Endangered Species: Difficult Choices (open access)

Endangered Species: Difficult Choices

This report discusses issues debated in the 107th Congress while is considering various proposals to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Major issues in recent years have included changing the role of science in decision-making, changing the role of critical habitat, reducing conflicts with Department of Defense activities, incorporating further protection for property owners, and increasing protection of listed species, among others. In addition, many have advocated including significant changes to ESA regulations made during the Clinton Administration in the law itself.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne & Baldwin, Pamela
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Committee Funding for the House and Senate, 108th Congress (open access)

Committee Funding for the House and Senate, 108th Congress

The Senate adopted ad hoc procedures in approving committee operating budgets. With the Senate divided 51-48-1 at the beginning of the 108th Congress, Senate Democrats argued for a proportional allocation of committee staff between the parties. On January 15, after a week-long delay in the appointment of Senate committees, a unanimous consent agreement was reached providing for the proportional allocation of staff and office space between the parties on each committee, with a separate provision for each committee chair to control up to 10% of the committee budget to employ administrative staff serving both parties.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Rundquist, Paul S. & Petersen, R. Eric
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Nations Peacekeeping: Issues for Congress (open access)

United Nations Peacekeeping: Issues for Congress

None
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Browne, Marjorie Ann
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
MTBE in Gasoline: Clean Air and Drinking Water Issues (open access)

MTBE in Gasoline: Clean Air and Drinking Water Issues

None
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Tiemann, Mary
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fax-on-Demand Services Available from Federal Government Agencies (open access)

Fax-on-Demand Services Available from Federal Government Agencies

This report presents a list of federal government agencies that offer fax-on-demand services and provides brief description of their offerings.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Richardson, Glenda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Research and Development: Budgeting and Priority-Setting Issues, 108th Congress (open access)

Federal Research and Development: Budgeting and Priority-Setting Issues, 108th Congress

This report provides budgeting and priority-setting issues of 108th congress related to federal research and development.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Knezo, Genevieve J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Trade Between North Korea and Pakistan (open access)

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Trade Between North Korea and Pakistan

In October 2002, the United States confronted North Korea about its alleged clandestine uranium enrichment program. Soon after, the Agreed Framework collapsed, North Korea expelled international inspectors, and withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). U.S. intelligence officials claimed Pakistan was a key supplier of uranium enrichment technology to North Korea, and some media reports suggested that Pakistan had exchanged centrifuge enrichment technology for North Korean help in developing longer range missiles.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Squassoni, Sharon
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intermodal Connectors: A Method For Improving Transportation Efficiency? (open access)

Intermodal Connectors: A Method For Improving Transportation Efficiency?

As Congress considers reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation legislation, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21, P.L. 105- 178), which expires in September 2003, one issue policymakers are examining is the flow of commerce to and from U.S. cargo hubs. Recent Department of Transportation (DOT) studies have found persistent traffic bottlenecks and inadequate access to freight transfer facilities. The pavement of access roads, in many cases are in poor condition and the roads have deficient geometrics (limited turning radii at intersections, low clearances, inadequate shoulder width, etc.) for the heavy truck traffic they serve.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Frittelli, John F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Health Care: VA Increases Third-Party Collections as It Addresses Problems in Its Collections Operations (open access)

VA Health Care: VA Increases Third-Party Collections as It Addresses Problems in Its Collections Operations

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) collects health insurance payments, known as third-party collections, for veterans' health care conditions it treats that are not a result of injuries or illnesses incurred or aggravated during military service. In September 1999, VA adopted a new fee schedule, called "reasonable charges," that it anticipated would increase revenues from third-party collections. In January 2003, GAO reported on VA's third-party collection efforts and problems in collections operations for fiscal year 2002 as well as VA's initiatives to improve collections (VA Health Care: Third-Party Collections Rising as VA Continues to Address Problems in Its Collections Operations, (GAO-03-145, Jan. 31, 2003)). GAO was asked to discuss its findings and update third-party collection amounts and agency plans to improve collections."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Management: Reporting of Small Business Contract Awards Does Not Reflect Current Business Size (open access)

Contract Management: Reporting of Small Business Contract Awards Does Not Reflect Current Business Size

