This note describes the diagnostics and auxiliary systems on the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) for confinement, transport, and other plasma physics studies. It is intended as a reference on the installed and planned hardware on the machine for those who need more familiarity with this equipment. Combined with the tokamak itself, these systems define the opportunities and capabilities for experiments in the MTX facility. We also illustrate how these instruments and equipment are to be used in carrying out the MTX Operations Plan. Near term goals for MTX are focussed on the absorption and heating by the microwave beam from the FEL, but the Plan also includes using the facility to study fundamental phenomena in the plasma, to control MHD activity, and to drive current noninductively.

The Hamblin-Cleopatra volcano, selected for study because erosion and fault displacement have exposed the entire volcanic succession, the intrusive core, a radial dike systems, and sedimentary and volcanic rocks that predate and postdate the volcano, was investigated to estimate the proportions of igneous materials forming lava flows, pyroclastic deposits, intrusive bodies, and reworked debris. Chemical changes in the magma throughout the active period of the volcano were documented. The geothermal system active within the pile after activity ceased was reconstructed. (ACR)

We discuss the line shapes for the 1s-2p, 1s-3p and (ls)/sup 2/ - 1s2p, (1s)/sup 2/ - 1s3p absorption lines in hot plasmas. In our model calculations the perturbing ions are considered quasi-static and widths due to collisions with electrons are calculated in the impact approximation. The collective effect of the plasma electrons is accounted for by a self-consistent model or by a simple Debye-Hueckel screening. These models in general predict different line shapes. We present calculations for the HeII, SiXIV and SiXIII ions.

A modified test technique has been developed in this program to overcome difficulties in assessing the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of low strength 2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steels. One steel sample was tempered to a range of strength levels and evaluated using the new technique. The results, showing a lower strength level for which hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility can be assessed in a 446 KPa H/sub 2/S environment, are presented in this report. A review of the restructuring of the program is also given.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has been cited as having mature interagency processes and coordinating mechanisms. As evidenced by the earthquakes that shook Haiti in January 2010, the challenges that SOUTHCOM faces require coordinated efforts from U.S. government agencies, international partners, and nongovernmental and private organizations. This report (1) assesses the extent that SOUTHCOM exhibits key attributes that enhance and sustain collaboration with interagency and other stakeholders and (2) evaluates SOUTHCOM's approach for developing an organizational structure that facilitates interagency collaboration and positions the command to conduct a full range of missions. To conduct this review, GAO analyzed SOUTHCOM documents, conducted interviews with the command and a number of its partners, and visited three U.S. embassies in the Caribbean and Central and South America."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma (the Gulf Coast hurricanes) caused more than $118 billion in estimated property damages across the Gulf Coast region in 2005. The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps individuals and businesses recover from disasters through its Disaster Loan Program. GAO initiated work to determine how well SBA provided victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes with timely assistance. This report, the first of two, focuses primarily on the Disaster Credit Management System (DCMS) and disaster loan process. Here, GAO evaluates (1) what affected SBA's ability to provide timely disaster assistance and (2) actions SBA took after the disasters to improve its response to disaster victims. In conducting this study, GAO analyzed data on loan applications and assessed key aspects of SBA's acquisition and implementation of DCMS."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DOD estimated that overall spending on logistics, including supply chain management, was more than $210 billion in fiscal year 2010. Because of long-standing weaknesses in supply chain management, GAO has designated DOD supply chain management as a high-risk area and identified three focus areas for improvement--requirements forecasting, asset visibility, and materiel distribution. GAO reviewed the extent to which DOD has developed and implemented (1) corrective action plans that address challenges in the three focus areas, (2) an effective program for monitoring and validating the effectiveness and sustainability of supply chain management corrective actions, and (3) an ability to demonstrate supply chain management progress. GAO prepared this report to assist Congress in its oversight of DOD's supply chain management. GAO reviewed strategic and improvement plans, reviewed documents detailing the performance management framework, and assessed performance measures."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Deepwater Program includes efforts to build or modernize ships and aircraft, including supporting capabilities. In 2007, the Coast Guard took over the systems integrator role from Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) and established a $24.2 billion program baseline which included schedule and performance parameters. Last year, GAO reported that Deepwater had exceeded cost and schedule parameters, and recommended a comprehensive study to assess the mix of assets needed in a cost-constrained environment given the approved baseline was no longer feasible. GAO assessed the (1) extent to which the program is exceeding the 2007 baseline and credibility of selected cost estimates and schedules; (2) execution, design, and testing of assets; and (3) Coast Guard's efforts to conduct a fleet mix analysis. GAO reviewed key Coast Guard documents and applied criteria from GAO's cost guide."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Marine Corps' development of the 155mm lightweight howitzer, focusing on: (1) whether the program is on schedule; (2) whether costs have increased and if there is sufficient funding; (3) what the extent of design changes is and how these changes have affected system testing; and (4) what effect the exclusive production of the howitzer by a foreign contractor could have on the Marine Corps' and Army's ability to maintain the weapon following its procurement, particularly during wartime."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) is in the midst of transforming military capabilities. The transformation relies in part on the Global Information Grid (GIG), which is focused on building a new Internet-like network capability that DOD envisions will enable weapons and other systems and people to share information quickly, allowing warfighters to identify threats more effectively and to respond with greater precision and lethality. DOD plans to spend at least $21 billion through 2010 to build a core GIG capability. GAO was asked (1) to describe the GIG, including the concept, key acquisitions, and implementation and (2) to identify significant challenges facing DOD in implementing the GIG."