Degree Department

Degree Discipline

Degree Level

45 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab.

Heavy-Ion Elastic Scattering (open access)

Heavy-Ion Elastic Scattering

The elastic scattering of C/sup 12/ ions from Ar, Fe, Ni, Ag/sup 107/ In, and Ta was measured as a function of angle, at a laboratory-system energy of 124.5 Mev with the Berkeley heavy-ion linear accelerator. The experimental equipment and techniques are discussed. The angular distributions show the same general behavior as previous heavy-ion elastic scattering experiments. The experimental data were analyzed with the semiclassical Blair model as modified by McIntyre. Very good agreement with experiment was obtained. The measurements were taken with 1% statistics in order to study the structure of the angular distributions in greater detail, because only by fitting the details in the structure was it possible to obtdin unambiguous sets of parameters. The parameters indicated a nuclear radius of 1.45A/sup 1/3/ x 10/sup -13/ cm, and a nearly constant surface thick ness of 1.6 x 10/sup -13/ cm. Total reaction cross sections were obtained. A rainbow-model analysis by Goldman of the data is given. Existing alpha - and heavy-ion scattering data were analyzed with the McIntyre model and compared with previous optical-model analyses of the same data. It was found that, by independent analysis, the two models give the same imaginary phase shifts for all partial …
Date: April 17, 1961
Creator: Alster, Jonas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the Inclusive Branching FractionsB(B^- to D^+ Pi^- Pi^-) and B(B^- to D*^+ Pi^- Pi^-) (open access)

Measurement of the Inclusive Branching FractionsB(B^- to D^+ Pi^- Pi^-) and B(B^- to D*^+ Pi^- Pi^-)

The D{sub J}{sup 0} is a family of four orbitally excited mesons: D*{sub 2}(2460){sup 0}, D{sub 1}(2420){sup 0}, D{sub 1}(j = 1/2){sup -}, and D*{sub 0}(j = 1/2){sup 0}. This dissertation presents the measurements of the inclusive branching fractions, {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}) and {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}). The D{sub J}{sup 0} provides an intermediate resonance for those two modes. The data used for this analysis consists of Runs 1-5 with total integrated luminosity of 343.38 fb{sup -1}, which is corresponding to 383.92 million B{bar B} pairs, provided by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory. The values presented are: {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}) = (1.12 {+-} 0.02 {+-} 0.08) x 10{sup -3}; {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D*{sup +}{pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup -}) = (1.67 {+-} 0.03 {+-} 0.13) x 10{sup -3}.
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Eschenburg, Vance Onno & U., /Mississippi
System: The UNT Digital Library
Time Dependent CP Asymmetries and Branching RatioMeasurements in Charmless Three Body B Decays at BABAR (open access)

Time Dependent CP Asymmetries and Branching RatioMeasurements in Charmless Three Body B Decays at BABAR

In this work we presented measurements of CP violation and decay rates of B decays in final states not involving a charm quark in the final state. In particular, the time-dependent CP asymmetries of decays which proceed through b {yields} s elementary transition is a particularly sensitive probe of physics beyond the Standard Model. In fact, even if the precise measurements of CP conserving and CP violating processes show the success of the CKM picture of the flavour physics, the sector of b {yields} s transitions is still not strongly constrained and leaves room for new physics contributions. In particular, we considered the decays which have the cleanest theoretical prediction within the Standard Model: B{sup 0} {yields} {phi}K{sup 0} and B{sup 0} {yields} K{sub s}{sup 0}K{sub s}{sup 0}K{sub s}{sup 0} {beta}{sub eff}{sup SM} = 0.379. We examined the former with a completely new approach with respect to the past: the study of CP violation in the whole K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sup 0} phase space through a time-dependent Dalitz plot analysis. With this approach, we simultaneously measured the CP-violating asymmetries of the {phi}KJ{sup 0}, f{sub 0}(980)K{sup 0} resonant and K{sup +}K{sup -}K{sup 0} non-resonant contributions, avoiding one of the largest uncertainties which …
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Di Marco, Emanuele & U., /Rome
System: The UNT Digital Library
Search for the Rare Decay B to pi l+l- in the BaBar Experiment (open access)

