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Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv October 1 Through December 31, 2005, 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.

Atr-Ftir Spectroscopic Analysis Of Sorption Of Aqueous Analytes Into Polymer Coatings Used With Guided Sh-Saw Sensors, Yolanda K. Jones, Zhonghui Li, Michael M. Johnson, Fabien Josse, Jeanne Hossenlopp

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Attenuated total internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used for the investigation of sorption of aqueous solutions of analytes into polymer coatings. A series of simple model polymers, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane), poly(epichlorhydrin), and poly(isobutylene), and films and analytes, such as aqueous solutions of ethylbenzene, xylenes, toluene, and nitrobenzene, were used to evaluate the use of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy as a screening tool for sensor development. The ratios of integrated infrared absorption bands provided a simple and efficient method for predicting trends in partition coefficients. Responses of polymer-coated guided shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) sensor platforms to the series …

Chemistry Of Surface Waters: Distinguishing Fine-Scale Differences In Sea Grass Habitats Of Chesapeake Bay, Emmanis Dorval, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

We tested the hypothesis that the physical and chemical processes acting in sea grass habitats of the lower Chesapeake Bay are spatially structured and that dissolved elemental chemistry of sea grass-habitat surface waters have their own unique identity. We sampled surface waters from July to September 2001 in five sea grass habitats of the lower bay: Potomac, Rappahannock, York, Island (Tangier-Bloodsworth), and Eastern Shore. Dissolved Mg, Mn, Sr, and Ba concentrations were measured by sector field inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. As expected, Mg, Sr, and Ba exhibited conservative behavior, but Mn exhibited nonconservative behavior along the salinity gradient. Spatial differences …

Spatiotemporal Distribution Of Marine Magnetotactic Bacteria In A Seasonally Stratified Coastal Salt Pond, S. L. Simmons, S. M. Sievert, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski, K. J. Edwards

Physics

The occurrence and distribution of magnetotactic bacteria (MB) were studied as a function of the physical and chemical conditions in meromictic Salt Pond, Falmouth, Mass., throughout summer 2002. Three dominant MB morphotypes were observed to occur within the chemocline. Small microaerophilic magnetite-producing cocci were present at the top of the chemocline, while a greigite-producing packet-forming bacterium occurred at the base of the chemocline. The distributions of these groups displayed sharp changes in abundance over small length scales within the water column as well as strong seasonal fluctuations in population abundance. We identified a novel, greigite-producing rod in the sulfidic hypolimnion …

Comprehensive Laboratory Measurements Of Biomass-Burning Emissions: 2. First Intercomparison Of Open-Path Ftir, Ptr-Ms, And Gc-Ms/Fid/Ecd, Ted J. Christian, B. Kleiss, Robert J. Yokelson, R. Holzinger, P. J. Crutzen, Wein Min Hao, T. Shirai, Donald R. Blake

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of The Novel Crown Ether 1 ,9-Dioxa-4,6-Dithiacycloundecane, Cassie Booth

Capstone Research Projects

Attempts to produce novel crowns, incorporating a thioacetal fragment, were made via two synthetic pathways. Despite the well-established reactions found in path A (see figure 3), this method failed to produce the desired crown. Path B, a one-pot reaction originally designed to close rings via the addition of a thioacetal fragment, yielded an oily product that was purified with a silica gel column (48.3% yield). Initial analysis by 1H NMR showed a structure consistent with that of the desired crown (figure 2). Mass spectroscopy was used to verify product identity, confirming the creation of our target molecule 1 ,9-dioxa-4,6-dithiacycloundecane.

Merredin Townsite Groundwater Pumping And Desalination Pilot Project, Rosemary Nott, Mark Pridham, Juana Roe, Jeff Ibbott, Alan Leeson, A Leeson

Resource management technical reports

Townsite salinity affects more than 40 towns in the WA wheatbelt. Waterlogging and salinity are responsible for damamge to townsite infrastructure. Through groundwater pumping and desalination, the State Salinity Council (now the Natural Resource Management Council) granted Merredin the the chance to prevent further damage to the townsite by funding this project.

