11.   Lab officials said the most common causes of duck die-off at public lakes are botulism, enteritis, avian cholera and insecticidal poisoning.

12.   Lab officials blamed an accounting error and said there was no actual disappearance of nuclear material.

13.   Lab officials noted that the laboratory is already working on nonproliferation issues.

14.   Kolb said lab officials believe that they are being penalized for investigating and reporting the case.

15.   Lab officials recognized the potential political damage the new incident could cause for the lab in Washington.

16.   Lab officials say the laser is essential to ensure the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal after bombs can no longer be legally test-detonated.

17.   Lab officials were still discussing Wednesday whether to send a letter to all conference participants stressing that Bailey was speaking for herself, not for the lab.

18.   Murkowski expressed outrage at the way the Los Alamos case has been handled by lab officials, by the Energy Department and the FBI.

19.   One lab official said investigators were still trying to determine the extent of the security breach and exactly how many warheads were involved in the data transfers.

20.   Outside in the Livermore parking lot, lab officials proudly displayed four vehicles that could prove vital to the program.