Chemical Technology Division, Unit Operations Section Monthly Progress Report, February 1962 (open access)

Chemical Technology Division, Unit Operations Section Monthly Progress Report, February 1962

In the operation of 6-in.-dia. foam-liquid columns, increase in either the liquid flow or foam flow caused increased channeling with increased HTU. Flooding values for the Immi mixer-settler were obtalned using the amine extraction final cycle Pu flowsheet. Two tests of the addltlon of uranyl nitrate to a thoria sol were made, one of which gave a good product and the other a product which disintegrated during calcination. Material balances for 22 waste calcination runs are summarized. (auth)
Date: August 23, 1962
Creator: Whatley, M. E.; Haas, P. A.; Horton, R. W.; Ryon, A. D.; Suddath, J. C. & Watson, C. D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Heavy mass states (open access)

Heavy mass states

The indirect evidence for the production of a heavy lepton and direct evidence for the product of a new hadronic state or states in proton-proton interactions is considered for the interpretation requiring the existence of two more leptons and two new quarks. It is shown that such a picture is consistent and in good agreement with existing data. The new structure is located at M = 9.54 GeV/c/sup 2/ and is much wider than the experimental resolution. Also it is asymmetric, suggesting the presence of several resonances. 7 references. (JFP)
Date: August 23, 1977
Creator: Paschos, E. A.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
A TRANSISTORIZED ALPHA COUNTER FOR AN ALPHA GAUGE (open access)

A TRANSISTORIZED ALPHA COUNTER FOR AN ALPHA GAUGE

A transistorized instrument prototype was designed and constructed to replace a vacuum-tube instrument in an alpha gauge, which measures the thickness density of gases. The instrument amplifies, shapes, discriminates, and counts alpha pulses from a Au-Si surface-barrier detector exposed to an alpha source in a gas-filled chamber. The circuit consists of a charge-sensitive preamplifier, a main amplifier with pulse clipping, a Schmitt trigger, a diode pump, and a count rate meter. Preliminary tests gave results comparable to the vacuum-tube instrument. Accuracy of counting was within 10% for 0.5- to 10-Mev alpha particles emitted at a maximum rate of 10/sup 6 per sec. The instrument was stable at 25 to 55 deg C, is small and portable, and costs less than 0. An infinitely thick, alpha source that will give a high count rate is being constructed for final tests. (auth)
Date: August 23, 1962
Creator: Kopp, M.C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cosmic ray events in Soudan 2 (open access)

Cosmic ray events in Soudan 2

The Soudan 2 detector is located at a depth of 2090 meters-water equivalent (mwe). About 2 million muon events have been recorded. Here we report on our plans to analyze them for comparison with expectations from atmospheric cosmic ray models. Plans and capabilities to analyze multiple muons and monopoles are also discussed. 3 refs., 5 figs.
Date: August 23, 1989
Creator: Allison, W. W. M.; Alner, G. J.; Ambats, I.; Ayres, D.; Balka, L.; Barr, G. D. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Studies of. mu. prime s underground with the Soudan 2 Tracker (open access)

Studies of. mu. prime s underground with the Soudan 2 Tracker

During the period July 1987 through March 1988, a section of the Soudan 2 active shield known as the Tracker' recorded {approximately}250,000 muon tracks. The detector is located in the Tower-Soudan State Park in Soudan, Minnesota USA at a depth of 2090 meters-water equivalent. We have analysed the data collected and searched for time-dependent astronomical sources. Distributions in azimuthal and zenith angles as well as declination and right ascension are shown. 1 ref., 7 figs., 1 tab.
Date: August 23, 1989
Creator: Kochocki, J.; Benjamin, D.; Ewen, B.; Kafka, T.; Mann, A.; McMaster, L. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Vapor Containment in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (open access)

