Nuclear-level densities in the {sup 49}V and {sup 57}Co nuclei on the basis of evaporated-neutron spectra in (p, n) and (d, n) reactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuravlev, B. V., E-mail: zhurav@ippe.ru; Titarenko, N. N.

The spectra of neutrons from the reactions {sup 49}Ti(p, n){sup 49}V and {sup 57}Fe (p, n){sup 57}Co were measured in the range of proton energies between 8 and 11 MeV along with their counterparts from the reactions {sup 48}Ti(d, n){sup 49}V and {sup 56}Fe (d, n){sup 57}Co at the deuteron energies of 2.7 and 3.8 MeV. These measurements were conducted with the aid of a time-of-flight fast-neutron spectrometer on the basis of the EGP-15 pulsed tandem accelerator of the Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE, Obninsk). An analysis of measured data was performed within the statistical equilibrium and preequilibriummore » models of nuclear reactions. The respective calculations based on the Hauser–Feshbach formalism of statistical theory were carried out with nuclear-level densities given by the generalized superfluid model of the nucleus, the backshifted Fermi-gas model, and the Gilbert–Cameron composite formula. The nuclear-level densities of {sup 49}V and {sup 57}Co and their energy dependences were determined. The results were discussed together with available experimental data and data recommended by model systematics.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Zhang, Chunli; Nazarewicz, Witold

Nuclear density functional theory is the tool of choice in describing properties of complex nuclei and intricate phases of bulk nucleonic matter. It is a microscopic approach based on an energy density functional representing the nuclear interaction. An attractive feature of nuclear DFT is that it can be applied to both finite nuclei and pasta phases appearing in the inner crust of neutron stars. While nuclear pasta clusters in a neutron star can be easily characterized through their density distributions, the level of clustering of nucleons in a nucleus can often be difficult to assess. To this end, we usemore » the concept of nucleon localization. We demonstrate that the localization measure provides us with fingerprints of clusters in light and heavy nuclei, including fissioning systems. Furthermore we investigate the rod-like pasta phase using twist-averaged boundary conditions, which enable calculations in finite volumes accessible by state of the art DFT solvers.« less

Experimental signature of collective enhancement in nuclear level density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Deepak; Bhattacharya, Srijit; Mondal, Debasish; Roy, Pratap; Banerjee, K.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Pal, Surajit; De, A.; Dey, Balaram; Banerjee, S. R.

2018-04-01

We present a probable experimental signature of collective enhancement in the nuclear level density (NLD) by measuring the neutron and the giant dipole resonance (GDR) γ rays emitted from the rare-earth 169Tm compound nucleus populated at 26.1 MeV excitation energy. An enhanced yield is observed in both neutron and γ -ray spectra corresponding to the same excitation energy in the daughter nuclei. The enhancement could only be reproduced by including a collective enhancement factor in the Fermi gas model of NLD to explain the neutron and GDR spectra simultaneously. The experimental results show that the relative enhancement factor is of the order of 10 and the fadeout occurs at ˜14 MeV excitation energy, much before the commonly accepted transition from deformed to spherical shape. We also explain how the collective enhancement contribution changes the inverse level density parameter k from 8 to 9.5 MeV observed recently in several deformed nuclei.

Protamine ratio and the level of histone retention in sperm selected from a density gradient preparation.

PubMed

Hammoud, S; Liu, L; Carrell, D T

2009-04-01

Fertile males express two forms of sperm nuclear proteins, protamine 1 (P1) and protamine 2 (P2), in roughly equal quantities, whereas some infertile men have been shown to have a reduction in protamine content and an increase in the level of histones retained in mature sperm. In this study, we assessed histone and protamine levels in spermatozoa isolated from different layers of a density gradient centrifugation column to evaluate the nuclear protein content of the sperm population selected. Protamine levels were measured using acid gel electrophoresis and immunofluorescence, and the percentage of cells retaining histones was evaluated using aniline staining and immunofluorescence. Our data suggests that there is an inverse correlation between P1/P2 ratio and the level of histone expression in the different layers of the density gradient. Paradoxically, the 90% layer had a lower P1/P2 ratio, which corresponded with an increase in histone expression. It is concluded that although the sperm population selected in the 90% layer of the density gradient columns had a lower P1/P2 ratio, it was yet similar to the P1/P2 ratio observed in previously screened fertile donors.

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi; Perez, Rodrigo Navarro; Schunck, Nicolas

2018-04-01

We present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called "SeaLL1" that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ɛr=0.022 fm and a standard deviation σr=0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body (NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body (NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. We identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi

Inmore » this paper, we present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called “SeaLL1” that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ε r = 0.022 fm and a standard deviation σ r = 0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body ( NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body ( NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. Finally, we identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.« less

Minimal nuclear energy density functional

DOE PAGES

Bulgac, Aurel; Forbes, Michael McNeil; Jin, Shi; ...

2018-04-17

Inmore » this paper, we present a minimal nuclear energy density functional (NEDF) called “SeaLL1” that has the smallest number of possible phenomenological parameters to date. SeaLL1 is defined by seven significant phenomenological parameters, each related to a specific nuclear property. It describes the nuclear masses of even-even nuclei with a mean energy error of 0.97 MeV and a standard deviation of 1.46 MeV , two-neutron and two-proton separation energies with rms errors of 0.69 MeV and 0.59 MeV respectively, and the charge radii of 345 even-even nuclei with a mean error ε r = 0.022 fm and a standard deviation σ r = 0.025 fm . SeaLL1 incorporates constraints on the equation of state (EoS) of pure neutron matter from quantum Monte Carlo calculations with chiral effective field theory two-body ( NN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to-next-to leading order (N3LO) level and three-body ( NNN ) interactions at the next-to-next-to leading order (N2LO) level. Two of the seven parameters are related to the saturation density and the energy per particle of the homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter, one is related to the nuclear surface tension, two are related to the symmetry energy and its density dependence, one is related to the strength of the spin-orbit interaction, and one is the coupling constant of the pairing interaction. Finally, we identify additional phenomenological parameters that have little effect on ground-state properties but can be used to fine-tune features such as the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule, the excitation energy of the giant dipole and Gamow-Teller resonances, the static dipole electric polarizability, and the neutron skin thickness.« less

Effect of broken axial symmetry on the electric dipole strength and the collective enhancement of level densities in heavy nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosse, E.; Junghans, A. R.; Wilson, J. N.

2017-11-01

The basic parameters for calculations of radiative neutron capture, photon strength functions and nuclear level densities near the neutron separation energy are determined based on experimental data without an ad hoc assumption about axial symmetry—at variance to previous analysis. Surprisingly few global fit parameters are needed in addition to information on nuclear deformation, taken from Hartree Fock Bogolyubov calculations with the Gogny force, and the generator coordinator method assures properly defined angular momentum. For a large number of nuclei the GDR shapes and the photon strength are described by the sum of three Lorentzians, extrapolated to low energies and normalised in accordance to the dipole sum rule. Level densities are influenced strongly by the significant collective enhancement based on the breaking of shape symmetry. The replacement of axial symmetry by the less stringent requirement of invariance against rotation by 180° leads to a novel prediction for radiative neutron capture. It compares well to recent compilations of average radiative widths and Maxwellian average cross sections for neutron capture by even target nuclei. An extension to higher spin promises a reliable prediction for various compound nuclear reactions also outside the valley of stability. Such predictions are of high importance for future nuclear energy systems and waste transmutation as well as for the understanding of the cosmic synthesis of heavy elements.

Microscopically based energy density functionals for nuclei using the density matrix expansion. II. Full optimization and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarro Pérez, R.; Schunck, N.; Dyhdalo, A.; Furnstahl, R. J.; Bogner, S. K.

2018-05-01

Background: Energy density functional methods provide a generic framework to compute properties of atomic nuclei starting from models of nuclear potentials and the rules of quantum mechanics. Until now, the overwhelming majority of functionals have been constructed either from empirical nuclear potentials such as the Skyrme or Gogny forces, or from systematic gradient-like expansions in the spirit of the density functional theory for atoms. Purpose: We seek to obtain a usable form of the nuclear energy density functional that is rooted in the modern theory of nuclear forces. We thus consider a functional obtained from the density matrix expansion of local nuclear potentials from chiral effective field theory. We propose a parametrization of this functional carefully calibrated and validated on selected ground-state properties that is suitable for large-scale calculations of nuclear properties. Methods: Our energy functional comprises two main components. The first component is a non-local functional of the density and corresponds to the direct part (Hartree term) of the expectation value of local chiral potentials on a Slater determinant. Contributions to the mean field and the energy of this term are computed by expanding the spatial, finite-range components of the chiral potential onto Gaussian functions. The second component is a local functional of the density and is obtained by applying the density matrix expansion to the exchange part (Fock term) of the expectation value of the local chiral potential. We apply the UNEDF2 optimization protocol to determine the coupling constants of this energy functional. Results: We obtain a set of microscopically constrained functionals for local chiral potentials from leading order up to next-to-next-to-leading order with and without three-body forces and contributions from Δ excitations. These functionals are validated on the calculation of nuclear and neutron matter, nuclear mass tables, single-particle shell structure in closed-shell nuclei, and the fission barrier of 240Pu. Quantitatively, they perform noticeably better than the more phenomenological Skyrme functionals. Conclusions: The inclusion of higher-order terms in the chiral perturbation expansion seems to produce a systematic improvement in predicting nuclear binding energies while the impact on other observables is not really significant. This result is especially promising since all the fits have been performed at the single-reference level of the energy density functional approach, where important collective correlations such as center-of-mass correction, rotational correction, or zero-point vibrational energies have not been taken into account yet.

The ZO-1–associated Y-box factor ZONAB regulates epithelial cell proliferation and cell density

PubMed Central

Balda, Maria S.; Garrett, Michelle D.; Matter, Karl

2003-01-01

Epithelial tight junctions regulate paracellular permeability, restrict apical/basolateral intramembrane diffusion of lipids, and have been proposed to participate in the control of epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Previously, we have identified ZO-1–associated nucleic acid binding proteins (ZONAB), a Y-box transcription factor whose nuclear localization and transcriptional activity is regulated by the tight junction–associated candidate tumor suppressor ZO-1. Now, we found that reduction of ZONAB expression using an antisense approach or by RNA interference strongly reduced proliferation of MDCK cells. Transfection of wild-type or ZONAB-binding fragments of ZO-1 reduced proliferation as well as nuclear ZONAB pools, indicating that promotion of proliferation by ZONAB requires its nuclear accumulation. Overexpression of ZONAB resulted in increased cell density in mature monolayers, and depletion of ZONAB or overexpression of ZO-1 reduced cell density. ZONAB was found to associate with cell division kinase (CDK) 4, and reduction of nuclear ZONAB levels resulted in reduced nuclear CDK4. Thus, our data indicate that tight junctions can regulate epithelial cell proliferation and cell density via a ZONAB/ZO-1–based pathway. Although this regulatory process may also involve regulation of transcription by ZONAB, our data suggest that one mechanism by which ZONAB and ZO-1 influence proliferation is by regulating the nuclear accumulation of CDK4. PMID:12566432

Four-Component Relativistic Density-Functional Theory Calculations of Nuclear Spin-Rotation Constants: Relativistic Effects in p-Block Hydrides.

PubMed

Komorovsky, Stanislav; Repisky, Michal; Malkin, Elena; Demissie, Taye B; Ruud, Kenneth

2015-08-11

We present an implementation of the nuclear spin-rotation (SR) constants based on the relativistic four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. This formalism has been implemented in the framework of the Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham theory, allowing assessment of both pure and hybrid exchange-correlation functionals. In the density-functional theory (DFT) implementation of the response equations, a noncollinear generalized gradient approximation (GGA) has been used. The present approach enforces a restricted kinetic balance condition for the small-component basis at the integral level, leading to very efficient calculations of the property. We apply the methodology to study relativistic effects on the spin-rotation constants by performing calculations on XHn (n = 1-4) for all elements X in the p-block of the periodic table and comparing the effects of relativity on the nuclear SR tensors to that observed for the nuclear magnetic shielding tensors. Correlation effects as described by the density-functional theory are shown to be significant for the spin-rotation constants, whereas the differences between the use of GGA and hybrid density functionals are much smaller. Our calculated relativistic spin-rotation constants at the DFT level of theory are only in fair agreement with available experimental data. It is shown that the scaling of the relativistic effects for the spin-rotation constants (varying between Z(3.8) and Z(4.5)) is as strong as for the chemical shieldings but with a much smaller prefactor.

Network signatures of nuclear and cytoplasmic density alterations in a model of pre and postmetastatic colorectal cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damania, Dhwanil; Subramanian, Hariharan; Backman, Vadim; Anderson, Eric C.; Wong, Melissa H.; McCarty, Owen J. T.; Phillips, Kevin G.

2014-01-01

Cells contributing to the pathogenesis of cancer possess cytoplasmic and nuclear structural alterations that accompany their aberrant genetic, epigenetic, and molecular perturbations. Although it is known that architectural changes in primary and metastatic tumor cells can be quantified through variations in cellular density at the nanometer and micrometer spatial scales, the interdependent relationships among nuclear and cytoplasmic density as a function of tumorigenic potential has not been thoroughly investigated. We present a combined optical approach utilizing quantitative phase microscopy and partial wave spectroscopic microscopy to perform parallel structural characterizations of cellular architecture. Using the isogenic SW480 and SW620 cell lines as a model of pre and postmetastatic transition in colorectal cancer, we demonstrate that nuclear and cytoplasmic nanoscale disorder, micron-scale dry mass content, mean dry mass density, and shape metrics of the dry mass density histogram are uniquely correlated within and across different cellular compartments for a given cell type. The correlations of these physical parameters can be interpreted as networks whose nodal importance and level of connection independence differ according to disease stage. This work demonstrates how optically derived biophysical parameters are linked within and across different cellular compartments during the architectural orchestration of the metastatic phenotype.

A high-performance Fortran code to calculate spin- and parity-dependent nuclear level densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen'kov, R. A.; Horoi, M.; Zelevinsky, V. G.

2013-01-01

A high-performance Fortran code is developed to calculate the spin- and parity-dependent shell model nuclear level densities. The algorithm is based on the extension of methods of statistical spectroscopy and implies exact calculation of the first and second Hamiltonian moments for different configurations at fixed spin and parity. The proton-neutron formalism is used. We have applied the method for calculating the level densities for a set of nuclei in the sd-, pf-, and pf+g- model spaces. Examples of the calculations for 28Si (in the sd-model space) and 64Ge (in the pf+g-model space) are presented. To illustrate the power of the method we estimate the ground state energy of 64Ge in the larger model space pf+g, which is not accessible to direct shell model diagonalization due to the prohibitively large dimension, by comparing with the nuclear level densities at low excitation energy calculated in the smaller model space pf. Program summaryProgram title: MM Catalogue identifier: AENM_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AENM_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 193181 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1298585 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 90, MPI. Computer: Any architecture with a Fortran 90 compiler and MPI. Operating system: Linux. RAM: Proportional to the system size, in our examples, up to 75Mb Classification: 17.15. External routines: MPICH2 (http://www.mcs.anl.gov/research/projects/mpich2/) Nature of problem: Calculating of the spin- and parity-dependent nuclear level density. Solution method: The algorithm implies exact calculation of the first and second Hamiltonian moments for different configurations at fixed spin and parity. The code is parallelized using the Message Passing Interface and a master-slaves dynamical load-balancing approach. Restrictions: The program uses two-body interaction in a restricted single-level basis. For example, GXPF1A in the pf-valence space. Running time: Depends on the system size and the number of processors used (from 1 min to several hours).

Review of non-nuclear density gauges as possible replacements for ITD's nuclear density gauges.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

This report examines the possibility of replacing nuclear density gauges (NDGs) with non-nuclear density gauges (NNDGs) to : measure density of hot mix asphalt (HMA) and unbound pavement layers in the field. The research team evaluated the : effectiv...

Experimental and Theoretical Understanding of Neutron Capture on Uranium Isotopes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ullmann, John Leonard

2017-09-21

Neutron capture cross sections on uranium isotopes are important quantities needed to model nuclear explosion performance, nuclear reactor design, nuclear test diagnostics, and nuclear forensics. It has been difficult to calculate capture accurately, and factors of 2 or more be- tween calculation and measurements are not uncommon, although normalization to measurements of the average capture width and nuclear level density can improve the result. The calculations of capture for 233,235,237,239U are further complicated by the need to accurately include the fission channel.

Nuclear Calcium Buffering Capacity Shapes Neuronal Architecture*

PubMed Central

Mauceri, Daniela; Hagenston, Anna M.; Schramm, Kathrin; Weiss, Ursula; Bading, Hilmar

2015-01-01

Calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) such as parvalbumin are part of the cellular calcium buffering system that determines intracellular calcium diffusion and influences the spatiotemporal dynamics of calcium signals. In neurons, CaBPs are primarily localized to the cytosol and function, for example, in nerve terminals in short-term synaptic plasticity. However, CaBPs are also expressed in the cell nucleus, suggesting that they modulate nuclear calcium signals, which are key regulators of neuronal gene expression. Here we show that the calcium buffering capacity of the cell nucleus in mouse hippocampal neurons regulates neuronal architecture by modulating the expression levels of VEGFD and the complement factor C1q-c, two nuclear calcium-regulated genes that control dendrite geometry and spine density, respectively. Increasing the levels of nuclear calcium buffers by means of expression of a nuclearly targeted form of parvalbumin fused to mCherry (PV.NLS-mC) led to a reduction in VEGFD expression and, as a result, to a decrease in total dendritic length and complexity. In contrast, mRNA levels of the synapse pruning factor C1q-c were increased in neurons expressing PV.NLS-mC, causing a reduction in the density and size of dendritic spines. Our results establish a close link between nuclear calcium buffering capacity and the transcription of genes that determine neuronal structure. They suggest that the development of cognitive deficits observed in neurological conditions associated with CaBP deregulation may reflect the loss of necessary structural features of dendrites and spines. PMID:26231212

Intramolecular Nuclear Flux Densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, I.; Daniel, C.; Gindensperger, E.; Manz, J.; PéRez-Torres, J. F.; Schild, A.; Stemmle, C.; Sulzer, D.; Yang, Y.

The topic of this survey article has seen a renaissance during the past couple of years. Here we present and extend the results for various phenomena which we have published from 2012-2014, with gratitude to our coauthors. The new phenomena include (a) the first reduced nuclear flux densities in vibrating diatomic molecules or ions which have been deduced from experimental pump-probe spectra; these "experimental" nuclear flux densities reveal several quantum effects including (b) the "quantum accordion", i.e., during the turn from bond stretch to bond compression, the diatomic system never stands still — instead, various parts of it with different bond lengths flow into opposite directions. (c) Wavepacket interferometry has been extended from nuclear densities to flux densities, again revealing new phenomena: For example, (d) a vibrating nuclear wave function with compact initial shape may split into two partial waves which run into opposite directions, thus causing interfering flux densities. (e) Tunneling in symmetric 1-dimensional double-well systems yields maximum values of the associated nuclear flux density just below the potential barrier; this is in marked contrast with negligible values of the nuclear density just below the barrier. (f) Nuclear flux densities of pseudorotating nuclei may induce huge magnetic fields. A common methodologic theme of all topics is the continuity equation which connects the time derivative of the nuclear density to the divergence of the flux density, subject to the proper boundary conditions. (g) Nearly identical nuclear densities with different boundary conditions may be related to entirely different flux densities, e.g., during tunneling in cyclic versus non-cyclic systems. The original continuity equation, density and flux density of all nuclei, or of all nuclear degrees of freedom, may be reduced to the corresponding quantities for just a single nucleus, or just a single degree of freedom.

Radial chromatin positioning is shaped by local gene density, not by gene expression

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

G- and R-bands of metaphase chromosomes are characterized by profound differences in gene density, CG content, replication timing, and chromatin compaction. The preferential localization of gene-dense, transcriptionally active, and early replicating chromatin in the nuclear interior and of gene-poor, later replicating chromatin at the nuclear envelope has been demonstrated to be evolutionary-conserved in various cell types. Yet, the impact of different local chromatin features on the radial nuclear arrangement of chromatin is still not well understood. In particular, it is not known whether radial chromatin positioning is preferentially shaped by local gene density per se or by other related parameters such as replication timing or transcriptional activity. The interdependence of these distinct chromatin features on the linear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence precludes a simple dissection of these parameters with respect to their importance for the reorganization of the linear DNA organization into the distinct radial chromatin arrangements observed in the nuclear space. To analyze this problem, we generated probe sets of pooled bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones from HSA 11, 12, 18, and 19 representing R/G-band-assigned chromatin, segments with different gene density and gene loci with different expression levels. Using multicolor 3D flourescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and 3D image analysis, we determined their localization in the nucleus and their positions within or outside the corresponding chromosome territory (CT). For each BAC data on local gene density within 2- and 10-Mb windows, as well as GC (guanine and cytosine) content, replication timing and expression levels were determined. A correlation analysis of these parameters with nuclear positioning revealed regional gene density as the decisive parameter determining the radial positioning of chromatin in the nucleus in contrast to band assignment, replication timing, and transcriptional activity. We demonstrate a polarized distribution of gene-dense vs gene-poor chromatin within CTs with respect to the nuclear border. Whereas we confirm previous reports that a particular gene-dense and transcriptionally highly active region of about 2 Mb on 11p15.5 often loops out from the territory surface, gene-dense and highly expressed sequences were not generally found preferentially at the CT surface as previously suggested. PMID:17333233

Study of components and statistical reaction mechanism in simulation of nuclear process for optimized production of {sup 64}Cu and {sup 67}Ga medical radioisotopes using TALYS, EMPIRE and LISE++ nuclear reaction and evaporation codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nasrabadi, M. N., E-mail: mnnasrabadi@ast.ui.ac.ir; Sepiani, M.

2015-03-30

Production of medical radioisotopes is one of the most important tasks in the field of nuclear technology. These radioactive isotopes are mainly produced through variety nuclear process. In this research, excitation functions and nuclear reaction mechanisms are studied for simulation of production of these radioisotopes in the TALYS, EMPIRE and LISE++ reaction codes, then parameters and different models of nuclear level density as one of the most important components in statistical reaction models are adjusted for optimum production of desired radioactive yields.

Study of components and statistical reaction mechanism in simulation of nuclear process for optimized production of 64Cu and 67Ga medical radioisotopes using TALYS, EMPIRE and LISE++ nuclear reaction and evaporation codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasrabadi, M. N.; Sepiani, M.

2015-03-01

Production of medical radioisotopes is one of the most important tasks in the field of nuclear technology. These radioactive isotopes are mainly produced through variety nuclear process. In this research, excitation functions and nuclear reaction mechanisms are studied for simulation of production of these radioisotopes in the TALYS, EMPIRE & LISE++ reaction codes, then parameters and different models of nuclear level density as one of the most important components in statistical reaction models are adjusted for optimum production of desired radioactive yields.

Transcriptional regulation of human Paraoxonase 1 by nuclear receptors.

PubMed

Ponce-Ruiz, N; Murillo-González, F E; Rojas-García, A E; Mackness, Mike; Bernal-Hernández, Y Y; Barrón-Vivanco, B S; González-Arias, C A; Medina-Díaz, I M

2017-04-25

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a calcium-dependent lactonase synthesized primarily in the liver and secreted into the plasma, where it is associates with high density lipoproteins (HDL). PON1 acts as antioxidant preventing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, a process considered critical in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Additionally, PON1 hydrolyzes and detoxifies some toxic metabolites of organophosphorus compounds (OPs). Thus, PON1 activity and expression levels are important for determining susceptibility to OPs intoxication and risk of developing diseases related to inflammation and oxidative stress. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the modulation of PON1 expression by many factors is due to interaction with nuclear receptors (NRs). Here, we briefly review the studies in this area and discuss the role of nuclear receptors in the regulation of PON1 expression, as well as how understanding these mechanisms may allow us to manipulate PON1 levels to improve drug efficacy and treat disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of neutrons and protons in entropy, spin cut off parameters, and moments of inertia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razavi, R.

2013-07-01

The nuclear level densities, spin cut off parameters, and entropies have been extracted in 116-119Sn and 162,163Dy nuclei using superconducting theory, which includes nuclear pairing interaction. The results agree well with the recent data obtained from experimental level densities by the Oslo group for these nuclei. Also, the entropy excess ratio proposed by Razavi [R. Razavi, A.N. Behkami, S. Mohammadi, and M. Gholami, Phys. Rev. CPRVCAN0556-281310.1103/PhysRevC.86.047303 86, 047303 (2012)] for a proton and neutron as a function of nuclear temperature have been evaluated and are compared with the spin cut off excess ratio. The role of the neutron (proton) system is well determined by the entropy excess ratio as well as the spin cut off excess ratio. The moment of inertia for even-odd and even-even nuclei are also compared. The moment of inertia carried by a single hole is smaller than the single particle moment of inertia.

Experimental Determination of η/s for Finite Nuclear Matter.

PubMed

Mondal, Debasish; Pandit, Deepak; Mukhopadhyay, S; Pal, Surajit; Dey, Balaram; Bhattacharya, Srijit; De, A; Bhattacharya, Soumik; Bhattacharyya, S; Roy, Pratap; Banerjee, K; Banerjee, S R

2017-05-12

We present, for the first time, simultaneous determination of shear viscosity (η) and entropy density (s) and thus, η/s for equilibrated nuclear systems from A∼30 to A∼208 at different temperatures. At finite temperature, η is estimated by utilizing the γ decay of the isovector giant dipole resonance populated via fusion evaporation reaction, while s is evaluated from the nuclear level density parameter (a) and nuclear temperature (T), determined precisely by the simultaneous measurements of the evaporated neutron energy spectra and the compound nuclear angular momenta. The transport parameter η and the thermodynamic parameter s both increase with temperature, resulting in a mild decrease of η/s with temperature. The extracted η/s is also found to be independent of the neutron-proton asymmetry at a given temperature. Interestingly, the measured η/s values are comparable to that of the high-temperature quark-gluon plasma, pointing towards the fact that strong fluidity may be the universal feature of the strong interaction of many-body quantum systems.

Activation of muscarinic receptors in rat parotid acinar cells induces AQP5 trafficking to nuclei and apical plasma membrane.

PubMed

Cho, Gota; Bragiel, Aneta M; Wang, Di; Pieczonka, Tomasz D; Skowronski, Mariusz T; Shono, Masayuki; Nielsen, Søren; Ishikawa, Yasuko

2015-04-01

The subcellular distribution of aquaporin-5 (AQP5) in rat parotid acinar cells in response to muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) activation remains unclear. Immunoconfocal and immunoelectron microscopy were used to visualize the distribution of AQP5 in parotid acinar cells. Western blotting was used to analyze AQP5 levels in membranes. To clarify the characteristics of membrane domains associated with AQP5, detergent solubility and sucrose-density flotation experiments were performed. Under control conditions, AQP5 was diffusely distributed on the apical plasma membrane (APM) and apical plasmalemmal region and throughout the cytoplasm. Upon mAChR activation, AQP5 was predominantly located in the nucleus, APM and lateral plasma membrane (LPM). Subsequently, localization of AQP5 in the nucleus, APM and LPM was decreased. Prolonged atropine treatment inhibited mAChR agonist-induced translocation of AQP5 to the nucleus, APM and LPM. AQP5 levels were enhanced in isolated nuclei and nuclear membranes prepared from parotid tissues incubated with mAChR agonist. mAChR agonist induced AQP5 levels in both soluble and insoluble nuclear fractions solubilized with Triton X-100 or Lubrol WX. Small amounts of AQP5 in nuclei were detected using low-density sucrose gradient. When AQP5 was present in the nuclear membrane, nuclear size decreased. The activation of mAChR induced AQP5 translocation to the nucleus, APM and LPM, and AQP5 may trigger water transport across the nuclear membrane and plasma membrane in rat parotid acinar cells. AQP5 translocates to the nuclear membrane and may trigger the movement of water, inducing shrinkage of the nucleus and the start of nuclear functions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Calcium Buffering Capacity Shapes Neuronal Architecture.

PubMed

Mauceri, Daniela; Hagenston, Anna M; Schramm, Kathrin; Weiss, Ursula; Bading, Hilmar

2015-09-18

Calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) such as parvalbumin are part of the cellular calcium buffering system that determines intracellular calcium diffusion and influences the spatiotemporal dynamics of calcium signals. In neurons, CaBPs are primarily localized to the cytosol and function, for example, in nerve terminals in short-term synaptic plasticity. However, CaBPs are also expressed in the cell nucleus, suggesting that they modulate nuclear calcium signals, which are key regulators of neuronal gene expression. Here we show that the calcium buffering capacity of the cell nucleus in mouse hippocampal neurons regulates neuronal architecture by modulating the expression levels of VEGFD and the complement factor C1q-c, two nuclear calcium-regulated genes that control dendrite geometry and spine density, respectively. Increasing the levels of nuclear calcium buffers by means of expression of a nuclearly targeted form of parvalbumin fused to mCherry (PV.NLS-mC) led to a reduction in VEGFD expression and, as a result, to a decrease in total dendritic length and complexity. In contrast, mRNA levels of the synapse pruning factor C1q-c were increased in neurons expressing PV.NLS-mC, causing a reduction in the density and size of dendritic spines. Our results establish a close link between nuclear calcium buffering capacity and the transcription of genes that determine neuronal structure. They suggest that the development of cognitive deficits observed in neurological conditions associated with CaBP deregulation may reflect the loss of necessary structural features of dendrites and spines. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Experimental differential cross sections, level densities, and spin cutoffs as a testing ground for nuclear reaction codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Voinov, Alexander V.; Grimes, Steven M.; Brune, Carl R.

Proton double-differential cross sections from 59Co(α,p) 62Ni, 57Fe(α,p) 60Co, 56Fe( 7Li,p) 62Ni, and 55Mn( 6Li,p) 60Co reactions have been measured with 21-MeV α and 15-MeV lithium beams. Cross sections have been compared against calculations with the empire reaction code. Different input level density models have been tested. It was found that the Gilbert and Cameron [A. Gilbert and A. G. W. Cameron, Can. J. Phys. 43, 1446 (1965)] level density model is best to reproduce experimental data. Level densities and spin cutoff parameters for 62Ni and 60Co above the excitation energy range of discrete levels (in continuum) have been obtainedmore » with a Monte Carlo technique. Furthermore, excitation energy dependencies were found to be inconsistent with the Fermi-gas model.« less

Microscopic study of spin cut-off factors of nuclear level densities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gholami, M.; Kildir, M.; Behkami, A. N.

Level densities and spin cut-off factors have been investigated within the microscopic approach based on the BCS Hamiltonian. In particular, the spin cut-off parameters have been calculated at neutron binding energies over a large range of nuclear mass using the BCS theory. The spin cut-off parameters {sigma}{sup 2}(E) have also been obtained from the Gilbert and Cameron expression and from rigid body calculations. The results were compared with their corresponding macroscopic values. It was found that the values of {sigma}{sup 2}(E) did not increase smoothly with A as expected based on macroscopic theory. Instead, the values of {sigma}{sup 2}(E) showmore » structure reflecting the angular momentum of the shell model orbitals near the Fermi energy.« less

La 137 , 138 , 139 ( n , γ ) cross sections constrained with statistical decay properties of La 138 , 139 , 140 nuclei

DOE PAGES

Kheswa, B. V.; Wiedeking, M.; Brown, J. A.; ...

2017-04-21

The nuclear level densities and γ-ray strength functions of 138,139,140La were measured using the 139La( 3He,α), 139La( 3He,' 3He), and 139La(d,p) reactions. The particle-γ coincidences were recorded with the silicon particle telescope (SiRi) and NaI(Tl) (CACTUS) arrays. In the context of these experimental results, the low-energy enhancement in the A~140 region is discussed. The 137,138,139La(n,γ) cross sections were calculated at s- and p-process temperatures using the experimentally measured nuclear level densities and γ-ray strength functions. As a result, good agreement is found between 139La(n,γ) calculated cross sections and previous measurements.

La 137 , 138 , 139 ( n , γ ) cross sections constrained with statistical decay properties of La 138 , 139 , 140 nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kheswa, B. V.; Wiedeking, M.; Brown, J. A.

The nuclear level densities and γ-ray strength functions of 138,139,140La were measured using the 139La( 3He,α), 139La( 3He,' 3He), and 139La(d,p) reactions. The particle-γ coincidences were recorded with the silicon particle telescope (SiRi) and NaI(Tl) (CACTUS) arrays. In the context of these experimental results, the low-energy enhancement in the A~140 region is discussed. The 137,138,139La(n,γ) cross sections were calculated at s- and p-process temperatures using the experimentally measured nuclear level densities and γ-ray strength functions. As a result, good agreement is found between 139La(n,γ) calculated cross sections and previous measurements.

137,138,139La(n ,γ ) cross sections constrained with statistical decay properties of 138,139,140La nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kheswa, B. V.; Wiedeking, M.; Brown, J. A.; Larsen, A. C.; Goriely, S.; Guttormsen, M.; Bello Garrote, F. L.; Bernstein, L. A.; Bleuel, D. L.; Eriksen, T. K.; Giacoppo, F.; Görgen, A.; Goldblum, B. L.; Hagen, T. W.; Koehler, P. E.; Klintefjord, M.; Malatji, K. L.; Midtbø, J. E.; Nyhus, H. T.; Papka, P.; Renstrøm, T.; Rose, S. J.; Sahin, E.; Siem, S.; Tornyi, T. G.

2017-04-01

The nuclear level densities and γ -ray strength functions of 138,139,140La were measured using the 139La(3He,α ), 139La(3He,3He' ), and 139La(d ,p ) reactions. The particle-γ coincidences were recorded with the silicon particle telescope (SiRi) and NaI(Tl) (CACTUS) arrays. In the context of these experimental results, the low-energy enhancement in the A ˜140 region is discussed. The 137,138,139La (n ,γ ) cross sections were calculated at s - and p -process temperatures using the experimentally measured nuclear level densities and γ -ray strength functions. Good agreement is found between 139La(n ,γ ) calculated cross sections and previous measurements.

Learning Nuclear Science with Marbles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Constan, Zach

2010-01-01

Nuclei are "small": if an atom was the size of a football field, the nucleus would be an apple sitting on the 50-yd line. At the same time, nuclei are "dense": the Earth, compressed to nuclear density, could fit inside four Sears Towers. The subatomic level is strange and exotic. For that reason, it's not hard to get young minds excited about…

Material engineering to fabricate rare earth erbium thin films for exploring nuclear energy sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, A.; Abhilash, S. R.; Umapathy, G. R.; Kabiraj, D.; Ojha, S.; Mandal, S.

2018-04-01

High vacuum evaporation and cold-rolling techniques to fabricate thin films of the rare earth lanthanide-erbium have been discussed in this communication. Cold rolling has been used for the first time to successfully fabricate films of enriched and highly expensive erbium metal with areal density in the range of 0.5-1.0 mg/cm2. The fabricated films were used as target materials in an advanced nuclear physics experiment. The experiment was designed to investigate isomeric states in the heavy nuclei mass region for exploring physics related to nuclear energy sources. The films fabricated using different techniques varied in thickness as well as purity. Methods to fabricate films with thickness of the order of 0.9 mg/cm2 were different than those of 0.4 mg/cm2 areal density. All the thin films were characterized using multiple advanced techniques to accurately ascertain levels of contamination as well as to determine their exact surface density. Detailed fabrication methods as well as characterization techniques have been discussed.

Elementary diagrams in nuclear and neutron matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wiringa, R.B.

1995-08-01

Variational calculations of nuclear and neutron matter are currently performed using a diagrammatic cluster expansion with the aid of nonlinear integral equations for evaluating expectation values. These are the Fermi hypernetted chain (FHNC) and single-operator chain (SOC) equations, which are a way of doing partial diagram summations to infinite order. A more complete summation can be made by adding elementary diagrams to the procedure. The simplest elementary diagrams appear at the four-body cluster level; there is one such E{sub 4} diagram in Bose systems, but 35 diagrams in Fermi systems, which gives a level of approximation called FHNC/4. We developedmore » a novel technique for evaluating these diagrams, by computing and storing 6 three-point functions, S{sub xyz}(r{sub 12}, r{sub 13}, r{sub 23}), where xyz (= ccd, cce, ddd, dde, dee, or eee) denotes the exchange character at the vertices 1, 2, and 3. All 35 Fermi E{sub 4} diagrams can be constructed from these 6 functions and other two-point functions that are already calculated. The elementary diagrams are known to be important in some systems like liquid {sup 3}He. We expect them to be small in nuclear matter at normal density, but they might become significant at higher densities appropriate for neutron star calculations. This year we programmed the FHNC/4 contributions to the energy and tested them in a number of simple model cases, including liquid {sup 3}He and Bethe`s homework problem. We get reasonable, but not exact agreement with earlier published work. In nuclear and neutron matter with the Argonne v{sub 14} interaction these contributions are indeed small corrections at normal density and grow to only 5-10 MeV/nucleon at 5 times normal density.« less

Cross sections of proton-induced nuclear reactions on bismuth and lead up to 100 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokhtari Oranj, L.; Jung, N. S.; Bakhtiari, M.; Lee, A.; Lee, H. S.

2017-04-01

Production cross sections of 209Bi(p , x n )207,206,205,204,203Po, 209Bi(p , pxn) 207,206,205,204,203,202Bi, and natPb(p , x n ) 206,205,204,203,202,201Bi reactions were measured to fill the gap in the excitation functions up to 100 MeV as well as to figure out the effects of different nuclear properties on proton-induced reactions including heavy nuclei. The targets were arranged in two different stacks consisting of Bi, Pb, Al, Au foils and Pb plates. The proton beam intensity was determined by the activation analysis method using 27Al(p ,3 p n )24Na, 197Au(p ,p n )196Au, and 197Au(p , p 3 n )194Au monitor reactions in parallel as well as the Gafchromic film dosimetry method. The activities of produced radionuclei in the foils were measured by the HPGe spectroscopy system. Over 40 new cross sections were measured in the investigated energy range. A satisfactory agreement was observed between the present experimental data and the previously published data. Excitation functions of mentioned reactions were calculated by using the theoretical model based on the latest version of the TALYS code and compared to the new data as well as with other data in the literature. Additionally, the effects of various combinations of the nuclear input parameters of different level density models, optical model potentials, and γ-ray strength functions were considered. It was concluded that if certain level density models are used, the calculated cross sections could be comparable to the measured data. Furthermore, the effects of optical model potential and γ-ray strength functions were considerably lower than that of nuclear level densities.

Kaon Condensation and the Non-Uniform Nuclear Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruyama, Toshiki; Tatsumi, Toshitaka; Voskresensky, Dmitri N.; Tanigawa, Tomonori; Chiba, Satoshi

2004-04-01

Non-uniform structures of nuclear matter are studied in a wide density-range. Using the density functional theory with a relativistic mean-field model, we examine non-uniform structures at sub-nuclear densities (nuclear "pastas") and at high densities, where kaon condensate is expected. We try to give a unified view about the change of the matter structure as density increases, carefully taking into account the Coulomb screening effects from the viewpoint of first-order phase transition.

Monitoring system for a liquid-cooled nuclear fission reactor. [PWR

DOEpatents

DeVolpi, A.

1984-07-20

The invention provides improved means for detecting the water levels in various regions of a water-cooled nuclear power reactor, viz., in the downcomer, in the core, in the inlet and outlet plenums, at the head, and elsewhere; and also for detecting the density of the water in these regions. The invention utilizes a plurality of exterior gamma radiation detectors and a collimator technique operable to sense separate regions of the reactor vessel to give respectively, unique signals for these regions, whereby comparative analysis of these signals can be used to advise of the presence and density of cooling water in the vessel.

Charge and Spin Currents in Open-Shell Molecules:  A Unified Description of NMR and EPR Observables.

PubMed

Soncini, Alessandro

2007-11-01

The theory of EPR hyperfine coupling tensors and NMR nuclear magnetic shielding tensors of open-shell molecules in the limit of vanishing spin-orbit coupling (e.g., for organic radicals) is analyzed in terms of spin and charge current density vector fields. The ab initio calculation of the spin and charge current density response has been implemented at the Restricted Open-Shell Hartree-Fock, Unrestricted Hartree-Fock, and unrestricted GGA-DFT level of theory. On the basis of this formalism, we introduce the definition of nuclear hyperfine coupling density, a scalar function of position providing a partition of the EPR observable over the molecular domain. Ab initio maps of spin and charge current density and hyperfine coupling density for small radicals are presented and discussed in order to illustrate the interpretative advantages of the newly introduced approach. Recent NMR experiments providing evidence for the existence of diatropic ring currents in the open-shell singlet pancake-bonded dimer of the neutral phenalenyl radical are directly assessed via the visualization of the induced current density.

Purification of nuclear grade Zr scrap as the high purity dense Zr deposits from Zirlo scrap by electrorefining in LiF-KF-ZrF4 molten fluorides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Kyoung Tae; Lee, Tae Hyuk; Jo, Nam Chan; Nersisyan, Hayk H.; Chun, Byong Sun; Lee, Hyuk Hee; Lee, Jong Hyeon

2013-05-01

Zirconium (Zr) has commonly been used as a cladding material of nuclear fuel. Moreover, it is regarded as the only material that can be used for nuclear fuel cladding because it has the lowest neutron capture cross section of any metal element and because it has high corrosion resistance and size stability. In this study, Hf-free Zr tubes (Zr-1Nb-1Sn-0.1Fe) were used as anode materials and electrorefining was performed in a LiF-KF eutectic 6 wt.% ZrF4 molten fluoride salt system. As a result of electrolysis, Zr scrap metal was recycled into pure Zr with low levels of impurities, and the size and density of the Zr deposit was controlled using applied current density.

Current density tensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazzeretti, Paolo

2018-04-01

It is shown that nonsymmetric second-rank current density tensors, related to the current densities induced by magnetic fields and nuclear magnetic dipole moments, are fundamental properties of a molecule. Together with magnetizability, nuclear magnetic shielding, and nuclear spin-spin coupling, they completely characterize its response to magnetic perturbations. Gauge invariance, resolution into isotropic, deviatoric, and antisymmetric parts, and contributions of current density tensors to magnetic properties are discussed. The components of the second-rank tensor properties are rationalized via relationships explicitly connecting them to the direction of the induced current density vectors and to the components of the current density tensors. The contribution of the deviatoric part to the average value of magnetizability, nuclear shielding, and nuclear spin-spin coupling, uniquely determined by the antisymmetric part of current density tensors, vanishes identically. The physical meaning of isotropic and anisotropic invariants of current density tensors has been investigated, and the connection between anisotropy magnitude and electron delocalization has been discussed.

Tensor Fermi liquid parameters in nuclear matter from chiral effective field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holt, J. W.; Kaiser, N.; Whitehead, T. R.

2018-05-01

We compute from chiral two- and three-body forces the complete quasiparticle interaction in symmetric nuclear matter up to twice nuclear matter saturation density. Second-order perturbative contributions that account for Pauli blocking and medium polarization are included, allowing for an exploration of the full set of central and noncentral operator structures permitted by symmetries and the long-wavelength limit. At the Hartree-Fock level, the next-to-next-to-leading order three-nucleon force contributes to all noncentral interactions, and their strengths grow approximately linearly with the nucleon density up to that of saturated nuclear matter. Three-body forces are shown to enhance the already strong proton-neutron effective tensor interaction, while the corresponding like-particle tensor force remains small. We also find a large isovector cross-vector interaction but small center-of-mass tensor interactions in the isoscalar and isovector channels. The convergence of the expansion of the noncentral quasiparticle interaction in Landau parameters and Legendre polynomials is studied in detail.

Serum osteoprotegerin levels and mammographic density among high-risk women.

PubMed

Moran, Olivia; Zaman, Tasnim; Eisen, Andrea; Demsky, Rochelle; Blackmore, Kristina; Knight, Julia A; Elser, Christine; Ginsburg, Ophira; Zbuk, Kevin; Yaffe, Martin; Narod, Steven A; Salmena, Leonardo; Kotsopoulos, Joanne

2018-06-01

Mammographic density is a risk factor for breast cancer but the mechanism behind this association is unclear. The receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL) pathway has been implicated in the development of breast cancer. Given the role of RANK signaling in mammary epithelial cell proliferation, we hypothesized this pathway may also be associated with mammographic density. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor for RANKL, is known to inhibit RANK signaling. Thus, it is of interest to evaluate whether OPG levels modify breast cancer risk through mammographic density. We quantified serum OPG levels in 57 premenopausal and 43 postmenopausal women using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cumulus was used to measure percent density, dense area, and non-dense area for each mammographic image. Subjects were classified into high versus low OPG levels based on the median serum OPG level in the entire cohort (115.1 pg/mL). Multivariate models were used to assess the relationship between serum OPG levels and the measures of mammographic density. Serum OPG levels were not associated with mammographic density among premenopausal women (P ≥ 0.42). Among postmenopausal women, those with low serum OPG levels had higher mean percent mammographic density (20.9% vs. 13.7%; P = 0.04) and mean dense area (23.4 cm 2 vs. 15.2 cm 2 ; P = 0.02) compared to those with high serum OPG levels after covariate adjustment. These findings suggest that low OPG levels may be associated with high mammographic density, particularly in postmenopausal women. Targeting RANK signaling may represent a plausible, non-surgical prevention option for high-risk women with high mammographic density, especially those with low circulating OPG levels.

Statistical properties of excited nuclei in the mass range 47 Less-Than-Or-Slanted-Equal-To A Less-Than-Or-Slanted-Equal-To 59

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhuravlev, B. V., E-mail: zhurav@ippe.ru; Lychagin, A. A., E-mail: Lychagin1@yandex.ru; Titarenko, N. N.

Level densities and their energy dependences for nuclei in the mass range of 47 {<=} A {<=} 59 were determined from the results obtained by measuring neutron-evaporation spectra in respective (p, n) reactions. The spectra of neutrons originating from the (p, n) reactions on {sup 47}Ti, {sup 48}Ti, {sup 49}Ti, {sup 53}Cr, {sup 54}Cr, {sup 57}Fe, and {sup 59}Co nuclei were measured in the proton-energy range of 7-11 MeV. These measurements were performed with the aid of a fast-neutron spectrometer by the time-of-flight method over the base of the EGP-15 pulsed tandem accelerator installed at the Institute for Physics andmore » Power Engineering (Obninsk, Russia). A high resolution of the spectrometer and its stability in the time of flight made it possible to identify reliably discrete low-lying levels along with the continuum part of neutron spectra. Our measured data were analyzed within the statistical equilibrium and preequilibrium models of nuclear reactions. The respective calculations were performed with the aid of the Hauser-Feshbach formalismof statistical theory supplemented with the generalized model of a superfluid nucleus, the back-shifted Fermi gas model, and the Gilbert-Cameron composite formula for nuclear level densities. Nuclear level densities for {sup 47}V, {sup 48}V, {sup 49}V, {sup 53}Mn, {sup 54}Mn, {sup 57}Co, and {sup 59}Ni and their energy dependences were determined. The results are discussed and compared with available experimental data and with recommendations of model-based systematics.« less

Field correlation of PQI gauge with nuclear density gauge: phase 1.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-12-01

Traditionally, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses a nuclear density gauge as a quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) tool for in-place density. The nuclear-based devices, however, tend to have problems associated with lic...

Interdependence of different symmetry energy elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, C.; Agrawal, B. K.; De, J. N.; Samaddar, S. K.; Centelles, M.; Viñas, X.

2017-08-01

Relations between the nuclear symmetry energy coefficient and its density derivatives are derived. The relations hold for a class of interactions with quadratic momentum dependence and a power-law density dependence. The structural connection between the different symmetry energy elements as obtained seems to be followed by almost all reasonable nuclear energy density functionals, both relativistic and nonrelativistic, suggesting a universality in the correlation structure. This, coupled with known values of some well-accepted constants related to nuclear matter, helps in constraining values of different density derivatives of the nuclear symmetry energy, shedding light on the isovector part of the nuclear interaction.

Non-nuclear methods for HMA density measurements : final report, June 2008.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

Non-nuclear methods for the measurement of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) density offer the ability to take numerous density readings in a very short period of time, without the need for intensive licensing, training, and maintenance efforts common to nuclear...

Nuclear density evaluation on asphaltic concrete: final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1967-04-01

This study was one of two studies designated as Research Project 62-1SB to evaluate the use of nuclear devices in highway construction. (1) The primary objective of this study was to evaluate a nuclear density device for obtaining densities on asphal...

Linear-scaling method for calculating nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts using gauge-including atomic orbitals within Hartree-Fock and density-functional theory.

PubMed

Kussmann, Jörg; Ochsenfeld, Christian

2007-08-07

Details of a new density matrix-based formulation for calculating nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts at both Hartree-Fock and density functional theory levels are presented. For systems with a nonvanishing highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap, the method allows us to reduce the asymptotic scaling order of the computational effort from cubic to linear, so that molecular systems with 1000 and more atoms can be tackled with today's computers. The key feature is a reformulation of the coupled-perturbed self-consistent field (CPSCF) theory in terms of the one-particle density matrix (D-CPSCF), which avoids entirely the use of canonical MOs. By means of a direct solution for the required perturbed density matrices and the adaptation of linear-scaling integral contraction schemes, the overall scaling of the computational effort is reduced to linear. A particular focus of our formulation is to ensure numerical stability when sparse-algebra routines are used to obtain an overall linear-scaling behavior.

Electronic structures and magnetic/optical properties of metal phthalocyanine complexes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baba, Shintaro; Suzuki, Atsushi, E-mail: suzuki@mat.usp.ac.jp; Oku, Takeo

2016-02-01

Electronic structures and magnetic / optical properties of metal phthalocyanine complexes were studied by quantum calculations using density functional theory. Effects of central metal and expansion of π orbital on aromatic ring as conjugation system on the electronic structures, magnetic, optical properties and vibration modes of infrared and Raman spectra of metal phthalocyanines were investigated. Electron and charge density distribution and energy levels near frontier orbital and excited states were influenced by the deformed structures varied with central metal and charge. The magnetic parameters of chemical shifts in {sup 13}C-nuclear magnetic resonance ({sup 13}C-NMR), principle g-tensor, A-tensor, V-tensor of electricmore » field gradient and asymmetry parameters derived from the deformed structures with magnetic interaction of nuclear quadruple interaction based on electron and charge density distribution with a bias of charge near ligand under crystal field.« less

Visualized kinematics code for two-body nuclear reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, E. J.; Chae, K. Y.

2016-05-01

The one or few nucleon transfer reaction has been a great tool for investigating the single-particle properties of a nucleus. Both stable and exotic beams are utilized to study transfer reactions in normal and inverse kinematics, respectively. Because many energy levels of the heavy recoil from the two-body nuclear reaction can be populated by using a single beam energy, identifying each populated state, which is not often trivial owing to high level-density of the nucleus, is essential. For identification of the energy levels, a visualized kinematics code called VISKIN has been developed by utilizing the Java programming language. The development procedure, usage, and application of the VISKIN is reported.

Equation of State for Isospin Asymmetric Nuclear Matter Using Lane Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, D. N.; Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.

2006-10-01

A mean field calculation for obtaining the equation of state (EOS) for symmetric nuclear matter from a density dependent M3Y interaction supplemented by a zero-range potential is described. The energy per nucleon is minimized to obtain the ground state of symmetric nuclear matter. The saturation energy per nucleon used for nuclear matter calculations is determined from the co-efficient of the volume term of Bethe--Weizsäcker mass formula which is evaluated by fitting the recent experimental and estimated atomic mass excesses from Audi--Wapstra--Thibault atomic mass table by minimizing the mean square deviation. The constants of density dependence of the effective interaction are obtained by reproducing the saturation energy per nucleon and the saturation density of spin and isospin symmetric cold infinite nuclear matter. The EOS of symmetric nuclear matter, thus obtained, provide reasonably good estimate of nuclear incompressibility. Once the constants of density dependence are determined, EOS for asymmetric nuclear matter is calculated by adding to the isoscalar part, the isovector component of the M3Y interaction that do not contribute to the EOS of symmetric nuclear matter. These EOS are then used to calculate the pressure, the energy density and the velocity of sound in symmetric as well as isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.

Measurement of internal radiation exposure among decontamination workers in villages near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

PubMed

Tsubokura, Masaharu; Nihei, Masahiko; Sato, Katsumi; Masaki, Shin; Sakuma, Yu; Kato, Shigeaki; Sugimoto, Amina; Nomura, Shuhei; Matsumura, Tomoko; Miyazaki, Makoto; Hayano, Ryugo; Shibuya, Kenji; Kami, Masahiro; Sasaki, Taro

2013-10-01

Decontamination workers may face a high risk of exposure to internal irradiation through inhalation during decontamination activities; there is, however, little previous research on the levels of internal contamination during decontamination procedures. The authors reviewed the medical records, including whole body counter measurements, of decontamination workers in villages near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to assess their levels of internal radiation exposure. In total, 83 decontamination workers were enrolled in this study. They were regularly engaged in decontamination activities in highly contaminated areas where surface 137Cs deposition density was over 100 kBq m-2. The present study showed low levels of internal exposure among the decontamination workers near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The cesium burdens of all the decontamination workers were below detection limits. They had reported no acute health problems. The resuspension of radioactive materials may cause minimal internal contamination during decontamination activities.

Level densities and γ-ray strength functions in Sn isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, H. K.; Larsen, A. C.; Agvaanluvsan, U.; Bürger, A.; Guttormsen, M.; Mitchell, G. E.; Nyhus, H. T.; Schiller, A.; Siem, S.; Syed, N. U. H.; Voinov, A.

2010-06-01

The nuclear level densities of Sn118,119 and the γ-ray strength functions of Sn116,118,119 below the neutron separation energy are extracted with the Oslo method using the (He3,αγ) and (He3,He3'γ) reactions. The level-density function of Sn119 displays steplike structures. The microcanonical entropies are deduced from the level densities, and the single neutron entropy of Sn119 is determined to be 1.7 ± 0.2 kB. Results from a combinatorial model support the interpretation that some of the low-energy steps in the level density function are caused by neutron pair breaking. An enhancement in all the γ-ray strength functions of Sn116-119, compared to standard models for radiative strength, is observed for the γ-ray energy region of ≃4-11 MeV. These small resonances all have a centroid energy of 8.0(1) MeV and an integrated strength corresponding to 1.7(9)% of the classical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. The Sn resonances may be due to electric dipole neutron skin oscillations or to an enhancement of the giant magnetic dipole resonance.

Mass-number and excitation-energy dependence of the spin cutoff parameter

DOE PAGES

Grimes, S. M.; Voinov, A. V.; Massey, T. N.

2016-07-12

Here, the spin cutoff parameter determining the nuclear level density spin distribution ρ(J) is defined through the spin projection as < J 2 z > 1/2 or equivalently for spherical nuclei, (< J(J+1) >/3) 1/2. It is needed to divide the total level density into levels as a function of J. To obtain the total level density at the neutron binding energy from the s-wave resonance count, the spin cutoff parameter is also needed. The spin cutoff parameter has been calculated as a function of excitation energy and mass with a super-conducting Hamiltonian. Calculations have been compared with two commonlymore » used semiempirical formulas. A need for further measurements is also observed. Some complications for deformed nuclei are discussed. The quality of spin cut off parameter data derived from isomeric ratio measurement is examined.« less

Pairing-induced speedup of nuclear spontaneous fission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadhukhan, Jhilam; Dobaczewski, J.; Nazarewicz, W.; Sheikh, J. A.; Baran, A.

2014-12-01

Background: Collective inertia is strongly influenced at the level crossing at which the quantum system changes its microscopic configuration diabatically. Pairing correlations tend to make the large-amplitude nuclear collective motion more adiabatic by reducing the effect of these configuration changes. Competition between pairing and level crossing is thus expected to have a profound impact on spontaneous fission lifetimes. Purpose: To elucidate the role of nucleonic pairing on spontaneous fission, we study the dynamic fission trajectories of 264Fm and 240Pu using the state-of-the-art self-consistent framework. Methods: We employ the superfluid nuclear density functional theory with the Skyrme energy density functional SkM* and a density-dependent pairing interaction. Along with shape variables, proton and neutron pairing correlations are taken as collective coordinates. The collective inertia tensor is calculated within the nonperturbative cranking approximation. The fission paths are obtained by using the least action principle in a four-dimensional collective space of shape and pairing coordinates. Results: Pairing correlations are enhanced along the minimum-action fission path. For the symmetric fission of 264Fm, where the effect of triaxiality on the fission barrier is large, the geometry of the fission pathway in the space of the shape degrees of freedom is weakly impacted by pairing. This is not the case for 240Pu, where pairing fluctuations restore the axial symmetry of the dynamic fission trajectory. Conclusions: The minimum-action fission path is strongly impacted by nucleonic pairing. In some cases, the dynamical coupling between shape and pairing degrees of freedom can lead to a dramatic departure from the static picture. Consequently, in the dynamical description of nuclear fission, particle-particle correlations should be considered on the same footing as those associated with shape degrees of freedom.

Pairing-induced speedup of nuclear spontaneous fission

DOE PAGES

Sadhukhan, Jhilam; Dobaczewski, J.; Nazarewicz, W.; ...

2014-12-22

Collective inertia is strongly influenced at the level crossing at which the quantum system changes its microscopic configuration diabatically. Pairing correlations tend to make the large-amplitude nuclear collective motion more adiabatic by reducing the effect of these configuration changes. Competition between pairing and level crossing is thus expected to have a profound impact on spontaneous fission lifetimes. To elucidate the role of nucleonic pairing on spontaneous fission, we study the dynamic fission trajectories of 264Fm and 240Pu using the state-of-the-art self-consistent framework. We employ the superfluid nuclear density functional theory with the Skyrme energy density functional SkM* and a density-dependentmore » pairing interaction. Along with shape variables, proton and neutron pairing correlations are taken as collective coordinates. The collective inertia tensor is calculated within the nonperturbative cranking approximation. The fission paths are obtained by using the least action principle in a four-dimensional collective space of shape and pairing coordinates. Pairing correlations are enhanced along the minimum-action fission path. For the symmetric fission of 264Fm, where the effect of triaxiality on the fission barrier is large, the geometry of the fission pathway in the space of the shape degrees of freedom is weakly impacted by pairing. This is not the case for 240Pu, where pairing fluctuations restore the axial symmetry of the dynamic fission trajectory. The minimum-action fission path is strongly impacted by nucleonic pairing. In some cases, the dynamical coupling between shape and pairing degrees of freedom can lead to a dramatic departure from the static picture. As a result, in the dynamical description of nuclear fission, particle-particle correlations should be considered on the same footing as those associated with shape degrees of freedom.« less

Nuclear ``pasta'' formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, A. S.; Horowitz, C. J.; Hughto, J.; Berry, D. K.

2013-12-01

The formation of complex nonuniform phases of nuclear matter, known as nuclear pasta, is studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations containing 51200 nucleons. A phenomenological nuclear interaction is used that reproduces the saturation binding energy and density of nuclear matter. Systems are prepared at an initial density of 0.10fm-3 and then the density is decreased by expanding the simulation volume at different rates to densities of 0.01fm-3 or less. An originally uniform system of nuclear matter is observed to form spherical bubbles (“swiss cheese”), hollow tubes, flat plates (“lasagna”), thin rods (“spaghetti”) and, finally, nearly spherical nuclei with decreasing density. We explicitly observe nucleation mechanisms, with decreasing density, for these different pasta phase transitions. Topological quantities known as Minkowski functionals are obtained to characterize the pasta shapes. Different pasta shapes are observed depending on the expansion rate. This indicates nonequilibrium effects. We use this to determine the best ways to obtain lower energy states of the pasta system from MD simulations and to place constraints on the equilibration time of the system.

Universal functions of nuclear proximity potential for Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction in a semiclassical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Raj K.; Singh, Dalip; Kumar, Raj; Greiner, Walter

2009-07-01

The universal function of the nuclear proximity potential is obtained for the Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction in the semiclassical extended Thomas-Fermi (ETF) approach. This is obtained as a sum of the spin-orbit-density-independent and spin-orbit-density-dependent parts of the Hamiltonian density, since the two terms behave differently, the spin-orbit-density-independent part mainly attractive and the spin-orbit-density-dependent part mainly repulsive. The semiclassical expansions of kinetic energy density and spin-orbit density are allowed up to second order, and the two-parameter Fermi density, with its parameters fitted to experiments, is used for the nuclear density. The universal functions or the resulting nuclear proximity potential reproduce the 'exact' Skyrme nucleus-nucleus interaction potential in the semiclassical approach, within less than ~1 MeV of difference, both at the maximum attraction and in the surface region. An application of the resulting interaction potential to fusion excitation functions shows clearly that the parameterized universal functions of nuclear proximity potential substitute completely the 'exact' potential in the Skyrme energy density formalism based on the semiclassical ETF method, including also the modifications of interaction barriers at sub-barrier energies in terms of modifying the constants of the universal functions.

Structure and dynamics of mixed-species flocks in a Hawaiian rain forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hart, P.J.; Freed, L.A.

2003-01-01

Mixed-species flocks of native and introduced birds were studied for four years in an upper elevation Hawaiian rain forest. Those flocks were characterized by strong seasonality, large size, low species richness, high intraspecific abundance, a lack of migrants, and a general lack of territoriality or any sort of dominance hierarchy. There was high variability among years in patterns of occurrence at the species level, and high variability within years at the individual level. These flocks are loosely structured social groupings with apparently open membership. The fluid, unstable movement patterns, high degree of variability in size and composition, and lack of positive interspecific associations are not consistent with the “foraging enhancement” hypothesis for flocking. Two resident, endangered insectivores, the Akepa (Loxops coccineus) and Hawaii Creeper (Oreomystis mana) served as “nuclear” species. Flock composition was compared between two study sites that differed significantly in density of these two nuclear species. Flock size was similar at the two sites, primarily because the nuclear species were over-represented relative to their density. This observation suggests that birds are attempting to achieve a more optimal flock size at the lower density site.

Chitosan Nanoparticles for Nuclear Targeting: The Effect of Nanoparticle Size and Nuclear Localization Sequence Density.

PubMed

Tammam, Salma N; Azzazy, Hassan M E; Breitinger, Hans G; Lamprecht, Alf

2015-12-07

Many recently discovered therapeutic proteins exert their main function in the nucleus, thus requiring both efficient uptake and correct intracellular targeting. Chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted interest as protein delivery vehicles due to their biocompatibility and ability to escape the endosomes offering high potential for nuclear delivery. Molecular entry into the nucleus occurs through the nuclear pore complexes, the efficiency of which is dependent on NP size and the presence of nuclear localization sequence (NLS). Chitosan nanoparticles of different sizes (S-NPs ≈ 25 nm; L-NP ≈ 150 nm) were formulated, and they were modified with different densities of the octapeptide NLS CPKKKRKV (S-NPs, 0.25, 0.5, 2.0 NLS/nm(2); L-NPs, 0.6, 0.9, 2 NLS/nm(2)). Unmodified and NLS-tagged NPs were evaluated for their protein loading capacity, extent of cell association, cell uptake, cell surface binding, and finally nuclear delivery efficiency in L929 fibroblasts. To avoid errors generated with cell fractionation and nuclear isolation protocols, nuclear delivery was assessed in intact cells utilizing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) fluorometry and microscopy. Although L-NPs showed ≈10-fold increase in protein loading per NP when compared to S-NPs, due to higher cell association and uptake S-NPs showed superior protein delivery. NLS exerts a size and density dependent effect on nanoparticle uptake and surface binding, with a general reduction in NP cell surface binding and an increase in cell uptake with the increase in NLS density (up to 8.4-fold increase in uptake of High-NLS-L-NPs (2 NLS/nm(2)) compared to unmodified L-NPs). However, for nuclear delivery, unmodified S-NPs show higher nuclear localization rates when compared to NLS modified NPs (up to 5-fold by FRET microscopy). For L-NPs an intermediate NLS density (0.9 NLS/nm(2)) seems to provide highest nuclear localization (3.7-fold increase in nuclear delivery compared to High-NLS-L-NPs). Results indicate that a higher NLS density does not result in maximum protein nuclear localization and that a universal optimal density for NPs of different sizes does not exist.

Nuclear moisture-density evaluation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1964-11-01

This report constitutes the results of a series of calibration curves prepared by comparing the Troxler Nuclear Density - Moisture Gauge count ratios with conventional densities as obtained by the Soiltest Volumeter and the sand displacement methods....

Particle decay of proton-unbound levels in N 12

DOE PAGES

Chipps, K. A.; Pain, S. D.; Greife, U.; ...

2017-04-24

Transfer reactions are a useful tool for studying nuclear structure, particularly in the regime of low level densities and strong single-particle strengths. Additionally, transfer reactions can populate levels above particle decay thresholds, allowing for the possibility of studying the subsequent decays and furthering our understanding of the nuclei being probed. In particular, the decay of loosely bound nuclei such as 12 N can help inform and improve structure models.The purpose of this paper is to learn about the decay of excited states in 12 N , to more generally inform nuclear structure models, particularly in the case of particle-unbound levelsmore » in low-mass systems which are within the reach of state-of-the-art ab initio calculations.« less

Non-Nuclear Alternatives to Monitoring Moisture-Density Response in Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

devices can be done pretest or posttest , as they all provide a means to correct the raw field data readings. Moisture Density Indicator (M+DI) The...obtained from the soil nuclear density gauge. The devices and techniques that were tested are grouped into four broad families: nuclear, electrical...43  Details of device rejection based on errors .............................................................................. 43  Accuracy of

The acoustic field in the ionosphere caused by an underground nuclear explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasnov, V. M.; Drobzheva, Ya. V.

2005-07-01

The problem of describing the generation and propagation of an infrasonic wave emitted by a finite extended source in the inhomogeneous absorbing atmosphere is the focus of this paper. It is of interest since the role of infrasonic waves in the energy balance of the upper atmosphere remains largely unknown. We present an algorithm, which allows adaptation of a point source model for calculating the infrasonic field from an underground nuclear explosion at ionospheric altitudes. Our calculations appear to agree remarkably well with HF Doppler sounding data measured for underground nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site. We show that the temperature and ionospheric electron density perturbation caused by an acoustic wave from underground nuclear explosion can reach 10% of background levels.

Feasibility of development of a nuclear density gage for determining the density of plastic concrete at a particular stratum : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-05-01

Development of a nuclear density gage for determining the degree of consolidation of plastic concrete in selected horizontal layers was determined to be feasible. A commercially available, with some modifications, two-probe density gage (detector in ...

