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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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: Whether an uncompensated commissioner of a county housing authority may receive mileage credits attributable to authority travel (RQ-1979)

Further investigations of assisted pyrolysis by the addition of ethane as a free-radical initiator were carried out during this reporting period. The effects of temperature, space velocity, and ethane/methane ratio, in the presence of quench water, have been addressed. As expected, reaction quenching resulted in lower conversions than without quenching, but also in significantly lower yields of {open_quotes}tar-like{close_quotes} products. High C{sub 2}/C{sub 1} ratios and low space velocities result in significant increases in the {open_quotes}tar-like{close_quotes} product yields. Very low ethane concentrations were required to initiate methane pyrolysis at lower temperatures without a major negative effect on product selectivities.

This closure report provides the documentation for closure of the Cactus Spring Waste Trenches Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 426. The site is located on the Tonopah Test Range,approximately 225 kilometers (140 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. CAU 426 consists of one Corrective Action Site which is comprised of four waste trenches. The trenches were excavated to receive solid waste generated in support of Operation Roller Coaster, primarily the Double Tracks Test in 1963, and were subsequently backfilled. The Double Tracks Test involved the use of live animals to assess the biological hazards associated with the non-nuclear detonation of plutonium-bearing devices (i.e., inhalation uptake of plutonium aerosol) (DOE, 1996). The remedial alternative proposed Nevada Division of Environmental Protection proposed the capping method. The closure activities were completed in accordance with the approved Corrective Action Plan and consisted of constructing an engineered cover in the ar ea of the trenches, constructing/planning a vegetative cover, installing a perimeter fence and signs, implementing restrictions on future use, and preparing a post-closure monitoring plan. Closure activities for CAU 426 have been completed in accordance with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection approved Corrective Action Plan as documented in this Closure Report.

The project involves improving thermal recovery techniques in a slope and basin clastic (SBC) reservoir in the Wilmington field, Los Angeles Co., Calif. using advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies. The existing steamflood in the Tar zone of Fault Block (FB) II-A has been relatively inefficient because of several producibility problems which are common in SBC reservoirs. Inadequate characterization of the heterogeneous turbidite sands, high permeability thief zones, low gravity oil, and nonuniform distribution of remaining oil have all contributed to poor sweep efficiency, high steam-oil ratios, and early steam breakthrough. Operational problems related to steam breakthrough, high reservoir pressure, and unconsolidated formation sands have caused premature well and downhole equipment failures. In aggregate, these reservoir and operational constraints have resulted in increased operating costs and decreased recoverable reserves. The advanced technologies to be applied include: (1) Develop three-dimensional (3-D) deterministic and stochastic geologic models. (2) Develop 3-D deterministic and stochastic thermal reservoir simulation models to aid in reservoir management and subsequent development work. (3) Develop computerized 3-D visualizations of the geologic and reservoir simulation models to aid in analysis. (4) Perform detailed study on the geochemical interactions between the steam and the formation rock and fluids. (5) Pilot …

The issue of what to do with excess fissile materials from dismantled nuclear weapons has been discussed for a number of years. The options or alternatives commanding the most attention were identified by the American National Academy of Sciences. For plutonium these options are: (1) the fabrication and use of mixed-oxide (MOX) reactor fuel followed by the disposal of the spent fuel, or (2) vitrification (immobilization) of plutonium combined with highly radioactive material followed by direct disposal. The Academy report also identified the alternative of disposal in a deep borehole as requiring further study before being eliminated or accepted. The report emphasized security of nuclear materials as a principal factor in considering management and disposition decisions. Security of materials is particularly important in the near term-now-long before ultimate disposition can be accomplished. The MOX option was the subject of a NATO workshop held at Obninsk, Russia in October 1994. Hence this paper does not deal with the MOX alternative in detail. It deals with the following: materials protection, control, and accounting (MPC&A) for immobilization and disposal; the immobilization vs MOX alternatives; the security of disposed plutonium; the need to demonstrate MTC&A for plutonium disposition; and, finally, a recommended investment to …