Search for the Rare Decay B to pi l+l- in the BaBar Experiment

The rare decay B {yields} {pi}{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} is the simplest manifestation of a b {yields} d{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) process. This type of process only proceeds through penguin loop or box diagrams and is sensitive to physics at the electroweak scale. It can be used to constrain parameters of the Standard Model and its extensions. B {yields} {pi}{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} events have not yet been observed; the branching fraction is expected to be an order of magnitude smaller than the measured branching fraction for the similar B {yields} K{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} decay. Using 230 million B{bar B} meson pairs collected with the BABAR detector, we have done a search for the rare decay B {yields} {pi}{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}. The data was produced in e+e? collision at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance in the PEP-II collider between 1999 and 2004. Four exclusive B-meson decay modes have been reconstructed: B{sup +} {yields} {pi}{sup +}{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} and B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup 0}{ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -}, where {ell}{sup +}{ell}{sup -} is either an electron pair (e{sup +}e{sup -}) or a muon pair ({mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}). We find no evidence for a signal, and we obtain upper limits on the branching fractions {Beta}. …
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Ofte, Ingrid
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Language for Specifying Compiler Optimizations for Generic Software (open access)

A Language for Specifying Compiler Optimizations for Generic Software

None
Date: December 17, 2007
Creator: Willcock, J J
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of CKM-angle gamma with Charmed B0 Meson Decays (open access)

Measurement of CKM-angle gamma with Charmed B0 Meson Decays

This thesis reports measurements of the time-dependent CP asymmetries in fully reconstructed B{sup 0} {yields} (D{sup (*){-+}} and B{sup 0} {yields} D{sup {-+}} {rho}{sup {+-}}) decays in approximately 232 million {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} events, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California, as published in Ref. [14]. The phenomenon of CP violation allows one to distinguish between matter and antimatter, and, as such, is one of the essential ingredients needed to explain the apparent abundance of matter over antimatter in the universe. The Standard Model describes the observed elementary particles in terms of three generations of quarks and leptons, as well as the weak, electromagnetic, and strong interactions between them. In the Standard Model, CP violation is incorporated in the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix, which describes the weak interactions between the quarks. The weak interactions between quarks are described by coupling constants that are functions of three real parameters and one irreducible complex phase. The magnitude of all CP violating effects in the Standard Model is related to this complex phase. The measurement of the CP violating phase of the CKM matrix is an important part of the present …
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Baak, Max Arjen & /Vrije U., Amsterdam
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mesure DU Rapport D'Embranchement ET DU Facteur Deforme DE La D_Sint_Gration b0 to Pilnu, ET D_Termination DE |Vub| Avec Unetechnique DE Reconstruction Rel_Ch_E DU Neutrinoac (open access)

Mesure DU Rapport D'Embranchement ET DU Facteur Deforme DE La D_Sint_Gration b0 to Pilnu, ET D_Termination DE |Vub| Avec Unetechnique DE Reconstruction Rel_Ch_E DU Neutrinoac

The authors report the results of a study of the exclusive charmless semileptonic decay, B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}, undertaken with approximately 227 million B{bar B} pairs collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. The analysis uses events in which the signal B decays are reconstructed with an innovative loose neutrino reconstruction technique. They obtain partial branching fractions in 12 bins of q{sup 2}, the momentum transfer squared, from which they extract the f{sub +}(q{sup 2}) form-factor shape and the total branching fraction {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.46 {+-} 0.07{sub stat} {+-} 0.08{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. Based on a recent unquenched lattice QCD calculation of the form factor in the range q{sup 2} > 16 GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 4}, they find the magnitude of the CKM matrix element |V{sub ub}| to be (4.1 {+-} 0.2{sub stat} {+-} 0.2{sub syst{sub -0.4}{sup +0.6}FF}) x 10{sup -3}, where the last uncertainty is due to the normalization of the form factor.
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Cote, David & U., /Montreal
System: The UNT Digital Library
Study of the Systems Ds+ Pi+ Pi+, Ds+ Pi- And Ds+ Pi+ in C Anti-C Fragmentation (open access)

