The property rights issue arises because societal goals are sometimes pursued through government restrictions on the use of private property. At bottom, it is the age-old conflict between public goals and private rights.

Participants at a CRS seminar on Hong Kong's transition to Chinese rule generally agreed that there are now-- and are likely to be more--difficulties for U.S. interests as a result of PRC pressures on Hong Kong's political autonomy, rule of law and individual rights. PRC pressures and resistance in Hong Kong could also have negative effects on U.S. interests in Hong Kong's economic progress, although Hong Kong seems poised to continue to advance economically along with the rest of coastal China.

Several bills have been introduced in the 104th Congress to reorganize the trade policymaking structure of the executive branch. More bills are likely to be introduced. These proposals are a direct result of efforts within the Congress to dismantle the Department of Commerce. Concurrent Budget Resolution for FY1996 (Con.Res. 67), which was passed on June 29, 1995, expresses the sense of the Congress that the Commerce Department should be eliminated. Whatever the fate of the Commerce Department, a consensus appears to be emerging within the Congress that Commerce's trade functions should be preserved in some form.

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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

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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a duly recorded abstract of a valid, nondormant, and undischarged judgement may constitute (1) a cloud on the judgement debtor's title to homestead property located in the county where the abstract is recorded and (2) a slander of the judgement debtor's homestead title.

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.

The overall objective of the proposed research program is to explore the potential application of a new invention involving a multistage column equipped with vortex-inducing loop-flow contactors (hereafter referred to as the multistage column) for fine coal cleaning process. The research work will identify the design parameters and their effects on the performance of the separation process. The results of this study will provide an engineering basis for further development of this technology in coal cleaning and in the general areas of fluid/particle separation. In the first year of the project, we completed equipment design, construction of the new column for hydrodynamic tests and gas holdup measurements. Also, we have initiated the determination of bubble size as part of the hydrodynamic measurements.

We discuss the upper limit to the baryonic contribution to the closure density. We consider effects of new observational and theoretical uncertainties in the primordial light element abundances, and the effects of fluctuation geometry on the inhomogeneous nucleosynthesis yields. We also consider implications of the possible detection of a high D/H abundance in a Lyman-{alpha} absorption cloud at high redshift and the implied chemical evolution effects of a high deuterium abundance. We show that there exists a region of the parameter space for inhomogeneous models in which a somewhat higher baryonic contribution to the closure density is possible than that allowed in standard homogeneous models. This result is contrary to some other recent studies and is due to both geometry and recently revised uncertainties in primordial light-element abundances, particularly {sup 7}Li. We find that the presently adopted abundance constraints are consistent with a contribution of baryons to the closure density as high as {Omega}{sub b}h{sub 50}{sup 2} {le} 0.11 ({eta} {le} 7 {times} 10{sup {minus}10}). This corresponds to a 20% increase over the limit from standard homogeneous models ({Omega}{sub b}h{sub 50}{sup 2} {le} 0.08, {eta} {le} 5.8 {times} 10{sup {minus}10}). With a high deuterium abundance the upper limits for the …

This paper describes the use of Fourier techniques to characterize the wavefront of optical components, specifically, the use of the power spectral density, (PSD), function. The PSDs of several precision optical components will be shown. Many of the optical components of interest to us have square, rectangular or irregularly shaped apertures with major dimensions up-to 800 mm. The wavefronts of components with non-circular apertures cannot be analyzed with Zernicke polynomials since these functions are an orthogonal set for circular apertures only. Furthermore, Zernicke analysis is limited to treating low frequency wavefront aberrations; mid-spatial scale and high frequency error are expressed only as ``residuals.`` A more complete and powerful representation of the optical wavefront can be obtained by Fourier analysis in 1 or 2 dimensions. The PSD is obtained from the amplitude of frequency components present in the Fourier spectrum. The PSD corresponds to the scattered intensity as a function of scattering angle in the wavefront and can be used to describe the intensity distribution at focus. The shape of a resultant wavefront or the focal spot of a complex multi-component laser system can be calculated and optimized using the PSDs of individual optical components which comprise it.

This report presents progress made on a technique for {sup 14}C dating pictographs. A low-temperature oxygen plasma is used coupled with high-vacuum technologies to selectively remove C-containing material in the paints without contamination from inorganic carbon from rock substrates or accretions.

The mixing pump, if dropped in the pump pit following its removal from the tank, is incapable of compromising the tank structure either locally or in a structural displacement mode to an extent which might allow dispersion of the contents. A drop from 10 ft above the pit floor (considered the maximum credible height) of a pump which is considered perfectly rigid does not approach the required perforation velocity. The velocity required to perforate requires a drop height which is physically impossible to attain with existing cranes. An analysis of the location of the deposition of the strain energy required to match the pump`s impact kinetic energy, the results of which are shown in Table 2, verifies that there is no credible chance for compromise of the tank roof by such a drop.