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "According to information in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), in fiscal year 2001, small businesses received approximately 23 percent of federal contract dollars awarded. However, concerns have been raised that large companies are receiving federal contracts intended for small businesses."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
SARS Outbreak: Improvements to Public Health Capacity Are Needed for Responding to Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases (open access)

SARS Outbreak: Improvements to Public Health Capacity Are Needed for Responding to Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "SARS has infected relatively few people nationwide, but it has raised concerns about preparedness for large-scale infectious disease outbreaks. The initial response to an outbreak occurs in local agencies and hospitals, with support from state and federal agencies, and can involve disease surveillance, epidemiologic investigation, health care delivery, and quarantine management. Officials have learned lessons applicable to preparedness for such outbreaks from experiences with other major public health threats. GAO was asked to examine the preparedness of state and local public health agencies and hospitals for responding to a large-scale infectious disease outbreak and the relationship of federal and state planning for an influenza pandemic to preparedness for emerging infectious diseases. This testimony is based on Bioterrorism: Preparedness Varied across State and Local Jurisdictions, GAO-03-373 (Apr. 7, 2003); findings from a GAO survey on hospital emergency room capacity (in Hospital Emergency Departments: Crowded Conditions Vary among Hospitals and Communities, GAO-03-460 (Mar. 14, 2003)) and on hospital emergency preparedness; and information updating Influenza Pandemic: Plan Needed for Federal and State Response, GAO-01-4 (Oct. 27, 2000)."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Compliance and Collection: Challenges for IRS in Reversing Trends and Implementing New Initiatives (open access)

Compliance and Collection: Challenges for IRS in Reversing Trends and Implementing New Initiatives

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Taxpayers' willingness to voluntarily comply with tax laws depends in part on their confidence that friends, neighbors, and business competitors are paying their fair share of taxes. The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) programs to ensure compliance and to collect delinquent taxes are viewed by many as critical for maintaining the public's confidence in our tax system. Congress asked GAO to present information on trends in IRS's compliance and collection programs and to discuss issues related to IRS's efforts to increase staffing for these programs. GAO was also asked to discuss IRS's plans to launch new initiatives to reduce noncompliance with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) and to use private collection agencies to assist in collecting delinquent taxes."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Health: Assessment of First Year Efforts of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (open access)

Global Health: Assessment of First Year Efforts of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "By the end of 2002, more than 40 million people worldwide were living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), with 5 million newly infected that year. HIV/AIDS, along with tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, causes nearly 6 million deaths per year and untold human suffering. Established in January 2002, the Global Fund (the Fund) aims to rapidly disburse grants to augment existing spending on the prevention and treatment of these three diseases while maintaining sufficient oversight of financial transactions and program effectiveness. As of April 1, 2003, the United States had pledged $1.65 billion to the Fund and is expected to remain its single largest donor. In this study, GAO was asked to assess (1) the Fund's progress in developing governance structures; (2) the systems that the Fund has developed for ensuring financial accountability, monitoring and evaluating grant projects, and procuring goods and services; (3) the Fund's efforts to raise money; and (4) its grant-making process. In responding to our draft report, the Fund, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development agreed with our findings."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Health: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Has Advanced in Key Areas, but Difficult Challenges Remain (open access)

Global Health: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Has Advanced in Key Areas, but Difficult Challenges Remain

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "By the end of 2002, more than 40 million people worldwide were living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), with 5 million newly infected that year. HIV/AIDS, along with tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, causes nearly 6 million deaths per year and untold human suffering. Established in January 2002, the Global Fund (the Fund) aims to rapidly disburse grants to augment existing spending on the prevention and treatment of these three diseases while maintaining sufficient oversight of financial transactions and program effectiveness. As of April 1, 2003, the United States had pledged $1.65 billion to the Fund and is expected to remain its single largest donor. In this study, GAO was asked to assess (1) the Fund's progress in developing governance structures; (2) the systems that the Fund has developed for ensuring financial accountability, monitoring and evaluating grant projects, and procuring goods and services; (3) the Fund's efforts to raise money; and (4) its grant-making process. In responding to our draft report, the Fund, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development agreed with our findings."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reporting of Small Business Contract Awards Does Not Reflect Current Business Size (open access)

