Physics Commons^™

Gnep Quarterly Input – Unlv July 1 Through September 30, 2007, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support.

A Novel Empirical Free Energy Function That Explains And Predicts Protein–Protein Binding Affinities, Joseph Audie, Suzanne Scarlata

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

A free energy function can be defined as a mathematical expression that relates macroscopic free energy changes to microscopic or molecular properties. Free energy functions can be used to explain and predict the affinity of a ligand for a protein and to score and discriminate between native and non-native binding modes. However, there is a natural tension between developing a function fast enough to solve the scoring problem but rigorous enough to explain and predict binding affinities. Here, we present a novel, physics-based free energy function that is computationally inexpensive, yet explanatory and predictive. The function results from a derivation …

Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv April 1 Through June 30, 2007, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the AFCI through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support.

Characterization Of The Catalytically Active Mn(Ii)-Loaded Arge-Encoded N-Acetyl-L-Ornithine Deacetylase From Escherichia Coli, Wade C. Mcgregor, Sabina I. Swierczek, Brian Bennett, Richard C. Holz

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

The catalytically competent Mn(II)-loaded form of the argE-encoded N-acetyl-l-ornithine deacetylase from Escherichia coli (ArgE) was characterized by kinetic, thermodynamic, and spectroscopic methods. Maximum N-acetyl-l-ornithine (NAO) hydrolytic activity was observed in the presence of one Mn(II) ion with k _cat and K _m values of 550 s⁻¹ and 0.8 mM, respectively, providing a catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) of 6.9 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. The ArgE dissociation constant (K _d) for Mn(II) was determined to be 0.18 μM, correlating well with a value obtained by isothermal titration …

Macular Pigment Response To A Supplement Containing Meso-Zeaxanthin, Lutein And Zeaxanthin, Richard A. Bone, John T. Landrum, Yisi Cao, Alan N. Howard, Francesca Alvarez-Calderon

Department of Physics

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease with multiple risk factors, many of which appear to involve oxidative stress. Macular pigment, with its antioxidant and lightscreening properties, is thought to be protective against AMD. A result has been the appearance of dietary supplements containing the macular carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. More recently, a supplement has been marketed containing, in addition, the third major carotenoid of the macular pigment, meso-zeaxanthin. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of such a supplement in raising macular pigment density in human subjects. Methods: A 120 day supplementation study was conducted …

Microwave Absorption Of Patterned Arrays Of Nanosized Magnetic Stripes With Different Aspect Ratios, Leszek M. Malkinski, Minghui Yu, Andriy Vovk, Donald J. Scherer Ii, Leonard Spinu, Weilie Zhou, Scott L. Whittenburg, Zachary Davis, Jin-Seung Jung

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Arrays consisting of nanosized stripes of Permalloy with different length-to-width ratios have been fabricated using electron beam nanolithography, magnetron sputtering, and lift-off process. These stripes have a thickness of , a width of , and different lengths ranging from . The stripes are separated by a distance of . Magnetization hysteresis loops were measured using a superconducting quantum interference device susceptometer. Microwave absorption at was determined by means of ferromagnetic resonance technique. The dependence of the resonant field on the angle between the nanostructure and the in-plane dc magnetic field indicates the presence of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy associated with the …

Local Effective Potential Theory: Nonuniqueness Of Potential And Wave Function, Viraht Sahni, Marlina Slamet, Xiao-Yin Pan

Physics Faculty Publications

In local effective potential energy theories such as the Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham density functional theory (HKS-DFT) and quantal density functional theory (Q-DFT) electronic systems in their ground or excited states are mapped to model systems of noninteracting fermions with equivalent density. From these models, the equivalent total energy and ionization potential are also obtained. This paper concerns the nonuniqueness of the local effective potential energy function of the model system in the mapping from a nondegenerate ground state, the nonuniqueness of the local effective potential energy function in the mapping from a nondegenerate excited state, and in the mapping to a model …

Structural, Magnetic, And Transport Properties Of Zr-Substituted La₀.₇ Sr₀.₃ Mn O₃, Minseob Kim, Jinbo Yang, Qingsheng Cai, William Joseph James, William B. Yelon, Paul Ernest Parris, Satish K. Malik

