1. INTRODUCTION  
2. OBSERVATIONS AND DATA  
2.1. Target Selection  
2.2. Ultraviolet QSO Spectroscopy  
2.3. Galaxy Redshift Survey  
2.4. Absorber-Galaxy Connections  
3. RESULTS  
3.1. Ne VIII Column Density Profile  
3.2. Mass of the Ne VIII Phase  
4. CONCLUDING REMARKS