Reporting of Small Business Contract Awards Does Not Reflect Current Business Size

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "We have prepared this report in response to concerns about whether large companies are receiving federal contracts intended for small businesses. We reviewed awards to five large companies to determine (1) how contracts awarded to the companies were reported in Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), (2) why federal contract officials reported the contracts as small business awards, and (3) what actions are being taken to address any identified problems."
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Time Evolution of Beam in the Recycler Ring (open access)

Time Evolution of Beam in the Recycler Ring

We study the time evolution of the beam current in the Fermilab Recycler Ring due to abrupt physical processes (single coulomb scattering, nuclear scattering) that cause sudden loss of beam, and diffusive processes (multiple coulomb scattering, lattice dependence, etc.) which cause emittance growth. This emittance growth combined with finite aperture of the beam pipe will lead to eventual loss of most beam. We develop a fitting technique to the time evolution of beam current to estimate emittance growth. Finally we compare the directly measured growth with the fitted value.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Krish Gounder, John Marriner and Shekhar Mishra
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advanced Algorithms and Automation Tools for Discrete Ordinates Methods in Parallel Environments (open access)

Advanced Algorithms and Automation Tools for Discrete Ordinates Methods in Parallel Environments

This final report discusses major accomplishments of a 3-year project under the DOE's NEER Program. The project has developed innovative and automated algorithms, codes, and tools for solving the discrete ordinates particle transport method efficiently in parallel environments. Using a number of benchmark and real-life problems, the performance and accuracy of the new algorithms have been measured and analyzed.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Haghighat, Alireza
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gallium Safety in the Laboratory (open access)

Gallium Safety in the Laboratory

A university laboratory experiment for the US Department of Energy magnetic fusion research program required a simulant for liquid lithium. The simulant choices were narrowed to liquid gallium and galinstan (Ga-In-Sn) alloy. Safety information on liquid gallium and galinstan were compiled, and the choice was made to use galinstan. A laboratory safety walkthrough was performed in the fall of 2002 to support the galinstan experiment. The experiment has been operating successfully since early 2002.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Cadwallader, L.C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Full-Scale Testing of Enhanced Mercury Control Technologies for Wet FGD Systems: Final Report (open access)

Full-Scale Testing of Enhanced Mercury Control Technologies for Wet FGD Systems: Final Report

Wet flue gas desulfurization (wet FGD) systems are currently installed on about 25% of the coal-fired utility generating capacity in the U.S., representing about 15% of the number of coal-fired units. Depending on the effect of operating parameters such as mercury content of the coal, form of mercury (elemental or oxidized) in the flue gas, scrubber spray tower configuration, liquid-to-gas ratio, and slurry chemistry, FGD systems can provide cost-effective, near-term mercury emissions control options with a proven history of commercial operation. For boilers already equipped with FGD systems, the incremental cost of any vapor phase mercury removal achieved is minimal. To be widely accepted and implemented, technical approaches that improve mercury removal performance for wet FGD systems should also have low incremental costs and have little or no impact on operation and SO{sub 2} removal performance. The ultimate goal of the Full-scale Testing of Enhanced Mercury Control for Wet FGD Systems Program was to commercialize methods for the control of mercury in coal-fired electric utility systems equipped with wet flue gas desulfurization (wet FGD). The program was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Ohio Coal Development Office within the Ohio Department of Development, and …
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: McDonald, D. K.; Amrhein, G. T.; Kudlac, G. A. & Yurchison, D. Madden
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interprocessor communication with limited memory (open access)

Interprocessor communication with limited memory

Many parallel applications require periodic redistribution of workloads and associated data. In a distributed memory computer, this redistribution can be difficult if limited memory is available for receiving messages. We propose a model for optimizing the exchange of messages under such circumstances which we call the minimum phase remapping problem. We first show that the problem is NP-Complete, and then analyze several methodologies for addressing it. First, we show how the problem can be phrased as an instance of multi-commodity flow. Next, we study a continuous approximation to the problem. We show that this continuous approximation has a solution which requires at most two more phases than the optimal discrete solution, but the question of how to consistently obtain a good discrete solution from the continuous problem remains open. We also devise simple and practical approximation algorithm for the problem with a bound of 1.5 times the optimal number of phases. We also present an empirical study of variations of our algorithms which indicate that our approaches are quite practical.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Pinar, Ali & Hendrickson, Bruce
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Computational economy improvements in PRISM (open access)

