CRADA Final Report for NFE-08-01826: Development and application of processing and processcontrol for nano-composite materials for lithium ion batteries (open access)

CRADA Final Report for NFE-08-01826: Development and application of processing and processcontrol for nano-composite materials for lithium ion batteries

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and A123 Systems, Inc. collaborated on this project to develop a better understanding, quality control procedures, and safety testing for A123 System’s nanocomposite separator (NCS) technology which is a cell based patented technology and separator. NCS demonstrated excellent performance. x3450 prismatic cells were shown to survive >8000 cycles (1C/2C rate) at room temperature with greater than 80% capacity retention with only NCS present as an alternative to conventional polyolefin. However, for a successful commercialization, the coating conditions required to provide consistent and reliable product had not been optimized and QC techniques for being able to remove defective material before incorporation into a cell had not been developed. The work outlined in this report addresses these latter two points. First, experiments were conducted to understand temperature profiles during the different drying stages of the NCS coating when applied to both anode and cathode. One of the more interesting discoveries of this study was the observation of the large temperature decrease experienced by the wet coating between the end of the infrared (IR) drying stage and the beginning of the exposure to the convection drying oven. This is not a desirable situation as the temperature gradient could have …
Date: December 15, 2012
Creator: Daniel, C.; Armstrong, B.; Maxey, C.; Sabau, A.; Wang, H.; Hagans, P. (A123 Systems, Inc.) et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology: Melting Efficiency in Die Casting Operations (open access)

Energy Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology: Melting Efficiency in Die Casting Operations

This project addressed multiple aspects of the aluminum melting and handling in die casting operations, with the objective of increasing the energy efficiency while improving the quality of the molten metal. The efficiency of melting has always played an important role in the profitability of aluminum die casting operations. Consequently, die casters need to make careful choices in selecting and operating melting equipment and procedures. The capital cost of new melting equipment with higher efficiency can sometimes be recovered relatively fast when it replaces old melting equipment with lower efficiency. Upgrades designed to improve energy efficiency of existing equipment may be well justified. Energy efficiency is however not the only factor in optimizing melting operations. Melt losses and metal quality are also very important. Selection of melting equipment has to take into consideration the specific conditions at the die casting shop such as availability of floor space, average quantity of metal used as well as the ability to supply more metal during peaks in demand. In all these cases, it is essential to make informed decisions based on the best available data.
Date: December 15, 2012
Creator: Schwam, David
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
ADA Paratransit Services: Demand Has Increased, but Little is Known about Compliance (open access)

ADA Paratransit Services: Demand Has Increased, but Little is Known about Compliance

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Little is known about the extent of transit agencies' compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service requirements. FTA does receive some assurance that agencies are complying with federal statutes and regulations, including ADA paratransit requirements, because transit agencies that receive FTA funding are required to self-certify and assure that they are complying with the Department of Transportation's ADA regulations. Additionally, FTA conducts specialized ADA paratransit compliance reviews that examine multiple aspects of an agency's paratransit services; however, few transit agencies are selected for review each year. FTA generally relies on complaints, media reports, experience with an agency, and other information to select agencies for review, but does not have documented criteria for selecting agencies. This informal selection process does not align with federal guidance on internal controls related to communication, documentation, and monitoring. Lastly, according to FTA officials, all finalized ADA paratransit compliance review reports are to be available on FTA's website, but GAO identified nine final review reports--conducted from 2004 to 2010--that have not been posted to FTA's website."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Passenger Screening: Transportation Security Administration Could Improve Complaint Processes (open access)

Air Passenger Screening: Transportation Security Administration Could Improve Complaint Processes

