was modified to include an urban canopy and urban heat sources. HOTMAC is used to drive an Monte-Carlo kernel dispersion code (RAPTAD). HOTMAC also provides winds and mixing heights for the CIT photochemical model which was developed by investigators at the California Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University.
Date: March 2, 1992
Creator: Williams, M. D.; Streit, G. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)); Cruz, X.; Ruiz, M.; Sosa, G. (Instituto Mexicano de Petroleo, Mexico City (Mexico)); Russell, A. G. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Milliwatt generator heat source. Progress report, July-December 1983 (open access)

Milliwatt generator heat source. Progress report, July-December 1983

All LANL hardware requirements were met during the reporting period as scheduled. Lot 12 of T-111 alloy sheet and Lot 8 of yttrium platelets were procured to meet future WR production needs. The GEND IP schedule requirements for 49 fueled MC2893 heat sources were met. Pressure burst surveillance activities continued to be conducted in accordance with SNLA document BB328965. Final results of evaluations of two pressure-burst capsules were normal, suggesting that the corresponding heat sources should be in good condition. The hardware production period ended with an overall hardware process yield of 98.4%.
Date: March 2, 1984
Creator: Mershad, E.A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Recent results of studies of acceleration of compact toroids (open access)

Recent results of studies of acceleration of compact toroids

The observed gross stability and self-contained structure of compact toroids (CT's) give rise to the possibility, unique among magnetically confined plasmas, of translating CT's from their point of origin over distances many times their own length. This feature has led us to consider magnetic acceleration of CT's to directed kinetic energies much greater than their stored magnetic and thermal energies. A CT accelerator falls in the very broad gap between traditional particle accelerators at one extreme, which are limited in the number of particles per bunch by electrostatic repulsive forces, and mass accelerators such as rail guns at the other extreme, which accelerate many particles but are forced by the stress limitations of solids to far smaller accelerations. A typical CT has about a Coulomb of particles, weighs 10 micrograms and can be accelerated by magnetic forces of several tons, leading to an acceleration on the order of 10/sup 11/ gravities.
Date: March 2, 1984
Creator: Hammer, J. H.; Hartman, C. W. & Eddleman, J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and utilization of new diagnostics for dense-phase pneumatic transport (open access)

Development and utilization of new diagnostics for dense-phase pneumatic transport

In 1988, we proposed a program to develop new diagnostics for dense gas-solid suspensions, with particular interest toward the dense pneumatic transport of cohesive solid plugs. This program included three main objectives, as follows: to develop probes for local measurements of (1) local particle volume fraction and (2) individual particle velocities in dense gas-solid flows; and (3) to construct a bench-scale setup for transporting dense cohesive solid plugs and to analyze data from the resulting tests.
Date: March 2, 1992
Creator: Louge, M. & Jenkins, J.T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Incorporation of a circular boundary condition into the program POISSON (open access)

Incorporation of a circular boundary condition into the program POISSON

Two-dimensional problems in electrostatics or magnetostatics frequently are solved numerically by means of relaxation techniques. In many such problems the ''sources'' (charges or currents, and regions of permeable material) lie exclusively within a finite closed boundary curve and the relaxation process in principle then could be confined to the region interior to such a boundary - provided a suitable boundary condition is imposed onto the solution at that boundary. The present notes discuss and illustrate the use of a boundary condition of such a nature as to imply the absence of external sources, in order thereby to avoid the inaccuracies and more extensive meshes present when alternatively a simple Dirichlet or Neumann boundary condition is specified on a somewhat more remote outer boundary.
Date: March 2, 1984
Creator: Caspi, S.; Helm, M. & Laslett, L.J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Moment-free toroidal magnet background of the invention (open access)

Moment-free toroidal magnet background of the invention

A toroidal magnet is described for confining a high magnetic field for use in fusion reactor research and nuclear particle detection. The magnet includes a series of conductor elements arranged about and fixed at its small major radius portion to the outer surface of a central cylindrical support each conductor element having a geometry such as to maintain the conductor elements in pure tension when a high current flows therein, and a support assembly which redistributes all or part of the tension which would otherwise arise in the small major radius portion of each coil element to the large major radius portion thereof.
Date: March 2, 1981
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Patent
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of an electric fuel nozzle system for combustors. Progress report, June 1, 1976--February 28, 1977 (open access)

Development of an electric fuel nozzle system for combustors. Progress report, June 1, 1976--February 28, 1977

The investigation that Northern Research and Engineering Corporation is conducting for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration involves developing a fuel injection approach which utilizes electrostatic effects to improve the uniformity of the fuel/air mixture in combustion systems. The three phases of the program consist of an initial feasibility study which includes design and cold-flow testing of several nozzles, preliminary combustion testing, and final testing in an actual combustor. During the time period covered by the progress report, given parametric design calculations estimating the anticipated effect of fuel charging were completed. In addition, the experimental rig to be used in the cold-flow tests was designed and assembled. The nozzle/electrode configurations to be tested were designed and are currently in the process of being fabricated.
Date: March 2, 1977
Creator: Demetri, E.P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Inventory: Opportunities Exist to Improve the Management of DOD's Acquisition Lead Times for Spare Parts (open access)