Computational economy improvements in PRISM

None
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Tonse, Shaheen R.; Moriarty, Nigel W.; Frenklach, Michael & Brown, Nancy J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS (open access)

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS

This six-month work is focused mainly on the properties of novel magnetic intermetallics. In the first project, we synthesized several 2:17 intermetallic compounds, namely Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 15}Si{sub 2}, Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 15}Al{sub 2}2, Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 15}SiAl and Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 15}SiMn, as well as several 1:12 intermetallic compounds, such as NdFe{sub 10}Si{sub 2}, NdFe{sub 10}Al{sub 2}, NdFe{sub 10}SiAl and NdFe{sub 10}MnAl. In the second project, seven compositions of Nd{sub x}Fe{sub 100-x-y}B{sub y} ribbons were prepared by a melt spinning method with Nd and B content increasing from 7.3 and 3.6 to 11 and 6, respectively. The alloys were annealed under optimized conditions to obtain a composite material consisting of the hard magnetic Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B and soft magnetic {alpha}-Fe phases, typical of a spring magnet structure. In the third project, intermetallic compounds of the type Zr{sub 1}Cr{sub 1}Fe{sub 1}T{sub 0.8} with T=Al, Co and Fe were subjected to hydrogenation. In the fourth project, we performed three crucial experiments. In the first experiment, we subjected a mixture of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and Fe(80-20 wt%) to mechanochemical activation by high-energy ball milling, for time periods ranging from 0.5 to 14 hours. In the second experiment, we ball-milled Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}:Co{sup 2+} (x=0.1) for time …
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Sorescu, Professor Monica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stray-electron accumulation and effects in HIF accelerators (open access)

Stray-electron accumulation and effects in HIF accelerators

Stray electrons can be introduced in positive-charge accelerators for heavy ion fusion (or other applications) as a result of ionization of ambient gas or gas released from walls due to halo-ion impact, or as a result of secondary-electron emission. Electron accumulation is impacted by the ion beam potential, accelerating fields, multipole magnetic fields used for beam focus, and the pulse duration. We highlight the distinguishing features of heavy-ion accelerators as they relate to stray-electron issues, and present first results from a sequence of simulations to characterize the electron cloud that follows from realistic ion distributions. Also, we present ion simulations with prescribed random electron distributions, undertaken to begin to quantify the effects of electrons on ion beam quality.
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Cohen, R. H.; Friedman, A.; Furman, M. A.; Lund, S. M.; Molvik, A. W.; Stoltz, P. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
RADIOLOGICAL RELEASES DUE TO AIR AND SILICA DUST ACTIVATION IN EMPLACEMENT DRIFTS (open access)

RADIOLOGICAL RELEASES DUE TO AIR AND SILICA DUST ACTIVATION IN EMPLACEMENT DRIFTS

The purpose of this calculation is to determine the quantity and significance of annual Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) subsurface normal radiological releases due to neutron activation of air and silica dust in emplacement drifts. This calculation includes the following items: (1) Calculate activation of ventilation airflow through emplacement drifts to quantify radioactive gaseous releases; and (2) Calculate the bounding potential activated silica dust concentration and releases. The sources of silica dust may arise from air supply to emplacement drifts as well as host rock around emplacement drifts. For this calculation, the source of dust is conservatively assumed to be the host rock (Assumption 3.6), which is subject to long-term neutron exposure resulting in saturated radioactivity. The scope of this calculation is limited to releases from activated air and silica dust only, excluding natural radioactive releases such as radon or releases from defective waste packages (breached or contaminated). This work supports the repository ventilation system design and Preclosure Safety Analysis. This includes MGR items classified as Quality Level 1, for example, the Uncanistered Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Package (CRWMS M&O [Civilian Radioactive Waste Management and Operation Contractor] 1999a, page 7). Therefore, this calculation is subject to the requirements of the ''Quality …
Date: May 7, 2003
Creator: Tang, Jabo S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library