Embedded random matrix ensembles from nuclear structure and their recent applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kota, V. K. B.; Chavda, N. D.

Embedded random matrix ensembles generated by random interactions (of low body rank and usually two-body) in the presence of a one-body mean field, introduced in nuclear structure physics, are now established to be indispensable in describing statistical properties of a large number of isolated finite quantum many-particle systems. Lie algebra symmetries of the interactions, as identified from nuclear shell model and the interacting boson model, led to the introduction of a variety of embedded ensembles (EEs). These ensembles with a mean field and chaos generating two-body interaction generate in three different stages, delocalization of wave functions in the Fock space of the mean-field basis states. The last stage corresponds to what one may call thermalization and complex nuclei, as seen from many shell model calculations, lie in this region. Besides briefly describing them, their recent applications to nuclear structure are presented and they are (i) nuclear level densities with interactions; (ii) orbit occupancies; (iii) neutrinoless double beta decay nuclear transition matrix elements as transition strengths. In addition, their applications are also presented briefly that go beyond nuclear structure and they are (i) fidelity, decoherence, entanglement and thermalization in isolated finite quantum systems with interactions; (ii) quantum transport in disordered networks connected by many-body interactions with centrosymmetry; (iii) semicircle to Gaussian transition in eigenvalue densities with k-body random interactions and its relation to the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model for majorana fermions.

Absolute determination of power density in the VVER-1000 mock-up on the LR-0 research reactor.

PubMed

Košt'ál, Michal; Švadlenková, Marie; Milčák, Ján

2013-08-01

The work presents a detailed comparison of calculated and experimentally determined net peak areas of selected fission products gamma lines. The fission products were induced during a 2.5 h irradiation on the power level of 9.5 W in selected fuel pins of the VVER-1000 Mock-Up. The calculations were done with deterministic and stochastic (Monte Carlo) methods. The effects of different nuclear data libraries used for calculations are discussed as well. The Net Peak Area (NPA) may be used for the determination of fission density across the mock-up. This fission density is practically identical to power density. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Density diagnostics of ionized outflows in active galacitc nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, J.; Kaastra, J.; Mehdipour, M.; Raassen, T.; Gu, L.

2017-10-01

Ionized outflows in Active Galactic Nuclei are thought to influence their nuclear and local galactic environment. However, the distance of outflows with respect to the central engine is poorly constrained, which limits our understanding of the kinetic power by the outflows. Therefore, the impact of AGN outflows on their host galaxies is uncertain. Given the density of the outflows, their distance can be immediately obtained by the definition of the ionization parameter. Here we carry out a theoretical study of density diagnostics of AGN outflows using absorption lines from metastable levels in Be-like to F-like ions. With the new self-consistent photoionization model (PION) in the SPEX code, we are able to calculate ground and metastable level populations. This enable us to determine under what physical conditions these levels are significantly populated. We then identify characteristic transitions from these metastable levels in the X-ray band. Firm detections of absorption lines from such metastable levels are challenging for current grating instruments. The next generation of spectrometers like X-IFU onboard Athena will certainly identify the presence/absence of these density- sensitive absorption lines, thus tightly constraining the location and the kinetic power of AGN outflows.

Probing the nuclear symmetry energy at high densities with nuclear reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leifels, Y.

2017-11-01

The nuclear equation of state is a topic of highest current interest in nuclear structure and reactions as well as in astrophysics. The symmetry energy is the part of the equation of state which is connected to the asymmetry in the neutron/proton content. During recent years a multitude of experimental and theoretical efforts on different fields have been undertaken to constraint its density dependence at low densities but also above saturation density (ρ_0=0.16 fm ^{-3} . Conventionally the symmetry energy is described by its magnitude S_v and the slope parameter L , both at saturation density. Values of L = 44 -66MeV and S_v=31 -33MeV have been deduced in recent compilations of nuclear structure, heavy-ion reaction and astrophysics data. Apart from astrophysical data on mass and radii of neutron stars, heavy-ion reactions at incident energies of several 100MeV are the only means do access the high density behaviour of the symmetry energy. In particular, meson production and collective flows upto about 1 AGeV are predicted to be sensitive to the slope of the symmetry energy as a function of density. From the measurement of elliptic flow of neutrons with respect to charged particles at GSI, a more stringent constraint for the slope of the symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities has been deduced. Future options to reach even higher densities will be discussed.

Theoretical prediction of nuclear magnetic shieldings and indirect spin-spin coupling constants in 1,1-, cis-, and trans-1,2-difluoroethylenes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nozirov, Farhod, E-mail: teobaldk@gmail.com, E-mail: farhod.nozirov@gmail.com; Stachów, Michał, E-mail: michal.stachow@gmail.com; Kupka, Teobald, E-mail: teobaldk@gmail.com, E-mail: farhod.nozirov@gmail.com

2014-04-14

A theoretical prediction of nuclear magnetic shieldings and indirect spin-spin coupling constants in 1,1-, cis- and trans-1,2-difluoroethylenes is reported. The results obtained using density functional theory (DFT) combined with large basis sets and gauge-independent atomic orbital calculations were critically compared with experiment and conventional, higher level correlated electronic structure methods. Accurate structural, vibrational, and NMR parameters of difluoroethylenes were obtained using several density functionals combined with dedicated basis sets. B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) optimized structures of difluoroethylenes closely reproduced experimental geometries and earlier reported benchmark coupled cluster results, while BLYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) produced accurate harmonic vibrational frequencies. The most accurate vibrations were obtained using B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd)more » with correction for anharmonicity. Becke half and half (BHandH) density functional predicted more accurate {sup 19}F isotropic shieldings and van Voorhis and Scuseria's τ-dependent gradient-corrected correlation functional yielded better carbon shieldings than B3LYP. A surprisingly good performance of Hartree-Fock (HF) method in predicting nuclear shieldings in these molecules was observed. Inclusion of zero-point vibrational correction markedly improved agreement with experiment for nuclear shieldings calculated by HF, MP2, CCSD, and CCSD(T) methods but worsened the DFT results. The threefold improvement in accuracy when predicting {sup 2}J(FF) in 1,1-difluoroethylene for BHandH density functional compared to B3LYP was observed (the deviations from experiment were −46 vs. −115 Hz)« less

Transtech PQI 301 pavement quality indicator device evaluation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

The PQI 301 Asphalt Density device, developed by Transtech Systems, Inc., was evaluated by MDOT to determine if it could be used in lieu of the currently required nuclear density gauge. Nuclear density gauges require MDOT personnel to have a license,...

Nuclear moisture-density evaluation : part II : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1966-06-01

The determination of in-place density by the use of nuclear moisture-density devices has proven to be an exceptionally useful tool to the modern Highway Engineer. In order to adequately adapt this new testing equipment to efficient field use, evaluat...

Fluctuations and symmetry energy in nuclear fragmentation dynamics.

PubMed

Colonna, M

2013-01-25

Within a dynamical description of nuclear fragmentation, based on the liquid-gas phase transition scenario, we explore the relation between neutron-proton density fluctuations and nuclear symmetry energy. We show that, along the fragmentation path, isovector fluctuations follow the evolution of the local density and approach an equilibrium value connected to the local symmetry energy. Higher-density regions are characterized by smaller average asymmetry and narrower isotopic distributions. This dynamical analysis points out that fragment final state isospin fluctuations can probe the symmetry energy of the density domains from which fragments originate.

Evaluation of neutron total and capture cross sections on 99Tc in the unresolved resonance region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Katabuchi, Tatsuya

2017-09-01

Long-lived fission product Technetium-99 is one of the most important radioisotopes for nuclear transmutation. The reliable nuclear data are indispensable for a wide energy range up to a few MeV, in order to develop environmental load reducing technology. The statistical analyses of resolved resonances were performed by using the truncated Porter-Thomas distribution, coupled-channels optical model, nuclear level density model and Bayes' theorem on conditional probability. The total and capture cross sections were calculated by a nuclear reaction model code CCONE. The resulting cross sections have statistical consistency between the resolved and unresolved resonance regions. The evaluated capture data reproduce those recently measured at ANNRI of J-PARC/MLF above resolved resonance region up to 800 keV.

Gamma-widths, lifetimes and fluctuations in the nuclear quasi-continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guttormsen, M.; Larsen, A. C.; Midtbø, J. E.; Crespo Campo, L.; Görgen, A.; Ingeberg, V. W.; Renstrøm, T.; Siem, S.; Tveten, G. M.; Zeiser, F.; Kirsch, L. E.

2018-05-01

Statistical γ-decay from highly excited states is determined by the nuclear level density (NLD) and the γ-ray strength function (γSF). These average quantities have been measured for several nuclei using the Oslo method. For the first time, we exploit the NLD and γSF to evaluate the γ-width in the energy region below the neutron binding energy, often called the quasi-continuum region. The lifetimes of states in the quasi-continuum are important benchmarks for a theoretical description of nuclear structure and dynamics at high temperature. The lifetimes may also have impact on reaction rates for the rapid neutron-capture process, now demonstrated to take place in neutron star mergers.

Central depression in nucleonic densities: Trend analysis in the nuclear density functional theory approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuetrumpf, B.; Nazarewicz, W.; Reinhard, P.-G.

2017-08-01

Background: The central depression of nucleonic density, i.e., a reduction of density in the nuclear interior, has been attributed to many factors. For instance, bubble structures in superheavy nuclei are believed to be due to the electrostatic repulsion. In light nuclei, the mechanism behind the density reduction in the interior has been discussed in terms of shell effects associated with occupations of s orbits. Purpose: The main objective of this work is to reveal mechanisms behind the formation of central depression in nucleonic densities in light and heavy nuclei. To this end, we introduce several measures of the internal nucleonic density. Through the statistical analysis, we study the information content of these measures with respect to nuclear matter properties. Method: We apply nuclear density functional theory with Skyrme functionals. Using the statistical tools of linear least square regression, we inspect correlations between various measures of central depression and model parameters, including nuclear matter properties. We study bivariate correlations with selected quantities as well as multiple correlations with groups of parameters. Detailed correlation analysis is carried out for 34Si for which a bubble structure has been reported recently, 48Ca, and N =82 , 126, and 184 isotonic chains. Results: We show that the central depression in medium-mass nuclei is very sensitive to shell effects, whereas for superheavy systems it is firmly driven by the electrostatic repulsion. An appreciable semibubble structure in proton density is predicted for 294Og, which is currently the heaviest nucleus known experimentally. Conclusion: Our correlation analysis reveals that the central density indicators in nuclei below 208Pb carry little information on parameters of nuclear matter; they are predominantly driven by shell structure. On the other hand, in the superheavy nuclei there exists a clear relationship between the central nucleonic density and symmetry energy.

Torsional ultrasonic technique for reactor vessel liquid level measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dress, W. B.

A detailed study of an ultrasonic waveguide employed as a level, density, and temperature sensor was undertaken. The purpose was to show how such a device might be used in the nuclear power industry to provide reliable level information with a multifunction sensor, thus overcoming several of the errors that led to the accident at Three Mile Island. Some additional work is needed to answer the question raised by the current study, most noticably the damping effects of flowing water.

The Holographic Electron Density Theorem, de-quantization, re-quantization, and nuclear charge space extrapolations of the Universal Molecule Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezey, Paul G.

2017-11-01

Two strongly related theorems on non-degenerate ground state electron densities serve as the basis of "Molecular Informatics". The Hohenberg-Kohn theorem is a statement on global molecular information, ensuring that the complete electron density contains the complete molecular information. However, the Holographic Electron Density Theorem states more: the local information present in each and every positive volume density fragment is already complete: the information in the fragment is equivalent to the complete molecular information. In other words, the complete molecular information provided by the Hohenberg-Kohn Theorem is already provided, in full, by any positive volume, otherwise arbitrarily small electron density fragment. In this contribution some of the consequences of the Holographic Electron Density Theorem are discussed within the framework of the "Nuclear Charge Space" and the Universal Molecule Model. In the Nuclear Charge Space" the nuclear charges are regarded as continuous variables, and in the more general Universal Molecule Model some other quantized parameteres are also allowed to become "de-quantized and then re-quantized, leading to interrelations among real molecules through abstract molecules. Here the specific role of the Holographic Electron Density Theorem is discussed within the above context.

Multicomponent density functional theory embedding formulation.

PubMed

Culpitt, Tanner; Brorsen, Kurt R; Pak, Michael V; Hammes-Schiffer, Sharon

2016-07-28

Multicomponent density functional theory (DFT) methods have been developed to treat two types of particles, such as electrons and nuclei, quantum mechanically at the same level. In the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach, all electrons and select nuclei, typically key protons, are treated quantum mechanically. For multicomponent DFT methods developed within the NEO framework, electron-proton correlation functionals based on explicitly correlated wavefunctions have been designed and used in conjunction with well-established electronic exchange-correlation functionals. Herein a general theory for multicomponent embedded DFT is developed to enable the accurate treatment of larger systems. In the general theory, the total electronic density is separated into two subsystem densities, denoted as regular and special, and different electron-proton correlation functionals are used for these two electronic densities. In the specific implementation, the special electron density is defined in terms of spatially localized Kohn-Sham electronic orbitals, and electron-proton correlation is included only for the special electron density. The electron-proton correlation functional depends on only the special electron density and the proton density, whereas the electronic exchange-correlation functional depends on the total electronic density. This scheme includes the essential electron-proton correlation, which is a relatively local effect, as well as the electronic exchange-correlation for the entire system. This multicomponent DFT-in-DFT embedding theory is applied to the HCN and FHF(-) molecules in conjunction with two different electron-proton correlation functionals and three different electronic exchange-correlation functionals. The results illustrate that this approach provides qualitatively accurate nuclear densities in a computationally tractable manner. The general theory is also easily extended to other types of partitioning schemes for multicomponent systems.

Multicomponent density functional theory embedding formulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Culpitt, Tanner; Brorsen, Kurt R.; Pak, Michael V.

Multicomponent density functional theory (DFT) methods have been developed to treat two types of particles, such as electrons and nuclei, quantum mechanically at the same level. In the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach, all electrons and select nuclei, typically key protons, are treated quantum mechanically. For multicomponent DFT methods developed within the NEO framework, electron-proton correlation functionals based on explicitly correlated wavefunctions have been designed and used in conjunction with well-established electronic exchange-correlation functionals. Herein a general theory for multicomponent embedded DFT is developed to enable the accurate treatment of larger systems. In the general theory, the total electronic density ismore » separated into two subsystem densities, denoted as regular and special, and different electron-proton correlation functionals are used for these two electronic densities. In the specific implementation, the special electron density is defined in terms of spatially localized Kohn-Sham electronic orbitals, and electron-proton correlation is included only for the special electron density. The electron-proton correlation functional depends on only the special electron density and the proton density, whereas the electronic exchange-correlation functional depends on the total electronic density. This scheme includes the essential electron-proton correlation, which is a relatively local effect, as well as the electronic exchange-correlation for the entire system. This multicomponent DFT-in-DFT embedding theory is applied to the HCN and FHF{sup −} molecules in conjunction with two different electron-proton correlation functionals and three different electronic exchange-correlation functionals. The results illustrate that this approach provides qualitatively accurate nuclear densities in a computationally tractable manner. The general theory is also easily extended to other types of partitioning schemes for multicomponent systems.« less

Beyond the Unified Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frauendorf, S.

2018-04-01

The key elements of the Unified Model are reviewed. The microscopic derivation of the Bohr Hamiltonian by means of adiabatic time-dependent mean field theory is presented. By checking against experimental data the limitations of the Unified Model are delineated. The description of the strong coupling between the rotational and intrinsic degrees of freedom in framework of the rotating mean field is presented from a conceptual point of view. The classification of rotational bands as configurations of rotating quasiparticles is introduced. The occurrence of uniform rotation about an axis that differs from the principle axes of the nuclear density distribution is discussed. The physics behind this tilted-axis rotation, unknown in molecular physics, is explained on a basic level. The new symmetries of the rotating mean field that arise from the various orientations of the angular momentum vector with respect to the triaxial nuclear density distribution and their manifestation by the level sequence of rotational bands are discussed. Resulting phenomena, as transverse wobbling, rotational chirality, magnetic rotation and band termination are discussed. Using the concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking the microscopic underpinning of the rotational degrees is refined.

Initial Operation and Shakedown of the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emrich, William J., Jr.

2014-01-01

To support the on-going nuclear thermal propulsion effort, a state-of-the-art non nuclear experimental test setup has been constructed to evaluate the performance characteristics of candidate fuel element materials and geometries in representative environments. The facility to perform this testing is referred to as the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment Simulator (NTREES). This device can simulate the environmental conditions (minus the radiation) to which nuclear rocket fuel components will be subjected during reactor operation. Prototypical fuel elements mounted in the simulator are inductively heated in such a manner so as to accurately reproduce the temperatures and heat fluxes which would normally occur as a result of nuclear fission in addition to being exposed to flowing hydrogen. Recent upgrades to NTREES now allow power levels 24 times greater than those achievable in the previous facility configuration. This higher power operation will allow near prototypical power densities and flows to finally be achieved in most prototypical fuel elements.

Fermi liquid, clustering, and structure factor in dilute warm nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röpke, G.; Voskresensky, D. N.; Kryukov, I. A.; Blaschke, D.

2018-02-01

Properties of nuclear systems at subsaturation densities can be obtained from different approaches. We demonstrate the use of the density autocorrelation function which is related to the isothermal compressibility and, after integration, to the equation of state. This way we connect the Landau Fermi liquid theory well elaborated in nuclear physics with the approaches to dilute nuclear matter describing cluster formation. A quantum statistical approach is presented, based on the cluster decomposition of the polarization function. The fundamental quantity to be calculated is the dynamic structure factor. Comparing with the Landau Fermi liquid theory which is reproduced in lowest approximation, the account of bound state formation and continuum correlations gives the correct low-density result as described by the second virial coefficient and by the mass action law (nuclear statistical equilibrium). Going to higher densities, the inclusion of medium effects is more involved compared with other quantum statistical approaches, but the relation to the Landau Fermi liquid theory gives a promising approach to describe not only thermodynamic but also collective excitations and non-equilibrium properties of nuclear systems in a wide region of the phase diagram.

Fission dynamics with microscopic level densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randrup, Jørgen; Ward, Daniel; Carlsson, Gillis; Døssing, Thomas; Möller, Peter; Åberg, Sven

2018-03-01

Working within the Langevin framework of nuclear shape dynamics, we study the dependence of the evolution on the degree of excitation. As the excitation energy of the fissioning system is increased, the pairing correlations and the shell effects diminish and the effective potential-energy surface becomes ever more liquid-drop like. This feature can be included in the treatment in a formally well-founded manner by using the local level densities as a basis for the shape evolution. This is particularly easy to understand and implement in the Metropolis treatment where the evolution is simulated by means of a random walk on the five-dimensional lattice of shapes for which the potential energy has been tabulated. Because the individual steps between two neighboring lattice sites are decided on the basis of the ratio of the statistical weights, what is needed is the ratio of the local level densities for those shapes, evaluated at the associated local excitation energies. For this purpose, we adapt a recently developed combinatorial method for calculating level densities which employs the same single-particle levels as those that were used for the calculation of the pairing and shell contributions to the macroscopic-microscopic deformation-energy surface. For each nucleus under consideration, the level density (for a fixed total angular momentum) is calculated microscopically for each of the over five million shapes given in the three-quadratic-surface parametrization. This novel treatment, which introduces no new parameters, is illustrated for the fission fragment mass distributions for selected uranium and plutonium cases.

Phase diagram of dilute cosmic matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwata, Yoritaka

2011-10-01

Enhancement of nuclear pasta formation due to multi-nucleus simultaneous collision is presented based on time-dependent density functional calculations with periodic boundary condition. This calculation corresponds to the situation with density lower than the known low-density existence limit of the nuclear pasta phase. In order to evaluate the contribution from three-nucleus simultaneous collisions inside the cosmic matter, the possibility of multi-nucleus simultaneous collisions is examined by a systematic Monte-Carlo calculation, and the mean free path of a nucleus is obtained. Consequently the low-density existence limit of the nuclear pasta phase is formed to be lower than believed up to now.

Solving the Nose-Hoover thermostat for Nuclear Pasta

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez Garcia, M. Angeles

2006-06-19

At densities just below nuclear saturation density, there may be possible non-uniform spatial configurations of neutron rich matter. In this work we present a calculation using molecular dynamics techniques for a nuclear system interacting via a semiclassical potential depending on both positions and momenta and kept at fixed temperature by using the Nose-Hoover Thermostat.

The measurement programme at the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunsing, F.; Aberle, O.; Andrzejewski, J.; Audouin, L.; Bécares, V.; Bacak, M.; Balibrea-Correa, J.; Barbagallo, M.; Barros, S.; Bečvář, F.; Beinrucker, C.; Belloni, F.; Berthoumieux, E.; Billowes, J.; Bosnar, D.; Brown, A.; Brugger, M.; Caamaño, M.; Calviño, F.; Calviani, M.; Cano-Ott, D.; Cardella, R.; Casanovas, A.; Castelluccio, D. M.; Cerutti, F.; Chen, Y. H.; Chiaveri, E.; Colonna, N.; Cortés-Giraldo, M. A.; Cortés, G.; Cosentino, L.; Damone, L. A.; Deo, K.; Diakaki, M.; Domingo-Pardo, C.; Dressler, R.; Dupont, E.; Durán, I.; Fernández-Domínguez, B.; Ferrari, A.; Ferreira, P.; Finocchiaro, P.; Frost, R. J. W.; Furman, V.; Ganesan, S.; García, A. R.; Gawlik, A.; Gheorghe, I.; Gilardoni, S.; Glodariu, T.; Gonçalves, I. F.; González, E.; Goverdovski, A.; Griesmayer, E.; Guerrero, C.; Göbel, K.; Harada, H.; Heftrich, T.; Heinitz, S.; Hernández-Prieto, A.; Heyse, J.; Jenkins, D. G.; Jericha, E.; Käppeler, F.; Kadi, Y.; Kalamara, A.; Katabuchi, T.; Kavrigin, P.; Ketlerov, V.; Khryachkov, V.; Kimura, A.; Kivel, N.; Kokkoris, M.; Krtička, M.; Kurtulgil, D.; Leal-Cidoncha, E.; Lederer, C.; Leeb, H.; Lerendegui, J.; Licata, M.; Meo, S. Lo; Lonsdale, S. J.; Losito, R.; Macina, D.; Marganiec, J.; Martínez, T.; Masi, A.; Massimi, C.; Mastinu, P.; Mastromarco, M.; Matteucci, F.; Maugeri, E. A.; Mazzone, A.; Mendoza, E.; Mengoni, A.; Milazzo, P. M.; Mingrone, F.; Mirea, M.; Montesano, S.; Musumarra, A.; Nolte, R.; Negret, A.; Oprea, A.; Palomo-Pinto, F. R.; Paradela, C.; Patronis, N.; Pavlik, A.; Perkowski, J.; Porras, I.; Praena, J.; Quesada, J. M.; Radeck, D.; Rajeev, K.; Rauscher, T.; Reifarth, R.; Riego-Perez, A.; Robles, M.; Rout, P.; Rubbia, C.; Ryan, J. A.; Sabaté-Gilarte, M.; Saxena, A.; Schillebeeckx, P.; Schmidt, S.; Schumann, D.; Sedyshev, P.; Smith, A. G.; Sosnin, N. V.; Stamatopoulos, A.; Suryanarayana, S. V.; Tagliente, G.; Tain, J. L.; Tarifeño-Saldivia, A.; Tarrío, D.; Tassan-Got, L.; Tsinganis, A.; Valenta, S.; Vannini, G.; Variale, V.; Vaz, P.; Ventura, A.; Vlachoudis, V.; Vlastou, R.; Wallner, A.; Warren, S.; Weigand, M.; Weiss, C.; Wolf, C.; Woods, P. J.; Wright, T.; Žugec, P.

2017-09-01

Neutron-induced reaction cross sections are important for a wide variety of research fields ranging from the study of nuclear level densities, nucleosynthesis to applications of nuclear technology like design, and criticality and safety assessment of existing and future nuclear reactors, radiation dosimetry, medical applications, nuclear waste transmutation, accelerator-driven systems and fuel cycle investigations. Simulations and calculations of nuclear technology applications largely rely on evaluated nuclear data libraries. The evaluations in these libraries are based both on experimental data and theoretical models. CERN's neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF has produced a considerable amount of experimental data since it has become fully operational with the start of its scientific measurement programme in 2001. While for a long period a single measurement station (EAR1) located at 185 m from the neutron production target was available, the construction of a second beam line at 20 m (EAR2) in 2014 has substantially increased the measurement capabilities of the facility. An outline of the experimental nuclear data activities at n_TOF will be presented.

Introducing High School Students to NMR Spectroscopy through Percent Composition Determination Using Low-Field Spectrometers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonjour, Jessica L.; Pitzer, Joy M.; Frost, John A.

2015-01-01

Mole to gram conversions, density, and percent composition are fundamental concepts in first year chemistry at the high school or undergraduate level; however, students often find it difficult to engage with these concepts. We present a simple laboratory experiment utilizing portable nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to determine the…

Nuclear field density problems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-01-01

The densities of subgrade soil at various locations throughout the state were determined using the different model nuclear gages owned by the Department. In addition, some laboratory testing and sand cote testing were carried out. It was concluded th...

Pasta nucleosynthesis: Molecular dynamics simulations of nuclear statistical equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caplan, M. E.; Schneider, A. S.; Horowitz, C. J.; Berry, D. K.

2015-06-01

Background: Exotic nonspherical nuclear pasta shapes are expected in nuclear matter at just below saturation density because of competition between short-range nuclear attraction and long-range Coulomb repulsion. Purpose: We explore the impact nuclear pasta may have on nucleosynthesis during neutron star mergers when cold dense nuclear matter is ejected and decompressed. Methods: We use a hybrid CPU/GPU molecular dynamics (MD) code to perform decompression simulations of cold dense matter with 51 200 and 409 600 nucleons from 0.080 fm-3 down to 0.00125 fm-3 . Simulations are run for proton fractions YP= 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.40 at temperatures T = 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 MeV. The final composition of each simulation is obtained using a cluster algorithm and compared to a constant density run. Results: Size of nuclei in the final state of decompression runs are in good agreement with nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) models for temperatures of 1 MeV while constant density runs produce nuclei smaller than the ones obtained with NSE. Our MD simulations produces unphysical results with large rod-like nuclei in the final state of T =0.5 MeV runs. Conclusions: Our MD model is valid at higher densities than simple nuclear statistical equilibrium models and may help determine the initial temperatures and proton fractions of matter ejected in mergers.

Calculation of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants using frozen density embedding

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Götz, Andreas W., E-mail: agoetz@sdsc.edu; Autschbach, Jochen; Visscher, Lucas, E-mail: visscher@chem.vu.nl

2014-03-14

We present a method for a subsystem-based calculation of indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling tensors within the framework of current-spin-density-functional theory. Our approach is based on the frozen-density embedding scheme within density-functional theory and extends a previously reported subsystem-based approach for the calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance shielding tensors to magnetic fields which couple not only to orbital but also spin degrees of freedom. This leads to a formulation in which the electron density, the induced paramagnetic current, and the induced spin-magnetization density are calculated separately for the individual subsystems. This is particularly useful for the inclusion of environmental effects inmore » the calculation of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants. Neglecting the induced paramagnetic current and spin-magnetization density in the environment due to the magnetic moments of the coupled nuclei leads to a very efficient method in which the computationally expensive response calculation has to be performed only for the subsystem of interest. We show that this approach leads to very good results for the calculation of solvent-induced shifts of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants in hydrogen-bonded systems. Also for systems with stronger interactions, frozen-density embedding performs remarkably well, given the approximate nature of currently available functionals for the non-additive kinetic energy. As an example we show results for methylmercury halides which exhibit an exceptionally large shift of the one-bond coupling constants between {sup 199}Hg and {sup 13}C upon coordination of dimethylsulfoxide solvent molecules.« less

Apolipoprotein C-III Levels and Incident Coronary Artery Disease Risk: The EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Study.

PubMed

van Capelleveen, Julian C; Bernelot Moens, Sophie J; Yang, Xiaohong; Kastelein, John J P; Wareham, Nicholas J; Zwinderman, Aeilko H; Stroes, Erik S G; Witztum, Joseph L; Hovingh, G Kees; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Boekholdt, S Matthijs; Tsimikas, Sotirios

2017-06-01

Apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) is a key regulator of triglyceride metabolism. Elevated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and apoC-III levels are causally linked to coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The mechanism(s) through which apoC-III increases CAD risk remains largely unknown. The aim was to confirm the association between apoC-III plasma levels and CAD risk and to explore which lipoprotein subfractions contribute to this relationship between apoC-III and CAD risk. Plasma apoC-III levels were measured in baseline samples from a nested case-control study in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study. The study comprised 2711 apparently healthy study participants, of whom 832 subsequently developed CAD. We studied the association of baseline apoC-III levels with incident CAD risk, lipoprotein subfractions measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and inflammatory biomarkers. ApoC-III levels were significantly associated with CAD risk (odds ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-2.48 for highest compared with lowest quintile), retaining significance after adjustment for traditional CAD risk factors (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.94). ApoC-III levels were positively correlated with triglyceride levels, ( r =0.39), particle numbers of very-low-density lipoprotein ( r =0.25), intermediate-density lipoprotein ( r =0.23), small dense low-density lipoprotein ( r =0.26), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( r =0.15), whereas an inverse correlation was observed with large low-density lipoprotein particle number ( r =-0.11), P <0.001 for each. Mediation analysis indicated that the association between apoC-III and CAD risk could be explained by triglyceride elevation (triglyceride, very-low-density lipoprotein, and intermediate-density lipoprotein particles), small low-density lipoprotein particle size, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. ApoC-III levels are significantly associated with incident CAD risk. Elevated levels of remnant lipoproteins, small dense low-density lipoprotein, and low-grade inflammation may explain this association. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Nuclear charge radii: density functional theory meets Bayesian neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utama, R.; Chen, Wei-Chia; Piekarewicz, J.

2016-11-01

The distribution of electric charge in atomic nuclei is fundamental to our understanding of the complex nuclear dynamics and a quintessential observable to validate nuclear structure models. The aim of this study is to explore a novel approach that combines sophisticated models of nuclear structure with Bayesian neural networks (BNN) to generate predictions for the charge radii of thousands of nuclei throughout the nuclear chart. A class of relativistic energy density functionals is used to provide robust predictions for nuclear charge radii. In turn, these predictions are refined through Bayesian learning for a neural network that is trained using residuals between theoretical predictions and the experimental data. Although predictions obtained with density functional theory provide a fairly good description of experiment, our results show significant improvement (better than 40%) after BNN refinement. Moreover, these improved results for nuclear charge radii are supplemented with theoretical error bars. We have successfully demonstrated the ability of the BNN approach to significantly increase the accuracy of nuclear models in the predictions of nuclear charge radii. However, as many before us, we failed to uncover the underlying physics behind the intriguing behavior of charge radii along the calcium isotopic chain.

Two-parameter partially correlated ground-state electron density of some light spherical atoms from Hartree-Fock theory with nonintegral nuclear charge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cordero, Nicolas A.; March, Norman H.; Alonso, Julio A.

2007-05-15

Partially correlated ground-state electron densities for some spherical light atoms are calculated, into which nonrelativistic ionization potentials represent essential input data. The nuclear cusp condition of Kato is satisfied precisely. The basic theoretical starting point, however, is Hartree-Fock (HF) theory for the N electrons under consideration but with nonintegral nuclear charge Z{sup '} slightly different from the atomic number Z (=N). This HF density is scaled with a parameter {lambda}, near to unity, to preserve normalization. Finally, some tests are performed on the densities for the atoms Ne and Ar, as well as for Be and Mg.

An Updated Nuclear Equation of State for Neutron Stars and Supernova Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meixner, M. A.; Mathews, G. J.; Dalhed, H. E.; Lan, N. Q.

2011-10-01

We present an updated and improved Equation of State based upon the framework originally developed by Bowers & Wilson. The details of the EoS and improvements are described along with a description of how to access this EOS for numerical simulations. Among the improvements are an updated compressibility based upon recent measurements, the possibility of the formation of proton excess (Ye> 0.5) material and an improved treatment of the nuclear statistical equilibrium and the transition to pasta nuclei as the density approaches nuclear matter density. The possibility of a QCD chiral phase transition is also included at densities above nuclear matter density. We show comparisons of this EOS with the other two publicly available equations of state used in supernova collapse simulations. The advantages of the present EoS is that it is easily amenable to phenomenological parameterization to fit observed explosion properties and to accommodate new physical parameters.

Beta-decay rate and beta-delayed neutron emission probability of improved gross theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koura, Hiroyuki

2014-09-01

A theoretical study has been carried out on beta-decay rate and beta-delayed neutron emission probability. The gross theory of the beta decay is based on an idea of the sum rule of the beta-decay strength function, and has succeeded in describing beta-decay half-lives of nuclei overall nuclear mass region. The gross theory includes not only the allowed transition as the Fermi and the Gamow-Teller, but also the first-forbidden transition. In this work, some improvements are introduced as the nuclear shell correction on nuclear level densities and the nuclear deformation for nuclear strength functions, those effects were not included in the original gross theory. The shell energy and the nuclear deformation for unmeasured nuclei are adopted from the KTUY nuclear mass formula, which is based on the spherical-basis method. Considering the properties of the integrated Fermi function, we can roughly categorized energy region of excited-state of a daughter nucleus into three regions: a highly-excited energy region, which fully affect a delayed neutron probability, a middle energy region, which is estimated to contribute the decay heat, and a region neighboring the ground-state, which determines the beta-decay rate. Some results will be given in the presentation. A theoretical study has been carried out on beta-decay rate and beta-delayed neutron emission probability. The gross theory of the beta decay is based on an idea of the sum rule of the beta-decay strength function, and has succeeded in describing beta-decay half-lives of nuclei overall nuclear mass region. The gross theory includes not only the allowed transition as the Fermi and the Gamow-Teller, but also the first-forbidden transition. In this work, some improvements are introduced as the nuclear shell correction on nuclear level densities and the nuclear deformation for nuclear strength functions, those effects were not included in the original gross theory. The shell energy and the nuclear deformation for unmeasured nuclei are adopted from the KTUY nuclear mass formula, which is based on the spherical-basis method. Considering the properties of the integrated Fermi function, we can roughly categorized energy region of excited-state of a daughter nucleus into three regions: a highly-excited energy region, which fully affect a delayed neutron probability, a middle energy region, which is estimated to contribute the decay heat, and a region neighboring the ground-state, which determines the beta-decay rate. Some results will be given in the presentation. This work is a result of Comprehensive study of delayed-neutron yields for accurate evaluation of kinetics of high-burn up reactors entrusted to Tokyo Institute of Technology by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

Quantum nuclear pasta and nuclear symmetry energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattoyev, F. J.; Horowitz, C. J.; Schuetrumpf, B.

2017-05-01

Complex and exotic nuclear geometries, collectively referred to as "nuclear pasta," are expected to appear naturally in dense nuclear matter found in the crusts of neutron stars and supernovae environments. The pasta geometries depend on the average baryon density, proton fraction, and temperature and are critically important in the determination of many transport properties of matter in supernovae and the crusts of neutron stars. Using a set of self-consistent microscopic nuclear energy density functionals, we present the first results of large scale quantum simulations of pasta phases at baryon densities 0.03 ≤ρ ≤0.10 fm-3 , proton fractions 0.05 ≤Yp≤0.40 , and zero temperature. The full quantum simulations, in particular, allow us to thoroughly investigate the role and impact of the nuclear symmetry energy on pasta configurations. We use the Sky3D code that solves the Skyrme Hartree-Fock equations on a three-dimensional Cartesian grid. For the nuclear interaction we use the state-of-the-art UNEDF1 parametrization, which was introduced to study largely deformed nuclei, hence is suitable for studies of the nuclear pasta. Density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy is simulated by tuning two purely isovector observables that are insensitive to the current available experimental data. We find that a minimum total number of nucleons A =2000 is necessary to prevent the results from containing spurious shell effects and to minimize finite size effects. We find that a variety of nuclear pasta geometries are present in the neutron star crust, and the result strongly depends on the nuclear symmetry energy. The impact of the nuclear symmetry energy is less pronounced as the proton fractions increase. Quantum nuclear pasta calculations at T =0 MeV are shown to get easily trapped in metastable states, and possible remedies to avoid metastable solutions are discussed.

Sub-saturation matter in compact stars: Nuclear modelling in the framework of the extended Thomas-Fermi theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aymard, François; Gulminelli, Francesca; Margueron, Jérôme

A recently introduced analytical model for the nuclear density profile [1] is implemented in the Extended Thomas-Fermi (ETF) energy density functional. This allows to (i) shed a new light on the issue of the sign of surface symmetry energy in nuclear mass formulas, as well as to (ii) show the importance of the in-medium corrections to the nuclear cluster energies in thermodynamic conditions relevant for the description of core-collapse supernovae and (proto)-neutron star crust.

Sub-saturation matter in compact stars: Nuclear modelling in the framework of the extended Thomas-Fermi theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aymard, François; Gulminelli, Francesca; Margueron, Jérôme

2015-02-01

A recently introduced analytical model for the nuclear density profile [1] is implemented in the Extended Thomas-Fermi (ETF) energy density functional. This allows to (i) shed a new light on the issue of the sign of surface symmetry energy in nuclear mass formulas, as well as to (ii) show the importance of the in-medium corrections to the nuclear cluster energies in thermodynamic conditions relevant for the description of core-collapse supernovae and (proto)-neutron star crust.

Effect of Monocular Deprivation on Rabbit Neural Retinal Cell Densities

PubMed Central

Mwachaka, Philip Maseghe; Saidi, Hassan; Odula, Paul Ochieng; Mandela, Pamela Idenya

2015-01-01

Purpose: To describe the effect of monocular deprivation on densities of neural retinal cells in rabbits. Methods: Thirty rabbits, comprised of 18 subject and 12 control animals, were included and monocular deprivation was achieved through unilateral lid suturing in all subject animals. The rabbits were observed for three weeks. At the end of each week, 6 experimental and 3 control animals were euthanized, their retinas was harvested and processed for light microscopy. Photomicrographs of the retina were taken and imported into FIJI software for analysis. Results: Neural retinal cell densities of deprived eyes were reduced along with increasing period of deprivation. The percentage of reductions were 60.9% (P < 0.001), 41.6% (P = 0.003), and 18.9% (P = 0.326) for ganglion, inner nuclear, and outer nuclear cells, respectively. In non-deprived eyes, cell densities in contrast were increased by 116% (P < 0.001), 52% (P < 0.001) and 59.6% (P < 0.001) in ganglion, inner nuclear, and outer nuclear cells, respectively. Conclusion: In this rabbit model, monocular deprivation resulted in activity-dependent changes in cell densities of the neural retina in favour of the non-deprived eye along with reduced cell densities in the deprived eye. PMID:26425316

Effect of Monocular Deprivation on Rabbit Neural Retinal Cell Densities.

PubMed

Mwachaka, Philip Maseghe; Saidi, Hassan; Odula, Paul Ochieng; Mandela, Pamela Idenya

2015-01-01

To describe the effect of monocular deprivation on densities of neural retinal cells in rabbits. Thirty rabbits, comprised of 18 subject and 12 control animals, were included and monocular deprivation was achieved through unilateral lid suturing in all subject animals. The rabbits were observed for three weeks. At the end of each week, 6 experimental and 3 control animals were euthanized, their retinas was harvested and processed for light microscopy. Photomicrographs of the retina were taken and imported into FIJI software for analysis. Neural retinal cell densities of deprived eyes were reduced along with increasing period of deprivation. The percentage of reductions were 60.9% (P < 0.001), 41.6% (P = 0.003), and 18.9% (P = 0.326) for ganglion, inner nuclear, and outer nuclear cells, respectively. In non-deprived eyes, cell densities in contrast were increased by 116% (P < 0.001), 52% (P < 0.001) and 59.6% (P < 0.001) in ganglion, inner nuclear, and outer nuclear cells, respectively. In this rabbit model, monocular deprivation resulted in activity-dependent changes in cell densities of the neural retina in favour of the non-deprived eye along with reduced cell densities in the deprived eye.

Density-induced suppression of the {alpha}-particle condensate in nuclear matter and the structure of {alpha}-cluster states in nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funaki, Y.; Horiuchi, H.; International Institute for Advanced Studies, Kizugawa 619-0225

2008-06-15

At low densities, with decreasing temperatures, in symmetric nuclear matter {alpha} particles are formed, which eventually give raise to a quantum condensate with four-nucleon {alpha}-like correlations (quartetting). Starting with a model of {alpha} matter, where undistorted {alpha} particles interact via an effective interaction such as the Ali-Bodmer potential, the suppression of the condensate fraction at zero temperature with increasing density is considered. Using a Jastrow-Feenberg approach, it is found that the condensate fraction vanishes near saturation density. Additionally, the modification of the internal state of the {alpha} particle due to medium effects will further reduce the condensate. In finite systems,more » an enhancement of the S-state wave function of the center-of-mass orbital of {alpha}-particle motion is considered as the correspondence to the condensate. Wave functions have been constructed for self-conjugate 4n nuclei that describe the condensate state but are fully antisymmetrized on the nucleonic level. These condensate-like cluster wave functions have been successfully applied to describe properties of low-density states near the n{alpha} threshold. Comparison with orthogonality condition model calculations in {sup 12}C and {sup 16}O shows strong enhancement of the occupation of the S-state center-of-mass orbital of the {alpha} particles. This enhancement is decreasing if the baryon density increases, similar to the density-induced suppression of the condensate fraction in {alpha} matter. The ground states of {sup 12}C and {sup 16}O show no enhancement at all, thus a quartetting condensate cannot be formed at saturation densities.« less

Proton elastic scattering from stable and unstable nuclei - Extraction of nuclear densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaguchi, H.; Zenihiro, J.

2017-11-01

Progress in proton elastic scattering at intermediate energies to determine nuclear density distributions is reviewed. After challenges of about 15 years to explain proton elastic scattering and associated polarization phenomena at intermediate energies, we have reached to some conclusions regarding proton elastic scattering as a means of obtaining nuclear densities. During this same period, physics of unstable nuclei has become of interest, and the density distributions of protons and neutrons play more important roles in unstable nuclei, since the differences in proton and neutron numbers and densities are expected to be significant. As such, proton elastic scattering experiments at intermediate energies using the inverse kinematic method have started to determine density distributions of unstable nuclei. In the region of unstable nuclei, we are confronted with a new problem when attempting to find proton and neutron densities separately from elastic proton scattering data, since electron scattering data for unstable nuclei are not presently available. We introduce a new means of determining proton and neutron densities separately by double-energy proton elastic scattering at intermediate energies.

Thin layer asphaltic concrete density measuring using nuclear gages.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-03-01

A Troxler 4640 thin layer nuclear gage was evaluated under field conditions to determine if it would provide improved accuracy of density measurements on asphalt overlays of 1-3/4 and 2 inches in thickness. Statistical analysis shows slightly improve...

Stopping power beyond the adiabatic approximation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caro, M.; Correa, A. A.; Artacho, E.

2017-06-01

Energetic ions traveling in solids deposit energy in a variety of ways, being nuclear and electronic stopping the two avenues in which dissipation is usually treated. This separation between electrons and ions relies on the adiabatic approximation in which ions interact via forces derived from the instantaneous electronic ground state. In a more detailed view, in which non-adiabatic effects are explicitly considered, electronic excitations alter the atomic bonding, which translates into changes in the interatomic forces. In this work, we use time dependent density functional theory and forces derived from the equations of Ehrenfest dynamics that depend instantaneously on themore » time-dependent electronic density. With them we analyze how the inter-ionic forces are affected by electronic excitations in a model of a Ni projectile interacting with a Ni target, a metallic system with strong electronic stopping and shallow core level states. We find that the electronic excitations induce substantial modifications to the inter-ionic forces, which translate into nuclear stopping power well above the adiabatic prediction. Particularly, we observe that most of the alteration of the adiabatic potential in early times comes from the ionization of the core levels of the target ions, not readily screened by the valence electrons.« less

Bubble nuclei within the self-consistent Hartree-Fock mean field plus pairing approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phuc, L. Tan; Hung, N. Quang; Dang, N. Dinh

2018-02-01

The depletion of the nuclear density at its center, called the nuclear bubble, is studied within the Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean field consistently incorporating the superfluid pairing. The latter is obtained within the finite-temperature Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory and within the approach using the exact pairing. The numerical calculations are carried out for 22O and 34Si nuclei, whose bubble structures, caused by a very low occupancy of the 2 s1 /2 level, were previously predicted at T =0 . Among 24 Skyrme interactions under consideration, the MSk3 is the only one which reproduces the experimentally measured occupancy of the 2 s1 /2 proton level as well as the binding energy, and consequently produces the most pronounced bubble structure in 34Si. As compared to the approaches employing the same BSk14 interaction, our approach with exact pairing predicts a pairing effect which is stronger in 22O and weaker in 34Si. The increase in temperature depletes the bubble structure and completely washes it out when the temperature reaches a critical value, at which the factor measuring the depletion of the nucleon density vanishes.

Nuclear field shift in natural environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moynier, Frédéric; Fujii, Toshiyuki; Brennecka, Gregory A.; Nielsen, Sune G.

2013-03-01

The nuclear field shift (NFS) is an isotope shift in atomic energy levels caused by a combination of differences in nuclear size and shape and electron densities at the nucleus. The effect of NFS in isotope fractionation was theoretically established by Bigeleisen in 1996 [Bigeleisen J. (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118:3676-3680] and has been analytically measured in laboratory chemical exchange reactions. More recently, some isotopic variations of heavy elements (Hg, Tl, U) measured in natural systems as well as isotopic anomalies measured for lower-mass elements in meteorites have been attributed to the NFS effect. These isotopic variations open up new and exciting fields of investigations in Earth sciences. In this paper, we review the different natural systems in which NFS has been proposed to be the origin of isotopic variations.

Theory of time-resolved photoelectron imaging. Comparison of a density functional with a time-dependent density functional approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Yoshi-ichi; Seideman, Tamar; Stener, Mauro

2004-01-01

Time-resolved photoelectron differential cross sections are computed within a quantum dynamical theory that combines a formally exact solution of the nuclear dynamics with density functional theory (DFT)-based approximations of the electronic dynamics. Various observables of time-resolved photoelectron imaging techniques are computed at the Kohn-Sham and at the time-dependent DFT levels. Comparison of the results serves to assess the reliability of the former method and hence its usefulness as an economic approach for time-domain photoelectron cross section calculations, that is applicable to complex polyatomic systems. Analysis of the matrix elements that contain the electronic dynamics provides insight into a previously unexplored aspect of femtosecond-resolved photoelectron imaging.

Level densities of residual nuclei from the reactions ^6Li on ^58Fe and ^7Li on ^57Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oginni, Babatunde; Grimes, Steven; Voinov, Alexander; Adekola, Aderemi; Brune, Carl; Heinen, Zachary; Hornish, Michael; Massey, Thomas; Matei, Catalin; Carter, Don; O'Donnell, John

2008-04-01

The reactions ^6Li on ^58Fe and ^7Li on ^57Fe have been studied; these two reactions give the same compound nucleus, ^64Cu. The neutron, proton and alpha spectra were measured at backward angles, and the level densities of the residual nuclei from the particle evaporation spectra have been obtained. The contribution of the breakup mechanism to the reaction cross-section was studied from ^6Li on ^197Au reaction. The data obtained have been compared with Hauser Feshbach model calculations performed with HF and Empire codes. Three other reactions were also studied to see how level densities change as we move away from the nuclear stability line. These are: ^18O on ^64Ni reaction, this gives ^82Kr as compound nucleus which is on the stability line; ^24Mg on ^58Fe, this gives ^82Sr as compound nucleus and ^24Mg on ^58Ni which gives ^82Zr as compound nucleus; these are two and four steps away from the stability line respectively. Some results are presented.

Transport Properties in Nuclear Pasta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caplan, Matthew; Horowitz, Charles; Berry, Donald; da Silva Schneider, Andre

2016-09-01

At the base of the inner crust of neutron stars, where matter is near the nuclear saturation density, nuclear matter arranges itself into exotic shapes such as cylinders and slabs, called `nuclear pasta.' Lepton scattering from these structures may govern the transport properties of the inner crust; electron scattering from protons in the pasta determines the thermal and electrical conductivity, as well as the shear viscosity of the inner crust. These properties may vary in pasta structures which form at various densities, temperatures, and proton fractions. In this talk, we report on our calculations of lepton transport in nuclear pasta and the implication for neutron star observables.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EARTH PENETRATION

DOEpatents

Adams, W.M.

1963-12-24

A nuclear reactor apparatus for penetrating into the earth's crust is described. The apparatus comprises a cylindrical nuclear core operating at a temperature that is higher than the melting temperature of rock. A high-density ballast member is coupled to the nuclear core such that the overall density of the core-ballast assembly is greater than the density of molten rock. The nuclear core is thermally insulated so that its heat output is constrained to flow axially, with radial heat flow being minimized. In operation, the apparatus is placed in contact with the earth's crust at the point desired to be penetrated. The heat output of the reactor melts the underlying rock, and the apparatus sinks through the resulting magma. The fuel loading of the reactor core determines the ultimate depth of crust penetration. (AEC)

Constraining the Speed of Sound inside Neutron Stars with Chiral Effective Field Theory Interactions and Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tews, I.; Carlson, J.; Gandolfi, S.; Reddy, S.

2018-06-01

The dense matter equation of state (EOS) determines neutron star (NS) structure but can be calculated reliably only up to one to two times the nuclear saturation density, using accurate many-body methods that employ nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory constrained by scattering data. In this work, we use physically motivated ansatzes for the speed of sound c S at high density to extend microscopic calculations of neutron-rich matter to the highest densities encountered in stable NS cores. We show how existing and expected astrophysical constraints on NS masses and radii from X-ray observations can constrain the speed of sound in the NS core. We confirm earlier expectations that c S is likely to violate the conformal limit of {c}S2≤slant {c}2/3, possibly reaching values closer to the speed of light c at a few times the nuclear saturation density, independent of the nuclear Hamiltonian. If QCD obeys the conformal limit, we conclude that the rapid increase of c S required to accommodate a 2 M ⊙ NS suggests a form of strongly interacting matter where a description in terms of nucleons will be unwieldy, even between one and two times the nuclear saturation density. For typical NSs with masses in the range of 1.2–1.4 M ⊙, we find radii between 10 and 14 km, and the smallest possible radius of a 1.4 M ⊙ NS consistent with constraints from nuclear physics and observations is 8.4 km. We also discuss how future observations could constrain the EOS and guide theoretical developments in nuclear physics.

Density functional theory of electron transfer beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation: Case study of LiF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chen; Requist, Ryan; Gross, E. K. U.

2018-02-01

We perform model calculations for a stretched LiF molecule, demonstrating that nonadiabatic charge transfer effects can be accurately and seamlessly described within a density functional framework. In alkali halides like LiF, there is an abrupt change in the ground state electronic distribution due to an electron transfer at a critical bond length R = Rc, where an avoided crossing of the lowest adiabatic potential energy surfaces calls the validity of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation into doubt. Modeling the R-dependent electronic structure of LiF within a two-site Hubbard model, we find that nonadiabatic electron-nuclear coupling produces a sizable elongation of the critical Rc by 0.5 bohr. This effect is very accurately captured by a simple and rigorously derived correction, with an M-1 prefactor, to the exchange-correlation potential in density functional theory, M = reduced nuclear mass. Since this nonadiabatic term depends on gradients of the nuclear wave function and conditional electronic density, ∇Rχ(R) and ∇Rn(r, R), it couples the Kohn-Sham equations at neighboring R points. Motivated by an observed localization of nonadiabatic effects in nuclear configuration space, we propose a local conditional density approximation—an approximation that reduces the search for nonadiabatic density functionals to the search for a single function y(n).

Nuclear gauge application in road industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi Ismail, Mohd

2017-11-01

Soil compaction is essential in road construction. The evaluation of the degree of compaction relies on the knowledge of density and moisture of the compacted layers is very important to the performance of the pavement structure. Among the various tests used for making these determinations, the sand replacement density test and the moisture content determination by oven drying are perhaps the most widely used. However, these methods are not only time consuming and need wearisome procedures to obtain the results but also destructive and the number of measurements that can be taken at any time is limited. The test can on be fed back to the construction site the next day. To solve these problems, a nuclear technique has been introduced as a quicker and easier way of measuring the density and moisture of construction materials. Nuclear moisture density gauges have been used for many years in pavement construction as a method of non-destructive density testing The technique which can determine both wet density and moisture content offers an in situ method for construction control at the work site. The simplicity, the speed, and non-destructive nature offer a great advantage for quality control. This paper provides an overview of nuclear gauge application in road construction and presents a case study of monitoring compaction status of in Sedenak - Skudai, Johor rehabilitation projects.

KIDS Nuclear Energy Density Functional: 1st Application in Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, Hana; Papakonstantinou, Panagiota; Hyun, Chang Ho; Oh, Yongseok

We apply the KIDS (Korea: IBS-Daegu-Sungkyunkwan) nuclear energy density functional model, which is based on the Fermi momentum expansion, to the study of properties of lj-closed nuclei. The parameters of the model are determined by the nuclear properties at the saturation density and theoretical calculations on pure neutron matter. For applying the model to the study of nuclei, we rely on the Skyrme force model, where the Skyrme force parameters are determined through the KIDS energy density functional. Solving Hartree-Fock equations, we obtain the energies per particle and charge radii of closed magic nuclei, namely, 16O, 28O, 40Ca, 48Ca, 60Ca, 90Zr, 132Sn, and 208Pb. The results are compared with the observed data and further improvement of the model is shortly mentioned.

Monitoring system for a liquid-cooled nuclear fission reactor

DOEpatents

DeVolpi, Alexander

1987-01-01

A monitoring system for detecting changes in the liquid levels in various regions of a water-cooled nuclear power reactor, viz., in the downcomer, in the core, in the inlet and outlet plenums, at the head, and elsewhere; and also for detecting changes in the density of the liquid in these regions. A plurality of gamma radiation detectors are used, arranged vertically along the outside of the reactor vessel, and collimator means for each detector limits the gamma-radiation it receives as emitting from only isolated regions of the vessel. Excess neutrons produced by the fission reaction will be captured by the water coolant, by the steel reactor walls, or by the fuel or control structures in the vessel. Neutron capture by steel generates gamma radiation having an energy level of the order of 5-12 MeV, whereas neutron capture by water provides an energy level of approximately 2.2 MeV, and neutron capture by the fission fuel or its cladding provides an energy level of 1 MeV or less. The intensity of neutron capture thus changes significantly at any water-metal interface. Comparative analysis of adjacent gamma detectors senses changes from the normal condition with liquid coolant present to advise of changes in the presence and/or density of the coolant at these specific regions. The gamma detectors can also sense fission-product gas accumulation at the reactor head to advise of a failure of fuel-pin cladding.

Study of Analytic Statistical Model for Decay of Light and Medium Mass Nuclei in Nuclear Fragmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Wilson, John W.

1996-01-01

The angular momentum independent statistical decay model is often applied using a Monte-Carlo simulation to describe the decay of prefragment nuclei in heavy ion reactions. This paper presents an analytical approach to the decay problem of nuclei with mass number less than 60, which is important for galactic cosmic ray (GCR) studies. This decay problem of nuclei with mass number less than 60 incorporates well-known levels of the lightest nuclei (A less than 11) to improve convergence and accuracy. A sensitivity study of the model level density function is used to determine the impact on mass and charge distributions in nuclear fragmentation. This angular momentum independent statistical decay model also describes the momentum and energy distribution of emitted particles (n, p, d, t, h, and a) from a prefragment nucleus.

Natural geochemical analogues of the near field of high-level nuclear waste repositories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Apps, J.A.

1995-09-01

United States practice has been to design high-level nuclear waste (HLW) geological repositories with waste densities sufficiently high that repository temperatures surrounding the waste will exceed 100{degrees}C and could reach 250{degrees}C. Basalt and devitrified vitroclastic tuff are among the host rocks considered for waste emplacement. Near-field repository thermal behavior and chemical alteration in such rocks is expected to be similar to that observed in many geothermal systems. Therefore, the predictive modeling required for performance assessment studies of the near field could be validated and calibrated using geothermal systems as natural analogues. Examples are given which demonstrate the need for refinementmore » of the thermodynamic databases used in geochemical modeling of near-field natural analogues and the extent to which present models can predict conditions in geothermal fields.« less

Level of education associated with ophthalmic diseases. The Beijing Eye Study.

PubMed

Xu, Liang; Wang, Ya Xing; Jonas, Jost B

2010-01-01

To determine associations between educational level and ophthalmic diseases in Chinese. The population-based Beijing Eye Study, performed in 2006, enrolled 3,251 participants (age: 45+ years) out of 4,439 subjects invited to participate (response rate: 73.2%). The participants underwent an interview including questions concerning their educational level, and a detailed ophthalmic examination. Data on the level of education were available for 3,221 (99.1%) subjects, with 1,484 (46.1%) subjects living in the rural region. The mean age was 60.4 +/- 10.1 years (range: 45-89 years). In a multivariate analysis, a higher level of education was significantly associated with myopic refractive error, higher best-corrected visual acuity, lower degree of nuclear cataract, and lower prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma, and with the systemic parameters of lower age, male gender, urban region, taller body height, and lower body mass index. It was not significantly associated with intraocular pressure, amount of subcapsular cataract and cortical cataract, cataract surgery, and the prevalences of diabetes mellitus, retinal vein occlusions, chronic open-angle glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, and with the systemic parameters of fasting serum concentrations of glucose, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, cholesterol and triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In the Greater Beijing area, a higher level of education was associated with myopic refractive error, higher best-corrected visual acuity, and lower prevalence of nuclear cataract and angle-closure glaucoma, after adjusting for the systemic parameters of younger age, male gender, urban region, taller body height, lower body mass index less smoking and less alcohol consumption. Educational level was not significantly associated with intraocular pressure, cortical cataract, blood pressure, and frequencies of age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusions and chronic open-angle glaucoma.

Si--Au Schottky barrier nuclear battery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tse, Anthony N.

1972-11-01

A long-life, high-power-density, high-reliability, compact microwatt battery is needed in many applications. In the field of medicine, for example, such a battery could power an artificial pacemaker which would greatly extend the residence time of the device. Various alternatives are analyzed and discussed. Betavoltaic conversion systems with Si-Au Schottky barrier cells coupled with 147Pm metal foil were selected for investigation. Characterization experiments were performed to obtain optimized silicon resistivity and promethium metal foil thickness. Radiation dose rates were measured and the safety aspects of the battery were analyzed. A prototype battery was assembled and tested. The economics of the batterymore » were demonstrated for special applications. It is concluded that a microwatt nuclear battery can be built with a conversion efficiency of 1 to 2%, a power density of 60 to 300 pW/cm 3 depending on the power level, and a useful life of 5 to 10 years. Further research areas are recommended.« less

Computation of indirect nuclear spin-spin couplings with reduced complexity in pure and hybrid density functional approximations.

PubMed

Luenser, Arne; Kussmann, Jörg; Ochsenfeld, Christian

2016-09-28

We present a (sub)linear-scaling algorithm to determine indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling constants at the Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham density functional levels of theory. Employing efficient integral algorithms and sparse algebra routines, an overall (sub)linear scaling behavior can be obtained for systems with a non-vanishing HOMO-LUMO gap. Calculations on systems with over 1000 atoms and 20 000 basis functions illustrate the performance and accuracy of our reference implementation. Specifically, we demonstrate that linear algebra dominates the runtime of conventional algorithms for 10 000 basis functions and above. Attainable speedups of our method exceed 6 × in total runtime and 10 × in the linear algebra steps for the tested systems. Furthermore, a convergence study of spin-spin couplings of an aminopyrazole peptide upon inclusion of the water environment is presented: using the new method it is shown that large solvent spheres are necessary to converge spin-spin coupling values.

Density measurements as a condition monitoring approach for following the aging of nuclear power plant cable materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillen, K. T.; Celina, M.; Clough, R. L.

1999-10-01

Monitoring changes in material density has been suggested as a potentially useful condition monitoring (CM) method for following the aging of cable jacket and insulation materials in nuclear power plants. In this study, we compare density measurements and ultimate tensile elongation results versus aging time for most of the important generic types of commercial nuclear power plant cable materials. Aging conditions, which include thermal-only, as well as combined radiation plus thermal, were chosen such that potentially anomalous effects caused by diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) are unimportant. The results show that easily measurable density increases occur in most important cable materials. For some materials and environments, the density change occurs at a fairly constant rate throughout the mechanical property lifetime. For cases involving so-called induction-time behavior, density increases are slow to moderate until after the induction time, at which point they begin to increase dramatically. In other instances, density increases rapidly at first, then slows down. The results offer strong evidence that density measurements, which reflect property changes under both radiation and thermal conditions, could represent a very useful CM approach.

Quartetting in Nuclear Matter and α Particle Condensation in Nuclear Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röpke, G.; Schuck, P.; Horiuchi, H.; Tohsaki, A.; Funaki, Y.; Yamada, T.

2008-02-01

Alternatively to pairing, four-particle correlations may become of importance for the formation of quantum condensates in nuclear matter. With increasing density, four-particle correlations are suppressed because of Pauli blocking. Signatures of α-like clusters are expected to occur in low-density nuclear systems. The famous Hoyle state (02+ at 7.654 MeV in 12C) is identified as being an almost ideal condensate of three α-particles, hold together only by the Coulomb barrier. It, therefore, has a 8Be-α structure of low density. Transition probability and inelastic form factor together with position and other physical quantities are correctly reproduced without any adjustable parameter from our two parameter wave function of α-particle condensate type. The possibility of the existence of α-particle condensed states in heavier nα nuclei is also discussed.

Impact of fetal chromosomal disorders on maternal blood metabolome: toward new biomarkers?

PubMed

Pinto, Joana; Almeida, Lara Monteiro; Martins, Ana Sofia; Duarte, Daniela; Domingues, Maria Rosário Marques; Barros, António Sousa; Galhano, Eulália; Pita, Cristina; Almeida, Maria do Céu; Carreira, Isabel Marques; Gil, Ana Maria

2015-12-01

This study aimed at determining the relationship between fetal chromosomal disorders (CDs), including trisomy 21 (T21), and on first- and second-trimester maternal blood plasma, to identify the time-course metabolic adaptations to the conditions and the possible new plasma biomarkers. Furthermore, a definition of a joint circulatory (plasma) and excretory (urine) metabolic description of second-trimester CDs was sought. Plasma was obtained for 119 pregnant women: 74 controls and 45 CD cases, including 22 T21 cases. Plasma and lipid extracts (for T21 only) were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and data were handled by variable selection and multivariate analysis. Correlation analysis was used on a concatenated plasma/urine matrix descriptive of second-trimester CD, based on previously obtained urine data. CD cases were accompanied by enhanced lipid β-oxidation (increased ketone bodies) and underutilization of glucose, pyruvate, and citrate. Lower circulating high-density lipoprotein levels were noted, along with changes in the proline and methanol in the first trimester, and also the urea, creatinine, acetate, and low-density lipoprotein plus very low-density lipoprotein in the second trimester and the different urea and creatinine levels, suggesting fetal renal dysfunction. In terms of plasma composition, T21 cases were indistinguishable from other CDs in the first trimester, whereas in the second trimester, increased methanol and albumin may be T21 specific. Furthermore, first-trimester lipid extracts of T21 showed decreased levels of 18:2 fatty acids, whereas in the second trimester, lower levels of 20:4 and 22:6 fatty acids were noted, possibly indicative of inflammation mechanisms. In both trimesters, high classification rates for CDs (88-89%) and T21 (85-92%) generally relied on variable selection of nuclear magnetic resonance data. Plasma/urine correlations confirmed most metabolic deviations and unveiled possible new ones regarding low-density lipoprotein plus very low-density lipoprotein, sugar, and gut-microflora metabolisms. This work partially confirmed previously reported data on first-trimester T21 and provided additional information on time-course metabolic changes accompanying CD and T21, in particular regarding plasma lipid composition. These results demonstrate the potential of plasma metabolomics in monitoring and characterizing CD cases; however, validation in larger cohorts is desirable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nuclear equation of state from ground and collective excited state properties of nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roca-Maza, X.; Paar, N.

2018-07-01

This contribution reviews the present status on the available constraints to the nuclear equation of state (EoS) around saturation density from nuclear structure calculations on ground and collective excited state properties of atomic nuclei. It concentrates on predictions based on self-consistent mean-field calculations, which can be considered as an approximate realization of an exact energy density functional (EDF). EDFs are derived from effective interactions commonly fitted to nuclear masses, charge radii and, in many cases, also to pseudo-data such as nuclear matter properties. Although in a model dependent way, EDFs constitute nowadays a unique tool to reliably and consistently access bulk ground state and collective excited state properties of atomic nuclei along the nuclear chart as well as the EoS. For comparison, some emphasis is also given to the results obtained with the so called ab initio approaches that aim at describing the nuclear EoS based on interactions fitted to few-body data only. Bridging the existent gap between these two frameworks will be essential since it may allow to improve our understanding on the diverse phenomenology observed in nuclei. Examples on observations from astrophysical objects and processes sensitive to the nuclear EoS are also briefly discussed. As the main conclusion, the isospin dependence of the nuclear EoS around saturation density and, to a lesser extent, the nuclear matter incompressibility remain to be accurately determined. Experimental and theoretical efforts in finding and measuring observables specially sensitive to the EoS properties are of paramount importance, not only for low-energy nuclear physics but also for nuclear astrophysics applications.

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Berzak Hopkins, L.; Bionta, R. M.; Bleuel, D. L.; Caggiano, J. A.; Cassata, W. S.; Brune, C. R.; Frenje, J.; Gatu-Johnson, M.; Gharibyan, N.; Grim, G.; Hagmann, Chr; Hamza, A.; Hatarik, R.; Hartouni, E. P.; Henry, E. A.; Herrmann, H.; Izumi, N.; Kalantar, D. H.; Khater, H. Y.; Kim, Y.; Kritcher, A.; Litvinov, Yu A.; Merrill, F.; Moody, K.; Neumayer, P.; Ratkiewicz, A.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sayre, D.; Shaughnessy, D.; Spears, B.; Stoeffl, W.; Tommasini, R.; Yeamans, Ch; Velsko, C.; Wiescher, M.; Couder, M.; Zylstra, A.; Schneider, D.