Redox Reactions Of The Pyranopterin System Of The Molybdenum Cofactor, Sharon J. Nieter Burgmayer, Dori L. Pearsall, Shannon M. Blaney, Eva M. Moore, Calies Sauk-Schubert

Chemistry Faculty Research and Scholarship

This work provides the first extensive study of the redox reactivity of the pyranopterin system that is a component of the catalytic site of all molybdenum and tungsten enzymes possessing molybdopterin. The pyranopterin system possesses certain characteristics typical of tetrahydropterins, such as a reduced pyrazine ring; however, it behaves as a dihydropterin in redox reactions with oxidants. Titrations using ferricyanide and dichloroindophenol (DCIP) prove a 2e(-)/2H(+) stoichiometry for pyranopterin oxidations. Oxidations of pyranopterin by Fe(CN)(6)(3-) or DCIP are slower than tetrahydropterin oxidation under a variety of conditions, but are considerably faster than observed for oxidations of dihydropterin. The rate of …

Electronic Structural Investigations Of Bi- And Polymetallic Complexes Using Quantum Mechanical Methods, Zakiya Sheni Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the dynamics influencing chemical reactivity is essential for properly exploiting matter into more useful purposes. In that manner, computational chemistry is a tool frequently used to study chemical properties at the most intimate level, i.e. the single molecule.

With this work, we probe the chemistry governing a variety of multi-faceted bi- and polymetallic compounds. To date our research consists of four major projects: bimetallic rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation and aldehyde-water shift hydrocarboxylation catalysis; a novel linear M-H-M interaction in a bridged bis(dialkylphosphino)methane complex of nickel; and CeBe₁₃, a heavy fermion conductor. Computational investigations on these systems allow us to …

Stormwater Diversion As A Potential Coastal Wetland Restoration Method, Jennifer Howard Woods

LSU Master's Theses

The Barataria-Terrebonne estuary has been eroding at a rate of up to 103.6 km2 yr-1 for several decades. If the current rate of loss is not reduced, an additional 2,550 km2 of coastal wetlands will be lost by the year 2050. Currently, stormwater in Terrebonne Parish is pumped into canals, ultimately discharging into the Gulf of Mexico. An opportunity exists to use this stormwater for wetland restoration; however, the ecological impacts of stormwater diversions on wetlands are unknown. The objectives of this project were to 1) to investigate the seed banks of a degraded marsh to determine if a viable …

Detrital Tourmaline As An Indicator Of Provenance: A Chemical And Sedimentological Study Of Modern Sands From The Black Hills, South Dakota, David Brent Viator

LSU Master's Theses

Detrital tourmaline has proven useful as a provenance indicator mineral of ancient sedimentary/metasedimentary units due to its presence in many rock types, chemical responsiveness to environments of formation, complex and variable chemical compositions, high resistance to chemical and mechanical weathering, and stability through diagenesis and metamorphism. This study further establishes detrital tourmaline as a provenance indicator mineral by examining the chemical and sedimentological relationships between modern detrital tourmalines in the sediments of the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA, and in situ tourmalines from southern Black Hills’ tourmaline-bearing metasedimentary rocks, granites, and rare-element enriched pegmatites. Results show that detrital tourmaline is …

Water Resources Year In Review - Winter 2003, Annis Water Resource Institute

AWRI Reviews

No abstract provided.

Experimental Investigation Of Elemental Incorporation In The Otoliths Of Larval And Juvenile Fish: Implications For Use As Environmental Recorders, Gretchen Bath Martin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Innovative techniques for discerning fish stocks, identifying nursery habitats, locating spawning sites, tracing larval transport pathways, and quantifying the degree of population connectivity are required to meet the goals of sustainable management of marine capture fisheries. One of the most promising techniques is the use of elemental signatures in fish otoliths (ear stones), which record valuable life history data and serve as the link between fish and their environment. To validate the assumption that otolith elemental composition is a function of water elemental concentrations, and to address the possible effects of external variables such as temperature and salinity, the composition …

Development Of Diagnostic Approaches To Determine Sources Of Anthropogenic Stress Affecting Benthic Community Conditions In The Chesapeake Bay, Daniel M. Dauer, Michael F. Lane, Roberto J. Llansó

Benthic Applications

Benthic macrofauna are an important component of estuarine ecosystems. These organisms are a food source for higher trophic levels including fishes and crabs (Virnstein 1977, 1979; Holland et al. 1980; Dauer et al. 1982) and birds (Botton 1984; Quammen 1984). Benthic macrofauna affect both the physical and chemical properties of the sediment and the overlying water column (e.g., Rhoads and Young 1970; Rhoads 1973; Aller 1978, 1980), influence nutrient cycling (Rowe et al 1975; Zeiteschel 1980; Flint and Kamykowski 1984), and are capable of directly controlling phytoplankton biomass in the water column (Cleorn 1982; Officer et al 1982; Cohen et …