Vapor Containment in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor

Containment of the ORR is attained by means of a ventilation system which is capable of exhausting air from the building at a rate sufficient to ensure that all leakage of air at ground level is into the building. The exhaust air is treated by scrubbing and filtration and is discharged from a large stack at a height and velocity sufficient to guarantee that meteorological dispersion will reduce the resulting concentration of radioactive material to an acceptable level. Factors involved in selection of this type of controlled containment are discussed. Original design and modifications are described. Performance is also discussed. (M.C.G.)
Date: August 23, 1962
Creator: Binford, F.T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Problems Encountered During Four Years of ORR Operation (open access)

Problems Encountered During Four Years of ORR Operation

The over-all design and operation of ORR is reviewed in the light of four years of operating experience. Items discussed consist of the reactor components and instrumentation, reactor and pool cooling systems (including system cleanup), the emergency systems for electric power and reactor cooling, the waste-disposal systems (liquid, gaseous, and solid), and the building, itself. The ORR was the first of a class of reactors which combined the features of both the pool-reactor and tank-reactor types. Four years of operation indicated areas where problems of various degrees have developed. These problems are discussed. (auth)
Date: August 23, 1962
Creator: Tabor, W.H. & Costner, R.A. Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contained Events in Soudan 2 (open access)

Contained Events in Soudan 2

A search for contained events in the Soudan 2 nucleon decay detector has been made for the initial exposure of the first quarter of the 1.1 kiloton detector. This corresponds to an exposure of 0.083 kiloton years in the fiducial volume. We observe 5 {nu}{sub mu} candidate events and 5 {nu}{sub e} candidate events. Results of Monte Carlo simulations of neutrino events and proton decay events in Soudan 2 are compared. 6 refs., 3 figs.
Date: August 23, 1989
Creator: Allison, W. W. M.; Alner, G. J.; Ambats, I.; Balka, L.; Barr, G. D.; Benjamin, D. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Apportionment 2012: States Gaining, Losing, and on the Margin (open access)

House Apportionment 2012: States Gaining, Losing, and on the Margin

This report examines the distribution of seats based on the most recent estimates of the population of the states (as of July 1, 2012). It explores the question of, what, if any, would be the impact on the distribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives if the apportionment were conducted today, using the most recent official U.S. Census population figures available.
Date: August 23, 2013
Creator: Crocker, Royce
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of the Performance of a Turbosupercharged Engine of an Exhaust-Gas-to-Air Heat Exchanger for Thermal Ice Prevention (open access)

Effect of the Performance of a Turbosupercharged Engine of an Exhaust-Gas-to-Air Heat Exchanger for Thermal Ice Prevention

This report presents the results of a flight investigation to determine the effect on the performance of a turbosupercharged engine of an exhaust-gas-to-air heat exchanger installed between the engine-exhaust collector ring and the turbosupercharger. The background, results, and discussion of the investigation are described.
Date: August 23, 1945
Creator: Look, Bonne C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisitions: Navy Faces Challenges Constructing the Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford within Budget (open access)

Defense Acquisitions: Navy Faces Challenges Constructing the Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford within Budget

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Navy is investing over $3 billion to develop technologies for a new type of aircraft carrier--the Ford class--and it expects to spend almost $11 billion to design and construct the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)--the lead ship of the class. New technologies are to improve the carrier's performance and reduce crew size. The Navy requested authorization of CVN 78 in its fiscal year 2008 budget. GAO was asked to assess the Navy's ability to meet its goals for developing the new carrier. Specifically, this report assesses (1) the extent to which technology development could affect the capability and construction of CVN 78, (2) the status of efforts to achieve design stability, and (3) the challenges to building CVN 78 within budget. To accomplish this, our work includes analysis of test reports, development schedules, and ship progress reviews; interviews with Navy and other officials; and examinations of cost estimates and our own past work."
Date: August 23, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Warfare: Army Special Operations Acquisition Strategy for Improved Equipment Is Sound (open access)

Electronic Warfare: Army Special Operations Acquisition Strategy for Improved Equipment Is Sound