2018-03-01

The generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capture cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.

Assessment of in-situ compaction degree of HMA pavement surface layers using GPR and novel dielectric properties-based algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiou, Panos; Loizos, Fokion

2015-04-01

Field compaction of asphalt pavements is ultimately conducted to achieve layer(s) with suitable mechanical stability. However, the achieved degree of compaction has a significant influence on the performance of asphalt pavements. Providing all desirable mixture design characteristics without adequate compaction could lead to premature permanent deformation, excessive aging, and moisture damage; these distresses reduce the useful life of asphalt pavements. Hence, proper construction of an asphalt pavement is necessary to develop a long lasting roadway that will help minimize future maintenance. This goal is achieved by verifying and confirming that design specifications, in this case density specifications are met through the use of Quality Assurance (QA) practices. With respect to in-situ compaction degree of hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement surface layers, nearly all agencies specify either cored samples or nuclear/ non nuclear density gauges to provide density measurement of the constructed pavement. Typically, a small number of spot tests (with either cores or nuclear gauges) are run and a judgment about the density level of the entire roadway is made based on the results of this spot testing. Unfortunately, density measurement from a small number of spots may not be representative of the density of the pavement mat. Hence, full coverage evaluation of compaction quality of the pavement mat is needed. The Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), as a Non Destructive Testing (NDT) technique, is an example of a non-intrusive technique that favors over the methods mentioned above for assessing compaction quality of asphalt pavements, since it allows measurement of all mat areas. Further, research studies in recent years have shown promising results with respect to its capability, coupled with the use of novel algorithms based on the dielectric properties of HMA, to predict the in-situ field density. In view of the above, field experimental surveys were conducted to assess the effectiveness of GPR methodology to estimate the in-situ compaction degree of several test sections. Moreover, considering also the field density results as obtained with traditional methods, comparative evaluation was conducted to assess the potential of using the GPR technique as a surrogate tool for pavement compaction quality purposes. Acknowledgements: This work has been inspired from publications of the COST action TU-1208 funded from EU.

Density-dependent covariant energy density functionals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lalazissis, G. A.

2012-10-20

Relativistic nuclear energy density functionals are applied to the description of a variety of nuclear structure phenomena at and away fromstability line. Isoscalar monopole, isovector dipole and isoscalar quadrupole giant resonances are calculated using fully self-consistent relativistic quasiparticle randomphase approximation, based on the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubovmodel. The impact of pairing correlations on the fission barriers in heavy and superheavy nuclei is examined. The role of pion in constructing desnity functionals is also investigated.

On the way to a microscopic derivation of covariant density functionals in nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ring, Peter

2018-02-01

Several methods are discussed to derive covariant density functionals from the microscopic input of bare nuclear forces. In a first step there are semi-microscopic functionals, which are fitted to ab-initio calculations of nuclear matter and depend in addition on very few phenomenological parameters. They are able to describe nuclear properties with the same precision as fully phenomenological functionals. In a second step we present first relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock calculations in finite nuclei in order to study properties of such functionals, which cannot be obtained from nuclear matter calculations.

Covariant density functional theory: predictive power and first attempts of a microscopic derivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ring, Peter

2018-05-01

We discuss systematic global investigations with modern covariant density functionals. The number of their phenomenological parameters can be reduced considerable by using microscopic input from ab-initio calculations in nuclear matter. The size of the tensor force is still an open problem. Therefore we use the first full relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock calculations in finite nuclear systems in order to study properties of such functionals, which cannot be obtained from nuclear matter calculations.

A new equation of state for core-collapse supernovae based on realistic nuclear forces and including a full nuclear ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furusawa, S.; Togashi, H.; Nagakura, H.; Sumiyoshi, K.; Yamada, S.; Suzuki, H.; Takano, M.

2017-09-01

We have constructed a nuclear equation of state (EOS) that includes a full nuclear ensemble for use in core-collapse supernova simulations. It is based on the EOS for uniform nuclear matter that two of the authors derived recently, applying a variational method to realistic two- and three-body nuclear forces. We have extended the liquid drop model of heavy nuclei, utilizing the mass formula that accounts for the dependences of bulk, surface, Coulomb and shell energies on density and/or temperature. As for light nuclei, we employ a quantum-theoretical mass evaluation, which incorporates the Pauli- and self-energy shifts. In addition to realistic nuclear forces, the inclusion of in-medium effects on the full ensemble of nuclei makes the new EOS one of the most realistic EOSs, which covers a wide range of density, temperature and proton fraction that supernova simulations normally encounter. We make comparisons with the FYSS EOS, which is based on the same formulation for the nuclear ensemble but adopts the relativistic mean field theory with the TM1 parameter set for uniform nuclear matter. The new EOS is softer than the FYSS EOS around and above nuclear saturation densities. We find that neutron-rich nuclei with small mass numbers are more abundant in the new EOS than in the FYSS EOS because of the larger saturation densities and smaller symmetry energy of nuclei in the former. We apply the two EOSs to 1D supernova simulations and find that the new EOS gives lower electron fractions and higher temperatures in the collapse phase owing to the smaller symmetry energy. As a result, the inner core has smaller masses for the new EOS. It is more compact, on the other hand, due to the softness of the new EOS and bounces at higher densities. It turns out that the shock wave generated by core bounce is a bit stronger initially in the simulation with the new EOS. The ensuing outward propagations of the shock wave in the outer core are very similar in the two simulations, which may be an artifact, though, caused by the use of the same tabulated electron capture rates for heavy nuclei ignoring differences in the nuclear composition between the two EOSs in these computations.

All-electric control of donor nuclear spin qubits in silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigillito, Anthony J.; Tyryshkin, Alexei M.; Schenkel, Thomas; Houck, Andrew A.; Lyon, Stephen A.

2017-10-01

The electronic and nuclear spin degrees of freedom of donor impurities in silicon form ultra-coherent two-level systems that are potentially useful for applications in quantum information and are intrinsically compatible with industrial semiconductor processing. However, because of their smaller gyromagnetic ratios, nuclear spins are more difficult to manipulate than electron spins and are often considered too slow for quantum information processing. Moreover, although alternating current magnetic fields are the most natural choice to drive spin transitions and implement quantum gates, they are difficult to confine spatially to the level of a single donor, thus requiring alternative approaches. In recent years, schemes for all-electrical control of donor spin qubits have been proposed but no experimental demonstrations have been reported yet. Here, we demonstrate a scalable all-electric method for controlling neutral 31P and 75As donor nuclear spins in silicon. Using coplanar photonic bandgap resonators, we drive Rabi oscillations on nuclear spins exclusively using electric fields by employing the donor-bound electron as a quantum transducer, much in the spirit of recent works with single-molecule magnets. The electric field confinement leads to major advantages such as low power requirements, higher qubit densities and faster gate times. Additionally, this approach makes it possible to drive nuclear spin qubits either at their resonance frequency or at its first subharmonic, thus reducing device bandwidth requirements. Double quantum transitions can be driven as well, providing easy access to the full computational manifold of our system and making it convenient to implement nuclear spin-based qudits using 75As donors.

Study, selection, and preparation of solid cationic conductors. [characteristics of solid electrolytes for rechargeable high energy and high power density batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, W. L.; Muller, O.

1974-01-01

Crystal chemical principles and transport theory have been used to predict structures and specific compounds which might find application as solid electrolytes in rechargeable high energy and high power density batteries operating at temperatures less than 200 C. Structures with 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional channels were synthesized and screened by nuclear magnetic resonance, dielectric loss, and conductivity. There is significant conductivity at room temperature in some of the materials but none attain a level that is comparable to beta-alumina. Microwave and fast pulse methods were developed to measure conductivity in powders and in small crystals.

SERUM LEVELS OF FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR-23, OSTEOPROTEGERIN, AND RECEPTOR ACTIVATOR OF NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA B LIGAND IN PATIENTS WITH PROLACTINOMA.

PubMed

Arslan, Muyesser Sayki; Sahin, Mustafa; Karakose, Melia; Tutal, Esra; Topaloglu, Oya; Ucan, Bekir; Demirci, Taner; Caliskan, Mustafa; Ozdemir, Seyda; Ozbek, Mustafa; Cakal, Erman

2017-03-01

The aim of this study to was to evaluate the effect of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator nuclear κB ligand (RANKL), and vitamin D hormones on bone loss in patients with hyperprolactinemia due to pituitary prolactinoma. We recruited 46 premenopausal female patients with prolactinoma and age and sex-matched healthy controls (Group 3, n = 20) for this cross-sectional study. Prolactinoma patients were divided into 2 groups as patients newly diagnosed (Group 1, n = 26) and those under cabergoline treatment (Group 2, n = 20). Anthropometric and metabolic variables; hormonal profiles; and osteocalcin, deoxypyridinoline (DOP), and bone mineral density measurements were performed for all participants. FGF-23, OPG, and RANKL levels were analyzed in all groups. FGF-23, OPG, calcium, phosphorus, and parathormone levels were similar between all groups despite significantly higher levels in the control group in terms of vitamin D and RANKL levels than in patients. Bone loss was found more in Group 2, particularly observed in Z scores of femur and spinal bone (P<.05). Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between FGF-23 and femur neck T score (r = -0.0433, P = .05) in patients with active prolactinoma. A positive correlation was also observed between parameters of DOP and OPG (r = 0.673, P = .02). In patients with remission there were a negative correlation between prolactin and luteinizing hormone (r = -600, P = .08). Additionally, a negative correlation was found between osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin in patients in remission (r = -0.73, P = .01). Our data indicated that FGF-23 and OPG levels do not play a critical role on the development of bone decrease in patients with hyperprolactinemia. However, further prospective studies in larger numbers of participants should be designed to clarify this issue. BFP = body fat percentage BMD = bone mineral density BMI = body mass index CV = coefficient of variation DOP = deoxypyridinoline ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay FGF-23 = fibroblast growth factor-23 HOMA-IR = homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance OPG = osteoprotegerin RANKL = receptor activator nuclear κB ligand.

Nuclear data activities at the n_TOF facility at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunsing, F.; Aberle, O.; Andrzejewski, J.; Audouin, L.; Bécares, V.; Bacak, M.; Balibrea-Correa, J.; Barbagallo, M.; Barros, S.; Bečvář, F.; Beinrucker, C.; Belloni, F.; Berthoumieux, E.; Billowes, J.; Bosnar, D.; Brugger, M.; Caamaño, M.; Calviño, F.; Calviani, M.; Cano-Ott, D.; Cardella, R.; Casanovas, A.; Castelluccio, D. M.; Cerutti, F.; Chen, Y. H.; Chiaveri, E.; Colonna, N.; Cortés-Giraldo, M. A.; Cortés, G.; Cosentino, L.; Damone, L. A.; Deo, K.; Diakaki, M.; Domingo-Pardo, C.; Dressler, R.; Dupont, E.; Durán, I.; Fernández-Domínguez, B.; Ferrari, A.; Ferreira, P.; Finocchiaro, P.; Frost, R. J. W.; Furman, V.; Ganesan, S.; García, A. R.; Gawlik, A.; Gheorghe, I.; Glodariu, T.; Gonçalves, I. F.; González, E.; Goverdovski, A.; Griesmayer, E.; Guerrero, C.; Göbel, K.; Harada, H.; Heftrich, T.; Heinitz, S.; Hernández-Prieto, A.; Heyse, J.; Jenkins, D. G.; Jericha, E.; Käppeler, F.; Kadi, Y.; Katabuchi, T.; Kavrigin, P.; Ketlerov, V.; Khryachkov, V.; Kimura, A.; Kivel, N.; Kokkoris, M.; Krtička, M.; Leal-Cidoncha, E.; Lederer, C.; Leeb, H.; Lerendegui, J.; Licata, M.; Lo Meo, S.; Lonsdale, S. J.; Losito, R.; Macina, D.; Marganiec, J.; Martínez, T.; Masi, A.; Massimi, C.; Mastinu, P.; Mastromarco, M.; Matteucci, F.; Maugeri, E. A.; Mazzone, A.; Mendoza, E.; Mengoni, A.; Milazzo, P. M.; Mingrone, F.; Mirea, M.; Montesano, S.; Musumarra, A.; Nolte, R.; Oprea, A.; Palomo-Pinto, F. R.; Paradela, C.; Patronis, N.; Pavlik, A.; Perkowski, J.; Porras, I.; Praena, J.; Quesada, J. M.; Rajeev, K.; Rauscher, T.; Reifarth, R.; Riego-Perez, A.; Robles, M.; Rout, P.; Radeck, D.; Rubbia, C.; Ryan, J. A.; Sabaté-Gilarte, M.; Saxena, A.; Schillebeeckx, P.; Schmidt, S.; Schumann, D.; Sedyshev, P.; Smith, A. G.; Stamatopoulos, A.; Suryanarayana, S. V.; Tagliente, G.; Tain, J. L.; Tarifeño-Saldivia, A.; Tarrío, D.; Tassan-Got, L.; Tsinganis, A.; Valenta, S.; Vannini, G.; Variale, V.; Vaz, P.; Ventura, A.; Vlachoudis, V.; Vlastou, R.; Wallner, A.; Warren, S.; Weigand, M.; Weiss, C.; Wolf, C.; Woods, P. J.; Wright, T.; Žugec, P.

2016-10-01

Nuclear data in general, and neutron-induced reaction cross sections in particular, are important for a wide variety of research fields. They play a key role in the safety and criticality assessment of nuclear technology, not only for existing power reactors but also for radiation dosimetry, medical applications, the transmutation of nuclear waste, accelerator-driven systems, fuel cycle investigations and future reactor systems as in Generation IV. Applications of nuclear data are also related to research fields as the study of nuclear level densities and stellar nucleosynthesis. Simulations and calculations of nuclear technology applications largely rely on evaluated nuclear data libraries. The evaluations in these libraries are based both on experimental data and theoretical models. Experimental nuclear reaction data are compiled on a worldwide basis by the international network of Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC) in the EXFOR database. The EXFOR database forms an important link between nuclear data measurements and the evaluated data libraries. CERN's neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF has produced a considerable amount of experimental data since it has become fully operational with the start of the scientific measurement programme in 2001. While for a long period a single measurement station (EAR1) located at 185 m from the neutron production target was available, the construction of a second beam line at 20 m (EAR2) in 2014 has substantially increased the measurement capabilities of the facility. An outline of the experimental nuclear data activities at CERN's neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF will be presented.

Microscopic optical potentials derived from ab initio translationally invariant nonlocal one-body densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gennari, Michael; Vorabbi, Matteo; Calci, Angelo; Navrátil, Petr

2018-03-01

Background: The nuclear optical potential is a successful tool for the study of nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering and its use has been further extended to inelastic scattering and other nuclear reactions. The nuclear density of the target nucleus is a fundamental ingredient in the construction of the optical potential and thus plays an important role in the description of the scattering process. Purpose: In this paper we derive a microscopic optical potential for intermediate energies using ab initio translationally invariant nonlocal one-body nuclear densities computed within the no-core shell model (NCSM) approach utilizing two- and three-nucleon chiral interactions as the only input. Methods: The optical potential is derived at first order within the spectator expansion of the nonrelativistic multiple scattering theory by adopting the impulse approximation. Nonlocal nuclear densities are derived from the NCSM one-body densities calculated in the second quantization. The translational invariance is generated by exactly removing the spurious center-of-mass (COM) component from the NCSM eigenstates. Results: The ground-state local and nonlocal densities of He 4 ,6 ,8 , 12C, and 16O are calculated and applied to optical potential construction. The differential cross sections and the analyzing powers for the elastic proton scattering off these nuclei are then calculated for different values of the incident proton energy. The impact of nonlocality and the COM removal is discussed. Conclusions: The use of nonlocal densities has a substantial impact on the differential cross sections and improves agreement with experiment in comparison to results generated with the local densities especially for light nuclei. For the halo nuclei 6He and 8He, the results for the differential cross section are in a reasonable agreement with the data although a more sophisticated model for the optical potential is required to properly describe the analyzing powers.

Local electronic effects and irradiation resistance in high-entropy alloys

DOE PAGES

Egami, Takeshi; Stocks, George Malcolm; Nicholson, Don; ...

2015-08-14

High-entropy alloys are multicomponent solid solutions in which various elements with different chemistries and sizes occupy the same crystallographic lattice sites. Thus, none of the atoms perfectly fit the lattice site, giving rise to considerable local lattice distortions and atomic-level stresses. These characteristics can be beneficial for performance under both radiation and in a high-temperature environment, making them attractive candidates as nuclear materials. We discuss electronic origin of the atomic-level stresses based upon first-principles calculations using a density functional theory approach.

Optical hyperpolarization of 13C nuclear spins in nanodiamond ensembles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Schwarz, I.; Jelezko, F.; Retzker, A.; Plenio, M. B.

2015-11-01

Dynamical nuclear polarization holds the key for orders of magnitude enhancements of nuclear magnetic resonance signals which, in turn, would enable a wide range of novel applications in biomedical sciences. However, current implementations of DNP require cryogenic temperatures and long times for achieving high polarization. Here we propose and analyze in detail protocols that can achieve rapid hyperpolarization of 13C nuclear spins in randomly oriented ensembles of nanodiamonds at room temperature. Our protocols exploit a combination of optical polarization of electron spins in nitrogen-vacancy centers and the transfer of this polarization to 13C nuclei by means of microwave control to overcome the severe challenges that are posed by the random orientation of the nanodiamonds and their nitrogen-vacancy centers. Specifically, these random orientations result in exceedingly large energy variations of the electron spin levels that render the polarization and coherent control of the nitrogen-vacancy center electron spins as well as the control of their coherent interaction with the surrounding 13C nuclear spins highly inefficient. We address these challenges by a combination of an off-resonant microwave double resonance scheme in conjunction with a realization of the integrated solid effect which, together with adiabatic rotations of external magnetic fields or rotations of nanodiamonds, leads to a protocol that achieves high levels of hyperpolarization of the entire nuclear-spin bath in a randomly oriented ensemble of nanodiamonds even at room temperature. This hyperpolarization together with the long nuclear-spin polarization lifetimes in nanodiamonds and the relatively high density of 13C nuclei has the potential to result in a major signal enhancement in 13C nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and suggests functionalized and hyperpolarized nanodiamonds as a unique probe for molecular imaging both in vitro and in vivo.

Completing the nuclear reaction puzzle of the nucleosynthesis of Mo 92

DOE PAGES

Tveten, G. M.; Spyrou, A.; Schwengner, R.; ...

2016-08-22

One of the greatest questions for modern physics to address is how elements heavier than iron are created in extreme astrophysical environments. A particularly challenging part of that question is the creation of the so-called p-nuclei, which are believed to be mainly produced in some types of supernovae. Here, the lack of needed nuclear data presents an obstacle in nailing down the precise site and astrophysical conditions. In this work, we present for the first time measurements on the nuclear level density and average γ strength function of 92Mo. State-of-the-art p-process calculations systematically underestimate the observed solar abundance of thismore » isotope. Our data provide stringent constraints on the 91Nb(p,γ) 92Mo reaction rate, which is the last unmeasured reaction in the nucleosynthesis puzzle of 92Mo. Based on our results, we conclude that the 92Mo abundance anomaly is not due to the nuclear physics input to astrophysical model calculations.« less

Relativistic and Nuclear Medium Effects on the Coulomb Sum Rule.

PubMed

Cloët, Ian C; Bentz, Wolfgang; Thomas, Anthony W

2016-01-22

In light of the forthcoming high precision quasielastic electron scattering data from Jefferson Lab, it is timely for the various approaches to nuclear structure to make robust predictions for the associated response functions. With this in mind, we focus here on the longitudinal response function and the corresponding Coulomb sum rule for isospin-symmetric nuclear matter at various baryon densities. Using a quantum field-theoretic quark-level approach which preserves the symmetries of quantum chromodynamics, as well as exhibiting dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and quark confinement, we find a dramatic quenching of the Coulomb sum rule for momentum transfers |q|≳0.5  GeV. The main driver of this effect lies in changes to the proton Dirac form factor induced by the nuclear medium. Such a dramatic quenching of the Coulomb sum rule was not seen in a recent quantum Monte Carlo calculation for carbon, suggesting that the Jefferson Lab data may well shed new light on the explicit role of QCD in nuclei.

Density functional theory of electron transfer beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation: Case study of LiF.

PubMed

Li, Chen; Requist, Ryan; Gross, E K U

2018-02-28

We perform model calculations for a stretched LiF molecule, demonstrating that nonadiabatic charge transfer effects can be accurately and seamlessly described within a density functional framework. In alkali halides like LiF, there is an abrupt change in the ground state electronic distribution due to an electron transfer at a critical bond length R = R c , where an avoided crossing of the lowest adiabatic potential energy surfaces calls the validity of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation into doubt. Modeling the R-dependent electronic structure of LiF within a two-site Hubbard model, we find that nonadiabatic electron-nuclear coupling produces a sizable elongation of the critical R c by 0.5 bohr. This effect is very accurately captured by a simple and rigorously derived correction, with an M -1 prefactor, to the exchange-correlation potential in density functional theory, M = reduced nuclear mass. Since this nonadiabatic term depends on gradients of the nuclear wave function and conditional electronic density, ∇ R χ(R) and ∇ R n(r, R), it couples the Kohn-Sham equations at neighboring R points. Motivated by an observed localization of nonadiabatic effects in nuclear configuration space, we propose a local conditional density approximation-an approximation that reduces the search for nonadiabatic density functionals to the search for a single function y(n).

Non-plane-wave Hartree-Fock states and nuclear homework potentials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gutierrez, G.; Plastino, A.; de Llano, M.

1979-12-01

It is shown that non-plane-wave single-particle Hartree-Fock orbitals giving rise to a ''spin-density-wave-like'' structure give lower energy than plane waves beyond a certain relatively low density in both nuclear and neutron matter with homework pair potentials v/sub 1/ and v/sub 2/.

Self-consistent calculation of the nuclear composition in hot and dense stellar matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furusawa, Shun; Mishustin, Igor

2017-03-01

We investigate the mass fractions and in-medium properties of heavy nuclei in stellar matter at characteristic densities and temperatures for supernova (SN) explosions. The individual nuclei are described within the compressible liquid-drop model taking into account modifications of bulk, surface, and Coulomb energies. The equilibrium properties of nuclei and the full ensemble of heavy nuclei are calculated self-consistently. It is found that heavy nuclei in the ensemble are either compressed or decompressed depending on the isospin asymmetry of the system. The compression or decompression has a little influence on the binding energies, total mass fractions, and average mass numbers of heavy nuclei, although the equilibrium densities of individual nuclei themselves are changed appreciably above one-hundredth of normal nuclear density. We find that nuclear structure in the single-nucleus approximation deviates from the actual one obtained in the multinucleus description, since the density of free nucleons is different between these two descriptions. This study indicates that a multinucleus description is required to realistically account for in-medium effects on the nuclear structure in supernova matter.

Skyrme interaction to second order in nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, N.

2015-09-01

Based on the phenomenological Skyrme interaction various density-dependent nuclear matter quantities are calculated up to second order in many-body perturbation theory. The spin-orbit term as well as two tensor terms contribute at second order to the energy per particle. The simultaneous calculation of the isotropic Fermi-liquid parameters provides a rigorous check through the validity of the Landau relations. It is found that published results for these second order contributions are incorrect in most cases. In particular, interference terms between s-wave and p-wave components of the interaction can contribute only to (isospin or spin) asymmetry energies. Even with nine adjustable parameters, one does not obtain a good description of the empirical nuclear matter saturation curve in the low density region 0\\lt ρ \\lt 2{ρ }0. The reason for this feature is the too strong density-dependence {ρ }8/3 of several second-order contributions. The inclusion of the density-dependent term \\frac{1}{6}{t}3{ρ }1/6 is therefore indispensable for a realistic description of nuclear matter in the Skyrme framework.

Probing Sizes and Shapes of Nobelium Isotopes by Laser Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raeder, S.; Ackermann, D.; Backe, H.; Beerwerth, R.; Berengut, J. C.; Block, M.; Borschevsky, A.; Cheal, B.; Chhetri, P.; Düllmann, Ch. E.; Dzuba, V. A.; Eliav, E.; Even, J.; Ferrer, R.; Flambaum, V. V.; Fritzsche, S.; Giacoppo, F.; Götz, S.; Heßberger, F. P.; Huyse, M.; Kaldor, U.; Kaleja, O.; Khuyagbaatar, J.; Kunz, P.; Laatiaoui, M.; Lautenschläger, F.; Lauth, W.; Mistry, A. K.; Minaya Ramirez, E.; Nazarewicz, W.; Porsev, S. G.; Safronova, M. S.; Safronova, U. I.; Schuetrumpf, B.; Van Duppen, P.; Walther, T.; Wraith, C.; Yakushev, A.

2018-06-01

Until recently, ground-state nuclear moments of the heaviest nuclei could only be inferred from nuclear spectroscopy, where model assumptions are required. Laser spectroscopy in combination with modern atomic structure calculations is now able to probe these moments directly, in a comprehensive and nuclear-model-independent way. Here we report on unique access to the differential mean-square charge radii of No 252 ,253 ,254 , and therefore to changes in nuclear size and shape. State-of-the-art nuclear density functional calculations describe well the changes in nuclear charge radii in the region of the heavy actinides, indicating an appreciable central depression in the deformed proton density distribution in No,254252 isotopes. Finally, the hyperfine splitting of No 253 was evaluated, enabling a complementary measure of its (quadrupole) deformation, as well as an insight into the neutron single-particle wave function via the nuclear spin and magnetic moment.

Task 3 - Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste. Semiannual report, November 1, 1996--March 31, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ness, Robert O.; Aulich, Ted R.

1997-12-31

Over the last 50 years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has produced a wide variety of radioactive wastes from activities associated with nuclear defense and nuclear power generation. These wastes include low-level radioactive solid wastes, mixed wastes, and transuranic (TRU) wastes. A portion of these wastes consists of high- organic-content materials, such as resins, plastics, and other polymers; synthetic and natural rubbers; cellulosic-based materials; and oils, organic solvents, and chlorinated organic solvents. Many of these wastes contain hazardous and/or pyrophoric materials in addition to radioactive species. Physical forms of the waste include ion-exchange resins used to remove radioactive elementsmore » from nuclear reactor cooling water, lab equipment and tools (e.g., measurement and containment vessels, hoses, wrappings, equipment coverings and components, and countertops), oil products (e.g., vacuum pump and lubrication oils), bags and other storage containers (for liquids, solids, and gases), solvents, gloves, lab coats and anti-contamination clothing, and other items. Major polymer and chemical groups found in high-organic-content radioactive wastes include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), Teflon(TM), polystyrene (PS), nylon, latex, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), vinyl, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polycarbonate, nitriles, Tygon(R), butyl, and Tyvec(R).« less

The ^58,60Ni(n,α) Reactions from Threshold to 50 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haight, R. C.; Bateman, F. B.; Sterbenz, S. M.; Chadwick, M. B.; Young, P. G.; Grimes, S. M.; Wasson, O. A.; Vonach, H.; Maier-Komor, P.

1996-10-01

Information on nuclear level densities over a wide range of excitation energies can be obtained from data on (n,α) reactions.(M. B. Chadwick et al., this meeting) We have measured α-particle emission cross sections, angular distributions and emission spectra for neutrons up to 50 MeV on targets of ^58Ni and ^60Ni using the pulsed spallation source of fast neutrons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The results will be compared with our previous measurements on ^59Co.(S. M. Grimes et al., Nuclear Science and Engineering in press) The possibilities of extending this method to much heavier nuclides will be discussed.

Influence of acute promyelocytic leukemia therapeutic drugs on nuclear pore complex density and integrity.

PubMed

Lång, Anna; Øye, Alexander; Eriksson, Jens; Rowe, Alexander D; Lång, Emma; Bøe, Stig Ove

2018-05-15

During cell division, a large number of nuclear proteins are released into the cytoplasm due to nuclear envelope breakdown. Timely nuclear import of these proteins following exit from mitosis is critical for establishment of the G1 nuclear environment. Dysregulation of post-mitotic nuclear import may affect the fate of newly divided stem or progenitor cells and may lead to cancer. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a malignant disorder that involves a defect in blood cell differentiation at the promyelocytic stage. Recent studies suggest that pharmacological concentrations of the APL therapeutic drugs, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO), affect post-mitotic nuclear import of the APL-associated oncoprotein PML/RARA. In the present study, we have investigated the possibility that ATRA and ATO affect post-mitotic nuclear import through interference with components of the nuclear import machinery. We observe reduced density and impaired integrity of nuclear pore complexes after ATRA and/or ATO exposure. Using a post-mitotic nuclear import assay, we demonstrate distinct import kinetics among different nuclear import pathways while nuclear import rates were similar in the presence or absence of APL therapeutic drugs. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Localization of nuclear subunits of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase by the immunocolloidal gold method

PubMed Central

1985-01-01

An immunocolloidal gold electron microscopy method is described allowing the ultrastructural localization and quantitation of the regulatory subunits RI and RII and the catalytic subunit C of cAMP- dependent protein kinase. Using a postembedding indirect immunogold labeling procedure that employs specific antisera, the catalytic and regulatory subunits were localized in electron-dense regions of the nucleus and in cytoplasmic areas with a minimum of nonspecific staining. Antigenic domains were localized in regions of the heterochromatin, nucleolus, interchromatin granules, and in the endoplasmic reticulum of different cell types, such as rat hepatocytes, ovarian granulosa cells, and spermatogonia, as well as cultured H4IIE hepatoma cells. Morphometric quantitation of the relative staining density of nuclear antigens indicated a marked modulation of the number of subunits per unit area under various physiologic conditions. For instance, following partial hepatectomy in rats, the staining density of the nuclear RI and C subunits was markedly increased 16 h after surgery. Glucagon treatment of rats increased the staining density of only the nuclear catalytic subunit. Dibutyryl cAMP treatment of H4IIE hepatoma cells led to a marked increase in the nuclear staining density of all three subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. These studies demonstrate that specific antisera against cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunits may be used in combination with immunogold electron microscopy to identify the ultrastructural location of the subunits and to provide a semi-quantitative estimate of their relative cellular density. PMID:2993318

Equilibrium nuclear ensembles taking into account vaporization of hot nuclei in dense stellar matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furusawa, Shun; Mishustin, Igor

2018-02-01

We investigate the high-temperature effect on the nuclear matter that consists of mixture of nucleons and all nuclei in the dense and hot stellar environment. The individual nuclei are described within the compressible-liquid-drop model that is based on Skyrme interactions for bulk energies and that takes into account modifications of the surface and Coulomb energies at finite temperatures and densities. The free-energy density is minimized with respect to the individual equilibrium densities of all heavy nuclei and the nuclear composition. We find that their optimized equilibrium densities become smaller and smaller at high temperatures because of the increase in thermal contributions to bulk free energies and the reduction of surface energies. The neutron-rich nuclei become unstable and disappear one after another at given temperatures. The calculations are performed for two sets of model parameters leading to different values of the slope parameter in the nuclear-symmetry energy. It is found that the larger slope parameter reduces the equilibrium densities and the melting temperatures. We also compare the proposed model with some other approaches and find that the mass fractions of heavy nuclei in the previous calculations that omit vaporization are underestimated at T ≲10 MeV and overestimated at T ≳10 MeV. The further sophistication of calculations of nuclear vaporization and of light clusters would be required to construct the equation of state for explosive astrophysical phenomena.

Anti-levitation of Landau levels in vanishing magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, W.; Baldwin, K. W.; West, K. W.; Pfeiffer, L. N.; Tsui, D. C.

Soon after the discovery of the quantum Hall effects in two-dimensional electron systems, the question on the fate of the extended states in a Landau level in vanishing magnetic (B) field arose. Many theoretical models have since been proposed, and experimental results remain inconclusive. In this talk, we report experimental observation of anti-levitation behavior of Landau levels in vanishing B fields (down to as low as B 58 mT) in a high quality heterojunction insulated-gated field-effect transistor (HIGFET). We observed that, in the Landau fan diagram of electron density versus magnetic field, the positions of the magneto-resistance minima at Landau level fillings ν = 4, 5, 6 move below the ``traditional'' Landau level line to lower electron densities. This clearly differs from what was observed in the earlier experiments where in the same Landau fan plot the density moved up. Our result strongly supports the anti-levitation behavior predicted recently. Moreover, the even and odd Landau level filling states show quantitatively different behaviors in anti-levitation, suggesting that the exchange interactions, which are important at odd fillings, may play a role. SNL is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Nuclear structure and dynamics with density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stetcu, Ionel

2015-10-01

Even in the absence of ab initio methods capable of tackling heavy nuclei without restrictions, one can obtain an ab initio description of ground-state properties by means of the density functional theory (DFT), and its extension to superfluid systems in its local variant, the superfluid local density approximation (SLDA). Information about the properties of excited states can be obtained in the same framework by using an extension to the time-dependent (TD) phenomena. Unlike other approaches in which the nuclear structure information is used as a separate input into reaction models, the TD approach treats on the same footing the nuclear structure and dynamics, and is well suited to provide more reliable description for a large number of processes involving heavy nuclei, from the nuclear response to electroweak probes, to nuclear reactions, such as neutron-induced reactions, or nuclear fusion and fission. Such processes, sometimes part of integrated nuclear systems, have important applications in astrophysics, energy production, global security, etc. In this talk, I will present the simulation of a simple reaction, that is the Coulomb excitation of a 238U nucleus, and discuss the application of the TD-DFT formalism to the description of induced fission. I gratefully acknowledge partial support of the U.S. Department of Energy through an Early Career Award of the LANL/LDRD Program.

Symmetry Parameter Constraints from a Lower Bound on Neutron-matter Energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tews, Ingo; Lattimer, James M.; Ohnishi, Akira

We propose the existence of a lower bound on the energy of pure neutron matter (PNM) on the basis of unitary-gas considerations. We discuss its justification from experimental studies of cold atoms as well as from theoretical studies of neutron matter. We demonstrate that this bound results in limits to the density-dependent symmetry energy, which is the difference between the energies of symmetric nuclear matter and PNM. In particular, this bound leads to a lower limit to the volume symmetry energy parameter S {sub 0}. In addition, for assumed values of S {sub 0} above this minimum, this bound impliesmore » both upper and lower limits to the symmetry energy slope parameter L , which describes the lowest-order density dependence of the symmetry energy. A lower bound on neutron-matter incompressibility is also obtained. These bounds are found to be consistent with both recent calculations of the energies of PNM and constraints from nuclear experiments. Our results are significant because several equations of state that are currently used in astrophysical simulations of supernovae and neutron star mergers, as well as in nuclear physics simulations of heavy-ion collisions, have symmetry energy parameters that violate these bounds. Furthermore, below the nuclear saturation density, the bound on neutron-matter energies leads to a lower limit to the density-dependent symmetry energy, which leads to upper limits to the nuclear surface symmetry parameter and the neutron-star crust–core boundary. We also obtain a lower limit to the neutron-skin thicknesses of neutron-rich nuclei. Above the nuclear saturation density, the bound on neutron-matter energies also leads to an upper limit to the symmetry energy, with implications for neutron-star cooling via the direct Urca process.« less

Symmetry Parameter Constraints from a Lower Bound on Neutron-matter Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tews, Ingo; Lattimer, James M.; Ohnishi, Akira; Kolomeitsev, Evgeni E.

2017-10-01

We propose the existence of a lower bound on the energy of pure neutron matter (PNM) on the basis of unitary-gas considerations. We discuss its justification from experimental studies of cold atoms as well as from theoretical studies of neutron matter. We demonstrate that this bound results in limits to the density-dependent symmetry energy, which is the difference between the energies of symmetric nuclear matter and PNM. In particular, this bound leads to a lower limit to the volume symmetry energy parameter S 0. In addition, for assumed values of S 0 above this minimum, this bound implies both upper and lower limits to the symmetry energy slope parameter L ,which describes the lowest-order density dependence of the symmetry energy. A lower bound on neutron-matter incompressibility is also obtained. These bounds are found to be consistent with both recent calculations of the energies of PNM and constraints from nuclear experiments. Our results are significant because several equations of state that are currently used in astrophysical simulations of supernovae and neutron star mergers, as well as in nuclear physics simulations of heavy-ion collisions, have symmetry energy parameters that violate these bounds. Furthermore, below the nuclear saturation density, the bound on neutron-matter energies leads to a lower limit to the density-dependent symmetry energy, which leads to upper limits to the nuclear surface symmetry parameter and the neutron-star crust-core boundary. We also obtain a lower limit to the neutron-skin thicknesses of neutron-rich nuclei. Above the nuclear saturation density, the bound on neutron-matter energies also leads to an upper limit to the symmetry energy, with implications for neutron-star cooling via the direct Urca process.

EMPIRE: Nuclear Reaction Model Code System for Data Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herman, M.; Capote, R.; Carlson, B.V.

EMPIRE is a modular system of nuclear reaction codes, comprising various nuclear models, and designed for calculations over a broad range of energies and incident particles. A projectile can be a neutron, proton, any ion (including heavy-ions) or a photon. The energy range extends from the beginning of the unresolved resonance region for neutron-induced reactions ({approx} keV) and goes up to several hundred MeV for heavy-ion induced reactions. The code accounts for the major nuclear reaction mechanisms, including direct, pre-equilibrium and compound nucleus ones. Direct reactions are described by a generalized optical model (ECIS03) or by the simplified coupled-channels approachmore » (CCFUS). The pre-equilibrium mechanism can be treated by a deformation dependent multi-step direct (ORION + TRISTAN) model, by a NVWY multi-step compound one or by either a pre-equilibrium exciton model with cluster emission (PCROSS) or by another with full angular momentum coupling (DEGAS). Finally, the compound nucleus decay is described by the full featured Hauser-Feshbach model with {gamma}-cascade and width-fluctuations. Advanced treatment of the fission channel takes into account transmission through a multiple-humped fission barrier with absorption in the wells. The fission probability is derived in the WKB approximation within the optical model of fission. Several options for nuclear level densities include the EMPIRE-specific approach, which accounts for the effects of the dynamic deformation of a fast rotating nucleus, the classical Gilbert-Cameron approach and pre-calculated tables obtained with a microscopic model based on HFB single-particle level schemes with collective enhancement. A comprehensive library of input parameters covers nuclear masses, optical model parameters, ground state deformations, discrete levels and decay schemes, level densities, fission barriers, moments of inertia and {gamma}-ray strength functions. The results can be converted into ENDF-6 formatted files using the accompanying code EMPEND and completed with neutron resonances extracted from the existing evaluations. The package contains the full EXFOR (CSISRS) library of experimental reaction data that are automatically retrieved during the calculations. Publication quality graphs can be obtained using the powerful and flexible plotting package ZVView. The graphic user interface, written in Tcl/Tk, provides for easy operation of the system. This paper describes the capabilities of the code, outlines physical models and indicates parameter libraries used by EMPIRE to predict reaction cross sections and spectra, mainly for nucleon-induced reactions. Selected applications of EMPIRE are discussed, the most important being an extensive use of the code in evaluations of neutron reactions for the new US library ENDF/B-VII.0. Future extensions of the system are outlined, including neutron resonance module as well as capabilities of generating covariances, using both KALMAN and Monte-Carlo methods, that are still being advanced and refined.« less

Budding yeast chromatin is dispersed in a crowded nucleoplasm in vivo

PubMed Central

Chen, Chen; Lim, Hong Hwa; Shi, Jian; Tamura, Sachiko; Maeshima, Kazuhiro; Surana, Uttam; Gan, Lu

2016-01-01

Chromatin organization has an important role in the regulation of eukaryotic systems. Although recent studies have refined the three-dimensional models of chromatin organization with high resolution at the genome sequence level, little is known about how the most fundamental units of chromatin—nucleosomes—are positioned in three dimensions in vivo. Here we use electron cryotomography to study chromatin organization in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Direct visualization of yeast nuclear densities shows no evidence of 30-nm fibers. Aside from preribosomes and spindle microtubules, few nuclear structures are larger than a tetranucleosome. Yeast chromatin does not form compact structures in interphase or mitosis and is consistent with being in an “open” configuration that is conducive to high levels of transcription. From our study and those of others, we propose that yeast can regulate its transcription using local nucleosome–nucleosome associations. PMID:27605704

Advanced Non-Destructive Assessment Technology to Determine the Aging of Silicon Containing Materials for Generation IV Nuclear Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenig, T. W.; Olson, D. L.; Mishra, B.; King, J. C.; Fletcher, J.; Gerstenberger, L.; Lawrence, S.; Martin, A.; Mejia, C.; Meyer, M. K.; Kennedy, R.; Hu, L.; Kohse, G.; Terry, J.

2011-06-01

To create an in-situ, real-time method of monitoring neutron damage within a nuclear reactor core, irradiated silicon carbide samples are examined to correlate measurable variations in the material properties with neutron fluence levels experienced by the silicon carbide (SiC) during the irradiation process. The reaction by which phosphorus doping via thermal neutrons occurs in the silicon carbide samples is known to increase electron carrier density. A number of techniques are used to probe the properties of the SiC, including ultrasonic and Hall coefficient measurements, as well as high frequency impedance analysis. Gamma spectroscopy is also used to examine residual radioactivity resulting from irradiation activation of elements in the samples. Hall coefficient measurements produce the expected trend of increasing carrier concentration with higher fluence levels, while high frequency impedance analysis shows an increase in sample impedance with increasing fluence.

Measurement of In Vivo Three-Dimensional Corneal Cell Density and Size Using Two-Photon Imaging in C57BL/6 Mice.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongmin; He, Siyu; Liu, Susu; Xie, Yanting; Chen, Guoming; Zhang, Junjie; Sun, Shengtao; Liang, David; Wang, Liya

2016-04-01

To measure the cell size and cell density in five layers of the central cornea in the widely used inbred C57BL/6 mouse strain using in vivo three-dimensional (3D) two-photon (2PH) imaging. Corneas were scanned using a 2PH laser scanning fluorescence microscope after staining with plasma membrane stain and Hoechst 33342. Good quality 3D images were selected for the cell density and cell size analysis. Cell density was determined by counting the cell nuclei in a predefined cube of 3D images. Cell size measurements, including cell surface area, cell volume, nuclear surface area and nuclear volume, were automatically quantified using the Imaris software. The cell and nuclear surface-area-to-volume ratio (S:V ratio) and the cell nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio (N:C ratio) were calculated. The highest cell density was observed in the basal epithelium and the lowest in the posterior stroma. The highest cell surface area was found in the anterior stroma, and the highest cell volume was observed in the superficial epithelium. The lowest cell surface area and cell volume were both found in the basal epithelium. The highest S:V ratio was observed in the basal epithelium and the lowest in the superficial epithelium. The highest cell nuclear surface area and volume were both observed in the superficial epithelium and the lowest in the basal epithelium. The highest cell nuclear S:V ratio was observed in the basal epithelium and the lowest in the superficial epithelium. The highest N:C ratio was found in the basal epithelial cells and the lowest in the posterior keratocytes. We are the first to quantify the cell density and size parameters, including cell surface area and volume, cell nuclear surface area and volume, and the S:V ratio, in the five layers of the central cornea. These data provide important cell morphology features for the study of corneal physiology, pathology and disease in mice, particularly in C57BL/6 mice.

Pasta Nucleosynthesis: Molecular dynamics simulations of nuclear statistical equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caplan, Matthew; Horowitz, Charles; da Silva Schneider, Andre; Berry, Donald

2014-09-01

We simulate the decompression of cold dense nuclear matter, near the nuclear saturation density, in order to study the role of nuclear pasta in r-process nucleosynthesis in neutron star mergers. Our simulations are performed using a classical molecular dynamics model with 51 200 and 409 600 nucleons, and are run on GPUs. We expand our simulation region to decompress systems from initial densities of 0.080 fm-3 down to 0.00125 fm-3. We study proton fractions of YP = 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.40 at T = 0.5, 0.75, and 1 MeV. We calculate the composition of the resulting systems using a cluster algorithm. This composition is in good agreement with nuclear statistical equilibrium models for temperatures of 0.75 and 1 MeV. However, for proton fractions greater than YP = 0.2 at a temperature of T = 0.5 MeV, the MD simulations produce non-equilibrium results with large rod-like nuclei. Our MD model is valid at higher densities than simple nuclear statistical equilibrium models and may help determine the initial temperatures and proton fractions of matter ejected in mergers.

Nuclear equation of state for core-collapse supernova simulations with realistic nuclear forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togashi, H.; Nakazato, K.; Takehara, Y.; Yamamuro, S.; Suzuki, H.; Takano, M.

2017-05-01

A new table of the nuclear equation of state (EOS) based on realistic nuclear potentials is constructed for core-collapse supernova numerical simulations. Adopting the EOS of uniform nuclear matter constructed by two of the present authors with the cluster variational method starting from the Argonne v18 and Urbana IX nuclear potentials, the Thomas-Fermi calculation is performed to obtain the minimized free energy of a Wigner-Seitz cell in non-uniform nuclear matter. As a preparation for the Thomas-Fermi calculation, the EOS of uniform nuclear matter is modified so as to remove the effects of deuteron cluster formation in uniform matter at low densities. Mixing of alpha particles is also taken into account following the procedure used by Shen et al. (1998, 2011). The critical densities with respect to the phase transition from non-uniform to uniform phase with the present EOS are slightly higher than those with the Shen EOS at small proton fractions. The critical temperature with respect to the liquid-gas phase transition decreases with the proton fraction in a more gradual manner than in the Shen EOS. Furthermore, the mass and proton numbers of nuclides appearing in non-uniform nuclear matter with small proton fractions are larger than those of the Shen EOS. These results are consequences of the fact that the density derivative coefficient of the symmetry energy of our EOS is smaller than that of the Shen EOS.

Axial deformed solution of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov equations using the transformed harmonic oscillator Basis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez, R. Navarro; Schunck, N.; Lasseri, R.

2017-03-09

HFBTHO is a physics computer code that is used to model the structure of the nucleus. It is an implementation of the nuclear energy Density Functional Theory (DFT), where the energy of the nucleus is obtained by integration over space of some phenomenological energy density, which is itself a functional of the neutron and proton densities. In HFBTHO, the energy density derives either from the zero-range Dkyrme or the finite-range Gogny effective two-body interaction between nucleons. Nuclear superfluidity is treated at the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) approximation, and axial-symmetry of the nuclear shape is assumed. This version is the 3rd release ofmore » the program; the two previous versions were published in Computer Physics Communications [1,2]. The previous version was released at LLNL under GPL 3 Open Source License and was given release code LLNL-CODE-573953.« less

Nuclear Gauges Used in Road Construction | RadTown USA ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2017-08-07

Nuclear gauges use radioactive sources to measure the thickness, density or make-up of a wide variety of materials and surfaces. When properly used, nuclear gauges will not expose the public to radiation. Nuclear gauges must be used safely and disposed of properly.

The symmetry energy, neutron skin thickness and isovector dipole response of neutron-rich nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvat, A.; Paar, N.

2015-04-01

The isotopic evolution of the relationship between the symmetry energy at saturation density of nuclear matter (J), neutron skin thickness (ΔR) and relevant observables related to isovector dipole excitations in neutron rich 116-136Sn isotopes has been investigated in the framework of relativistic nuclear energy density functional theory. The description employs a family of effective interactions with density dependent meson-nucleon couplings (DDME) spanning the range of values J = 30 - 38 MeV.

The Far-Infrared Spectrum of Arp 220

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez-Alfonso, Eduardo; Smith, Howard A.; Fischer, Jacqueline; Cernicharo, Jose

2004-01-01

ISO/LWS grating observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 shows absorption in molecular lines of OH, H 2 0 , CH, NH, and "3, well as in the [0 I] 63 pm line and emission in the [C 111 158 pm line. We have modeled the continuum and the emission/absorption of all observed features by means of a non-local radiative transfer code. The continuum from 25 to 1300 pm is modeled AS A WARM (106 K) NUCLEAR REGION THAT IS OPTICALLY THICK IN THE FAR-INFRARED, attenuated by an extended region (size 2") that is heated mainly through absorption of nuclear infrared radiation. The molecular absorption in the nuclear region is characterized by high excitation due to the high infrared radiation density. The OH column densities are high toward the nucleus and the extended region (about 2 x 10 sup 17 cm sup-2). The H2O column density is also high toward the nucleus (2 - 10 x 1017 cm-2) and lower in the extended region. The column densities in a halo that accounts for the absorption by the lowest lying levels are similar to what are found in the diffuse clouds toward the star forming regions in the Sgr B2 molecular cloud complex near the Galactic Center. Most notable are the high column densities found for NH and NH3 toward the nucleus, with values of about 1.5 x 10supl6 cmsup-2 and about 3 x 10supl6 cmsup-2, respectively, whereas the NH2 column density is lower than about 2 x 10sup15 cmsup-2. A combination of PDRs in the extended region and hot cores with enhanced H20 photodissociation and a possible shock contribution in the nuclei may explain the relative column densities of OH and H20, whereas the nitrogen chemistry may be strongly affected by cosmic ray ionization. The [C II] 158 pm line is well reproduced by our models and its "deficit" relative to the CII/FIR ratio in normal and starburst galaxies is suggested to be mainly a consequence of the dominant non-PDR component of far- infrared radiation, ALTHOUGH OUR MODELS ALONE CANNOT RULE OUT EXTINCTION EFFECTS IN THE NUCLEI.

The Far-Infrared Spectrum of Arp 220

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez-Alfonso, Eduardo; Smith, Howard A.; Fischer, Jacqueline; Cernicharo, Jose

2005-01-01

ISO/LWS grating observations of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp 220 shows absorption in molecular lines of OH, H(sub 2)O, CH, NH, and NH(sub 3), as well as in the [O I] 63 micron line and emission in the [C II] 158 micron line. We have modeled the continuum and the emission/absorption of all observed features by means of a non-local radiative transfer code. The continuum from 25 to 1300 microns is modeled as a warm (106 K) nuclear region that is optically thick in the far-infrared, attenuated by an extended region (size 2") that is heated mainly through absorption of nuclear infrared radiation. The molecular absorption in the nuclear region is characterized by high excitation due to the high infrared radiation density. The OH column densities are high toward the nucleus (2 - 6 x 10(exp 17) cm(exp -2)) and the extended region (approximately 2 x 10(exp 17) cm(exp -2)). The H(sub 2)O column density is also high toward the nucleus (2 - 10 x 10(exp 17) cm(exp -2)) and lower in the extended region. The column densities in a halo that accounts for the absorption by the lowest lying levels are similar to what are found in the diffuse clouds toward the star forming regions in the Sgr B2 molecular cloud complex near the Galactic Center. Most notable are the high column densities found for NH and NH(sub 3) toward the nucleus, with values of approximately 1.5 x 10(exp 16) cm(exp -2) and approximately 3 x 10(exp 16) cm(exp -2), respectively, whereas the NH(sub 2) column density is lower than approximately 2 x 10(exp 15) cm(exp -2). A combination of PDRs in the extended region and hot cores with enhanced H(sub 2)O photodissociation and a possible shock contribution in the nuclei may explain the relative column densities of OH and H(sub 2)O, whereas the nitrogen chemistry may be strongly affected by cosmic ray ionization. The [C II] 158 micron line is well reproduced by our models and its deficit relative to the CII/FIR ratio in normal and starburst galaxies is suggested to be mainly a consequence of the dominant non-PDR component of far-infrared radiation, although our models alone cannot rule out extinction effects in the nuclei.

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

DOE PAGES

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak; ...

2017-08-16

We present the generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capturemore » cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

Dynamic high energy density plasma environments at the National Ignition Facility for nuclear science research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cerjan, Ch J.; Bernstein, L.; Hopkins, L. Berzak

We present the generation of dynamic high energy density plasmas in the pico- to nano-second time domain at high-energy laser facilities affords unprecedented nuclear science research possibilities. At the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the primary goal of inertial confinement fusion research has led to the synergistic development of a unique high brightness neutron source, sophisticated nuclear diagnostic instrumentation, and versatile experimental platforms. These novel experimental capabilities provide a new path to investigate nuclear processes and structural effects in the time, mass and energy density domains relevant to astrophysical phenomena in a unique terrestrial environment. Some immediate applications include neutron capturemore » cross-section evaluation, fission fragment production, and ion energy loss measurement in electron-degenerate plasmas. More generally, the NIF conditions provide a singular environment to investigate the interplay of atomic and nuclear processes such as plasma screening effects upon thermonuclear reactivity. Lastly, achieving enhanced understanding of many of these effects will also significantly advance fusion energy research and challenge existing theoretical models.« less

Density diagnostics of ionized outflows in active galactic nuclei. X-ray and UV absorption lines from metastable levels in Be-like to C-like ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Junjie; Kaastra, J. S.; Mehdipour, M.; Raassen, A. J. J.; Gu, Liyi; Miller, J. M.

2017-11-01

Context. Ionized outflows in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are thought to influence their nuclear and local galactic environment. However, the distance of the outflows with respect to the central engine is poorly constrained, which limits our understanding of their kinetic power as a cosmic feedback channel. Therefore, the impact of AGN outflows on their host galaxies is uncertain. However, when the density of the outflows is known, their distance can be immediately obtained from their modeled ionization parameters. Aims: We perform a theoretical study of density diagnostics of ionized outflows using absorption lines from metastable levels in Be-like to C-like cosmic abundant ions. Methods: With the new self-consistent PhotoIONization (PION) model in the SPEX code, we are able to calculate detailed level populations, including the ground and metastable levels. This enables us to determine under what physical conditions the metastable levels are significantly populated. We then identify characteristic lines from these metastable levels in the 1-2000 Å wavelength range. Results: In the broad density range of nH ∈ (106, 1020) m-3, the metastable levels 2s2p (3P0-2) in Be-like ions can be significantly populated. For B-like ions, merely the first excited level 2s22p (2P3/2) can be used as a density probe. For C-like ions, the first two excited levels 2s22p2 (3P1 and 3P2) are better density probes than the next two excited levels 2s22p2 (1S0 and 1D2). Different ions in the same isoelectronic sequence cover not only a wide range of ionization parameters, but also a wide range of density values. On the other hand, within the same isonuclear sequence, those less ionized ions probe lower density and smaller ionization parameters. Finally, we reanalyzed the high-resolution grating spectra of NGC 5548 observed with Chandra in January 2002 using a set of PION components to account for the ionized outflow. We derive lower (or upper) limits of plasma density in five out of six PION components based on the presence (or absence) of the metastable absorption lines. Once atomic data from N-like to F-like ions are available, combined with the next generation of spectrometers that cover both X-ray and UV wavelength ranges with higher spectral resolution and larger effective areas, tight constraints on the density and thus the location and kinetic power of AGN outflows can be obtained.

A search at the millijansky level for milli-arcsecond cores in a complete sample of radio galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehrle, A. E.; Preston, R. A.; Meier, D. L.; Gorenstein, M. V.; Shapiro, I. I.; Rogers, A. E. E.; Rius, A.

1984-01-01

A complete sample of 26 extended radio galaxies was observed at 2.29 GHz with the Mark III VLBI system. The fringe spacing was about 3 milli-arcsec, and the detection limit was about 2 millijanskys. Half of the galaxies were found to possess milli-arcsec radio cores. In all but three sources, the nuclear flux density was less than 0.04 of the total flux density. Galaxies with high optical luminosity (less than -21.2) were more likely than less luminous galaxies to contain a detectable milliparcsec radio core (69 percent vs. 20 percent). For objects with arcsec cores, 80 percent were found to have a milli-arcsec core, even though the milli-arcsec object did not always contribute the greater part of the arcsec flux density.

Myopic refractive shift represents dense nuclear sclerosis and thin lens in lenticular myopia.

PubMed

Cho, Yang Kyung; Huang, Wei; Nishimura, Eiichi

2013-09-01

It is not rare to meet unilateral nuclear sclerotic cataracts with myopic refractive changes (lenticular myopia) compared with the fellow eye in the ophthalmic examination of patients with decreased visual acuity. To determine the relationship between the myopic refractive changes and interocular differences of parameters, we investigated the interocular differences of ocular parameters between a lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye. This retrospective study included 68 eyes of 34 patients, who showed unilateral lenticular myopia. We compared the dimensions of ocular component, such as anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber volume, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth, lens position, lens density of nuclear sclerosis, anterior lens curvature and myopic refractive changes (spherical equivalent refraction) between the lenticular myopic eye and the myopic refractive change were examined. Statistically significant differences were found between the lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye for anterior chamber depth (p = 0.015) anterior chamber volume (p = 0.031), lens thickness (p < 0.001), lens density of the nuclear sclerosis (p < 0.001) and the spherical equivalent myopic refractive changes (p < 0.001). Based on univariate analysis, the interocular difference in spherical equivalent refraction was significantly correlated with interocular differences of the density of the nuclear sclerosis (r = 0.79, p < 0.001), lens thickness (r = -0.70, p < 0.001) and vitreous chamber depth (r = 0.43, p = 0.012). Based on multiple regression analysis, the interocular difference in spherical equivalent refraction was significantly correlated with interocular differences of density of nuclear sclerosis (p < 0.001) and lens thickness (p = 0.007). The difference in myopic spherical change reflects the differences in the severity of nuclear sclerosis and lens thickness between the lenticular myopic eye and the fellow eye. © 2013 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2013 Optometrists Association Australia.

Nature of non-nuclear (3, -3) π-attractor and π-bonding: Theoretical analysis on π-electron density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Jiao; Yang, Lihua; Sun, Zheng; Meng, Lingpeng; Li, Xiaoyan

2018-01-01

Understanding the nature of π-electron density is important to characterize the conjugate π molecular systems. In this work, the π-electron densities of some typical conjugated π molecular systems were separated from their total electron densities; the positions and natures of non-nuclear (3, -3) π-attractors and the π-bond critical points (π-BCPs) are investigated. The calculated results show that for the same element, the position of the π-attractor is constant, regardless of the chemical surroundings. The position of the π-BCP is closer to the atom with the larger electronegativity.

Nuclear ``pasta'' structures in low-density nuclear matter and properties of the neutron-star crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okamoto, Minoru; Maruyama, Toshiki; Yabana, Kazuhiro; Tatsumi, Toshitaka

2013-08-01

In the neutron-star crust, nonuniform structure of nuclear matter—called the “pasta” structure—is expected. From recent studies of giant flares in magnetars, these structures might be related to some observables and physical quantities of the neutron-star crust. To investigate the above quantities, we numerically explore the pasta structure with a fully three-dimensional geometry and study the properties of low-density nuclear matter, based on the relativistic mean-field model and the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We observe typical pasta structures for fixed proton number fraction and two of them for cold catalyzed matter. We also discuss the crystalline configuration of “pasta.”

Associations between age-related nuclear cataract and lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet and serum in the Carotenoids in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, an Ancillary Study of the Women's Health Initiative.

PubMed

Moeller, Suzen M; Voland, Rick; Tinker, Lesley; Blodi, Barbara A; Klein, Michael L; Gehrs, Karen M; Johnson, Elizabeth J; Snodderly, D Max; Wallace, Robert B; Chappell, Richard J; Parekh, Niyati; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl; Mares, Julie A

2008-03-01

To evaluate associations between nuclear cataract (determined from slitlamp photographs between May 2001 and January 2004) and lutein and zeaxanthin in the diet and serum in patients between 1994 and 1998 and macula between 2001 and 2004. A total of 1802 women aged 50 to 79 years in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Oregon with intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin above the 78th (high) and below the 28th (low) percentiles in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (1994-1998) were recruited 4 to 7 years later (2001-2004) into the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Women in the group with high dietary levels of lutein and zeaxanthin had a 23% lower prevalence of nuclear cataract (age-adjusted odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.62-0.96) compared with those with low levels. Multivariable adjustment slightly attenuated the association (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-1.01). Women in the highest quintile category of diet or serum levels of lutein and zeaxanthin as compared with those in the lowest quintile category were 32% less likely to have nuclear cataract (multivariable-adjusted odds ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.97; P for trend = .04; and multivariable-adjusted odds ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.98; P for trend = .01, respectively). Cross-sectional associations with macular pigment density were inverse but not statistically significant. Diets rich in lutein and zeaxanthin are moderately associated with decreased prevalence of nuclear cataract in older women. However, other protective aspects of such diets may in part explain these relationships.

Properties of nuclear matter from macroscopic-microscopic mass formulas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Liu, Min; Ou, Li; Zhang, Yingxun

2015-12-01

Based on the standard Skyrme energy density functionals together with the extended Thomas-Fermi approach, the properties of symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter represented in two macroscopic-microscopic mass formulas: Lublin-Strasbourg nuclear drop energy (LSD) formula and Weizsäcker-Skyrme (WS*) formula, are extracted through matching the energy per particle of finite nuclei. For LSD and WS*, the obtained incompressibility coefficients of symmetric nuclear matter are K∞ = 230 ± 11 MeV and 235 ± 11 MeV, respectively. The slope parameter of symmetry energy at saturation density is L = 41.6 ± 7.6 MeV for LSD and 51.5 ± 9.6 MeV for WS*, respectively, which is compatible with the liquid-drop analysis of Lattimer and Lim [4]. The density dependence of the mean-field isoscalar and isovector effective mass, and the neutron-proton effective masses splitting for neutron matter are simultaneously investigated. The results are generally consistent with those from the Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations and nucleon optical potentials, and the standard deviations are large and increase rapidly with density. A better constraint for the effective mass is helpful to reduce uncertainties of the depth of the mean-field potential.

Brayton Power Conversion System Study to Advance Technology Readiness for Nuclear Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Bog; Delventhal, Rex; Frye, Patrick

2004-01-01

Recently, there has been significant interest within the aerospace community to develop space based nuclear power conversion technologies especially for exploring the outer planets of our solar system where the solar energy density is very low. To investigate these technologies NASA awarded several contracts under Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program. The studies described in this paper were performed under one of those contracts, which was to investigate the use of a nuclear power conversion system based on the closed Brayton cycle (CBC).The investigation performed included BPCS (Brayton Power Conversion System) trade studies to minimize system weight and radiator area and advance the state of the art of BPCS technology. The primary requirements for studies were a power level of 100 kWe (to the PPU), a low overall power system mass and a lifetime of 15 years (10 years full power). For the radiation environment, the system was to be capable of operation in the generic space environment and withstand the extreme environments surrounding Jupiter. The studies defined a BPCS design traceable to NEP (Nuclear Electric Propulsion) requirements and suitable for future missions with a sound technology plan for technology readiness level (TRL) advancement identified. The studies assumed a turbine inlet temperature approx. 100 C above the current the state of the art capabilities with materials issues and related development tasks identified. Analyses and evaluations of six different HRS (heat rejection system) designs and three primary power management and distribution (PMAD) configurations will be discussed in the paper.

Analysis of water levels in the Frenchman Flat area, Nevada Test Site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bright, D.J.; Watkins, S.A.; Lisle, B.A.

2001-01-01

Analysis of water levels in 21 wells in the Frenchman Flat area, Nevada Test Site, provides information on the accuracy of hydraulic-head calculations, temporal water-level trends, and potential causes of water-level fluctuations. Accurate hydraulic heads are particularly important in Frenchman Flat where the hydraulic gradients are relatively flat (less than 1 foot per mile) in the alluvial aquifer. Temporal water-level trends with magnitudes near or exceeding the regional hydraulic gradient may have a substantial effect on ground-water flow directions. Water-level measurements can be adjusted for the effects of barometric pressure, formation water density (from water-temperature measurements), borehole deviation, and land-surface altitude in selected wells in the Frenchman Flat area. Water levels in one well were adjusted for the effect of density; this adjustment was significantly greater (about 17 feet) than the adjustment of water levels for barometric pressure, borehole deviation, or land-surface altitude (less than about 4 feet). Water-level measurements from five wells exhibited trends that were statistically and hydrologically significant. Statistically significant water-level trends were observed for three wells completed in the alluvial aquifer (WW-5a, UE-5n, and PW-3), for one well completed in the carbonate aquifer (SM-23), and for one well completed in the quartzite confining unit (Army-6a). Potential causes of water-level fluctuations in wells in the Frenchman Flat area include changes in atmospheric conditions (precipitation and barometric pressure), Earth tides, seismic activity, past underground nuclear testing, and nearby pumping. Periodic water-level measurements in some wells completed in the carbonate aquifer indicate cyclic-type water-level fluctuations that generally correlate with longer term changes (more than 5 years) in precipitation. Ground-water pumping fromthe alluvial aquifer at well WW-5c and pumping and discharge from well RNM-2s appear to cause water-level fluctuations in nearby observation wells. The remaining known sources of water-level fluctuations do not appear to substantially affect water-level changes (seismic activity and underground nuclear testing) or do not affect changes over a period of more than 1 year (barometric pressure and Earth tides) in wells in the Frenchman Flat area.

The neutron skin thickness in nuclei with clustering at low densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nooraihan, A.; Usmani, Q. N.; Sauli, Z.; Anwar, K.

2016-11-01

This study concentrates on searching for a dependable, fully microscopic theory to find out new behaviours and understand their consequences for theoretical pictures. The models for nuclear structure are tested, refined and developed by acquiring new data [1][2][3]. This data is useful for astrophysical calculations and predictions. In density functional theories, including the ETF theory, the equation of state (EOS) of symmetric nuclear matter (SNM), is an important measure. Empirically, we receive information about quantities relating to SNM, all these measures are thoroughly tested. In the absence of any unswerving knowledge below this density we shall take that energy still rises up to some density, neglecting possible small fluctuations, as the density is brought down. Our discussion at the moment is without the Coulomb forces applicable only for the hypothetical nuclear matter; they are added finally to correctly portray the actual picture in nuclei. Our approach in this study is macroscopic. This work concludes that the neutron skin thickness in nuclei is found to reduce significantly, for the reason of clustering.

Level density and mechanism of deuteron-induced reactions on Fe 54 , 56 , 58

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramirez, A. P. D.; Voinov, A. V.; Grimes, S. M.