Study of the Systems Ds+ Pi+ Pi+, Ds+ Pi- And Ds+ Pi+ in C Anti-C Fragmentation

None
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Pelizaeus, Marc & /Ruhr U., Bochum
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurements of Branching Fraction and CP Violation inB Meson Rare Decays to Final States containing eta or eta' Mesons in the BaBar Experiment at SLAC (open access)

Measurements of Branching Fraction and CP Violation inB Meson Rare Decays to Final States containing eta or eta' Mesons in the BaBar Experiment at SLAC

Note that the main goal of this thesis work is the measurement of the branching fractions, charge asymmetry, and Time-Dependent CP Violation in {eta}'K{sup 0} mode. All other measurements are reported here for completion because they are connected by similar physics arguments. They are part of the Milan analysis activity, done by undergraduate students. They should not be considered as done in this thesis work. The measurements of the two body-modes {eta}{eta}, {eta}{phi}, and {eta}'{phi} are used to determine a theoretical bound based on SU(3) flavor symmetry for the difference between SM prediction and the experimental measurements of CP violation parameters in b {yields} s loop-dominated modes. In general for this estimation we need to measure the branching fractions (or upper limits) of neutral B decays to two-body modes with {eta}', {eta}, {phi}, {omega}, {pi}{sup 0}, K{sup 0}, K*{sup 0} [13, 14, 15, 16]. There is an important issue related to the branching fractions of {eta}'K (charged and neutral) modes. Since the discover of B {yields} {eta}'K in 1997 [17] with high branching fraction (higher than expected), it was found that the corresponding mode with {eta} is suppressed. This fact was pointed out by Lipkin in 1991 [18]. In particular, …
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Lazzaro, Alfio & U., /Milan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Optical properties and electronic structures of d- and f-electron metals and alloys, Ag-In, Ni-Cu, AuGa sub 2 , PtGa sub 2 ,. beta. prime -NiAl,. beta. prime -CoAl, CeSn sub 3 , and LaSn sub 3 (open access)

Optical properties and electronic structures of d- and f-electron metals and alloys, Ag-In, Ni-Cu, AuGa sub 2 , PtGa sub 2 ,. beta. prime -NiAl,. beta. prime -CoAl, CeSn sub 3 , and LaSn sub 3

Optical properties and electronic structures of disordered Ag{sub 1- x}In{sub x}(x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12) and Ni{sub 1-x}Cu{sub x} (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.4) alloys and ordered AuGa{sub 2}, PtGa{sub 2}, {beta}{prime}-NiAl, {beta}{prime}-CoAl, CeSn{sub 3}, and LaSn{sub 3} have been studied. The complex dielectric functions have been determined for Ag{sub 1-x}In{sub x}, Ni{sub 1-x}Cu{sub x}, AuGa{sub 2}, and PtGa{sub 2} in the 1.2--5.5 eV region and for CeSn{sub 3} and LaSn{sub 3} in the 1.5--4.5 eV region using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Self-consistent relativistic band calculations using the linearized-augmented-plane-wave method have been performed for AuGa{sub 2}, PtGa{sub 2}, {beta}{prime}-NiAl, {beta}{prime}-CoAl, CeSn{sub 3}, and LaSn{sub 3} to interpret the experimental optical spectra.
Date: October 17, 1990
Creator: Kim, Kwang Joo
System: The UNT Digital Library
Analysis of the Interaction of 300-Mev Neutrons with Xenon (open access)