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) receives thousands of air passenger screening complaints through five mechanisms, but does not have an agencywide policy or consistent processes to guide receipt and use of such information. For example, from October 2009 through June 2012, TSA received more than 39,000 screening complaints through its TSA Contact Center (TCC). However, the data from the five mechanisms do not reflect the full nature and extent of complaints because local TSA staff have discretion in implementing TSA's complaint processes, including how they receive and document complaints. For example, comment cards are used at four of the six airports GAO contacted, but TSA does not have a policy requiring that complaints submitted using the cards be tracked or reported centrally. A consistent policy to guide all TSA efforts to receive and document complaints would improve TSA's oversight of these activities and help ensure consistent implementation. TSA also uses TCC data to inform the public about air passenger screening complaints, monitor operational effectiveness of airport security checkpoints, and make changes as needed. However, TSA does not use data from its other four mechanisms, in part …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics (open access)

American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics

This report provides information for war casualty statistics. It includes tables, compiled from sources at the Department of Defense (DOD), indicating the number of casualties among American military personnel serving in principal wars and combat actions.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Leland, Anne
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
CMS Innovation Center: Early Implementation Efforts Suggest Need for Additional Actions to Help Ensure Coordination with Other CMS Offices (open access)

CMS Innovation Center: Early Implementation Efforts Suggest Need for Additional Actions to Help Ensure Coordination with Other CMS Offices

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "From the time it became operational in November 2010, through March 31, 2012, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center) has focused on implementing 17 new models to test different approaches for delivering or paying for health care in Medicare and Medicaid. The center is still relatively early in the process of implementing these models. Eleven of the models were selected by the Innovation Center under the provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that established the center, while the remaining 6 were specifically required by other PPACA provisions. The Innovation Center projects that a total of $3.7 billion will be required to fund testing and evaluation of the 17 models, with the expected funding for individual models ranging from $30 million to $931 million. As of March 2012, the center's 184 staff were organized into four groups responsible for coordinating the implementation of different models and another five groups responsible for key functions that support model implementation. Officials said that, among other things, the center's initial hiring of staff reflected the need for leadership and for specific types of expertise, …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of Transparent Ceramic Ce-Doped Gadolinium Garnet Gamma Spectrometers (open access)

Development of Transparent Ceramic Ce-Doped Gadolinium Garnet Gamma Spectrometers

None
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Cherepy, N J; Seeley, Z M; Payne, S A; Beck, P R; Drury, O B; O'Neal, S P et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Joint Bases: Management Improvements Needed to Achieve Greater Efficiencies (open access)

DOD Joint Bases: Management Improvements Needed to Achieve Greater Efficiencies

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has not developed or implemented a plan to guide joint bases in achieving cost savings and efficiencies. The Department of Defense (DOD) originally estimated saving $2.3 billion from joint basing over 20 years, but in the absence of a plan to drive savings, that estimate has fallen by almost 90 percent. OSD also does not yet have a fully developed method for accurately collecting information on costs, savings, and efficiencies achieved specifically from joint basing. GAO previously reported that organizational transformations such as merging components and transforming organizational cultures should be driven by top leadership, have implementation goals and a timeline to show progress, and include a communication strategy. Although the joint bases anecdotally reported achieving some savings and efficiencies, without an implementation plan to drive savings and a means to collect reliable information on the specific costs, estimated savings, and efficiencies from joint basing, DOD will not be able to facilitate achievement of the goals of cost savings and efficiencies, track the extent to which these goals have been achieved, or evaluate the continuation or expansion of …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The effect of high-level waste glass composition on spinel liquidus temperature (open access)

The effect of high-level waste glass composition on spinel liquidus temperature

Spinel crystals precipitate in high-level waste glasses containing Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Ru. The liquidus temperature (T{sub L}d) of spinel as the primary crystallization phase is a function of glass composition, and the spinel solubility (c{sub o}) is a function of both glass composition and temperature (T). Previously reported models of T{sub L} as a function of composition are based on T{sub L} measured directly, which requires laborious experimental procedures. Viewing the curve of c{sub o} versus T as the liquidus line allows a significant broadening of the composition region for model fitting. This paper estimates T{sub L} as a function of composition based on c{sub o} data obtained with the X-ray diffraction technique.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Kruger, A. A.; Riley, Brian J.; Crum, Jarrod V.; Hrma, Pavel & Matyas, Josef
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elder Justice: National Strategy Needed to Effectively Combat Elder Financial Exploitation (open access)

