Since 1973 when the Food and Drug Administration first approved the artificial sweetener, aspartame, for use in food products, some researchers have raised questions about possible health effects associated with its consumption. This paper provides an overview of the regulatory history and possible health problems associated with the use of aspartame.

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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.

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; Authority of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to transfer funds for start-up costs to a private entity that contracts to provide community-based services to clients of the department, and related questions (RQ-1582)

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; Whether the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse may conduct on-site inspections of alcohol treatment facilities and related questions

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; Whether a rule of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners conflicts with a municipal regulation enacted under the authority of the Rabies Control Act, article 4477-6a, V.T.C.S.

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: Whether a bail bondsman’s security deposit under article 2372p, V.T.C.S., may be accepted in the form of combination of cash and property (RQ-1336)

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, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Construction of section 3.08(a) of article 60lb, V.T.C.S.

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, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Overtime compensation for employee of the Department of MH/MR who holds a full-time and a part-time job at the same facility

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, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a corporation must be represented by an attorney in an appeal from the small claims court to the county court or county court at law

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, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Upper Guadalupe River Authority may provide park and recreational facilities

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; Whether House Bill No. 226 relating to reporting ownership of mineral interests severed from surface estate and to proceedings for abandonment of unreported mineral interests violates article I, section 19 of the Texas Constitution

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, Mark White, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Validity of legislation authorizing a legislative committee to veto or repeal adminstrative rules

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; Do the provisions of the County Purchasing Act (Local Government Code, sections 262.021 et seq.) apply to purchases made with funds generated by forfeitures under section 5.08 of article 4476-15 V.A.T.C.S.?

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.

The AWC TRUclean System has been proposed as a method to reduce the volume of LSA waste during D&D excavation of Pu-238 contaminated soils on the Mound Site and Pu-238 contaminated sediments in the Miami-Erie Canal. Following test runs with Mound soil, AWC suggested that the TRUclean Process could reduce the amount of LSA waste by greater than 90% if a machine could be built and used to process the Mound soil. The cost savings which could potentially be realized by assuming this magnitude of volume reduction were thought to be significant on large projects. These preliminary results suggested that a review of the TRUclean Process and the 1987 test results should be performed to determine a course of action. The AWC TRUclean Process and the test data have been evaluated and the potential effectiveness of the process determined for use on Mound soils and/or on the sediments in the Miami-Erie Canal.

We have initiated an investigation of the utility of marine plankton as bioconcentrating samplers of low-level marine radioactivity in the southern hemisphere. A literature review has shown that both freshwater and marine plankton have trace element and radionuclide concentration factors (relative to water) of up to 10/sup 4/. We participated in Operations Deepfreeze 1981 and 1982, collecting a total of 48 plankton samples from the USCGC Glacier on its Antarctic cruises. Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories sampled air, water, rain, and fallout. We were able to measure concentrations in plankton of the naturally-occurring radionuclides /sup 7/Be, /sup 40/K, and the U and Th series, and we believe that we have detected low levels of /sup 144/Ce and /sup 95/Nb in seven samples ranging as far south as 68/sup 0/. Biological identification of the plankton suggests a possible correlation between radionuclide concentration and the protozoa content of the samples. 7 references, 5 figures.

GRPANL (GRouP ANaLysis) is a general-purpose peak fitting program that first determines gamma-ray and x-ray energies and intensities for specified peaks or clusters of peaks in a spectrum and then proceeds to interpret these results, determining both the radioisotopes detected and the amounts of each in the sample. Versions of the program are now running on the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX and PDP-11 computers. The code has several unique capabilities for deconvoluting and interpreting difficult analytical situations that other codes usually cannot handle.

The DNA repair systems of rodent and human cells appear to be at least as complex genetically as those in lower eukaryotes and bacteria. The use of mutant lines of rodent cells as a means of identifying human repair genes by functional complementation offers a new approach toward studying the role of repair in mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. In each of six cases examined using hybrid cells, specific human chromosomes have been identified that correct CHO cell mutations affecting repair of damage from uv or ionizing radiations. This finding suggests that both the repair genes and proteins may be virtually interchangeable between rodent and human cells. Using cosmid vectors, human repair genes that map to chromosome 19 have cloned as functional sequences: ERCC2 and XRCC1. ERCC1 was found to have homology with the yeast excision repair gene RAD10. Transformants of repair-deficient cell lines carrying the corresponding human gene show efficient correction of repair capacity by all criteria examined. 39 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

The study identifies the industrial decision makers, investigated the information they needed to know, how they can best be reached, and the motivating factors for purchasing energy-efficient electric motors. A survey was conducted of purchasers of integral horsepower polyphase motors. The survey measured current knowledge of and awareness of energy-efficient motors, decision-making criteria, information sources, purchase and usage patterns, and related factors. The survey data were used for the electric motor market penetration analysis. Additionally, a telephone survey was made. The study also provides analyses of distribution channels, commercialization constraints, and the impacts of government programs and rising energy prices. A description of study findings, conclusions, and recommendations is presented. Sample questionnaires and copies of letters to respondents are presented in 3 appendices. Appendices D and E contain descriptions of the methods used. (MCW)

Following the accident at the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, in the Soviet Union on April 26, 1986, we performed a variety of measurements to determine the level of the radioactive fallout on the western United States. We used gamma-spectroscopy to analyze air filters from the areas around Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California, and Barrow and Fairbanks, Alaska. Milk from California and imported vegetables were also analyzed. The levels of the various fission products detected were far below the maximum permissible concentration levels.

Progress is reported on the test building instrumentation and problems encountered are described. An instrumentation trip report is presented dealing with installation of data acquisition systems, roof and roll runner building. (MCW)

Weekly newsletter discussing natural resources, parks, hunting and fishing, and other information related to the outdoors in Texas.

Newsletter of the Texas Bureau of Disease Control and Epidemiology discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to health in Texas.