To forecast the ecological impact of global change, research initiatives are needed on the explicit role of humans in ecological systems, and on how ecological processes functioning at different spatial and temporal scales are coupled. Furthermore, to synthesize the results of ecological research for Congress, policymakers, and the general public, a new agency, called the United States Ecological Survey (USES) is urgently required. Also, a national commitment to environmental health, as exemplified by establishing a National Institutes of the Environment (NIE), should be a goal.

To forecast the ecological impact of global change, research initiatives are needed on the explicit role of humans in ecological systems, and on how ecological processes functioning at different spatial and temporal scales are coupled. Furthermore, to synthesize the results of ecological research for Congress, policymakers, and the general public, a new agency, called the United States Ecological Survey (USES) is urgently required. Also, a national commitment to environmental health, as exemplified by establishing a National Institutes of the Environment (NIE), should be a goal.

Microseismicity was monitored in the Chaveroo oil field in southeastern New Mexico during, and for 5 weeks following, a pressurized stimulation of a well being prepared as an injector for a water flood operation. Three-thousand barrels of water were injected into the reservoir over a 5.5-hour period. Little seismicity was detected during the stimulation. Intermittent monitoring over a 5-week period following the injection indicated detectable seismicity occurring with activity levels varying in time. The most active period recorded occurred just after production resumed in the immediate area of the monitor well. Mapping the microearthquakes using the hodogram technique indicates the events occur along linear trends which corroborate known structural trends of the field. Seismicity trends were defined both parallel and perpendicular to the regionally defined maximum horizontal stress direction. Seventy-three good quality events were recorded, in a cumulative 24 hour period, from which structures were mapped up to 3000 ft from the monitor well. 13 refs., 9 figs.

The effective design and operation of processes for conversion of coal to fluid fuels requires accurate knowledge of the phase behavior of the fluid mixtures encountered in the conversion process. Multiple phases are present in essentially all stages of feed preparation, conversion reactions and product separation; thus, knowledge of the behavior of these multiple phases is important in each step. The overall objective of the author's work is to develop accurate predictive methods for representation of vapor-liquid equilibria in systems encountered in coal conversion processes. 59 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.

The effective design and operation of processes for conversion of coal to fluid fuels requires accurate knowledge of the phase behavior of the fluid mixtures encountered in the conversion process. Multiple phases are present in essentially all stages of feed preparation, conversion reactions and product separation; thus, knowledge of the behavior of these multiple phases is important in each step. The overall objective of the author`s work is to develop accurate predictive methods for representation of vapor-liquid equilibria in systems encountered in coal conversion processes. 59 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs.

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, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Consent to a Polygraph examination of a child(RQ-1893).

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.

The Refuge Revenue Sharing Fund (RRSF) was enacted in response to the concern of local governments regarding losses to their tax base due to the presence of federally owned land under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Service. This report outlines recent history of RRSF payment levels. It examines the RRSF and describes how the fund differs in its treatment of reserved and acquired lands under the jurisdiction of FWS. The report also examines the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program in detail.

Slagging combustors with injected lime or limestone are being considered as replacements for conventional coal burners. They have advantages in that they can be staged to reduce NO{sub x} and SO{sub X} emissions. Iron oxide, as an alternative to lime or limestone may be effective not only as a desulfurizing agent, but, under the right conditions of oxygen potential, it can act as a flux to produce a glassy slag. This glassy slag should be dense and environmentally inert. In this reporting period, the thermodynamic conditions for the operation of the first stage of a combustor operating on a Illinois No. 2 Coal have been examined with respect to the formation of the four phase equilibrium: FeO(wustite)/Fe/liquid/gas over the temperature 950{degrees} to 1300{degrees}C. The minimum dosages of iron oxide which are required at equilibrium and the calculated maximum percent sulfur removal are reported. Also given are the expected pounds of So, per million Btu of heat evolution calculated for complete combustion. These preliminary results indicate that higher temperatures, in the range studied, give better results approaching 96 percent sulfur removal from a coal containing (on a dry basis) 3.29% by weight sulfur. A comparison is made between iron oxide and …

Slagging combustors with injected lime or limestone are being considered as replacements for conventional coal burners. They have advantages in that they can be stages to reduce NO{sub x} and SO{sub x} emissions. Iron oxide, as an alternative to lime or-limestone may be effective not only as a desulfurizing agent, but, under the right conditions of oxygen potential, it can act as a flux to produce a glassy slag This glassy slag should be dense and environmentally inert. In this reporting period, the thermodynamic conditions for the operation of the first stage of a combustor operating on a Illinois No. 2 Coal have been examined with respect to the formation of the four phase equilibrium:FeO(wustite)/Fe/liquid/gas over the temperature 950{degree} to 1300{degree}C. The minimum dosages of iron oxide which are required at equilibrium and the calculated maximum percent sulfur removal are reported. Also given are the expected pounds of S per million Btu of heat SO{sub 2} evolution calculated for complete combustion. These preliminary results indicate that higher temperatures, in the range studied, give better results approaching 96 percent sulfur removal from a coal containing (on a dry basis) 3.29% by weight sulfur. A comparison is made between iron oxide and …

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.