Analysis of the Interaction of 300-Mev Neutrons with Xenon

Abstract: And investigation of the interactions between 300-Mev neutrons and xenon was made by means of a cloud chamber in a pulsed magnetic field of 21,700 gauss placed in the neutron beam of the 184-inch Berkeley cyclotron. Eighty-seven negative pion events and 257 other stars were analyzed. In addition an experimental check was made on the energy of the incoming neutrons. Classification, identification, and angular and energy distributions of prongs associated with all events are presented. Interpretations of results are given.
Date: October 17, 1956
Creator: Morris, Richard Herbert, 1928-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches (open access)

Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

Photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) have been investigated since the late 1970s. Some devices have been developed that withstand tens of kilovolts and others that switch hundreds of amperes. However, no single device has been developed that can reliably withstand both high voltage and switch high current. Yet, photoconductive switches still hold the promise of reliable high voltage and high current operation with subnanosecond risetimes. Particularly since good quality, bulk, single crystal, wide bandgap semiconductor materials have recently become available. In this chapter we will review the basic operation of PCSS devices, status of PCSS devices and properties of the wide bandgap semiconductors 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 2H-GaN.
Date: January 17, 2012
Creator: Sullivan, J S
System: The UNT Digital Library
Scientist-Teacher Partnerships as Professional Development: An Action Research Study (open access)

Scientist-Teacher Partnerships as Professional Development: An Action Research Study

SUBMITTED AS A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IN COMPLETION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF ED.D THROUGH WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. The overall purpose of this action research study was to explore the experiences of ten middle school science teachers involved in a three-year partnership program between scientists and teachers at a Department of Energy national laboratory, including the impact of the program on their professional development, and to improve the partnership program by developing a set of recommendations based on the study’s findings. This action research study relied on qualitative data including field notes recorded at the summer academies and data from two focus groups with teachers and scientists. Additionally, the participating teachers submitted written reflections in science notebooks, participated in open-ended telephone interviews that were transcribed verbatim, and wrote journal summaries to the Department of Energy at the end of the summer academy. The analysis of the data, collaboratively examined by the teachers, the scientists, and the science education specialist acting as co-researchers on the project, revealed five elements critical to the success of the professional development of science teachers. First, scientist-teacher partnerships are a unique contribution to the professional development of teachers of science that is not replicated in other …
Date: April 17, 2009
Creator: Willcuts, Meredith H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION OF 300-Mev NEUTRONS WITH XENON (open access)

ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION OF 300-Mev NEUTRONS WITH XENON

An investigation of the interactions between 300-Mev neutrons and xenon was made by means of a cloud chamber in a pulsed magnetic field of 21,700 gauss placed in the neutron beam of the 184-inch Berkeley cyclotron. Eighty-seven negative pion events and 257 other stars were analyzed. In addition an experimental check was made on the energy of the incoming neutrons. Classification, identification, and angular and energy distributions of prongs associated with all events are presented. Interpretations of results are given.
Date: October 17, 1956
Creator: Morris, Richard Herbert.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Behavior of the Diamond Difference and Low-Order Nodal Numerical Transport Methods in the Thick Diffusion Limit for Slab Geometry (open access)

Behavior of the Diamond Difference and Low-Order Nodal Numerical Transport Methods in the Thick Diffusion Limit for Slab Geometry

The objective of this work is to investigate the thick diffusion limit of various spatial discretizations of the one-dimensional, steady-state, monoenergetic, discrete ordinates neutron transport equation. This work specifically addresses the two lowest order nodal methods, AHOT-N0 and AHOT-N1, as well as reconsiders the asymptotic limit of the Diamond Difference method. The asymptotic analyses of the AHOT-N0 and AHOT-N1 nodal methods show that AHOT-N0 does not possess the thick diffusion limit for cell edge or cell average fluxes except under very limiting conditions, which is to be expected considering the AHOT-N0 method limits to the Step method in the thick diffusion limit. The AHOT-N1 method, which uses a linear in-cell representation of the flux, was shown to possess the thick diffusion limit for both cell average and cell edge fluxes. The thick diffusion limit of the DD method, including the boundary conditions, was derived entirely in terms of cell average scalar fluxes. It was shown that, for vacuum boundaries, only when {sigma}{sub t}, h, and Q are constant and {sigma}{sub a} = 0 is the asymptotic limit of the DD method close to the finite-differenced diffusion equation in the system interior, and that the boundary conditions between the systems will …
Date: April 17, 2007
Creator: Gill, D. F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemistry of the Colloidal Group II-VI Nanocrystal Synthesis (open access)

