Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether, under Governmental Code section 551.126, a governmental body must recess or adjourn a meeting held by videoconference call if technical difficulties render portions of the meeting inaccessible to the public at a remote location, and related questions (RQ-1098)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether article 37.122 of the Education Code prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages at non-school events held at a student activities complex owned by an independent school district (RQ-1003)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Application of exemption from competitive bidding and competitive proposal requirements for a county contracts for work performed and paid for by the day (RQ-979)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a private, nonprofit organization may administer scholarship monies to minority students (RQ-1122)

This document is the final report deliverable for Phase 2 analytical work for the 105-N Basin Sediment Disposition Task. On December 23, 1997, ten samples were received at the 222-S Laboratory as follows: two (2) bottles of potable water, six (6) samples for process control testing and two (2) samples for characterization. Analyses were performed in accordance with the Letter of Instruction for Phase 2 Analytical Work for the 105-N Basin Sediment Disposition Task (Logan and Kessner, 1997) (Attachment 7) and 105-N Basin Sediment Disposition Phase-Two Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) (Smith, 1997). The analytical results are included in Table 1. This document provides the values of X/Qs for the onsite and offsite receptors, taking into account the building wake and the atmospheric stability effects. X/Qs values for the potential fire accident were also calculated. In addition, the unit dose were calculated for the mixtures of isotopes.

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Retirement overages for public safety dispatchers employed by the City of Denton.(RQ-956).

This report provides information about the Fax-on-Demand Services Available from Federal Government Agencies where numerous associations and organizations are finding fax publishing an efficient way to distribute information to the public or targeted audience.

This report discusses the arguments for and against the amendments adoption and analyzes the legal implications of the proposed amendment.

This report reviews the history and background of the cable and television satellite licenses of the Copyright Act, reviews the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1994, and notes recent developments, including: the 1997 satellite license rate adjustment; pending bills relating to the compulsory licenses; and the August 1997 report of the Copyright Office on these licenses.

This report describes the basic elements and issues of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program. It defines basic activities supported by the program, presents budget trends, discusses the management of program, and describes the infrastructure in which the program is implemented. This report is for staff new to the area of defense research and for senior staff interested in historical trends.

None

This document is the analytical laboratory report for tank 241-AX-103 push mode core segments collected between July 30, 1997 and August 11, 1997. The segments were subsampled and analyzed in accordance with the Tank 241-AX-103 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Comer, 1997), the Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995) and the Data Quality Objective to Support Resolution of the Organic Complexant Safety Issue (Organic DQO) (Turner, et al., 1995). The analytical results are included in the data summary table (Table 1). None of the samples submitted for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Total Alpha Activity (AT), plutonium 239 (Pu239), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) exceeded notification limits as stated in the TSAP (Conner, 1997). The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (Schreiber, 1997) and not considered in this report.

The Hanford Tanks Initiative was established in 1996 to address a range of retrieval and closure issues associated with radioactive and hazardous waste stored in Hanford`s single shell tanks (SSTs). One of HTI`s retrieval goals is to ``Successfully demonstrate technology(s) that provide expanded capabilities beyond past practice sluicing and are extensible to retrieve waste from other SSTS.`` Specifically, HTI is to address ``Alternative technologies to past practice sluicing`` ... that can ... ``successfully remove the hard heel from a sluiced tank or to remove waste from a leaking SST`` (HTI Mission Analysis). During fiscal year 1997, the project contracted with seven commercial vendor teams to demonstrate retrieval technologies using waste simulants. These tests were conducted in two series: three integrated tests (IT) were completed in January 1997, and four more comprehensive Alternative Technology Retrieval Demonstrations (ARTD) were completed in July 1997. The goal of this testing was to address issues to minimize the risk, uncertainties, and ultimately the overall cost of removing waste from the SSTS. Retrieval technologies can be separated into three tracks based on how the tools would be deployed in the tank: globally (e.g., sluicing) or using vehicles or robotic manipulators. Accordingly, the HTI tests included an …

The B and W Hanford Company`s (BWHC) 327 Facility [Postirradiation Testing Laboratory (PTL)] houses 10 hot cells in which a variety of postirradiation examinations have been performed since its construction in the mid 1950s. Over the years, the waste that was generated in these cells has been collected in one gallon buckets. These buckets are essentially one gallon cylindrical cans made of thin wall stainless steel with welded bottoms and slip fit lids. They contain assorted compactable waste (i.e., Wipe-Alls, Q-tips, towels, etc.) as well as non-compactable waste (i.e., small tools, pieces of metal tubing, etc.). There is a FY-98 BWHC Performance Agreement (PA) milestone in place to package 200 of these buckets in drums and ship them from the 327 facility to the Central Waste Complex (CWC) by September 30, 1998.

Novel 3+1 dimensional N = 2 superconformal field theories (with tensionless BPS string solitons) are believed to arise when two sets of M5 branes intersect over a 3+1 dimensional hyperplane. We derive a DLCQ description of these theories as supersymmetric quantum mechanics on the Higgs branch of suitable 4d N = 1 supersymmetric gauge theories. Our formulation allows us to determine the scaling dimensions of certain chiral primary operators in the conformal field theories. We also discuss general criteria for quantum mechanical DLCQ descriptions of supersymmetric field theories (and the resulting multiplicities and scaling dimensions of chiral primary operators).