Elder Justice: National Strategy Needed to Effectively Combat Elder Financial Exploitation

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Officials in each of the four states GAO contacted identified the need for more safeguards and public awareness activities to help prevent elder financial exploitation. They also noted that it is difficult to prevent exploitation by individuals such as financial services providers, power of attorney agents, guardians, and paid in-home caregivers. Although states have primary responsibility for combating elder financial exploitation, the federal government could disseminate information on model power of attorney legislation, for example, to help states better safeguard against power of attorney abuse--one type of federal activity authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965. In addition, experts and state and local officials told GAO that many older adults need more information about what constitutes elder financial exploitation in order to report and avoid it. The seven federal agencies GAO reviewed have undertaken activities to increase public awareness of elder financial exploitation. While some experts observed that a nationwide approach to educating the public is needed, federal public awareness activities are not currently conducted as part of a broader coordinated approach, which GAO believes could help ensure the effective use of federal resources. The …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elder Justice: Strengthening Efforts to Combat Elder Financial Exploitation (open access)

Elder Justice: Strengthening Efforts to Combat Elder Financial Exploitation

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We found that state and local social services, criminal justice, and consumer protection agencies face many challenges as they work to prevent and respond to elder financial exploitation. For example:"
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Extending MC-SURE to Denoise Sensor Data Streams (open access)

Extending MC-SURE to Denoise Sensor Data Streams

None
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Ndoye, M. & Kamath, C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fighter Aircraft: Better Cost Estimates Needed for Extending the Service Life of Selected F-16s and F/A-18s (open access)

Fighter Aircraft: Better Cost Estimates Needed for Extending the Service Life of Selected F-16s and F/A-18s

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Air Force plans to upgrade and extend the service life of 300 F-16 aircraft and the Navy 150 F/A-18 aircraft, at a combined cost estimated at almost $5 billion in fiscal year 2013 dollars."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection's Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection's Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Federal Housing Finance Agency's Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Federal Housing Finance Agency's Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO found (1) the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; (2) the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2012; and (3) no reportable noncompliance in fiscal year 2012 with provisions of laws and regulations GAO tested."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Audit: Securities and Exchange Commission Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements (open access)

Financial Audit: Securities and Exchange Commission Fiscal Years 2012 and 2011 Financial Statements

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "GAO found (1) the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; (2) the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2012, although internal control deficiencies exist that merit attention by those charged with governance; and (3) no reportable noncompliance in fiscal year 2012 with provisions of laws and regulations GAO tested."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flexible Funding Continues to Play a Role in Supporting State and Local Transportation Priorities (open access)

Flexible Funding Continues to Play a Role in Supporting State and Local Transportation Priorities

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "From 2007 to 2011, FHWA apportioned about $53 billion in flexible funding to states, which is about 29 percent of total federal-aid highway funding apportioned to the states during that time. States transferred about $5 billion, or 10 percent of their apportioned flexible funding, to FTA for transit projects. Four states--California, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia--accounted for the majority of flexible funding transferred to FTA for transit projects. The portion of flexible funding transferred and the impact of the transferred funding on the total transit funding available in the states varied considerably. For example, while four states transferred more than 25 percent of their apportioned flexible funding to FTA for transit projects from 2007 to 2011, 16 states transferred less than 2 percent of their apportioned flexible funding over this period. In addition, transferred flexible funding accounted for over 50 percent of the available federal transit funding in Vermont compared to New York, where flexible funding accounted for about 5 percent of the total federal transit funding available to the state. Urbanized areas over 1 million in population received most (more than 75 percent) of the transferred …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY12 LLNL OMEGA Experimental Programs (open access)

FY12 LLNL OMEGA Experimental Programs

None
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Heeter, R.; Fournier, K.; Baker, K.; Celliers, P.; Fratanduono, D.; Hawreliak, J. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Care Providers and Screening and Counseling for Interpersonal and Domestic Violence (open access)