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the U.S. Special Operations Command's (USSCOM) acquisition strategy for aircraft electronic warfare systems, focusing on the soundness of USSCOM's electronic warfare acquisition strategy in terms of correcting deficiencies and maximizing commonality in its aircraft survivability equipment."
Date: August 23, 1999
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nonproliferation R&D: NNSA's Program Develops Successful Technologies, but Project Management Can Be Strengthened (open access)

Nonproliferation R&D: NNSA's Program Develops Successful Technologies, but Project Management Can Be Strengthened

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (R&D) Program is to conduct needs-driven research, development, testing, and evaluation of new technologies that are intended to strengthen the United States' ability to prevent and respond to nuclear, chemical, and biological attacks. In fiscal years 1998 through 2002, the Nonproliferation and Verification R&D program received an average of $218 million per year--a total of $1.2 billion. Nearly 75 percent of that total was distributed for R&D at three NNSA national laboratories. Two of the three research areas of the Nonproliferation and Verification R&D Program lack a formal process to identify users' needs, and the tools used to monitor project progress are inadequate. In terms of users, NNSA's role is to develop technologies for, and transfer them to, users in the federal government, the intelligence community, law enforcement, and others. The program requires that projects' life-cycle plans and quarterly reports contain detailed information on project time frames, milestones, users of technologies, and deliverables. Officials from federal, state, and local agencies that use the technology developed by NNSA's R&D program have found …
Date: August 23, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Skilled Nursing Facilities: Providers Have Responded to Medicare Payment System By Changing Practices (open access)

Skilled Nursing Facilities: Providers Have Responded to Medicare Payment System By Changing Practices

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1998, the Health Care Financing Administration implemented a prospective payment system (PPS) for skilled nursing facility (SNF) services provided to Medicare beneficiaries. PPS is intended to control the growth in Medicare spending for skilled nursing and rehabilitative services that SNFs provide. Two years after the implementation of PPS, the mix of patients across the categories of payment groups has shifted, as determined by the patients' initial minimum data set assessments. Although the overall share of patients classified into rehabilitation payment group categories based on their initial assessments remained about the same, more patients were classified into the high and medium rehabilitation payment group categories, and fewer were initially classified into the most intensive (highest paying) and least intensive (lowest paying) rehabilitation payment group categories. Two years after PPS was implemented the majority of patients in rehabilitation payment groups received less therapy than was provided in 1999. This was true even for patients within the same rehabilitation payment group categories. Across all rehabilitation payment group categories, fewer patients received the highest amounts of therapy associated with each payment group."
Date: August 23, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare+Choice: Payments Exceed Cost of Fee-for-Service Benefits, Adding Billions to Spending (open access)

Medicare+Choice: Payments Exceed Cost of Fee-for-Service Benefits, Adding Billions to Spending

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Medicare Choice program payment issues, focusing on: (1) whether program spending for Medicare Choice plan enrollees has exceeded what Medicare-covered care for these beneficiaries would have cost in the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare program; and (2) the extent to which payments to individual plans differ from expected FFS costs."
Date: August 23, 2000
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Automatic IRAS: Lower-Earning Households Could Realize Increases in Retirement Income (open access)

Automatic IRAS: Lower-Earning Households Could Realize Increases in Retirement Income

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Households without employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) pension plans or individual retirement accounts (IRA) had lower incomes and tax rates than households with those plans, and are also likely to have limited additional resources to draw upon in retirement, according to GAO estimates. The median adjusted gross income for households without DC plans or IRAs was $32,000, compared to $75,000 for those that did have them. The median marginal tax rate for households without DC plans or IRAs was 15 percent, compared to 25 percent for households with those savings vehicles. A defined benefit (DB) pension plan could provide a monthly benefit during retirement years for those without a DC plan or IRA; however, in 2010 only 15 percent of married households and 11 percent of single households without a DC plan or IRA had a DB plan."
Date: August 23, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Quality Act: Expanded Oversight and Clearer Guidance by the Office of Management and Budget Could Improve Agencies' Implementation of the Act (open access)