Here, deuteron elastic cross sections, as well as neutron, proton, and α-particle emission spectra, from d+ 54,56,58Fe reactions have been measured with deuteron beam energies of 5, 7, and 9 MeV. Optical model parameters have been tested against our experimental data. The fraction of total reaction cross section responsible for the formation of compound nuclei has been deduced from the angular distributions. The degree of discrepancy between calculated and experimental compound cross sections was found to increase with increasing neutron number. The nuclear level densities of the residual nuclei 55Co, 57Co, 55Fe, 57Fe, 52Mn, and 54Mn have been deduced frommore » the compound double differential cross sections. The Gilbert-Cameron model with Iljinov parameter systematics [A. S. Iljinov and M. V. Mebel, Nucl. Phys. A 543, 517 (1992)] was found to have a good agreement with our results.« less

Level density and mechanism of deuteron-induced reactions on Fe 54 , 56 , 58

DOE PAGES

Ramirez, A. P. D.; Voinov, A. V.; Grimes, S. M.; ...

2015-07-06

Here, deuteron elastic cross sections, as well as neutron, proton, and α-particle emission spectra, from d+ 54,56,58Fe reactions have been measured with deuteron beam energies of 5, 7, and 9 MeV. Optical model parameters have been tested against our experimental data. The fraction of total reaction cross section responsible for the formation of compound nuclei has been deduced from the angular distributions. The degree of discrepancy between calculated and experimental compound cross sections was found to increase with increasing neutron number. The nuclear level densities of the residual nuclei 55Co, 57Co, 55Fe, 57Fe, 52Mn, and 54Mn have been deduced frommore » the compound double differential cross sections. The Gilbert-Cameron model with Iljinov parameter systematics [A. S. Iljinov and M. V. Mebel, Nucl. Phys. A 543, 517 (1992)] was found to have a good agreement with our results.« less

Effects of medium on nuclear properties in multifragmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De, J. N.; Samaddar, S. K.; Viñas, X.; Centelles, M.; Mishustin, I. N.; Greiner, W.

2012-08-01

In multifragmentation of hot nuclear matter, properties of fragments embedded in a soup of nucleonic gas and other fragments should be modified as compared with isolated nuclei. Such modifications are studied within a simple model where only nucleons and one kind of heavy nuclei are considered. The interaction between different species is described with a momentum-dependent two-body potential whose parameters are fitted to reproduce properties of cold isolated nuclei. The internal energy of heavy fragments is parametrized according to a liquid-drop model with density- and temperature-dependent parameters. Calculations are carried out for several subnuclear densities and moderate temperatures, for isospin-symmetric and asymmetric systems. We find that the fragments get stretched due to interactions with the medium and their binding energies decrease with increasing temperature and density of nuclear matter.

Optimize out-of-core thermionic energy conversion for nuclear electric propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, J. F.

1978-01-01

Thermionic energy conversion (TEC) potentialities for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) are examined. Considering current designs, their limitations, and risks raises critical questions about the use of TEC for NEP. Apparently a reactor cooled by hotter-than-1675 K heat pipes has good potentialities. TEC with higher temperatures and greater power densities than the currently proposed 1650 K, 5-to-6 W/sq cm version offers substantial gains. Other approaches to high-temperature electric isolation appear also promising. A high-power-density, high-temperature TEC for NEP appears, therefore, attainable. It is recommended to optimize out-of-core thermionic energy conversion for nuclear electric propulsion. Although current TEC designs for NEP seem unnecessary compared with Brayton versions, large gains are apparently possible with increased temperatures and greater power densities.

Is nuclear matter a quantum crystal?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canuto, V.; Chitre, S. M.

1973-01-01

A possible alternative to the ordinary gas-like computation for nuclear matter is investigated under the assumption that the nucleons are arranged in a lattice. BCC, FCC and HCP structures are investigated. Only HCP shows a minimum in the energy vs. density curve with a modest binding energy of -1.5 MeV. The very low density limit is investigated and sensible results are obtained only if the tensor force decreases with the density. A study of the elastic properties indicates that the previous structures are mechanically unstable against shearing stresses.

Density Functional Approach to Superfluid Phonon in Inner Crust of Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inakura, Tsunenori; Matsuo, Masayuki

We investigate superfluid phonon emerging in inner crust of neutron stars by means of the nuclear density functional theory. Adopting the Wigner-Seitz approximation and a single spherical cell, we describe low-lying collective excitation with the dipole multipolarity. It is found that the superfluid phonon standing on the low-density neutron superfluid does not penetrate into the interior of the nuclear cluster. This suggests that the coupling between the superfluid phonon and the lattice phonon could be weak, and it may affect the thermal conductivity of inner crust.

Compact Stars with Sequential QCD Phase Transitions.

PubMed

Alford, Mark; Sedrakian, Armen

2017-10-20

Compact stars may contain quark matter in their interiors at densities exceeding several times the nuclear saturation density. We explore models of such compact stars where there are two first-order phase transitions: the first from nuclear matter to a quark-matter phase, followed at a higher density by another first-order transition to a different quark-matter phase [e.g., from the two-flavor color-superconducting (2SC) to the color-flavor-locked (CFL) phase]. We show that this can give rise to two separate branches of hybrid stars, separated from each other and from the nuclear branch by instability regions, and, therefore, to a new family of compact stars, denser than the ordinary hybrid stars. In a range of parameters, one may obtain twin hybrid stars (hybrid stars with the same masses but different radii) and even triplets where three stars, with inner cores of nuclear matter, 2SC matter, and CFL matter, respectively, all have the same mass but different radii.

The conductive propagation of nuclear flames. I - Degenerate C + O and O + Ne + Mg white dwarfs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Timmes, F. X.; Woosley, S. E.

1992-01-01

The paper determines the physical properties - speed, width, and density structure - of conductive burning fronts in degenerate carbon-oxygen (C + O) and oxygen-neon-magnesium (O + Ne + Mg) compositions for a grid of initial densities and compositions. The dependence of the physical properties of the flame on the assumed values of nuclear reaction rates, the nuclear reaction network employed, the thermal conductivity, and the choice of coordinate system are investigated. The occurrence of accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf is found to be critically dependent on the velocity of the nuclear conductive burning front and the growth rate of hydrodynamic instabilities. Treating the expanding area of the turbulent burning region as a fractal whose tile size is identical to the minimum unstable Rayleigh-Taylor wavelength, it is found, for all reasonable values of the fractal dimension, that for initial C + O or O + Ne + Mg densities above about 9 x 10 exp 9 g/cu cm the white dwarf should collapse to a neutron star.

Equation of state for dense nucleonic matter from metamodeling. I. Foundational aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margueron, Jérôme; Hoffmann Casali, Rudiney; Gulminelli, Francesca

2018-02-01

Metamodeling for the nucleonic equation of state (EOS), inspired from a Taylor expansion around the saturation density of symmetric nuclear matter, is proposed and parameterized in terms of the empirical parameters. The present knowledge of nuclear empirical parameters is first reviewed in order to estimate their average values and associated uncertainties, and thus defining the parameter space of the metamodeling. They are divided into isoscalar and isovector types, and ordered according to their power in the density expansion. The goodness of the metamodeling is analyzed against the predictions of the original models. In addition, since no correlation among the empirical parameters is assumed a priori, all arbitrary density dependences can be explored, which might not be accessible in existing functionals. Spurious correlations due to the assumed functional form are also removed. This meta-EOS allows direct relations between the uncertainties on the empirical parameters and the density dependence of the nuclear equation of state and its derivatives, and the mapping between the two can be done with standard Bayesian techniques. A sensitivity analysis shows that the more influential empirical parameters are the isovector parameters Lsym and Ksym, and that laboratory constraints at supersaturation densities are essential to reduce the present uncertainties. The present metamodeling for the EOS for nuclear matter is proposed for further applications in neutron stars and supernova matter.

Demonstration of fundamental statistics by studying timing of electronics signals in a physics-based laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beach, Shaun E.; Semkow, Thomas M.; Remling, David J.; Bradt, Clayton J.

2017-07-01

We have developed accessible methods to demonstrate fundamental statistics in several phenomena, in the context of teaching electronic signal processing in a physics-based college-level curriculum. A relationship between the exponential time-interval distribution and Poisson counting distribution for a Markov process with constant rate is derived in a novel way and demonstrated using nuclear counting. Negative binomial statistics is demonstrated as a model for overdispersion and justified by the effect of electronic noise in nuclear counting. The statistics of digital packets on a computer network are shown to be compatible with the fractal-point stochastic process leading to a power-law as well as generalized inverse Gaussian density distributions of time intervals between packets.

Nuclear magnetic resonance in high magnetic field: Application to condensed matter physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthier, Claude; Horvatić, Mladen; Julien, Marc-Henri; Mayaffre, Hadrien; Krämer, Steffen

2017-05-01

In this review, we describe the potentialities offered by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique to explore at a microscopic level new quantum states of condensed matter induced by high magnetic fields. We focus on experiments realised in resistive (up to 34 T) or hybrid (up to 45 T) magnets, which open a large access to these quantum phase transitions. After an introduction on NMR observables, we consider several topics: quantum spin systems (spin-Peierls transition, spin ladders, spin nematic phases, magnetisation plateaus, and Bose-Einstein condensation of triplet excitations), the field-induced charge density wave (CDW) in high-Tc superconductors, and exotic superconductivity including the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state and the field-induced superconductivity due to the Jaccarino-Peter mechanism.

Phase transitions in core-collapse supernova matter at sub-saturation densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pais, Helena; Newton, William G.; Stone, Jirina R.

2014-12-01

Phase transitions in hot, dense matter in the collapsing cores of massive stars have an important impact on the core-collapse supernova mechanism as they absorb heat, disrupt homology, and so weaken the developing shock. We perform a three-dimensional, finite temperature Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) study of inhomogeneous nuclear matter to determine the critical density and temperature for the phase transition between the pasta phase and homogeneous matter and its properties. We employ four different parametrizations of the Skyrme nuclear energy-density functional, SkM*, SLy4, NRAPR, and SQMC700, which span a range of saturation-density symmetry energy behaviors constrained by a variety of nuclear experimental probes. For each of these interactions we calculate free energy, pressure, entropy, and chemical potentials in the range of particle number densities where the nuclear pasta phases are expected to exist, 0.02-0.12 fm-3, temperatures 2-8 MeV, and a proton fraction of 0.3. We find unambiguous evidence for a first-order phase transition to uniform matter, unsoftened by the presence of the pasta phases. No conclusive signs of a first-order phase transition between the pasta phases is observed, and it is argued that the thermodynamic quantities vary continuously right up to the first-order phase transition to uniform matter. We compare our results with thermodynamic spinodals calculated using the same Skyrme parametrizations, finding that the effect of short-range Coulomb correlations and quantum shell effects included in our model leads to the pasta phases existing at densities up to 0.01 fm-3 above the spinodal boundaries, thus increasing the transition density to uniform matter by the same amount. The transition density is otherwise shown to be insensitive to the symmetry energy at saturation density within the range constrained by the concordance of a variety of experimental constraints, and can be taken to be a well determined quantity.

Estimation of M 1 scissors mode strength for deformed nuclei in the medium- to heavy-mass region by statistical Hauser-Feshbach model calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mumpower, M. R.; Kawano, T.; Ullmann, J. L.; Krtička, M.; Sprouse, T. M.

2017-08-01

Radiative neutron capture is an important nuclear reaction whose accurate description is needed for many applications ranging from nuclear technology to nuclear astrophysics. The description of such a process relies on the Hauser-Feshbach theory which requires the nuclear optical potential, level density, and γ -strength function as model inputs. It has recently been suggested that the M 1 scissors mode may explain discrepancies between theoretical calculations and evaluated data. We explore statistical model calculations with the strength of the M 1 scissors mode estimated to be dependent on the nuclear deformation of the compound system. We show that the form of the M 1 scissors mode improves the theoretical description of evaluated data and the match to experiment in both the fission product and actinide regions. Since the scissors mode occurs in the range of a few keV to a few MeV, it may also impact the neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei that participate in the rapid neutron capture process of nucleosynthesis. We comment on the possible impact to nucleosynthesis by evaluating neutron capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei with the M 1 scissors mode active.

Probing nuclear symmetry energy at high densities using pion, kaon, eta and photon productions in heavy-ion collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhi-Gang; Yong, Gao-Chan; Chen, Lie-Wen; Li, Bao-An; Zhang, Ming; Xiao, Guo-Qing; Xu, Nu

2014-02-01

The high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy is among the most uncertain properties of dense neutron-rich matter. Its accurate determination has significant ramifications in understanding not only the reaction dynamics of heavy-ion reactions, especially those induced by radioactive beams, but also many interesting phenomena in astrophysics, such as the explosion mechanism of supernova and the properties of neutron stars. The heavy-ion physics community has devoted much effort during the last few years to constrain the high-density symmetry using various probes. In particular, the / ratio has been most extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally. All models have consistently predicted qualitatively that the / ratio is a sensitive probe of the high-density symmetry energy especially with beam energies near the pion production threshold. However, the predicted values of the / ratio are still quite model dependent mostly because of the complexity of modeling pion production and reabsorption dynamics in heavy-ion collisions, leading to currently still controversial conclusions regarding the high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy from comparing various model calculations with available experimental data. As more / data become available and a deeper understanding about the pion dynamics in heavy-ion reactions is obtained, more penetrating probes, such as the K +/ K 0 ratio, meson and high-energy photons are also being investigated or planned at several facilities. Here, we review some of our recent contributions to the community effort of constraining the high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy in heavy-ion collisions. In addition, the status of some worldwide experiments for studying the high-density symmetry energy, including the HIRFL-CSR external target experiment (CEE) are briefly introduced.

Molecular dynamics for dense matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruyama, Toshiki; Watanabe, Gentaro; Chiba, Satoshi

2012-08-01

We review a molecular dynamics method for nucleon many-body systems called quantum molecular dynamics (QMD), and our studies using this method. These studies address the structure and the dynamics of nuclear matter relevant to neutron star crusts, supernova cores, and heavy-ion collisions. A key advantage of QMD is that we can study dynamical processes of nucleon many-body systems without any assumptions about the nuclear structure. First, we focus on the inhomogeneous structures of low-density nuclear matter consisting not only of spherical nuclei but also of nuclear "pasta", i.e., rod-like and slab-like nuclei. We show that pasta phases can appear in the ground and equilibrium states of nuclear matter without assuming nuclear shape. Next, we show our simulation of compression of nuclear matter which corresponds to the collapsing stage of supernovae. With the increase in density, a crystalline solid of spherical nuclei changes to a triangular lattice of rods by connecting neighboring nuclei. Finally, we discuss fragment formation in expanding nuclear matter. Our results suggest that a generally accepted scenario based on the liquid-gas phase transition is not plausible at lower temperatures.

Fluid dynamical description of relativistic nuclear collisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nix, J. R.; Strottman, D.

1982-01-01

On the basis of both a conventional relativistic nuclear fluid dynamic model and a two fluid generalization that takes into account the interpenetration of the target and projectile upon contact, collisions between heavy nuclei moving at relativistic speeds are calculated. This is done by solving the relevant equations of motion numerically in three spatial dimensions by use of particle in cell finite difference computing techniques. The effect of incorporating a density isomer, or quasistable state, in the nuclear equation of state at three times normal nuclear density, and the effect of doubling the nuclear compressibility coefficient are studied. For the reaction 20Ne + 238U at a laboratory bombarding energy per nucleon of 393 MeV, the calculated distributions in energy and angle of outgoing charged particles are compared with recent experimental data both integrated over all impact parameters and for nearly central collisions.

Nuclear symmetry energy in terms of single-nucleon potential and its effect on the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahoo, Babita, E-mail: patra-babita@rediffmail.com; Chakraborty, Suparna, E-mail: banerjee.suparna@hotmail.com; Sahoo, Sukadev, E-mail: sukadevsahoo@yahoo.com

2016-01-15

Momentum and density dependence of single-nucleon potential u{sub τ} (k, ρ, β) is analyzed using a density dependent finite range effective interaction of the Yukawa form. Depending on the choice of the strength parameters of exchange interaction, two different trends of the momentum dependence of nuclear symmetry potential are noticed which lead to two opposite types of neutron and proton effective mass splitting. The 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter are expressed analytically in terms of the single-nucleon potential. Two distinct behavior of the density dependence of 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy are observed depending onmore » neutron and proton effective mass splitting. It is also found that the 4th-order symmetry energy has a significant contribution towards the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter at high densities.« less

Effects of Long Term Exposure of 900-1800 MHz Radiation Emitted from 2G Mobile Phone on Mice Hippocampus- A Histomorphometric Study.

PubMed

Mugunthan, Narayanaperumal; Shanmugasamy, Kathirvelu; Anbalagan, Jayaram; Rajanarayanan, Swamynathan; Meenachi, Swamynathan

2016-08-01

The advancement in the telecommunications technology with multi-functional added features in mobile phone, attracts more users of all age group. It is alarming to note that, the mobile phone use has increased amongst children and they are exposed to potentially harmful radiofrequency radiation in their lifetime. To investigate the long term exposure of 900 to 1800 MHz radiations emitted from 2G mobile phone in mice hippocampus at histomorphometric level. With due approval from institutional animal ethics committee, 36 mice were exposed to 2G mobile phone radiation, 48 minutes per day for a period of 30-180 days. The control group was kept under similar conditions without 2G exposure. Mice were sacrificed and the brain was removed from the first month to six months period. Brain was removed from the cranial cavity and hippocampus region was dissected out carefully and processed for routine histological study. Random serial sections were analysed under microscope for histomorphometric changes. For statistical analysis, independent t-test was used for comparing control and 2G exposed groups. The mean density of neurons in the hippocampus regions CA1, CA2 and DGDB from first to sixth month was significantly lower in the 2G exposed groups; however, in CA3 and DGVB, the 2G exposed mice showed significantly higher density of neurons. The mean nuclear diameter of neurons in the hippocampus region of CA1, CA2, CA3, DGDB and DGVB from first to sixth months showed lower nuclear diameter in 2G exposed mice. The long term exposure to 900-1800 MHz frequency radiations emitted from 2G mobile phone could cause significantly reduced neuron density and decreased nuclear diameter in the hippocampus neurons of mice.

Long-distance seed and pollen dispersal inferred from spatial genetic structure in the very low-density rainforest tree, Baillonella toxisperma Pierre, in Central Africa.

PubMed

Ndiade-Bourobou, D; Hardy, O J; Favreau, B; Moussavou, H; Nzengue, E; Mignot, A; Bouvet, J-M

2010-11-01

We analysed the spatial distribution of genetic diversity to infer gene flow for Baillonella toxisperma Pierre (Moabi), a threatened entomophilous pollinated and animal-dispersed Central African tree, with typically low density (5-7 adults trees/km(2)). Fifteen nuclear and three universal chloroplast microsatellites markers were used to type 247 individuals localized in three contiguous areas with differing past logging intensity. These three areas were within a natural forest block of approximately 2886 km(2) in Gabon. Expected heterozygosity and chloroplast diversity were He(nuc) = 0.570 and H(cp) = 0.761, respectively. F(IS) was only significant in one area (F(IS) = 0.076, P < 0.01) and could be attributed to selfing. For nuclear loci, Bayesian clustering did not detect discrete gene pools within and between the three areas and global differentiation (F(STnuc) = 0.007, P > 0.05) was not significant, suggesting that they are one population. At the level of the whole forest, both nuclear and chloroplast markers revealed a weak correlation between genetic relatedness and spatial distance between individuals: Sp(nuc) = 0.003 and Sp(cp) = 0.015, respectively. The extent of gene flow (σ) was partitioned into global gene flow (σ(g)) from 6.6 to 9.9 km, seed dispersal (σ(s)) from 4.0 to 6.3 km and pollen dispersal (σ(p)) from 9.8 to 10.8 km. These uncommonly high dispersal distances indicate that low-density canopy trees in African rainforests could be connected by extensive gene flow, although, given the current threats facing many seed disperser species in Central Africa, this may no longer be the case. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Gamma-ray observations of the Orion Molecular Clouds with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.

We report on the gamma-ray observations of giant molecular clouds Orion A and B with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The gamma-ray emission in the energy band between ~100 MeV and ~100 GeV is predicted to trace the gas mass distribution in the clouds through nuclear interactions between the Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) and interstellar gas. The gamma-ray production cross-section for the nuclear interaction is known to ~10% precision which makes the LAT a powerful tool to measure the gas mass column density distribution of molecular clouds for a known CR intensity. Wemore » present here such distributions for Orion A and B, and correlate them with those of the velocity-integrated CO intensity (W CO) at a 1° × 1° pixel level. The correlation is found to be linear over a W CO range of ~10-fold when divided in three regions, suggesting penetration of nuclear CRs to most of the cloud volumes. The W CO-to-mass conversion factor, X CO, is found to be ~2.3 × 10 20 cm -2(K km s –1) –1 for the high-longitude part of Orion A (l > 212°), ~1.7 times higher than ~1.3 × 10 20 found for the rest of Orion A and B. We interpret the apparent high X CO in the high-longitude region of Orion A in the light of recent works proposing a nonlinear relation between H2 and CO densities in the diffuse molecular gas. W CO decreases faster than the H 2 column density in the region making the gas "darker" to W CO.« less

Gamma-Ray Observations of the Orion Molecular Clouds with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Antolini, E.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.;

Optimize out-of-core thermionic energy conversion for nuclear electric propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, J. F.

1977-01-01

Current designs for out of core thermionic energy conversion (TEC) to power nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) were evaluated. Approaches to improve out of core TEC are emphasized and probabilities for success are indicated. TEC gains are available with higher emitter temperatures and greater power densities. Good potentialities for accommodating external high temperature, high power density TEC with heat pipe cooled reactors exist.

Nuclear fluxes during coherent tunnelling in asymmetric double well potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, ChunMei; Manz, Jörn; Yang, Yonggang

2015-08-01

Previous results for nuclear fluxes during coherent tunnelling of molecules with symmetric double well potentials are extended to fluxes in asymmetric double well potentials. The theory is derived using the two-state approximation (TSA). The symmetric system serves as a reference. As an example, we consider the one-dimensional model of the tunnelling inversion of oriented ammonia, with semiclassical dipole coupling to an electric field. The tunnelling splitting increases with the dipole coupling by a factor f≥slant 1. The tunnelling time decreases by 1/f. The nuclear density appears as the sum of two parts: The tunnelling part decreases as {1/f}2 times the density of the symmetric reference, whereas the non-tunnelling part is the initial density times ≤ft({{1-1}/f}2\\right). Likewise, the nuclear flux decreases by 1/f, with essentially the same shape as for the symmetric reference, with maximum value at the potential barrier. Coherent nuclear tunnellings starting from the upper or lower wells of the asymmetric potential are equivalent. The results are universal, in the frame of the TSA, hence they allow straightforward extrapolations from one system to others. This is demonstrated by the prediction of isotope effects for five isotopomers of ammonia.

Minimal color-flavor-locked-nuclear interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alford, Mark; Rajagopal, Krishna; Reddy, Sanjay; Wilczek, Frank

2001-10-01

At nuclear matter density, electrically neutral strongly interacting matter in weak equilibrium is made of neutrons, protons, and electrons. At sufficiently high density, such matter is made of up, down, and strange quarks in the color-flavor-locked (CFL) phase, with no electrons. As a function of increasing density (or, perhaps, increasing depth in a compact star) other phases may intervene between these two phases, which are guaranteed to be present. The simplest possibility, however, is a single first order phase transition between CFL and nuclear matter. Such a transition, in space, could take place either through a mixed phase region or at a single sharp interface with electron-free CFL and electron-rich nuclear matter in stable contact. Here we construct a model for such an interface. It is characterized by a region of separated charge, similar to an inversion layer at a metal-insulator boundary. On the CFL side, the charged boundary layer is dominated by a condensate of negative kaons. We then consider the energetics of the mixed phase alternative. We find that the mixed phase will occur only if the nuclear-CFL surface tension is significantly smaller than dimensional analysis would indicate.

Twist-averaged boundary conditions for nuclear pasta Hartree-Fock calculations

DOE PAGES

Schuetrumpf, B.; Nazarewicz, W.

2015-10-21

Nuclear pasta phases, present in the inner crust of neutron stars, are associated with nucleonic matter at subsaturation densities arranged in regular shapes. Those complex phases, residing in a layer which is approximately 100-m thick, impact many features of neutron stars. Theoretical quantum-mechanical simulations of nuclear pasta are usually carried out in finite three-dimensional boxes assuming periodic boundary conditions. The resulting solutions are affected by spurious finite-size effects. To remove spurious finite-size effects, it is convenient to employ twist-averaged boundary conditions (TABC) used in condensed matter, nuclear matter, and lattice quantum chromodynamics applications. In this work, we study the effectivenessmore » of TABC in the context of pasta phase simulations within nuclear density functional theory. We demonstrated that by applying TABC reliable results can be obtained from calculations performed in relatively small volumes. By studying various contributions to the total energy, we gain insights into pasta phases in mid-density range. Future applications will include the TABC extension of the adaptive multiresolution 3D Hartree-Fock solver and Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov TABC applications to superfluid pasta phases and complex nucleonic topologies as in fission.« less

The calculation of neutron capture gamma-ray yields for space shielding applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yost, K. J.

1972-01-01

The application of nuclear models to the calculation of neutron capture and inelastic scattering gamma yields is discussed. The gamma ray cascade model describes the cascade process in terms of parameters which either: (1) embody statistical assumptions regarding electric and magnetic multipole transition strengths, level densities, and spin and parity distributions or (2) are fixed by experiment such as measured energies, spin and parity values, and transition probabilities for low lying states.

The Dielectric Permittivity of Crystals in the Reduced Hartree-Fock Approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cancès, Éric; Lewin, Mathieu

2010-07-01

In a recent article (Cancès et al. in Commun Math Phys 281:129-177, 2008), we have rigorously derived, by means of bulk limit arguments, a new variational model to describe the electronic ground state of insulating or semiconducting crystals in the presence of local defects. In this so-called reduced Hartree-Fock model, the ground state electronic density matrix is decomposed as {γ = γ^0_per + Q_{ν,\\varepsilon_F}}, where {γ^0_per} is the ground state density matrix of the host crystal and {Q_{ν,\\varepsilon_F}} the modification of the electronic density matrix generated by a modification ν of the nuclear charge of the host crystal, the Fermi level ɛ F being kept fixed. The purpose of the present article is twofold. First, we study in more detail the mathematical properties of the density matrix {Q_{ν,\\varepsilon_F}} (which is known to be a self-adjoint Hilbert-Schmidt operator on {L^2(mathbb{R}^3)}). We show in particular that if {int_{mathbb{R}^3} ν neq 0, Q_{ν,\\varepsilon_F}} is not trace-class. Moreover, the associated density of charge is not in {L^1(mathbb{R}^3)} if the crystal exhibits anisotropic dielectric properties. These results are obtained by analyzing, for a small defect ν, the linear and nonlinear terms of the resolvent expansion of {Q_{ν,\\varepsilon_F}}. Second, we show that, after an appropriate rescaling, the potential generated by the microscopic total charge (nuclear plus electronic contributions) of the crystal in the presence of the defect converges to a homogenized electrostatic potential solution to a Poisson equation involving the macroscopic dielectric permittivity of the crystal. This provides an alternative (and rigorous) derivation of the Adler-Wiser formula.

Holographic Quark Matter and Neutron Stars.

PubMed

Hoyos, Carlos; Jokela, Niko; Rodríguez Fernández, David; Vuorinen, Aleksi

2016-07-15

We use a top-down holographic model for strongly interacting quark matter to study the properties of neutron stars. When the corresponding equation of state (EOS) is matched with state-of-the-art results for dense nuclear matter, we consistently observe a first-order phase transition at densities between 2 and 7 times the nuclear saturation density. Solving the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equations with the resulting hybrid EOSs, we find maximal stellar masses in excess of two solar masses, albeit somewhat smaller than those obtained with simple extrapolations of the nuclear matter EOSs. Our calculation predicts that no quark matter exists inside neutron stars.

Uncertainty quantification and propagation in nuclear density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Schunck, N.; McDonnell, J. D.; Higdon, D.; ...

2015-12-23

Nuclear density functional theory (DFT) is one of the main theoretical tools used to study the properties of heavy and superheavy elements, or to describe the structure of nuclei far from stability. While on-going eff orts seek to better root nuclear DFT in the theory of nuclear forces, energy functionals remain semi-phenomenological constructions that depend on a set of parameters adjusted to experimental data in fi nite nuclei. In this study, we review recent eff orts to quantify the related uncertainties, and propagate them to model predictions. In particular, we cover the topics of parameter estimation for inverse problems, statisticalmore » analysis of model uncertainties and Bayesian inference methods. Illustrative examples are taken from the literature.« less

Low-level laser irradiation induces in vitro proliferation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth.

PubMed

Ginani, Fernanda; Soares, Diego Moura; de Oliveira Rocha, Hugo Alexandre; de Souza, Lélia Batista; Barboza, Carlos Augusto Galvão

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) on the proliferation and viability of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). Cells were irradiated or not (control) with an InGaAlP laser diode (660 nm, 30 mW, continuous action mode) using two different energy densities (0.5 J/cm 2 -16 s; 1.0 J/cm 2 -33 s). Irradiation was performed at 0 and 48 h, with the laser probe fixed at a distance of 0.5 cm from the cells. Cell proliferation was analyzed at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h by the Trypan blue exclusion method and MTT assay. Cell cycle and Ki67 expression were analyzed by flow cytometry. Apoptosis-related events were evaluated by expression of annexin V/PI and nuclear morphological changes by staining with DAPI. Differences between groups at each time were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, adopting a level of significance of 5% (p < 0.05). The results showed that an energy density of 1.0 J/cm 2 promoted an increase in cell proliferation at 48 and 72 h compared to the control and 0.5 J/cm 2 groups. Cell cycle analysis revealed a predominance of cells in the S and G2/M phases in the irradiated groups. This finding was confirmed by the increased expression of Ki67. Low positive staining for annexin V and PI was observed in all groups, and no nuclear changes were detected, indicating that cell viability was not affected by the energy densities tested. It can be concluded that the LLLI parameters used (660 nm, 30 mW, 1.0 J/cm 2 ) promote the proliferation of SHEDs and the maintenance of cell viability.

Structural characterization, solvent effects on nuclear magnetic shielding tensors, experimental and theoretical DFT studies on the vibrational and NMR spectra of 3-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alver, Özgür; Kaya, Mehmet Fatih; Dikmen, Gökhan

2015-12-01

Structural elucidation of 3-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid (C9H10BNO3) was carried out with 1H, 13C and HETCOR NMR techniques. Solvent effects on nuclear magnetic shielding tensors were examined with deuterated dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, methanol and water solvents. The correct order of appearance of carbon and hydrogen atoms on NMR scale from highest magnetic field region to the lowest one were investigated using different types of theoretical levels and the details of the levels were presented in this study. Stable structural conformers and vibrational band analysis of the title molecule (C9H10BNO3) were studied both experimental and theoretical viewpoints using FT-IR, Raman spectroscopic methods and density functional theory (DFT). FT-IR and Raman spectra were obtained in the region of 4000-400 cm-1, and 3700-10 cm-1, respectively. Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) hybrid density functional theory method with 6-31++G(d, p) basis set was included in the search for optimized structures and vibrational wavenumbers. Experimental and theoretical results show that after application of a suitable scaling factor density functional B3LYP method resulted in acceptable results for predicting vibrational wavenumbers except OH and NH stretching modes which is most likely arising from increasing unharmonicity in the high wave number region and possible intra and inter molecular interaction at OH edges those of which are not fully taken into consideration in theoretical processes. To make a more quantitative vibrational assignments, potential energy distribution (PED) values were calculated using VEDA 4 (Vibrational Energy Distribution Analysis) program.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pasebani, Somayeh; Charit, Indrajit; Burns, Jatuporn

Thermally stable nanofeatures with high number density are expected to impart excellent high temperature strength and irradiation stability in nanostructured ferritic steels (NFSs) which have potential applications in advanced nuclear reactors. A lanthana-bearing NFS (14LMT) developed via mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering was used in this study. The sintered samples were irradiated by Fe 2+ ions to 10, 50 and 100 dpa at 30 °C and 500 °C. Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of the irradiated samples were studied using different microscopy techniques and nanoindentation, respectively. Overall morphology and number density of the nanofeatures remained unchanged after irradiation. Average radiusmore » of nanofeatures in the irradiated sample (100 dpa at 500 °C) was slightly reduced. A notable level of irradiation hardening and enhanced dislocation activity occurred after ion irradiation except at 30 °C and ≥50 dpa. Other microstructural features like grain boundaries and high density of dislocations also provided defect sinks to assist in defect removal.« less

Lipoprotein particle concentration measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is associated with gestational age at delivery: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Grace, M R; Vladutiu, C J; Nethery, R C; Siega-Riz, A M; Manuck, T A; Herring, A H; Savitz, D; Thorp, J T

2018-06-01

To estimate the association between lipoprotein particle concentrations in pregnancy and gestational age at delivery. Prospective cohort study. The study was conducted in the USA at the University of North Carolina. We assessed 715 women enrolled in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition study from 2001 to 2005. Fasting blood was collected at two time points (<20 and 24-29 weeks of gestation). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantified lipoprotein particle concentrations [low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL)] and 10 subclasses of lipoproteins. Concentrations were assessed as continuous measures, with the exception of medium HDL which was classified as any or no detectable level, given its distribution. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for gestational age at delivery adjusting for covariates. Gestational age at delivery, preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation), and spontaneous preterm birth. At <20 weeks of gestation, three lipoproteins were associated with later gestational ages at delivery [large LDL NMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.96), total VLDL NMR (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61-0.98), and small VLDL NMR (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.62-0.98], whereas large VLDL NMR (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.41) was associated with a greater hazard of earlier delivery. At 24-28 weeks of gestation, average VLDL NMR (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.51) and a detectable level of medium HDL NMR (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-3.02) were associated with earlier gestational ages at delivery. In this sample of pregnant women, particle concentrations of VLDL NMR , LDL NMR , IDL NMR , and HDL NMR were each independently associated with gestational age at delivery for all deliveries or spontaneous deliveries <37 weeks of gestation. These findings may help formulate hypotheses for future studies of the complex relationship between maternal lipoproteins and preterm birth. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy may identify lipoprotein particles associated with preterm delivery. © 2017 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Geometric model from microscopic theory for nuclear absorption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

John, Sarah; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Wilson, John W.; Tripathi, Ram K.

1993-01-01

A parameter-free geometric model for nuclear absorption is derived herein from microscopic theory. The expression for the absorption cross section in the eikonal approximation, taken in integral form, is separated into a geometric contribution that is described by an energy-dependent effective radius and two surface terms that cancel in an asymptotic series expansion. For collisions of light nuclei, an expression for the effective radius is derived from harmonic oscillator nuclear density functions. A direct extension to heavy nuclei with Woods-Saxon densities is made by identifying the equivalent half-density radius for the harmonic oscillator functions. Coulomb corrections are incorporated, and a simplified geometric form of the Bradt-Peters type is obtained. Results spanning the energy range from 1 MeV/nucleon to 1 GeV/nucleon are presented. Good agreement with experimental results is obtained.

Geometric model for nuclear absorption from microscopic theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

John, S.; Townsend, L. W.; Wilson, J. W.; Tripathi, R. K.

1993-01-01

A parameter-free geometric model for nuclear absorption is derived from microscopic theory. The expression for the absorption cross section in the eikonal approximation taken in integral form is separated into a geometric contribution, described by an energy-dependent effective radius, and two surface terms which are shown to cancel in an asymptotic series expansion. For collisions of light nuclei, an expression for the effective radius is derived using harmonic-oscillator nuclear density functions. A direct extension to heavy nuclei with Woods-Saxon densities is made by identifying the equivalent half density radius for the harmonic-oscillator functions. Coulomb corrections are incorporated and a simplified geometric form of the Bradt-Peters type obtained. Results spanning the energy range of 1 MeV/nucleon to 1 GeV/nucleon are presented. Good agreement with experimental results are obtained.

Interface effects on calculated defect levels for oxide defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Arthur; Barnaby, Hugh; Schultz, Peter; Pineda, Andrew

2014-03-01

Density functional theory (DFT) has had impressive recent success predicting defect levels in insulators and semiconductors [Schultz and von Lillienfeld, 2009]. Such success requires care in accounting for long-range electrostatic effects. Recently, Komsa and Pasquarello have started to address this problem in systems with interfaces. We report a multiscale technique for calculating electrostatic energies for charged defects in oxide of the metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) system, but where account is taken of substrate doping density, oxide thickness, and gate bias. We use device modeling to calculate electric fields for a point charge a fixed distance from the interface, and used the field to numerically calculate the long-range electrostatic interactions. We find, for example, that defect levels in the oxide do depend on both the magnitude and the polarity the substrate doping density. Furthermore, below 20 Å, oxide thickness also has significant effects. So, transferring results directly from bulk calculations leads to inaccuracies up to 0.5 eV- half of the silicon band gap. We will present trends in defect levels as a function of device parameters. We show that these results explain previous experimental results, and we comment on their potential impact on models for NBTI. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under co.

Plasma devices to guide and collimate a high density of MeV electrons.

PubMed

Kodama, R; Sentoku, Y; Chen, Z L; Kumar, G R; Hatchett, S P; Toyama, Y; Cowan, T E; Freeman, R R; Fuchs, J; Izawa, Y; Key, M H; Kitagawa, Y; Kondo, K; Matsuoka, T; Nakamura, H; Nakatsutsumi, M; Norreys, P A; Norimatsu, T; Snavely, R A; Stephens, R B; Tampo, M; Tanaka, K A; Yabuuchi, T

2004-12-23

The development of ultra-intense lasers has facilitated new studies in laboratory astrophysics and high-density nuclear science, including laser fusion. Such research relies on the efficient generation of enormous numbers of high-energy charged particles. For example, laser-matter interactions at petawatt (10(15) W) power levels can create pulses of MeV electrons with current densities as large as 10(12) A cm(-2). However, the divergence of these particle beams usually reduces the current density to a few times 10(6) A cm(-2) at distances of the order of centimetres from the source. The invention of devices that can direct such intense, pulsed energetic beams will revolutionize their applications. Here we report high-conductivity devices consisting of transient plasmas that increase the energy density of MeV electrons generated in laser-matter interactions by more than one order of magnitude. A plasma fibre created on a hollow-cone target guides and collimates electrons in a manner akin to the control of light by an optical fibre and collimator. Such plasma devices hold promise for applications using high energy-density particles and should trigger growth in charged particle optics.

Wavefront aberrations and retinal image quality in different lenticular opacity types and densities.

PubMed

Wu, Cheng-Zhe; Jin, Hua; Shen, Zhen-Nv; Li, Ying-Jun; Cui, Xun

2017-11-10

To investigate wavefront aberrations in the entire eye and in the internal optics (lens) and retinal image qualities according to different lenticular opacity types and densities. Forty-one eyes with nuclear cataract, 33 eyes with cortical cataract, and 29 eyes with posterior subcapsular cataract were examined. In each group, wavefront aberrations in the entire eye and in the internal optics and retinal image quality were measured using a raytracing aberrometer. Eyes with cortical cataracts showed significantly higher coma-like aberrations compared to the other two groups in both entire eye and internal optic aberrations (P = 0.012 and P = 0.007, respectively). Eyes with nuclear cataract had lower spherical-like aberrations than the other two groups in both entire eye and internal optics aberrations (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). In the nuclear cataract group, nuclear lens density was negatively correlated with internal spherical aberrations (r = -0.527, P = 0.005). Wavefront technology is useful for objective and quantitative analysis of retinal image quality deterioration in eyes with different early lenticular opacity types and densities. Understanding the wavefront optical properties of different crystalline lens opacities may help ophthalmic surgeons determine the optimal time to perform cataract surgery.

Quantum effects of nuclear motion in three-particle diatomic ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskerville, Adam L.; King, Andrew W.; Cox, Hazel

2016-10-01

A high-accuracy, nonrelativistic wave function is used to study nuclear motion in the ground state of three-particle {a1+a2+a3-} electronic and muonic molecular systems without assuming the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Intracule densities and center-of-mass particle densities show that as the mass ratio mai/ma3 , i =1 ,2 , becomes smaller, the localization of the like-charged particles (nuclei) a1 and a2 decreases. A coordinate system is presented to calculate center-of-mass particle densities for systems where a1≠a2 . It is shown that the nuclear motion is strongly correlated and depends on the relative masses of the nuclei a1 and a2 rather than just their absolute mass. The heavier particle is always more localized and the lighter the partner mass, the greater the localization. It is shown, for systems with ma1

Neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich matter and its impacts on nuclear reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bao-An; Chen, Lie-Wen

2015-04-01

The neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich nucleonic matter reflects the spacetime nonlocality of the isovector nuclear interaction. It affects the neutron/proton ratio during the earlier evolution of the Universe, cooling of proto-neutron stars, structure of rare isotopes and dynamics of heavy-ion collisions. While there is still no consensus on whether the neutron-proton effective mass splitting is negative, zero or positive and how it depends on the density as well as the isospin-asymmetry of the medium, significant progress has been made in recent years in addressing these issues. There are different kinds of nucleon effective masses. In this mini-review, we focus on the total effective masses often used in the non-relativistic description of nuclear dynamics. We first recall the connections among the neutron-proton effective mass splitting, the momentum dependence of the isovector potential and the density dependence of the symmetry energy. We then make a few observations about the progress in calculating the neutron-proton effective mass splitting using various nuclear many-body theories and its effects on the isospin-dependence of in-medium nucleon-nucleon cross-sections. Perhaps, our most reliable knowledge so far about the neutron-proton effective mass splitting at saturation density of nuclear matter comes from optical model analyses of huge sets of nucleon-nucleus scattering data accumulated over the last five decades. The momentum dependence of the symmetry potential from these analyses provide a useful boundary condition at saturation density for calibrating nuclear many-body calculations. Several observables in heavy-ion collisions have been identified as sensitive probes of the neutron-proton effective mass splitting in dense neutron-rich matter based on transport model simulations. We review these observables and comment on the latest experimental findings.

Effects of pituitary dwarfism in the mouse on fast and slow skeletal muscles.

PubMed

Stickland, N C; Crook, A R; Sutton, C M

1994-01-01

The Snell dwarf mouse exhibits impaired growth of the anterior pituitary resulting in reduced levels of growth hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone. Ten dwarf mice and 10 phenotypically normal littermates were killed at 33 days of age. M. biceps brachii (a predominantly fast muscle) and m. soleus (a relatively slow muscle) were removed from each animal and complete frozen transverse sections obtained. Serial sections were reacted for various enzyme activities in order to identify muscle fibre types. There was no difference in the total number of muscle fibres in m. biceps brachii but a small difference in m. soleus between normal and dwarf mice. There were marked differences in the size of all fibre types between normal and dwarf mice with the largest differences in m. soleus. The percentage of slow oxidative fibres was similar (about 32%) in both groups of mice for m. soleus but there was a marked difference for this fibre type in m. biceps brachii being about 1.5% in normal mice and 8.0% in dwarf mice. This may be related to a difference in levels of thyroid hormone. Nuclear density was very significantly greater in dwarf muscles although total nuclear numbers were less than in normal muscles. These differences are most likely due to growth hormone levels. Differences in nuclear content were much greater in m. soleus than in m. biceps brachii.

Nuclear technologies for explosives detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Curtis J.

1992-12-01

This paper presents an exploration of several techniques for detection of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) using interactions of specific nuclei with gammarays or fast neutrons. Techniques considered use these interactions to identify the device by measuring the densities and/or relative concentrations of the elemental constituents of explosives. These techniques are to be compared with selected other nuclear and non-nuclear methods. Combining of nuclear and non-nuclear techniques will also be briefly discussed.

Structure of cold nuclear matter at subnuclear densities by quantum molecular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Gentaro; Sato, Katsuhiko; Yasuoka, Kenji; Ebisuzaki, Toshikazu

2003-09-01

Structure of cold nuclear matter at subnuclear densities for the proton fraction x=0.5, 0.3, and 0.1 is investigated by quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. We demonstrate that the phases with slablike and rodlike nuclei, etc. can be formed dynamically from hot uniform nuclear matter without any assumptions on nuclear shape, and also systematically analyze the structure of cold matter using two-point correlation functions and Minkowski functionals. In our simulations, we also observe intermediate phases, which have complicated nuclear shapes. It has been found out that these phases can be characterized as those with negative Euler characteristic. Our result implies the existence of these kinds of phases in addition to the simple “pasta” phases in neutron star crusts and supernova inner cores. In addition, we investigate the properties of the effective QMD interaction used in the present work to examine the validity of our results. The resultant energy per nucleon ɛn of the pure neutron matter, the proton chemical μ(0)p in pure neutron matter and the nuclear surface tension Esurf are generally reasonable in comparison with other nuclear interactions.

Higher gamma-aminobutyric acid neuron density in the white matter of orbital frontal cortex in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Joshi, Dipesh; Fung, Samantha J; Rothwell, Alice; Weickert, Cynthia Shannon

2012-11-01

In the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), reduced gray matter volume and reduced glutamic acid decarboxylase 67kDa isoform (GAD67) messenger (m)RNA are found in schizophrenia; however, how these alterations relate to developmental pathology of interneurons is unclear. The present study therefore aimed to determine if increased interstitial white matter neuron (IWMN) density exists in the OFC; whether gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neuron density in OFC white matter was altered; and how IWMN density may be related to an early-expressed inhibitory neuron marker, Dlx1, in OFC gray matter in schizophrenia. IWMN densities were determined (38 schizophrenia and 38 control subjects) for neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN+) and 65/67 kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase immunopositive (GAD65/67+) neurons. In situ hybridization was performed to determine Dlx1 and GAD67 mRNA expression in the OFC gray matter. NeuN and GAD65/67 immunopositive cell density was significantly increased in the superficial white matter in schizophrenia. Gray matter Dlx1 and GAD67 mRNA expression were reduced in schizophrenia. Dlx1 mRNA levels were negatively correlated with GAD65/67 IWMN density. Our study provides evidence that pathology of IWMNs in schizophrenia includes GABAergic interneurons and that increased IWMN density may be related to GABAergic deficits in the overlying gray matter. These findings provide evidence at the cellular level that the OFC is a site of pathology in schizophrenia and support the hypothesis that inappropriate migration of cortical inhibitory interneurons occurs in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2012 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kaon condensation in dense matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlson, J.; Heiselberg, H.; Pandharipande, V. R.

The kaon energy in neutron matter is calculated analytically with the Klein-Gordon equation, by making a Wigner-Seitz cell approximation and employing a K{sup -}N square well potential. The transition from the low density Lenz potential, proportional to scattering length, to the high density Hartree potential is found to begin at fairly low densities. Exact nonrelativistic calculations of the kaon energy in a simple cubic crystal of neutrons are used to test the Wigner-Seitz and the Ericson-Ericson approximation methods. In this case the frequently used Erickson-Erickson approximation is found to be fairly accurate up to twice nuclear matter density. All themore » calculations indicate that by {approx}4 times nuclear matter density the Hartree limit is reached. We also show that in the Hartree limit the energy of zero momentum kaons does not have relativistic energy dependent factors present in the low density expansions. The results indicate that the density for kaon condensation is higher than previously estimated.« less

Surface symmetry energy of nuclear energy density functionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolov, N.; Schunck, N.; Nazarewicz, W.; Bender, M.; Pei, J.

2011-03-01

We study the bulk deformation properties of the Skyrme nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs). Following simple arguments based on the leptodermous expansion and liquid drop model, we apply the nuclear density functional theory to assess the role of the surface symmetry energy in nuclei. To this end, we validate the commonly used functional parametrizations against the data on excitation energies of superdeformed band heads in Hg and Pb isotopes and fission isomers in actinide nuclei. After subtracting shell effects, the results of our self-consistent calculations are consistent with macroscopic arguments and indicate that experimental data on strongly deformed configurations in neutron-rich nuclei are essential for optimizing future nuclear EDFs. The resulting survey provides a useful benchmark for further theoretical improvements. Unlike in nuclei close to the stability valley, whose macroscopic deformability hangs on the balance of surface and Coulomb terms, the deformability of neutron-rich nuclei strongly depends on the surface symmetry energy; hence, its proper determination is crucial for the stability of deformed phases of the neutron-rich matter and description of fission rates for r-process nucleosynthesis.

Neutron detection of the Triga Mark III reactor, using nuclear track methodology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Espinosa, G., E-mail: espinosa@fisica.unam.mx; Golzarri, J. I.; Raya-Arredondo, R.

Nuclear Track Methodology (NTM), based on the neutron-proton interaction is one often employed alternative for neutron detection. In this paper we apply NTM to determine the Triga Mark III reactor operating power and neutron flux. The facility nuclear core, loaded with 85 Highly Enriched Uranium as fuel with control rods in a demineralized water pool, provide a neutron flux around 2 × 10{sup 12} n cm{sup −2} s{sup −1}, at the irradiation channel TO-2. The neutron field is measured at this channel, using Landauer{sup ®} PADC as neutron detection material, covered by 3 mm Plexiglas{sup ®} as converter. After exposure, plasticmore » detectors were chemically etched to make observable the formed latent tracks induced by proton recoils. The track density was determined by a custom made Digital Image Analysis System. The resulting average nuclear track density shows a direct proportionality response for reactor power in the range 0.1-7 kW. We indicate several advantages of the technique including the possibility to calibrate the neutron flux density measured at low reactor power.« less

Kinematics and abundances of K giants in the nuclear bulge of the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rich, R. Michael

1990-10-01

Radial velocities have been determined for 53 K giants in Baade's window, which belong to the nuclear bulge population and have abundances derived from low resolution spectra. Additional radial velocities for an overlapping sample of 71 bulge K giants show the same dependence of velocity dispersion on abundance; in both samples, the lower velocity dispersion of the metal-rich giants is found to be significant at a level above 90 percent. Extant data support the hypothesis that both M giants and IRAS bulge sources follow steep density laws similar to that which has been predicted for the metal-rick K giants. The abundance distribution of 88 K giants in Baade's window is noted to be notably well fitted by the simple, 'closed box' model of chemical evolution.

Beckerite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, Curt W.; Lambert, Joseph B.; Frye, James S.

1986-11-01

Beckerite, a minor component of the amber fossil resins of northern Europe, has previously been classified as being mineralogically distinct from common Baltic amber or succinite on the basis of physical properties such as density and chemical properties such as saponification number. We show that beckerite and succinite are spectroscopically identical, according to infrared and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance methods. Following the suggestion of Schubert, we attribute the deviations of beckerite to the presence of low levels of contaminants, such as decomposed wood and insect excrement.

Electron spin polarization by isospin ordering in correlated two-layer quantum Hall systems.

PubMed

Tiemann, L; Wegscheider, W; Hauser, M

2015-05-01

Enhancement of the electron spin polarization in a correlated two-layer, two-dimensional electron system at a total Landau level filling factor of 1 is reported. Using resistively detected nuclear magnetic resonance, we demonstrate that the electron spin polarization of two closely spaced two-dimensional electron systems becomes maximized when interlayer Coulomb correlations establish spontaneous isospin ferromagnetic order. This correlation-driven polarization dominates over the spin polarizations of competing single-layer fractional quantum Hall states under electron density imbalances.

Studies of nuclei under the extreme conditions of density, temperature, isospin asymmetry and the phase diagram of hadronic matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mekjian, Aram

2016-10-18

The main emphasis of the entire project is on issues having to do with medium energy and ultra-relativistic energy and heavy ion collisions. A major goal of both theory and experiment is to study properties of hot dense nuclear matter under various extreme conditions and to map out the phase diagram in density or chemical potential and temperature. My studies in medium energy nuclear collisions focused on the liquid-gas phase transition and cluster yields from such transitions. Here I developed both the statistical model of nuclear multi-fragmentation and also a mean field theory.

Scalable nuclear density functional theory with Sky3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afibuzzaman, Md; Schuetrumpf, Bastian; Aktulga, Hasan Metin

2018-02-01

In nuclear astrophysics, quantum simulations of large inhomogeneous dense systems as they appear in the crusts of neutron stars present big challenges. The number of particles in a simulation with periodic boundary conditions is strongly limited due to the immense computational cost of the quantum methods. In this paper, we describe techniques for an efficient and scalable parallel implementation of Sky3D, a nuclear density functional theory solver that operates on an equidistant grid. Presented techniques allow Sky3D to achieve good scaling and high performance on a large number of cores, as demonstrated through detailed performance analysis on a Cray XC40 supercomputer.

Photoproduction of light vector mesons in Xe-Xe ultraperipheral collisions at the LHC and the nuclear density of Xe-129

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzey, V.; Kryshen, E.; Zhalov, M.

2018-07-01

We make predictions for cross sections of ρ and ϕ vector meson photoproduction in ultraperipheral Xe-Xe collisions at √{sNN } = 5.44TeV. Analyzing the momentum transfer distribution of ρ mesons in this process, we explore the feasibility of extracting the nuclear density of 129Xe, which is needed in searches for dark matter with Xenon-based detectors.

The d*(2380) in Neutron Stars - A New Degree of Freedom?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidaña, I.; Bashkanov, M.; Watts, D. P.; Pastore, A.

2018-06-01

Elucidating the appropriate microscopic degrees of freedom within neutron stars remains an open question which impacts nuclear physics, particle physics and astrophysics. The recent discovery of the first non-trivial dibaryon, the d* (2380), provides a new candidate for an exotic degree of freedom in the nuclear equation of state at high matter densities. In this paper a first calculation of the role of the d* (2380) in neutron stars is performed based on a relativistic mean field description of the nucleonic degrees of freedom supplemented by a free boson gas of d* (2380). The calculations indicate that the d* (2380) would appear at densities around three times normal nuclear matter saturation density and comprise around 20% of the matter in the centre of heavy stars with higher fractions possible in the higher densities of merger processes. The d* (2380) would also reduce the maximum star mass by around 15% and have significant influence on the fractional proton/neutron composition. New possibilities for neutron star cooling mechanisms arising from the d* (2380) are also predicted.

The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohil, R.; Ballantyne, D. R.

2018-04-01

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modelling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of type 2 AGNs (f2). One of the possible explanations for obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshifts is dusty starburst discs. We compute the two-dimensional (2D) hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight (NH) associated with these discs. Then the NH distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift-dependent distribution function of input parameters. Parameter f2 shows a strong positive evolution up to z = 2, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher z. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase ∝ (1 + z)δ, where δ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter Rf associated with column density NH ≥ 1023.5 cm-2 extends from 0.13 at z = 0 to 0.58 at z = 4. A CXB model employing this evolving NH distribution indicates that more compact (Rout < 120 pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to `Seyfert-like' AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40-60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce a peak of the CXB spectrum within the observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV bands are in fair agreement with observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).

NIF Operations Management Plan, August 2011

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Wonterghem, Bruno M.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a key component of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Stockpile Stewardship Program, whose purpose is to maintain the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of our nation’s nuclear stockpile without underground nuclear testing. The NIF is crucial to the Stockpile Stewardship Program because it is the only facility that can create the conditions of extreme temperature and pressure—conditions that exist only in stars or in exploding nuclear weapons—that are relevant to understanding how our modern nuclear weapons operate. As such, the NIF’s primary mission is to attain fusion ignition in themore » laboratory. Fusion ignition not only supports Stockpile Stewardship needs, but also provides the basis for future decisions about fusion’s potential as a long-term energy source. Additionally, NIF provides scientists with access to high-energy-density regimes that can yield new insight and understanding in the areas of astrophysics, hydrodynamics, material properties, plasma physics, and radiative properties. The use of the NIF to support the Stockpile Stewardship Program and the advancement of basic high-energy-density science understanding is planned and managed through program-level execution plans and NIF directorate-level management teams. An example of a plan is the National Ignition Campaign Execution Plan. The NIF Operations Management Plan provides an overview of the NIF Operations organization and describes how the NIF is supported by the LLNL infrastructure and how it is safely and responsibly managed and operated. Detailed information on NIF management of the organization is found in a series of supporting plans, policies, and procedures. A list of related acronyms can be found in Appendix A of this document. The purpose of this document is to provide a roadmap of how the NIF Operations organization functions. It provides a guide to understanding the requirements, document flow down, organizational vision and mission, performance metrics, and interrelationship of the NIF Operations organization with other directorate and laboratory organizations. This document also provides a listing of roles and responsibilities, core processes, procedures, authority matrices, change control boards, and other information necessary for successfully functioning in the NIF Operations organization. This document, the NIF Shot Operations Plan, and the NIF Maintenance Plan together represent the primary documents satisfying our Conduct of Operations compliance requirement.« less

Capture and photonuclear reaction rates involving charged-particles: Impacts of nuclear ingredients and future measurement on ELI-NP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y.; Goriely, S.; Balabanski, D. L.; Chesnevskaya, S.; Guardo, G. L.; La Cognata, M.; Lan, H. Y.; Lattuada, D.; Luo, W.; Matei, C.

2018-05-01

The astrophysical p-process is an important way of nucleosynthesis to produce the stable and proton-rich nuclei beyond Fe which can not be reached by the s- and r-processes. In the present study, the impact of nuclear ingredients, especially the nuclear potential, level density and strength function, to the astrophysical re-action rates of (p,γ), (α,γ), (γ,p), and (γ,α) reactions are systematically studied. The calculations are performed basad on the modern reaction code TALYS for about 3000 stable and proton-rich nuclei with 12≤Z≤110. In particular, both of the Wood-Saxon potential and the microscopic folding potential are taken into account. It is found that both the capture and photonuclear reaction rates are very sensitive to the nuclear potential, thus the better determination of nuclear potential would be important to reduce the uncertainties of reaction rates. Meanwhile, the Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility is being developed, which will provide the great opportunity to experimentally study the photonuclear reactions in p-process. Simulations of the experimental setup for the measurements of the photonuclear reactions 96Ru(γ,p) and 96Ru(γ,α) are performed. It is shown that the experiments of photonuclear reactions in p-process based on ELI-NP are quite promising.

Density dependence of the nuclear energy-density functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papakonstantinou, Panagiota; Park, Tae-Sun; Lim, Yeunhwan; Hyun, Chang Ho

2018-01-01

Background: The explicit density dependence in the coupling coefficients entering the nonrelativistic nuclear energy-density functional (EDF) is understood to encode effects of three-nucleon forces and dynamical correlations. The necessity for the density-dependent coupling coefficients to assume the form of a preferably small fractional power of the density ρ is empirical and the power is often chosen arbitrarily. Consequently, precision-oriented parametrizations risk overfitting in the regime of saturation and extrapolations in dilute or dense matter may lose predictive power. Purpose: Beginning with the observation that the Fermi momentum kF, i.e., the cubic root of the density, is a key variable in the description of Fermi systems, we first wish to examine if a power hierarchy in a kF expansion can be inferred from the properties of homogeneous matter in a domain of densities, which is relevant for nuclear structure and neutron stars. For subsequent applications we want to determine a functional that is of good quality but not overtrained. Method: For the EDF, we fit systematically polynomial and other functions of ρ1 /3 to existing microscopic, variational calculations of the energy of symmetric and pure neutron matter (pseudodata) and analyze the behavior of the fits. We select a form and a set of parameters, which we found robust, and examine the parameters' naturalness and the quality of resulting extrapolations. Results: A statistical analysis confirms that low-order terms such as ρ1 /3 and ρ2 /3 are the most relevant ones in the nuclear EDF beyond lowest order. It also hints at a different power hierarchy for symmetric vs. pure neutron matter, supporting the need for more than one density-dependent term in nonrelativistic EDFs. The functional we propose easily accommodates known or adopted properties of nuclear matter near saturation. More importantly, upon extrapolation to dilute or asymmetric matter, it reproduces a range of existing microscopic results, to which it has not been fitted. It also predicts a neutron-star mass-radius relation consistent with observations. The coefficients display naturalness. Conclusions: Having been already determined for homogeneous matter, a functional of the present form can be mapped onto extended Skyrme-type functionals in a straightforward manner, as we outline here, for applications to finite nuclei. At the same time, the statistical analysis can be extended to higher orders and for different microscopic (ab initio) calculations with sufficient pseudodata points and for polarized matter.

Effect of Central Mass Concentration on the Formation of Nuclear Spirals in Barred Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakur, Parijat; Ann, H. B.; Jiang, Ing-Guey

2009-03-01

We have performed smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations to study the response of the central kiloparsec region of a gaseous disk to the imposition of nonaxisymmetric bar potentials. The model galaxies are composed of three axisymmetric components (halo, disk, and bulge) and a nonaxisymmetric bar. These components are assumed to be invariant in time in the frame corotating with the bar. The potential of spherical γ-models of Dehnen is adopted for the bulge component whose density varies as r -γ near the center and r -4 at larger radii and, hence, possesses a central density core for γ = 0 and cusps for γ>0. Since the central mass concentration of the model galaxies increases with the cusp parameter γ, we have examined here the effect of the central mass concentration by varying the cusp parameter γ on the mechanism responsible for the formation of the symmetric two-armed nuclear spirals in barred galaxies. Our simulations show that the symmetric two-armed nuclear spirals are formed by hydrodynamic spiral shocks driven by the gravitational torque of the bar for the models with γ = 0 and 0.5. On the other hand, the symmetric two-armed nuclear spirals in the models with γ = 1 and 1.5 are explained by gas density waves. Thus, we conclude that the mechanism responsible for the formation of symmetric two-armed nuclear spirals in barred galaxies changes from hydrodynamic shocks to gas density waves as the central mass concentration increases from γ = 0 to 1.5.

Estimation of M 1 scissors mode strength for deformed nuclei in the medium- to heavy-mass region by statistical Hauser-Feshbach model calculations

DOE PAGES

Mumpower, Matthew Ryan; Kawano, Toshihiko; Ullmann, John Leonard; ...

2017-08-17

Radiative neutron capture is an important nuclear reaction whose accurate description is needed for many applications ranging from nuclear technology to nuclear astrophysics. The description of such a process relies on the Hauser-Feshbach theory which requires the nuclear optical potential, level density, and γ-strength function as model inputs. It has recently been suggested that the M1 scissors mode may explain discrepancies between theoretical calculations and evaluated data. We explore statistical model calculations with the strength of the M1 scissors mode estimated to be dependent on the nuclear deformation of the compound system. We show that the form of the M1more » scissors mode improves the theoretical description of evaluated data and the match to experiment in both the fission product and actinide regions. Since the scissors mode occurs in the range of a few keV to a few MeV, it may also impact the neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei that participate in the rapid neutron capture process of nucleosynthesis. As a result, we comment on the possible impact to nucleosynthesis by evaluating neutron capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei with the M1 scissors mode active.« less

Relativistic Zeroth-Order Regular Approximation Combined with Nonhybrid and Hybrid Density Functional Theory: Performance for NMR Indirect Nuclear Spin-Spin Coupling in Heavy Metal Compounds.

PubMed

Moncho, Salvador; Autschbach, Jochen

2010-01-12

A benchmark study for relativistic density functional calculations of NMR spin-spin coupling constants has been performed. The test set contained 47 complexes with heavy metal atoms (W, Pt, Hg, Tl, Pb) with a total of 88 coupling constants involving one or two heavy metal atoms. One-, two-, three-, and four-bond spin-spin couplings have been computed at different levels of theory (nonhybrid vs hybrid DFT, scalar vs two-component relativistic). The computational model was based on geometries fully optimized at the BP/TZP scalar relativistic zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) and the conductor-like screening model (COSMO) to include solvent effects. The NMR computations also employed the continuum solvent model. Computations in the gas phase were performed in order to assess the importance of the solvation model. The relative median deviations between various computational models and experiment were found to range between 13% and 21%, with the highest-level computational model (hybrid density functional computations including scalar plus spin-orbit relativistic effects, the COSMO solvent model, and a Gaussian finite-nucleus model) performing best.

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF NUCLEAR THERMAL HYDRAULICS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D’Auria, F; Rohatgi, Upendra S.

The nuclear thermal-hydraulics discipline was developed following the needs for nuclear power plants (NPPs) and, to a more limited extent, research reactors (RR) design and safety. As in all other fields where analytical methods are involved, nuclear thermal-hydraulics took benefit of the development of computers. Thermodynamics, rather than fluid dynamics, is at the basis of the development of nuclear thermal-hydraulics together with the experiments in complex two-phase situations, namely, geometry, high thermal density, and pressure.

Digital histologic analysis reveals morphometric patterns of age-related involution in breast epithelium and stroma.

PubMed

Sandhu, Rupninder; Chollet-Hinton, Lynn; Kirk, Erin L; Midkiff, Bentley; Troester, Melissa A

2016-02-01

Complete age-related regression of mammary epithelium, often termed postmenopausal involution, is associated with decreased breast cancer risk. However, most studies have qualitatively assessed involution. We quantitatively analyzed epithelium, stroma, and adipose tissue from histologically normal breast tissue of 454 patients in the Normal Breast Study. High-resolution digital images of normal breast hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides were partitioned into epithelium, adipose tissue, and nonfatty stroma. Percentage area and nuclei per unit area (nuclear density) were calculated for each component. Quantitative data were evaluated in association with age using linear regression and cubic spline models. Stromal area decreased (P = 0.0002), and adipose tissue area increased (P < 0.0001), with an approximate 0.7% change in area for each component, until age 55 years when these area measures reached a steady state. Although epithelial area did not show linear changes with age, epithelial nuclear density decreased linearly beginning in the third decade of life. No significant age-related trends were observed for stromal or adipose nuclear density. Digital image analysis offers a high-throughput method for quantitatively measuring tissue morphometry and for objectively assessing age-related changes in adipose tissue, stroma, and epithelium. Epithelial nuclear density is a quantitative measure of age-related breast involution that begins to decline in the early premenopausal period. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relations among several nuclear and electronic density functional reactivity indexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrent-Sucarrat, Miquel; Luis, Josep M.; Duran, Miquel; Toro-Labbé, Alejandro; Solà, Miquel

2003-11-01

An expansion of the energy functional in terms of the total number of electrons and the normal coordinates within the canonical ensemble is presented. A comparison of this expansion with the expansion of the energy in terms of the total number of electrons and the external potential leads to new relations among common density functional reactivity descriptors. The formulas obtained provide explicit links between important quantities related to the chemical reactivity of a system. In particular, the relation between the nuclear and the electronic Fukui functions is recovered. The connection between the derivatives of the electronic energy and the nuclear repulsion energy with respect to the external potential offers a proof for the "Quantum Chemical le Chatelier Principle." Finally, the nuclear linear response function is defined and the relation of this function with the electronic linear response function is given.

Neutron Capture Measurements on 97Mo with the DANCE Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Carrie L.