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), regulates the promotion of prescription drugs to ensure that promotional materials are not false and misleading and that they comply with applicable laws and regulations. Among other things, FDA prohibits drug companies from promoting drugs for off-label uses--that is, for a condition or patient population for which the drug has not been approved or in a manner that is inconsistent with information found on the approved drug label. Although doctors may prescribe drugs off label, it is not permissible for drug companies to promote drugs for off-label uses. FDA may take regulatory actions for violations, and may also pursue enforcement action through the Department of Justice (DOJ). GAO was asked for information about the promotion of drugs for off-label uses. GAO reviewed (1) how FDA oversees the promotion of off-label uses of prescription drugs and (2) what actions have been taken to address off-label promotions. GAO examined documentation related to the promotion of drugs for off-label uses and FDA correspondence with drug companies on identified violations and obtained information …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 required the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accelerate their exchange of health information and to develop systems or capabilities that allow for interoperability (generally, the ability of systems to exchange data) by September 30, 2009. It also required compliance with federal standards and the establishment of a joint interagency program office to function as a single point of accountability for the effort. Further, the act directed GAO to semiannually report on the progress made in achieving these requirements. For this third report, GAO evaluated (1) the departments' progress and plans toward sharing fully interoperable electronic health information that comply with federal standards and (2) whether the interagency program office is positioned to function as a single point of accountability. To do so, GAO analyzed agency documentation on project status and conducted interviews with agency officials."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The first wave of baby boomers(born between 1946 and 1964) will become eligible for Social Security early retirement benefits in 2008. In addition to concerns about how the boomers' retirement will strain the nation's retirement and health systems, concerns also have been raised about the possibility for boomers to sell off large amounts of financial assets in retirement, with relatively fewer younger U.S. workers available to purchase these assets. Some have suggested that such a sell-off could precipitate a market "meltdown," a sharp and sudden decline in asset prices, or reduce long-term rates of return. In view of such concerns, we have examined (1) whether the retirement of the baby boomers is likely to precipitate a dramatic drop in financial asset prices; (2) what researchers and financial industry participants expect the effect of the boomer retirement to have on financial markets; and (3) what role rates of return will play in providing retirement income in the future. We have prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative as part of the continued effort to assist Congress in addressing these …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Passenger rail systems are vital to the nation's transportation infrastructure, providing approximately 14 million passenger trips each weekday. Recent terrorist attacks on these systems around the world--such as in Moscow, Russia in 2010--highlight the vulnerability of these systems. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the primary federal entity responsible for securing passenger rail systems. In response to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2008, GAO conducted a technology assessment that reviews 1) the availability of explosives detection technologies and their ability to help secure the passenger rail environment, and 2) key operational and policy factors that impact the role of explosives detection technologies in the passenger rail environment. GAO analyzed test reports on various explosives detection technologies and convened a panel of experts comprised of a broad mix of federal, technology, and passenger rail industry officials. GAO also interviewed officials from DHS and the Departments of Defense, Energy, Transportation, and Justice to discuss the effectiveness of these technologies and their applicability to passenger rail. GAO provided a draft of this report these departments for comment. Four departments provided technical …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In October 2001, coalition forces forcibly removed the Taliban regime from Afghanistan, responding to their protection of al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States. Congress subsequently passed the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 authorizing funds to help Afghanistan rebuild a stable, democratic society. The act directed GAO to monitor the implementation of U.S. humanitarian, development, and counternarcotics assistance. This report analyzes, for fiscal year 2004, (1) U.S. obligations and expenditures, (2) progress and results of assistance efforts, (3) assistance management and coordination, and (4) major obstacles that affected the achievement of U.S. goals."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS), hospitals generally receive fixed payments for hospital stays based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG), a system that classifies stays by patient diagnosis and procedures. CMS is required to at least annually update DRG payments to address changes in the cost of inpatient care. CMS uses charge-based weights to update these payments. Cost-based weights are used to set payments in the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS). The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 required GAO to study IPPS payments in relation to costs. During the course of GAO's work, CMS proposed a new cost-based method for determining DRG weights. This report (1) examines the applicability of CMS's cost-based method--used for the OPPS--to weight DRGs in the IPPS and (2) evaluates whether CMS's proposed approach is an improvement over its OPPS method for setting cost-based weights. Using fiscal year 2002 cost reports and claims from 2001, 2002, and 2003 to examine the applicability of the OPPS method, GAO estimated costs for 1,025 IPPS hospitals whose Medicare cost reports most consistently reflected the total charges and number of Medicare stays …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since its creation in 2003, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been developing new information technology (IT) systems to perform both mission-critical and support functions; however, it has faced challenges in developing these systems. One way to manage the inherent risks of developing and acquiring systems is through independent verification and validation (IV&V)--a process conducted by a party independent of the development effort that provides an objective assessment of a project's processes, products, and risks throughout its life cycle and helps ensure that program performance, schedule, and budget targets are met. GAO was asked to determine (1) how DHS's IV&V policies and procedures for IT acquisitions compare with leading practices and (2) the extent to which DHS has implemented IV&V on its large IT system acquisitions. To do so, GAO assessed DHS's policy against industry standards and leading practice guides, as well as analyzed how eight selected IT programs had implemented IV&V."