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Review of the margins for ASME code fatigue design curve - effects of surface roughness and material variability.

Description: The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code provides rules for the construction of nuclear power plant components. The Code specifies fatigue design curves for structural materials. However, the effects of light water reactor (LWR) coolant environments are not explicitly addressed by the Code design curves. Existing fatigue strain-vs.-life ({var_epsilon}-N) data illustrate potentially significant effects of LWR coolant environments on the fatigue resistance of pressure vessel and piping steels. Th… more
Date: October 3, 2003
Creator: Chopra, O. K.; Shack, W. J. & Technology, Energy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Developing Innovative Wall Systems that Improve Hygrothermal Performance of Residential Buildings

Description: This document serves as the Topical Report documenting the first year of work completed by Washington State University (WSU) under US Department of Energy Grant, Developing Innovative Wall Systems that Improve Hygrothermal Performance of Residential Buildings. This project is being conducted in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and includes the participation of several industry partners including Weyerhaeuser Company, APA - The Engineered Wood Association, CertainTeed Cor… more
Date: October 1, 2003
Creator: Tichy, Robert & Murray, Chuck
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Debt Collection: Opportunities Exist for Improving FMS's Cross-Servicing Program

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO has previously reviewed facets of Treasury's Financial Management Service's (FMS) cross-servicing efforts. These reviews did not include FMS's handling of nontax debts that were returned to FMS uncollected by its private collection agency (PCA) contractors because FMS officials did not consider the cross-servicing program to be fully mature. During fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002, FMS's PCA contractors r… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Travel Cards: Internal Control Weaknesses at DOD Led to Improper Use of First and Business Class Travel

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Ineffective oversight and management of the Department of Defense's (DOD) travel card program, which GAO has previously reported on, have led to concerns about DOD's use of first and business class airfares. GAO was asked to (1) identify the magnitude of premium class travel, (2) determine if DOD's key internal control activities operated effectively and provide examples of control breakdowns, and (3) assess D… more
Date: October 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Specialty Hospitals: Geographic Location, Services Provided, and Financial Performance

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The recent growth in specialty hospitals that are largely for-profit and owned, in part, by physicians, has been controversial. Advocates of these hospitals contend that the focused mission and dedicated resources of specialty hospitals both improve quality and reduce costs. Critics contend that specialty hospitals siphon off the most profitable procedures and patient cases, thus eroding the financial health o… more
Date: October 22, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bank Tying: Additional Steps Needed to Ensure Effective Enforcement of Tying Prohibitions

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Investment affiliates of large commercial banks have made competitive inroads in the annual $1.3 trillion debt-underwriting market. Some corporate borrowers and officials from unaffiliated investment banks have alleged that commercial banks helped their investment affiliates gain market share by illegally tying and underpricing corporate credit. This report discusses these allegations, the available evidence r… more
Date: October 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Health Care: TRICARE Claims Processing Has Improved but Inefficiencies Remain

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Testifying before Congress in 2002, military beneficiary groups and civilian managed care support contractors described problems with the processing of TRICARE claims for civilian-provided care. These problems included slow payments and procedures that made claims processing inefficient. The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act of 2003 required GAO to review improvements to TRICARE claims processing an… more
Date: October 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: Single-Employer Pension Insurance Program Faces Significant Long-Term Risks

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "More than 34 million participants in 30,000 single-employer defined benefit pension plans rely on a federal insurance program managed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to protect their pension benefits, and the program's long-term financial viability is in doubt. Over the last decade, the program swung from a $3.6 billion accumulated deficit (liabilities exceeded assets), to a $10.1 billion ac… more
Date: October 29, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Administration: IRS's 2003 Filing Season Performance Showed Improvements

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "During the tax filing season, millions of taxpayers file their returns and seek assistance by calling or visiting IRS's offices or Web site. GAO was asked to assess IRS's 2003 filing season performance in five areas: processing returns, refunds and remittances; electronic filing; telephone service; walk-in assistance, and Web site. We assessed for each of those five areas (1) IRS's performance in 2003, includi… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Public Housing: Small and Larger Agencies Have Similar Views on Many Recent Housing Reforms

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In response to long-standing concerns, HUD initiated efforts to improve the administration of its programs in 1997, and Congress passed the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act (QHWRA) in 1998. The act contains over 80 reforms that affect two key rental housing assistance programs: the low-rent housing program (also referred to as public housing) and the Housing Choice Voucher program (formerly Section … more
Date: October 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Small Business Administration: Progress Made, but Transformation Could Benefit from Practices Emphasizing Transparency and Communication

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Small Business Administration (SBA) has recognized that it needs to realign its current organizational structure and processes to improve its ability to fulfill its primary mission--supporting the nation's small businesses. In July 2002, SBA announced that it was initiating a transformation effort to increase the public's awareness of SBA's services and products and make its processes more efficient. GAO e… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Aviation Safety: Advancements Being Pursued to Improve Airliner Cabin Occupant Safety and Health