Neutron capture is a process that is crucial to understanding nucleosynthesis, reactors, and nuclear weapons. Precise knowledge of neutron capture cross-sections and level densities is necessary in order to model these high-flux environments. High-confidence spin and parity assignments for neutron resonances are of critical importance to this end. For nuclei in the A=100 mass region, the p-wave neutron strength function is at a maximum, and the s-wave strength function is at a minimum, producing up to six possible Jpi combinations. Parity determination becomes important to assigning spins in this mass region, and the large number of spin groups adds complexity to the problem. In this work, spins and parities for 97Mo resonances are assigned, and best fit models for photon strength function and level density are determined. The neutron capture-cross section for 97Mo is also determined, as are resonance parameters for neutron energies ranging from 16 eV to 2 keV.

Evaluating differential nuclear DNA yield rates and osteocyte numbers among human bone tissue types: A synchrotron radiation micro-CT approach.

PubMed

Andronowski, Janna M; Mundorff, Amy Z; Pratt, Isaac V; Davoren, Jon M; Cooper, David M L

2017-05-01

Molecular human identification has conventionally focused on DNA sampling from dense, weight-bearing cortical bone tissue, typically from femora or tibiae. A comparison of skeletal elements from three contemporary individuals demonstrated that elements with high quantities of cancellous bone yielded nuclear DNA at the highest rates, suggesting that preferentially sampling cortical bone may be suboptimal (Mundorff & Davoren, 2014). Despite these findings, the reason for the differential DNA yields between cortical and cancellous bone tissues remains unknown. The primary goal of this work is to ascertain whether differences in bone microstructure can be used to explain differential nuclear DNA yield among bone tissue types observed by Mundorff and Davoren (2014), with a focus on osteocytes and the three-dimensional (3D) quantification of their associated lacunae. Osteocytes and other bone cells are recognized to house DNA in bone tissue, thus examining the density of their lacunae may explain why nuclear DNA yield rates differ among bone tissue types. Lacunae were visualized and quantified using synchrotron radiation-based micro-Computed Tomographic imaging (SR micro-CT). Volumes of interest (VOIs) from cortical and cancellous bone tissues (n=129) were comparatively analyzed from the three skeletons sampled for Mundorff and Davoren's (2014) study. Analyses tested the primary hypothesis that the abundance and density of osteocytes (inferred from their lacunar spaces) vary between cortical and cancellous bone tissue types. Results demonstrated that osteocyte lacunar abundance and density vary between cortical and cancellous bone tissue types, with cortical bone VOIs containing a higher lacunar abundance and density. We found that the osteocyte lacunar density values are independent of nuclear DNA yield, suggesting an alternative explanation for the higher nuclear DNA yields from bones with greater quantities of cancellous bone tissue. The use of SR micro-CT allowed for a scale of analysis that revealed a high range of variation in lacunar abundance in both tissue types. Moreover, high-resolution SR micro-CT imaging revealed potential soft tissue remnants within marrow spaces not visible macroscopically. It is hypothesized that soft tissue remnants observed among the trabeculae of skeletal elements with high quantities of cancellous bone tissue are responsible for the high nuclear DNA yields. These findings have significant implications for bone-sample selection for nuclear DNA analysis in a forensic context when skeletal remains are recovered from the ground surface. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Landau parameters for energy density functionals generated by local finite-range pseudopotentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idini, A.; Bennaceur, K.; Dobaczewski, J.

2017-06-01

In Landau theory of Fermi liquids, the particle-hole interaction near the Fermi energy in different spin-isospin channels is probed in terms of an expansion over the Legendre polynomials. This provides a useful and efficient way to constrain properties of nuclear energy density functionals in symmetric nuclear matter and finite nuclei. In this study, we present general expressions for Landau parameters corresponding to a two-body central local regularized pseudopotential. We also show results obtained for two recently adjusted NLO and N2LO parametrizations. Such pseudopotentials will be used to determine mean-field and beyond-mean-field properties of paired nuclei across the entire nuclear chart.

Exploring for oil with nuclear physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mauborgne, Marie-Laure; Allioli, Françoise; Stoller, Chris; Evans, Mike; Manclossi, Mauro; Nicoletti, Luisa

2017-09-01

Oil↓eld service companies help identify and assess reserves and future production for oil and gas reservoirs, by providing petrophysical information on rock formations. Some parameters of interest are the fraction of pore space in the rock, the quantity of oil or gas contained in the pores, the lithology or composition of the rock matrix, and the ease with which 'uids 'ow through the rock, i.e. its permeability. Downhole logging tools acquire various measurements based on electromagnetic, acoustic, magnetic resonance and nuclear physics to determine properties of the subsurface formation surrounding the wellbore. This introduction to nuclear measurements applied in the oil and gas industry reviews the most advanced nuclear measurements currently in use, including capture and inelastic gamma ray spectroscopy, neutron-gamma density, thermal neutron capture cross section, natural gamma ray, gamma-gamma density, and neutron porosity. A brief description of the technical challenges associated with deploying nuclear technology in the extreme environmental conditions of an oil well is also presented.

The Impact of the Nuclear Equation of State in Core Collapse Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baird, M. L.; Lentz, E. J.; Hix, W. R.; Mezzacappa, A.; Messer, O. E. B.; Liebendoerfer, M.; TeraScale Supernova Initiative Collaboration

2005-12-01

One of the key ingredients to the core collapse supernova mechanism is the physics of matter at or near nuclear density. Included in simulations as part of the Equation of State (EOS), nuclear repulsion experienced at high densities are responsible for the bounce shock, which initially causes the outer envelope of the supernova to expand, as well as determining the structure of the newly formed proto-neutron star. Recent years have seen renewed interest in this fundamental piece of supernova physics, resulting in several promising candidate EOS parameterizations. We will present the impact of these variations in the nuclear EOS using spherically symmetric, Newtonian and General Relativistic neutrino transport simulations of stellar core collapse and bounce. This work is supported in part by SciDAC grants to the TeraScale Supernovae Initiative from the DOE Office of Science High Energy, Nuclear, and Advanced Scientific Computing Research Programs. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for U.S. Department of Energy under contract DEAC05-00OR22725

Evaluation of potential site for mineral processing plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izwan Ishak, Muhamad Noor; Sipaun, Susan Maria; Mustapha, Ismail; Fahmi Engku Chik, Engku Mohd; Abdullah, Nurliyana; Affandi Mahmood, Airwan

2018-01-01

Nuclear moisture-density gauge is a type of instrument for measuring density and moisture of the material in a relatively thin zone beneath a surface of the material by using low activity of neutron and gamma radiation source. Density and moisture content data of the compacted layers are needed to determine the degree of compaction of soils, aggregate, concrete, asphalt or other materials used in civil engineering works. A gamma radiation source is mounted inside gauge housing with the source rod vertically extended to various depth positions. Direct transmission gamma radiation technique is used to obtain the count reading for the number of photons emitted before it is converted into density reading by microprocessor. This paper presents the inspection technique and results for the measurement of soil moisture and density carried out at potential site for mineral processing plant, Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Primarily, the experiment was conducted to ensure the compaction of ground is suitable for the plant construction. From the calculation, the percentages of soil wet density compaction (%WD Compact) are within acceptable limits with respect to the standard compacted wet soil density measured in the laboratory.

Evaluation of Troxler model 3411 nuclear gage.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-01-01

The performance of the Troxler Electronics Laboratory Model 3411 nuclear gage was evaluated through laboratory tests on the Department's density and moisture standards and field tests on various soils, base courses, and bituminous concrete overlays t...

Central depression of nuclear charge density distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu Yanyun; Ren Zhongzhou; Center of Theoretical Nuclear Physics, National Laboratory of Heavy-Ion Accelerator, Lanzhou 730000

The center-depressed nuclear charge distributions are investigated with the parametrized distribution and the relativistic mean-field theory, and their corresponding charge form factors are worked out with the phase shift analysis method. The central depression of nuclear charge distribution of {sup 46}Ar and {sup 44}S is supported by the relativistic mean-field calculation. According to the calculation, the valence protons in {sup 46}Ar and {sup 44}S prefer to occupy the 1d{sub 3/2} state rather than the 2s{sub 1/2} state, which is different from that in the less neutron-rich argon and sulfur isotopes. As a result, the central proton densities of {sup 46}Armore » and {sup 44}S are highly depressed, and so are their central charge densities. The charge form factors of some argon and sulfur isotopes are presented, and the minima of the charge form factors shift upward and inward when the central nuclear charge distributions are more depressed. Besides, the effect of the central depression on the charge form factors is studied with a parametrized distribution, when the root-mean-square charge radii remain constant.« less

Magnitude of finite-nucleus-size effects in relativistic density functional computations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling constants.

PubMed

Autschbach, Jochen

2009-09-14

A spherical Gaussian nuclear charge distribution model has been implemented for spin-free (scalar) and two-component (spin-orbit) relativistic density functional calculations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling (J-coupling) constants. The finite nuclear volume effects on the hyperfine integrals are quite pronounced and as a consequence they noticeably alter coupling constants involving heavy NMR nuclei such as W, Pt, Hg, Tl, and Pb. Typically, the isotropic J-couplings are reduced in magnitude by about 10 to 15 % for couplings between one of the heaviest NMR nuclei and a light atomic ligand, and even more so for couplings between two heavy atoms. For a subset of the systems studied, viz. the Hg atom, Hg(2) (2+), and Tl--X where X=Br, I, the basis set convergence of the hyperfine integrals and the coupling constants was monitored. For the Hg atom, numerical and basis set calculations of the electron density and the 1s and 6s orbital hyperfine integrals are directly compared. The coupling anisotropies of TlBr and TlI increase by about 2 % due to finite-nucleus effects.

Neutrino Opacity in High Density Nuclear Matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santos, Sergio M. dos; Razeira, Moises; Vasconcellos, Cesar A.Z.

2004-12-02

We estimate the contribution of the nucleon weak magnetism on the neutrino absorption mean free path inside high density nuclear matter. In the mean field approach, three different ingredients are taken into account: (a) a relativistic generalization of the approach developed by Sanjay et al.; (b) the inclusion of the nucleon weak-magnetism (c) and the pseudo-scalar interaction involving the nucleons. Our main result shows that the neutrino absorption mean free path is three times the corresponding result obtained by those authors.

THE FIRST FERMI IN A HIGH ENERGY NUCLEAR COLLISION.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

KRASNITZ,A.

1999-08-09

At very high energies, weak coupling, non-perturbative methods can be used to study classical gluon production in nuclear collisions. One observes in numerical simulations that after an initial formation time, the produced partons are on shell, and their subsequent evolution can be studied using transport theory. At the initial formation time, a simple non-perturbative relation exists between the energy and number densities of the produced partons, and a scale determined by the saturated parton density in the nucleus.

Electronic properties of GeTe and Ag- or Sb-substituted GeTe studied by low-temperature Te 125 NMR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, J.; Levin, E. M.; Lee, Y.

We have carried out 125Te nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in a wide temperature range of 1.5–300 K to investigate the electronic properties of Ge 50 Te 50, Ag 2 Ge 48Te 50 , and Sb 2 Ge 48 Te 50 from a microscopic point of view. From the temperature dependence of the NMR shift (K) and nuclear spin lattice relaxation rate (1/T 1), we found that two bands contribute to the physical properties of the materials. One band overlaps the Fermi level providing the metallic state where no strong electron correlations are revealed by Korringa analysis. The other band ismore » separated from the Fermi level by an energy gap of E g/k B ~67 K, which gives rise to semiconductorlike properties. First-principles calculation reveals that the metallic band originates from the Ge vacancy while the semiconductorlike band is related to the fine structure of the density of states near the Fermi level. We find low-temperature Te125 NMR data for the materials studied here clearly show that Ag substitution increases hole concentration while Sb substitution decreases it.« less

Electronic properties of GeTe and Ag- or Sb-substituted GeTe studied by low-temperature Te 125 NMR

DOE PAGES

Cui, J.; Levin, E. M.; Lee, Y.; ...

2016-08-18

We have carried out 125Te nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in a wide temperature range of 1.5–300 K to investigate the electronic properties of Ge 50 Te 50, Ag 2 Ge 48Te 50 , and Sb 2 Ge 48 Te 50 from a microscopic point of view. From the temperature dependence of the NMR shift (K) and nuclear spin lattice relaxation rate (1/T 1), we found that two bands contribute to the physical properties of the materials. One band overlaps the Fermi level providing the metallic state where no strong electron correlations are revealed by Korringa analysis. The other band ismore » separated from the Fermi level by an energy gap of E g/k B ~67 K, which gives rise to semiconductorlike properties. First-principles calculation reveals that the metallic band originates from the Ge vacancy while the semiconductorlike band is related to the fine structure of the density of states near the Fermi level. We find low-temperature Te125 NMR data for the materials studied here clearly show that Ag substitution increases hole concentration while Sb substitution decreases it.« less

Mean-field study of hot β -stable protoneutron star matter: Impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Ngo Hai; Loan, Doan Thi; Khoa, Dao T.; Margueron, Jerome

2016-03-01

A consistent Hartree-Fock study of the equation of state (EOS) of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature has been performed using realistic choices of the effective, density-dependent nucleon-nucleon (NN ) interaction, which were successfully used in different nuclear structure and reaction studies. Given the importance of the nuclear symmetry energy in the neutron star formation, EOSs associated with different behaviors of the symmetry energy were used to study hot asymmetric nuclear matter. The slope of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass with increasing baryon density was found to affect the thermal properties of nuclear matter significantly. Different density-dependent NN interactions were further used to study the EOS of hot protoneutron star (PNS) matter of the n p e μ ν composition in β equilibrium. The hydrostatic configurations of PNS in terms of the maximal gravitational mass Mmax and radius, central density, pressure, and temperature at the total entropy per baryon S /A =1 ,2 , and 4 have been determined in both the neutrino-free and neutrino-trapped scenarios. The obtained results show consistently a strong impact of the symmetry energy and nucleon effective mass on thermal properties and composition of hot PNS matter. Mmax values obtained for the (neutrino-free) β -stable PNS at S /A =4 were used to assess time tBH of the collapse of a 40 M⊙ protoneutron progenitor to a black hole, based on a correlation between tBH and Mmax found from the hydrodynamic simulation by Hempel et al. [Astrophys. J. 748, 70 (2012), 10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/70].

Nuclear Gauge Calibration and Testing Guidelines for Hawaii

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-12-15

Project proposal brief: AASHTO and ASTM nuclear gauge testing procedures can lead to misleading density and moisture readings for certain Hawaiian soils. Calibration curves need to be established for these unique materials, along with clear standard ...

The many facets of the (non-relativistic) Nuclear Equation of State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuliani, G.; Zheng, H.; Bonasera, A.

2014-05-01

A nucleus is a quantum many body system made of strongly interacting Fermions, protons and neutrons (nucleons). This produces a rich Nuclear Equation of State whose knowledge is crucial to our understanding of the composition and evolution of celestial objects. The nuclear equation of state displays many different features; first neutrons and protons might be treated as identical particles or nucleons, but when the differences between protons and neutrons are spelled out, we can have completely different scenarios, just by changing slightly their interactions. At zero temperature and for neutron rich matter, a quantum liquid-gas phase transition at low densities or a quark-gluon plasma at high densities might occur. Furthermore, the large binding energy of the α particle, a Boson, might also open the possibility of studying a system made of a mixture of Bosons and Fermions, which adds to the open problems of the nuclear equation of state.

Structure, spectra and antioxidant action of ascorbic acid studied by density functional theory, Raman spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.

PubMed

Singh, Gurpreet; Mohanty, B P; Saini, G S S

2016-02-15

Structure, vibrational and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, and antioxidant action of ascorbic acid towards hydroxyl radicals have been studied computationally and in vitro by ultraviolet-visible, nuclear magnetic resonance and vibrational spectroscopic techniques. Time dependant density functional theory calculations have been employed to specify various electronic transitions in ultraviolet-visible spectra. Observed chemical shifts and vibrational bands in nuclear magnetic resonance and vibrational spectra, respectively have been assigned with the help of calculations. Changes in the structure of ascorbic acid in aqueous phase have been examined computationally and experimentally by recording Raman spectra in aqueous medium. Theoretical calculations of the interaction between ascorbic acid molecule and hydroxyl radical predicted the formation of dehydroascorbic acid as first product, which has been confirmed by comparing its simulated spectra with the corresponding spectra of ascorbic acid in presence of hydrogen peroxide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subcellular localization of celery mannitol dehydrogenase. A cytosolic metabolic enzyme in nuclei.

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Y T; Zamski, E; Williamson, J D; Conkling, M A; Pharr, D M

1997-01-01

Mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) is the first enzyme in mannitol catabolism in celery (Apium graveolens L. var dulce [Mill] Pers. cv Florida 638). Mannitol is an important photoassimilate, as well as providing plants with resistance to salt and osmotic stress. Previous work has shown that expression of the celery Mtd gene is regulated by many factors, such as hexose sugars, salt and osmotic stress, and salicylic acid. Furthermore, MTD is present in cells of sink organs, phloem cells, and mannitol-grown suspension cultures. Immunogold localization and biochemical analyses presented here demonstrate that celery MTD is localized in the cytosol and nuclei. Although the cellular density of MTD varies among different cell types, densities of nuclear and cytosolic MTD in a given cell are approximately equal. Biochemical analyses of nuclear extracts from mannitol-grown cultured cells confirmed that the nuclear-localized MTD is enzymatically active. The function(s) of nuclear-localized MTD is unknown. PMID:9414553

Microstructural stability of a self-ion irradiated lanthana-bearing nanostructured ferritic steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasebani, Somayeh; Charit, Indrajit; Burns, Jatuporn; Alsagabi, Sultan; Butt, Darryl P.; Cole, James I.; Price, Lloyd M.; Shao, Lin

2015-07-01

Thermally stable nanofeatures with high number density are expected to impart excellent high temperature strength and irradiation stability in nanostructured ferritic steels (NFSs) which have potential applications in advanced nuclear reactors. A lanthana-bearing NFS (14LMT) developed via mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering was used in this study. The sintered samples were irradiated by Fe2+ ions to 10, 50 and 100 dpa at 30 °C and 500 °C. Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of the irradiated samples were studied using different microscopy techniques and nanoindentation, respectively. Overall morphology and number density of the nanofeatures remained unchanged after irradiation. Average radius of nanofeatures in the irradiated sample (100 dpa at 500 °C) was slightly reduced. A notable level of irradiation hardening and enhanced dislocation activity occurred after ion irradiation except at 30 °C and ⩾50 dpa. Other microstructural features like grain boundaries and high density of dislocations also provided defect sinks to assist in defect removal.

Improvement of Leaching Resistance of Low-level Waste Form in Korea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, J.Y.; Lee, B.C.; Kim, C.L.

2006-07-01

Low-level liquid concentrate wastes including boric acid have been immobilized with paraffin wax using concentrate waste drying system in Korean nuclear power plants since 1995. Small amount of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was added to increase the leaching resistance of the existing paraffin waste form and the influence of LDPE on the leaching behavior of waste form was investigated. It was observed that the leaching of nuclides immobilized within paraffin waste form remarkably reduced as the content of LDPE increased. The acceptance criteria of paraffin waste form associated with leachability index and compressive strength after the leaching test were successfullymore » satisfied with the help of LDPE. (authors)« less

Sensitivity of the fusion cross section to the density dependence of the symmetry energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinhard, P.-G.; Umar, A. S.; Stevenson, P. D.; Piekarewicz, J.; Oberacker, V. E.; Maruhn, J. A.

2016-04-01

Background: The study of the nuclear equation of state (EOS) and the behavior of nuclear matter under extreme conditions is crucial to our understanding of many nuclear and astrophysical phenomena. Nuclear reactions serve as one of the means for studying the EOS. Purpose: It is the aim of this paper to discuss the impact of nuclear fusion on the EOS. This is a timely subject given the expected availability of increasingly exotic beams at rare isotope facilities [A. B. Balantekin et al., Mod. Phys. Lett. A 29, 1430010 (2014), 10.1142/S0217732314300109]. In practice, we focus on 48Ca+48Ca fusion. Method: We employ three different approaches to calculate fusion cross sections for a set of energy density functionals with systematically varying nuclear matter properties. Fusion calculations are performed using frozen densities, using a dynamic microscopic method based on density-constrained time-dependent Hartree-Fock (DC-TDHF) approach, as well as direct TDHF study of above barrier cross sections. For these studies, we employ a family of Skyrme parametrizations with systematically varied nuclear matter properties. Results: The folding-potential model provides a reasonable first estimate of cross sections. DC-TDHF, which includes dynamical polarization, reduces the fusion barriers and delivers much better cross sections. Full TDHF near the barrier agrees nicely with DC-TDHF. Most of the Skyrme forces which we used deliver, on the average, fusion cross sections in good agreement with the data. Trying to read off a trend in the results, we find a slight preference for forces which deliver a slope of symmetry energy of L ≈50 MeV that corresponds to a neutron-skin thickness of 48Ca of Rskin=(0.180 -0.210 ) fm. Conclusions: Fusion reactions in the barrier and sub-barrier region can be a tool to study the EOS and the neutron skin of nuclei. The success of the approach will depend on reduced experimental uncertainties of fusion data as well as the development of fusion theories that closely couple to the microscopic structure and dynamics.

Whole-body voxel-based personalized dosimetry: Multiple voxel S-value approach for heterogeneous media with non-uniform activity distributions.

PubMed

Lee, Min Sun; Kim, Joong Hyun; Paeng, Jin Chul; Kang, Keon Wook; Jeong, Jae Min; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung

2017-12-14

Personalized dosimetry with high accuracy is becoming more important because of the growing interests in personalized medicine and targeted radionuclide therapy. Voxel-based dosimetry using dose point kernel or voxel S-value (VSV) convolution is available. However, these approaches do not consider medium heterogeneity. Here, we propose a new method for whole-body voxel-based personalized dosimetry for heterogeneous media with non-uniform activity distributions, which is referred to as the multiple VSV approach. Methods: The multiple numbers (N) of VSVs for media with different densities covering the whole-body density ranges were used instead of using only a single VSV for water. The VSVs were pre-calculated using GATE Monte Carlo simulation; those were convoluted with the time-integrated activity to generate density-specific dose maps. Computed tomography-based segmentation was conducted to generate binary maps for each density region. The final dose map was acquired by the summation of N segmented density-specific dose maps. We tested several sets of VSVs with different densities: N = 1 (single water VSV), 4, 6, 8, 10, and 20. To validate the proposed method, phantom and patient studies were conducted and compared with direct Monte Carlo, which was considered the ground truth. Finally, patient dosimetry (10 subjects) was conducted using the multiple VSV approach and compared with the single VSV and organ-based dosimetry approaches. Errors at the voxel- and organ-levels were reported for eight organs. Results: In the phantom and patient studies, the multiple VSV approach showed significant improvements regarding voxel-level errors, especially for the lung and bone regions. As N increased, voxel-level errors decreased, although some overestimations were observed at lung boundaries. In the case of multiple VSVs ( N = 8), we achieved voxel-level errors of 2.06%. In the dosimetry study, our proposed method showed much improved results compared to the single VSV and organ-based dosimetry. Errors at the organ-level were -6.71%, 2.17%, and 227.46% for the single VSV, multiple VSV, and organ-based dosimetry, respectively. Conclusion: The multiple VSV approach for heterogeneous media with non-uniform activity distributions offers fast personalized dosimetry at whole-body level, yielding results comparable to those of the direct Monte Carlo approach. Copyright © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Anomalous Transport Properties of Dense QCD in a Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Incera, Vivian

2017-06-01

Despite recent advancements in the study and understanding of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter, the region of high baryonic densities and low temperatures has remained difficult to reach in the lab. Things are expected to change with the planned HIC experiments at FAIR in Germany and NICA in Russia, which will open a window to the high-density-low-temperature segment of the QCD phase map, providing a unique opportunity to test the validity of model calculations that have predicted the formation of spatially inhomogeneous phases with broken chiral symmetry at intermediate-to-high densities. Such a density region is also especially relevant for the physics of neutron stars, as they have cores that can have several times the nuclear saturation density. On the other hand, strong magnetic fields, whose presence is fairly common in HIC and in neutron stars, can affect the properties of these exotic phases and lead to signatures potentially observable in these two settings. In this paper, I examine the anomalous transport properties produced by the spectral asymmetry of the lowest Landau level (LLL) in a QCD-inspired NJL model with a background magnetic field that exhibits chiral symmetry breaking at high density via the formation of a Dual Chiral Density Wave (DCDW) condensate. It turns out that in this model the electromagnetic interactions are described by the axion electrodynamics equations and there is a dissipationless Hall current.

New Clinically Feasible 3T MRI Protocol to Discriminate Internal Brain Stem Anatomy.

PubMed

Hoch, M J; Chung, S; Ben-Eliezer, N; Bruno, M T; Fatterpekar, G M; Shepherd, T M

2016-06-01

Two new 3T MR imaging contrast methods, track density imaging and echo modulation curve T2 mapping, were combined with simultaneous multisection acquisition to reveal exquisite anatomic detail at 7 canonical levels of the brain stem. Compared with conventional MR imaging contrasts, many individual brain stem tracts and nuclear groups were directly visualized for the first time at 3T. This new approach is clinically practical and feasible (total scan time = 20 minutes), allowing better brain stem anatomic localization and characterization. © 2016 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Neutron lifetimes behavior analysis considering the two-region kinetic model in the IPEN/MB-01 reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gonnelli, Eduardo; Diniz, Ricardo

2014-11-11

This is a complementary work about the behavior analysis of the neutron lifetimes that was developed in the IPEN/MB-01 nuclear reactor facility. The macroscopic neutron noise technique was experimentally employed using pulse mode detectors for two stages of control rods insertion, where a total of twenty levels of subcriticality have been carried out. It was also considered that the neutron reflector density was treated as an additional group of delayed neutrons, being a sophisticated approach in the two-region kinetic theoretical model.

Random matrix theory for transition strengths: Applications and open questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kota, V. K. B.

2017-12-01

Embedded random matrix ensembles are generic models for describing statistical properties of finite isolated interacting quantum many-particle systems. A finite quantum system, induced by a transition operator, makes transitions from its states to the states of the same system or to those of another system. Examples are electromagnetic transitions (then the initial and final systems are same), nuclear beta and double beta decay (then the initial and final systems are different) and so on. Using embedded ensembles (EE), there are efforts to derive a good statistical theory for transition strengths. With m fermions (or bosons) in N mean-field single particle levels and interacting via two-body forces, we have with GOE embedding, the so called EGOE(1+2). Now, the transition strength density (transition strength multiplied by the density of states at the initial and final energies) is a convolution of the density generated by the mean-field one-body part with a bivariate spreading function due to the two-body interaction. Using the embedding U(N) algebra, it is established, for a variety of transition operators, that the spreading function, for sufficiently strong interactions, is close to a bivariate Gaussian. Also, as the interaction strength increases, the spreading function exhibits a transition from bivariate Breit-Wigner to bivariate Gaussian form. In appropriate limits, this EE theory reduces to the polynomial theory of Draayer, French and Wong on one hand and to the theory due to Flambaum and Izrailev for one-body transition operators on the other. Using spin-cutoff factors for projecting angular momentum, the theory is applied to nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double beta decay (NDBD). In this paper we will describe: (i) various developments in the EE theory for transition strengths; (ii) results for nuclear matrix elements for 130Te and 136Xe NDBD; (iii) important open questions in the current form of the EE theory.

Effects of Long Term Exposure of 900-1800 MHz Radiation Emitted from 2G Mobile Phone on Mice Hippocampus- A Histomorphometric Study

PubMed Central

Shanmugasamy, Kathirvelu; Anbalagan, Jayaram; Rajanarayanan, Swamynathan; Meenachi, Swamynathan

2016-01-01

Introduction The advancement in the telecommunications technology with multi-functional added features in mobile phone, attracts more users of all age group. It is alarming to note that, the mobile phone use has increased amongst children and they are exposed to potentially harmful radiofrequency radiation in their lifetime. Aim To investigate the long term exposure of 900 to 1800 MHz radiations emitted from 2G mobile phone in mice hippocampus at histomorphometric level. Materials and Methods With due approval from institutional animal ethics committee, 36 mice were exposed to 2G mobile phone radiation, 48 minutes per day for a period of 30-180 days. The control group was kept under similar conditions without 2G exposure. Mice were sacrificed and the brain was removed from the first month to six months period. Brain was removed from the cranial cavity and hippocampus region was dissected out carefully and processed for routine histological study. Random serial sections were analysed under microscope for histomorphometric changes. For statistical analysis, independent t-test was used for comparing control and 2G exposed groups. Results The mean density of neurons in the hippocampus regions CA1, CA2 and DGDB from first to sixth month was significantly lower in the 2G exposed groups; however, in CA3 and DGVB, the 2G exposed mice showed significantly higher density of neurons. The mean nuclear diameter of neurons in the hippocampus region of CA1, CA2, CA3, DGDB and DGVB from first to sixth months showed lower nuclear diameter in 2G exposed mice. Conclusion The long term exposure to 900-1800 MHz frequency radiations emitted from 2G mobile phone could cause significantly reduced neuron density and decreased nuclear diameter in the hippocampus neurons of mice. PMID:27656427

Implementation of nuclear gage moisture standards.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-01-01

A prepared dry sand standard representing zero moisture content was found to yield nuclear moisture readings similar to those obtained on a magnesium density block. Therefore, the magnesium block was adopted in place of the sand standard for use as a...

Metabolic Characterization of a Rare Genetic Variation Within APOC3 and Its Lipoprotein Lipase-Independent Effects.

PubMed

Drenos, Fotios; Davey Smith, George; Ala-Korpela, Mika; Kettunen, Johannes; Würtz, Peter; Soininen, Pasi; Kangas, Antti J; Dale, Caroline; Lawlor, Debbie A; Gaunt, Tom R; Casas, Juan-Pablo; Timpson, Nicholas J

2016-06-01

Plasma triglyceride levels have been implicated in atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) plays a key role in the hydrolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to remnant particles by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and their uptake by the liver. A rare variant in APOC3(rs138326449) has been associated with triglyceride, very low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein levels, as well as risk of coronary heart disease. We aimed to characterize the impact of this locus across a broad set of mainly lipids-focused metabolic measures. A high-throughput serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics platform was used to quantify 225 metabolic measures in 13 285 participants from 2 European population cohorts. We analyzed the effect of the APOC3 variant on the metabolic measures and used the common LPL(rs12678919) polymorphism to test for LPL-independent effects. Eighty-one metabolic measures showed evidence of association with APOC3(rs138326449). In addition to previously reported triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein associations, the variant was also associated with very low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein composition measures, other cholesterol measures, and fatty acids. Comparison of the APOC3 and LPL associations revealed that APOC3 association results for medium and very large very low-density lipoprotein composition are unlikely to be solely predictable by the action of APOC3 through LPL. We characterized the effects of the rare APOC3(rs138326449) loss of function mutation in lipoprotein metabolism, as well as the effects of LPL(rs12678919). Our results improve our understanding of the role of APOC3 in triglyceride metabolism, its LPL independent action, and the complex and correlated nature of human metabolites. © 2016 The Authors.

Metabolic Characterization of a Rare Genetic Variation Within APOC3 and Its Lipoprotein Lipase–Independent Effects

PubMed Central

Davey Smith, George; Ala-Korpela, Mika; Kettunen, Johannes; Würtz, Peter; Soininen, Pasi; Kangas, Antti J.; Dale, Caroline; Lawlor, Debbie A.; Gaunt, Tom R.; Casas, Juan-Pablo

2016-01-01

Background— Plasma triglyceride levels have been implicated in atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) plays a key role in the hydrolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to remnant particles by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and their uptake by the liver. A rare variant in APOC3(rs138326449) has been associated with triglyceride, very low–density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein levels, as well as risk of coronary heart disease. We aimed to characterize the impact of this locus across a broad set of mainly lipids-focused metabolic measures. Methods and Results— A high-throughput serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics platform was used to quantify 225 metabolic measures in 13 285 participants from 2 European population cohorts. We analyzed the effect of the APOC3 variant on the metabolic measures and used the common LPL(rs12678919) polymorphism to test for LPL-independent effects. Eighty-one metabolic measures showed evidence of association with APOC3(rs138326449). In addition to previously reported triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein associations, the variant was also associated with very low–density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein composition measures, other cholesterol measures, and fatty acids. Comparison of the APOC3 and LPL associations revealed that APOC3 association results for medium and very large very low–density lipoprotein composition are unlikely to be solely predictable by the action of APOC3 through LPL. Conclusions— We characterized the effects of the rare APOC3(rs138326449) loss of function mutation in lipoprotein metabolism, as well as the effects of LPL(rs12678919). Our results improve our understanding of the role of APOC3 in triglyceride metabolism, its LPL independent action, and the complex and correlated nature of human metabolites. PMID:27114411

Vibrational Properties of Hydrogen-Bonded Systems Using the Multireference Generalization to the "On-the-Fly" Electronic Structure within Quantum Wavepacket ab Initio Molecular Dynamics (QWAIMD).

PubMed

Li, Junjie; Li, Xiaohu; Iyengar, Srinivasan S

2014-06-10

We discuss a multiconfigurational treatment of the "on-the-fly" electronic structure within the quantum wavepacket ab initio molecular dynamics (QWAIMD) method for coupled treatment of quantum nuclear effects with electronic structural effects. Here, multiple single-particle electronic density matrices are simultaneously propagated with a quantum nuclear wavepacket and other classical nuclear degrees of freedom. The multiple density matrices are coupled through a nonorthogonal configuration interaction (NOCI) procedure to construct the instantaneous potential surface. An adaptive-mesh-guided set of basis functions composed of Gaussian primitives are used to simplify the electronic structure calculations. Specifically, with the replacement of the atom-centered basis functions positioned on the centers of the quantum-mechanically treated nuclei by a mesh-guided band of basis functions, the two-electron integrals used to compute the electronic structure potential surface become independent of the quantum nuclear variable and hence reusable along the entire Cartesian grid representing the quantum nuclear coordinates. This reduces the computational complexity involved in obtaining a potential surface and facilitates the interpretation of the individual density matrices as representative diabatic states. The parametric nuclear position dependence of the diabatic states is evaluated at the initial time-step using a Shannon-entropy-based sampling function that depends on an approximation to the quantum nuclear wavepacket and the potential surface. This development is meant as a precursor to an on-the-fly fully multireference electronic structure procedure embedded, on-the-fly, within a quantum nuclear dynamics formalism. We benchmark the current development by computing structural, dynamic, and spectroscopic features for a series of bihalide hydrogen-bonded systems: FHF(-), ClHCl(-), BrHBr(-), and BrHCl(-). We find that the donor-acceptor structural features are in good agreement with experiments. Spectroscopic features are computed using a unified velocity/flux autocorrelation function and include vibrational fundamentals and combination bands. These agree well with experiments and other theories.

High Energy Density Plasmas (HEDP) for studies of basic nuclear science relevant to Stellar and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frenje, Johan

2014-06-01

Thermonuclear reaction rates and nuclear processes have been explored traditionally by means of conventional accelerator experiments, which are difficult to execute at conditions relevant to stellar nucleosynthesis. Thus, nuclear reactions at stellar energies are often studied through extrapolations from higher-energy data or in low-background underground experiments. Even when measurements are possible using accelerators at relevant energies, thermonuclear reaction rates in stars are inherently different from those in accelerator experiments. The fusing nuclei are surrounded by bound electrons in accelerator experiments, whereas electrons occupy mainly continuum states in a stellar environment. Nuclear astrophysics research will therefore benefit from an enlarged toolkit for studies of nuclear reactions. In this presentation, we report on the first use of High Energy Density Plasmas for studies of nuclear reactions relevant to basic nuclear science, stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis. These experiments were carried out at the OMEGA laser facility at University of Rochester and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in which spherical capsules were irradiated with powerful lasers to compress and heat the fuel to high enough temperatures and densities for nuclear reactions to occur. Four experiments will be highlighted in this presentation. In the first experiment, the differential cross section for the elastic neutron-triton (n-T) scattering at 14.1 MeV was measured with significantly higher accuracy than achieved in accelerator experiments. In the second experiment, the T(t,2n)4He reaction, a mirror reaction to the 3He(3He,2p)4He reaction that plays an important role in the proton-proton chain that transforms hydrogen into ordinary 4He in stars like our Sun, was studied at energies in the range 15-40 keV. In the third experiment, the 3He+3He solar fusion reaction was studied directly, and in the fourth experiment, we probed the T+3He reaction, possibly relevant to Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

Impact of nuclear cataract density on postoperative refractive outcome: IOL Master versus ultrasound.

PubMed

Ueda, Tetsuo; Taketani, Futoshi; Ota, Takeo; Hara, Yoshiaki

2007-01-01

To evaluate the effect of cataract density on the postoperative refractive outcome. For 59 nuclear cataract eyes, the axial length was preoperatively measured by the IOL Master (Zeiss, Germany) and ultrasound (US; UD-6000, Tomey, Japan) and the cataract density by EAS-1000 (Nidek, Japan). The prediction error was used as evaluation of the accuracy of ocular biometry. There were significant differences between IOL Master and US in the mean error (0.24 +/- 0.63 vs. 0.69 +/- 0.64 dpt, p < 0.001) and the mean absolute error (0.57 +/- 0.36 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.53 dpt, p < 0.001). The cataract density was significantly correlated with the prediction error with IOL Master (r = 0.24, p = 0.03) and US (r = 0.29, p = 0.01). Measurements with the IOL Master are slightly affected by the cataract density due to the refractive index change, but its accuracy is less affected than US. (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A preliminary systems-engineering study of an advanced nuclear-electrolytic hydrogen-production facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Escher, W. J. D.; Donakowski, T. D.; Tison, R. R.

1975-01-01

An advanced nuclear-electrolytic hydrogen-production facility concept was synthesized at a conceptual level with the objective of minimizing estimated hydrogen-production costs. The concept is a closely-integrated, fully-dedicated (only hydrogen energy is produced) system whose components and subsystems are predicted on ''1985 technology.'' The principal components are: (1) a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) operating a helium-Brayton/ammonia-Rankine binary cycle with a helium reactor-core exit temperature of 980 C, (2) acyclic d-c generators, (3) high-pressure, high-current-density electrolyzers based on solid-polymer electrolyte technology. Based on an assumed 3,000 MWt HTGR the facility is capable of producing 8.7 million std cu m/day of hydrogen at pipeline conditions, 6,900 kPa. Coproduct oxygen is also available at pipeline conditions at one-half this volume. It has further been shown that the incorporation of advanced technology provides an overall efficiency of about 43 percent, as compared with 25 percent for a contemporary nuclear-electric plant powering close-coupled contemporary industrial electrolyzers.

Soil bulk density changes caused by mechanized harvesting: A case study in central Appalachia

Treesearch

Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux; Pam Edwards; Mark Jones; Mark Jones

2005-01-01

A mechanized harvesting system consisting of a feller-buncher and a grapple skidder was examined to quantify soil bulk density changes in a central Appalachian hardwood forest site. Soil bulk density was measured using a nuclear gauge pre-harvest and post-harvest systematically across the harvest unit and on transects across skid trails. Bulk density also was measured...

Self-consistent Hartree-Fock RPA calculations in 208Pb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taqi, Ali H.; Ali, Mohammed S.

2018-01-01

The nuclear structure of 208Pb is studied in the framework of the self-consistent random phase approximation (SCRPA). The Hartree-Fock mean field and single particle states are used to implement a completely SCRPA with Skyrme-type interactions. The Hamiltonian is diagonalised within a model space using five Skyrme parameter sets, namely LNS, SkI3, SkO, SkP and SLy4. In view of the huge number of the existing Skyrme-force parameterizations, the question remains which of them provide the best description of data. The approach attempts to accurately describe the structure of the spherical even-even nucleus 208Pb. To illustrate our approach, we compared the binding energy, charge density distribution, excitation energy levels scheme with the available experimental data. Moreover, we calculated isoscalar and isovector monopole, dipole, and quadrupole transition densities and strength functions.

Density Functional Theory Calculations of Activation Energies for Carrier Capture by Defects in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modine, Normand; Wright, Alan; Lee, Stephen

2015-03-01

Carrier recombination due to defects can have a major impact on device performance. The rate of defect-induced recombination is determined by both defect levels and carrier capture cross-sections. Density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to predict defect levels, but only recently has work begun to focus on using DFT to determine carrier capture cross-sections. Lang and Henry worked out the fundamental theory of carrier-capture by multiphonon emission in the 1970s and showed that, above the Debye temperature, carrier-capture cross-sections differ between defects primarily due to differences in their carrier capture activation energies. We present an approach to using DFT to calculate carrier capture activation energies that does not depend on an assumed configuration coordinate and that fully accounts for anharmonic effects, which can substantially modify carrier activation energies. We demonstrate our approach for the -3/-2 level of the Ga vacancy in wurtzite GaN. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Method of preparing sodalite from chloride salt occluded zeolite

DOEpatents

Lewis, Michele A.; Pereira, Candido

1997-01-01

A method for immobilizing waste chloride salts containing radionuclides and hazardous nuclear material for permanent disposal starting with a substantially dry zeolite and sufficient glass to form leach resistant sodalite with occluded radionuclides and hazardous nuclear material. The zeolite and glass are heated to a temperature up to about 1000.degree. K. to convert the zeolite to sodalite and thereafter maintained at a pressure and temperature sufficient to form a sodalite product near theoretical density. Pressure is used on the formed sodalite to produce the required density.

Method of preparing sodalite from chloride salt occluded zeolite

DOEpatents

Lewis, M.A.; Pereira, C.

1997-03-18

A method is described for immobilizing waste chloride salts containing radionuclides and hazardous nuclear material for permanent disposal starting with a substantially dry zeolite and sufficient glass to form leach resistant sodalite with occluded radionuclides and hazardous nuclear material. The zeolite and glass are heated to a temperature up to about 1000 K to convert the zeolite to sodalite and thereafter maintained at a pressure and temperature sufficient to form a sodalite product near theoretical density. Pressure is used on the formed sodalite to produce the required density.

Evaluation of new asphalt concrete density specification.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate a new asphalt concrete density specification that utilizes a nuclear gauge and a control strip technique. The specification was studied on two field projects, and recommendations were made to improve ...

Nuclear structure and reaction properties of Ne, Mg and Si isotopes with RMF densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, R. N.; Sharma, Mahesh K.; Patra, S. K.

2014-01-01

We have studied nuclear structure and reaction properties of Ne, Mg and Si isotopes, using relativistic mean field (RMF) densities, in the framework of Glauber model. Total reaction cross-section σR for Ne isotopes on 12C target have been calculated at incident energy 240 MeV. The results are compared with the experimental data and with the recent theoretical study [W. Horiuchi et al., Phys. Rev. C 86, 024614 (2012)]. Study of σR using deformed densities have shown a good agreement with the data. We have also predicted total reaction cross-section σR for Ne, Mg and Si isotopes as projectiles and 12C as target at different incident energies.

SPiRIT-TPC with GET readout electronics for the study of density dependent symmetry energy of high dense matter with Heavy RI collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isobe, Tadaaki; SPiRIT Collaboration

2014-09-01

The nuclear Equation of State (EoS) is a fundamental property of nuclear matter that describes the relationships between the parameters for a nuclear system, such as energy, density and temperature. An international collaboration, named SPiRIT, to study the nuclear EoS has been formed recently. One of the main devices of experimental setup is a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) which will be installed into the SAMURAI dipole magnet at RIKEN-RIBF. The TPC can measure charged pions, protons and light ions simultaneously in heavy RI collisions, and those will be used as probes to study the asymmetric dense nuclear matter. In addition to the status of the SPiRIT project, testing of SPiRIT-TPC with GET electronics will be presented in this talk. GET, general electronics for TPC, is a project for the development of novel electronics for TPC supported by NSF and ANR. This work is supported in part by the Japan Grant-in-Aide award and the US DOE grant DE-SC0004835 and JUSEIPEN.

The nuclear Thomas-Fermi model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myers, W.D.; Swiatecki, W.J.

1994-08-01

The statistical Thomas-Fermi model is applied to a comprehensive survey of macroscopic nuclear properties. The model uses a Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, generalized by the addition of one momentum-dependent and one density-dependent term. The adjustable parameters of the interaction were fitted to shell-corrected masses of 1654 nuclei, to the diffuseness of the nuclear surface and to the measured depths of the optical model potential. With these parameters nuclear sizes are well reproduced, and only relatively minor deviations between measured and calculated fission barriers of 36 nuclei are found. The model determines the principal bulk and surface properties of nuclear mattermore » and provides estimates for the more subtle, Droplet Model, properties. The predicted energy vs density relation for neutron matter is in striking correspondence with the 1981 theoretical estimate of Friedman and Pandharipande. Other extreme situations to which the model is applied are a study of Sn isotopes from {sup 82}Sn to {sup 170}Sn, and the rupture into a bubble configuration of a nucleus (constrained to spherical symmetry) which takes place when Z{sup 2}/A exceeds about 100.« less

Study of Electron Gas on a Neutron-Rich Nuclear Pasta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramirez-Homs, Enrique

This study used a classical molecular dynamics model to observe the role of electron gas on the formation of nuclear structures at subsaturation densities (rho < 0.015 fm-3) and low temperatures (T < 1MeV ). The simulations were performed by varying the Coulomb interaction strength on systems of isospin symmetric and asymmetric matter with periodic boundary conditions. The effect was quantified on the fragment size multiplicity, the inter-particle distance, the isospin content of the clusters, the nucleon mobility and cluster persistence, and on the nuclear structure shapes. The existence of the nuclear pasta structures was observed even with the absence of the Coulomb interaction but with a modication of the shapes formed. It was found that the presence of the electron gas tends to distribute matter more evenly, forms less compact objects, decreases the isospin content of clusters, modies the nucleon mobility, reduces the persistence and the fragment size multiplicity, but does not alter the inter-particle distance in clusters. The degree of these effects also varied on the nuclear structures and depended on their isospin content, temperature, and density.

The Nuclear Thomas-Fermi Model

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Myers, W. D.; Swiatecki, W. J.

1994-08-01

The statistical Thomas-Fermi model is applied to a comprehensive survey of macroscopic nuclear properties. The model uses a Seyler-Blanchard effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, generalized by the addition of one momentum-dependent and one density-dependent term. The adjustable parameters of the interaction were fitted to shell-corrected masses of 1654 nuclei, to the diffuseness of the nuclear surface and to the measured depths of the optical model potential. With these parameters nuclear sizes are well reproduced, and only relatively minor deviations between measured and calculated fission barriers of 36 nuclei are found. The model determines the principal bulk and surface properties of nuclear matter and provides estimates for the more subtle, Droplet Model, properties. The predicted energy vs density relation for neutron matter is in striking correspondence with the 1981 theoretical estimate of Friedman and Pandharipande. Other extreme situations to which the model is applied are a study of Sn isotopes from {sup 82}Sn to {sup 170}Sn, and the rupture into a bubble configuration of a nucleus (constrained to spherical symmetry) which takes place when Z{sup 2}/A exceeds about 100.

Statistical power to detect change in a mangrove shoreline fish community adjacent to a nuclear power plant.

PubMed

Dolan, T E; Lynch, P D; Karazsia, J L; Serafy, J E

2016-03-01

An expansion is underway of a nuclear power plant on the shoreline of Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA. While the precise effects of its construction and operation are unknown, impacts on surrounding marine habitats and biota are considered by experts to be likely. The objective of the present study was to determine the adequacy of an ongoing monitoring survey of fish communities associated with mangrove habitats directly adjacent to the power plant to detect fish community changes, should they occur, at three spatial scales. Using seasonally resolved data recorded during 532 fish surveys over an 8-year period, power analyses were performed for four mangrove fish metrics (fish diversity, fish density, and the occurrence of two ecologically important fish species: gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus) and goldspotted killifish (Floridichthys carpio). Results indicated that the monitoring program at current sampling intensity allows for detection of <33% changes in fish density and diversity metrics in both the wet and the dry season in the two larger study areas. Sampling effort was found to be insufficient in either season to detect changes at this level (<33%) in species-specific occurrence metrics for the two fish species examined. The option of supplementing ongoing, biological monitoring programs for improved, focused change detection deserves consideration from both ecological and cost-benefit perspectives.

A theoretical study of potentially observable chirality-sensitive NMR effects in molecules.

PubMed

Garbacz, Piotr; Cukras, Janusz; Jaszuński, Michał

2015-09-21

Two recently predicted nuclear magnetic resonance effects, the chirality-induced rotating electric polarization and the oscillating magnetization, are examined for several experimentally available chiral molecules. We discuss in detail the requirements for experimental detection of chirality-sensitive NMR effects of the studied molecules. These requirements are related to two parameters: the shielding polarizability and the antisymmetric part of the nuclear magnetic shielding tensor. The dominant second contribution has been computed for small molecules at the coupled cluster and density functional theory levels. It was found that DFT calculations using the KT2 functional and the aug-cc-pCVTZ basis set adequately reproduce the CCSD(T) values obtained with the same basis set. The largest values of parameters, thus most promising from the experimental point of view, were obtained for the fluorine nuclei in 1,3-difluorocyclopropene and 1,3-diphenyl-2-fluoro-3-trifluoromethylcyclopropene.

Megawatt level electric propulsion perspectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jahn, Robert G.; Kelly, Arnold J.

1987-01-01

For long range space missions, deliverable payload fraction is an inverse exponential function of the propellant exhaust velocity or specific impulse of the propulsion system. The exhaust velocity of chemical systems are limited by their combustion chemistry and heat transfer to a few km/s. Nuclear rockets may achieve double this range, but are still heat transfer limited and ponderous to develop. Various electric propulsion systems can achieve exhaust velocities in the 10 km/s range, at considerably lower thrust densities, but require an external electrical power source. A general overview is provided of the currently available electric propulsion systems from the perspective of their characteristics as a terminal load for space nuclear systems. A summary of the available electric propulsion options is shown and generally characterized in the power vs. exhaust velocity plot. There are 3 general classes of electric thruster devices: neutral gas heaters, plasma devices, and space charge limited electrostatic or ion thrusters.

Detector Array Performance Estimates for Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Micah; Hall, J. M.; McNabb, D. P.

2012-10-01

There are a myriad of explorative efforts underway at several institutions to determine the feasibility of using photonuclear reactions to detect and assay materials of varying complexity and compositions. One photonuclear process that is being explored for several applications is nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF). NRF is interesting because the resonant lines are unique to each isotope and the widths are sufficiently narrow and the level densities are sufficiently low so as to not cause interference. Therefore, NRF provides a means to isoptically map containers and materials. The choice of detector array is determined by the application and the source. We will present results from a variety of application studies of an assortment of detector arrays that may be useful. Our results stem from simulation and modeling exercises and benchmarking measurements. We will discuss the data requirements from basic scientific research that enables these application studies. We will discuss our results and the future outlook of this technology.

Computed tomography of radioactive objects and materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawicka, B. D.; Murphy, R. V.; Tosello, G.; Reynolds, P. W.; Romaniszyn, T.

1990-12-01

Computed tomography (CT) has been performed on a number of radioactive objects and materials. Several unique technical problems are associated with CT of radioactive specimens. These include general safety considerations, techniques to reduce background-radiation effects on CT images and selection criteria for the CT source to permit object penetration and to reveal accurate values of material density. In the present paper, three groups of experiments will be described, for objects with low, medium and high levels of radioactivity. CT studies on radioactive specimens will be presented. They include the following: (1) examination of individual ceramic reactor-fuel (uranium dioxide) pellets, (2) examination of fuel samples from the Three Mile Island reactor, (3) examination of a CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uraniun: registered trademark) nuclear-fuel bundle which underwent a simulated loss-of-coolant accident resulting in high-temperature damage and (4) examination of a PWR nuclear-reactor fuel assembly.

Varying levels of small microcalcifications and macrophages in ATTR and AL cardiac amyloidosis: implications for utilizing nuclear medicine studies to subtype amyloidosis.

PubMed

Stats, Miriam A; Stone, James R

2016-01-01

Recently, there has been much interest in using nuclear medicine studies to noninvasively identify and subtype cardiac amyloidosis. In particular, modified bone scans using (99m)Tc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid ((99m)Tc-DPD) and (99m)Tc-pyrophosphate ((99m)Tc-PYP) are being used to selectively identify patients with ATTR amyloidosis rather than AL amyloidosis. The morphologic basis underlying the selectivity of these imaging modalities for ATTR amyloidosis has been unclear. To determine if variations in microcalcifications and/or macrophages within ATTR and AL amyloidosis might be responsible for the selectivity for these imaging modalities, 8 endomyocardial biopsies of ATTR amyloidosis and 7 endomyocardial biopsies of AL amyloidosis were stained with von Kossa calcium stains and with immunohistochemistry for the macrophage marker CD68. Compared with AL amyloidosis, there was a greater density of small microcalcifications in cases of ATTR amyloidosis (mean=16.8 vs. 6.5 per 200× field, P=.008). In contrast, there were fewer macrophages in ATTR amyloidosis compared with AL amyloidosis (mean=2.5 vs. 11.7 per 200× field, P=.0004). The density of microcalcifications within each group was not related to patient age, echocardiographic features of cardiac function, or serum levels of calcium and creatinine. These data suggest that microcalcifications but not macrophages likely underlie the selectivity of modified bone scans for ATTR amyloidosis and suggest that other pathologic entities containing microcalcifications might also result in positive scans with these imaging modalities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spin-orbit ZORA and four-component Dirac-Coulomb estimation of relativistic corrections to isotropic nuclear shieldings and chemical shifts of noble gas dimers.

PubMed

Jankowska, Marzena; Kupka, Teobald; Stobiński, Leszek; Faber, Rasmus; Lacerda, Evanildo G; Sauer, Stephan P A

2016-02-05

Hartree-Fock and density functional theory with the hybrid B3LYP and general gradient KT2 exchange-correlation functionals were used for nonrelativistic and relativistic nuclear magnetic shielding calculations of helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon dimers and free atoms. Relativistic corrections were calculated with the scalar and spin-orbit zeroth-order regular approximation Hamiltonian in combination with the large Slater-type basis set QZ4P as well as with the four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian using Dyall's acv4z basis sets. The relativistic corrections to the nuclear magnetic shieldings and chemical shifts are combined with nonrelativistic coupled cluster singles and doubles with noniterative triple excitations [CCSD(T)] calculations using the very large polarization-consistent basis sets aug-pcSseg-4 for He, Ne and Ar, aug-pcSseg-3 for Kr, and the AQZP basis set for Xe. For the dimers also, zero-point vibrational (ZPV) corrections are obtained at the CCSD(T) level with the same basis sets were added. Best estimates of the dimer chemical shifts are generated from these nuclear magnetic shieldings and the relative importance of electron correlation, ZPV, and relativistic corrections for the shieldings and chemical shifts is analyzed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recent Developments and Applications of Radiation/Detection Technology in Tsinghua University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Ke-Jun

2010-03-01

Nuclear technology applications have been very important research fields in Tsinghua University (THU) for more than 50 years. This paper describes two major directions and related projects running in THU concerning nuclear technology applications for radiation imaging and nuclear technology applications for astrophysics. Radiation imaging is a significant application of nuclear technology for all kinds of real world needs including security inspections, anti-smuggling operations, and medicine. The current improved imaging systems give much higher quality radiation images. THU has produced accelerating tubes for both industrial and medical accelerators with energy levels ranging from 2.5˜20Mev. Detectors have been produced for medical and industrial imaging as well as for high energy physics experiments such as the MRPC with fast time and position resolutions. DR and CT systems for radiation imaging systems have been continuously improved with new system designs and improved algorithms for image reconstruction and processing. Two important new key initiatives are the dual-energy radiography and dual-energy CT systems. Dual-energy CT imaging improves material discrimination by providing both the electron density and the atomic number distribution of scanned objects. Finally, this paper also introduces recent developments related to the hard X-ray modulation telescope (HXMT) provided by THU.

Development of the Nuclear-Electronic Orbital Approach and Applications to Ionic Liquids and Tunneling Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-24

electronic Schrodinger equation . In previous grant cycles, we implemented the NEO approach at the Hartree-Fock (NEO-HF),13 configuration interaction...electronic and nuclear molecular orbitals. The resulting electronic and nuclear Hartree-Fock-Roothaan equations are solved iteratively until self...directly into the standard Hartree- Fock-Roothaan equations , which are solved iteratively to self-consistency. The density matrix representation

Core Versus Nuclear Gauge Methods of Determining Soil Bulk Density and Moisture Content

Treesearch

Jacqueline G. Steele; Jerry L. Koger; Albert C. Trouse; Donald L. Sirois

1983-01-01

Soil bulk and moisture content measurements were obtained using two nuclear gauge systems and those compared to those obtained from soil cores. The soils, a Hiwassee sandy loam, a Lakeland loamy sand, and a Loyd clay, were free of organic matter and uniform in mechanical composition. The regression equations developed for the nuclear guages for the first phase of the...

Fallout Deposition in the Marshall Islands from Bikini and Enewetak Nuclear Weapons Tests

PubMed Central

Beck, Harold L.; Bouville, André; Moroz, Brian E.; Simon, Steven L.

2009-01-01

Deposition densities (Bq m-2) of all important dose-contributing radionuclides occurring in nuclear weapons testing fallout from tests conducted at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls (1946-1958) have been estimated on a test-specific basis for all the 31 atolls and separate reef islands of the Marshall Islands. A complete review of various historical and contemporary data, as well as meteorological analysis, was used to make judgments regarding which tests deposited fallout in the Marshall Islands and to estimate fallout deposition density. Our analysis suggested that only 20 of the 66 nuclear tests conducted in or near the Marshall Islands resulted in substantial fallout deposition on any of the 25 inhabited atolls. This analysis was confirmed by the fact that the sum of our estimates of 137Cs deposition from these 20 tests at each atoll is in good agreement with the total 137Cs deposited as estimated from contemporary soil sample analyses. The monitoring data and meteorological analyses were used to quantitatively estimate the deposition density of 63 activation and fission products for each nuclear test, plus the cumulative deposition of 239+240Pu at each atoll. Estimates of the degree of fractionation of fallout from each test at each atoll, as well as of the fallout transit times from the test sites to the atolls were used in this analysis. The estimates of radionuclide deposition density, fractionation, and transit times reported here are the most complete available anywhere and are suitable for estimations of both external and internal dose to representative persons as described in companion papers. PMID:20622548

Fallout deposition in the Marshall Islands from Bikini and Enewetak nuclear weapons tests.

PubMed

Beck, Harold L; Bouville, André; Moroz, Brian E; Simon, Steven L

2010-08-01

Deposition densities (Bq m(-2)) of all important dose-contributing radionuclides occurring in nuclear weapons testing fallout from tests conducted at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls (1946-1958) have been estimated on a test-specific basis for 32 atolls and separate reef islands of the Marshall Islands. A complete review of various historical and contemporary data, as well as meteorological analysis, was used to make judgments regarding which tests deposited fallout in the Marshall Islands and to estimate fallout deposition density. Our analysis suggested that only 20 of the 66 nuclear tests conducted in or near the Marshall Islands resulted in substantial fallout deposition on any of the 23 inhabited atolls. This analysis was confirmed by the fact that the sum of our estimates of 137Cs deposition from these 20 tests at each atoll is in good agreement with the total 137Cs deposited as estimated from contemporary soil sample analyses. The monitoring data and meteorological analyses were used to quantitatively estimate the deposition density of 63 activation and fission products for each nuclear test, plus the cumulative deposition of 239+240Pu at each atoll. Estimates of the degree of fractionation of fallout from each test at each atoll, as well as of the fallout transit times from the test sites to the atolls were used in this analysis. The estimates of radionuclide deposition density, fractionation, and transit times reported here are the most complete available anywhere and are suitable for estimations of both external and internal dose to representative persons as described in companion papers.

The Effects of Extended Release Niacin on Lipoprotein Sub-Particle Concentrations in HIV-Infected Patients

PubMed Central

Lin, Chunrong; Grandinetti, Andrew; Shikuma, Cecilia; Souza, Scott; Parikh, Nisha; Nakamoto, Beau; Kallianpur, Kalpana J

2013-01-01

With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of death in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients. An atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype has been described in HIV- infected patients with a predominance of small, low density lipoprotein (SLDL) particles with accompanying elevated triglycerides and reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol. This randomized controlled pilot study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Extended Release Niacin (ERN) in improving the lipid profile in HIV patients. A total of 17 HIV positive subjects on HAART therapy with High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL) levels below 40mg/dl and Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL) below 130mg/dl were enrolled. Nine were randomized to be treated with ERN titrated from a starting level of 500mg/night and titrated to a level of 1500mg/night. Eight patients were assigned to the control arm. No placebo was used. Lipoprotein profiles of the subjects were analyzed at baseline and at the end of 12 weeks using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. At the end of 12 weeks, NMR spectroscopic analysis revealed a significant increase in overall LDL size (1.2% in ERN treated subjects vs 2.0% decrease in control patients, P=.04) and a decrease in small LDL particle concentration (17.0% in ERN treated subjects vs 21.4% increase in control patients, P=.03) in subjects receiving ERN as compared to those in the control group. Only 1 subject receiving ERN developed serious flushing which was attributed to an accidental overdose of the drug. This pilot study demonstrates that ERN therapy in HIV-infected patients with low HDL is safe and effective in improving the lipoprotein profile in these patients. PMID:23795312

Apoptosis-related proteins and proliferation markers in the orbitofrontal cortex in major depressive disorder

PubMed Central

Miguel-Hidalgo, Jose J.; Whittom, Angela; Villarreal, Ashley; Soni, Madhav; Meshram, Ashish; Pickett, Jason C.; Rajkowska, Grazyna; Stockmeier, Craig A.

2014-01-01

Background: In major depressive disorder (MDD), lowered neural activity and significant reductions of markers of cell resiliency to degeneration occur in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It is still unclear whether changes in other relevant markers of cell vulnerability to degeneration and markers of cell proliferation are associated with MDD. Methods: Levels of caspase 8 (C8), X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), direct IAP binding protein with low pI (DIABLO), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and density of cells immunoreactive (-IR) for proliferation marker Ki-67 were measured in postmortem samples of the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of subjects with MDD, and psychiatrically-normal comparison subjects. Results: There was significant increase in C8, a higher ratio of DIABLO to XIAP, lower packing density of Ki-67-IR cells, and an unexpected age-dependent increase in PCNA in subjects with MDD vs. controls. PCNA levels were significantly higher in MDD subjects unresponsive to antidepressants or untreated with antidepressants. The DIABLO/XIAP ratio was higher in MDD subjects without antidepressants than in comparison subjects. Limitations: Qualitative nature of responsiveness assessments; Definition of resistance to antidepressant treatment is still controversial; Unclear role of PCNA. Conclusions: Markers of cell vulnerability to degeneration are increased and density of Ki67-positive cells is low MDD, but accompanied by normal XIAP levels. The results suggest increased vulnerability to cell pathology in depression that is insufficient to cause morphologically conspicuous cell death. Persistent but low-grade vulnerability to cell degeneration coexisting with reduced proliferation readiness may explain age-dependent reductions in neuronal densities in the OFC of depressed subjects. PMID:24655767

Surface ground contamination and soil vertical distribution of 137Cs around two underground nuclear explosion sites in the Asian Arctic, Russia.

PubMed

Ramzaev, Valery; Mishine, Arkady; Golikov, Vladislav; Brown, Justin Emrys; Strand, Per

2007-01-01

Vertical distributions of 137Cs have been determined in vegetation-soil cores obtained from 30 different locations around two underground nuclear explosion sites--"Crystal" (event year - 1974) and "Kraton-3" (event year - 1978) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. In 2001-2002, background levels of 137Cs surface contamination densities on control forest plots varied from 0.73 to 0.97 kBq m(-2) with an average of 0.84+/-0.10 kBq m(-2) and a median of 0.82 kBq m(-2). 137Cs ground contamination densities at the "Crystal" site ranged from 1.3 to 64 kBq m(-2); the activity gradually decreased with distance from the borehole. For "Kraton-3", residual surface contamination density of radiocaesium varied drastically from 1.7 to 6900 kBq m(-2); maximal 137Cs depositions were found at a "decontaminated" plot. At all forest plots, radiocaesium activity decreased throughout the whole vertical soil profile. Vertical distributions of 137Cs in soil for the majority of the plots sampled (n=18) can be described using a simple exponential function. Despite the fact that more than 20 years have passed since the main fallout events, more than 80% of the total deposited activity was found in the first 5 cm of the vegetation-soil cores from most of the forested landscapes. The low annual temperatures, clay-rich soil type with neutral pH, and presence of thick lichen-moss carpet are the factors which may hinder 137Cs transport down the soil profile.

Evolution of the pygmy dipole resonance in Sn isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toft, H. K.; Larsen, A. C.; Bürger, A.; Guttormsen, M.; Görgen, A.; Nyhus, H. T.; Renstrøm, T.; Siem, S.; Tveten, G. M.; Voinov, A.

2011-04-01

Nuclear level density and γ-ray strength functions of Sn121,122 below the neutron separation energy are extracted with the Oslo method using the (He3,He3'γ) and (He3,αγ) reactions. The level densities of Sn121,122 display steplike structures, interpreted as signatures of neutron pair breaking. An enhancement in both strength functions, compared to standard models for radiative strength, is observed in our measurements for Eγ≳5.2 MeV. This enhancement is compatible with pygmy resonances centered at ≈8.4(1) and ≈8.6(2) MeV, respectively, and with integrated strengths corresponding to ≈1.8-5+1% of the classical Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. Similar resonances were also seen in Sn116-119. Experimental neutron-capture cross reactions are well reproduced by our pygmy resonance predictions, while standard strength models are less successful. The evolution as a function of neutron number of the pygmy resonance in Sn116-122 is described as a clear increase of centroid energy from 8.0(1) to 8.6(2) MeV, but with no observable difference in integrated strengths.

Nuclear magnetic and nuclear quadrupole resonance parameters of β-carboline derivatives calculated using density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadinejad, Neda; Tari, Mostafa Talebi

2017-04-01

A density functional theory (DFT) calculations using B3LYP/6-311++G( d,p) method were carried out to investigate the relative stability of the molecules of β-carboline derivatives such as harmaline, harmine, harmalol, harmane and norharmane. Calculated nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) parameters were used to determine the 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling constant χ, asymmetry parameter η and EFG tensor ( q zz ). For better understanding of the electronic structure of β-carboline derivatives, natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, isotropic and anisotropic NMR chemical shieldings were calculated for 14N nuclei using GIAO method for the optimized structures. The NBO analysis shows that pyrrole ring nitrogen (N9) atom has greater tendency than pyridine ring nitrogen (N2) atom to participate in resonance interactions and aromaticity development in the all of these structures. The NMR and NQR parameters were studied in order to find the correlations between electronic structure and the structural stability of the studied molecules.

