http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_01/sr01_046.pdf

Describes the characteristics of the National Asthma Survey, the methods used, the design and development of the survey instrument, the collection of data, and the construction of public-use data files. From the National Center for Health Statistics.

http://www.nuclear.gov/pdfFiles/NGNP_reporttoCongress.pdf

Describes the licensing strategy for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant including ways in which current requirements need to be adapted for the new type of reactors, the tools needed to verify the design and safety performance, other research that will be needed to review license applications, and a budget estimate. From the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/08/R411001tsrfrn.pdf

Presents final rules in the Federal Register for an amendment that prohibits prerecorded telemarketing phone calls aimed at consumers without express written agreement from the consumer to receive such calls. From the Federal Trade Commission.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RS22937.pdf

Discusses the nature of Section 123 Agreements and other requirements under the Atomic Energy Act for engaging in nuclear cooperation with other countries. Also covers export control licensing procedures, criteria for terminating cooperation, and fast track procedures for congressional consideration of proposed agreements. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34614.pdf

Discusses the potential benefits and dangers of nanotechnology, a term for science and technology research directed at understanding, controlling, and exploiting properties of matter that emerge at scales of one to 100 nanometers. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33407.pdf

Reviews the March 2008 elections which brought Medvedev into office as President and Putin as Prime Minister, the resurgence of the economy, boosted by profits from oil and gas exports, and the increasingly assertive and anti-western trend of foreign policy. Also traces shifts in U.S. policy from providing aid for WMD threat reduction to imposing economic sanctions for exporting nuclear and military technology to Iran and Syria. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34613.pdf

Reviews recent developments in the North Caucasus region, including the absence of dramatic terrorist incidents, Russian tactics for opposing terrorism in the region, human rights abuses, and the implications for Russian and U.S. relations. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34618.pdf

Covers background peace settlement of the early 1990s, the renewed conflict in South Ossetia between Russian and Georgian armed forces, the European Union peace plan, and the U.S. and international response to the conflict including the status of NATO membership for Georgia. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0815_kenya.html

More than 600,000 people in Kenya have been displaced from their homes by post-election violence since December 2007. This briefing discusses the reasons for such large-scale displacement and plans of the coalition government for finding permanent solutions to the problem of displaced people. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshbulletin2005.htm

Offers statistics on the number and frequency of work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry. Also provides demographic characteristics for cases that involve one or more days away from work. Identifies the industrial, occupational and worker groups having relatively high risks of job-related injury or illness. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008353

Offers statistics on the number of high school graduates and dropouts and the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for public schools in school year 2005-06. From the National Center for Education Statistics.