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

8 Miles And A Couple Of Antiparticles To Bridgewater State College, Edward Deveney

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Computer Animations On Secondary Students’ Understanding Of The Crushing Can Chemical Demonstration, Resa Marie Kelly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Understanding chemistry requires the ability to think at three different levels: submicrochemistry, macrochemistry, and representational chemistry. Students often have difficulty making connections among these three areas due to the abstract nature of many chemistry concepts. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how computer animations affected secondary students' understanding of the Crushing Can Demonstration. This investigation compared two groups of chemistry students at a large, suburban high school. The treatment group viewed the animation after seeing and discussing the crushing can demonstration, while the control group received the same instruction as the treatment group but did not see the …

Oceanographic Center Catalog 1999-2000, Nova Southeastern University

Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Portfolio Assessment In High School Chemistry, Mark M. Laporte

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This is a report of one high school chemistry teacher's experience of implementing portfolio assessment in his classroom. This project was carried out using a teacher as researcher model. The chemistry classes were p1imarily composed of 11th grade students in a rural midwestern high school setting. This thesis reviews some of the literature regarding alternative assessment focusing particularly on the literature related to portfolio assessment. The chemistry portfolio design is explained in detail including a rationale for each of the portfolio elements. The teacher developed nine portfolio elements of which the students were required to complete five. The nine elements …

Accurate Classification Of Juvenile Weakfish Cynoscion Regalis To Estuarine Nursery Areas Based On Chemical Signatures In Otoliths, Simon R. Thorrold, Cynthia M. Jones, Peter K. Swart, Timothy E. Targett

OES Faculty Publications

We investigated the ability of trace element and isotopic signatures in otoliths to record the nursery areas of juvenile (young-of-the-year) weakfish Cynoscion regalis from the east coast of the USA. Juvenile C. regalis were captured with otter trawls at multiple sites in Doboy Sound (Georgia), Pamlico Sound (North Carolina), Chesapeake Bay (Virginia), Delaware Bay (Delaware) and Peconic Bay (New York), from July to September 1996. One sagittal otolith from each specimen was assayed for Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), while delta 13 C and delta 18 O values from the other sagittal …

Status Of Aphis Vertebrate Pesticides And Drugs, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Edward W. Schafer Jr.

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 18th (1998)

The Wildlife Services (WS) Program manages wildlife/human conflicts by using an integrated approach employing some vertebrate pesticides. These are used in such small quantities that private industry cannot afford to register and produce them profitably. On behalf of WS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains about 30 federal and state pesticide registrations, containing seven active ingredients, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These include: the Compound 1080 Livestock Protection Collar, DRC-1339 Concentrates (Starlicide), Gas Cartridges (carbon and sodium nitrate), the M-44 (sodium cyanide), and a number of baits and concentrates containing Strychnine Alkaloid and Zinc Phosphide. …

Comparisons Of Trace Constituents From Ground Stations And The Dc-8 Aircraft During Pem-West B, Richard Arimoto, R A. Duce, J M. Prospero, D L. Savoie, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb, B J. Heikes, B J. Ray, N F. Lewis, U Tomza

Earth Sciences

Chemical data from ground stations in Asia and the North Pacific are compared with data from the DC-8 aircraft collected during the Pacific Exploratory Measurements in the Western Pacific Ocean (PEM-West B) mission. Ground station sampling took place on Hong Kong, Taiwan, Okinawa, and Cheju; and at three Pacific islands, Shemya, Midway, and Oahu. Aircraft samples were collected during 19 flights, most over the western North Pacific. Aluminum was used as an indicator of mineral aerosol, and even though the aircraft did sample Asian dust, strong dust storms were not encountered. The frequency distribution for non-sea-salt sulfate (nss SO_{4 …}

Development Of Solid Phase Microextraction Methods For Contraband Drugs, Vangielynn Cruz Tersol