Chemistry of the Colloidal Group II-VI Nanocrystal Synthesis

In the last two decades, the field of nanoscience andnanotechnology has witnessed tremendous advancement in the synthesis andapplication of group II-VI colloidal nanocrystals. The synthesis based onhigh temperature decomposition of organometallic precursors has becomeone of the most successful methods of making group II-VI colloidalnanocrystals. This method is first demonstrated by Bawendi and coworkersin 1993 to prepare cadmium chalcogenide colloidal quantum dots and laterextended by others to prepare other group II-VI quantum dots as well asanisotropic shaped colloidal nanocrystals, such as nanorod and tetrapod.This dissertation focuses on the chemistry of this type of nanocrystalsynthesis. The synthesis of group II-VI nanocrystals was studied bycharacterizing the molecular structures of the precursors and productsand following their time evolution in the synthesis. Based on theseresults, a mechanism was proposed to account for the 2 reaction betweenthe precursors that presumably produces monomer for the growth ofnanocrystals. Theoretical study based on density functional theorycalculations revealed the detailed free energy landscape of the precursordecomposition and monomerformation pathway. Based on the proposedreaction mechanism, a new synthetic method was designed that uses wateras a novel reagent to control the diameter and the aspect ratio of CdSeand CdS nanorods.
Date: May 17, 2007
Creator: Liu, Haitao
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of D0 lifetime with the BaBar detector (open access)

Measurement of D0 lifetime with the BaBar detector

This work is the result of the researchers carried out during a three years Ph.D. period in the BABAR experiment. The first chapter consists in an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the D{sup 0} meson lifetime determination and CP violation parameters, as well as an overview of the CP violation in the B sector, which is the main topic of the experiment. The description of the experimental apparatus follows with particular attention to the Silicon Vertex Tracker detector, the most critical detector for the determination of decay vertices and thus of lifetimes and time dependent CP violation asymmetries. In the fourth chapter the operation and running of the vertex detector is described, as a result from the experience as Operation Manager of the SVT, with particular attention to the safety of the device and the data quality assurance. The last chapter is dedicated to the determination of the D{sup 0} meson lifetime with the BABAR detector, which is the main data analysis carried out by the candidate. The analysis is characterized by the selection of an extremely pure sample of D{sup 0} mesons for which the decay flight length and proper time is reconstructed. The description of the unbinned …
Date: December 17, 2009
Creator: Simi, Gabriele & /SLAC, /Pisa U.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the B-bar 0 to D^* l ^- nu-bar Branching Fraction with a Partial Reconstruction Technique (open access)

Measurement of the B-bar 0 to D^* l ^- nu-bar Branching Fraction with a Partial Reconstruction Technique

Presented is a precise measurement of the {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} branching fraction using 81.47 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} storage ring at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The measurement was performed by partially reconstructing the D*{sup +} meson from {bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} decays using only the soft pion of the D*{sup +} {yields} D{sup 0}{pi}{sup +} decay to reconstruct its four vector. The branching fraction was measured to be {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D*{sup +}{ell}{sup -}{bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (4.91 {+-} 0.01{sub stat} {+-} 0.15{sub syst})%.
Date: December 17, 2009
Creator: Sonnek, Peter & U., /Mississippi
System: The UNT Digital Library
Grain boundary structure and solute segregation in titanium-doped sapphire bicrystals (open access)

Grain boundary structure and solute segregation in titanium-doped sapphire bicrystals