Defense Inventory: Opportunities Exist to Improve the Management of DOD's Acquisition Lead Times for Spare Parts

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has identified the Department of Defense's (DOD) management of its inventory as a high-risk area since 1990 due to ineffective and inefficient inventory systems and practices. Management of inventory acquisition lead times is important in maintaining cost-effective inventories, budgeting, and having material available when needed, as lead times are DOD's best estimate of when an item will be received. Under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative, GAO analyzed the extent to which (1) DOD's estimated lead times varied from actual lead times, and (2) current management actions and initiatives have reduced lead times as compared to past years. To address these objectives, GAO computed the difference between the components' actual and estimated lead times, and compared component initiatives to reduce lead times for 1994-2002 to 2002-2005."
Date: March 2, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Institute of Standards and Technology: Carryover Balances for the Advanced Technology Program (open access)

National Institute of Standards and Technology: Carryover Balances for the Advanced Technology Program

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the carry over balances in the Department of Commerce's Advanced Technology Program (ATP), focusing on: (1) balances in the program for fiscal years 1995 through 1999; and (2) any balances that might exist at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2000 that could be used as offsets for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) programs in the FY 2001 budget."
Date: March 2, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs (Supersedes GAO-07-1134SP) (open access)

GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs (Supersedes GAO-07-1134SP)

Guidance issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This publication supersedes GAO-07-1134SP, Cost Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Estimating and Managing Program Costs--Exposure Draft, July 2007. The U.S. Government Accountability Office is responsible for, among other things, assisting the Congress in its oversight of the federal government, including agencies' stewardship of public funds. To use public funds effectively, the government must meet the demands of today's changing world by employing effective management practices and processes, including the measurement of government program performance. In addition, legislators, government officials, and the public want to know whether government programs are achieving their goals and what their costs are. To make those evaluations, reliable cost information is required and federal standards have been issued for the cost accounting that is needed to prepare that information. We developed the Cost Guide in order to establish a consistent methodology that is based on best practices and that can be used across the federal government for developing, managing, and evaluating capital program cost estimates."
Date: March 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Land Management: Land Acquisition Issues Related to Baca Ranch Appraisal (open access)

Federal Land Management: Land Acquisition Issues Related to Baca Ranch Appraisal

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Baca Ranch owner's appraisal, the Forest Service's appraisal review report, and the Forest Service's market study."
Date: March 2, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Weapons: NNSA and DOD Need to More Effectively Manage the Stockpile Life Extension Program (open access)

Nuclear Weapons: NNSA and DOD Need to More Effectively Manage the Stockpile Life Extension Program

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As a separately organized agency within the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administers the Stockpile Life Extension Program, whose purpose is to extend, through refurbishment, the operational lives of the weapons in the nuclear stockpile. NNSA encountered significant management problems with its first refurbishment for the W87 warhead. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which NNSA and the Department of Defense (DOD) have effectively managed the refurbishment of two other weapons--the B61 bomb and the W76 warhead. This report summarizes the findings of GAO's classified report on the refurbishment of the B61 bomb and W76 warhead."
Date: March 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook: March 2010 Update (open access)

State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook: March 2010 Update

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Fiscal sustainability presents a national challenge shared by all levels of government. Since 2007, GAO has published long-term fiscal simulations for the state and local government sector. These simulations show that, like the federal government, the state and local government sector faces persistent and long-term fiscal pressures. Using the Bureau of Economic Analysis's National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) as the primary data source, GAO's model projects the level of receipts and expenditures for the sector until 2060 based on current and historical spending and revenue patterns. GAO assumes the current set of policies in place across federal, state, and local governments remains constant. This update incorporates NIPA data including increased federal grant funding made available to the sector through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The model simulates the long-term fiscal outlook for the state and local sector as a whole and, while the model incorporates the Congressional Budget Office's economic projections, adjustments are made to capture the budgetary effects of near-term cyclical swings in the economy. Because the model covers the sector in the aggregate, the fiscal outcomes for individual states and …
Date: March 2, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical Safety Board: Recent Organizational Changes and Status of Operations (open access)

Chemical Safety Board: Recent Organizational Changes and Status of Operations

A statement of record issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's organizational changes, determining the status of the Board's: (1) organization; (2) operations; and (3) efforts to update and develop plans, policies, and procedures for accomplishing the Board's mission."
Date: March 2, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2005 and 2004 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2005 and 2004 Financial Statements

