This report covers the activities of the Office of Technology Assessment during calendar year 1975.

We have measured the critical magnetic field for superconductivity In tungsten from 5.5 to 15 mK using a {gamma}-ray anisotropy thermometer, and we have measured the heat capacity between 0.35 and 25 K. Analysis of the data gives H{sub 0} = 1.237 Oe for the 0 K critical field, T{sub c} = 16.0 mK for the critical temperature, {gamma} = 1.008 mJ/mole K{sup 2} for the coefficient of the electronic heat capacity, and {Theta}{sub 0} = 383 K for the 0 K Debye temperature. The measured values of the critical field H{sub c} are consistently higher than those reported by Black, Johnson and Wheatley (BJW) on the CMN temperature scale, but the temperature dependence is similar. This discrepancy and the temperature dependence of H{sub c} suggest that both sets of H{sub c} data are affected by magnetic impurities. Use of the calorimetric {gamma} value permits an improved test of the CMN temperature scale with the very low temperature H{sub c} data obtained by BJW.

We present detailed measurements of the electron avalanche process in liquid Xenon. The measurements were made by using liquid-Xe-filled proportional chambers with anode diameters of 2.9, 3.5, and 5.0 {approx} to detect 279-keV y rays and measure the photopeak pulse height as a function of applied voltage. The use of uniform pulses of electrons enabled us to discriminate against secondary Townsend processes. We present a table of the first Townsend coefficient a as a function of electric field E; a typical value is {alpha} = (4.5 {+-} 0.3) x 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1} at E = 2 x 10{sup 6} V/cm. The electron avalanche occurs in liquid Xe at electric fields 26 times smaller than would be predicted using measurements made in gaseous Xe and E/{rho} density scaling.

Solid radioactive wastes resulting from chemical separations processing of spent reactor fuels have been disposed by burial in trenches in the 200 Areas since 1944. Solid radioactive wastes from other Hanford facilities and from off-site AEC contractors have also been buried in the 200 Areas` Waste Burial Grounds. Since 1970, industrial wastes containing or suspected of containing transuranic radionuclides have been packaged in concrete boxes and {open_quotes}dry wastes{close_quotes} have been packaged in steel boxes or drums and buried in segregated trenches. A land area of approximately 149 acres has been used to bury 5.2 million cubic feet of contaminated solid waste through calendar year 1971. Annual reports of radioactive solid waste burials issued, beginning in 1968, have shown land area used, and volume and quantity of radioactivity grams U and/or Pu and curies buried. No corrections for radioactive decay have been reported. In July 1972, J. D. Anderson, G. L. Hanson, G. R. Kiel, B. J. McMurray, and N. P. Nisick were assigned the responsibility for a study to provide the decayed inventory of radioactivity in each solid waste burial ground in the 200 Areas. The results of this study are included as Tables 1 and 2 in this report.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: House Bill 168.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Constitutionality of House Bills 64, 283 and 309 regarding regulation of insurance in view of Article 1, Section 3a of the Constitution of Texas.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Questions concerning constitutionality of portions of H. B. No. 1, a Bill regulating the activities of certain State officers and State employees, etc.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Commissioners Court of Andrews County may use funds authorized by a bond election to build a medical clinic on hospital grounds owned by the County for the purposed of leasing space or spaces to a doctor or doctors engaged in the private practice of medicine on terms satisfactory to the Commissioners Court 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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Construction of Article 666-17(14)(f), Vernon’s Texas Penal Code, as to a minor’s arrest record and whether the Justice Department or the F.B.I. are entitled to such information after a court has expunged the conviction and other documents relating thereto.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Constitutionality of House Bill 2

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Extent of liability on bonds of Propriety Schools under Section 32.38(a), (b), and (c) of the Texas Education 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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a person is qualified to serve as a deputy sheriff when prior to his appointment as such he has been convicted of a felony placed on probation and probationary term has not expired?

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a sentence of person convicted of felony may be reduced by time that he has spent in county jail awaiting determination of his appeal.

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, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Do persons employed by various hunting clubs have the right to carry firearms within their particular area?

From summary: This report describes the trips to Western European countries designing and constructing LMFBR demonstration plants for the purpose of determining the directions being taken by these countries to provide acceptable quality steam to commercially available steam turbines.

A comparison of the hazards involved in the existing process and the electrolytic process for dissolving plutonium metal shows that, in the opinion of the review team, no net increase in hazards will occur by operating the electrolytic dissolvers. This new process eliminates several hazardous operations such as metal burning and PuO/sub 2/ powder handling, and reduces operator time and, therefore, exposure. The new facility can be operated safely provided that the recommendations given previously are implemented.

WAZER Alchemy 7b (WA-7b) is a WAZER calculation of a laser-driven micro-implosion of a spherical capsule consisting of a thin gold pusher surrounded by a thick (frozen) deuterium ablator. The properties of the target capsule and the shape of the laser pulse used to irradiate it are described.

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Methods used to obtain evaluated neutron interaction and photon production data for /sup 238/U are described. (auth)

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Tests of a core restraint system employing external yokes to load and compact the reactor core were conducted using the Okanar Champing Model (PCM) test facility at HEDL.

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