Solute segregation to ceramic grain boundaries governs material processing and microstructure evolution, and can strongly influence material properties critical to engineering performance. Understanding the evolution and implications of grain boundary chemistry is a vital component in the greater effort to engineer ceramics with controlled microstructures. This study examines solute segregation to engineered grain boundaries in titanium-doped sapphire (Al2O3) bicrystals, and explores relationships between grain boundary structure and chemistry at the nanometer scale using spectroscopic and imaging techniques in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results demonstrate dramatic changes in solute segregation stemming from small fluctuations in grain boundary plane and structure. Titanium and silicon solute species exhibit strong tendencies to segregate to non-basal and basal grain boundary planes, respectively. Evidence suggests that grain boundary faceting occurs in low-angle twis t boundaries to accommodate nonequilibrium solute segregation related to slow specimen cooling rates, while faceting of tilt grain boundaries often occurs to expose special planes of the coincidence site lattice (CSL). Moreover, quantitative analysis of grain boundary chemistry indicates preferential segregation of charged defects to grain boundary dislocations. These results offer direct proof that static dislocations in ionic materials can assume a net charge, and emphasize the importance of interactions between charged …
Date: May 17, 2002
Creator: Taylor, Seth T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
ATCOM: Automatically Tuned Collective Communication System for SMP Clusters (open access)

ATCOM: Automatically Tuned Collective Communication System for SMP Clusters

Conventional implementations of collective communications are based on point-to-point communications, and their optimizations have been focused on efficiency of those communication algorithms. However, point-to-point communications are not the optimal choice for modern computing clusters of SMPs due to their two-level communication structure. In recent years, a few research efforts have investigated efficient collective communications for SMP clusters. This dissertation is focused on platform-independent algorithms and implementations in this area. There are two main approaches to implementing efficient collective communications for clusters of SMPs: using shared memory operations for intra-node communications, and overlapping inter-node/intra-node communications. The former fully utilizes the hardware based shared memory of an SMP, and the latter takes advantage of the inherent hierarchy of the communications within a cluster of SMPs. Previous studies focused on clusters of SMP from certain vendors. However, the previously proposed methods are not portable to other systems. Because the performance optimization issue is very complicated and the developing process is very time consuming, it is highly desired to have self-tuning, platform-independent implementations. As proven in this dissertation, such an implementation can significantly out-perform the other point-to-point based portable implementations and some platform-specific implementations. The dissertation describes in detail the architecture of the platform-independent …
Date: December 17, 2005
Creator: Wu, Meng-Shiou
System: The UNT Digital Library
Giant Magnetoresistive Sensors and Magnetic Labels for Chip-Scale Detection of Immunosorbent Assays (open access)

Giant Magnetoresistive Sensors and Magnetic Labels for Chip-Scale Detection of Immunosorbent Assays

The combination of giant magnetoresistive sensors, magnetic labeling strategies, and biomolecule detection is just beginning to be explored. New readout methods and assay formats are necessary for biomolecules detection to flourish. The work presented in this dissertation describes steps toward the creation of a novel detection method for bioassays utilizing giant magnetoresistive sensors as the readout method. The introduction section contains a brief review of some of the current methods of bioassay readout. The theoretical underpinnings of the giant magnetoresistive effect are also discussed. Finally, the more prominent types of giant magnetoresistive sensors are described, as well as their complicated fabrication. Four data chapters follow the introduction; each chapter is presented as a separate manuscript, either already published or soon to be submitted. Chapter 1 presents research efforts toward the production of a bioassay on the surface of a gold-modified GMR sensor. The testing of this methodology involved the capture of goat a-mouse-coated magnetic nanoparticles on the mouse IgG-modified gold surface. The second, third and fourth chapters describe the utilization of a self-referenced sample stick for scanning across the GMR sensor. The sample stick consisted of alternating magnetic reference and bioactive gold addresses. Chapter 2 is concerned with the characterization …
Date: December 17, 2005
Creator: Millen, Rachel Lora
System: The UNT Digital Library
Balancing a U-Shaped Assembly Line by Applying Nested Partitions Method (open access)