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Airline travel is one of the safest modes of public transportation in the United States. Furthermore, there are survivors in the majority of airliner crashes, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Additionally, more passengers might have survived if they had been better protected from the impact of the crash, smoke, or fire or better able to evacuate the airliner. As requested, GAO addr… more
Date: October 3, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Credit Unions: Financial Condition Has Improved, but Opportunities Exist to Enhance Oversight and Share Insurance Management

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Recent legislative and regulatory changes have blurred some distinctions between credit unions and other depository institutions such as banks. The 1998 Credit Union Membership Access Act (CUMAA) allowed for an expansion of membership and mandated safety and soundness controls similar to those of other depository institutions. In light of these changes and the evolution of the credit union industry, GAO evalua… more
Date: October 27, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Student Loan Programs: As Federal Costs of Loan Consolidation Rise, Other Options Should Be Examined

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government makes consolidation loans available to help borrowers manage their student loan debt. By combining loans into one and extending the repayment period, a consolidation loan reduces monthly repayments, which may lower default risk and, thereby, reduce federal costs of loan defaults. Consolidation loans also allow borrowers to lock in a fixed interest rate--an option not available for other … more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Compact of Free Association: Single Audits Demonstrate Accountability Problems over Compact Funds

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 1986, the United States entered into a Compact of Free Association (Compact) that provided about $2.1 billion in U.S. assistance from 1987 through 2003 to the Pacific Island nations of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). GAO has issued a number of reports raising concerns about the effectiveness of this assistance. GAO was asked to review possible FSM and… more
Date: October 7, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drinking Water: Experts' Views on How Future Federal Funding Can Best Be Spent to Improve Security

Description: A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "After the events of September 11, 2001, Congress appropriated over $100 million to help drinking water systems assess their vulnerabilities to terrorist threats and develop response plans. As the Environmental Protection Agency has suggested, however, significant additional funds may be needed to support the implementation of security upgrades. Therefore, GAO sought experts' views on (1) the key security-rela… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Farmer Mac: Some Progress Made, but Greater Attention to Risk Management, Mission, and Corporate Governance Is Needed

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In the late 1990s, GAO found that the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac), a federal government-sponsored enterprise, had significant assets in nonmission investments and analyzed its long-term viability. Recently, Congress asked GAO to report on Farmer Mac's (1) financial condition, (2) mission, (3) corporate governance, and (4) oversight provided by the Farm Credit Administration (FCA)."
Date: October 16, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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September 11: Overview of Federal Disaster Assistance to the New York City Area

Description: A chapter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government has been a key participant in the efforts to provide aid to the New York City area to help it respond to and recover from the September 11 terrorist attacks. The President pledged, and the Congress subsequently authorized, about $20 billion in federal aid. This federal aid was provided primarily through four sources: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Hous… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Electronic Government: Potential Exists for Enhancing Collaboration on Four Initiatives

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In accordance with the President's management agenda, the Office of Management and Budget has sponsored initiatives to promote expansion of electronic government--the use of information technology, particularly Web-based Internet applications, to enhance government services. Each initiative demands a high degree of collaboration among organizations. For four of these initiatives, GAO was asked to determine, am… more
Date: October 10, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Financial Audit: Process for Preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements of the U.S. Government Needs Improvement

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "For the past 6 years, since GAO began auditing the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government (CFS), GAO has been unable to express an opinion on them because of material weaknesses in internal control and financial reporting. Contributing to GAO's inability to express an opinion has been the federal government's lack of adequate systems, controls, and procedures to properly prepare its consolida… more
Date: October 30, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Government Printing Office: Advancing GPO's Transformation Effort through Strategic Human Capital Management

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Government Printing Office (GPO) has undertaken the task of transforming itself in response to pressing fiscal and other realities in the 21st century. This report focuses on actions GPO's leaders can take to advance its transformation efforts through strategic human capital management and is a part of GAO's response to a congressional request that GAO conduct a general management review of GPO that focuse… more
Date: October 20, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Information Technology: Benefits Realized for Selected Health Care Functions

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The rapidly rising costs of health care, along with an increasing concern for the quality of care and the safety of patients, are driving health care organizations to use information technology (IT) to automate clinical care operations and their associated administrative functions. Among its other functions, IT is now being used for electronic medical records, order management and results reporting, patient ca… more
Date: October 31, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Drug Offenses: Departures from Sentencing Guidelines and Mandatory Minimum Sentences, Fiscal Years 1999-2001

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Created in 1984, the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) was charged with developing the federal sentencing guidelines to limit disparities in sentencing among offenders with similar criminal backgrounds found guilty of similar crimes. Judges determine a specific sentence based on an applicable sentencing guideline range, such as 57 to 71 months, provided in the guidelines. Judges may impose sentences t… more
Date: October 24, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Actions Taken to Strengthen Procedures for Issuing Social Security Numbers to Noncitizens, but Some Weaknesses Remain

Description: A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "In 2002, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued nearly 6 million new Social Security numbers (SSNs), of which 1.3 million were issued to noncitizens. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, the SSN has in practice become the national identifier. SSNs are key pieces of information in creating false identities, underscoring the importance of issuing SSNs only to those eligible for them and of protecting … more
Date: October 15, 2003
Creator: United States. General Accounting Office.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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