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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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

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: Whether Bexar County Commissioners Court may house its veterans service office with its Department of Housing and Human Services (ID# 38643)

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: Applicability of section 11.31(a), Tax Code, to a commercial injection well that is operated solely for the purpose of treating and disposing of waste generated by third parties (ID# 38908)

A letter to Mr. Cabell, the chairman of the Board of Regents of Texas Southern University in response to his August 1996 request. The State Auditor's office has conducted a financial and operational review at the Texas Southern University.

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This work describes a particular concept for ion induction linac accelerators using high-charge-state ions produced by an intense, short pulse laser, and compares the costs of a modular driver system producing 6.5 MJ for a variety of ion masses and charge states using a simple but consistent cost model.

The Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations is responsible for ensuring that its contractors` tasks are mission oriented and are completed at the least cost to the DOE. The objective of this audit was to determine whether Richland was effectively managing its groundwater monitoring activities so that unnecessary duplication would not occur. The audit`s objective was accomplished by: reviewing laws and regulations; interviewing DOE and contractor personnel; examining procurement and accounting procedures; reviewing plans, budgets, and actual expenditures; reviewing utilization of the DOE drilling equipment; observing well drilling activities; comparing drilling cost to other DOE sites; analyzing groundwater monitoring activities; and, reviewing and comparing groundwater reports.

The Refrigerant Database is an information system on alternative refrigerants, associated lubricants, and their use in air conditioning and refrigeration. It consolidates and facilitates access to property, compatibility, environmental, safety, application and other information. It provides corresponding information on older refrigerants, to assist manufacturers and those using alternative refrigerants, to make comparisons and determine differences. The underlying purpose is to accelerate phase out of chemical compounds of environmental concern.

The authors have examined the role of the {beta}{sub 1} integrin family of adhesion receptors (VLA) and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (FN) in macrophage differentiation of (1) human HL-60 myeloid leukemia cells induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and (2) human peripheral blood monocytes induced by either PMA or macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M=CSF). Increased VLA and FN gene expression was observed as early as 4 h after PMA treatment of HL-60 cells and PMA- or M-CSF-treatment of monocytes, and it preceded the manifestation of macrophage markers. Treated HL-60 cells and monocytes also released and deposited FN on the surface of the tissue culture dishes. An HL-60 cell variant, HL-525, which is deficient in protein kinase C {beta} and resistant to PMA-induced differentiation, exhibited elevated levels of the VLA antigen but failed to express the FN gene. Incubation of HL-525 cells on dishes precoated with exogenous FN resulted in a macrophage differentiation. The macrophage phenotype induced in HL-60 cells, HL-525 cells, or monocytes was attenuated to various degrees by anti-VLA or anti-FN MAbs or by exogenous RGDS, a VLA-binding motif on FN. The authors suggest that macrophage differentiation is initiated by the activation of protein kinase C, which leads to …

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Decommissioning Program has decontaminated and demolished two filter plenum buildings at Technical Area 21 (TA-21). During the project a former hot cell was retrofitted to perform decontamination and size reduction of highly Pu contaminated process exhaust (1,100 ft) and gloveboxes. Pu-238/239 concentrations were as high a 1 Ci per linear foot and averaged approximately 1 mCi/ft. The Project decontamination objective was to reduce the plutonium contamination on surfaces below transuranic levels. If possible, metal surfaces were decontaminated further to meet Science and Ecology Group (SEG) waste classification guidelines to enable the metal to be recycled at their facility in oak Ridge, Tennessee. Project surface contamination acceptance criteria for low-level radioactive waste (LLRW), transuranic waste, and SEG waste acceptance criteria will be presented. Ninety percent of all radioactive waste for the project was characterized as LLRW. Twenty percent of this material was shipped to SEG. Process exhaust and glove boxes were brought to the project decontamination area, an old hot cell in Building 4 North. This paper focuses on process exhaust and glovebox decontamination methodology, size reduction techniques, waste characterization, airborne contamination monitoring, engineering controls, worker protection, lessons learned, and waste minimization. Decontamination objectives are …

This document contains the status report for the Naturally Fractured Tight Gas-Gas Reservoir Detection Optimization project for the contract period 9/30/93 to 3/31/97. Data from seismic surveys are analyzed for structural imaging of reflector units. The data were stacked using the new, improved statics and normal moveout velocities. The 3-D basin modeling effort is continuing with code development. The main activities of this quarter were analysis of fluid pressure data, improved sedimentary history, lithologic unit geometry reconstruction algorithm and computer module, and further improvement, verification, and debugging of the basin stress and multi-phase reaction transport module.

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute's Environmental Control Technology Center. Testing for the Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) test block was conducted using the Carbon Injection System (the 4.0 MW Spray Dryer Absorber System and the Pulse Jet Fabric Filter). Testing also continued across the B and W/CHX Heat Exchanger project. The 1.0 MW Cold-Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit and the 4.0 MW Pilot Wet Scrubber remained idle this month in a cold-standby mode. Inspections of these idled systems were conducted this month.

The purpose of an Environmental Assessment (EA) is to provide the DOE with sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). In this case, the DOE decision to be made is whether or not to transfer its ownership of the subject land tract by deed. This type of action does not in and of itself result in environmental effects; however, the DOE has considered the planned use of the land and the ensuing potential environmental effects subsequent to the transfer of ownership in its decision making process. Therefore, DOE is evaluating its decision in light of the contemplated land use as outlined by County officials that could only occur if the DOE decides to transfer its ownership of the subject land tract. The objectives of this EA are (1) to describe the baseline environmental conditions at the tract location involved in the Proposed Action, (2) to analyze potential generic effects to the baseline environment from land development activities and future occupants' operations occurring at the tract location, and (3) to identify and characterize cumulative effects of future anticipated uses of the tract involved in the Proposed …

The purpose of the work is to develop a variational data assimilation system that can ingest the various observation types at the ARM site.

We have measured gain and saturation in sing;e mode Yb:silica fiber, and developed fiber lasers and amplifiers at 1053 nm. The lasers are tunable over 10`s of nanometers, with amplifier gain flattened by fiber gratings or dielectric filters.