Accountability in public agency contracting : the case of child protective services in east Tennessee

In the United States, units of local, state, and federal governments have contracted out for goods and services for decades. However, in recent years there has been a growth in the provision of social services by private, not-for-profit vendors. The development of privatized public services has led to questions about the nature of accountability in public-private partnerships. Contracting out is often government\u27s solution to political and social pressures to cut costs and to improve services and efficiency. Not many would argue that government should buy goods and services for cheaper than it can produce them. Contracts between government and service vendors seem appropriate when the goods purchased are inanimate objects, such as bricks, cars, and bombs. However, far more questions are raised when the services purchased directly influence human lives. Indeed, despite the growing reliance upon contracting, there seems to be some reluctance to acknowledge the use of cost-benefit analysis in social services spending. The purpose of this study is to address some of the issues of accountability inherent in public-private contract relationships. This research questions how the contractual transfer of social service provision from a public organization to a private agency impacts both citizen rights and citizen access to service. Through the use of a single-case study of a child protective services agency in East Tennessee, the methods by which the public agency fulfills its obligations to service recipients, as well as its legal, political, and constitutional mandates, are examined. The end result is a discussion of the effect that contracting has on the accountability of public agencies. Finally, the goals of this research are to introduce accountability into the literature on contracting out and to provide a foundation for future comparative research and analysis

Progress toward cascade cells made by OM-VPE

Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (COM-VPE) was used to make a sophisticated monolithic cascade cell, with a peak AMO efficiency of 16.6%, not corrected for 14% grid coverage. The cell has 9 epitaxial layers. The top cell is 1.35 microns thick with a 0.1 micron thich emitter. Both cells are heteroface n-p structures. The cascade cell uses metal interconnects. Details of growth and processing are described

OM-VPE grown materials for high efficiency solar cells

Organometallic sources are available for all the III-V elements and a variety of dopants; thus it is possible to use the technique to grow a wide variety of semiconductor compounds. AlGaAsSb and AlGaInAs alloys for multijunction monolithic solar cells were grown by OM-VPE. While the effort concentrated on terrestrial applications, the success of OM-VPE grown GaAs/AlGaAs concentrator solar cells (23% at 400 suns) demonstrates that OM-VPE is suitable for growing high efficiency solar cells in large quantities for space applications. In addition, OM-VPE offers the potential for substantial cost reduction of photovoltaic devices with scale up and automation and due to high process yield from reproducible, uniform epitaxial growths with excellent surface morphology

Final Hazard Categorization for the Remediation of the 118-D-1, 118-D-2, 118-D-3, 118-H-1, 118-H-2, and 118-H-3 Solid Waste Burial Grounds

This report presents the final hazard categorization for the remediation of the 118-D-1, 118-D-2, 118-D-3 Burial Grounds located within the 100-D/DR Area of the Hanford Site and the 118-H-1, 118-H-2, and 118-H-3 Burial Grounds located within the 100-H Area of the Hanford Site. A material at risk calculation was performed that determined the radiological inventory for each burial ground to be Hazard Category 3

Final Hazard Categorization for the Remediation of Six 300-FF-2 Operable Unit Solid Waste Burial Grounds

This report provides the final hazard categorization (FHC) for the remediation of six solid waste disposal sites (referred to as burial grounds) located in the 300-FF-2 Operable Unit (OU) on the Hanford Site. These six sites (618-1, 618-2, 618-3, 618-7, 618-8, and 618-13 Burial Grounds) were determined to have a total radionuclide inventory (WCH 2005a, WCH 2005d, WCH 2005e and WCH 2006b) that exceeds the DOE-STD-1027 Category 3 threshold quantity (DOE 1997) and are the subject of this analysis. This FHC document examines the hazards, identifies appropriate controls to manage the hazards, and documents the FHC and commitments for the 300-FF-2 Burial Grounds Remediation Project

Low‐temperature (10 K) photoluminescence of Ga1−xInxPyAs1−y quantum wells grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Ga1−x Inx As1−y Py /InP (x=0.72, y=0.39) lattice‐matched quantum wells (QWs) are grown by low‐pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on (100) and 3° misoriented substrates, using different variations of growth technique. Low‐temperature (10 K) photoluminescence is used to characterize the QWs. We find that substrates oriented closely to (100) (no intentional misorientation) produce QWs of consistently higher quality as judged by the width of the n=1 photoluminescence peak. The use of growth interruptions at the well interfaces severely degrades the QW quality. The narrowest peak observed is 5.8 meV wide from a 70‐Å‐wide well.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70205/2/APPLAB-56-10-958-1.pd

Evolving from Planning and Scheduling to Real-Time Operations Support: Design Challenges

Versions of Scheduling and Planning Interface for Exploration (SPIFe) have supported a variety of mission operations across NASA. This software tool has evolved and matured over several years, assisting planners who develop intricate schedules. While initially conceived for surface Mars missions, SPIFe has been deployed in other domains, where people rather than robotic explorers, execute plans. As a result, a diverse set of end-users has compelled growth in a new direction: supporting real-time operations. This paper describes the new needs and challenges that accompany this development. Among the key features that have been built for SPIFe are current time indicators integrated into the interface and timeline, as well as other plan attributes that enable execution of scheduled activities. Field tests include mission support for the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) and Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) campaigns

Refractive index and electro‐optic effect in compressive and tensile strained quantum wells

The effects of biaxial compressive and tensile strain on the excitonic resonances and associated changes in refractive index and electro‐optic effect in quantum wells have been calculated and measured. Theoretical calculations include the important heavy‐hole–light–hole band mixing effects. It is seen that the excitonic contributions dominate near the band edge. With increasing compressive strain the linear electro‐optic effect is slightly increased, while the quadratic effect is greatly enhanced. The effects are reversed in quantum wells under tensile strain.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70690/2/JAPIAU-69-7-4071-1.pd

Final Hazard Categorization for the Remediation of Six 300-FF-2 Operable Unit Solid Waste Burial Grounds

This report provides the final hazard categorization for the remediation of six 300-FF-2 Operable Unit Burial Grounds, the 618-1, 618-2, 618-3, 618-7, 618-8, and 618-13 sites