Balancing a U-Shaped Assembly Line by Applying Nested Partitions Method

In this study, we applied the Nested Partitions method to a U-line balancing problem and conducted experiments to evaluate the application. From the results, it is quite evident that the Nested Partitions method provided near optimal solutions (optimal in some cases). Besides, the execution time is quite short as compared to the Branch and Bound algorithm. However, for larger data sets, the algorithm took significantly longer times for execution. One of the reasons could be the way in which the random samples are generated. In the present study, a random sample is a solution in itself which requires assignment of tasks to various stations. The time taken to assign tasks to stations is directly proportional to the number of tasks. Thus, if the number of tasks increases, the time taken to generate random samples for the different regions also increases. The performance index for the Nested Partitions method in the present study was the number of stations in the random solutions (samples) generated. The total idle time for the samples can be used as another performance index. ULINO method is known to have used a combination of bounds to come up with good solutions. This approach of combining different performance …
Date: December 17, 2005
Creator: Bhagwat, Nikhil V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Subunits of highly Fluorescent Protein R-Phycoerythrin as Probes for Cell Imaging and Single-Molecule Detection (open access)

Subunits of highly Fluorescent Protein R-Phycoerythrin as Probes for Cell Imaging and Single-Molecule Detection

The purposes of our research were: (1) To characterize subunits of highly fluorescent protein R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE) and check their suitability for single-molecule detection (SMD) and cell imaging, (2) To extend the use of R-PE subunits through design of similar proteins that will be used as probes for microscopy and spectral imaging in a single cell, and (3) To demonstrate a high-throughput spectral imaging method that will rival spectral flow cytometry in the analysis of individual cells. We first demonstrated that R-PE subunits have spectroscopic and structural characteristics that make them suitable for SMD. Subunits were isolated from R-PE by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detected as single molecules by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). In addition, R-PE subunits and their enzymatic digests were characterized by several separation and detection methods including HPLC, capillary electrophoresis, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and HPLC-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Favorable absorption and fluorescence of the R-PE subunits and digest peptides originate from phycoerythrobilin (PEB) and phycourobilin (PUB) chromophores that are covalently attached to cysteine residues. High absorption coefficients and strong fluorescence (even under denaturing conditions), broad excitation and emission fluorescence spectra in the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum, and relatively low molecular …
Date: December 17, 2005
Creator: Isailovic, Dragan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sampling for Beryllium Surface Contamination using Wet, Dry and Alcohol Wipe Sampling (open access)

Sampling for Beryllium Surface Contamination using Wet, Dry and Alcohol Wipe Sampling

This research project was conducted at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Kansas City Plant, operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, in conjunction with the Safety Sciences Department of Central Missouri State University, to compare relative removal efficiencies of three wipe sampling techniques currently used at Department of Energy facilities. Efficiencies of removal of beryllium contamination from typical painted surfaces were tested by wipe sampling with dry Whatman 42 filter paper, with water-moistened (Ghost Wipe) materials, and by methanol-moistened wipes. Test plates were prepared using 100 mm X 15 mm Pyrex Petri dishes with interior surfaces spray painted with a bond coat primer. To achieve uniform deposition over the test plate surface, 10 ml aliquots of solution containing 1 beryllium and 0.1 ml of metal working fluid were transferred to the test plates and subsequently evaporated. Metal working fluid was added to simulate the slight oiliness common on surfaces in metal working shops where fugitive oil mist accumulates over time. Sixteen test plates for each wipe method (dry, water, and methanol) were processed and sampled using a modification of wiping patterns recommended by OSHA Method 125G. Laboratory and statistical analysis showed that methanol-moistened wipe sampling removed significantly more (about twice …
Date: December 17, 2004
Creator: Kerr, Kent
System: The UNT Digital Library