This multidisciplinary study is designed to provide improvements in advanced reservoir characterization techniques. This goal is to be accomplished through: An examination of the spatial variation and anisotropy of relative permeability in the Tensleep Sandstone reservoirs of Wyoming; the placement of that variation and anisotropy into paleogeographic, depositional, and diagenetic frameworks; the development of pore-system imagery techniques for the calculation of relative permeability; and reservoir simulations testing the impact of relative permeability anisotropy and spatial variation on Tensleep Sandstone reservoir enhanced oil recover. Concurrent efforts are aimed at understanding the spatial and dynamic alteration in sandstone reservoirs that is caused by rock-fluid interaction during CO{sub 2}-enhanced oil recovery processes. This work focuses on quantifying the relationship of fluid-rock interaction with lithologic characterization (in terms of changes in relative permeability, wettability, and pore structure) and with fluid characterization (in terms of changes in chemical composition and fluid properties.) This work will establish new criteria for the susceptibility of Tensleep Sandstone reservoirs to production-induced formation alteration that results in change in relative permeability and in wellbore scale damage.

It is pointed out that creation of a critical assembly by implantation of Pu239 inside an asteroid or comet could produce a substantial force on the asteroid or comet due to either explosive ejection or asymmetric sublimation of material off the surface of the asteroid or comet. This would allow one to make substantial changes in an asteroid`s or comet`s orbital elements using existing launch vehicles and spacecraft technology. It is particularly intriguing that recurrent sublimation induced by plutonium implantation could over a few months time deflect even kilometer-sized earth intersecting objects enough to avoid the earth. For the more distant future, nuclear-powered pulse jets might be a cost-effective way of altering the trajectories of asteroids and comets.

Recent and proposed improvements in spatial resolution, temporal resolution, contrast, and detection efficiency for x-ray framing cameras are discussed in light of present and future laser-plasma diagnostic needs. In particular, improvements in image contrast above hard x-ray background levels is demonstrated by using high aspect ratio tapered pinholes.

We propose a genetic algorithm that evolves families of rules from a set of examples. Inputs and outputs of the problem are discrete and nominal values which makes it difficult to use alternative learning methods that implicitly regard a metric space. A way how to encode sets of rules is presented together with special variants of genetic operators suitable for this encoding. The solution found by means of this process can be used as a core of a rule-based expert system.

Work continued from last quarter related to studies of heat transfer and fluid flow in porous media. One experiment focused on issues of drying in subresidually-saturated systems. The other experiment deals with studies of flows in a repository-like geometry around a heated horizontal annulus. In the subresidual saturation studies, elevated temperature environments were considered during this quarter. A 1 in. {times} 8 ft long heating tape (heating capabilities of 8.6 W/in{sup 2}) with an on-off type temperature controller has been used to maintain a constant temperature on the aluminum test section (the latter has been described in earlier reports). Nitrogen gas with a flow rate of 1 SLPM was flowed through a glass-bead medium with an isothermal (90{degrees}C) boundary condition. The drying characteristics of this system are reported. In a second experiment, that of flow and heat transfer around a simulated drift, a low, constant heat flux boundary condition on the heater has been used. Two different admitted water quantities, 200 ml and 300 ml, have been used as before. The response of temperatures and relative humidity in the porous medium and annulus are very similar to the results of the high constant heat flux on the case of 300 …

The modalities of speech and gesture have different strengths and weaknesses, but combined they create synergy where each modality corrects the weaknesses of the other. We believe that a multimodal system such a one interwining speech and gesture must start from a different foundation than ones which are based solely on pen input. In order to provide a basis for the design of a speech and gesture system, we have examined the research in other disciplines such as anthropology and linguistics. The result of this investigation was a taxonomy that gave us material for the incorporation of gestures whose meanings are largely transparent to the users. This study describes the taxonomy and gives examples of applications to pen input systems.

This memo outlines a procedure developed by the author to extract information from phase measurements and produce a simulated phase structure for use in modeling optical systems, including characteristic optics for the Beamlet and NIF laser systems. The report includes an IDL program listing.

Higher working-fluid temperatures are required to boost efficiency, exposing subsystems to more corrosive environments. Issues of special concern to ceramists are corrosion and blinding of hot-gas particulate filters and catastrophic failure of high-temperature ceramic heat exchangers. Fuel and operational factors that affect the corrosion rates of structural ceramics in coal-fired combustor systems are described, with examples of the corrosion of silicon carbide-based materials. Attention is focused on hot-gas particulate filtration and heat exchangers; gasification systems are also discussed. Objective of the report is to help the experimentalist measuring these factors to better design tests.