Information Quality Act: Expanded Oversight and Clearer Guidance by the Office of Management and Budget Could Improve Agencies' Implementation of the Act

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The importance and widespread use of federal information makes its accuracy imperative. The Information Quality Act (IQA) required that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issue guidelines to ensure the quality of information disseminated by federal agencies by fiscal year 2003. GAO was asked to (1) assess OMB's role in helping agencies implement IQA; (2) identify the number, type, and source of IQA correction requests agencies received; and (3) examine if IQA has adversely affected agencies' overall operations and, in particular, rulemaking processes. In response, GAO interviewed OMB and agency officials and reviewed agency IQA guidelines, related documents, and Web sites."
Date: August 23, 2006
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Entrepreneurial Assistance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Programs' Collaboration, Data-Tracking, and Performance Management (open access)

Entrepreneurial Assistance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Programs' Collaboration, Data-Tracking, and Performance Management

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal efforts to support entrepreneurs are fragmented--including among 52 programs at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). All overlap with at least one other program in terms of the type of assistance they are authorized to offer, such as financial (grants and loans) and technical (training and counseling), and the type of entrepreneur they are authorized to serve. Some entrepreneurs struggle to navigate the fragmented programs that provide technical assistance. For example, some entrepreneurs and technical assistance providers GAO spoke with said the system can be confusing and that some entrepreneurs do not know where to go for assistance. Collaboration could reduce some negative effects of overlap and fragmentation, but field staff GAO spoke with did not consistently collaborate to provide training and counseling services to entrepreneurs. The agencies have taken initial steps to improve how they collaborate by entering into formal agreements, but they have not pursued a number of other good collaborative practices GAO has previously identified. For example, USDA and SBA entered into a formal agreement in 2010 to coordinate their …
Date: August 23, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Compliance: Inflation Has Significantly Decreased the Real Value of Some Penalties (open access)

Tax Compliance: Inflation Has Significantly Decreased the Real Value of Some Penalties

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Civil tax penalties are an important tool to encourage taxpayer compliance with the tax laws. A number of civil tax penalties have fixed dollar amounts--a specific dollar amount, a minimum or maximum amount--that are not indexed for inflation. Because of Congress's concerns that civil penalties are not effectively achieving their purposes, we agreed to (1) determine the potential effect of adjusting civil tax penalties for inflation on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) assessment and collection amounts and (2) describe the likely administrative impact of regularly adjusting civil tax penalties on IRS and tax practitioners. GAO examined IRS data on civil tax penalties and conducted interviews with IRS employees and tax practitioners."
Date: August 23, 2007
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oil and Gas Development: BLM Needs Better Data to Track Permit Processing Times and Prioritize Inspections (open access)

Oil and Gas Development: BLM Needs Better Data to Track Permit Processing Times and Prioritize Inspections

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Bureau of Land Management (BLM) data indicate that BLM received about half as many applications for permit to drill (APD) for federal oil and gas resources in fiscal year 2012 as it had in fiscal year 2007. The decline in APDs since 2007 was driven by declines in natural gas and coalbed methane APDs on federal lands even while oil development on federal lands increased significantly. The reasons BLM officials and industry representatives cited for these changes in APDs include, among other things, a general industry move toward developing gas in shale formations using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing; shale development has largely occurred on state and private lands, where shale resources are predominately located. However, the number of APDs has varied by BLM location, with 23 of 33 BLM offices seeing declines, 9 offices seeing increases, and 1 office seeing no change in APDs."
Date: August 23, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Benefits: Quality Assurance for Disability Claims Processing (open access)

