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; Clarification of Letter of Opinion No. 97-31 (ID# 39633)

The development of small scale multiterawatt and now pentawatt lasers is described. The intent was to develop a laser capable of producing pentawatt pulses in order to examine the fast ignitor concept for inertial confinement fusion. This application requires high pulse energy in addition to the short pulse duration. The essential idea is to pre-implode a deuterium-tritium capsule to an isochoric condition.

As part of the United States Department of Energy`s (DOE) Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) research and development effort, a Knowledge Base is being developed. This Knowledge Base will store the regional geophysical research results as well as geographic contexual information and make this information available to the Automated Data Processing (ADP routines) as well as human analysts involved in CTBT monitoring. This paper focuses on the initial development of a browser prototype to be used to interactively examine the contents of the CTBT Knowledge Base. The browser prototype is intended to be a research tool to experiment with different ways to display and integrate the datasets. An initial prototype version has been developed using Environmental Systems Research Incorporated`s (ESRI) ARC/INFO Geographic Information System (GIS) product. The conceptual requirements, design, initial implementation, current status, and future work plans are discussed. 4 refs., 2 figs.

This document summarizes the biannual Hanford sample projections for fiscal year 1997-2001. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Wastes Remediation Systems, Solid Wastes, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition to this revision, details on Laboratory scale technology (development), Sample management, and Data management activities were requested. This information will be used by the Hanford Analytical Services program and the Sample Management Working Group to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs.

A brief survey of E0 strength in a number of nuclei in different regions of the nuclear chart is presented. The connection between E0 strength and shape coexistence is reviewed. Nuclear structure information obtained from measurements of electric monopole transitions in {sup 184}Pt and {sup 187}Au is discussed. Plans for future experiments utilizing radioactive ion beams and E0 internal pair formation is presented.

Fission energy systems that significantly reduce the need for the user country to be involved in the nuclear operations and technology could simplify implementation and reduce the proliferation potential. Conceptual system designs with improved (relative to the once-through LWR fuel cycle) proliferation resistance for application in developing countries are being evaluated. The fission energy systems being studied include all activities and equipment necessary to produce energy, recycle selected materials, and dispose of the waste. The systems currently being studied are required to function with no refueling of the reactors on the user site. These requirements are being used to initiate the study, on the assumption that removal of these operations from within the developing countries will improve the proliferation resistance. Preliminary evaluations of a small fast reactor core cooled either by sodium or lead-bismuth are provided.