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has designated the Department of Defense's (DOD) business systems modernization as a high-risk program because, among other things, it has been challenged in implementing key information technology (IT) management controls on its thousands of business systems. The Global Combat Support System-Marine Corps program is one such system. Initiated in 2003, the program is to modernize the Marine Corps logistics systems. The first increment is to cost about $442 million and be deployed in fiscal year 2010. GAO was asked to determine whether the Department of the Navy is effectively implementing IT management controls on this program. To accomplish this, GAO analyzed the program's implementation of several key IT management disciplines, including economic justification, earned value management, risk management, and system quality measurement."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Major acquisitions in the Department of Defense's (DOD) force transformation rely on maintaining technological superiority to ensure U.S. military dominance. Failure to identify and protect critical technologies makes U.S. military assets vulnerable to cloning, neutralization, or other action that degrades current and anticipated capabilities. To help minimize these risks, DOD's Militarily Critical Technologies Program developed and periodically updates two lists of technologies--the Militarily Critical Technologies List (MCTL) and the Developing Science and Technologies List (DSTL). While the lists are primarily intended to inform U.S. export control decisions, they can also inform counterintelligence activities, research plans, and technology protection programs, making MCTL and DSTL fundamental resources for security decisions. To ensure these lists are informative, GAO assessed the Militarily Critical Technologies Program's process for updating the MCTL and DSTL and determined how the lists are used to inform export control and DOD policy decisions."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In January 2004, Congress established the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to administer the Millennium Challenge Account. MCC's mission is to reduce poverty by supporting sustainable, transformative economic growth in developing countries that create and maintain sound policy environments. MCC has received more than $4.2 billion in appropriations, and, as of May 2006, it had disbursed $22.4 million to four countries whose signed MCC compacts have entered into force. For the first three countries with compact entry into force--Madagascar, Cape Verde, and Honduras--GAO was requested to examine (1) key aspects that MCC reviewed, and the criteria it used, in its due diligence assessments; and (2) the structures that have been established for implementing the compacts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The United States is spending billions of dollars to reconstruct Iraq while combating an insurgency that has targeted military and contractor personnel and the Iraqi people. This environment created a need for those rebuilding Iraq to obtain security services. GAO evaluated the extent to which (1) U.S. agencies and contractors acquired security services from private providers, (2) the U.S. military and private security providers developed a working relationship, and (3) U.S. agencies assessed the costs of using private security providers on reconstruction contracts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The continued success of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which is administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is predicated on donor confidence that each donation reaches a legitimate charitable organization. The Ways and Means Committee's review of tax-exempt entities has led to concerns that charities listed in CFC are failing to remit payroll and other taxes to IRS as required by law. Specifically, GAO was asked to determine whether and to what extent (1) charities listed in the 2005 CFC have unpaid payroll and other taxes; (2) selected charities, their directors, or senior officers are abusing the federal tax system; and (3) OPM screens charities for federal tax problems before allowing them to be listed with CFC."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), authorizes retail grocers, called regular WIC vendors, to provide the food benefit. Recently, some states have seen an increase in vendors called WIC-only vendors, who stock only WIC food and accept only WIC vouchers. Both vendor types accept WIC vouchers in exchange for a cash payment, or redemption, from WIC state agencies with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant funds. To determine what effect WIC-only vendors' growth would have on program expenditures, in the absence of recent cost containment legislation, Congress asked GAO (1) what is known about WIC-only vendors' growth and their share of the WIC market in recent years, (2) to what extent do WIC-only and regular WIC vendors differ, and (3) what would WIC-only vendors' contribution to WIC program expenditures have been, if their market share increased. GAO analyzed national WIC vendor data, interviewed WIC state officials about vendors' business practices, and analyzed redemption data from California, Texas and Florida."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2008, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that there were about 300 fatalities from bus crashes in the United States. Although bus crashes are relatively rare, they are particularly deadly since many individuals may be involved. FMCSA tries to identify unsafe motor coach carriers and take them off the road. GAO was asked to determine (1) to the extent possible, the number of motor coach carriers registered with FMCSA as new entrants in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 that are substantially related to or in essence the same carriers the agency previously ordered out of service, and (2) what tools FMCSA uses to identify reincarnated carriers. To identify new entrants that were substantially related to carriers placed out of service, we analyzed FMCSA data to find matches on key fields (e.g., ownership, phone numbers, etc.). Our analysis understates the actual number of reincarnated carriers because, among other things, the matching scheme used cannot detect minor spelling changes or other deception efforts. We interviewed FMCSA officials on how the agency identifies reincarnated carriers. GAO is not making any recommendations. In July 2009, GAO briefed …