This report discusses Amtrak, an intercity railway transit system that being operatios in 1971. Amtrak receives considerable criticism for its inability to make a profit. The central policy issue, which this report addresses, is the following: Given that a national system of passenger rail service appears to be inherently unprofitable, as is the case for other public services, do we as a Nation wish to preserve our system or to liquidate it?

A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO issued a report on the results of its management and operational review of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Public Integrity Section (PI). Specifically, GAO reviewed: (1) PI's organization, staffing, workload, and results; (2) the policies and procedures in place to govern PI's case management practices and its compliance with those policies and procedures, and; (3) DOJ's management oversight of those practices. PI was staffed with 30 attorneys, including a chief and three deputies. Between 1995 and 2000, PI opened 1,013 matters for investigation and filed 163 cases for the court. The conviction rate was 94 percent for cases prosecuted during this time. DOJ's written policies and procedures outlined how PI should manage its caseloads. For the closed cases and matters GAO reviewed, PI generally complied with DOJ's procedures. However, GAO found that, in some cases, PI did not resolve issues in a timely manner. As a result, some matters remained opened for extended periods. DOJ also had policies and procedures in place to ensure that PI's case management practices were subject to management oversight. These oversight practices included documented reviews, daily interactions with attorneys, and …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Standards for discipline and safety in schools are set primarily by local school districts. Federal and local regulations provide additional protections to special education students who misbehave to ensure that they are not unfairly deprived of their rights to an appropriate education. GAO reviewed regular and special education discipline policies to determine whether there were any differences in how disabled and non-disabled students were disciplined. GAO found the rate of misconduct among special education students was higher than that of regular education students. Despite little difference in the actions taken by schools to discipline regular education and special education students, a sizeable minority of principals voiced concern that their schools' discipline policies impeded proper disciplinary action. Although the 1997 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act amendments and final federal regulations gave schools more flexibility in handling discipline issues, GAO's analysis showed that local school district policies can provide additional protections when compared with provisions in the final regulations. Restrictive local policies may alter the balance between protecting the rights of disabled students and ensuring that administrators are able to maintain a safe and orderly environment. Because the …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reported on the Administrative Office of the United States Courts' (AOUSC) progress in implementing six GAO recommendations to improve its long-range space planning process. AOUSC has fully implemented five of the six recommendations and partially implemented one. Specifically, AOUSC began (1) using a statistical classification technique, known as cluster analysis, to create groups of federal districts with similar characteristics; (2) relying on an automated computer program called AnyCourt to verify that districts' estimates of space baselines are consistent with the U.S. Courts Design Guide; (3) using a standard statistical forecasting technique, known as AutoRegressive Integrated Moving-Average, as a basis for developing more accurate caseload projections; (4) helping districts improve their personnel projections by comparing their projections to AOUSC personnel projections and discussing the results with districts when large deviations occurred; and (5) providing the General Services Administration (GSA) with data related to 10-year projections of districts' estimated space needs to support the judiciary's request for congressional approval of funds to build new court-related facilities and modify existing buildings. AOUSC has been unable to fully implement the remaining recommendation to update the districts' plans every 3 to 5 …

This project has contributed to the improved understanding and precise physical description of multiphase subsurface flow by combining theoretical derivation of equations, lattice Boltzmann modeling of hydrodynamics to identify characteristics and parameters, and simplification of field-scale equations to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the complete theory.

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Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new dual fuel conversion system allows diesel fuel switching with clean burning natural gas.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new miniature oxygen sensor that costs less that conventional sensors.

This 16-page brochure, including 9 one-page inserts, provides an overview of the Office of Industrial Technologies and its research, development, and deployment efforts to increase industrial energy efficiency.

Most large-scale high-critical-temperature superconductor applications require wires or tapes that an carry high currents in applied magnetic fields. This report describes technical progress of research and development efforts aimed at producing superconducting components and devices in the Y-Ba-Cu-O and Bi-(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O systems. Topics discussed are formation of first- and second-generation composite conductors, characterization of structures and superconducting and mechanical properties, modeling of grain-boundary current transport, and fabrication and analysis of prototype components.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new process that improves the efficiency and productivity of die casting operations.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an innovative device that uses acoustic energy to enhance productivity in mixing equipment.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new process to produce ethylene more efficiently.

The Laboratory Coordinating Council, working through OIT, coordinates partnerships between industry, academia, and the 16 U.S. national laboratories and facilities.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new technology that increases load-leveling efficiency and offers longer cycle life than lead-acid batteries.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new magnetic elutriation technology for mining that offers waste, energy, and economic savings.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on an innovative method of purifying combinatorial chemistry compounds.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an advanced laser technology that safely detects leaks and emissions without requiring an air sample.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new process that creates a corrosion-resistant coating for recuperators.

Fact sheet written for the NICE3 Program on a new technology that separates gas, oil, and water from offshore oil and gas operations.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a new mechanochemical process that delivers titanium-carbide powder for cutting-tool fabrication.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about a self-agitating soap stick that removes accumulated water from water logged natural gas wells.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an advanced analysis method that provides complete on-line ultrasonic inspection of tubular materials.

Waste Management, Inc., began operating a fleet of heavy-duty LNG refuse trucks at its Washington, Pennsylvania, facility. The objective of the project was to provide transportation professionals with quantitative, unbiased information on the cost, maintenance, operational, and emissions characteristics of LNG as one alternative to conventional diesel for heavy-duty trucking applications.