Prediction of occult lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and the oropharynx using peritumoral Prospero homeobox protein 1 lymphatic nuclear quantification.

PubMed

Mermod, Maxime; Bongiovanni, Massimo; Petrova, Tatiana V; Dubikovskaya, Elena A; Simon, Christian; Tolstonog, Genrich; Monnier, Yan

2016-09-01

The use of lymphatic vessel density as a predictor of occult lymph node metastasis (OLNM) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has never been reported. Staining of the specific lymphatic endothelial cells nuclear marker, PROX1, as an indicator of lymphatic vessel density was determined by counting the number of positive cells in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the oral cavity and the oropharynx with clinically negative necks. Correlation with histopathological data was established. Peritumoral PROX1 lymphatic nuclear count significantly correlated with the detection of OLNM in multivariate analysis (p < .005). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of this parameter was 60%, 95%, 85%, and 90%, respectively. Peritumoral PROX1 lymphatic nuclear count in primary SCCs of the oral cavity and the oropharynx allows accurate prediction of occult lymph node metastasis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1407-1415, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quark-Meson-Coupling (QMC) model for finite nuclei, nuclear matter and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guichon, P. A. M.; Stone, J. R.; Thomas, A. W.

2018-05-01

The Quark-Meson-Coupling model, which self-consistently relates the dynamics of the internal quark structure of a hadron to the relativistic mean fields arising in nuclear matter, provides a natural explanation to many open questions in low energy nuclear physics, including the origin of many-body nuclear forces and their saturation, the spin-orbit interaction and properties of hadronic matter at a wide range of densities up to those occurring in the cores of neutron stars. Here we focus on four aspects of the model (i) a full comprehensive survey of the theory, including the latest developments, (ii) extensive application of the model to ground state properties of finite nuclei and hypernuclei, with a discussion of similarities and differences between the QMC and Skyrme energy density functionals, (iii) equilibrium conditions and composition of hadronic matter in cold and warm neutron stars and their comparison with the outcome of relativistic mean-field theories and, (iv) tests of the fundamental idea that hadron structure changes in-medium.

Examination of N*(1535 ) as a probe to observe the partial restoration of chiral symmetry in nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suenaga, Daiki

2018-04-01

I investigate modifications of mass and decay width of N*(1535 ) in nuclear matter in a chiral symmetric way. The nucleon and N*(1535 ) are introduced by a parity doublet model, and nuclear matter is constructed by one-loop diagrams of the nucleon and N*(1535 ) . The decay width of N*(1535 ) is studied with respect to chiral symmetry. My calculations show that the partial width of ΓN*→N π is slightly broadened by a collisional broadening and that of ΓN*→N η is drastically suppressed at density. As a result, the total decay width Γtot gets small at density. These modifications, especially the drastic narrowing of partial width of ΓN*→N η, together with the drop in mass of N*(1535 ) , provide experiments for observing the partial restoration of chiral symmetry in nuclear matter by means of N*(1535 ) resonance with useful information.

Intranuclear DNA density affects chromosome condensation in metazoans

PubMed Central

Hara, Yuki; Iwabuchi, Mari; Ohsumi, Keita; Kimura, Akatsuki

2013-01-01

Chromosome condensation is critical for accurate inheritance of genetic information. The degree of condensation, which is reflected in the size of the condensed chromosomes during mitosis, is not constant. It is differentially regulated in embryonic and somatic cells. In addition to the developmentally programmed regulation of chromosome condensation, there may be adaptive regulation based on spatial parameters such as genomic length or cell size. We propose that chromosome condensation is affected by a spatial parameter called the chromosome amount per nuclear space, or “intranuclear DNA density.” Using Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, we show that condensed chromosome sizes vary during early embryogenesis. Of importance, changing DNA content to haploid or polyploid changes the condensed chromosome size, even at the same developmental stage. Condensed chromosome size correlates with interphase nuclear size. Finally, a reduction in nuclear size in a cell-free system from Xenopus laevis eggs resulted in reduced condensed chromosome sizes. These data support the hypothesis that intranuclear DNA density regulates chromosome condensation. This suggests an adaptive mode of chromosome condensation regulation in metazoans. PMID:23783035

Nuclear quantum effects on structure and transport properties of dense liquid helium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Dongdong; Dai, Jiayu; Yuan, Jianmin

2015-11-01

Transport properties of dense liquid helium under the conditions of planet's core and cool atmosphere of white dwarfs are important for determining the structure and evolution of these astrophysical objects. We have investigated these properties of dense liquid helium by using the improved centroid path-integral simulations combined with density functional theory. The results show that with the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs), the self-diffusion is largely higher while the shear viscosity is notably lower than the results of without the inclusion of NQEs due to the lower collision cross sections even when the NQEs have little effects on the static structures. The potential surface of helium atom along the simulation trajectory is quite different between MD and PIMD simulations. We have shown that the quantum nuclear character induces complex behaviors for ionic transport properties of dense liquid helium. NQEs bring more fluctuations of local electronic density of states than the classical treatment. Therefore, in order to construct more reasonable structure and evolution model for the planets and WDs, NQEs must be reconsidered when calculating the transport properties at certain temperature and density conditions.

Cone Photoreceptor Packing Density and the Outer Nuclear Layer Thickness in Healthy Subjects

PubMed Central

Chui, Toco Y. P.; Song, Hongxin; Clark, Christopher A.; Papay, Joel A.; Burns, Stephen A.; Elsner, Ann E.

2012-01-01

Purpose. We evaluated the relationship between cone photoreceptor packing density and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness within the central 15 degrees. Methods. Individual differences for healthy subjects in cone packing density and ONL thickness were examined in 8 younger and 8 older subjects, mean age 27.2 versus 56.2 years. Cone packing density was obtained using an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). The ONL thickness measurements included the ONL and the Henle fiber layer (ONL + HFL), and were obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) and custom segmentation software. Results. There were sizeable individual differences in cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness. Older subjects had on average lower cone packing densities, but thicker ONL + HFL measurements. Cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness decreased with increasing retinal eccentricity. The ratio of the cone packing density-to-ONL2 was larger for the younger subjects group, and decreased with retinal eccentricity. Conclusions. The individual differences in cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness are consistent with aging changes, indicating that normative aging data are necessary for fine comparisons in the early stages of disease or response to treatment. Our finding of ONL + HFL thickness increasing with aging is inconsistent with the hypothesis that ONL measurements with SDOCT depend only on the number of functioning cones, since in our older group cones were fewer, but thickness was greater. PMID:22570340

Computational nuclear quantum many-body problem: The UNEDF project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogner, S.; Bulgac, A.; Carlson, J.; Engel, J.; Fann, G.; Furnstahl, R. J.; Gandolfi, S.; Hagen, G.; Horoi, M.; Johnson, C.; Kortelainen, M.; Lusk, E.; Maris, P.; Nam, H.; Navratil, P.; Nazarewicz, W.; Ng, E.; Nobre, G. P. A.; Ormand, E.; Papenbrock, T.; Pei, J.; Pieper, S. C.; Quaglioni, S.; Roche, K. J.; Sarich, J.; Schunck, N.; Sosonkina, M.; Terasaki, J.; Thompson, I.; Vary, J. P.; Wild, S. M.

2013-10-01

The UNEDF project was a large-scale collaborative effort that applied high-performance computing to the nuclear quantum many-body problem. The primary focus of the project was on constructing, validating, and applying an optimized nuclear energy density functional, which entailed a wide range of pioneering developments in microscopic nuclear structure and reactions, algorithms, high-performance computing, and uncertainty quantification. UNEDF demonstrated that close associations among nuclear physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists can lead to novel physics outcomes built on algorithmic innovations and computational developments. This review showcases a wide range of UNEDF science results to illustrate this interplay.

Research on radiation induced laser plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, R. T.; Rowe, M. J.; Carter, B. D.; Walters, R. A.; Cox, J. D.; Liang, R.; Roxey, T.; Zapata, L.

1979-01-01

The development of high power nuclear pumped lasers is discussed. The excitation mechanism of continuous wave (CW) HeNe nuclear pumped lasers is studied and a CO2 nuclear pumped laser is used to demonstrate the CW output in the order of watts. The assumption that high power densities are only achievable by volume fission fragment sources is used to identify laser gases which are compatible with UF6 by excited states lifetime measurements. The examination of Xe2, XeF, and KrF under nuclear irradiation to determine if they are good candidates for nuclear-pumped lasers is described.

Single-particle potential of the Λ hyperon in nuclear matter with chiral effective field theory NLO interactions including effects of Y N N three-baryon interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohno, M.

2018-03-01

Adopting hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon-nucleon interactions parametrized in chiral effective field theory, single-particle potentials of the Λ and Σ hyperons are evaluated in symmetric nuclear matter and in pure neutron matter within the framework of lowest-order Bruckner theory. The chiral NLO interaction bears strong Λ N -Σ N coupling. Although the Λ potential is repulsive if the coupling is switched off, the Λ N -Σ N correlation brings about the attraction consistent with empirical data. The Σ potential is repulsive, which is also consistent with empirical information. The interesting result is that the Λ potential becomes shallower beyond normal density. This provides the possibility of solving the hyperon puzzle without introducing ad hoc assumptions. The effects of the Λ N N -Λ N N and Λ N N -Σ N N three-baryon forces are considered. These three-baryon forces are first reduced to normal-ordered effective two-baryon interactions in nuclear matter and then incorporated in the G -matrix equation. The repulsion from the Λ N N -Λ N N interaction is of the order of 5 MeV at normal density and becomes larger with increasing density. The effects of the Λ N N -Σ N N coupling compensate the repulsion at normal density. The net effect of the three-baryon interactions on the Λ single-particle potential is repulsive at higher densities.

Packing microstructure and local density variations of experimental and computational pebble beds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Auwerda, G. J.; Kloosterman, J. L.; Lathouwers, D.

2012-07-01

In pebble bed type nuclear reactors the fuel is contained in graphite pebbles, which form a randomly stacked bed with a non-uniform packing density. These variations can influence local coolant flow and power density and are a possible cause of hotspots. To analyse local density variations computational methods are needed that can generate randomly stacked pebble beds with a realistic packing structure on a pebble-to-pebble level. We first compare various properties of the local packing structure of a computed bed with those of an image made using computer aided X-ray tomography, looking at properties in the bulk of the bedmore » and near the wall separately. Especially for the bulk of the bed, properties of the computed bed show good comparison with the scanned bed and with literature, giving confidence our method generates beds with realistic packing microstructure. Results also show the packing structure is different near the wall than in the bulk of the bed, with pebbles near the wall forming ordered layers similar to hexagonal close packing. Next, variations in the local packing density are investigated by comparing probability density functions of the packing fraction of small clusters of pebbles throughout the bed. Especially near the wall large variations in local packing fractions exists, with a higher probability for both clusters of pebbles with low (<0.6) and high (>0.65) packing fraction, which could significantly affect flow rates and, together with higher power densities, could result in hotspots. (authors)« less

The Influence of Spatial Variation in Chromatin Density Determined by X-Ray Tomograms on the Time to Find DNA Binding Sites

PubMed Central

Larabell, Carolyn A.; Le Gros, Mark A.; McQueen, David M.; Peskin, Charles S.

2014-01-01

In this work, we examine how volume exclusion caused by regions of high chromatin density might influence the time required for proteins to find specific DNA binding sites. The spatial variation of chromatin density within mouse olfactory sensory neurons is determined from soft X-ray tomography reconstructions of five nuclei. We show that there is a division of the nuclear space into regions of low-density euchromatin and high-density heterochromatin. Volume exclusion experienced by a diffusing protein caused by this varying density of chromatin is modeled by a repulsive potential. The value of the potential at a given point in space is chosen to be proportional to the density of chromatin at that location. The constant of proportionality, called the volume exclusivity, provides a model parameter that determines the strength of volume exclusion. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the mean time for a protein to locate a binding site localized in euchromatin is minimized for a finite, nonzero volume exclusivity. For binding sites in heterochromatin, the mean time is minimized when the volume exclusivity is zero (the protein experiences no volume exclusion). An analytical theory is developed to explain these results. The theory suggests that for binding sites in euchromatin there is an optimal level of volume exclusivity that balances a reduction in the volume searched in finding the binding site, with the height of effective potential barriers the protein must cross during the search process. PMID:23955281

Quantum simulations of nuclei and nuclear pasta with the multiresolution adaptive numerical environment for scientific simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagert, I.; Fann, G. I.; Fattoyev, F. J.; Postnikov, S.; Horowitz, C. J.

2016-05-01

Background: Neutron star and supernova matter at densities just below the nuclear matter saturation density is expected to form a lattice of exotic shapes. These so-called nuclear pasta phases are caused by Coulomb frustration. Their elastic and transport properties are believed to play an important role for thermal and magnetic field evolution, rotation, and oscillation of neutron stars. Furthermore, they can impact neutrino opacities in core-collapse supernovae. Purpose: In this work, we present proof-of-principle three-dimensional (3D) Skyrme Hartree-Fock (SHF) simulations of nuclear pasta with the Multi-resolution ADaptive Numerical Environment for Scientific Simulations (MADNESS). Methods: We perform benchmark studies of 16O, 208Pb, and 238U nuclear ground states and calculate binding energies via 3D SHF simulations. Results are compared with experimentally measured binding energies as well as with theoretically predicted values from an established SHF code. The nuclear pasta simulation is initialized in the so-called waffle geometry as obtained by the Indiana University Molecular Dynamics (IUMD) code. The size of the unit cell is 24 fm with an average density of about ρ =0.05 fm-3 , proton fraction of Yp=0.3 , and temperature of T =0 MeV. Results: Our calculations reproduce the binding energies and shapes of light and heavy nuclei with different geometries. For the pasta simulation, we find that the final geometry is very similar to the initial waffle state. We compare calculations with and without spin-orbit forces. We find that while subtle differences are present, the pasta phase remains in the waffle geometry. Conclusions: Within the MADNESS framework, we can successfully perform calculations of inhomogeneous nuclear matter. By using pasta configurations from IUMD it is possible to explore different geometries and test the impact of self-consistent calculations on the latter.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Wilson, V.C.; Overbeck, W.P.; Slotin, L.; Froman, D.K.

1957-12-17

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type using a solid neutron absorbing material as a means for controlling the reproduction ratio of the system and thereby the power output. Elongated rods of neutron absorbing material, such as boron steel for example, are adapted to be inserted and removed from the core of tae reactor by electronic motors and suitable drive means. The motors and drive means are controlled by means responsive to the neutron density, such as ionization chambers. The control system is designed to be responsive also to the rate of change in neutron density to automatically maintain the total power output at a substantially constant predetermined value. A safety rod means responsive to neutron density is also provided for keeping the power output below a predetermined maximum value at all times.

Metal-to-insulator crossover in alkali doped zeolite

PubMed Central

Igarashi, Mutsuo; Jeglič, Peter; Krajnc, Andraž; Žitko, Rok; Nakano, Takehito; Nozue, Yasuo; Arčon, Denis

2016-01-01

We report a systematic nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the 23Na spin-lattice relaxation rate, 1/T1, in sodium loaded low-silica X (LSX) zeolite, Nan/Na12-LSX, for various loading levels of sodium atoms n across the metal-to-insulator crossover. For high loading levels of n ≥ 14.2, 1/T1T shows nearly temperature-independent behaviour between 10 K and 25 K consistent with the Korringa relaxation mechanism and the metallic ground state. As the loading levels decrease below n ≤ 11.6, the extracted density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level sharply decreases, although a residual DOS at Fermi level is still observed even in the samples that lack the metallic Drude-peak in the optical reflectance. The observed crossover is a result of a complex loading-level dependence of electric potential felt by the electrons confined to zeolite cages, where the electronic correlations and disorder both play an important role. PMID:26725368

Longitudinal Changes in Cholesterol Efflux Capacities in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Lifestyle Modification Therapy.

PubMed

Boyer, Marjorie; Lévesque, Valérie; Poirier, Paul; Marette, André; Mitchell, Patricia L; Mora, Samia; Mathieu, Patrick; Després, Jean-Pierre; Larose, Éric; Arsenault, Benoit J

2018-06-01

Our objective was to identify the determinants of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol efflux capacity (HDL-CEC) changes in patients with coronary artery disease who participated in a lifestyle modification program aimed at increasing physical activity levels and improving diet quality. A total of 86 men with coronary artery disease aged between 35 and 80 years participated in a 1-year lifestyle modification program that aimed to achieve a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity weekly and improve diet quality. HDL-CECs were measured before and after the 1-year intervention using 3 H-cholesterol-labeled J774 and HepG2 cells. Visceral, subcutaneous, and cardiac adipose tissue levels were assessed before and after the intervention using magnetic resonance imaging. Lipoprotein particle size and concentrations were measured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and a complete lipoprotein-lipid profile was obtained. At baseline, the best correlate of HDL-CECs were apolipoprotein AI ( R 2 =0.35, P <0.0001) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( R 2 =0.21, P <0.0001) for J774-HDL-CECs and HepG2-HDL-CECs, respectively. Baseline and longitudinal changes in HDL-CECs were associated with several lipoprotein size and concentration indices, although high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was the best predictor of longitudinal changes in J774-HDL-CECs ( R 2 =0.18, P =0.002) and apolipoprotein AI was found to be the best predictor of longitudinal changes in HepG2 cholesterol efflux capacities ( R 2 =0.21, P =0.002). Results of this study suggest that increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI levels typically observed in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing healthy lifestyle modification therapy may be indicative of higher plasma concentrations of functional high-density lipoprotein particles. © 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

Evaluation of a nuclear gage for controlling the consolidation of fresh concrete : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-01-01

Evaluated was an approach to controlling the consolidation of in-place portland cement concrete on the basis of densities obtained with a Troxler 3411 nuclear gage. The gage was used in the backscatter mode on low-slump concrete bridge deck overlays ...

Estimations of electron densities and temperatures in He-3 dominated plasmas. [in nuclear pumped lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depaola, B. D.; Marcum, S. D.; Wrench, H. K.; Whitten, B. L.; Wells, W. E.

1979-01-01

It is very useful to have a method of estimation for electron temperature and electron densities in nuclear pumped plasmas because measurements of such quantities are very difficult. This paper describes a method, based on rate equation analysis of the ionized species in the plasma and the electron energy balance. In addition to the ionized species, certain neutral species must also be calculated. Examples are given for pure helium and a mixture of helium and argon. In the HeAr case, He(+), He2(+), He/2 3S/, Ar(+), Ar2(+), and excited Ar are evaluated.

Quark matter droplets in neutron stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heiselberg, H.; Pethick, C. J.; Staubo, E. F.

1993-01-01

We show that, for physically reasonable bulk and surface properties, the lowest energy state of dense matter consists of quark matter coexisting with nuclear matter in the presence of an essentially uniform background of electrons. We estimate the size and nature of spatial structure in this phase, and show that at the lowest densities the quark matter forms droplets embedded in nuclear matter, whereas at higher densities it can exhibit a variety of different topologies. A finite fraction of the interior of neutron stars could consist of matter in this new phase, which would provide new mechanisms for glitches and cooling.

Quest for consistent modelling of statistical decay of the compound nucleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Tathagata; Nath, S.; Pal, Santanu

2018-01-01

A statistical model description of heavy ion induced fusion-fission reactions is presented where shell effects, collective enhancement of level density, tilting away effect of compound nuclear spin and dissipation are included. It is shown that the inclusion of all these effects provides a consistent picture of fission where fission hindrance is required to explain the experimental values of both pre-scission neutron multiplicities and evaporation residue cross-sections in contrast to some of the earlier works where a fission hindrance is required for pre-scission neutrons but a fission enhancement for evaporation residue cross-sections.

An extrapolation scheme for solid-state NMR chemical shift calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Takahito

2017-06-01

Conventional quantum chemical and solid-state physical approaches include several problems to accurately calculate solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties. We propose a reliable computational scheme for solid-state NMR chemical shifts using an extrapolation scheme that retains the advantages of these approaches but reduces their disadvantages. Our scheme can satisfactorily yield solid-state NMR magnetic shielding constants. The estimated values have only a small dependence on the low-level density functional theory calculation with the extrapolation scheme. Thus, our approach is efficient because the rough calculation can be performed in the extrapolation scheme.

High Sensitivity Gravity Measurements in the Adverse Environment of Oil Wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfutzner, Harold

2014-03-01

Bulk density is a primary measurement within oil and gas reservoirs and is the basis of most reserves calculations by oil companies. The measurement is performed with a gamma-ray source and two scintillation gamma-ray detectors from within newly drilled exploration and production wells. This nuclear density measurement, while very precise is also very shallow and is therefore susceptible to errors due to any alteration of the formation and fluids in the vicinity of the borehole caused by the drilling process. Measuring acceleration due to gravity along a well provides a direct measure of bulk density with a very large depth of investigation that makes it practically immune to errors from near-borehole effects. Advances in gravity sensors and associated mechanics and electronics provide an opportunity for routine borehole gravity measurements with comparable density precision to the nuclear density measurement and with sufficient ruggedness to survive the rough handling and high temperatures experienced in oil well logging. We will describe a borehole gravity meter and its use under very realistic conditions in an oil well in Saudi Arabia. The density measurements will be presented. Alberto Marsala (2), Paul Wanjau (1), Olivier Moyal (1), and Justin Mlcak (1); (1) Schlumberger, (2) Saudi Aramco.

Excitation of the molecular gas in the nuclear region of M 82

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loenen, A. F.; van der Werf, P. P.; Güsten, R.; Meijerink, R.; Israel, F. P.; Requena-Torres, M. A.; García-Burillo, S.; Harris, A. I.; Klein, T.; Kramer, C.; Lord, S.; Martín-Pintado, J.; Röllig, M.; Stutzki, J.; Szczerba, R.; Weiß, A.; Philipp-May, S.; Yorke, H.; Caux, E.; Delforge, B.; Helmich, F.; Lorenzani, A.; Morris, P.; Philips, T. G.; Risacher, C.; Tielens, A. G. G. M.

2010-10-01

We present high-resolution HIFI spectroscopy of the nucleus of the archetypical starburst galaxy M 82. Six 12CO lines, 2 13CO lines and 4 fine-structure lines have been detected. Besides showing the effects of the overall velocity structure of the nuclear region, the line profiles also indicate the presence of multiple components with different optical depths, temperatures, and densities in the observing beam. The data have been interpreted using a grid of PDR models. It is found that the majority of the molecular gas is in low density (n = 103.5 cm-3) clouds, with column densities of NH = 1021.5 cm-2 and a relatively low UV radiation field (G0 = 102). The remaining gas is predominantly found in clouds with higher densities (n = 105 cm-3) and radiation fields (G0 = 102.75), but somewhat lower column densities (NH = 1021.2 cm-2). The highest J CO lines are dominated by a small (1% relative surface filling) component, with an even higher density (n = 106 cm-3) and UV field (G0 = 103.25). These results show the strength of multi-component modelling for interpretating the integrated properties of galaxies.

The topology of the Coulomb potential density. A comparison with the electron density, the virial energy density, and the Ehrenfest force density.

PubMed

Ferreira, Lizé-Mari; Eaby, Alan; Dillen, Jan

2017-12-15

The topology of the Coulomb potential density has been studied within the context of the theory of Atoms in Molecules and has been compared with the topologies of the electron density, the virial energy density and the Ehrenfest force density. The Coulomb potential density is found to be mainly structurally homeomorphic with the electron density. The Coulomb potential density reproduces the non-nuclear attractor which is observed experimentally in the molecular graph of the electron density of a Mg dimer, thus, for the first time ever providing an alternative and energetic foundation for the existence of this critical point. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of the lightweight deflectometer for in-situ determination of pavement layer moduli.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

The quality of base and subgrade construction has conventionally been evaluated using specifications based on density and moisture content. Such specifications for highway base and subgrade require the use of a nuclear density and/or moisture gauge t...

Study of nuclear morphometry on cytology specimens of benign and malignant breast lesions: A study of 122 cases

PubMed Central

Kashyap, Anamika; Jain, Manjula; Shukla, Shailaja; Andley, Manoj

2017-01-01

Background: Breast cancer has emerged as a leading site of cancer among women in India. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been routinely applied in assessment of breast lesions. Cytological evaluation in breast lesions is subjective with a “gray zone” of 6.9–20%. Quantitative evaluation of nuclear size, shape, texture, and density parameters by morphometry can be of diagnostic help in breast tumor. Aims: To apply nuclear morphometry on cytological breast aspirates and assess its role in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions with derivation of suitable cut-off values between the two groups. Settings and Designs: The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study of nuclear morphometric parameters of benign and malignant cases. Materials and Methods: The study included 50 benign breast disease (BBD), 8 atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and 64 carcinoma cases. Image analysis was performed on Papanicolaou-stained FNAC slides by Nikon Imaging Software (NIS)–Elements Advanced Research software (Version 4.00). Nuclear morphometric parameters analyzed included 5 nuclear size, 2 shape, 4 texture, and 2 density parameters. Results: Nuclear morphometry could differentiate between benign and malignant aspirates with a gradually increasing nuclear size parameters from BBD to ADH to carcinoma. Cut-off values of 31.93 μm2, 6.325 μm, 5.865 μm, 7.855 μm, and 21.55 μm for mean nuclear area, equivalent diameter, minimum feret, maximum ferret, and perimeter, respectively, were derived between benign and malignant cases, which could correctly classify 7 out of 8 ADH cases. Conclusion: Nuclear morphometry is a highly objective tool that could be used to supplement FNAC in differentiating benign from malignant lesions, with an important role in cases with diagnostic dilemma. PMID:28182052

Study of nuclear morphometry on cytology specimens of benign and malignant breast lesions: A study of 122 cases.

PubMed

Kashyap, Anamika; Jain, Manjula; Shukla, Shailaja; Andley, Manoj

2017-01-01

Breast cancer has emerged as a leading site of cancer among women in India. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been routinely applied in assessment of breast lesions. Cytological evaluation in breast lesions is subjective with a "gray zone" of 6.9-20%. Quantitative evaluation of nuclear size, shape, texture, and density parameters by morphometry can be of diagnostic help in breast tumor. To apply nuclear morphometry on cytological breast aspirates and assess its role in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions with derivation of suitable cut-off values between the two groups. The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study of nuclear morphometric parameters of benign and malignant cases. The study included 50 benign breast disease (BBD), 8 atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), and 64 carcinoma cases. Image analysis was performed on Papanicolaou-stained FNAC slides by Nikon Imaging Software (NIS)-Elements Advanced Research software (Version 4.00). Nuclear morphometric parameters analyzed included 5 nuclear size, 2 shape, 4 texture, and 2 density parameters. Nuclear morphometry could differentiate between benign and malignant aspirates with a gradually increasing nuclear size parameters from BBD to ADH to carcinoma. Cut-off values of 31.93 μm 2 , 6.325 μm, 5.865 μm, 7.855 μm, and 21.55 μm for mean nuclear area, equivalent diameter, minimum feret, maximum ferret, and perimeter, respectively, were derived between benign and malignant cases, which could correctly classify 7 out of 8 ADH cases. Nuclear morphometry is a highly objective tool that could be used to supplement FNAC in differentiating benign from malignant lesions, with an important role in cases with diagnostic dilemma.

Improvement of nuclide leaching resistance of paraffin waste form with low density polyethylene.

PubMed

Kim, Chang Lak; Park, Joo Wan; Kim, Ju Youl; Chung, Chang Hyun

2002-01-01

Low-level liquid borate wastes have been immobilized with paraffin wax using a concentrate waste drying system (CWDS) in Korean nuclear power plants. The possibility for improving chemical durability of paraffin waste form was suggested in this study. A small amount of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was added to increase the leaching resistance of the existing paraffin waste form. The influence of LDPE on the leaching behavior of waste form was investigated by performing leaching test according to ANSI/ANS-16.1 procedure during 325 days. It was observed that the leaching of nuclides immobilized within paraffin waste form made a marked reduction although little content of LDPE was added to waste form. The acceptance criteria of paraffin waste form associated with leachability index (LI) and compressive strength after the leaching test were fully satisfied with the help of LDPE.

Genome-wide analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites revealed parent-of-origin effect on triglycerides in medium very low-density lipoprotein in PTPRD gene.

PubMed

Pervjakova, N; Kukushkina, V; Haller, T; Kasela, S; Joensuu, A; Kristiansson, K; Annilo, T; Perola, M; Salomaa, V; Jousilahti, P; Metspalu, A; Mägi, R

2018-05-01

The aim of the study was to explore the parent-of-origin effects (POEs) on a range of human nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites. We search for POEs in 14,815 unrelated individuals from Estonian and Finnish cohorts using POE method for the genotype data imputed with 1000 G reference panel and 82 nuclear magnetic resonance metabolites. Meta-analysis revealed the evidence of POE for the variant rs1412727 in PTPRD gene for the metabolite: triglycerides in medium very low-density lipoprotein. No POEs were detected for genetic variants that were previously known to have main effect on circulating metabolites. We demonstrated possibility to detect POEs for human metabolites, but the POEs are weak, and therefore it is hard to detect those using currently available sample sizes.

Economic Analysis of Complex Nuclear Fuel Cycles with NE-COST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ganda, Francesco; Dixon, Brent; Hoffman, Edward

The purpose of this work is to present a new methodology, and associated computational tools, developed within the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Fuel Cycle Option Campaign to quantify the economic performance of complex nuclear fuel cycles. The levelized electricity cost at the busbar is generally chosen to quantify and compare the economic performance of different baseload generating technologies, including of nuclear: it is the cost of electricity which renders the risk-adjusted discounted net present value of the investment cash flow equal to zero. The work presented here is focused on the calculation of the levelized cost of electricitymore » of fuel cycles at mass balance equilibrium, which is termed LCAE (Levelized Cost of Electricity at Equilibrium). To alleviate the computational issues associated with the calculation of the LCAE for complex fuel cycles, a novel approach has been developed, which has been called the “island approach” because of its logical structure: a generic complex fuel cycle is subdivided into subsets of fuel cycle facilities, called islands, each containing one and only one type of reactor or blanket and an arbitrary number of fuel cycle facilities. A nuclear economic software tool, NE-COST, written in the commercial programming software MATLAB®, has been developed to calculate the LCAE of complex fuel cycles with the “island” computational approach. NE-COST has also been developed with the capability to handle uncertainty: the input parameters (both unit costs and fuel cycle characteristics) can have uncertainty distributions associated with them, and the output can be computed in terms of probability density functions of the LCAE. In this paper NE-COST will be used to quantify, as examples, the economic performance of (1) current Light Water Reactors (LWR) once-through systems; (2) continuous plutonium recycling in Fast Reactors (FR) with driver and blanket; (3) Recycling of plutonium bred in FR into LWR. For each fuel cycle, the contributions to the total LCAE of the main cost components will be identified.« less

Phase separation of a Lennard-Jones fluid interacting with a long, condensed polymer chain: implications for the nuclear body formation near chromosomes.

PubMed

Oh, Inrok; Choi, Saehyun; Jung, YounJoon; Kim, Jun Soo

2015-08-28

Phase separation in a biological cell nucleus occurs in a heterogeneous environment filled with a high density of chromatins and thus it is inevitably influenced by interactions with chromatins. As a model system of nuclear body formation in a cell nucleus filled with chromatins, we simulate the phase separation of a low-density Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid interacting with a long, condensed polymer chain. The influence of the density variation of LJ particles above and below the phase boundary and the role of attractive interactions between LJ particles and polymer segments are investigated at a fixed value of strong self-interaction between LJ particles. For a density of LJ particles above the phase boundary, phase separation occurs and a dense domain of LJ particles forms irrespective of interactions with the condensed polymer chain whereas its localization relative to the polymer chain is determined by the LJ-polymer attraction strength. Especially, in the case of moderately weak attractions, the domain forms separately from the polymer chain and subsequently associates with the polymer chain. When the density is below the phase boundary, however, the formation of a dense domain is possible only when the LJ-polymer attraction is strong enough, for which the domain grows in direct contact with the interacting polymer chain. In this work, different growth behaviors of LJ particles result from the differences in the density of LJ particles and in the LJ-polymer interaction, and this work suggests that the distinct formation of activity-dependent and activity-independent nuclear bodies (NBs) in a cell nucleus may originate from the differences in the concentrations of body-specific NB components and in their interaction with chromatins.

Computerized morphometry as an aid in distinguishing recurrent versus nonrecurrent meningiomas.

PubMed

Noy, Shawna; Vlodavsky, Euvgeni; Klorin, Geula; Drumea, Karen; Ben Izhak, Ofer; Shor, Eli; Sabo, Edmond

2011-06-01

To use novel digital and morphometric methods to identify variables able to better predict the recurrence of intracranial meningiomas. Histologic images from 30 previously diagnosed meningioma tumors that recurred over 10 years of follow-up were consecutively selected from the Rambam Pathology Archives. Images were captured and morphometrically analyzed. Novel algorithms of digital pattern recognition using Fourier transformation and fractal and nuclear texture analyses were applied to evaluate the overall growth pattern complexity of the tumors, as well as the chromatin texture of individual tumor nuclei. The extracted parameters were then correlated with patient prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed statistically significant associations between tumor morphometric parameters and recurrence times. Tumors with less nuclear orientation, more nuclear density, higher fractal dimension, and less regular chromatin textures tended to recur faster than those with a higher degree of nuclear order, less pattern complexity, lower density, and more homogeneous chromatin nuclear textures (p < 0.01). To our knowledge, these digital morphometric methods were used for the first time to accurately predict tumor recurrence in patients with intracranial meningiomas. The use of these methods may bring additional valuable information to the clinician regarding the optimal management of these patients.

Analysis of the 48Ca neutron skin using a nonlocal dispersive-optical-model self-energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkinson, Mack; Mahzoon, Hossein; Dickhoff, Willem; Charity, Robert

2017-09-01

A nonlocal dispersive-optical-model (DOM) analysis of the 40Ca and 48Ca nuclei has been implemented. The real and imaginary potentials are constrained by fitting to elastic-scattering data, total and reaction cross sections, energy level information, particle number, and the charge densities of 40Ca and 48Ca, respectively. The nonlocality of these potentials permits a proper dispersive self-energy which accurately describes both positive and negative energy observables. 48Ca is of particular interest because it is doubly magic and has a neutron skin due to the excess of neutrons. The DOM neutron skin radius is found to be rskin = 0.245 , which is larger than most previous calculations. The neutron skin is closely related to the symmetry energy which is a crucial part of the nuclear equation of state. The combined analysis of 40Ca and 48Ca energy densities provides a description of the density dependence of the symmetry energy which is compared with the 48Ca neutron skin. Results for 208Pb will also become available in the near future. NSF.

Non-flipping 13C spins near an NV center in diamond: hyperfine and spatial characteristics by density functional theory simulation of the C510[NV]H252 cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nizovtsev, A. P.; Kilin, S. Ya; Pushkarchuk, A. L.; Pushkarchuk, V. A.; Kuten, S. A.; Zhikol, O. A.; Schmitt, S.; Unden, T.; Jelezko, F.

2018-02-01

Single NV centers in diamond coupled by hyperfine interaction (hfi) to neighboring 13C nuclear spins are now widely used in emerging quantum technologies as elements of quantum memory adjusted to a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center electron spin qubit. For nuclear spins with low flip-flop rate, single shot readout was demonstrated under ambient conditions. Here we report on a systematic search for such stable NV-13C systems using density functional theory to simulate the hfi and spatial characteristics of all possible NV-13C complexes in the H-terminated cluster C510[NV]-H252 hosting the NV center. Along with the expected stable ‘NV-axial-13C’ systems wherein the 13C nuclear spin is located on the NV axis, we found for the first time new families of positions for the 13C nuclear spin exhibiting negligible hfi-induced flipping rates due to near-symmetric local spin density distribution. Spatially, these positions are located in the diamond bilayer passing through the vacancy of the NV center and being perpendicular to the NV axis. Analysis of available publications showed that, apparently, some of the predicted non-axial near-stable NV-13C systems have already been observed experimentally. A special experiment performed on one of these systems confirmed the prediction made.

Temperature and Density Conditions for Nucleogenesis by Fusion Processes in Stars

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Fowler, W. A.

1958-06-01

An attempt is made to correlate nuclear findings with what is known about stellar evolution. Some discussion is given to present research in nuclear physics and astrophysics which may lead to further elucidation of the problem of nucleogenesis and of its cosmological implications. (M.H.R.)

LINER galaxy properties and the local environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coldwell, Georgina V.; Alonso, Sol; Duplancic, Fernanda; Mesa, Valeria

2018-05-01

We analyse the properties of a sample of 5560 low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) galaxies selected from SDSS-DR12 at low red shift, for a complete range of local density environments. The host LINER galaxies were studied and compared with a well-defined control sample of 5553 non-LINER galaxies matched in red shift, luminosity, morphology and local density. By studying the distributions of galaxy colours and the stellar age population, we find that LINERs are redder and older than the control sample over a wide range of densities. In addition, LINERs are older than the control sample, at a given galaxy colour, indicating that some external process could have accelerated the evolution of the stellar population. The analysis of the host properties shows that the control sample exhibits a strong relation between colours, ages and the local density, while more than 90 per cent of the LINERs are redder and older than the mean values, independently of the neighbourhood density. Furthermore, a detailed study in three local density ranges shows that, while control sample galaxies are redder and older as a function of stellar mass and density, LINER galaxies mismatch the known morphology-density relation of galaxies without low-ionization features. The results support the contribution of hot and old stars to the low-ionization emission although the contribution of nuclear activity is not discarded.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence and Isotopic Mapping of Containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Micah S.; McNabb, Dennis P.

2009-03-01

National security programs have expressed interest in developing systems to isotopically map shipping containers, fuel assemblies, and waste barrels for various materials including special nuclear material (SNM). Current radiographic systems offer little more than an ambiguous density silhouette of a container's contents. In this paper we will present a system being developed at LLNL to isotopically map containers using the nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) method. Recent experimental measurements on NRF strengths in SNM are discussed.

Enhancement of DFT-calculations at petascale: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Hybrid Density Functional Theory and Car-Parrinello calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varini, Nicola; Ceresoli, Davide; Martin-Samos, Layla; Girotto, Ivan; Cavazzoni, Carlo

2013-08-01

One of the most promising techniques used for studying the electronic properties of materials is based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach and its extensions. DFT has been widely applied in traditional solid state physics problems where periodicity and symmetry play a crucial role in reducing the computational workload. With growing compute power capability and the development of improved DFT methods, the range of potential applications is now including other scientific areas such as Chemistry and Biology. However, cross disciplinary combinations of traditional Solid-State Physics, Chemistry and Biology drastically improve the system complexity while reducing the degree of periodicity and symmetry. Large simulation cells containing of hundreds or even thousands of atoms are needed to model these kind of physical systems. The treatment of those systems still remains a computational challenge even with modern supercomputers. In this paper we describe our work to improve the scalability of Quantum ESPRESSO (Giannozzi et al., 2009 [3]) for treating very large cells and huge numbers of electrons. To this end we have introduced an extra level of parallelism, over electronic bands, in three kernels for solving computationally expensive problems: the Sternheimer equation solver (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, package QE-GIPAW), the Fock operator builder (electronic ground-state, package PWscf) and most of the Car-Parrinello routines (Car-Parrinello dynamics, package CP). Final benchmarks show our success in computing the Nuclear Magnetic Response (NMR) chemical shift of a large biological assembly, the electronic structure of defected amorphous silica with hybrid exchange-correlation functionals and the equilibrium atomic structure of height Porphyrins anchored to a Carbon Nanotube, on many thousands of CPU cores.

Modeling the Propagation of Atmospheric Gravity Waves Produced by an Underground Nuclear Explosion using the Transfer Function Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruntz, R. J.; Mayr, H. G.; Paxton, L. J.

2017-12-01

We will present results from the Transfer Function Model (TFM), which simulates the neutral atmosphere, from 0 to 700 km, across the entire globe (pole to pole). The TFM is able to rapidly calculate the density and temperature perturbations created by a localized impulse. We have used TFM to simulate a ground-level explosion (equivalent to an underground nuclear explosion (UNE)) and its effects on the neutral atmosphere, including the propagation of gravity waves up to ionospheric heights. At ionospheric altitudes ion-neutral interactions are expected to lead to perturbations in the electron density. These perturbations can be observed as changes in the total electron content (TEC), a feature readily observed by the globally distributed network of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) sensors. We will discuss the time and location of the maximum atmospheric disturbances at a number of altitudes, including the peaks of several ionospheric layers, including the F2 layer, which is often treated as the major driver of changes in GNSS-TEC observations. We will also examine the drop-off of atmospheric disturbances at those altitudes, both with increasing time and distance. The 6 known underground nuclear explosions (UNEs) by North Korea in the 21st century have sparked increased interest in UNE detection through atmospheric and ionospheric observations. The latest test by North Korea (3 Sept. 2017) was the largest UNE in over 2 decades. We will compare TFM results to the analysis of previous UNEs, including some tests by North Korea, and discuss possible confounding factors in predicting the time, location, and amplitude of atmospheric and ionospheric disturbances produced by a UNE.

PPAR{gamma} activates ABCA1 gene transcription but reduces the level of ABCA1 protein in HepG2 cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mogilenko, Denis A., E-mail: denis@iem.sp.ru; Department of Embryology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg; Shavva, Vladimir S.

Research highlights: {yields} PPAR{gamma} activates ABCA1 gene expression but decreases ABCA1 protein content in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. {yields} Treatment of HepG2 cells with PPAR{gamma} agonist GW1929 leads to dissociation of LXR{beta} from ABCA1-LXR{beta} complex. {yields} Inhibition of protein kinases MEK1/2 abolishes PPAR{gamma}-mediated dissociation of LXR{beta} from ABCA1/LXR{beta} complex. {yields} Activation of PPAR{gamma} leads to increasing of the level of LXR{beta} associated with LXRE within ABCA1 gene promoter. -- Abstract: Synthesis of ABCA1 protein in liver is necessary for high-density lipoproteins (HDL) formation in mammals. Nuclear receptor PPAR{gamma} is known as activator of ABCA1 expression, but details of PPAR{gamma}-mediatedmore » regulation of ABCA1 at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in hepatocytes have not still been well elucidated. In this study we have shown, that PPAR{gamma} activates ABCA1 gene transcription in human hepatoma cells HepG2 through increasing of LXR{beta} binding with promoter region of ABCA1 gene. Treatment of HepG2 cells with PPAR{gamma} agonist GW1929 leads to dissociation of LXR{beta} from ABCA1/LXR{beta} complex and to nuclear translocation of this nuclear receptor resulting in reduction of ABCA1 protein level 24 h after treatment. Inhibition of protein kinases MEK1/2 abolishes PPAR{gamma}-mediated dissociation of LXR{beta} from ABCA1/LXR{beta} complex, but does not block PPAR{gamma}-dependent down-regulation of ABCA1 protein in HepG2 cells. These data suggest that PPAR{gamma} may be important for regulation of the level of hepatic ABCA1 protein and indicate the new interplays between PPAR{gamma}, LXR{beta} and MEK1/2 in regulation of ABCA1 mRNA and protein expression.« less

The nuclear size and mass effects on muonic hydrogen-like atoms embedded in Debye plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poszwa, A.; Bahar, M. K.; Soylu, A.

2016-10-01

Effects of finite nuclear size and finite nuclear mass are investigated for muonic atoms and muonic ions embedded in the Debye plasma. Both nuclear charge radii and nuclear masses are taken into account with experimentally determined values. In particular, isotope shifts of bound state energies, radial probability densities, transition energies, and binding energies for several atoms are studied as functions of Debye length. The theoretical model based on semianalytical calculations, the Sturmian expansion method, and the perturbative approach has been constructed, in the nonrelativistic frame. For some limiting cases, the comparison with previous most accurate literature results has been made.

Nuclear fuel particles and method of making nuclear fuel compacts therefrom

DOEpatents

DeVelasco, Rubin I.; Adams, Charles C.

1991-01-01

Methods for making nuclear fuel compacts exhibiting low heavy metal contamination and fewer defective coatings following compact fabrication from a mixture of hardenable binder, such as petroleum pitch, and nuclear fuel particles having multiple layer fission-product-retentive coatings, with the dense outermost layer of the fission-product-retentive coating being surrounded by a protective overcoating, e.g., pyrocarbon having a density between about 1 and 1.3 g/cm.sup.3. Such particles can be pre-compacted in molds under relatively high pressures and then combined with a fluid binder which is ultimately carbonized to produce carbonaceous nuclear fuel compacts having relatively high fuel loadings.

Properties of Deflagration Fronts and Models for Type IA Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez, I.; Höflich, P.

2000-01-01

Detailed models of the explosion of a white dwarf that include self-consistent calculations of the light curve and spectra provide a link between observational quantities and the underlying explosion model. These calculations assume spherical geometry and are based on parameterized descriptions of the burning front. Recently, the first multidimensional calculations for nuclear burning fronts have been performed. Although a fully consistent treatment of the burning fronts is beyond the current state of the art, these calculations provide a new and better understanding of the physics. Several new descriptions for flame propagation have been proposed by Khokhlov et al. and Niemeyer et al. Using various descriptions for the propagation of a nuclear deflagration front, we have studied the influence on the results of previous analyses of Type Ia supernovae, namely, the nucleosynthesis and structure of the expanding envelope. Our calculations are based on a set of delayed detonation models with parameters that give a good account of the optical and infrared light curves and of the spectral evolution. In this scenario, the burning front first propagates in a deflagration mode and subsequently turns into a detonation. The explosions and light curves are calculated using a one-dimensional Lagrangian radiation-hydro code including a detailed nuclear network. We find that the results of the explosion are rather insensitive to details of the description of the deflagration front, even if its speed and the time from the transition to detonation differ almost by a factor of 2. For a given white dwarf (WD) and a fixed transition density, the total production of elements changes by less than 10%, and the distribution in the velocity space changes by less than 7%. Qualitatively, this insensitivity of the final outcome of the explosion to the details of the flame propagation during the (slow) deflagration phase can be understood as follows: for plausible variations in the speed of the turbulent deflagration, the duration of this phase is several times longer than the sound crossing time in the initial WD. Therefore, the energy produced during the early nuclear burning can be redistributed over the entire WD, causing a slow preexpansion. In this intermediate state, the WD is still bound but its binding energy is reduced by the amount of nuclear energy. The expansion ratio depends mainly on the total amount of burning during the deflagration phase. Consequently, the conditions are very similar under which nuclear burning takes place during the subsequent detonation phase. In our example, the density and temperature at the burning front changes by less than 3%, and the expansion velocity changes by less than 10%. The burning conditions are very close to previous calculations which used a constant deflagration velocity. Based on a comparison with observations, those required low deflagration speeds (~2%-3% of the speed of sound). Exceptions to the similarity are the innermost layers of ~0.03-0.05 Msolar. Still, nuclear burning is in nuclear statistical equilibrium, but the rate of electron capture is larger for the new descriptions of the flame propagation. Consequently, the production of very neutron-rich isotopes is increased. In our example, close to the center Ye is about 0.44, compared to 0.46 in the model with constant deflagration speed. This increases the 48Ca production by more than a factor of 100 to 3.E-6 Msolar. Conclusions from previous analyses of light curves and spectra on the properties of the WD and the explosions will not change, and even with the new descriptions, the delayed detonation scenario is consistent with the observations. Namely, the central density results with respect to the chemical structure of the progenitor and the transition density from deflagration to detonation do not change. The reason for this similarity is the fact that the total amount of burning during the long deflagration phase determines the restructuring of the WD prior to the detonation. Therefore, we do not expect that the precise, microphysical prescription for the speed of a subsonic burning front has a significant effect on the outcome. However, at the current level of uncertainties for the burning front, the relation between properties of the burning front and of the initial white dwarf cannot be obtained from a comparison between observation and theoretical predictions by one-dimensional models. Multidimensional calculations are needed (1) to get inside the relations between model parameters such as central density and properties of the deflagration front and its relation to the transition density between deflagration and detonation and (2) to make use of information on asphericity that is provided by polarization measurements. These questions are essential to test, estimate, and predict some of the evolutionary effects of SNe Ia and their use as cosmological yardsticks.

Changes in soil bulk density resulting from construction and conventional cable skidding using preplanned skid trails

Treesearch

Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux; Pam Edwards

2007-01-01

A harvesting system consisting of chainsaw felling and cable skidder extraction was studied to determine soil bulk density changes in a central Appalachian hardwood forest site. Soil bulk density was measured using a nuclear gauge preharvest and postharvest systematically across the harvest site, on transects across skid trails, and for a subset of skid trail transects...

Emulation of reactor irradiation damage using ion beams

DOE PAGES

Was, G. S.; Jiao, Z.; Getto, E.; ...

2014-06-14

The continued operation of existing light water nuclear reactors and the development of advanced nuclear reactor depend heavily on understanding how damage by radiation to levels degrades materials that serve as the structural components in reactor cores. The first high dose ion irradiation experiments on a ferritic-martensitic steel showing that ion irradiation closely emulates the full radiation damage microstructure created in-reactor are described. Ferritic-martensitic alloy HT9 (heat 84425) in the form of a hexagonal fuel bundle duct (ACO-3) accumulated 155 dpa at an average temperature of 443°C in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). Using invariance theory as a guide,more » irradiation of the same heat was conducted using self-ions (Fe++) at 5 MeV at a temperature of 460°C and to a dose of 188 displacements per atom. The void swelling was nearly identical between the two irradiation and the size and density of precipitates and loops following ion irradiation are within a factor of two of those for neutron irradiation. The level of agreement across all of the principal microstructure changes between ion and reactor irradiation establishes the capability of tailoring ion irradiation to emulate the reactor-irradiated microstructure.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sin, M.; Capote, R.; Herman, M. W.

Comprehensive calculations of cross sections for neutron-induced reactions on 232–237U targets are performed in this paper in the 10 keV–30 MeV incident energy range with the code EMPIRE–3.2 Malta. The advanced modelling and consistent calculation scheme are aimed at improving our knowledge of the neutron scattering and emission cross sections, and to assess the consistency of available evaluated libraries for light uranium isotopes. The reaction model considers a dispersive optical potential (RIPL 2408) that couples from five (even targets) to nine (odd targets) levels of the ground-state rotational band, and a triple-humped fission barrier with absorption in the wells describedmore » within the optical model for fission. A modified Lorentzian model (MLO) of the radiative strength function and Enhanced Generalized Superfluid Model nuclear level densities are used in Hauser-Feschbach calculations of the compound-nuclear decay that include width fluctuation corrections. The starting values for the model parameters are retrieved from RIPL. Excellent agreement with available experimental data for neutron emission and fission is achieved, giving confidence that the quantities for which there is no experimental information are also accurately predicted. Finally, deficiencies in existing evaluated libraries are highlighted.« less

Fragment-Based Electronic Structure Approach for Computing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Chemical Shifts in Molecular Crystals.

PubMed

Hartman, Joshua D; Beran, Gregory J O

2014-11-11

First-principles chemical shielding tensor predictions play a critical role in studying molecular crystal structures using nuclear magnetic resonance. Fragment-based electronic structure methods have dramatically improved the ability to model molecular crystal structures and energetics using high-level electronic structure methods. Here, a many-body expansion fragment approach is applied to the calculation of chemical shielding tensors in molecular crystals. First, the impact of truncating the many-body expansion at different orders and the role of electrostatic embedding are examined on a series of molecular clusters extracted from molecular crystals. Second, the ability of these techniques to assign three polymorphic forms of the drug sulfanilamide to the corresponding experimental (13)C spectra is assessed. This challenging example requires discriminating among spectra whose (13)C chemical shifts differ by only a few parts per million (ppm) across the different polymorphs. Fragment-based PBE0/6-311+G(2d,p) level chemical shielding predictions correctly assign these three polymorphs and reproduce the sulfanilamide experimental (13)C chemical shifts with 1 ppm accuracy. The results demonstrate that fragment approaches are competitive with the widely used gauge-invariant projector augmented wave (GIPAW) periodic density functional theory calculations.

Chaos in nuclei: Theory and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz, L.; Molina, R. A.; Gómez, J. M. G.

2018-05-01

During the last three decades the quest for chaos in nuclei has been quite intensive, both with theoretical calculations using nuclear models and with detailed analyses of experimental data. In this paper we outline the concept and characteristics of quantum chaos in two different approaches, the random matrix theory fluctuations and the time series fluctuations. Then we discuss the theoretical and experimental evidence of chaos in nuclei. Theoretical calculations, especially shell-model calculations, have shown a strongly chaotic behavior of bound states in regions of high level density. The analysis of experimental data has shown a strongly chaotic behavior of nuclear resonances just above the one-nucleon emission threshold. For bound states, combining experimental data of a large number of nuclei, a tendency towards chaotic motion is observed in spherical nuclei, while deformed nuclei exhibit a more regular behavior associated to the collective motion. On the other hand, it had never been possible to observe chaos in the experimental bound energy levels of any single nucleus. However, the complete experimental spectrum of the first 151 states up to excitation energies of 6.20 MeV in the 208Pb nucleus have been recently identified and the analysis of its spectral fluctuations clearly shows the existence of chaotic motion.

Corrosion susceptibility of steel drums containing cemented intermediate level nuclear wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffó, Gustavo S.; Farina, Silvia B.; Schulz, Fátima M.; Marotta, Francesca

2010-10-01

Cementation processes are used as immobilization techniques for low or intermediate level radioactive waste for economical and safety reasons and for being a simple operation. In particular, ion-exchange resins commonly used for purification of radioactive liquid waste from nuclear reactors are immobilized before being stored to improve the leach resistance of the waste matrix and to maintain mechanical stability. Combustible solid radioactive waste can be incinerated and the resulting ashes can also be immobilized before storage. The immobilized resins and ashes are then contained in steel drums that may undergo corrosion depending on the presence of certain contaminants. The work described in this paper was aimed at evaluating the corrosion susceptibility of steel drums in contact with cemented ion-exchange resins and incineration ashes containing different concentrations of aggressive species (mostly chloride and sulphate ions). A special type of specimen was designed to simulate the cemented waste in the drum. The evolution of the corrosion potential and the corrosion current density of the steel, as well as the electrical resistivity of the matrix were monitored over a time period of 1 year. The results show the deleterious effect of chloride on the expected lifespan of the waste containers.

Statistical Models of Fracture Relevant to Nuclear-Grade Graphite: Review and Recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemeth, Noel N.; Bratton, Robert L.

2011-01-01

The nuclear-grade (low-impurity) graphite needed for the fuel element and moderator material for next-generation (Gen IV) reactors displays large scatter in strength and a nonlinear stress-strain response from damage accumulation. This response can be characterized as quasi-brittle. In this expanded review, relevant statistical failure models for various brittle and quasi-brittle material systems are discussed with regard to strength distribution, size effect, multiaxial strength, and damage accumulation. This includes descriptions of the Weibull, Batdorf, and Burchell models as well as models that describe the strength response of composite materials, which involves distributed damage. Results from lattice simulations are included for a physics-based description of material breakdown. Consideration is given to the predicted transition between brittle and quasi-brittle damage behavior versus the density of damage (level of disorder) within the material system. The literature indicates that weakest-link-based failure modeling approaches appear to be reasonably robust in that they can be applied to materials that display distributed damage, provided that the level of disorder in the material is not too large. The Weibull distribution is argued to be the most appropriate statistical distribution to model the stochastic-strength response of graphite.

Heavy component of spent nuclear fuel: Efficiency of model-substance ionization by electron-induced discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antonov, N. N., E-mail: antonovnickola@gmail.com; Gavrikov, A. V.; Samokhin, A. A.

The method of plasma separation of spent nuclear fuel can be tested with a model substance which has to be transformed from the condensed to plasma state. For this purpose, electron-induced discharge in lead vapor injected into the interelectrode gap is simulated using the kinetic approach. The ionization efficiency, the electrostatic-potential distribution, and those of the ion and electron densities in the discharge gap are derived as functions of the discharge-current density and concentration of the vapor of the model substance. Given a discharge-current density of 3.5 A/cm{sup 2} and a lead-vapor concentration of 2 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup –3},more » the simulated ionization efficiency proves to be nearly 60%. The discharge in lead vapor is also investigated experimentally.« less

Simulations of the Neutron Gas in the Inner Crust of Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandegriff, Elizabeth; Horowitz, Charles; Caplan, Matthew

2017-09-01

Inside neutron stars, the structures known as `nuclear pasta' are found in the crust. This pasta forms near nuclear density as nucleons arrange in spaghetti- or lasagna-like structures to minimize their energy. We run classical molecular dynamics simulations to visualize the geometry of this pasta and study the distribution of nucleons. In the simulations, we observe that the pasta is embedded in a gas of neutrons, which we call the `sauce'. In this work, we developed two methods for determining the density of neutrons in the gas, one which is accurate at low temperatures and a second which justifies an extrapolation at high temperatures. Running simulations with no Coulomb interactions, we find that the neutron density increases linearly with temperature for every proton fraction we simulated. NSF REU Grant PHY-1460882 at Indiana University.

Cross-Section Measurements via the Activation Technique at the Cologne Clover Counting Setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heim, Felix; Mayer, Jan; Netterdon, Lars; Scholz, Philipp; Zilges, Andreas

The activation technique is a widely used method for the determination of cross-section values for charged-particle induced reactions at astrophysically relevant energies. Since network calculations of nucleosynthesis processes often depend on reaction rates calculated in the scope of the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model, these cross-sections can be used to improve the nuclear-physics input-parameters like optical-model potentials (OMP), γ-ray strength functions, and nuclear level densities. In order to extend the available experimental database, the 108Cd(α, n)111Sn reaction cross section was investigated at ten energies between 10.2 and 13.5 MeV. As this reaction at these energies is almost only sensitive on the α-decay width, the results were compared to statistical model calculations using different models for the α-OMP. The irradiation as well as the consecutive γ-ray counting were performed at the Institute for Nuclear Physics of the University of Cologne using the 10 MV FN-Tandem accelerator and the Cologne Clover Counting Setup. This setup consists of two clover- type high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors in a close face-to-face geometry to cover a solid angle of almost 4π.

Neutron-Induced Charged Particle Studies at LANSCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hye Young; Haight, Robert C.

2014-09-01

Direct measurements on neutron-induced charged particle reactions are of interest for nuclear astrophysics and applied nuclear energy. LANSCE (Los Alamos Neutron Science Center) produces neutrons in energy of thermal to several hundreds MeV. There has been an effort at LANSCE to upgrade neutron-induced charged particle detection technique, which follows on (n,z) measurements made previously here and will have improved capabilities including larger solid angles, higher efficiency, and better signal to background ratios. For studying cross sections of low-energy neutron induced alpha reactions, Frisch-gridded ionization chamber is designed with segmented anodes for improving signal-to-noise ratio near reaction thresholds. Since double-differential cross sections on (n,p) and (n,a) reactions up to tens of MeV provide important information on deducing nuclear level density, the ionization chamber will be coupled with silicon strip detectors (DSSD) in order to stop energetic charged particles. In this paper, we will present the status of this development including the progress on detector design, calibrations and Monte Carlo simulations. This work is funded by the US Department of Energy - Los Alamos National Security, LLC under Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

Processing of solid solution, mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides for advanced space nuclear power and propulsion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Travis Warren

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and space nuclear power are two enabling technologies for the manned exploration of space and the development of research outposts in space and on other planets such as Mars. Advanced carbide nuclear fuels have been proposed for application in space nuclear power and propulsion systems. This study examined the processing technologies and optimal parameters necessary to fabricate samples of single phase, solid solution, mixed uranium/refractory metal carbides. In particular, the pseudo-ternary carbide, UC-ZrC-NbC, system was examined with uranium metal mole fractions of 5% and 10% and corresponding uranium densities of 0.8 to 1.8 gU/cc. Efforts were directed to those methods that could produce simple geometry fuel elements or wafers such as those used to fabricate a Square Lattice Honeycomb (SLHC) fuel element and reactor core. Methods of cold uniaxial pressing, sintering by induction heating, and hot pressing by self-resistance heating were investigated. Solid solution, high density (low porosity) samples greater than 95% TD were processed by cold pressing at 150 MPa and sintering above 2600 K for times longer than 90 min. Some impurity oxide phases were noted in some samples attributed to residual gases in the furnace during processing. Also, some samples noted secondary phases of carbon and UC2 due to some hyperstoichiometric powder mixtures having carbon-to-metal ratios greater than one. In all, 33 mixed carbide samples were processed and analyzed with half bearing uranium as ternary carbides of UC-ZrC-NbC. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and density measurements were used to characterize samples. Samples were processed from powders of the refractory mono-carbides and UC/UC 2 or from powders of uranium hydride (UH3), graphite, and refractory metal carbides to produce hypostoichiometric mixed carbides. Samples processed from the constituent carbide powders and sintered at temperatures above the melting point of UC showed signs of liquid phase sintering and were shown to be largely solid solutions. Pre-compaction of mixed carbide powders prior to sintering was shown to be necessary to achieve high densities. Hypostoichiometric, samples processed at 2500 K exhibited only the initial stage of sintering and solid solution formation. Based on these findings, a suggested processing methodology is proposed for producing high density, solid solution, mixed carbide fuels. Pseudo-binary, refractory carbide samples hot pressed at 3100 K and 6 MPa showed comparable densities (approximately 85% of the theoretical value) to samples processed by cold pressing and sintering at temperatures of 2800 K.

Effects of the impurity-host interactions on the nonradiative processes in ZnS:Cr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tablero, C.

2010-11-01

There is a great deal of controversy about whether the behavior of an intermediate band in the gap of semiconductors is similar or not to the deep-gap levels. It can have significant consequences, for example, on the nonradiative recombination. In order to analyze the behavior of an intermediate band, we have considered the effect of the inward and outward displacements corresponding to breathing and longitudinal modes of Cr-doped ZnS and on the charge density for different processes involved in the nonradiative recombination using first-principles. This metal-doped zinc chalcogenide has a partially filled band within the host semiconductor gap. In contrast to the properties exhibited by deep-gap levels in other systems, we find small variations in the equilibrium configurations, forces, and electronic density around the Cr when the nonradiative recombination mechanisms modify the intermediate band charge. The charge density around the impurity is equilibrated in response to the perturbations in the equilibrium nuclear configuration and the charge of the intermediate band. The equilibration follows a Le Chatelier principle through the modification of the contribution from the impurity to the intermediate band and to the valence band. The intermediate band introduced by Cr in ZnS for the concentrations analyzed makes the electronic capture difficult and later multiphonon emission in the charge-transfer processes, in accordance with experimental results.

Momordica charantia polysaccharides ameliorate oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, and apoptosis during myocardial infarction by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

PubMed

Raish, Mohammad

2017-04-01

The polysaccharide extract of Momordica charantia has various biological activities; however, its effect on endothelial dysfunction in myocardial infarction remains unclear. To elucidate this, myocardial infarction was induced in rats using isoproterenol (ISP). Pretreatment with M. charantia polysaccharides (MCP; 150 or 300mg/kg) for 25days significantly inhibited increases in heart weight, the heart-weight-to-body-weight ratio, and infarction size, and ameliorated the increased serum levels of aspartate transaminase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, MCP enhanced the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and non-protein sulfhydryls, and decreased the level of lipid peroxidation. Moreover, MCP pretreatment downregulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10), inflammatory markers (nitric oxide, myeloperoxidase, and inducible nitric oxide synthase), and apoptotic markers (caspase-3 and BAX), and upregulated Bcl-2 expression. Pretreatment with MCP reduced myonecrosis, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration, and restored cardiomyocytes architecture. This myocardial protective effect could be related to the enhancement of the antioxidant defense system through the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathways, and to anti-apoptosis through regulation of Bax, caspase-3, and Bcl-2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hemoglobin level and lipoprotein particle size.

PubMed

Hämäläinen, Päivi; Saltevo, Juha; Kautiainen, Hannu; Mäntyselkä, Pekka; Vanhala, Mauno

2018-01-10

Alterations in lipoprotein size are associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Higher hemoglobin levels may indicate a higher risk of atherosclerosis and was previously associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. No previous studies have investigated an association between hemoglobin concentration and lipoprotein particle size. We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of 766 Caucasian, middle-aged subjects (341 men and 425 women) born in Pieksämäki, Finland, who were categorized into five age groups. The concentrations and sizes of lipoprotein subclass particles were analyzed by high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Larger very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle diameter was associated with higher hemoglobin concentrations in men (p = 0.003). There was a strong relationship between smaller high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size and higher hemoglobin concentration in both men and women as well as with smaller low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size and higher hemoglobin concentration in men and women (p < 0.001; p = 0.009, p = 0.008). VLDL particle concentration had a moderate positive correlation with hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.15; p < 0.001). LDL particle concentration showed a statistical trend suggesting increasing particle concentration with increasing hemoglobin levels (r = 0.08; p = 0.05). Higher hemoglobin levels are associated with larger VLDL, smaller LDL, and smaller HDL particle sizes and increasing amounts of larger VLDL and smaller LDL particles. This suggests that a higher hemoglobin concentration is associated with an unfavorable lipoprotein particle profile that is part of states that increase cardiovascular disease risk like diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Short-term cooling increases serum triglycerides and small high-density lipoprotein levels in humans.