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zr-substituted perovskites La_0.7Sr_0.3 Mn_1-x Zr_x O₃ with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20 were investigated by neutron diffraction (ND), magnetization, electric resistivity, and magnetoresistance measurements. ND refinements reveal that substituted Zr⁴⁺ goes only to the Mn site. Because of its large size, this leads to a Zr-solubility limit at x ≤ 0.10. The x ≤ 0.10 samples exhibit a rhombohedral structure (R3c) from 10 K to room temperature. For the x ≤ 0.10 samples, the cell parameters a and c, and volume increase continuously with increasing Zr content. In addition, the structural distortion of …

Ua66 2007 Student Awards Ceremony, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Engineering

WKU Archives Records

Program recognizing Ogden College students with brief list of activities for each student.

Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv January 1 Through March 31, 2007, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the AFCI through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support.

Size Dependence Of Static And Dynamic Magnetic Properties In Nanoscale Square Permalloy Antidot Arrays, Minghui Yu, Leszek M. Malkinski, Leonard Spinu, Weilie Zhou, Scott L. Whittenburg

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Permalloy antidot arrays with different square hole sizes ( , , and ) have been fabricated by means of electron-beam lithography and lift-off techniques. The smaller square hole size results in enhanced remanence and reduced coercivity in the antidot array. Multiple resonance modes were clearly observed for the magnetic field applied normal to the array plane, and double uniform resonance modes occurred when the field deviated more than 30° from the normal to the plane. Two distinct dipolar field patterns with different orientations and magnitudes split the uniform resonance into double resonance modes. The double resonance modes show uniaxial in-plane …

Precision In Imaging Multivariate Optical Computing, Michael N. Simcock, Michael L. Myrick

Faculty Publications

Multivariate optical computing (MOC) is a method of performing chemical analysis using a multilayer thin-film structure known as a multivariate optical element (MOE). Recently we have been advancing MOC for imaging problems by using an imaging MOE (IMOE) in a normal-incidence geometry and employing normalization by the 1-norm. There are several important differences between the previously described 45° and the normal-incidence imaging, one of which is the measurement precision due to photon counting. We compare this precision to 45° MOC. We also discuss how MOE models with similar values of standard errors of calibration and prediction and similar gain values …

Fragmentation Of Methyl Chloride Studied By Partial Positive And Negative Ion Yield Spectroscopy, D. Ceolin, Maria Novella Piancastelli, Renaud Guillemin, Wayne C. Stolte, S-W Yu, Oliver Hemmers, Dennis W. Lindle

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The authors present partial-ion-yield experiments on the methyl chloride molecule excited in the vicinity of the Cl2p and C1s inner shells. A large number of fragments, cations produced by dissociation or recombination processes, as well as anionic species, have been detected. Although the spectra exhibit different intensity distributions depending on the core-excited atom, general observations include strong site-selective fragmentation along the C–Cl bond axis and a strong intensity dependence of transitions involving Rydberg series on fragment size.

Rank-Ordering Protein-Ligand Binding Affinity By A Quantum Mechanics/ Molecular Mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann-Surface Area Model, Mingliang Wang, Chung Wong

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

The authors describe a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann-surface area model for rank-ordering protein-ligand binding affinity in aqueous solution. Unlike many classical continuum electrostatics calculations in which the protein and ligand are treated as a uniform dielectric, this model uses quantum mechanics to explicitly describe the electronic polarization of the ligand by its environment. In solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, the authors use the quantum mechanical charge density directly rather than the common point-charge approximation. The authors show that useful results can be obtained by using experimental structure, by choosing a protein dielectric constant that is smaller than that typically used in classical …

Synthesize A Nanoscale Ferrofluid, Rob Snyder

Nanotechnology Teacher Summer Institutes

The chemical synthesis of a ferrofluid is a nanoscale science activity that originally appears in the Journal of Chemical Education. Access to the following website requires a subscription to the journal. J. Chem. Educ., 76, 943-948 (1999). The article was authored by Jonathan Breitzer and George Lisensky.

Evaluation Of Cs/Sr Waste Form For Long Term Storage And Disposal, Gary Cerefice, Longzhou Ma

Waste Forms Campaign (TRP)

The goal of this project is to examine two potential concerns regarding the long-term performance of a proposed cesium/ strontium waste form. To facilitate long-term storage, up to 300 years, the disposal containers will need to be able to survive for the entire storage interval. The first aspect of the project will explore the potential interaction of the aluminosilicate waste form with the storage canister materials to determine if there is any corrosion or chemical interaction concerns for the storage of the materials.