The purpose of this DOE guide is to facilitate the use of consistent procedures to document cost and performance information for projects involving the remediation of media contaminated with hazardous and radioactive wastes. It provides remedial action project managers with a standardized set of data to document completed remediation projects. Standardized reporting of data will broaden the utility of the information, increase confidence in the effectiveness of future remedial technologies, and enhance the organization, storage and retrieval of relevant information for future cleanup projects. The foundation for this guide was laid down by the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR) in their publication, Guide to Documenting Cost and Performance for Remediation Projects, EPA-542-B- 95-002. Member agencies of the FRTR include the US EPA, the US DOD, the US DOE, and the US DOI. All the member agencies are involved in site remediation projects and anticipate following the guidance provided in the above reference. Therefore, there is much to be gained for DOE to be consistent with the other member agencies as it will be easier to compare projects across different agencies and also to learn from the experiences of a wider spectrum of prior completed projects.

In the conceptual design of the APT cooling water system, several options exist for the design of the system(s) which serve as the ultimate heat sink. This study will evaluate alternative methods of providing an ultimate heat sink to the APT.

This document presents the methodology and results of the Delphi survey. The viewgraphs depict the surveyed population in detail and the surveyed vehicles attributes such as range, recharging time, velocity, acceleration, etc. These opinions are given for forecast years 2000, 2010, and 2020.

Many who speak of the end of the Cold War emphasize the improvement in international relations when they speak of the momentous consequences of this event. According to this image, the half century since Trinity has been a period of sparse international communication during which the Eastern and Western blocs hibernated in their isolated dens of security alliances. The emphasis in the phrase ``Cold War`` was on the word ``cold,`` and relations with the former Communist regimes are now ``warm`` by comparison. It is equally valid to consider what has happened to the word ``was` in this highly descriptive phrase. While meaningful international dialogue was in a state of relative lethargy during much of the last fifty years, the military establishments of the Great Powers were actively engaged in using as much force as possible in their efforts to control world affairs, short of triggering a nuclear holocaust. Out of these military postures a tense peace ironically emerged, but the terms by which decisions were made about controlling weapons of mass destruction (i.e., nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) were the terms of war. The thesis of this paper is that the end of the Cold War marks a shift away …

One of the options for a design of a Central Solenoid in ITER and other tokamak machines is pancake would modules. In this configuration joints have to be placed in maximum magnetic field with high changing rate. In this condition joints should be designed to have at least the same or larger temperature margin as that for the conductor in the same field. It is argued that joints in parallel field can be designed to meet this requirement along with reasonably low DC resistance. Losses in parallel field are calculated and design features which can suppress AC losses without increasing DC resistance are discussed. Recommendations for low loss, low DC resistance joints are made.

A field experiment was conducted in Delaware (USA) to evaluate three crude oil bioremediation techniques. Four treatments were studied: no oil control, oil alone, oil + nutrients, and oil + nutrients + an indigenous inoculum. The microbial populations were monitored by standard MPN techniques, PLFA profile analysis, and 16S rDNA DGGE analysis for species definition. Viable MPN estimates showed high but steadily declining microbial numbers and no significant differences among treatments during the 14-weeks. Regarding the PLFA results, the communities shifted over the 14-week period from being composed primarily of eukaryotes to Gram-negative bacteria. The Gram-negative communities shifted from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth after week 0. All Gram-negative communities showed evidence of environmental stress. The 16S rDNA DGGE profile of all plots revealed eight prominent bands at time zero. The untreated control plots revealed a simple, dynamic dominant population structure throughout the experiment. The original banding pattern disappeared rapidly in all oiled plots, indicating that the dominant species diversity changed and increased substantially over 14 weeks. The nature of this change was altered by nutrient-addition and the addition of the indigenous inoculum.

This document is a plan that identifies the information needed to address relevant issues concerning short-term and long-term storage and long-term management of double-shell tank 241-AN-104.