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study is to develop analytical methods for studying contraband drugs at nanogram levels and to demonstrate the utility of the methods. A method which combines solid phase microextraction with ion mobility spectrometry (SPME-IMS) was developed. The SPME-IMS method was used as a rapid screening tool in studying the chemistry of cocaine HCI, heroin HCI, and heroin freebase on surfaces. The total time for sample preparation, reaction, and analysis is approximately seven minutes. Another method that was developed is one that combines solid phase microextraction with gas chromatography (SPME-GC) for the quantitative analysis of cocaine freebase and …

Global Perspective Of Nitrate Flux In Ice Cores, Qinzhao Yang, Paul A. Mayewski, Sallie I. Whitlow, Mark S. Twickler, Michael Morrison, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb, Ernst Linder

Earth Sciences

The relationships between the concentration and the flux of chemical species (Cl-, NO3 - , SO42-, Na +, K + , NH4 + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+) versus snow accumulation rate were examined at GISP2 and 20D in Greenland, Mount Logan from the St. Elias Range, Yukon Territory, Canada, and Sentik Glacier from the northwest end of the Zanskar Range in the Indian Himalayas. At all sites, only nitrate flux is significantly (a = 0.05) related to snow accumulation rate. Of all the chemical series, only nitrate concentration data are normally distributed. Therefore we suggest that nitrate concentration …

Atomic And Molecular-Perspectives In Electrochemical Interfaces, Zhaowu Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

The following recent studies on the atomic and molecular-perspectives at electrochemical interfaces using Raman, IR, STM and quantum chemical methed by electrochemistry group in Xiamen University are briefly reviewed. 1.Orientation, charge transfer and bonding of adsorbed molecules. 2. Adsorption effect, electrode potential effect and adatom effect on the electron populations and strength of intramolec ular bonds of the adsorbed molecules. 3. Detailed classification into various types (e. g., competitive, chemically inductive, physical inductive etc.) of coadsorption on electrodes according to the above-mentioned effects.  4. Single crystal face structure effect and adatom effect on the kinetics and the mechanisms of electrocatalytic …

Some Relationships Between Sedimentary Trace Metal Concentrations And Freshwater Phytoplankton And Sedimentary Diatom Species Composition, Allan Hayes Vogel

Dissertations and Theses

Sediments from 21 Oregon lakes were analyzed for seven metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, V) in three forms (exchangeable, organic+sulfides, and oxyhydroxides+ oxides+ carbonates) using a sequential fractionation procedure. The summer epilimnetic filterable concentration of an eighth (Mo) was also determined. Sedimentary diatom remains and summer phytoplankton populations of the lakes were correlated with the 22 metal parameters and with conservative water chemistry parameters, estimators of lake productivity, and watershed geology. Both the sedimentary metals and the two populations of primary producers correlated best with the ecoregions of Omernik and Gallant (1986). A number of species possessed correlations …

Contracts And Registration Studies, Donald J. Elias, Ray T. Sterner, Peter J. Savarbe

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

Public and governmental concerns about the health, safety, and environmental impacts of pesticides have led to increased regulatory requirements to determine the hazards and risks associated with their manufacture, distribution, and use. Vertebrate pesticides are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended. Much of the data required for registration of these pesticides will be generated by commercial testing laboratories under contract to the product registrants or sponsors. In this paper, we address aspects of the contract research process including: 1) an overview of FIFRA requirements, 2) the nature …

Profiles: Nelson Horatio Darton: His Surveys Laid The Foundation, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

No serious researcher studying the development of water resources in Nebraska, or for that matter in the central Great Plains, can overlook the works of Nelson Horatio Darton, the first geologist to study and publish about those resources in any detail. Darton originally published the names and characteristics of many hydrogeologic units beneath much of Nebraska, now used by groups as diverse as scientists, well drillers and the general public. These works are listed below. As an indication of the value of these early efforts, I have used these works for my research and can testify to their accuracy and …

Electrochemical Studies Of Swelling And Shrinking Of Clay Films, Jia Du

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

How Glp Provisions Influence Costs Of Rodenticide Field Evaluations, Richard M. Poche

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) guidelines were implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in August 1989. The purpose of the standards are to ensure the integrity of laboratory and field studies which are conducted in support of FIFRA permits and pesticide registrations. Since the advent of GLP requirements, the cost of conducting field trials has increased 40 to 200%, depending upon the type of study. The increased expenses associated with laboratory and field testing, coupled with reregistration expenses, and annual EPA and state registration maintenance fees, have placed a tremendous burden on smaller companies in the U.S.