The analysis of archived Crystal River-3 feedwater flow data reveals a slow and steady degradation of the flow meter measurements during the 1992/1993 operating cycle. MSET can reliably estimate the true flow rate and quantify the degree of departure between the indicated signal and the true flow rate with high accuracy. The MSET computed flow rate could, in principle, be used to provide an improved estimate of the reactor power and hence avoid the revenue loss associated with derating the reactor based on a faulty feedwater flow rate indication.

Advances in the processing and fabrication of Ag-sheathed (Bi,Pb){sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (Bi-2223) high-T{sub c} superconductors by the powder-in-tube technique continue to bring this material closer to commercial applications. Enhancement of the transport critical current density (J{sub c}) of Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes was achieved by increasing the packing density of the precursor powder, improving mechanical deformation, and adjusting the cooling rate. Long lengths (>150 m) of multifilamentary Bi-2223 tapes have been fabricated and carry critical currents (I{sub c}) of >50 A (J{sub c} {approx} 25 kA/cm{sup 2}) at 77 K in self-field. A 1260-m-long tape carried an I{sub c} of 18 A (J{sub c} {approx} 12 kA/cm{sup 2}) from end-to-end. Several prototype coils have been assembled from these long-length tapes. Recent progress in the fabrication of Bi-2223 tapes is presented in this paper.

The conclusions of this report are that molybdenum can effectively be separated from uranium and plutonium using TRU-Resin; and that separation of the {sup 99}Mo from the actinides will reduce the analyst's exposure and simplify analysis for the actinide elements.

Many irradiation effects in Fe-Cr-Ni alloys such as radiation-induced segregation, radiation-enhanced diffusion, and void swelling are known to vary with bulk alloy composition. The development of microstructural and microchemical changes during irradiation and during post-irradiation annealing is determined by the rate of diffusion of point defects and alloying elements. To accurately predict the changes in grain boundary chemistry due to radiation-induced segregation and post-irradiation annealing, the composition dependence of diffusion parameters, such as the migration energy, must be known. A model has been developed which calculates migration diffusivity. The advantages of this calculational method are that a single set of input parameters can be used for a wide range of bulk alloy compositions, and the effects of local order can easily be incorporated into the calculations. A description of the model is presented, and model calculations are compared to segregation measurements from seven different iron-chromium-nickel alloys, irradiated with protons to doses from 0.1 to 3.0 dpa at temperatures between 200 C and 600 C. Results show that segregation trends can be modeled using a single set of input parameters with the difference between model calculation and measurement being less than 5 at%, but usually less than 2 at%. Additionally, model …

We have measured the steady state concentration of gas phase C{sub 2} in Ar/H{sub 2}/CH{sub 4} and Ar/H{sub 2}/C{sub 60} microwave plasmas used for the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond films. High sensitivity white light absorption spectroscopy is used to monitor the C{sub 2} density using the d{sup 3}II {l_arrow} A{sup 3}II (0,0) vibrational band of C{sub 2} as chamber pressure, microwave power, substrate temperature and feed gas mixtures are varied in both chemistries. Understanding how these parameters influence the C{sub 2} density in the plasma volume provides insight into discharge mechanisms relevant to the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Following earlier investigations on the dissociation rates of halogen containing molecules, we studied the thermal decompositions of CHCl{sub 3} and CF{sub 3}Br. In addition, we measured the branching ratio and rate constants for the thermal decomposition of H{sub 2}CO. We studied three bimolecular rate processes: H + H{sub 2}CC0, CF{sub 3} + H{sub 2}, and H + CF{sub 3}H. Decomposition studies in reflected shock waves on three reactions were completed using atomic resonance absorption spectroscopic (ARAS) detection and/or the laser schlieren density gradient (LS) method.

For many years, Sandia National Laboratories has been involved in the development and application of rapid prototyping and dmect fabrication technologies to build prototype parts and patterns for investment casting. Sandia is currently developing a process called Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS~) to fabricate filly dense metal parts dwectly from computer-aided design (CAD) solid models. The process is similar to traditional laser-initiated rapid prototyping technologies such as stereolithography and selective laser sintering in that layer additive techniques are used to fabricate physical parts directly from CAD data. By using the coordinated delivery of metal particles into a focused laser beam apart is generated. The laser beam creates a molten pool of metal on a substrate into which powder is injected. Concurrently, the substrate on which the deposition is occurring is moved under the beam/powder interaction zone to fabricate the desired cross-sectiwal geometry. Consecutive layers are additively deposited, thereby producing a three-dmensional part. This process exhibits enormous potential to revolutionize the way in which metal parts, such as complex prototypes, tooling, and small-lot production parts, are produced. The result is a comple~ filly dense, near-net-shape part. Parts have been fabricated from 316 stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, H13 tool steel, and titanium. …

In direct laser metal deposition technologies, such as the Laser (LENS) process, it is important to understand and control the Engineered Net Shaping thermal behavior during fabrication. With this control, components can be reliably fabricated with desired structural material properties. This talk will describe the use of contact and imaging techniques to monitor the thermal signature during LENS processing. Recent results show a direct correlation between thermal history and material properties, where the residual stress magnitude decreases as the laser power, and therefore thermal signature, increases. Development of an understanding of solidification behavior, residual stress, and microstructural evolution with respect to thermal behavior will be discussed.