PubMed

Hoeke, Geerte; Nahon, Kimberly J; Bakker, Leontine E H; Norkauer, Sabine S C; Dinnes, Donna L M; Kockx, Maaike; Lichtenstein, Laeticia; Drettwan, Diana; Reifel-Miller, Anne; Coskun, Tamer; Pagel, Philipp; Romijn, Fred P H T M; Cobbaert, Christa M; Jazet, Ingrid M; Martinez, Laurent O; Kritharides, Leonard; Berbée, Jimmy F P; Boon, Mariëtte R; Rensen, Patrick C N

Cold exposure and β3-adrenergic receptor agonism, which both activate brown adipose tissue, markedly influence lipoprotein metabolism by enhancing lipoprotein lipase-mediated catabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and increasing plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and functionality in mice. However, the effect of short-term cooling on human lipid and lipoprotein metabolism remained largely elusive. The objective was to assess the effect of short-term cooling on the serum lipoprotein profile and HDL functionality in men. Body mass index-matched young, lean men were exposed to a personalized cooling protocol for 2 hours. Before and after cooling, serum samples were collected for analysis of lipids and lipoprotein composition by 1 H-nuclear magnetic resonance. Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1)-mediated cholesterol efflux capacity of HDL was measured using [ 3 H]cholesterol-loaded ABCA1-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. Short-term cooling increased serum levels of free fatty acids, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Cooling increased the concentration of large very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles accompanied by increased mean size of VLDL particles. In addition, cooling enhanced the concentration of small LDL and small HDL particles as well as the cholesterol levels within these particles. The increase in small HDL was accompanied by increased ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux in vitro. Our data show that short-term cooling increases the concentration of large VLDL particles and increases the generation of small LDL and HDL particles. We interpret that cooling increases VLDL production and turnover, which results in formation of surface remnants that form small HDL particles that attract cellular cholesterol. Copyright © 2017 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cellular and Molecular Effect of MEHP Involving LXRα in Human Fetal Testis and Ovary

PubMed Central

Muczynski, Vincent; Lecureuil, Charlotte; Messiaen, Sébastien; Guerquin, Marie-Justine; N’Tumba-Byn, Thierry; Moison, Delphine; Hodroj, Wassim; Benjelloun, Hinde; Baijer, Jan; Livera, Gabriel; Frydman, René; Benachi, Alexandra; Habert, René; Rouiller-Fabre, Virginie

2012-01-01

Background Phthalates have been shown to have reprotoxic effects in rodents and human during fetal life. Previous studies indicate that some members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamilly potentially mediate phthalate effects. This study aimed to assess if expression of these nuclear receptors are modulated in the response to MEHP exposure on the human fetal gonads in vitro. Methodology/Principal Findings Testes and ovaries from 7 to 12 gestational weeks human fetuses were exposed to 10−4M MEHP for 72 h in vitro. Transcriptional level of NRs and of downstream genes was then investigated using TLDA (TaqMan Low Density Array) and qPCR approaches. To determine whether somatic or germ cells of the testis are involved in the response to MEHP exposure, we developed a highly efficient cytometric germ cell sorting approach. In vitro exposure of fetal testes and ovaries to MEHP up-regulated the expression of LXRα, SREBP members and of downstream genes involved in the lipid and cholesterol synthesis in the whole gonad. In sorted testicular cells, this effect is only observable in somatic cells but not in the gonocytes. Moreover, the germ cell loss induced by MEHP exposure, that we previously described, is restricted to the male gonad as oogonia density is not affected in vitro. Conclusions/Significance We evidenced for the first time that phthalate increases the levels of mRNA for LXRα, and SREBP members potentially deregulating lipids/cholesterol synthesis in human fetal gonads. Interestingly, this novel effect is observable in both male and female whereas the germ cell apoptosis is restricted to the male gonad. Furthermore, we presented here a novel and potentially very useful flow cytometric cell sorting method to analyse molecular changes in germ cells versus somatic cells. PMID:23118965

Cellular and molecular effect of MEHP Involving LXRα in human fetal testis and ovary.

PubMed

Muczynski, Vincent; Lecureuil, Charlotte; Messiaen, Sébastien; Guerquin, Marie-Justine; N'tumba-Byn, Thierry; Moison, Delphine; Hodroj, Wassim; Benjelloun, Hinde; Baijer, Jan; Livera, Gabriel; Frydman, René; Benachi, Alexandra; Habert, René; Rouiller-Fabre, Virginie

2012-01-01

Phthalates have been shown to have reprotoxic effects in rodents and human during fetal life. Previous studies indicate that some members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamilly potentially mediate phthalate effects. This study aimed to assess if expression of these nuclear receptors are modulated in the response to MEHP exposure on the human fetal gonads in vitro. Testes and ovaries from 7 to 12 gestational weeks human fetuses were exposed to 10(-4)M MEHP for 72 h in vitro. Transcriptional level of NRs and of downstream genes was then investigated using TLDA (TaqMan Low Density Array) and qPCR approaches. To determine whether somatic or germ cells of the testis are involved in the response to MEHP exposure, we developed a highly efficient cytometric germ cell sorting approach. In vitro exposure of fetal testes and ovaries to MEHP up-regulated the expression of LXRα, SREBP members and of downstream genes involved in the lipid and cholesterol synthesis in the whole gonad. In sorted testicular cells, this effect is only observable in somatic cells but not in the gonocytes. Moreover, the germ cell loss induced by MEHP exposure, that we previously described, is restricted to the male gonad as oogonia density is not affected in vitro. We evidenced for the first time that phthalate increases the levels of mRNA for LXRα, and SREBP members potentially deregulating lipids/cholesterol synthesis in human fetal gonads. Interestingly, this novel effect is observable in both male and female whereas the germ cell apoptosis is restricted to the male gonad. Furthermore, we presented here a novel and potentially very useful flow cytometric cell sorting method to analyse molecular changes in germ cells versus somatic cells.

Qing Gan Zi Shen Tang alleviates adipose tissue dysfunction with up-regulation of SIRT1 in spontaneously hypertensive rat.

PubMed

Zhu, Yao; Huang, Jing Jing; Zhang, Xiao Xiao; Yan, Yu; Yin, Xiao Wei; Ping, Gu; Jiang, Wei Ming

2018-05-30

Qing Gan Zi Shen Tang (QGZST) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula in the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for its efficacy in treating hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance. The current study further evaluated the effects and possible mechanisms of QGZST on epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) dysfunction in a high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed-spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model. Results showed that QGZST significantly decreased the systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), body weights and adipocyte size of HFD-fed SHRs. Moreover, QGZST remarkably reduced the serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR index, increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and improved glucose intolerance in HFD-fed SHRs. Furthermore, QGZST dramatically attenuated HFD-fed-induced hypersecretion of proinflammatory cytokines and hypoproduction of adiponectin in SHRs. Mechanistically, QGZST stimulated the activity of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and suppress the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins-α(C/EBP-α), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), acetylated nuclear factor-kappa-B-p65 (acetyl-NF-кB-p65) and protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). More than that, QGZST also prevented acetyl-NF-кB-p65 nuclear accumulation. Collectively, our research demonstrated for the first time that QGZST is able to alleviate eWAT dysfunction with up-regulation of SIRT1 in HFD-fed SHRs, which might supply further insight into QGZST-mediated anti-hypertension and anti-obesity effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Investigation into the distinct subcellular effects of docosahexaenoic acid loaded low-density lipoprotein nanoparticles in normal and malignant murine liver cells

PubMed Central

Moss, Lacy R.; Mulik, Rohit S.; Van Treuren, Tim; Kim, Soo Young; Corbin, Ian R.

2016-01-01

Background Recent studies have shown that low density lipoproteins reconstituted with the natural omega 3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (LDL-DHA) is selectively cytotoxic to liver cancer cells over normal hepatocytes. To date, little is known about the subcellular events which transpire following LDL-DHA treatment. Methods Herein, murine noncancer and cancer liver cells, TIB-73 and TIB-75 respectively, were investigated utilizing confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and viability assays to demonstrate differential actions of LDL-DHA nanoparticles in normal versus malignant cells. Results Our studies first showed that basal levels of oxidative stress are significantly higher in the malignant TIB-75 cells compared to the normal TIB-73 cells. As such, upon entry of LDL-DHA into the malignant TIB-75 cells, DHA is rapidly oxidized precipitating global and lysosomal lipid peroxidation along with increased lysosomal permeability. This leakage of lysosomal contents and lipid peroxidation products trigger subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction and nuclear injury. The cascade of LDL-DHA mediated lipid peroxidation and organelle damage was partially reversed by the administration of the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, or the iron-chelator, deferoxamine. LDL-DHA treatment in the normal TIB-73 cells was well tolerated and did not elicit any cell or organelle injury. Conclusion These studies have shown that LDL-DHA is selectively cytotoxic to liver cancer cells and that increased levels of ROS and iron catalyzed reactions promote the peroxidation of DHA which lead to organelle dysfunction and ultimately the demise of the cancer cell. General significance LDL-DHA selectively disrupts lysosomal, mitochondrial and nuclear function in cancer cells as a novel pathway for eliminating cancer cells. PMID:27418237

The spin-temperature theory of dynamic nuclear polarization and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byvik, C. E.; Wollan, D. S.

1974-01-01

A detailed derivation of the equations governing dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and nuclear spin lattice relaxation by use of the spin temperature theory has been carried to second order in a perturbation expansion of the density matrix. Nuclear spin diffusion in the rapid diffusion limit and the effects of the coupling of the electron dipole-dipole reservoir (EDDR) with the nuclear spins are incorporated. The complete expression for the dynamic nuclear polarization has been derived and then examined in detail for the limit of well resolved solid effect transitions. Exactly at the solid effect transition peaks, the conventional solid-effect DNP results are obtained, but with EDDR effects on the nuclear relaxation and DNP leakage factor included. Explicit EDDR contributions to DNP are discussed, and a new DNP effect is predicted.

Connections between Star Cluster Populations and Their Host Galaxy Nuclear Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Chao; de Grijs, Richard; Ho, Luis C.

2018-04-01

Nuclear rings are excellent laboratories for probing diverse phenomena such as the formation and evolution of young massive star clusters and nuclear starbursts, as well as the secular evolution and dynamics of their host galaxies. We have compiled a sample of 17 galaxies with nuclear rings, which are well resolved by high-resolution Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope imaging. For each nuclear ring, we identified the ring star cluster population, along with their physical properties (ages, masses, and extinction values). We also determined the integrated ring properties, including the average age, total stellar mass, and current star formation rate (SFR). We find that Sb-type galaxies tend to have the highest ring stellar mass fraction with respect to the host galaxy, and this parameter is correlated with the ring’s SFR surface density. The ring SFRs are correlated with their stellar masses, which is reminiscent of the main sequence of star-forming galaxies. There are striking correlations between star-forming properties (i.e., SFR and SFR surface density) and nonaxisymmetric bar parameters, appearing to confirm previous inferences that strongly barred galaxies tend to have lower ring SFRs, although the ring star formation histories turn out to be significantly more complicated. Nuclear rings with higher stellar masses tend to be associated with lower cluster mass fractions, but there is no such relation for the ages of the rings. The two youngest nuclear rings in our sample, NGC 1512 and NGC 4314, which have the most extreme physical properties, represent the young extremity of the nuclear ring age distribution.

Concentration-dependent Effects of Nuclear Lamins on Nuclear Size in Xenopus and Mammalian Cells*

PubMed Central

Jevtić, Predrag; Edens, Lisa J.; Li, Xiaoyang; Nguyen, Thang; Chen, Pan; Levy, Daniel L.

2015-01-01

A fundamental question in cell biology concerns the regulation of organelle size. While nuclear size is exquisitely controlled in different cell types, inappropriate nuclear enlargement is used to diagnose and stage cancer. Clarifying the functional significance of nuclear size necessitates an understanding of the mechanisms and proteins that control nuclear size. One structural component implicated in the regulation of nuclear morphology is the nuclear lamina, a meshwork of intermediate lamin filaments that lines the inner nuclear membrane. However, there has not been a systematic investigation of how the level and type of lamin expression influences nuclear size, in part due to difficulties in precisely controlling lamin expression levels in vivo. In this study, we circumvent this limitation by studying nuclei in Xenopus laevis egg and embryo extracts, open biochemical systems that allow for precise manipulation of lamin levels by the addition of recombinant proteins. We find that nuclear growth and size are sensitive to the levels of nuclear lamins, with low and high concentrations increasing and decreasing nuclear size, respectively. Interestingly, each type of lamin that we tested (lamins B1, B2, B3, and A) similarly affected nuclear size whether added alone or in combination, suggesting that total lamin concentration, and not lamin type, is more critical to determining nuclear size. Furthermore, we show that altering lamin levels in vivo, both in Xenopus embryos and mammalian tissue culture cells, also impacts nuclear size. These results have implications for normal development and carcinogenesis where both nuclear size and lamin expression levels change. PMID:26429910

Performance-based quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) acceptance procedures for in-place soil testing phase 3 : [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

Acceptance of earthwork construction by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) : requires in-place testing conducted with a nuclear density gauge (NDG) to determine : dry density, which must obtain a required percent compaction based upon a ...

Nuclear Reactions in the Crusts of Accreting Neutron Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, R.; Beard, M.; Gupta, S. S.; Schatz, H.; Afanasjev, A. V.; Brown, E. F.; Deibel, A.; Gasques, L. R.; Hitt, G. W.; Hix, W. R.; Keek, L.; Möller, P.; Shternin, P. S.; Steiner, A. W.; Wiescher, M.; Xu, Y.

2018-05-01

X-ray observations of transiently accreting neutron stars during quiescence provide information about the structure of neutron star crusts and the properties of dense matter. Interpretation of the observational data requires an understanding of the nuclear reactions that heat and cool the crust during accretion and define its nonequilibrium composition. We identify here in detail the typical nuclear reaction sequences down to a depth in the inner crust where the mass density is ρ =2× {10}12 {{g}} {cm}}-3 using a full nuclear reaction network for a range of initial compositions. The reaction sequences differ substantially from previous work. We find a robust reduction of crust impurity at the transition to the inner crust regardless of initial composition, though shell effects can delay the formation of a pure crust somewhat to densities beyond ρ =2× {10}12 {{g}} {cm}}-3. This naturally explains the small inner crust impurity inferred from observations of a broad range of systems. The exception are initial compositions with A ≥ 102 nuclei, where the inner crust remains impure with an impurity parameter of Q imp ≈ 20 owing to the N = 82 shell closure. In agreement with previous work, we find that nuclear heating is relatively robust and independent of initial composition, while cooling via nuclear Urca cycles in the outer crust depends strongly on initial composition. This work forms a basis for future studies of the sensitivity of crust models to nuclear physics and provides profiles of composition for realistic crust models.

Nuclear surface diffuseness revealed in nucleon-nucleus diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatakeyama, S.; Horiuchi, W.; Kohama, A.

2018-05-01

The nuclear surface provides useful information on nuclear radius, nuclear structure, as well as properties of nuclear matter. We discuss the relationship between the nuclear surface diffuseness and elastic scattering differential cross section at the first diffraction peak of high-energy nucleon-nucleus scattering as an efficient tool in order to extract the nuclear surface information from limited experimental data involving short-lived unstable nuclei. The high-energy reaction is described by a reliable microscopic reaction theory, the Glauber model. Extending the idea of the black sphere model, we find one-to-one correspondence between the nuclear bulk structure information and proton-nucleus elastic scattering diffraction peak. This implies that we can extract both the nuclear radius and diffuseness simultaneously, using the position of the first diffraction peak and its magnitude of the elastic scattering differential cross section. We confirm the reliability of this approach by using realistic density distributions obtained by a mean-field model.

The Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic, and Anti-Diabetic Nephritic Activities of Zeaxanthin in Diet-Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Sprague Dawley Rats.

PubMed

Kou, Ling; Du, Mingzhao; Zhang, Chaopu; Dai, Zhiyin; Li, Xuan; Zhang, Baohai

2017-07-01

Zeaxanthin (ZA), an important compound found in Lycium barbarum, shows various pharmacodynamic effects. In our present study, a high-fat, high-sucrose diet and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model was used to investigate the antidiabetic activities of ZA. After a 4-week administration of 200 and 400 mg/kg of ZA and 100 mg/kg of metformin hydrochloride, various blood biochemical indexes were detected. ZA strongly normalized the reduced bodyweight and enhanced fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats. The positive data obtained from the oral glucose tolerance test further confirmed its antidiabetic effects. ZA displayed significant hypolipidemic activities indicated by its modulation of serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. The antidiabetic nephropathy of ZA was confirmed by its regulation of pathological kidney structures, urine levels of n-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase and albuminuria, and serum levels of urea nitrogen. ZA inhibited the serum levels of inflammatory factors including interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nuclear factor kappa B, further confirming its renal protection. Moreover, the serum imbalances in superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, methane dicarboxylic aldehyde, and catalase were normalized by ZA, suggesting its antioxidant properties. Altogether, ZA produced hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antidiabetic nephritic effects in a diet-STZ-induced diabetic rat model.

Regulation of inward rectifier potassium current ionic channel remodeling by AT1 -Calcineurin-NFAT signaling pathway in stretch-induced hypertrophic atrial myocytes.

PubMed

He, Jionghong; Xu, Yanan; Yang, Long; Xia, Guiling; Deng, Na; Yang, Yongyao; Tian, Ye; Fu, Zenan; Huang, Yongqi

2018-05-02

Previous studies have shown that the activation of angiotensin II receptor type I (AT 1 ) is attributed to cardiac remodeling stimulated by increased heart load, and that it is followed by the activation of the calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) signaling pathway. Additionally, AT 1 has been found to be a regulator of cardiocyte ionic channel remodeling, and calcineurin-NFAT signals participate in the regulation of cardiocyte ionic channel expression. A hypothesis therefore follows that stretch stimulation may regulate cardiocyte ionic channel remodeling by activating the AT 1 -calcineurin-NFAT pathway. Here, we investigated the role of the AT 1 -calcineurin-NFAT pathway in the remodeling of inward rectifier potassium (I k1 ) channel, in addition to its role in changing action potential, in stretch-induced hypertrophic atrial myocytes of neonatal rats. Our results showed that increased stretch significantly led to atrial myocytes hypertrophy; it also increased the activity of calcineurin enzymatic activity, which was subsequently attenuated by telmisartan or cyclosporine-A. The level of NFAT 3 protein in nuclear extracts, the mRNA and protein expression of Kir2.1 in whole cell extracts, and the density of I k1 were noticeably increased in stretched samples. Stretch stimulation significantly shortened the action potential duration (APD) of repolarization at the 50% and 90% level. Telmisartan, cyclosporine-A, and 11R-VIVIT attenuated stretch-induced alterations in the levels of NFAT 3 , mRNA and protein expression of Kir2.1, the density of I k1 , and the APD. Our findings suggest that the AT 1 -calcineurin-NFAT signaling pathway played an important role in regulating I k1 channel remodeling and APD change in stretch-induced hypertrophic atrial myocytes of neonatal rats. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Trial densities for the extended Thomas-Fermi model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, An; Jimin, Hu

1996-02-01

A new and simplified form of nuclear densities is proposed for the extended Thomas-Fermi method (ETF) and applied to calculate the ground-state properties of several spherical nuclei, with results comparable or even better than other conventional density profiles. With the expectation value method (EVM) for microscopic corrections we checked our new densities for spherical nuclei. The binding energies of ground states almost reproduce the Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations exactly. Further applications to nuclei far away from the β-stability line are discussed.

76 FR 35137 - Vulnerability and Threat Information for Facilities Storing Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-16

... High-Level Radioactive Waste AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Public meeting... Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater Than Class C Waste,'' and 73... Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) storage facilities. The draft regulatory...

Estimation of Δ R/ R values by benchmark study of the Mössbauer Isomer shifts for Ru, Os complexes using relativistic DFT calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneko, Masashi; Yasuhara, Hiroki; Miyashita, Sunao; Nakashima, Satoru

2017-11-01

The present study applies all-electron relativistic DFT calculation with Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH) Hamiltonian to each ten sets of Ru and Os compounds. We perform the benchmark investigation of three density functionals (BP86, B3LYP and B2PLYP) using segmented all-electron relativistically contracted (SARC) basis set with the experimental Mössbauer isomer shifts for 99Ru and 189Os nuclides. Geometry optimizations at BP86 theory of level locate the structure in a local minimum. We calculate the contact density to the wavefunction obtained by a single point calculation. All functionals show the good linear correlation with experimental isomer shifts for both 99Ru and 189Os. Especially, B3LYP functional gives a stronger correlation compared to BP86 and B2PLYP functionals. The comparison of contact density between SARC and well-tempered basis set (WTBS) indicated that the numerical convergence of contact density cannot be obtained, but the reproducibility is less sensitive to the choice of basis set. We also estimate the values of Δ R/ R, which is an important nuclear constant, for 99Ru and 189Os nuclides by using the benchmark results. The sign of the calculated Δ R/ R values is consistent with the predicted data for 99Ru and 189Os. We obtain computationally the Δ R/ R values of 99Ru and 189Os (36.2 keV) as 2.35×10-4 and -0.20×10-4, respectively, at B3LYP level for SARC basis set.

Computational studies on the crystal structure, thermodynamic properties, detonation performance, and pyrolysis mechanism of 2,4,6,8-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacubane as a novel high energy density material.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; Du, Hongchen; Zhang, Jianying; Gong, Xuedong

2011-10-27

Studies have suggested that octanitrocubane (ONC) is one of the most powerful non-nuclear high energy density material (HEDM) currently known. 2,4,6,8-Tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacubane (TNTAC) studied in this work may also be a novel HEDM due to its high nitrogen content and crystal density. Density functional theory and molecular mechanics methods have been employed to study the crystal structure, IR spectrum, electronic structure, thermodynamic properties, gas-phase and condensed-phase heat of formation, detonation performance, and pyrolysis mechanism of TNTAC. The TNTAC has a predicted density of about 2.12 g/cm(3), and its detonation velocity (10.42 km/s) and detonation pressure (52.82 GPa) are higher than that of ONC. The crystalline packing is P2(1)2(1)2(1), and the corresponding cell parameters are Z = 4, a = 8.87 Å, b = 8.87 Å, and c = 11.47 Å. Both the density of states of the predicted crystal and the bond dissociation energy of the molecule in gas phase show that the cage C-N bond is the trigger bond during thermolysis. The activation energy of the pyrolysis initiation reaction obtained from the B3LYP/6-311++G(2df,2p) level is 125.98 kJ/mol, which indicates that TNTAC meets the thermal stability request as an exploitable HEDM.

Nuclear spin relaxation due to chemical shift anisotropy of gas-phase 129Xe.

PubMed

Hanni, Matti; Lantto, Perttu; Vaara, Juha

2011-08-14

Nuclear spin relaxation provides detailed dynamical information on molecular systems and materials. Here, first-principles modeling of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) relaxation time for the prototypic monoatomic (129)Xe gas is carried out, both complementing and predicting the results of NMR measurements. Our approach is based on molecular dynamics simulations combined with pre-parametrized ab initio binary nuclear shielding tensors, an "NMR force field". By using the Redfield relaxation formalism, the simulated CSA time correlation functions lead to spectral density functions that, for the first time, quantitatively determine the experimental spin-lattice relaxation times T(1). The quality requirements on both the Xe-Xe interaction potential and binary shielding tensor are investigated in the context of CSA T(1). Persistent dimers Xe(2) are found to be responsible for the CSA relaxation mechanism in the low-density limit of the gas, completely in line with the earlier experimental findings.

Ab Initio Investigations of High-Pressure Melting of Dense Lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clay, Raymond; Morales, Miguel; Bonev, Stanimir

Lithium at ambient conditions is the simplest alkali metal and exhibits textbook nearly-free electron behavior. As the density is increased, however, significant core/valence overlap leads to surprisingly complex chemistry. We have systematically investigated the phase diagram of lithium at pressures ranging between two and six million atmospheres. Through a combination of density functional theory based path-integral and classical molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the impact of both nuclear quantum effects and anharmonicity on the melting line and solid phase boundaries. We also investigate how the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects and approximations in the treatment of electronic exchange-correlation impact the robustness of previous predictions of tetrahedral clustering in dense liquid Li. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Comparative study of three-nucleon potentials in nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovato, Alessandro; Benhar, Omar; Fantoni, Stefano; Schmidt, Kevin E.

2012-02-01

A new generation of local three-body potentials providing an excellent description of the properties of light nuclei, as well as of the neutron-deuteron doublet scattering length, has been recently derived. We have performed a comparative analysis of the equations of state of both pure neutron matter (PNM) and symmetric nuclear matter (SNM) at zero temperature obtained using these models of three-nucleon forces. In particular, we have carried out both variational and auxiliary field diffusion Monte Carlo calculations of the equation of state of PNM, while in the case of SNM we have only the variational approach has been considered. None of the considered potentials simultaneously explains the empirical equilibrium density and binding energy of symmetric nuclear matter. However, two of them provide reasonable values of the saturation density. The ambiguity concerning the treatment of the contact term of the chiral inspired potentials is discussed.

Electron quantum dynamics in atom-ion interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sabzyan, H., E-mail: sabzyan@sci.ui.ac.ir; Jenabi, M. J.

2016-04-07

Electron transfer (ET) process and its dependence on the system parameters are investigated by solving two-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation numerically using split operator technique. Evolution of the electron wavepacket occurs from the one-electron species hydrogen atom to another bare nucleus of charge Z > 1. This evolution is quantified by partitioning the simulation box and defining regional densities belonging to the two nuclei of the system. It is found that the functional form of the time-variations of these regional densities and the extent of ET process depend strongly on the inter-nuclear distance and relative values of the nuclear charges, whichmore » define the potential energy surface governing the electron wavepacket evolution. Also, the initial electronic state of the single-electron atom has critical effect on this evolution and its consequent (partial) electron transfer depending on its spreading extent and orientation with respect to the inter-nuclear axis.« less

Cement As a Waste Form for Nuclear Fission Products: The Case of 90Sr and Its Daughters [Cement As a Container for Nuclear Fission Products: The Case of 90Sr and Its Daughters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dezerald, Lucile; Kohanoff, Jorge J.; Correa, Alfredo A.

One of the main challenges faced by the nuclear industry is the long-term confinement of nuclear waste. Because it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, cement is the material of choice to store large volumes of radioactive materials, in particular the low-level medium-lived fission products. It is therefore of utmost importance to assess the chemical and structural stability of cement containing radioactive species. Here, we use ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to study the effects of 90Sr insertion and decay in C–S–H (calcium-silicate-hydrate) in order to test the ability of cement to trap and hold thismore » radioactive fission product and to investigate the consequences of its β-decay on the cement paste structure. We show that 90Sr is stable when it substitutes the Ca 2+ ions in C–S–H, and so is its daughter nucleus 90Y after β-decay. Interestingly, 90Zr, daughter of 90Y and final product in the decay sequence, is found to be unstable compared to the bulk phase of the element at zero K but stable when compared to the solvated ion in water. Furthermore, cement appears as a suitable waste form for 90Sr storage.« less

Cement As a Waste Form for Nuclear Fission Products: The Case of 90Sr and Its Daughters [Cement As a Container for Nuclear Fission Products: The Case of 90Sr and Its Daughters

DOE PAGES

Dezerald, Lucile; Kohanoff, Jorge J.; Correa, Alfredo A.; ...

2015-10-29

One of the main challenges faced by the nuclear industry is the long-term confinement of nuclear waste. Because it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, cement is the material of choice to store large volumes of radioactive materials, in particular the low-level medium-lived fission products. It is therefore of utmost importance to assess the chemical and structural stability of cement containing radioactive species. Here, we use ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to study the effects of 90Sr insertion and decay in C–S–H (calcium-silicate-hydrate) in order to test the ability of cement to trap and hold thismore » radioactive fission product and to investigate the consequences of its β-decay on the cement paste structure. We show that 90Sr is stable when it substitutes the Ca 2+ ions in C–S–H, and so is its daughter nucleus 90Y after β-decay. Interestingly, 90Zr, daughter of 90Y and final product in the decay sequence, is found to be unstable compared to the bulk phase of the element at zero K but stable when compared to the solvated ion in water. Furthermore, cement appears as a suitable waste form for 90Sr storage.« less

Effect of buoyancy on fuel containment in an open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket engine.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putre, H. A.

1971-01-01

Analysis aimed at determining the scaling laws for the buoyancy effect on fuel containment in an open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket engine, so conducted that experimental conditions can be related to engine conditions. The fuel volume fraction in a short coaxial flow cavity is calculated with a programmed numerical solution of the steady Navier-Stokes equations for isothermal, variable density fluid mixing. A dimensionless parameter B, called the Buoyancy number, was found to correlate the fuel volume fraction for large accelerations and various density ratios. This parameter has the value B = 0 for zero acceleration, and B = 350 for typical engine conditions.

Combining Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Calculations to Characterize Carvedilol Polymorphs.

PubMed

Rezende, Carlos A; San Gil, Rosane A S; Borré, Leandro B; Pires, José Ricardo; Vaiss, Viviane S; Resende, Jackson A L C; Leitão, Alexandre A; De Alencastro, Ricardo B; Leal, Katia Z

2016-09-01

The experiments of carvedilol form II, form III, and hydrate by (13)C and (15)N cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP MAS) are reported. The GIPAW (gauge-including projector-augmented wave) method from DFT (density functional theory) calculations was used to simulate (13)C and (15)N chemical shifts. A very good agreement was found for the comparison between the global results of experimental and calculated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts for carvedilol polymorphs. This work aims a comprehensive understanding of carvedilol crystalline forms employing solution and solid-state NMR as well as DFT calculations. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Low-mass neutron stars: universal relations, the nuclear symmetry energy and gravitational radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O. Silva, Hector; Berti, Emanuele; Sotani, Hajime

2016-03-01

Compact objects such as neutron stars are ideal astrophysical laboratories to test our understanding of the fundamental interactions in the regime of supranuclear densities, unachievable by terrestrial experiments. Despite recent progress, the description of matter (i.e., the equation of state) at such densities is still debatable. This translates into uncertainties in the bulk properties of neutron stars, masses and radii for instance. Here we will consider low-mass neutron stars. Such stars are expected to carry important information on nuclear matter near the nuclear saturation point. It has recently been shown that the masses and surface redshifts of low-mass neutron stars smoothly depend on simple functions of the central density and of a characteristic parameter η associated with the choice of equation of state. Here we extend these results to slowly-rotating and tidally deformed stars and obtain empirical relations for various quantities, such as the moment of inertia, quadrupole moment and ellipticity, tidal and rotational Love numbers, and rotational apsidal constants. We discuss how these relations might be used to constrain the equation of state by future observations in the electromagnetic and gravitational-wave spectra.

Lack of sex-biased dispersal promotes fine-scale genetic structure in alpine ungulates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roffler, Gretchen H.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Luikart, Gordon; Sage, George K.; Pilgrim, Kristy L.; Adams, Layne G.; Schwartz, Michael K.

2014-01-01

Identifying patterns of fine-scale genetic structure in natural populations can advance understanding of critical ecological processes such as dispersal and gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes. Alpine ungulates generally exhibit high levels of genetic structure due to female philopatry and patchy configuration of mountain habitats. We assessed the spatial scale of genetic structure and the amount of gene flow in 301 Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) at the landscape level using 15 nuclear microsatellites and 473 base pairs of the mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region. Dall’s sheep exhibited significant genetic structure within contiguous mountain ranges, but mtDNA structure occurred at a broader geographic scale than nuclear DNA within the study area, and mtDNA structure for other North American mountain sheep populations. No evidence of male-mediated gene flow or greater philopatry of females was observed; there was little difference between markers with different modes of inheritance (pairwise nuclear DNA F ST = 0.004–0.325; mtDNA F ST = 0.009–0.544), and males were no more likely than females to be recent immigrants. Historical patterns based on mtDNA indicate separate northern and southern lineages and a pattern of expansion following regional glacial retreat. Boundaries of genetic clusters aligned geographically with prominent mountain ranges, icefields, and major river valleys based on Bayesian and hierarchical modeling of microsatellite and mtDNA data. Our results suggest that fine-scale genetic structure in Dall’s sheep is influenced by limited dispersal, and structure may be weaker in populations occurring near ancestral levels of density and distribution in continuous habitats compared to other alpine ungulates that have experienced declines and marked habitat fragmentation.

DISCOVERY OF RR LYRAE STARS IN THE NUCLEAR BULGE OF THE MILKY WAY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Minniti, Dante; Ramos, Rodrigo Contreras; Zoccali, Manuela

Galactic nuclei, such as that of the Milky Way, are extreme regions with high stellar densities, and in most cases, the hosts of a supermassive black hole. One of the scenarios proposed for the formation of the Galactic nucleus is merging of primordial globular clusters. An implication of this model is that this region should host stars that are characteristically found in old Milky Way globular clusters. RR Lyrae stars are primary distance indicators, well known representatives of old and metal-poor stellar populations, and therefore are regularly found in globular clusters. Here we report the discovery of a dozen RRmore » Lyrae type ab stars in the vicinity of the Galactic center, i.e., in the so-called nuclear stellar bulge of the Milky Way. This discovery provides the first direct observational evidence that the Galactic nuclear stellar bulge contains ancient stars (>10 Gyr old). Based on this we conclude that merging globular clusters likely contributed to the build-up of the high stellar density in the nuclear stellar bulge of the Milky Way.« less

An evaluation of UO2-CNT composites made by SPS as an accident tolerant nuclear fuel pellet and the feasibility of SPS as an economical fabrication process for the nuclear fuel cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartas, Andrew R.

The innovative and advanced purpose of this study is to understand and establish proper sintering procedures for Spark Plasma Sintering process in order to fabricate high density, high thermal conductivity UO2 -CNT pellets. Mixing quality and chemical reactions have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of various types of CNTs on the mixing and sintering quality of UO2-CNT pellets with SPS processing have been examined. The Archimedes Immersion Method, laser flash method, and FE-SEM will be used to investigate the density, thermal conductivity, grain size, pinning effects, and CNT dispersion of fabricated UO2-CNT pellets. Pre-fabricated CNT's were added to UO 2 powder and dispersed via sonication and/or ball milling and then made into composite nuclear pellets. An investigation of the economic impact of SPS on the nuclear fuel cycle for producing pure and composite UO2 fuels was conducted.

Rat pancreatic B-cells after chronic alcohol feeding. A morphometric and fine structural study.

PubMed

Koko, V; Todorović, V; Nikolić, J A; Glisić, R; Cakić, M; Lacković, V; Petronijević, L; Stojković, M; Varagić, J; Janić, B

1995-04-01

Quantitative analysis of the light microscopic and fine structure of rat islet B-cells was carried out in chronic alcoholism. Absolute pancreatic weight and volume were similar in groups C (control) and E (ethanol), but relative pancreatic weight in group E rat was decreased. The results for fasting blood glucose and insulin levels were similar in the two groups of animals. There was a significantly reduced total pancreatic islet volume in E rats. The total number of endocrine cells both per islet and per microns2 of islet was similar in the two groups of animals. The volume density and number of B-cells per islet and per microns2 of islet were not changed in ethanol-treated rats as compared with the control. On the other hand, diameter, surface area and volume of the B-cells and their nuclei were found to be statistically significantly decreased. Histological examination revealed that islet blood vessels were dilated in alcoholic rats. Over the 4-month period of ethanol intake a significant decrease in cell profile area, nuclear profile area and volume density of cytoplasmic granules and an increase in the profile area and volume density of endoplasmic reticulum occurred. The gross histological alteration seen in most B-cells of the ethanol-treated rats was irregularity of the nuclear envelope with deep invagination and with margination of heterochromatin and many empty granules or granules without clear electron dense crystals of insulin. The present results indicate some optical and structural abnormalities of B-cells in chronic alcoholism that may be related to cell dysfunction and may contribute, at least in part, to the endocrine pancreas functional disturbance.

1H-NMR-Based Metabolic Profiling of Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood Indicates Altered Materno-Foetal Nutrient Exchange in Preterm Infants

PubMed Central

Küster, Alice; Guignard, Nadia; Alexandre–Gouabau, Marie-Cécile; Darmaun, Dominique; Robins, Richard J.

2012-01-01

Background Adequate foetal growth is primarily determined by nutrient availability, which is dependent on placental nutrient transport and foetal metabolism. We have used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to probe the metabolic adaptations associated with premature birth. Methodology The metabolic profile in 1H NMR spectra of plasma taken immediately after birth from umbilical vein, umbilical artery and maternal blood were recorded for mothers delivering very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) or normo-ponderal full-term (FT) neonates. Principal Findings Clear distinctions between maternal and cord plasma of all samples were observed by principal component analysis (PCA). Levels of amino acids, glucose, and albumin-lysyl in cord plasma exceeded those in maternal plasma, whereas lipoproteins (notably low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and lipid levels were lower in cord plasma from both VLBW and FT neonates. The metabolic signature of mothers delivering VLBW infants included decreased levels of acetate and increased levels of lipids, pyruvate, glutamine, valine and threonine. Decreased levels of lipoproteins glucose, pyruvate and albumin-lysyl and increased levels of glutamine were characteristic of cord blood (both arterial and venous) from VLBW infants, along with a decrease in levels of several amino acids in arterial cord blood. Conclusion These results show that, because of its characteristics and simple non-invasive mode of collection, cord plasma is particularly suited for metabolomic analysis even in VLBW infants and provides new insights into the materno-foetal nutrient exchange in preterm infants. PMID:22291897

Evaluation of initial subgrade variability on the Ohio SHRP test road : interim report for continued monitoring of instrumented pavement in Ohio.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) currently uses density and moisture measured with a nuclear density gauge as the principal criteria for approving subgrade construction in Ohio. This procedure is time consuming, thereby restricting the nu...

Initial results from a multiple monoenergetic gamma radiography system for nuclear security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Day, Buckley E.; Hartwig, Zachary S.; Lanza, Richard C.; Danagoulian, Areg

2016-10-01

The detection of assembled nuclear devices and concealed special nuclear materials (SNM) such as plutonium or uranium in commercial cargo traffic is a major challenge in mitigating the threat of nuclear terrorism. Currently available radiographic and active interrogation systems use ∼1-10 MeV bremsstrahlung photon beams. Although simple to build and operate, bremsstrahlung-based systems deliver high radiation doses to the cargo and to potential stowaways. To eliminate problematic issues of high dose, we are developing a novel technique known as multiple monoenergetic gamma radiography (MMGR). MMGR uses ion-induced nuclear reactions to produce two monoenergetic gammas for dual-energy radiography. This allows us to image the areal density and effective atomic number (Zeff) of scanned cargo. We present initial results from the proof-of-concept experiment, which was conducted at the MIT Bates Research and Engineering Center. The purpose of the experiment was to assess the capabilities of MMGR to measure areal density and Zeff of container cargo mockups. The experiment used a 3.0 MeV radiofrequency quadrupole accelerator to create sources of 4.44 MeV and 15.11 MeV gammas from the 11B(d,nγ)12C reaction in a thick natural boron target; the gammas are detected by an array of NaI(Tl) detectors after transmission through cargo mockups . The measured fluxes of transmitted 4.44 MeV and 15.11 MeV gammas were used to assess the areal density and Zeff. Initial results show that MMGR is capable of discriminating the presence of high-Z materials concealed in up to 30 cm of iron shielding from low- and mid-Z materials present in the cargo mockup.

Debye sheath mechanism at laser plasma interaction and generalization to nuclear forces and quark-gluon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osman, Frederick; Ghahramani, Nader; Hora, Heinrich

2005-10-01

The studies of laser ablation have lead to a new theory of nuclei, endothermic nuclei generation, and quark-gluon plasmas. The surface of ablated plasma expanding into vacuum after high power laser irradiation of targets contains an electric double layer having the thickness of the Debye length. This led to the discovery of surface tension in plasmas, and led to the internal dynamic electric fields in all inhomogeneous plasmas. The surface tension causes stabilization by short length surface wave smoothing the expanding plasma plume and to stabilization against the Rayleigh Taylor instability. Generalizing this to the degenerate electrons in a metal with the Fermi energy instead of the temperature resulted in the first quantum theory of surface tension of metals in agreement with measurements. Taking the Fermi energy in the Debye length for nucleons results in a theory of nuclei with stable confinement of protons and neutrons just at the well-known nuclear density, and the Debye lengths equal to the Hofstadter decay of the nuclear surface. Increasing the nuclear density by a factor of 10 leads to a change of the Fermi energy into its relativistic branch where no surface energy is possible and the particle mass is not defined, permitting the quark gluon plasma. Expansion of this higher density at the big bang or in super-nova results in nucleation and element generation. The Boltzmann equilibrium permits the synthesis of nuclei even in the endothermic range, however with the limit to about uranium. A relation for the magic numbers leads to a quark structure of nuclear shells that can be understood as a duality property of nuclei with respect to nucleons and quarks

Systems-level chromosomal parameters represent a suprachromosomal basis for the non-random chromosomal arrangement in human interphase nuclei

PubMed Central

Fatakia, Sarosh N.; Mehta, Ishita S.; Rao, Basuthkar J.

2016-01-01

Forty-six chromosome territories (CTs) are positioned uniquely in human interphase nuclei, wherein each of their positions can range from the centre of the nucleus to its periphery. A non-empirical basis for their non-random arrangement remains unreported. Here, we derive a suprachromosomal basis of that overall arrangement (which we refer to as a CT constellation), and report a hierarchical nature of the same. Using matrix algebra, we unify intrinsic chromosomal parameters (e.g., chromosomal length, gene density, the number of genes per chromosome), to derive an extrinsic effective gene density matrix, the hierarchy of which is dominated largely by extrinsic mathematical coupling of HSA19, followed by HSA17 (human chromosome 19 and 17, both preferentially interior CTs) with all CTs. We corroborate predicted constellations and effective gene density hierarchy with published reports from fluorescent in situ hybridization based microscopy and Hi-C techniques, and delineate analogous hierarchy in disparate vertebrates. Our theory accurately predicts CTs localised to the nuclear interior, which interestingly share conserved synteny with HSA19 and/or HSA17. Finally, the effective gene density hierarchy dictates how permutations among CT position represents the plasticity within its constellations, based on which we suggest that a differential mix of coding with noncoding genome modulates the same. PMID:27845379

Serum amyloid A stimulates macrophage foam cell formation via lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 upregulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Ha Young, E-mail: hayoung@skku.edu; Mitochondria Hub Regulation Center, Dong-A University, Busan 602-714; Kim, Sang Doo

2013-03-29

Highlights: ► SAA induced macrophage foam cell formation. ► SAA stimulated upregulation of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX1). ► SAA-induced LOX1 expression and foam cell formation is mediated by JNK/NF-κB signaling. ► HDL-conjugated SAA also stimulates foam cell formation via LOX1 upregulation. ► The finding reveals a novel mechanism of action of SAA in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. -- Abstract: Elevated levels of serum amyloid A (SAA) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, however, the role of SAA in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis remains unclear. Here we show that SAA induced macrophage foam cell formation. SAA-stimulated foammore » cell formation was mediated by c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling. Moreover, both SAA and SAA-conjugated high density lipoprotein stimulated the expression of the important scavenger receptor lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX1) via nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). A LOX1 antagonist carrageenan significantly blocked SAA-induced foam cell formation, indicating that SAA promotes foam cell formation via LOX1 expression. Our findings therefore suggest that SAA stimulates foam cell formation via LOX1 induction, and thus likely contributes to atherogenesis.« less

Nuclear Propulsion through Direct Conversion of Fusion Energy: The Fusion Driven Rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slough, John; Pancotti, Anthony; Kirtley, David; Pihl, Christopher; Pfaff, Michael

2012-01-01

The future of manned space exploration and development of space depends critically on the creation of a dramatically more proficient propulsion architecture for in-space transportation. A very persuasive reason for investigating the applicability of nuclear power in rockets is the vast energy density gain of nuclear fuel when compared to chemical combustion energy. Current nuclear fusion efforts have focused on the generation of electric grid power and are wholly inappropriate for space transportation as the application of a reactor based fusion-electric system creates a colossal mass and heat rejection problem for space application.

The triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio in adolescence and subsequent weight gain predict nuclear magnetic resonance-measured lipoprotein subclasses in adulthood.

PubMed

Weiss, Ram; Otvos, James D; Sinnreich, Ronit; Miserez, Andre R; Kark, Jeremy D

2011-01-01

To assess whether the fasting triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (TG/HDL) ratio in adolescence is predictive of a proatherogenic lipid profile in adulthood. A longitudinal follow-up of 770 Israeli adolescents 16 to 17 years of age who participated in the Jerusalem Lipid Research Clinic study and were reevaluated 13 years later. Lipoprotein particle size was assessed at the follow-up with proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The TG/HDL ratio measured in adolescence was strongly associated with low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and HDL mean particle size in young adulthood in both sexes, even after adjustment for baseline body mass index and body mass index change. The TG/HDL ratio measured in adolescence and subsequent weight gain independently predicted atherogenic small low-density lipoprotein and large VLDL particle concentrations (P < .001 in both sexes). Baseline TG/HDL and weight gain interacted to increase large VLDL concentration in men (P < .001). Adolescents with an elevated TG/HDL ratio are prone to express a proatherogenic lipid profile in adulthood. This profile is additionally worsened by weight gain. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection of special nuclear materials using prompt gamma-rays from fast and slow neutron-induced fission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Steven Ze

A complete system has been simulated using experimentally obtained input parameters for the detection of special nuclear materials (SNM). A variation of the associated particle imaging (API) technique, referred to as reverse associated particle imaging detection (RAPID), has been developed in the context of detecting 5-kg spherical samples of U-235 in cargo containers uniformly filled with wood (low-Z) or iron (high-Z) at densities ranging from 0.1 g/cm3 to 0.4 g/cm3, the maximal density for a uniformly fully loaded 40-ft standard cargo container. In addition, samples were located at the center of a given container to study worst-case scenarios. The RAPID technique allows for the interrogation of containers at neutron production rates between 1x108 neutrons/s and 4x108 neutrons/s, depending on cargo material and density. These rates are low enough to prevent transmutation of materials in cargo and radiation safety hazards are limited. The merit of performance for the system is the time to detect the threat material with 95% probability of detection and 10-4 false positive rate per interrogated voxel of cargo. The detection of 5-kg of U-235 was chosen because this quantity of material is near the lower limit of the amount of special nuclear material that might be used in a nuclear weapon. This is in contrast to the 25-kg suggested sensitivity proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Correlation of outer nuclear layer thickness with cone density values in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and healthy subjects.

PubMed

Menghini, Moreno; Lujan, Brandon J; Zayit-Soudry, Shiri; Syed, Reema; Porco, Travis C; Bayabo, Kristine; Carroll, Joseph; Roorda, Austin; Duncan, Jacque L

2014-12-16

We studied the correlation between outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and cone density in normal eyes and eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans were acquired using a displaced pupil entry position of the scanning beam to distinguish Henle's fiber layer from the ONL in 20 normal eyes (10 subjects) and 12 eyes with RP (7 patients). Cone photoreceptors were imaged using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. The ONL thickness and cone density were measured at 0.5° intervals along the horizontal meridian through the fovea nasally and temporally. The ONL thickness and cone density were correlated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r. Cone densities averaged over the central 6° were lower in eyes with RP than normal, but showed high variability in both groups. The ONL thickness and cone density were significantly correlated when all retinal eccentricities were combined (r = 0.74); the correlation for regions within 0.5° to 1.5° eccentricity was stronger (r = 0.67) than between 1.5° and 3.0° eccentricity (r = 0.23). Although cone densities were lower between 0.5° and 1.5° in eyes with RP, ONL thickness measures at identical retinal locations were similar in the two groups (P = 0.31), and interindividual variation was high for ONL and cone density measures. Although ONL thickness and retinal eccentricity were important predictors of cone density, eccentricity was over 3 times more important. The ONL thickness and cone density were correlated in normal eyes and eyes with RP, but both were strongly correlated with retinal eccentricity, precluding estimation of cone density from ONL thickness. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00254605.). Copyright 2015 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Correlation of Outer Nuclear Layer Thickness With Cone Density Values in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa and Healthy Subjects

PubMed Central

Menghini, Moreno; Lujan, Brandon J.; Zayit-Soudry, Shiri; Syed, Reema; Porco, Travis C.; Bayabo, Kristine; Carroll, Joseph; Roorda, Austin; Duncan, Jacque L.

2015-01-01

Purpose. We studied the correlation between outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and cone density in normal eyes and eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Methods. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans were acquired using a displaced pupil entry position of the scanning beam to distinguish Henle's fiber layer from the ONL in 20 normal eyes (10 subjects) and 12 eyes with RP (7 patients). Cone photoreceptors were imaged using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. The ONL thickness and cone density were measured at 0.5° intervals along the horizontal meridian through the fovea nasally and temporally. The ONL thickness and cone density were correlated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient r. Results. Cone densities averaged over the central 6° were lower in eyes with RP than normal, but showed high variability in both groups. The ONL thickness and cone density were significantly correlated when all retinal eccentricities were combined (r = 0.74); the correlation for regions within 0.5° to 1.5° eccentricity was stronger (r = 0.67) than between 1.5° and 3.0° eccentricity (r = 0.23). Although cone densities were lower between 0.5° and 1.5° in eyes with RP, ONL thickness measures at identical retinal locations were similar in the two groups (P = 0.31), and interindividual variation was high for ONL and cone density measures. Although ONL thickness and retinal eccentricity were important predictors of cone density, eccentricity was over 3 times more important. Conclusions. The ONL thickness and cone density were correlated in normal eyes and eyes with RP, but both were strongly correlated with retinal eccentricity, precluding estimation of cone density from ONL thickness. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00254605.) PMID:25515570

Nuclear Computational Low Energy Initiative (NUCLEI)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reddy, Sanjay K.

This is the final report for University of Washington for the NUCLEI SciDAC-3. The NUCLEI -project, as defined by the scope of work, will develop, implement and run codes for large-scale computations of many topics in low-energy nuclear physics. Physics to be studied include the properties of nuclei and nuclear decays, nuclear structure and reactions, and the properties of nuclear matter. The computational techniques to be used include Quantum Monte Carlo, Configuration Interaction, Coupled Cluster, and Density Functional methods. The research program will emphasize areas of high interest to current and possible future DOE nuclear physics facilities, including ATLAS andmore » FRIB (nuclear structure and reactions, and nuclear astrophysics), TJNAF (neutron distributions in nuclei, few body systems, and electroweak processes), NIF (thermonuclear reactions), MAJORANA and FNPB (neutrino-less double-beta decay and physics beyond the Standard Model), and LANSCE (fission studies).« less

Hindered rotation and nuclear spin isomers separation of molecularly chemisorbed H2 on Pd(210)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arguelles, Elvis F.; Kasai, Hideaki

2018-03-01

We investigated the hindered rotation and nuclear spin isomer separation of H2 on Pd(210) for various pre-adsorbed atomic hydrogen coverages (Θ), by total energy calculations based on density functional theory. Our results revealed that H2 is in the molecularly chemisorbed state and the adsorption is characterized by a highly anisotropic potential energy surface. Further, we found that J = 1 degenerate level splitting is insensitive to the increase in Θ from 1 to 2 ML. This is due to the comparable potential strengths hindering/restricting the polar rotations in both coverages. On a fully H passivated (3 ML) Pd(210), H2 is in a weakly physisorbed state with a negligible potential anisotropy. Our findings suggest that the activation barrier for polar rotational motion does not strongly depend on the adsorption energy but rather on the surface-molecule bond. The estimated rotational state desorption energies show a separation of ortho and para isomers by around 7.0 meV.

Description of an aircraft lightning and simulated nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP) threat based on experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rustan, Pedro L., Jr.

1987-01-01

Lightning data obtained by measuring the surface electromagnetic fields on a CV-580 research aircraft during 48 lightning strikes between 1500 and 18,000 feet in central Florida during the summers of 1984 and 1985, and nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP) data obtained by surface electromagnetic field measurements using a 1:74 CV-580 scale model, are presented. From one lightning event, maximum values of 3750 T/s for the time rate of change of the surface magnetic flux density, and 4.7 kA for the peak current, were obtained. From the simulated NEMP test, maximum values of 40,000 T/s for the time rate of change of the surface magnetic flux density, and 90 A/sq m for the total normal current density, were found. The data have application to the development of a military aircraft lightning/NEMP standard.

Modeling Electronic-Nuclear Interactions for Excitation Energy Transfer Processes in Light-Harvesting Complexes.

PubMed

Lee, Mi Kyung; Coker, David F

2016-08-18

An accurate approach for computing intermolecular and intrachromophore contributions to spectral densities to describe the electronic-nuclear interactions relevant for modeling excitation energy transfer processes in light harvesting systems is presented. The approach is based on molecular dynamics (MD) calculations of classical correlation functions of long-range contributions to excitation energy fluctuations and a separate harmonic analysis and single-point gradient quantum calculations for electron-intrachromophore vibrational couplings. A simple model is also presented that enables detailed analysis of the shortcomings of standard MD-based excitation energy fluctuation correlation function approaches. The method introduced here avoids these problems, and its reliability is demonstrated in accurate predictions for bacteriochlorophyll molecules in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson pigment-protein complex, where excellent agreement with experimental spectral densities is found. This efficient approach can provide instantaneous spectral densities for treating the influence of fluctuations in environmental dissipation on fast electronic relaxation.

Correlations between emission timescale of fragments and isospin dynamics in 124Sn+64Ni and 112Sn+58Ni reactions at 35A MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Filippo, E.; Pagano, A.; Russotto, P.; Amorini, F.; Anzalone, A.; Auditore, L.; Baran, V.; Berceanu, I.; Borderie, B.; Bougault, R.; Bruno, M.; Cap, T.; Cardella, G.; Cavallaro, S.; Chatterjee, M. B.; Chbihi, A.; Colonna, M.; D'Agostino, M.; Dayras, R.; Di Toro, M.; Frankland, J.; Galichet, E.; Gawlikowicz, W.; Geraci, E.; Grzeszczuk, A.; Guazzoni, P.; Kowalski, S.; La Guidara, E.; Lanzalone, G.; Lanzanò, G.; Le Neindre, N.; Lombardo, I.; Maiolino, C.; Papa, M.; Piasecki, E.; Pirrone, S.; Płaneta, R.; Politi, G.; Pop, A.; Porto, F.; Rivet, M. F.; Rizzo, F.; Rosato, E.; Schmidt, K.; Siwek-Wilczyńska, K.; Skwira-Chalot, I.; Trifirò, A.; Trimarchi, M.; Verde, G.; Vigilante, M.; Wieleczko, J. P.; Wilczyński, J.; Zetta, L.; Zipper, W.

2012-07-01

We present a new experimental method to correlate the isotopic composition of intermediate mass fragments (IMF) emitted at midrapidity in semiperipheral collisions with the emission timescale: IMFs emitted in the early stage of the reaction show larger values of isospin asymmetry, stronger angular anisotropies, and reduced odd-even staggering effects in neutron to proton ratio distributions than those produced in sequential statistical emission. All these effects support the concept of isospin “migration”, that is sensitive to the density gradient between participant and quasispectator nuclear matter, in the so called neck fragmentation mechanism. By comparing the data to a stochastic mean field (SMF) simulation we show that this method gives valuable constraints on the symmetry energy term of nuclear equation of state at subsaturation densities. An indication emerges for a linear density dependence of the symmetry energy.

Scaling within the spectral function approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobczyk, J. E.; Rocco, N.; Lovato, A.; Nieves, J.

2018-03-01

Scaling features of the nuclear electromagnetic response functions unveil aspects of nuclear dynamics that are crucial for interpreting neutrino- and electron-scattering data. In the large momentum-transfer regime, the nucleon-density response function defines a universal scaling function, which is independent of the nature of the probe. In this work, we analyze the nucleon-density response function of 12C, neglecting collective excitations. We employ particle and hole spectral functions obtained within two distinct many-body methods, both widely used to describe electroweak reactions in nuclei. We show that the two approaches provide compatible nucleon-density scaling functions that for large momentum transfers satisfy first-kind scaling. Both methods yield scaling functions characterized by an asymmetric shape, although less pronounced than that of experimental scaling functions. This asymmetry, only mildly affected by final state interactions, is mostly due to nucleon-nucleon correlations, encoded in the continuum component of the hole spectral function.

Quantum wavepacket ab initio molecular dynamics: an approach for computing dynamically averaged vibrational spectra including critical nuclear quantum effects.

PubMed

Sumner, Isaiah; Iyengar, Srinivasan S

2007-10-18

We have introduced a computational methodology to study vibrational spectroscopy in clusters inclusive of critical nuclear quantum effects. This approach is based on the recently developed quantum wavepacket ab initio molecular dynamics method that combines quantum wavepacket dynamics with ab initio molecular dynamics. The computational efficiency of the dynamical procedure is drastically improved (by several orders of magnitude) through the utilization of wavelet-based techniques combined with the previously introduced time-dependent deterministic sampling procedure measure to achieve stable, picosecond length, quantum-classical dynamics of electrons and nuclei in clusters. The dynamical information is employed to construct a novel cumulative flux/velocity correlation function, where the wavepacket flux from the quantized particle is combined with classical nuclear velocities to obtain the vibrational density of states. The approach is demonstrated by computing the vibrational density of states of [Cl-H-Cl]-, inclusive of critical quantum nuclear effects, and our results are in good agreement with experiment. A general hierarchical procedure is also provided, based on electronic structure harmonic frequencies, classical ab initio molecular dynamics, computation of nuclear quantum-mechanical eigenstates, and employing quantum wavepacket ab initio dynamics to understand vibrational spectroscopy in hydrogen-bonded clusters that display large degrees of anharmonicities.

Complex-energy approach to sum rules within nuclear density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Hinohara, Nobuo; Kortelainen, Markus; Nazarewicz, Witold; ...

2015-04-27

The linear response of the nucleus to an external field contains unique information about the effective interaction, correlations governing the behavior of the many-body system, and properties of its excited states. To characterize the response, it is useful to use its energy-weighted moments, or sum rules. By comparing computed sum rules with experimental values, the information content of the response can be utilized in the optimization process of the nuclear Hamiltonian or nuclear energy density functional (EDF). But the additional information comes at a price: compared to the ground state, computation of excited states is more demanding. To establish anmore » efficient framework to compute energy-weighted sum rules of the response that is adaptable to the optimization of the nuclear EDF and large-scale surveys of collective strength, we have developed a new technique within the complex-energy finite-amplitude method (FAM) based on the quasiparticle random- phase approximation. The proposed sum-rule technique based on the complex-energy FAM is a tool of choice when optimizing effective interactions or energy functionals. The method is very efficient and well-adaptable to parallel computing. As a result, the FAM formulation is especially useful when standard theorems based on commutation relations involving the nuclear Hamiltonian and external field cannot be used.« less

Symmetry properties of the electron density and following from it limits on the KS-DFT applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, Ilya G.

2018-03-01

At present, the Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach elaborated by Kohn with co-authors more than 50 years ago became the most widely used method for study molecules and solids. Using modern computation facilities, it can be applied to systems with million atoms. In the atmosphere of such great popularity, it is particularly important to know the limits of the applicability of DFT methods. In this report, I will discuss two cases when the conventional DFT approaches, using only electron density ρ and its gradients, cannot be applied (I will not consider the Ψ-versions of DFT). The first case is quite evident. In the degenerated states, the electron density may not be defined, since electronic and nuclear motions cannot be separated, the vibronic interaction mixed them. The second case is related to the spin of the state. As it was rigorously proved by group theoretical methods at the theorem level, the electron density does not depend on the total spin S of the arbitrary N-electron state. It means that the Kohn-Sham equations have the same form for states with different S. The critical survey of elaborated DFT procedures, taking into account spin, shows that they modified only exchange functionals, the correlation functionals do not correspond to the spin of the state. The point is that the conception of spin cannot be defined in the framework of the electron density formalism, which corresponds to the one-particle reduced density matrix. This is the main reason of the problems arising in the study by DFT of magnetic properties of the transition metals. The possible way of resolving these problems can be found in the two-particle reduced density matrix formulation of DFT.

Detection of on-surface objects with an underground radiography detector system using cosmic-ray muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Hirofumi; Hara, Kazuhiko; Hayashi, Kohei; Kakuno, Hidekazu; Kodama, Hideyo; Nagamine, Kanetada; Sato, Kazuyuki; Sato, Kotaro; Kim, Shin-Hong; Suzuki, Atsuto; Takahashi, Kazuki; Takasaki, Fumihiko

2017-05-01

We have developed a compact muon radiography detector to investigate the status of the nuclear debris in the Fukushima Daiichi Reactors. Our previous observation showed that a large portion of the Unit-1 Reactor fuel had fallen to floor level. The detector must be located underground to further investigate the status of the fallen debris. To investigate the performance of muon radiography in such a situation, we observed 2 m cubic iron blocks located on the surface of the ground through different lengths of ground soil. The iron blocks were imaged and their corresponding iron density was derived successfully.

Single inclusive jet production and the nuclear modification ratio at very forward rapidity in proton-lead collisions with √{sNN } = 5.02 TeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bury, Marcin; Van Haevermaet, Hans; Van Hameren, Andreas; Van Mechelen, Pierre; Kutak, Krzysztof; Serino, Mirko

2018-05-01

We present calculations of single inclusive jet transverse momentum and energy spectra at forward rapidity (5.2 < y < 6.6) in proton-lead collisions with √{sNN } = 5.02 TeV. The predictions are obtained with the KaTie Monte Carlo event generator, which allows to calculate interactions within the High Energy Factorisation framework. The tree-level matrix element results are subsequently interfaced with the CASCADE Monte Carlo event generator to account for hadronisation. The effects of the saturation of the gluon density, leading to suppression of the cross section, are investigated.

Physics through the 1990s: Nuclear physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The volume begins with a non-mathematical introduction to nuclear physics. A description of the major advances in the field follows, with chapters on nuclear structure and dynamics, fundamental forces in the nucleus, and nuclei under extreme conditions of temperature, density, and spin. Impacts of nuclear physics on astrophysics and the scientific and societal benefits of nuclear physics are then discussed. Another section deals with scientific frontiers, describing research into the realm of the quark-gluon plasma; the changing description of nuclear matter, specifically the use of the quark model; and the implications of the standard model and grand unified theories of elementary-particle physics; and finishes with recommendations and priorities for nuclear physics research facilities, instrumentation, accelerators, theory, education, and data bases. Appended are a list of national accelerator facilities, a list of reviewers, a bibliography, and a glossary.

Expression of pERK and pAKT in human astrocytomas: correlation with IDH1-R132H presence, vascular endothelial growth factor, microvascular characteristics and clinical outcome.

PubMed

Saetta, Angelica A; Levidou, Georgia; El-Habr, Elias A; Panayotidis, Ioannis; Samaras, Vassilis; Thymara, Irene; Sakellariou, Stratigoula; Boviatsis, Efstathios; Patsouris, Efstratios; Korkolopoulou, Penelope

2011-06-01

Although pERK and pAKT are reportedly activated in various neoplasms, little information is available about their significance in astrocytomas. Paraffin-embedded tissue from 82 patients with diffuse infiltrating astrocytomas (grades II to IV) was investigated for the association of pERK and pAKT activation with clinicopathological features, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and microvascular parameters. Nuclear pERK labelling index (LI) increased with increasing cytoplasmic pERK LI and nuclear and cytoplasmic pAKT LI (p = 0.0019, p = 0.0260 and p = 0.0012, respectively). Accordingly, cytoplasmic pERK increased with increasing levels of nuclear (p = 0.0001) and marginally with cytoplasmic pAKT LI (p = 0.0526). Nuclear and cytoplasmic pERK LI and nuclear pAKT LI were positively correlated with tumour histological grade (p = 0.0040, p = 0.0238 for pERK and p = 0.0004 for pAKT, respectively). VEGF expression was correlated with nuclear pERK (p = 0.0099) and nuclear pAKT LI (p = 0.0002). Interestingly, pERK cytoplasmic LI increased with microvessel calibre (p = 0.0287), whereas pAKT nuclear LI was marginally related to microvessel density (p = 0.0685). The presence of IDH1-R132H was related only to histological grade and lower microvessel calibre. Multivariate survival analysis in the entire cohort selected cytoplasmic pAKT LI (p = 0.045), histological grade, microvessel calibre (p = 0.028), patients' age, gender and surgical excision as independent predictors of survival. Moreover, in glioblastomas, pERK nuclear LI emerged as a favourable prognosticator in the presence of IDH1-R132H. pERK and pAKT in astrocytomas are interrelated and associated with tumour grade and angiogenesis. Moreover, the importance of cytoplasmic pAKT immunoexpression in patients' prognosis and nuclear pERK immunoexpression in glioblastomas is confirmed.

In-medium effects via nuclear stopping in asymmetric colliding nuclei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaur, Mandeep

2016-05-06

The nuclear stopping is studied using isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics (IQMD) model in asymmetric colliding nuclei by varying mass asymmetry. The calculations have been done at incident energies varying between 50 and 400 MeV/nucleon for different impact parameters. We investigate the relative role of constant scaled and density-dependent scaled cross-sections. Our study reveals that nuclear stopping depends on the mass asymmetry, incident energy and impact parameter, however, it is independent of the way of scaling the cross-section.

Mendelian randomization analysis in three Japanese populations supports a causal role of alcohol consumption in lowering low-density lipid cholesterol levels and particle numbers.

PubMed

Tabara, Yasuharu; Ueshima, Hirotsugu; Takashima, Naoyuki; Hisamatsu, Takashi; Fujiyoshi, Akira; Zaid, Maryam; Sumi, Masaki; Kohara, Katsuhiko; Miki, Tetsuro; Miura, Katsuyuki

2016-11-01

While alcohol consumption is known to increase plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, its relationship with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels is unclear. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a rate-controlling enzyme in alcohol metabolism, but a large number of Japanese people have the inactive allele. Here, we conducted a Mendelian randomization analysis using the ALDH2 genotype to clarify a causal role of alcohol on circulating cholesterol levels and lipoprotein particle numbers. This study was conducted in three independent general Japanese populations (men, n = 2289; women, n = 1940; mean age 63.3 ± 11.2 years). Alcohol consumption was assessed using a questionnaire. Lipoprotein particle numbers were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Alcohol consumption increased linearly in proportion to the number of subjects carrying the enzymatically active *1 allele in men (p < 0.001). The *1 allele was also positively associated with HDL cholesterol level (adjusted mean ± standard error, *1*1: 60 ± 0.5, *1*2: 56 ± 0.6, *2*2: 55 ± 1.3 mg/dl, p < 0.001) and inversely associated with LDL cholesterol level (116 ± 0.9, 124 ± 1.1, 130 ± 2.6 mg/dl, p < 0.001). The *1 allele was also positively associated with HDL particle numbers (per-allele: 2.60 ± 0.32 μmol/l, p < 0.001) and inversely associated with LDL particle numbers (-67.8 ± 19.6 nmol/l, p = 0.001). Additional Mendelian randomization analysis failed to clarify the involvement of cholesteryl ester transfer protein in alcohol-related changes in lipoprotein cholesterol levels. No significant association was observed in women, presumably due to their small amount of alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption has a causal role in not only increasing HDL cholesterol levels but also decreasing LDL cholesterol levels and particle numbers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Density Functional Theory Calculations of Activation Energies for Carrier Capture by Defects in Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modine, N. A.; Wright, A. F.; Lee, S. R.