At the end of the storage interval, most of the 137Cs in the waste form will have …

Investigation Of Optical Spectroscopy Techniques For On-Line Materials Accountability In The Solvent Extraction Process, Gary Cerefice, Kenneth Czerwinski

Safeguards Campaign (TRP)

The goal of this project is to evaluate the application of these analytical techniques to the on-line, real-time measurement of the actinide elements in the process streams of a solvent extraction process, with particular attention to the UREX+ and PUREX processes. Based on the experience gained through this effort, engineers will have the information necessary to decide if these technologies should be advanced to the prototype stage and tested at the pilot plant level. Through the experimental work planned as part of this effort, researchers will also develop a better understanding of the chemical interactions of the actinide elements, providing …

Dissolution, Reactor, And Environmental Behavior Of Zro2-Mgo Inert Fuel Matrix, Kenneth Czerwinski

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

This project will examine inert fuels containing ZrO₂ and MgO as the inert matrix. Ceramics with this inert matrix, Ce, U and eventually Pu will be synthesized and examined. While the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative focus is on inert fuels with Pu as the fissile component, this task will perform initial laboratory experiments with Ce and U. The initial work with Ce will be performed early in the project with results used as a basis for U studies. Reactor physics calculations will be used to examine suitable quantities of burnable poisons from the candidate elements Gd, Er, or Hf. …

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Transmutation Research Program Annual Report Academic Year 2006-2007, Anthony Hechanova, Rebecca Arbour

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

It is my pleasure to present the UNLV Transmutation Research Program’s sixth annual report that highlights the academic year 2006-2007. Supporting this document are the many technical reports and theses that have been generated over the past five years.

In the sixth year of our program, we continued to see growth in the Radiochemistry Ph.D. program with a total of 13 students in the third year of the program (we anticipated eight in the program proposal). Since our inception, the program has sponsored to their conclusion 42 M.S. and 4 Ph.D. degrees. The program supported 39 graduate students, 17 undergraduates, …

Design And Performance Of A Curved-Crystal X-Ray Emission Spectrometer, A. C. Hudson, Wayne C. Stolte, Dennis W. Lindle, Renaud Guillemin

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

A curved-crystal x-ray emission spectrometer has been designed and built to measure 2–5 keV x-ray fluorescence resulting from a core-level excitation of gas phase species. The spectrometer can rotate 180°, allowing detection of emitted x rays with variable polarization angles, and is capable of collecting spectra over a wide energy range (20 eV wide with 0.5 eV resolution at the Cl K edge) simultaneously. In addition, the entire experimental chamber can be rotated about the incident-radiation axis by nearly 360° while maintaining vacuum, permitting measurements of angular distributions of emitted x rays.

Elliptical Micro-Ring Organic Lasers, P. R. Korade, John Ballato, R, V. Gregory

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Multimode laser action was observed from optically excited 2,5-dioctyloxy poly(para-phenylene-vinylene), DOO-PPV, micro-rings coaxially deposited around glass optical fibres of elliptical cross-section. The laser emission was found to be dependent upon the incident angle of the excitation and exhibited linewidths of approximately 1.2 Å, quality factors (Q) exceeding 5000, and thresholds below 0.3 μJ pulse. Such elliptical organic micro-ring lasers offer increased tailorability in emission properties over more conventional analogues of circular cross-section. Also discussed is the potential for such low-threshold lasers to serve as integrated sources for fibre lasers and amplifiers.

Formation Of In- (2×1) And In Islands On Si (100) - (2×1) By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, M. A. Hafez, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The growth of indium on a vicinal Si (100) - (2×1) surface at room temperature by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (fsPLD) was investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Recovery of the RHEED intensity was observed between laser pulses and when the growth was terminated. The surface diffusion coefficient of deposited In on initial two-dimensional (2D) In- (2×1) layer was determined. As growth proceeds, three-dimensional In islands grew on the 2D In- (2×1) layer. The RHEED specular profile was analyzed during film growth, while the grown In islands were examined by ex situ atomic force microscopy. The full …