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO is required to annually audit the financial statements of the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF), Savings Association Insurance Fund (SAIF), and FSLIC Resolution Fund (FRF), which are administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). GAO is responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance about whether FDIC's financial statements for BIF, SAIF, and FRF are presented fairly in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and whether FDIC maintained effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance. Also, GAO is responsible for testing FDIC's compliance with selected laws and regulations. Created in 1933 to insure bank deposits and promote sound banking practices, FDIC plays an important role in maintaining public confidence in the nation's financial system. In 1989, legislation to reform the federal deposit insurance system created three funds to be administered by FDIC: BIF and SAIF, which protect bank and savings deposits, and FRF, which was created to close out the business of the former Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation."
Date: March 2, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Protection: Employees Who Made Allegations and Left EPA (open access)

Environmental Protection: Employees Who Made Allegations and Left EPA

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on three former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees who made allegations against EPA and then resigned, focusing on: (1) why the individuals had left; and (2) their current employment status."
Date: March 2, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse [Reissued on March 22, 2011] (open access)

Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse [Reissued on March 22, 2011]

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Each day, news reports cite instances of older adults across the United States being abused, denied needed care, or financially exploited, often by those they depend on. This report contains information on (1) existing estimates of the extent of elder abuse and their quality, (2) factors associated with elder abuse and its impact on victims, (3) characteristics and challenges of state Adult Protective Services (APS) responsible for addressing elder abuse, and (4) federal support and leadership in this area. To obtain this information, GAO reviewed relevant research; visited six states and surveyed state APS programs; analyzed budgetary and other federal documents; reviewed federal laws and regulations; and interviewed federal officials, researchers, and elder abuse experts."
Date: March 2, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State and Local Government Pension Plans: Economic Downturn Spurs Efforts to Address Costs and Sustainability (open access)

State and Local Government Pension Plans: Economic Downturn Spurs Efforts to Address Costs and Sustainability

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Despite the recent economic downturn, most large state and local government pension plans have assets sufficient to cover benefit payments to retirees for a decade or more. However, pension plans still face challenges over the long term due to the gap between assets and liabilities. In the past, some plan sponsors have not made adequate plan contributions or have granted unfunded benefit increases, and many suffered from investment losses during the economic downturn. The resulting gap between asset values and projected liabilities has led to steady increases in the actuarially required contribution levels needed to help sustain pension plans at the same time state and local governments face other fiscal pressures."
Date: March 2, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
NASA: Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects (open access)

NASA: Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to invest billions in the coming years in science and exploration space fl ight initiatives. The scientifi c and technical complexities inherent in NASA's mission create great challenges in managing its projects and controlling costs. In the past, NASA has had diffi culty meeting cost, schedule, and performance objectives for some of its projects. The need to effectively manage projects will gain even more importance as NASA seeks to manage its wide-ranging portfolio in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment. Per congressional direction, this report provides an independent assessment of selected NASA projects. In conducting this work, GAO compared projects against best practice criteria for system development including attainment of knowledge on technologies and design as well as various aspects of program management. The projects assessed are considered major acquisitions by NASA--each with a life-cycle cost of over $250 million. No recommendations are provided."
Date: March 2, 2009
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Health Care: Important Steps Taken to Enhance Veterans' Care by Aligning Inpatient Services with Projected Needs (open access)

VA Health Care: Important Steps Taken to Enhance Veterans' Care by Aligning Inpatient Services with Projected Needs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the nation's largest health care systems. In 1999, GAO reported on VA's aged, obsolete capital assets, noting that better management of these assets could significantly reduce VA's operating costs. GAO further noted that VA could reinvest the savings to enhance veterans' health care services. In response, VA initiated its Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process. Through CARES, VA identified what health care services it should provide and in which locations through 2022. The CARES process included assessing alternative ways to align inpatient services by closing or adding services at existing VA medical facilities or establishing new facilities. In May 2004, VA published its CARES decisions, but did not provide a national comprehensive summary of all its decisions about the alignment of inpatient services. GAO was asked to provide additional information about the inpatient service assessments and decisions made by VA. To provide a national, comprehensive summary, GAO summarized the locations where VA (1) identified a need to evaluate alternative ways to align inpatient health care service to improve quality, efficiency, or access and (2) made …
Date: March 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Administration: Better Planning Could Make the Ticket Program More Effective (open access)

Social Security Administration: Better Planning Could Make the Ticket Program More Effective

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Social Security Administration (SSA) manages the two largest federal disability benefit programs and made approximately $75 billion in payments to about 8 million beneficiaries (ages 18 through 64) in 2003. Given the size of its programs, even small improvements in SSA's ability to return beneficiaries to work offer the potential for significant savings. Until recently, Social Security beneficiaries who needed help returning to work generally had to seek services from state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. Few beneficiaries used these services or successfully returned to work. Therefore, Congress passed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (Ticket Act, P.L. 106-170) to create a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (the Ticket program). The program's goals are to expand the availability of service providers and to help enable beneficiaries to return to work, become selfsufficient, and stop receiving disability benefit payments. Eligible beneficiaries can use their tickets as vouchers to request vocational rehabilitation, employment, or other support services from the traditional state VR agencies or from new SSA-approved public or private providers, which are referred to as employment networks (EN). The act required …
Date: March 2, 2005
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library