Health Care Providers and Screening and Counseling for Interpersonal and Domestic Violence

A report that discusses when, how, and why health care providers should screen women for interpersonal and domestic violence.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women's Health.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The UNT Digital Library
Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts Related to Accidents That Involve Non-Commercial Vehicles Carrying Unsecured Loads (open access)

Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts Related to Accidents That Involve Non-Commercial Vehicles Carrying Unsecured Loads

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects limited information on crashes involving vehicles carrying unsecured loads but plans to make changes to collect better information. Currently, NHTSA collects some data in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System. However, the systems do not currently have a data category to distinguish between debris resulting from natural sources (such as a tree branch) and debris resulting from human error (such as an unsecured load). As a result, NHTSA cannot currently identify how many crashes involve vehicles carrying unsecured loads. NHTSA intends to make changes to both its systems to better identify crashes involving unsecured loads. These changes will go into effect in 2013. However, NHTSA may still face challenges collecting this data because 1) law enforcement officials face difficulties in determining whether a crash involved an unsecured load and 2) states do not collect uniform data on unsecured loads in their police crash reports. NHTSA officials stated that they would likely recommend changes to the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC)—voluntary guidelines intended to create uniform data in police crash …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hydroacoustic Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage and Distribution at Detroit Dam, 2011 (open access)

Hydroacoustic Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage and Distribution at Detroit Dam, 2011

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated juvenile salmonid passage and distribution at Detroit Dam (DET) on the North Santiam River, Oregon for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide data to support decisions on long-term measures to enhance downstream passage at DET and others dams in USACE’s Willamette Valley Project. This study was conducted in response to regulatory requirements necessitated by the listing of Upper Willamette River Spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Upper Willamette River steelhead (O. mykiss) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The goal of the study was to provide information of juvenile salmonid passage and distribution at DET from February 2011 through February 2012. The results of the hydroacoustic study provide new and, in some cases, first-ever data on passage estimates, run timing, distributions, and relationships between fish passage and environmental variables at the dam. This information will inform management decisions on the design and development of surface passage and collection devices to help restore Chinook salmon populations in the North Santiam River watershed above DET. During the entire study period, an estimated total of 182,526 smolt-size fish (±4,660 fish, 95% CI) passed through turbine penstock intakes. Run timing peaked in winter and early …
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Khan, Fenton; Royer, Ida M.; Johnson, Gary E. & Ham, Kenneth D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature: House Committee on Public Health (open access)

Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature: House Committee on Public Health

Report from the Texas House Committee on Public Health describing the group's goals, activities, accomplishments, and other information, for review by the 83rd Texas Legislature.
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives. Committee on Public Health.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Medicaid: States Made Multiple Program Changes, and Beneficiaries Generally Reported Access Comparable to Private Insurance (open access)

Medicaid: States Made Multiple Program Changes, and Beneficiaries Generally Reported Access Comparable to Private Insurance

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "From 2008 to 2011, more than half of states reported maintaining or decreasing their average Medicaid application processing times--the average number of calendar days between the receipt of a new application and the final determination of eligibility. The average processing times reported by 39 states ranged from 11 to 45 calendar days. For the same time period, however, GAO was unable to assess whether states processed applications at a rate that kept pace with the number of new applications received each month, because most states provided incomplete or inconsistent data."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mineral Resources: Mineral Volume, Value, and Revenue (open access)

Mineral Resources: Mineral Volume, Value, and Revenue

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, there were nearly 70 different types of leasable minerals extracted from federal lands and waters in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, but their volume cannot be aggregated because they use different units of measure. For example, the volumes of the four most valuable of these minerals--oil, gas, natural gas liquids, and coal--are measured in barrels, million cubic feet (mcf), gallons, and tons, respectively. According to ONRR data, the total value of all leasable minerals extracted from federal and Indian land and sold in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 was $92.3 billion and $98.6 billion, respectively."
Date: November 15, 2012
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library