The skeletal structure of aerogel is determined before, during, and after the gel is formed. Supercritical drying of aerogel largely preserves the pore structure that is determined near the time of gelation. To better understand these gel formation mechanisms we carried out measurements of the time evolution of light scattering in a series of gels prepared without conventional acid or base catalysis. Instead, ultraviolet light was used to catalyze the formation of silica gels made from the hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate and partly prehydrolyzed tetraethylorthosilicate in ethanol. Time evolution of light scattering provides information regarding the rate and geometrical nature of the assembly of the primary silica particles formed in the sol. UV-catalyzed gels show volumetric growth typical of acid-catalyzed gels, except when UV exposure is discontinued at the gel point, where gels then show linear chain formation typical of base-catalyzed gels. Long term UV exposure leads to coarsening of the pore network, a decrease in the clarity of the aerogel, and an increase in the surface area of the aerogel. Additionally, UV exposure up to the gel point leads to increased crystallinity in the final aerogel.

An important issue for the performance of underground nuclear waste repositories is the rate of seepage into the waste emplacement drifts. A prediction of this rate is particularly complicated for the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, because it is located in thick, unsaturated, fractured tuff formations. Underground opening in unsaturated media might act as capillary barriers, diverting water around them. In the present work, they study the potential rate of seepage into drifts as a function of the percolation flux at Yucca Mountain, based on a stochastic model of the fractured rock mass in the drift vicinity. A variety of flow scenarios are considered, assuming present-day and possible future climate conditions. They show that the heterogeneity in the flow domain is a key factor controlling seepage rates, since it causes channelized flow and local ponding in the unsaturated flow field.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to assessing whether the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (Department) has established controls necessary to fulfill its mission and to identify opportunities for improvement in its management controls.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to the determination of adequate controls in six small agencies to meet legislative mandates and deliver intended benefits, and to the identification of weaknesses in controls over human resources, financial management, policy management, management information systems, and licensing/enforcement.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to determining whether state entities complied with the requirements of the Public Funds Investment Act, which requires investing state entities to satisfy requirements regarding investment policies, management controls, quarterly investment reports, ethics and conflict of interest disclosure, training of board members and investment officers, and broker/dealer acknowledgment of investment policies.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to determining the reliability of the Child and Adult Protective System (CAPS) and the reports generated from its data.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to evaluating the management control systems within the Alcoholic Beverage Commission and identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement.

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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Validity of Dallas City Council rule that requires request by five council members or majority of a city council committee to place items on agenda for council meeting (RQ-952)

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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether Water Code section 5.123, as enacted by Act of May 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 1203, § 1, violates the suspension of laws and separation of powers provisions of the Texas Constitution (RQ-975)

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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether chapter 597 of the Health and Safety Code expired on August 31, 1997, and a related question (RQ-1030)

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 the executive director of the Lubbock Housing Authority may serve as a member of the City of Lubbock Civil Service Commission (RQ-1022)

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 a district clerk may also serve as a reserve deputy sheriff (RQ-977)

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 a member of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents to serve as a volunteer, uncompensated coach (RQ-1025)

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 a commissioner court is required to fill a vacancy in the office of justice of the peace (RQ-1061)

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 the Texas National Guard is subject to the Hazard Communication Act, chapter 502 of the Health and Safety Code (RQ-951)

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Transcript of a public hearing held by the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals held April 16,1998 in New York. This hearing includes testimony from judges and attorneys of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the topic of the restructuring and possible division of the Ninth Circuit.

Transcript of a public hearing held by the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals held April 3, 1998 in Chicago, Illinois. This hearing includes testimony from judges, attorneys, and officials of the Ninth and Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on the possible restructuring of the Ninth Circuit Court. It also includes testimony from William Richman, a Professor of Law, and Peter Jon Simpson on behalf of the Christian Legal Education Association.

The high desert near Barstow, California, has witnessed the development of this country`s first two solar power towers. Solar One operated successfully from 1982 to 1988 and proved that power towers work efficiently to produce utility-scale power from sunlight. Solar Two was connected to the utility grid in 1996 and is operating today. Like its predecessor, Solar Two is rated at 10 megawatts. An upgrade of the Solar One plant, Solar Two demonstrates how solar energy can be stored in the form of heat in molten salt for power generation on demand. The experience gained with these two pilot power towers has established a foundation on which industry can develop its first commercial plants. These systems produce electricity on a large scale. They are unique among solar technologies because they can store energy efficiently and cost effectively. They can operate whenever the customer needs power, even after dark or during cloudy weather.

This country`s efforts to successfully develop and commercialize concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies depend on specialized research and testing capabilities. To Support this effort, the US Department of Energy`s Concentrating Solar Power Program maintains two major test facilities: the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the High Flux Solar Furnace at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. These test facilities combine to be instrumental in the development of parabolic dishes, troughs, and solar power towers.

The report describes the markets for concentrating solar power. As concentrating solar power technologies advance into the early stages of commercialization, their economic potential becomes more sharply defined and increasingly tangible.

This Management Work Plan (MWP) describes the process flow, quality assurance controls, and the Environment, Safety, and Health requirements of the Cesium Legacy Safety Project. This MWP provides an overview of the project goals and methods for repackaging the non-conforming Type W overpacks and packaging the CsCl powder and pellets. This MWP is not intended to apply to other activities associated with the CsCl Legacy Safety Program (i.e., clean out of South Cell).

Lockheed Martin Hanford Corporation is developing and implementing an integrated technical baseline for cleaning up environmental contamination at the Hanford Site in Washington State. The Hanford Site is located in Washington State and has been referred to as one of the largest Environmental Cleanup challenges in the US. It became contaminated with radioactive and dangerous wastes during the 40+ years it was being used to produce weapons grade plutonium in support of the US nuclear weapons program (See Figure 1). The US Department of Energy (US DOE) is responsible for cleanup of the Hanford Site with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) both providing regulatory oversight. The US DOE, EPA and Ecology entered into an agreement in 1989 (Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, commonly referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement) that provides the framework for cleanup of the Hanford Site. However, since the inception of the Tri-Party Agreement, there have been numerous changes due to technical issues, funding issues, and priority changes within the cleanup mission. As a result, progress on the definition and execution of the cleanup work has been slower than anticipated and has resulted in some false starts, …

This document is a compilation of presentation packages and white papers for the Flammable Gas Double Shell Tank Expert Elicitation Workshop {number_sign}2. For each presentation given by the different authors, a separate section was developed. The purpose for issuing these workshop presentation packages and white papers as a supporting document is to provide traceability and a Quality Assurance record for future reference to these packages.