The magnetic phase diagrams of all dilute Cr alloys can be explained by a simple theoretical model with coupled spin- and charge-density waves and a finite electron reservoir. If the charge-density wave and electron reservoir are sufficiently large, the paramagnetic to commensurate spin-density wave transition becomes strongly first order, as found in Cr{sub 1- x}Fe{sub x} and Cr{sub 1-x}Si{sub x} alloys. The observed discontinuity of the slope dT{sub N}/dx at the triple point and the bending of the CI phase boundary are also natural consequences of this model.

The Westinghouse Hanford Company is exploring various options for retrieving waste materials from the underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington. One option under investigation is the use of a commercially available sluicing nozzle manufactured by Bristol Equipment Company.

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute`s (EPRI`s) Environmental Control Technology Center (ECTC). Testing for the month involved the Dry Sorbent Injection (DST) test block with the Carbon Injection System. The 1.0 MW Cold- Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit, the 0.4 MW Mini- Pilot Wet Scrubber, and the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet Scrubber remained idle this month in a cold-standby mode and were inspected regularly. These units remain available for testing as future project work is identified.

The overall objectives of this work are: (i) to investigate the importance of various qualities and quantities of data on the optimization of waterflooding performance; and (ii) to study the application of newly developed geostatistical techniques to analyze available production data to predict future proposals of infill drilling. The study will be restricted to Pennsylvanian sandstone reservoirs commonly found in Oklahoma.

The Vapor Issue Resolution Program tasked the Vapor Team (the team) to collect representative headspace samples from Hanford Site single-shell tank (SST) 241-T-104. This document presents sampling data resulting from the February 7, 1996 sampling of SST 241-T-104. Analytical results will be presented in separate reports issued by the laboratories that supplied and analyzed the sampling media.

The new, rapidly evolving field of industrial ecology - the objective, multidisciplinary study of industrial and economic systems and their linkages with fundamental natural systems - provides strong ground for believing that a more environmentally and economically efficient economy will be more information intensive and complex. Information and intellectual capital will be substituted for the more traditional inputs of materials and energy in producing a desirable, yet sustainable, quality of life. While at this point this remains a strong hypothesis, the evolution of the automobile industry can be used to illustrate how such substitution may, in fact, already be occurring in an environmentally and economically critical sector.

This document is a plan that identifies the information needed to address relevant issues concerning short-term and long-term storage and long-term management at single-shell tank 241-U-102.

The Vapor Issue Resolution Program tasked the Vapor Team (VT) to collect representative headspace samples from Hanford Site single-shell tank (SST) 241-C-202. This document presents In Situ Vapor Sampling System (ISVS) data resulting from the June 25, 1996 sampling of SST 241-C-202. Analytical results will be presented in separate reports issued by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) which supplied and analyzed the sample media.

In this paper we examine the use of a shared memory programming model to address the problem of portability of application codes between distributed memory and shared memory architectures. We do this with an extension of the Parallel C Preprocessor. The extension, borrowed from Split-C and AC, uses type qualifiers instead of storage class modifiers to declare variables that are shared among processors. The type qualifier declaration supports an abstract shared memory facility on distributed memory machines while making direct use of hardware support on shared memory architectures. Our benchmarking study spans a wide range of shared memory and distributed memory platforms. Benchmarks include Gaussian elimination with back substitution, a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform, and a matrix-matrix multiply. We find that the type-qualifier-based shared memory programming model is capable of efficiently spanning both distributed memory and shared memory architectures. Although the resulting shared memory programming model is portable, it does not remove the need to arrange for overlapped or blocked remote memory references on platforms that require these tuning measures in order to obtain good performance.

As commercial air travel grows in terms of the number of passenger miles flown, there is expected to be a corresponding dramatic increase in the absolute number of accidents. This despite an enviable safety record and a very low accident rate. The political environment is such that an increase in the absolute number of accidents is not acceptable, with a stated goal of a factor of five reduction in the aviation fatal accident rate within ten years. The objective of this project is to develop an improved surveillance process that will provide measurements of the current state-of-health and predictions of future state of health of aircraft, operators, facilities, and personnel. Methodologies developed for nuclear weapon safety, in addition to more well known system safety and high-consequence engineering techniques, will be used in this approach.