Veterans' Benefits: Quality Assurance for Disability Claims Processing

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and veterans service organizations have all raised concerns about the accuracy of claims processing in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). In 1998, VBA launched its systematic technical accuracy review (STAR) system to better measure the accuracy of claims processing. The system determines accuracy rates for (1) the nation as a whole, (2) each VBA service delivery network, and (3) each VBA regional office. GAO reported in 1999 that the accuracy rates for claims processing at regional offices was being determined by regional staff who themselves were involved in processing claims and who reported to managers responsible for claims processing. This arrangement did not meet either the government's internal control standard calling for the segregation of key duties or the performance audit standard calling for organizational independence for those who review and evaluate program performance. Congress subsequently required VBA to institute a quality assurance program that met government standards. VBA plans to modify the STAR system by October 1, 2001, to bring it into compliance with the standards on the segregation of duties and organizational independence. All STAR reviews will be done by …
Date: August 23, 2001
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense's Waiver of Competitive Prototyping Requirement for Enhanced Polar System Program (open access)

Department of Defense's Waiver of Competitive Prototyping Requirement for Enhanced Polar System Program

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DOD's rationale for waiving WSARA's competitive prototyping requirement for CAPS covered both bases provided in the statute; however, DOD did not provide complete information about the potential benefits of competitive prototyping or support for its conclusion that prototyping would result in schedule delays. In the waiver, DOD found reasonable the Air Force's conclusion that the additional $49 million cost of producing competing prototypes exceeded the negligible expected life-cycle benefits because minimal opportunities exist to increase CAPS technological and design maturity through competitive prototyping. The Air Force's conclusions about CAPS technical and design risk are supported by its market research, but its cost-benefit analysis was incomplete because neither the waiver nor the business case analysis supporting it provided an estimated dollar value for the expected benefits. Further, the Air Force's cost estimate of competitively prototyping CAPS was based on a program office estimate, which has not been independently reviewed by DOD's Office of Cost Assessment and Performance Evaluation. DOD also did not provide support in the waiver for its conclusion that implementing competitive prototyping will delay EPS's initial operational capability and result in DOD being unable to meet critical …
Date: August 23, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Native American Housing: VA Could Address Some Barriers to Participation in Direct Loan Program (open access)

Native American Housing: VA Could Address Some Barriers to Participation in Direct Loan Program

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Several federal programs have been developed to provide homeownership opportunities for Native Americans because private institutions have rarely supplied conventional home loans to Native Americans on trust lands. In 1992, Congress directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create the Native American Veterans Direct Home Loan Program to assist veterans in purchasing, constructing and improving homes. The Native American Veterans Direct Home Loan Program has been characterized by differences in the numbers served, with native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders together receiving almost five times as many as loans as Native Americans. Several factors that apply to Native Americans, but not to native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, may explain this difference. Long-standing barriers to lending on Native American trust lands include insufficient income and credit history, a lack of meaningful interest in land among many Native Americans, and insufficient infrastructure on trust lands. Other factors that VA can address include program limits that may be lower than housing costs for some trust lands and potential applicants' inexperience with the mortgage lending process. VA has conducted outreach but has taken limited steps to meet the assessment and …
Date: August 23, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Contamination: Corps Needs to Reassess Its Determinations That Many Former Defense Sites Do Not Need Cleanup (open access)

Environmental Contamination: Corps Needs to Reassess Its Determinations That Many Former Defense Sites Do Not Need Cleanup

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that cleaning up contamination and hazards at thousands of properties that it formerly owned or controlled will take more than 70 years and cost as much as $20 billion. These formerly used defense sites (FUDS), which can range in size from less than an acre to many thousands of acres, are now used for parks, farms, schools, and homes. Hazards at these properties include unsafe buildings, toxic and radioactive wastes, containerized hazardous wastes, and ordnance and explosive wastes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for identifying, investigating, and cleaning up hazards resulting from military use. GAO found that the Corps lacks a sound basis for its conclusion that 38 percent of 3,840 FUDS need no further study or cleanup action. The Corps' determinations are questionable because there is no evidence that it reviewed or obtained information that would allow it to identify all the potential hazards at the properties, or that it took sufficient steps to assess the presence of potential hazards. GAO also found that the Corps often did not notify owners of its determinations that the …
Date: August 23, 2002
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library