Fe substitution for Cu in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} can give information about the local environment on the two crystallographic Cu sites through Mossbauer effect measurements. In this paper, we explore the possibility of forcing larger amounts of Fe onto the Cu (2) site which represents the CuO planes. At values near y = 6, the chain Cu (1) site is characteristic for Cu{sup +} in its linear 0 coordination and should preclude Fe occupation. We therefore prepared materials at elevated temperatures under N{sub 2} where y {approximately}6. Oxygenation to y {approximately}7 was achieved at temperatures where metal diffusion is minimized. We used Mossbauer spectroscopy to determine the Fe site occupancy. Site preference can be expressed in terms of a distribution ratio r = MCul/ MCu2. Creating materials with low r allows studying the effects of spatially constrained Fe on T{sub c}, separating influences from the spatially more complex Cu (1) site.

A new optical technique for quantitatively measuring the spectral density of passive scalar fluctuations in a turbulent flow has been developed. The technique exploits the photorefractive properties of BaTiO{sub 3} to separate the optical signal of the turbulent field from the coherent illumination background. It is a major improvement over existing techniques in that it is non-intrusive, has excellent frequency response and spatial resolution, and is capable of simultaneously measuring two components of the three-dimensional spectral density, {Phi}{theta}({kappa}). The technique is thus especially well suited to the directly study of anisotropic flows. We have applied this technique to study the spectrum of temperature fluctuations in a fully developed turbulent channel flow with heat addition. The flow is highly anisotropic, yet the spectrum in directions transverse to the flow is seen to exhibit an inertial--convective subrange behavior which is characteristic of isotropic flows. The spectral behavior in the flow direction, due to the direct influence of the mean strain rate, is observed to be markedly different. 17 refs., 7 figs.

The Pennsylvania State University is conducting a superclean coal-water slurry (SCCWS) program for the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the objective of demonstrating the capability of effectively firing SCCWS in industrial boilers designed for oil. Penn State has entered into a cooperative agreement with DOE to show that SCCWS (a fuel containing coal with less than 3% ash and 0.9% sulfur) can effectively be burned in oil-designed industrial boilers without adverse impact on boiler rating, maintainability, reliability, and availability. The project will provide information on the design of new systems specifically configured to fire these clean coal-based fuels. The project consists of three phases: (1) design, permitting, and test planning, (2) construction and start up, and (3) operations and disposition. The boiler testing will determine if the SCCWS combustion characteristics, heat release rate, slagging and fouling factors, erosion and corrosion limits, and fuel transport, storage, and handling can be accommodated in an oil-designed boiler. In addition, the proof-of-concept demonstration will generate data to determine how the properties of SCCWS and its parent coal affect boiler performance. Economic factors associated with retrofitting and operating boilers will be identified to assess the viability of future oil-to-coal …

The Pennsylvania State University is conducting a superclean coal-water slurry (SCCWS) program for the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the objective of demonstrating the capability of effectively firing SCCWS in industrial boilers designed for oil. Penn State has entered into a cooperative agreement with DOE to determine if SCCWS (a fuel containing coal with less than 3% ash and 0.9% sulfur) can effectively be burned in oil-designed industrial boilers without adverse impact on boiler rating, maintainability, reliability, and availability. The project will provide information on the design of new systems specifically configured to fire these clean coal-based fuels. The project consists of three phases: (1) design, permitting, and test planning, (2) construction and start up, and (3) operations and disposition. The boiler testing will determine if the SCCWS combustion characteristics, heat release rate, slagging and fouling factors, erosion and corrosion limits, and fuel transport, storage, and handling can be accommodated in an oil-designed boiler. In addition, the proof-of-concept demonstration will generate data to determine how the properties of SCCWS and its parent coal affect boiler performance. Economic factors associated with retrofitting and operating boilers will be identified to assess the viability of future oil-to-coal …

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, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a general law municipality may fund a longevity pay system for its employees.

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.

A report is given on progress made during the second year of a three year contract studying the feasibility of nuclear pumping the atomic iodine laser. Experimental results are presented showing efficiencies of 25--38% at converting neutron-induced nuclear reaction energy in the excimer XeBr into UV photons which can be used to pump the laser. Parametric studies were done utilizing the {sup 10}B(n,{alpha}){sup 7}Li reaction, with three bromine donor chemicals, over a range of pressures and mix ratios, to optimize the fluorescence efficiency.

A report is given on progress made during the second year of a three year contract studying the feasibility of nuclear pumping the atomic iodine laser. Experimental results are presented showing efficiencies of 25--38% at converting neutron-induced nuclear reaction energy in the excimer XeBr into UV photons which can be used to pump the laser. Parametric studies were done utilizing the {sup 10}B(n,{alpha}){sup 7}Li reaction, with three bromine donor chemicals, over a range of pressures and mix ratios, to optimize the fluorescence efficiency.

This paper specifies the usage of structural bolts in terms of their design, selection and application, in accordance with the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Ninth Edition. Manual of Steel Construction.''

We compare angular distributions calculated by folding nucleon- nucleon scattering kernels, using the theory of Feshbach, Kerman and Koonin, and the systematics of Kalbach, with a wide range of data. The data range from (n,xn) at 14 MeV incident energy to (p,xn) at 160 MeV incident energy. The FKK theory works well with one adjustable parameter, the depth of the nucleon-nucleon interaction potential. The systematics work well when normalized to the hybrid model single differential cross section prediction. The nucleon- nucleon scattering approach seems inadequate. 9 refs., 10 figs.

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In the 7-GeV Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring, the tapered sections are considered to be the main contributor to the transverse impedance. The large tube represents the beam chamber, and the small one the insertion device section. Both are connected by a tapered transition with angle {theta}. This note presents a power law dependence of the transverse loss factor on the taper angle for this structure.

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, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Use of four-way stop signs by governmental bodies to control "cut-through" traffic in residential neighborhoods (RQ-2008)