The rate of defect-induced carrier recombination is determined by both defect levels and carrier capture cross-sections. Density functional theory (DFT) has been widely and successfully used to predict defect levels, but only recently has work begun to focus on using DFT to determine carrier capture cross-sections. Lang and Henry developed the theory of carrier-capture by multiphonon emission in the 1970s and showed that carrier-capture cross-sections differ between defects primarily due to differences in their carrier capture activation energies. We present an approach to using DFT to calculate carrier capture activation energies that does not depend on an assumed configuration coordinate and that fully accounts for anharmonic effects, which can substantially modify carrier activation energies. We demonstrate our approach for intrinisic defects in GaAs and GaN and discuss how our results depend on the choice of exchange-correlation functional and the treatment of spin polarization. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Nuclear factor I-C reciprocally regulates adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation via control of canonical Wnt signaling.

PubMed

Zhou, Jie; Wang, Shan; Qi, Qi; Yang, Xiaoyue; Zhu, Endong; Yuan, Hairui; Li, Xuemei; Liu, Ying; Li, Xiaoxia; Wang, Baoli

2017-05-01

Nuclear factor I-C (NFIC) has recently been identified as an important player in osteogenesis and bone homeostasis in vivo However, the molecular mechanisms involved have yet to be defined. In the current study, Nfic expression was altered in primary marrow stromal cells and established progenitor lines after adipogenic and osteogenic treatment. Overexpression of Nfic in stromal cells ST2, mesenchymal cells C3H10T1/2, and primary marrow stromal cells inhibited adipogenic differentiation, whereas it promoted osteogenic differentiation. Conversely, silencing of endogenous Nfic in the cell lines enhanced adipogenic differentiation, whereas it blocked osteogenic differentiation. Mechanism investigations revealed that Nfic overexpression promoted nuclear translocation of β-catenin and increased nuclear protein levels of β-catenin and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2). Promoter studies and the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that NFIC directly binds to the promoter of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (Lrp5) and thereafter transactivates the promoter. Finally, inactivation of canonical Wnt signaling in ST2 attenuated the inhibition of adipogenic differentiation and stimulation of osteogenic differentiation by NFIC. Our study suggests that NFIC balances adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation from progenitor cells through controlling canonical Wnt signaling and highlights the potential of NFIC as a target for new therapies to control metabolic disorders like osteoporosis and obesity.-Zhou, J., Wang, S., Qi, Q., Yang, X., Zhu, E., Yuan, H., Li, X., Liu, Y., Li, X., Wang, B. Nuclear factor I-C reciprocally regulates adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation via control of canonical Wnt signaling. © FASEB.

Tanshinone I alleviates insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats through IRS-1 pathway.

PubMed

Wei, Ying; Gao, Jiaqi; Qin, Lingling; Xu, Yunling; Wang, Dongchao; Shi, Haoxia; Xu, Tunhai; Liu, Tonghua

2017-09-01

Tanshinone I from tanshen has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory diseases. Given the link between inflammation and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), we suspect that tanshinone I may have a beneficial effect on T2DM. This study was to investigate the potential effects of tanshinone I on T2DM and its underlying mechanism. T2DM was thus induced in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats using streptozotocin (STZ) and high-fat diet. It was observed that T2DM rats had higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs), total triglyceride (TG) and total low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with normal, healthy SD rats. Treatment with tanshinone I decreased these levels and lowered blood glucose level in T2DM rats. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis showed that T2DM rats had elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that T2DM rats had enhanced nuclear translocation of NF-κB as well as elevated phosphorylation of Ser307 in IRS-1(insulin receptor substrate 1). Treatment by tanshinone I lowered the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, decreased nuclear translocation of NF-κB as well as phosphorylation of Ser307 in IRS-1. These results demonstrated that tanshinone I could alleviate T2DM syndrome in rats. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Reactions in the Crusts of Accreting Neutron Stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Rita; Beard, Mary; Gupta, Sanjib S.

X-ray observations of transiently accreting neutron stars during quiescence provide information about the structure of neutron star crusts and the properties of dense matter. Interpretation of the observational data requires an understanding of the nuclear reactions that heat and cool the crust during accretion and define its nonequilibrium composition. We identify here in detail the typical nuclear reaction sequences down to a depth in the inner crust where the mass density ismore » $$\\rho =2\\times {10}^{12}\\,{\\rm{g}}\\,{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$$ using a full nuclear reaction network for a range of initial compositions. The reaction sequences differ substantially from previous work. We find a robust reduction of crust impurity at the transition to the inner crust regardless of initial composition, though shell effects can delay the formation of a pure crust somewhat to densities beyond $$\\rho =2\\times {10}^{12}\\,{\\rm{g}}\\,{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$$. This naturally explains the small inner crust impurity inferred from observations of a broad range of systems. The exception are initial compositions with A ≥ 102 nuclei, where the inner crust remains impure with an impurity parameter of Q imp ≈ 20 owing to the N = 82 shell closure. In agreement with previous work, we find that nuclear heating is relatively robust and independent of initial composition, while cooling via nuclear Urca cycles in the outer crust depends strongly on initial composition. As a result, this work forms a basis for future studies of the sensitivity of crust models to nuclear physics and provides profiles of composition for realistic crust models.« less

Nuclear Reactions in the Crusts of Accreting Neutron Stars

DOE PAGES

Lau, Rita; Beard, Mary; Gupta, Sanjib S.; ...

2018-05-24

X-ray observations of transiently accreting neutron stars during quiescence provide information about the structure of neutron star crusts and the properties of dense matter. Interpretation of the observational data requires an understanding of the nuclear reactions that heat and cool the crust during accretion and define its nonequilibrium composition. We identify here in detail the typical nuclear reaction sequences down to a depth in the inner crust where the mass density ismore » $$\\rho =2\\times {10}^{12}\\,{\\rm{g}}\\,{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$$ using a full nuclear reaction network for a range of initial compositions. The reaction sequences differ substantially from previous work. We find a robust reduction of crust impurity at the transition to the inner crust regardless of initial composition, though shell effects can delay the formation of a pure crust somewhat to densities beyond $$\\rho =2\\times {10}^{12}\\,{\\rm{g}}\\,{\\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$$. This naturally explains the small inner crust impurity inferred from observations of a broad range of systems. The exception are initial compositions with A ≥ 102 nuclei, where the inner crust remains impure with an impurity parameter of Q imp ≈ 20 owing to the N = 82 shell closure. In agreement with previous work, we find that nuclear heating is relatively robust and independent of initial composition, while cooling via nuclear Urca cycles in the outer crust depends strongly on initial composition. As a result, this work forms a basis for future studies of the sensitivity of crust models to nuclear physics and provides profiles of composition for realistic crust models.« less

Markers of apoptosis induction and proliferation in the orbitofrontal cortex in alcohol dependence

PubMed Central

Whittom, Angela; Villarreal, Ashley; Soni, Madhav; Owusu-Duku, Beverly; Meshram, Ashish; Rajkowska, Grazyna; Stockmeier, Craig A.; Miguel-Hidalgo, Jose J.

2014-01-01

Background Alcohol-dependent (ALC) subjects exhibit glial and neuronal pathology in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, in many patients, neurophysiological disturbances are not associated with catastrophic cell depletion despite prolonged alcohol abuse. It is still unclear how some relevant markers of a cell’s propensity to degenerate or proliferate are changed in the PFC of ALC subjects without major neurological disorders. Methods Levels of pro-apoptotic caspase 8 (C8), X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), direct IAP binding protein with low pI (DIABLO), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and density of cells immunoreactive (-IR) for proliferation marker Ki-67 were measured postmortem in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of 29 subjects with alcohol dependence and 23 non-psychiatric comparison subjects. Results ALC subjects had significantly higher levels of the 14kDa C8 fragment (C8-14), an indicator of C8 activation. However, there was no change in the levels of DIABLO, XIAP or in the DIABLO/XIAP ratio. PCNA protein level and density of Ki-67-IR cells were not significantly changed in alcoholics, although PCNA levels were increased in older ALC subjects as compared to controls. Conclusions Significant increase of a C8 activation indicator was found in alcoholism, but without significant changes in XIAP level, DIABLO/XIAP ratio, or Ki-67 labeling. These results would help to explain the absence of catastrophic cell loss in the PFC of many alcohol dependent subjects, while still being consistent with an alcoholism-related vulnerability to slow decline in glial cells and neurons in the OFC of alcoholics. PMID:25421516

Reactor coolant pump flywheel

DOEpatents

Finegan, John Raymond; Kreke, Francis Joseph; Casamassa, John Joseph

2013-11-26

A flywheel for a pump, and in particular a flywheel having a number of high density segments for use in a nuclear reactor coolant pump. The flywheel includes an inner member and an outer member. A number of high density segments are provided between the inner and outer members. The high density segments may be formed from a tungsten based alloy. A preselected gap is provided between each of the number of high density segments. The gap accommodates thermal expansion of each of the number of segments and resists the hoop stress effect/keystoning of the segments.

Depth dependency of neutron density produced by cosmic rays in the lunar subsurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ota, S.; Sihver, L.; Kobayashi, S.; Hasebe, N.

2014-11-01

Depth dependency of neutrons produced by cosmic rays (CRs) in the lunar subsurface was estimated using the three-dimensional Monte Carlo particle and heavy ion transport simulation code, PHITS, incorporating the latest high energy nuclear data, JENDL/HE-2007. The PHITS simulations of equilibrium neutron density profiles in the lunar subsurface were compared with the measurement by Apollo 17 Lunar Neutron Probe Experiment (LNPE). Our calculations reproduced the LNPE data except for the 350-400 mg/cm2 region under the improved condition using the CR spectra model based on the latest observations, well-tested nuclear interaction models with systematic cross section data, and JENDL/HE-2007.

Ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density in multifragmentation of Au + Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, C. L.; Ma, Y. G.; Fang, D. Q.; Li, S. X.; Zhang, G. Q.

2012-06-01

The ratio of the shear viscosity (η) to entropy density (s) for the intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions has been calculated by using the Green-Kubo method in the framework of the quantum molecular dynamics model. The theoretical curve of η/s as a function of the incident energy for the head-on Au + Au collisions displays that a minimum region of η/s has been approached at higher incident energies, where the minimum η/s value is about 7 times Kovtun-Son-Starinets (KSS) bound (1/4π). We argue that the onset of minimum η/s region at higher incident energies corresponds to the nuclear liquid gas phase transition in nuclear multifragmentation.

Muon radiography in Russia with emulsion technique. First experiments future perspectives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aleksandrov, A. B.; Bagulya, A. V.; Chernyavsky, M. M.

Cosmic ray muon radiography is a novel technique for imaging the internal structures of massive objects. It exploits the capability of high energy muons from cosmic-rays in order to obtain a density map of investigated object and trying to guess information on the variation in the density distribution. Nuclear emulsions are tracking detectors well suited to be employed in this context since they have an excellent angular resolution (few mrad), they are cheap, compact and robust, easily transportable, able to work in harsh environments, and do not require power supply. This work presents the first successful results in the fieldmore » of muon radiography in Russia with nuclear emulsions.« less

Combining the modified Skyrme-like model and the local density approximation to determine the symmetry energy of nuclear matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jian; Ren, Zhongzhou; Xu, Chang

2018-07-01

Combining the modified Skyrme-like model and the local density approximation model, the slope parameter L of symmetry energy is extracted from the properties of finite nuclei with an improved iterative method. The calculations of the iterative method are performed within the framework of the spherical symmetry. By choosing 200 neutron rich nuclei on 25 isotopic chains as candidates, the slope parameter is constrained to be 50 MeV < L < 62 MeV. The validity of this method is examined by the properties of finite nuclei. Results show that reasonable descriptions on the properties of finite nuclei and nuclear matter can be obtained together.

Non-Born-Oppenheimer electronic and nuclear densities for a Hooke-Calogero three-particle model: non-uniqueness of density-derived molecular structure.

PubMed

Ludeña, E V; Echevarría, L; Lopez, X; Ugalde, J M

2012-02-28

We consider the calculation of non-Born-Oppenheimer, nBO, one-particle densities for both electrons and nuclei. We show that the nBO one-particle densities evaluated in terms of translationally invariant coordinates are independent of the wavefunction describing the motion of center of mass of the whole system. We show that they depend, however, on an arbitrary reference point from which the positions of the vectors labeling the particles are determined. We examine the effect that this arbitrary choice has on the topology of the one-particle density by selecting the Hooke-Calogero model of a three-body system for which expressions for the one-particle densities can be readily obtained in analytic form. We extend this analysis to the one-particle densities obtained from full Coulomb interaction wavefunctions for three-body systems. We conclude, in view of the fact that there is a close link between the choice of the reference point and the topology of one-particle densities that the molecular structure inferred from the topology of these densities is not unique. We analyze the behavior of one-particle densities for the Hooke-Calogero Born-Oppenheimer, BO, wavefunction and show that topological transitions are also present in this case for a particular mass value of the light particles even though in the BO regime the nuclear masses are infinite. In this vein, we argue that the change in topology caused by variation of the mass ratio between light and heavy particles does not constitute a true indication in the nBO regime of the emergence of molecular structure.

Non-Born-Oppenheimer electronic and nuclear densities for a Hooke-Calogero three-particle model: Non-uniqueness of density-derived molecular structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ludena, E. V.; Echevarria, L.; Lopez, X.

2012-02-28

We consider the calculation of non-Born-Oppenheimer, nBO, one-particle densities for both electrons and nuclei. We show that the nBO one-particle densities evaluated in terms of translationally invariant coordinates are independent of the wavefunction describing the motion of center of mass of the whole system. We show that they depend, however, on an arbitrary reference point from which the positions of the vectors labeling the particles are determined. We examine the effect that this arbitrary choice has on the topology of the one-particle density by selecting the Hooke-Calogero model of a three-body system for which expressions for the one-particle densities canmore » be readily obtained in analytic form. We extend this analysis to the one-particle densities obtained from full Coulomb interaction wavefunctions for three-body systems. We conclude, in view of the fact that there is a close link between the choice of the reference point and the topology of one-particle densities that the molecular structure inferred from the topology of these densities is not unique. We analyze the behavior of one-particle densities for the Hooke-Calogero Born-Oppenheimer, BO, wavefunction and show that topological transitions are also present in this case for a particular mass value of the light particles even though in the BO regime the nuclear masses are infinite. In this vein, we argue that the change in topology caused by variation of the mass ratio between light and heavy particles does not constitute a true indication in the nBO regime of the emergence of molecular structure.« less

Processing of uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellets using spark plasma sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Lihao

Uranium dioxide (UO2), one of the most common nuclear fuels, has been applied in most of the nuclear plant these days for electricity generation. The main objective of this research is to introduce a novel method for UO 2 processing using spark plasma sintering technique (SPS). Firstly, an investigation into the influence of processing parameters on densification of UO2 powder during SPS is presented. A broad range of sintering temperatures, hold time and heating rates have been systematically varied to investigate their influence on the sintered pellet densification process. The results revealed that up to 96% theoretical density (TD) pellets can be obtained at a sintering temperature of 1050 °C for 30s hold time and a total run time of only 10 minutes. A systematic study is performed by varying the sintering temperature between 750°C to 1450°C and hold time between 0.5 min to 20 min to obtain UO2 pellets with a range of densities and grain sizes. The microstructure development in terms of grain size, density and porosity distribution is investigated. The Oxygen/Uranium (O/U) ratio of the resulting pellets is found to decrease after SPS. The mechanical and thermal properties of UO2 are evaluated. For comparable density and grain size, Vickers hardness and Young's modulus are in agreement with the literature value. The thermal conductivity of UO2 increases with the density but the grain size in the investigated range has no significant influence. Overall, the mechanical and thermal properties of UO2 are comparable with the one made using conventional sintering methods. Lastly, the influence of chromium dioxide (Cr2O3) and zirconium diboride (ZrB2) on the grain size of doped UO 2 fuel pellet is performed to investigate the feasibility of producing large-grain-size nuclear fuel using SPS. The benefits of using SPS over the conventional sintering of UO2 are summarized. The future work of designing macro-porous UO2 pellet and thorium dioxide (ThO 2) cored UO2 pellet is also proposed.

The physics of background discrimination in liquid xenon, and first results from Xenon10 in the hunt for WIMP dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahl, Carl Eric

2009-06-01

The WIMP limit set by the Xenon10 experiment in 2007 signals a new era in direct detection of dark matter, with several large-scale liquid target detectors now under construction. A major challenge in these detectors will be to understand backgrounds at the level necessary to claim a positive WIMP signal. In liquid xenon, these backgrounds are dominated by electron recoils, which may be distinguished from the WIMP signal (nuclear recoils) by their higher charge-to-light ratio. During the construction and operation of Xenon10, the prototype detector Xed probed the physics of this discrimination. Particle interactions in liquid xenon both ionize and excite xenon atoms, giving charge and scintillation signals, respectively. Some fraction of ions recombine, reducing the charge signal and creating additional scintillation. The charge-to-light ratio, determined by the initial exciton-ion ratio and the ion recombination fraction, provides the basis for discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils. Intrinsic fluctuations in the recombination fraction limit discrimination. Changes in recombination induce an exact anti-correlation between charge and light, and when calibrated this anti-correlation distinguishes recombination fluctuations from uncorrelated fluctuations in the measured signals. We determine the mean recombination and recombination fluctuations as a function of energy and applied field for electron and nuclear recoils, finding that recombination fluctuations are already the limiting factor for discrimination above ~12 keVr (nuclear recoil energy). Below 12 keVr statistical fluctuations in the number of scintillation photons counted dominate, and we project a x6 improvement in background rejection with a x2 increase in light collection efficiency. We also build a simple recombination model that successfully reproduces the mean recombination in electron and nuclear recoils, including the surprising reversal of the expected trend for recombination with ionization density in low energy electron recoils. The model also reproduces the measured recombination fluctuations to within a factor of two at high energies. Surprisingly, the model suggests that recombination at low energies is independent of ionization density, and our observed discrimination is due not to the different stopping powers of electrons and nuclei as was thought, but rather to a different initial exciton-ion ratio. We suggest two possible physical models for this new result.

Role of morphometry in the cytological differentiation of benign and malignant thyroid lesions

PubMed Central

Khatri, Pallavi; Choudhury, Monisha; Jain, Manjula; Thomas, Shaji

2017-01-01

Context: Thyroid nodules represent a common problem, with an estimated prevalence of 4–7%. Although fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been accepted as a first line diagnostic test, the rate of false negative reports of malignancy is still high. Nuclear morphometry is the measurement of nuclear parameters by image analysis. Image analysis can merge the advantages of morphologic interpretation with those of quantitative data. Aims: To evaluate the nuclear morphometric parameters in fine needle aspirates of thyroid lesions and to study its role in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid lesions. Material and Methods: The study included 19 benign and 16 malignant thyroid lesions. Image analysis was performed on Giemsa-stained FNAC slides by Nikon NIS-Elements Advanced Research software (Version 4.00). Nuclear morphometric parameters analyzed included nuclear size, shape, texture, and density parameters. Statistical Analysis: Normally distributed continuous variables were compared using the unpaired t-test for two groups and analysis of variance was used for three or more groups. Tukey or Tamhane's T2 multiple comparison test was used to assess the differences between the individual groups. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi square test. Results and Conclusion: Five out of the six nuclear size parameters as well as all the texture and density parameters studied were significant in distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid lesions (P < 0.05). Cut-off values were derived to differentiate between benign and malignant cases. PMID:28182069

Fascin regulates nuclear actin during Drosophila oogenesis

PubMed Central

Kelpsch, Daniel J.; Groen, Christopher M.; Fagan, Tiffany N.; Sudhir, Sweta; Tootle, Tina L.

2016-01-01

Drosophila oogenesis provides a developmental system with which to study nuclear actin. During Stages 5–9, nuclear actin levels are high in the oocyte and exhibit variation within the nurse cells. Cofilin and Profilin, which regulate the nuclear import and export of actin, also localize to the nuclei. Expression of GFP-tagged Actin results in nuclear actin rod formation. These findings indicate that nuclear actin must be tightly regulated during oogenesis. One factor mediating this regulation is Fascin. Overexpression of Fascin enhances nuclear GFP-Actin rod formation, and Fascin colocalizes with the rods. Loss of Fascin reduces, whereas overexpression of Fascin increases, the frequency of nurse cells with high levels of nuclear actin, but neither alters the overall nuclear level of actin within the ovary. These data suggest that Fascin regulates the ability of specific cells to accumulate nuclear actin. Evidence indicates that Fascin positively regulates nuclear actin through Cofilin. Loss of Fascin results in decreased nuclear Cofilin. In addition, Fascin and Cofilin genetically interact, as double heterozygotes exhibit a reduction in the number of nurse cells with high nuclear actin levels. These findings are likely applicable beyond Drosophila follicle development, as the localization and functions of Fascin and the mechanisms regulating nuclear actin are widely conserved. PMID:27535426

Contributions to the NUCLEI SciDAC-3 Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bogner, Scott; Nazarewicz, Witek

This is the Final Report for Michigan State University for the NUCLEI SciDAC-3 project. The NUCLEI project, as defined by the scope of work, has developed, implemented and run codes for large-scale computations of many topics in low-energy nuclear physics. Physics studied included the properties of nuclei and nuclear decays, nuclear structure and reactions, and the properties of nuclear matter. The computational techniques used included Configuration Interaction, Coupled Cluster, and Density Functional methods. The research program emphasized areas of high interest to current and possible future DOE nuclear physics facilities, including ATLAS at ANL and FRIB at MSU (nuclear structuremore » and reactions, and nuclear astrophysics), TJNAF (neutron distributions in nuclei, few body systems, and electroweak processes), NIF (thermonuclear reactions), MAJORANA and FNPB (neutrinoless double-beta decay and physics beyond the Standard Model), and LANSCE (fission studies).« less

Nuclear spatial delocalization silences electron density oscillations in 2-phenyl-ethyl-amine (PEA) and 2-phenylethyl-N,N-dimethylamine (PENNA) cations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jenkins, Andrew J.; Vacher, Morgane; Bearpark, Michael J.

2016-03-14

We simulate electron dynamics following ionization in 2-phenyl-ethyl-amine and 2-phenylethyl-N,N-dimethylamine as examples of systems where 3 coupled cationic states are involved. We study two nuclear effects on electron dynamics: (i) coupled electron-nuclear motion and (ii) nuclear spatial delocalization as a result of the zero-point energy in the neutral molecule. Within the Ehrenfest approximation, our calculations show that the coherent electron dynamics in these molecules is not lost as a result of coupled electron-nuclear motion. In contrast, as a result of nuclear spatial delocalization, dephasing of the oscillations occurs on a time scale of only a few fs, long before anymore » significant nuclear motion can occur. The results have been rationalized using a semi-quantitative model based upon the gradients of the potential energy surfaces.« less

A reformulation of the coupled perturbed self-consistent field equations entirely within a local atomic orbital density matrix-based scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochsenfeld, Christian; Head-Gordon, Martin

1997-05-01

To exploit the exponential decay found in numerical studies for the density matrix and its derivative with respect to nuclear displacements, we reformulate the coupled perturbed self-consistent field (CPSCF) equations and a quadratically convergent SCF (QCSCF) method for Hartree-Fock and density functional theory within a local density matrix-based scheme. Our D-CPSCF (density matrix-based CPSCF) and D-QCSCF schemes open the way for exploiting sparsity and to achieve asymptotically linear scaling of computational complexity with molecular size ( M), in case of D-CPSCF for all O( M) derivative densities. Furthermore, these methods are even for small molecules strongly competitive to conventional algorithms.

Optimization of a Widefield Structured Illumination Microscope for Non-Destructive Assessment and Quantification of Nuclear Features in Tumor Margins of a Primary Mouse Model of Sarcoma

PubMed Central

Fu, Henry L.; Mueller, Jenna L.; Javid, Melodi P.; Mito, Jeffrey K.; Kirsch, David G.; Ramanujam, Nimmi; Brown, J. Quincy

2013-01-01

Cancer is associated with specific cellular morphological changes, such as increased nuclear size and crowding from rapidly proliferating cells. In situ tissue imaging using fluorescent stains may be useful for intraoperative detection of residual cancer in surgical tumor margins. We developed a widefield fluorescence structured illumination microscope (SIM) system with a single-shot FOV of 2.1×1.6 mm (3.4 mm2) and sub-cellular resolution (4.4 µm). The objectives of this work were to measure the relationship between illumination pattern frequency and optical sectioning strength and signal-to-noise ratio in turbid (i.e. thick) samples for selection of the optimum frequency, and to determine feasibility for detecting residual cancer on tumor resection margins, using a genetically engineered primary mouse model of sarcoma. The SIM system was tested in tissue mimicking solid phantoms with various scattering levels to determine impact of both turbidity and illumination frequency on two SIM metrics, optical section thickness and modulation depth. To demonstrate preclinical feasibility, ex vivo 50 µm frozen sections and fresh intact thick tissue samples excised from a primary mouse model of sarcoma were stained with acridine orange, which stains cell nuclei, skeletal muscle, and collagenous stroma. The cell nuclei were segmented using a high-pass filter algorithm, which allowed quantification of nuclear density. The results showed that the optimal illumination frequency was 31.7 µm−1 used in conjunction with a 4×0.1 NA objective ( = 0.165). This yielded an optical section thickness of 128 µm and an 8.9×contrast enhancement over uniform illumination. We successfully demonstrated the ability to resolve cell nuclei in situ achieved via SIM, which allowed segmentation of nuclei from heterogeneous tissues in the presence of considerable background fluorescence. Specifically, we demonstrate that optical sectioning of fresh intact thick tissues performed equivalently in regards to nuclear density quantification, to physical frozen sectioning and standard microscopy. PMID:23894357

Transient nutation electron spin resonance spectroscopy on spin-correlated radical pairs: A theoretical analysis on hyperfine-induced nuclear modulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Stefan; Kothe, Gerd; Norris, James R.

1997-04-01

The influence of anisotropic hyperfine interaction on transient nutation electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of light-induced spin-correlated radical pairs is studied theoretically using the density operator formalism. Analytical expressions for the time evolution of the transient EPR signal during selective microwave excitation of single transitions are derived for a model system comprised of a weakly coupled radical pair and one hyperfine-coupled nucleus with I=1/2. Zero-quantum electron coherence and single-quantum nuclear coherence are created as a result of the sudden light-induced generation of the radical pair state from a singlet-state precursor. Depending on the relative sizes of the nuclear Zeeman frequency and the secular and pseudo-secular parts of the hyperfine coupling, transitions between levels with different nuclear spin orientations are predicted to modulate the time-dependent EPR signal. These modulations are in addition to the well-known transient nutations and electron zero-quantum precessions. Our calculations provide insight into the mechanism of recent experimental observations of coherent nuclear modulations in the time-resolved EPR signals of doublets and radical pairs. Two distinct mechanisms of the modulations are presented for various microwave magnetic field strengths. The first modulation scheme arises from electron and nuclear coherences initiated by the laser excitation pulse and is "read out" by the weak microwave magnetic field. While the relative modulation depth of these oscillations with respect to the signal intensity is independent of the Rabi frequency, ω1, the frequencies of this coherence phenomenon are modulated by the effective microwave amplitude and determined by the nuclear Zeeman interaction and hyperfine coupling constants as well as the electron-electron spin exchange and dipolar interactions between the two radical pair halves. In a second mechanism the modulations are both created and detected by the microwave radiation. Here, the laser pulse merely defines the beginning of the microwave-induced coherent time evolution. This second mechanism appears the most consistent with current experimental observations.

Problem-based test: replication of mitochondrial DNA during the cell cycle.

PubMed

Sétáló, György

2013-01-01

Terms to be familiar with before you start to solve the test: cell cycle, generation time, S-phase, cell culture synchronization, isotopic pulse-chase labeling, density labeling, equilibrium density-gradient centrifugation, buoyant density, rate-zonal centrifugation, nucleoside, nucleotide, kinase enzymes, polymerization of nucleic acids, re-replication block, cell fractionation, Svedberg (sedimentation constant = [ S]), nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA, heavy and light mitochondrial DNA chains, heteroplasmy, mitochondrial diseases Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Method for detection of nuclear-plasma interactions in a 134Xe-doped exploding pusher at the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Bleuel, Daniel L.; Bernstein, Lee A.; Brand, Christopher A.; ...

2016-06-10

Angular momentum changes due to nuclear-plasma interactions on highly-excited nuclei in high energy density plasmas created at the National Ignition Facility can be measured through a change in isomer feeding following gamma emission. Here, we propose an experiment to detect these effects in 133Xe* in exploding pusher capsules.

LANL Q2 2016 Quarterly Progress Report. Science Campaign and ICF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Douglas, Melissa Rae

2016-04-07

This progress report includes highlights for the Science Campaign and ICF about Advanced Certification and Assessment Methodologies, Implosion Hydrodynamics (C-1, SCE), Materials and Nuclear Science (C-1, C-2), Capabilities for Nuclear Intelligence, and High Energy Density Science (C-1, C-4, C-10). Upcoming meetings, briefings, and experiments are then listed for April and May.

Method for detection of nuclear-plasma interactions in a 134Xe-doped exploding pusher at the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bleuel, Daniel L.; Bernstein, Lee A.; Brand, Christopher A.

Angular momentum changes due to nuclear-plasma interactions on highly-excited nuclei in high energy density plasmas created at the National Ignition Facility can be measured through a change in isomer feeding following gamma emission. Here, we propose an experiment to detect these effects in 133Xe* in exploding pusher capsules.

Decreased cholesterol efflux capacity and atherogenic lipid profile in young women with PCOS.

PubMed

Roe, Andrea; Hillman, Jennifer; Butts, Samantha; Smith, Mathew; Rader, Daniel; Playford, Martin; Mehta, Nehal N; Dokras, Anuja

2014-05-01

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors including dyslipidemia. Lipoproteins are heterogeneous, and measurement of serum lipids provides only the size of the pool and does not predict their function or composition. Recently, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) function, as determined by cholesterol efflux capacity from macrophages, has been shown to be an independent predictor of subclinical CVD. The aim of the study was to comprehensively evaluate lipoprotein profile including lipid particle size and number and cholesterol efflux capacity in PCOS to better define CVD risk. A case control study was performed at an academic PCOS center. Women with PCOS (n = 124) and geographically matched controls (n = 67) were included in the study. The primary outcome was to measure HDL-C efflux capacity by an ex vivo system involving the incubation of macrophages with apolipoprotein (Apo) B-depleted serum from subjects, and the secondary outcome was to measure lipid particle size and number using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Women with PCOS had significantly higher body mass index and blood pressure but similar HDL-C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to controls. The mean ApoA1 levels were lower, and the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio was higher in PCOS subjects compared to controls (P < .01). There were no differences in ApoB levels. Women with PCOS had an 7% decrease in normalized cholesterol efflux capacity compared to controls (P < .003). Cholesterol efflux capacity in PCOS correlated with body mass index, ApoA1, HDL-C, and the presence of metabolic syndrome. In a multivariable regression model, PCOS was significantly associated with diminished cholesterol efflux. PCOS was also associated with an atherogenic profile including an increase in large very low-density lipoprotein particles, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) size, and small low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles (P < .01). Our novel findings of decreased cholesterol efflux and an atherogenic lipid particle number and size pattern in women with PCOS, independent of obesity, further substantiate the increased risk of CVD in this population.

Decreased Cholesterol Efflux Capacity and Atherogenic Lipid Profile in Young Women With PCOS

PubMed Central

Roe, Andrea; Hillman, Jennifer; Butts, Samantha; Smith, Mathew; Rader, Daniel; Playford, Martin; Mehta, Nehal N.

2014-01-01

Context: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors including dyslipidemia. Lipoproteins are heterogeneous, and measurement of serum lipids provides only the size of the pool and does not predict their function or composition. Recently, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) function, as determined by cholesterol efflux capacity from macrophages, has been shown to be an independent predictor of subclinical CVD. Objective: The aim of the study was to comprehensively evaluate lipoprotein profile including lipid particle size and number and cholesterol efflux capacity in PCOS to better define CVD risk. Design and Setting: A case control study was performed at an academic PCOS center. Patients: Women with PCOS (n = 124) and geographically matched controls (n = 67) were included in the study. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was to measure HDL-C efflux capacity by an ex vivo system involving the incubation of macrophages with apolipoprotein (Apo) B-depleted serum from subjects, and the secondary outcome was to measure lipid particle size and number using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results: Women with PCOS had significantly higher body mass index and blood pressure but similar HDL-C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to controls. The mean ApoA1 levels were lower, and the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio was higher in PCOS subjects compared to controls (P < .01). There were no differences in ApoB levels. Women with PCOS had an 7% decrease in normalized cholesterol efflux capacity compared to controls (P < .003). Cholesterol efflux capacity in PCOS correlated with body mass index, ApoA1, HDL-C, and the presence of metabolic syndrome. In a multivariable regression model, PCOS was significantly associated with diminished cholesterol efflux. PCOS was also associated with an atherogenic profile including an increase in large very low-density lipoprotein particles, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) size, and small low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles (P < .01). Conclusions: Our novel findings of decreased cholesterol efflux and an atherogenic lipid particle number and size pattern in women with PCOS, independent of obesity, further substantiate the increased risk of CVD in this population. PMID:24512495

The limits of the nuclear landscape explored by the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, X. W.; Lim, Y.; Zhao, P. W.; Liang, H. Z.; Qu, X. Y.; Chen, Y.; Liu, H.; Zhang, L. F.; Zhang, S. Q.; Kim, Y.; Meng, J.

2018-05-01

The ground-state properties of nuclei with 8 ⩽ Z ⩽ 120 from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line have been investigated using the spherical relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory with the relativistic density functional PC-PK1. With the effects of the continuum included, there are totally 9035 nuclei predicted to be bound, which largely extends the existing nuclear landscapes predicted with other methods. The calculated binding energies, separation energies, neutron and proton Fermi surfaces, root-mean-square (rms) radii of neutron, proton, matter, and charge distributions, ground-state spins and parities are tabulated. The extension of the nuclear landscape obtained with RCHB is discussed in detail, in particular for the neutron-rich side, in comparison with the relativistic mean field calculations without pairing correlations and also other predicted landscapes. It is found that the coupling between the bound states and the continuum due to the pairing correlations plays an essential role in extending the nuclear landscape. The systematics of the separation energies, radii, densities, potentials and pairing energies of the RCHB calculations are also discussed. In addition, the α-decay energies and proton emitters based on the RCHB calculations are investigated.

Ultrastructure of spermatozoa of the lizard Ameiva ameiva, with considerations on polymorphism within the family Teiidae (Squamata).

PubMed

Giugliano, L G; Teixeira, R D; Colli, G R; Báo, S N

2002-09-01

A detailed description of sperm ultrastructure of the lizard Ameiva ameiva (Teiidae) is provided. Mature spermatozoa are characterized by: a depressed acrosome at the anterior portion; a unilateral ridge at the anterolateral portion; an acrosome vesicle divided into cortex and medulla; medulla divided into two regions with different electron-densities; paracrystalline subacrosomal material with radial organization in transverse section; a pointed prenuclear perforatorium; a stopper-like perforatorium base plate that appears embedded in the subacrosomal material; the presence of an epinuclear lucent zone surrounded by its own membrane; a large nuclear rostrum; round nuclear shoulders; a nuclear space at the nucleus tip; a bilateral stratified laminar structure; a central dense body within the proximal centriole; a short midpiece; an axonemal midpiece axial component; peripheral fibers 3 and 8 grossly enlarged at the anterior portion of axoneme; columnar mitochondria with linear cristae; solid dense bodies arranged as rings or spirals; a triangular-shaped annulus in transverse section; a fibrous sheath into the midpiece; a thin zone of cytoplasm at the anterior portion of the principal piece; and a slight decrease in diameter of the principal piece immediately after the annulus. Comparisons with Cnemidophorus sexlineatus and Micrablepharus maximiliani failed to identify unique sperm ultrastructure traits of Teiidae or Teiioidea (Teiidae + Gymnophthalmidae). High levels of polymorphism between Ameiva and Cnemidophorus, two closely related genera of the family Teiidae, were detected, suggesting that extensive sampling within squamate families is essential if sperm ultrastructure data are to be used in phylogenetic analyses at this taxonomic level. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Larval crowding accelerates C. elegans development and reduces lifespan.

PubMed

Ludewig, Andreas H; Gimond, Clotilde; Judkins, Joshua C; Thornton, Staci; Pulido, Dania C; Micikas, Robert J; Döring, Frank; Antebi, Adam; Braendle, Christian; Schroeder, Frank C

2017-04-01

Environmental conditions experienced during animal development are thought to have sustained impact on maturation and adult lifespan. Here we show that in the model organism C. elegans developmental rate and adult lifespan depend on larval population density, and that this effect is mediated by excreted small molecules. By using the time point of first egg laying as a marker for full maturity, we found that wildtype hermaphrodites raised under high density conditions developed significantly faster than animals raised in isolation. Population density-dependent acceleration of development (Pdda) was dramatically enhanced in fatty acid β-oxidation mutants that are defective in the biosynthesis of ascarosides, small-molecule signals that induce developmental diapause. In contrast, Pdda is abolished by synthetic ascarosides and steroidal ligands of the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12. We show that neither ascarosides nor any known steroid hormones are required for Pdda and that another chemical signal mediates this phenotype, in part via the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-8. Our results demonstrate that C. elegans development is regulated by a push-pull mechanism, based on two antagonistic chemical signals: chemosensation of ascarosides slows down development, whereas population-density dependent accumulation of a different chemical signal accelerates development. We further show that the effects of high larval population density persist through adulthood, as C. elegans larvae raised at high densities exhibit significantly reduced adult lifespan and respond differently to exogenous chemical signals compared to larvae raised at low densities, independent of density during adulthood. Our results demonstrate how inter-organismal signaling during development regulates reproductive maturation and longevity.

Larval crowding accelerates C. elegans development and reduces lifespan

PubMed Central

Ludewig, Andreas H.; Gimond, Clotilde; Judkins, Joshua C.; Thornton, Staci; Pulido, Dania C.; Micikas, Robert J.; Döring, Frank; Antebi, Adam; Braendle, Christian; Schroeder, Frank C.

2017-01-01

Environmental conditions experienced during animal development are thought to have sustained impact on maturation and adult lifespan. Here we show that in the model organism C. elegans developmental rate and adult lifespan depend on larval population density, and that this effect is mediated by excreted small molecules. By using the time point of first egg laying as a marker for full maturity, we found that wildtype hermaphrodites raised under high density conditions developed significantly faster than animals raised in isolation. Population density-dependent acceleration of development (Pdda) was dramatically enhanced in fatty acid β-oxidation mutants that are defective in the biosynthesis of ascarosides, small-molecule signals that induce developmental diapause. In contrast, Pdda is abolished by synthetic ascarosides and steroidal ligands of the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12. We show that neither ascarosides nor any known steroid hormones are required for Pdda and that another chemical signal mediates this phenotype, in part via the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-8. Our results demonstrate that C. elegans development is regulated by a push-pull mechanism, based on two antagonistic chemical signals: chemosensation of ascarosides slows down development, whereas population-density dependent accumulation of a different chemical signal accelerates development. We further show that the effects of high larval population density persist through adulthood, as C. elegans larvae raised at high densities exhibit significantly reduced adult lifespan and respond differently to exogenous chemical signals compared to larvae raised at low densities, independent of density during adulthood. Our results demonstrate how inter-organismal signaling during development regulates reproductive maturation and longevity. PMID:28394895

Theoretical study of the NMR chemical shift of Xe in supercritical condition.

PubMed

Lacerda, Evanildo G; Sauer, Stephan P A; Mikkelsen, Kurt V; Coutinho, Kaline; Canuto, Sylvio

2018-02-20

In this work we investigate the level of theory necessary for reproducing the non-linear variation of the 129 Xe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shift with the density of Xe in supercritical conditions. In detail we study how the 129 Xe chemical shift depends under supercritical conditions on electron correlation, relativistic and many-body effects. The latter are included using a sequential-QM/MM methodology, in which a classical MD simulation is performed first and the chemical shift is then obtained as an average of quantum calculations of 250 MD snapshots conformations carried out for Xe n clusters (n = 2 - 8 depending on the density). The analysis of the relativistic effects is made at the level of 4-component Hartree-Fock calculations (4c-HF) and electron correlation effects are considered using second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2). To simplify the calculations of the relativistic and electron correlation effects we adopted an additive scheme, where the calculations on the Xe n clusters are carried out at the non-relativistic Hartree-Fock (HF) level, while electron correlation and relativistic corrections are added for all the pairs of Xe atoms in the clusters. Using this approach we obtain very good agreement with the experimental data, showing that the chemical shift of 129 Xe in supercritical conditions is very well described by cluster calculations at the HF level, with small contributions from relativistic and electron correlation effects.

The Bloch equation with terms induced by an electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garbacz, Piotr

2018-01-01

The Bloch equation of the nuclear magnetization of spin-1/2 nuclei in molecules, which have permanent electric dipole moments μe that are placed simultaneously in a magnetic field B and an electric field E, is derived. It is shown that if the principal components of the nuclear magnetic shielding tensor σ and the dipole moment μe are known, then the measurement of the transverse component to the magnetic field B of the nuclear magnetization, which is induced by the application of the electric field oscillating at the half of the spin precession frequency, allows determining the orientation of the dipole moment μe with respect to the principal axis system of the symmetric part of the tensor σ. Four-component relativistic density functional theory computations, which have been performed for several molecules containing heavy nuclei, i.e., 207Pb, 205Tl, 199Hg, 195Pt, and 125Te, indicate that coefficients of the relaxation matrix perturbed by the electric field E are in favorable cases of the order of 1000 pm2 V-2 T-2. Therefore, the spin dynamics is perturbed at experimentally observable levels for the strengths of electric and magnetic fields E = 5 kV/mm and B = 10 T, respectively.

Cement As a Waste Form for Nuclear Fission Products: The Case of (90)Sr and Its Daughters.

PubMed

Dezerald, Lucile; Kohanoff, Jorge J; Correa, Alfredo A; Caro, Alfredo; Pellenq, Roland J-M; Ulm, Franz J; Saúl, Andrés

2015-11-17

One of the main challenges faced by the nuclear industry is the long-term confinement of nuclear waste. Because it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, cement is the material of choice to store large volumes of radioactive materials, in particular the low-level medium-lived fission products. It is therefore of utmost importance to assess the chemical and structural stability of cement containing radioactive species. Here, we use ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to study the effects of (90)Sr insertion and decay in C-S-H (calcium-silicate-hydrate) in order to test the ability of cement to trap and hold this radioactive fission product and to investigate the consequences of its β-decay on the cement paste structure. We show that (90)Sr is stable when it substitutes the Ca(2+) ions in C-S-H, and so is its daughter nucleus (90)Y after β-decay. Interestingly, (90)Zr, daughter of (90)Y and final product in the decay sequence, is found to be unstable compared to the bulk phase of the element at zero K but stable when compared to the solvated ion in water. Therefore, cement appears as a suitable waste form for (90)Sr storage.

Modelling Neutron-induced Reactions on 232–237U from 10 keV up to 30 MeV

DOE PAGES

Sin, M.; Capote, R.; Herman, M. W.; ...

2017-01-17

Comprehensive calculations of cross sections for neutron-induced reactions on 232–237U targets are performed in this paper in the 10 keV–30 MeV incident energy range with the code EMPIRE–3.2 Malta. The advanced modelling and consistent calculation scheme are aimed at improving our knowledge of the neutron scattering and emission cross sections, and to assess the consistency of available evaluated libraries for light uranium isotopes. The reaction model considers a dispersive optical potential (RIPL 2408) that couples from five (even targets) to nine (odd targets) levels of the ground-state rotational band, and a triple-humped fission barrier with absorption in the wells describedmore » within the optical model for fission. A modified Lorentzian model (MLO) of the radiative strength function and Enhanced Generalized Superfluid Model nuclear level densities are used in Hauser-Feschbach calculations of the compound-nuclear decay that include width fluctuation corrections. The starting values for the model parameters are retrieved from RIPL. Excellent agreement with available experimental data for neutron emission and fission is achieved, giving confidence that the quantities for which there is no experimental information are also accurately predicted. Finally, deficiencies in existing evaluated libraries are highlighted.« less

Modeling time-coincident ultrafast electron transfer and solvation processes at molecule-semiconductor interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lesheng; Giokas, Paul G.; Kanai, Yosuke; Moran, Andrew M.

2014-06-01

Kinetic models based on Fermi's Golden Rule are commonly employed to understand photoinduced electron transfer dynamics at molecule-semiconductor interfaces. Implicit in such second-order perturbative descriptions is the assumption that nuclear relaxation of the photoexcited electron donor is fast compared to electron injection into the semiconductor. This approximation breaks down in systems where electron transfer transitions occur on 100-fs time scale. Here, we present a fourth-order perturbative model that captures the interplay between time-coincident electron transfer and nuclear relaxation processes initiated by light absorption. The model consists of a fairly small number of parameters, which can be derived from standard spectroscopic measurements (e.g., linear absorbance, fluorescence) and/or first-principles electronic structure calculations. Insights provided by the model are illustrated for a two-level donor molecule coupled to both (i) a single acceptor level and (ii) a density of states (DOS) calculated for TiO2 using a first-principles electronic structure theory. These numerical calculations show that second-order kinetic theories fail to capture basic physical effects when the DOS exhibits narrow maxima near the energy of the molecular excited state. Overall, we conclude that the present fourth-order rate formula constitutes a rigorous and intuitive framework for understanding photoinduced electron transfer dynamics that occur on the 100-fs time scale.

Residential Solar PV Systems in the Carolinas: Opportunities and Outcomes.

PubMed

Alqahtani, Bandar Jubran; Holt, Kyra Moore; Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia; Pratson, Lincoln

2016-02-16

This paper presents a first-order analysis of the feasibility and technical, environmental, and economic effects of large levels of solar photovoltaic (PV) penetration within the services areas of the Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) and Duke Energy Progress (DEP). A PV production model based on household density and a gridded hourly global horizontal irradiance data set simulates hourly PV power output from roof-top installations, while a unit commitment and real-time economic dispatch (UC-ED) model simulates hourly system operations. We find that the large generating capacity of base-load nuclear power plants (NPPs) without ramping capability in the region limits PV integration levels to 5.3% (6510 MW) of 2015 generation. Enabling ramping capability for NPPs would raise the limit of PV penetration to near 9% of electricity generated. If the planned retirement of coal-fired power plants together with new installations and upgrades of natural gas and nuclear plants materialize in 2025, and if NPPs operate flexibly, then the share of coal-fired electricity will be reduced from 37% to 22%. A 9% penetration of electricity from PV would further reduce the share of coal-fired electricity by 4-6% resulting in a system-wide CO2 emissions rate of 0.33 to 0.40 tons/MWh and associated abatement costs of 225-415 (2015$ per ton).

Neutrino Spectra from Nuclear Weak Interactions in sd-Shell Nuclei under Astrophysical Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misch, G. Wendell; Sun, Yang; Fuller, George M.

2018-01-01

We present shell model calculations of nuclear neutrino energy spectra for 70 sd-shell nuclei over the mass number range A = 21–35. Our calculations include nuclear excited states as appropriate for the hot and dense conditions characteristic of pre-collapse massive stars. We consider neutrinos produced by charged lepton captures and decays, and for the first time in tabular form, neutral current nuclear deexcitation, providing neutrino energy spectra on the Fuller–Fowler–Newman temperature–density grid for these interaction channels for each nucleus. We use the full sd-shell model space to compute initial nuclear states up to 20 MeV excitation with transitions to final states up to 35–40 MeV, employing a modification of the Brink-Axel hypothesis to handle high-temperature population factors and the nuclear partition functions.

Surface properties of neutron-rich exotic nuclei within relativistic mean field formalisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhuyan, M.; Carlson, B. V.; Patra, S. K.; Zhou, Shan-Gui

2018-02-01

In this theoretical study, we establish a correlation between the neutron skin thickness and the nuclear symmetry energy for the even-even isotopes of Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Se, and Kr within the framework of the axially deformed self-consistent relativistic mean field for the nonlinear NL 3* and density-dependent DD-ME1 interactions. The coherent density functional method is used to formulate the symmetry energy, the neutron pressure, and the curvature of finite nuclei as a function of the nuclear radius. We have performed broad studies for the mass dependence on the symmetry energy in terms of the neutron-proton asymmetry for mass 70 ≤A ≤96 . From this analysis, we found a notable signature of a shell closure at N =50 in the isotopic chains of Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Se, and Kr nuclei. The present study reveals a interrelationship between the characteristics of infinite nuclear matter and the neutron skin thickness of finite nuclei.

Transmutation prospect of long-lived nuclear waste induced by high-charge electron beam from laser plasma accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X. L.; Xu, Z. Y.; Luo, W.; Lu, H. Y.; Zhu, Z. C.; Yan, X. Q.

2017-09-01

Photo-transmutation of long-lived nuclear waste induced by a high-charge relativistic electron beam (e-beam) from a laser plasma accelerator is demonstrated. A collimated relativistic e-beam with a high charge of approximately 100 nC is produced from high-intensity laser interaction with near-critical-density (NCD) plasma. Such e-beam impinges on a high-Z convertor and then radiates energetic bremsstrahlung photons with flux approaching 1011 per laser shot. Taking a long-lived radionuclide 126Sn as an example, the resulting transmutation reaction yield is the order of 109 per laser shot, which is two orders of magnitude higher than obtained from previous studies. It is found that at lower densities, a tightly focused laser irradiating relatively longer NCD plasmas can effectively enhance the transmutation efficiency. Furthermore, the photo-transmutation is generalized by considering mixed-nuclide waste samples, which suggests that the laser-accelerated high-charge e-beam could be an efficient tool to transmute long-lived nuclear waste.

Thermal properties of nuclear matter in a variational framework with relativistic corrections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaryouni, S.; Hassani, M.; Moshfegh, H. R.

2014-01-01

The properties of hot symmetric nuclear matter for a wide range of densities and temperatures are investigated by employing the AV14 potential within the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method with the inclusion of a phenomenological three-body force as well as relativistic corrections. The relativistic corrections of many-body kinetic energies as well as the boot interaction corrections are presented for a wide range of densities and temperatures. The free energy, pressure, incompressibility, and other thermodynamic quantities of symmetric nuclear matter are obtained and discussed. The critical temperature is found, and the liquid-gas phase transition is analyzed both with and without the inclusion of three-body forces and relativistic corrections in the LOCV approach. It is shown that the critical temperature is strongly affected by the three-body forces but does not depend on the relativistic corrections. Finally, the results obtained in the present study are compared with other many-body calculations and experimental predictions.

Microscopic calculations of the characteristics of radiative nuclear reactions for double-magic nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Achakovskiy, Oleg; Kamerdzhiev, Sergei; Tselyaev, Victor; Shitov, Mikhail

2016-01-01

The neutron capture cross sections and average radiative widths Γγ of neutron resonances for two double-magic nuclei 132Sn and 208Pb have been calculated using the microscopic photon strength functions (PSF), which were obtained within the microscopic self-consistent version of the extended theory of finite Fermi systems in the time blocking approximation. For the first time, the microscopic PSFs have been obtained within the fully self-consistent approach with exact accounting for the single particle continuum (for 208Pb). The approach includes phonon coupling effects in addition to the standard RPA approach. The known Skyrme force has been used. The calculations of nuclear reaction characteristics have been performed with the EMPIRE 3.1 nuclear reaction code. Here, three nuclear level density (NLD) models have been used: the so-called phenomenological GSM, the EMPIRE specific (or Enhanced GSM) and the microscopical combinatorial HFB NLD models. For both considered characteristics we found a significant disagreement between the results obtained with the GSM and HFB NLD models. For 208Pb, a reasonable agreement has been found with systematic for the Γγ values with HFB NLD and with the experimental data for the HFB NLD average resonance spacing D0, while for these two quantities the differences between the values obtained with GSM and HFB NLD are of several orders of magnitude. The discrepancies between the results with the phenomenological EGLO PSF and microscopic RPA or TBA are much less for the same NLD model.

Evolving targets for lipid-modifying therapy

PubMed Central

Do, Rose Q; Nicholls, Stephen J; Schwartz, Gregory G

2014-01-01

The pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis are integrally connected to the concentration and function of lipoproteins in various classes. This review examines existing and emerging approaches to modify low-density lipoprotein and lipoprotein (a), triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and high-density lipoproteins, emphasizing approaches that have progressed to clinical evaluation. Targeting of nuclear receptors and phospholipases is also discussed. PMID:25172365

Genomic vulnerability to LINE-1 hypomethylation is a potential determinant of the clinicogenetic features of multiple myeloma

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to clarify the role of global hypomethylation of repetitive elements in determining the genetic and clinical features of multiple myeloma (MM). Methods We assessed global methylation levels using four repetitive elements (long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1), Alu Ya5, Alu Yb8, and Satellite-α) in clinical samples comprising 74 MM samples and 11 benign control samples (7 cases of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and 4 samples of normal plasma cells (NPC)). We also evaluated copy-number alterations using array-based comparative genomic hybridization, and performed methyl-CpG binding domain sequencing (MBD-seq). Results Global levels of the repetitive-element methylation declined with the degree of malignancy of plasma cells (NPC>MGUS>MM), and there was a significant inverse correlation between the degree of genomic loss and the LINE-1 methylation levels. We identified 80 genomic loci as common breakpoints (CBPs) around commonly lost regions, which were significantly associated with increased LINE-1 densities. MBD-seq analysis revealed that average DNA-methylation levels at the CBP loci and relative methylation levels in regions with higher LINE-1 densities also declined during the development of MM. We confirmed that levels of methylation of the 5' untranslated region of respective LINE-1 loci correlated strongly with global LINE-1 methylation levels. Finally, there was a significant association between LINE-1 hypomethylation and poorer overall survival (hazard ratio 2.8, P = 0.015). Conclusion Global hypomethylation of LINE-1 is associated with the progression of and poorer prognosis for MM, possibly due to frequent copy-number loss. PMID:23259664

Small collision systems: Theory overview on cold nuclear matter effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armesto, Néstor

2018-02-01

Many observables measured at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider show a smooth transition between proton-proton and protonnucleus collisions (small systems), and nucleus-nucleus collisions (large systems), when represented versus some variable like the multiplicity in the event. In this contribution I review some of the physics mechanisms, named cold nuclear matter effects, that may lead to a collective-like behaviour in small systems beyond the macroscopic description provided by relativistic hydrodynamics. I focus on the nuclear modification of parton densities, single inclusive particle production and correlations.

CHANG-ES. VII. Magnetic Outflows from the Virgo Cluster Galaxy NGC 4388

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damas-Segovia, A.; Beck, R.; Vollmer, B.; Wiegert, T.; Krause, M.; Irwin, J.; Weżgowiec, M.; Li, J.; Dettmar, R.-J.; English, J.; Wang, Q. D.

2016-06-01

We investigate the effects of ram pressure on the ordered magnetic field of a galaxy hosting a radio halo and strong nuclear outflows. New radio images in total and polarized intensity of the edge-on Virgo galaxy NGC 4388 were obtained within the CHANG-ES EVLA project. The unprecedented noise level reached allows us to detect striking new features of the ordered magnetic field. The nuclear outflow extends far into the halo to about 5 kpc from the center and is spatially correlated with the {{H}}α and X-ray emission. For the first time, the southern outflow is detected. Above and below both spiral arms we find extended blobs of polarized emission with an ordered field oriented perpendicular to the disk. The synchrotron lifetime of the cosmic-ray electrons (CREs) in these regions yields a mean outflow velocity of 270+/- 70 {km} {{{s}}}-1, in agreement with a galactic wind scenario. The observed symmetry of the polarized halo features in NGC 4388 excludes a compression of the halo gas by the ram pressure of the intracluster medium (ICM). The assumption of equilibrium between the halo pressure and the ICM ram pressure yields an estimate of the ICM density that is consistent with both the ICM density derived from X-ray observations and the recent Planck Sunyaev-Zel’dovich measurements. The detection of a faint radio halo around cluster galaxies could thus be used for an estimate of ICM ram pressure.

Hepatoprotective effect of Arctium lappa root extract on cadmium toxicity in adult Wistar rats.

PubMed

de Souza Predes, Fabricia; da Silva Diamante, Maria Aparecida; Foglio, Mary Ann; Camargo, Camila de Andrade; Camargo, Camila Almeida; Aoyama, Hiroshi; Miranda, Silvio Cesar; Cruz, Bread; Gomes Marcondes, Maria Cristina Cintra; Dolder, Heidi

2014-08-01

This study was performed to determine the effects of Arctium lappa (Al) to protect against cadmium damage in the rat liver. Male rats received a single i.p. dose of CdCl2 (1.2 mg/kg body weight (BW)) with or without Al extract administered daily by gavage (300 mg/kg BW) for 7 or 56 days. After 7 days, Al caused plasma transaminase activity to diminish in groups Al (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT)) and CdAl (GPT). After 56 days, GOT and GPT plasma activities were reduced in the Cd group. No alteration in plasma levels of creatinine, total bilirubin, and total protein were observed. GOT liver activity increased in the Cd group. No alteration was observed in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and malondialdehyde (MDA) dosage. In the Cd group, hepatocyte proportion decreased and sinusoid capillary proportion increased. In the Al and CdAl groups, the nuclear proportion increased and the cytoplasmic proportion decreased. The hepatocyte nucleus density reduced in Cd and increased in the Al group. After 56 days, there was no alteration in the Cd group. In Al and CdAl groups, the nuclear proportion increased without cytoplasmic proportion variation, but the sinusoid capillary proportion was reduced. The hepatocyte nucleus density decreased in the Cd group and increased in the Al and CdAl groups. In conclusion, the liver function indicators showed that A. lappa protected the liver against cadmium toxicity damage.

Possibilities for Nuclear Photo-Science with Intense Lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barty, C J; Hartemann, F V; McNabb, D P

2006-06-26

The interaction of intense laser light with relativistic electrons can produce unique sources of high-energy x rays and gamma rays via Thomson scattering. ''Thomson-Radiated Extreme X-ray'' (T-REX) sources with peak photon brightness (photons per unit time per unit bandwidth per unit solid angle per unit area) that exceed that available from world's largest synchrotrons by more than 15 orders of magnitude are possible from optimally designed systems. Such sources offer the potential for development of ''nuclear photo-science'' applications in which the primary photon-atom interaction is with the nucleons and not the valence electrons. Applications include isotope-specific detection and imaging ofmore » materials, inverse density radiography, transmutation of nuclear waste and fundamental studies of nuclear structure. Because Thomson scattering cross sections are small, < 1 barn, the output from a T-REX source is optimized when the laser spot size and the electron spot size are minimized and when the electron and laser pulse durations are similar and short compared to the transit time through the focal region. The principle limitation to increased x-ray or gamma-ray brightness is ability to focus the electron beam. The effects of space charge on electron beam focus decrease approximately linearly with electron beam energy. For this reason, T-REX brightness increases rapidly as a function of the electron beam energy. As illustrated in Figure 1, above 100 keV these sources are unique in their ability to produce bright, narrow-beam, tunable, narrow-band gamma rays. New, intense, short-pulse, laser technologies for advanced T-REX sources are currently being developed at LLNL. The construction of a {approx}1 MeV-class machine with this technology is underway and will be used to excite nuclear resonance fluorescence in variety of materials. Nuclear resonance fluorescent spectra are unique signatures of each isotope and provide an ideal mechanism for identification of nuclear materials. With TREX it is possible to use NRF to provide high spatial resolution (micron scale) images of the isotopic distribution of all materials in a given object. Because of the high energy of the photons, imaging through dense and/or thick objects is possible. This technology will have applicability in many arenas including the survey of cargo for the presence of clandestine nuclear materials. It is also possible to address the more general radiographic challenge of imaging low-density objects that are shielded or placed behind high density objects. In this case, it is the NRF cross section and not the electron density of the material that provides contrast. Extensions of T-REX technology will be dependent upon the evolution of short pulse laser technology to high average powers. Concepts for sources that would produce 10's of kWs of gamma-rays by utilizing MW-class average-power, diode-pumped, short pulse lasers and energy recovery LINAC technology have been developed.« less

Involvement of toll-like receptor 2 and 4 in association between dyslipidemia and osteoclast differentiation in apolipoprotein E deficient rat periodontium

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Dyslipidemia increases circulating levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and this may induce alveolar bone loss through toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dyslipidemia on osteoclast differentiation associated with TLR2 and TLR4 in periodontal tissues using a rat dyslipidemia (apolipoprotein E deficient) model. Methods Levels of plasma OxLDL, and the cholesterol and phospholipid profiles in plasma lipoproteins were compared between apolipoprotein E-deficient rats (16-week-old males) and wild-type (control) rats. In the periodontal tissue, we evaluated the changes in TLR2, TLR4, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) expression. Results Apolipoprotein E-deficient rats showed higher plasma levels of OxLDL than control rats (p<0.05), with higher plasma levels of total cholesterol (p<0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p<0.05) and lower plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.05). Their periodontal tissue also exhibited a higher ratio of RANKL-positive cells and a higher number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts than control rats (p<0.05). Furthermore, periodontal gene expression of TLR2, TLR4 and RANKL was higher in apolipoprotein E-deficient rats than in control rats (p<0.05). Conclusion These findings underscore the important role for TLR2 and TLR4 in mediating the osteoclast differentiation on alveolar bone response to dyslipidemia. PMID:23295061

Ab initio molecular dynamics with nuclear quantum effects at classical cost: Ring polymer contraction for density functional theory.

PubMed

Marsalek, Ondrej; Markland, Thomas E

2016-02-07

Path integral molecular dynamics simulations, combined with an ab initio evaluation of interactions using electronic structure theory, incorporate the quantum mechanical nature of both the electrons and nuclei, which are essential to accurately describe systems containing light nuclei. However, path integral simulations have traditionally required a computational cost around two orders of magnitude greater than treating the nuclei classically, making them prohibitively costly for most applications. Here we show that the cost of path integral simulations can be dramatically reduced by extending our ring polymer contraction approach to ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. By using density functional tight binding as a reference system, we show that our ring polymer contraction scheme gives rapid and systematic convergence to the full path integral density functional theory result. We demonstrate the efficiency of this approach in ab initio simulations of liquid water and the reactive protonated and deprotonated water dimer systems. We find that the vast majority of the nuclear quantum effects are accurately captured using contraction to just the ring polymer centroid, which requires the same number of density functional theory calculations as a classical simulation. Combined with a multiple time step scheme using the same reference system, which allows the time step to be increased, this approach is as fast as a typical classical ab initio molecular dynamics simulation and 35× faster than a full path integral calculation, while still exactly including the quantum sampling of nuclei. This development thus offers a route to routinely include nuclear quantum effects in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations at negligible computational cost.

Lead-iron phosphate glass as a containment medium for the disposal of high-level nuclear wastes

DOEpatents

Boatner, L.A.; Sales, B.C.

1984-04-11

Disclosed are lead-iron phosphate glasses containing a high level of Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ for use as a storage medium for high-level radioactive nuclear waste. By combining lead-iron phosphate glass with various types of simulated high-level nuclear waste

Nuclear parton density functions from dijet photoproduction at the EIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klasen, M.; Kovařík, K.

2018-06-01

We study the potential of dijet photoproduction measurements at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) to better constrain our present knowledge of the nuclear parton distribution functions. Based on theoretical calculations at next-to-leading order and approximate next-to-next-to-leading order of perturbative QCD, we establish the kinematic reaches for three different EIC designs, the size of the parton density function modifications for four different light and heavy nuclei from He-4 over C-12 and Fe-56 to Pb-208 with respect to the free proton, and the improvement of EIC measurements with respect to current determinations from deep-inelastic scattering and Drell-Yan data alone as well as when also considering data from existing hadron colliders.

Measurements of nitric oxide after a nuclear burst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcghan, M.; Shaw, A.; Megill, L. R.; Sedlacek, W.; Guthals, P. R.; Fowler, M. M.

1981-01-01

Measurements of ozone and nitric oxide in a nuclear cloud 7 days after the explosion are reported. No measurable increase above ambient density of either ozone or nitric oxide was found. Results from a chemistry model of the cloud do not agree with the measurement unless 'nonstandard' assumptions are made with regard to the operating chemical processes. A number of possible explanations of the results are discussed.

Fission fragment charge and mass distributions in 239Pu(n ,f ) in the adiabatic nuclear energy density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regnier, D.; Dubray, N.; Schunck, N.; Verrière, M.

2016-05-01

Background: Accurate knowledge of fission fragment yields is an essential ingredient of numerous applications ranging from the formation of elements in the r process to fuel cycle optimization for nuclear energy. The need for a predictive theory applicable where no data are available, together with the variety of potential applications, is an incentive to develop a fully microscopic approach to fission dynamics. Purpose: In this work, we calculate the pre-neutron emission charge and mass distributions of the fission fragments formed in the neutron-induced fission of 239Pu using a microscopic method based on nuclear density functional theory (DFT). Methods: Our theoretical framework is the nuclear energy density functional (EDF) method, where large-amplitude collective motion is treated adiabatically by using the time-dependent generator coordinate method (TDGCM) under the Gaussian overlap approximation (GOA). In practice, the TDGCM is implemented in two steps. First, a series of constrained EDF calculations map the configuration and potential-energy landscape of the fissioning system for a small set of collective variables (in this work, the axial quadrupole and octupole moments of the nucleus). Then, nuclear dynamics is modeled by propagating a collective wave packet on the potential-energy surface. Fission fragment distributions are extracted from the flux of the collective wave packet through the scission line. Results: We find that the main characteristics of the fission charge and mass distributions can be well reproduced by existing energy functionals even in two-dimensional collective spaces. Theory and experiment agree typically within two mass units for the position of the asymmetric peak. As expected, calculations are sensitive to the structure of the initial state and the prescription for the collective inertia. We emphasize that results are also sensitive to the continuity of the collective landscape near scission. Conclusions: Our analysis confirms that the adiabatic approximation provides an effective scheme to compute fission fragment yields. It also suggests that, at least in the framework of nuclear DFT, three-dimensional collective spaces may be a prerequisite to reach 10% accuracy in predicting pre-neutron emission fission fragment yields.

Neutron density distributions of neutron-rich nuclei studied with the isobaric yield ratio difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Chun-Wang; Bai, Xiao-Man; Yu, Jiao; Wei, Hui-Ling

2014-09-01

The isobaric yield ratio difference (IBD) between two reactions of similar experimental setups is found to be sensitive to nuclear density differences between projectiles. In this article, the IBD probe is used to study the density variation in neutron-rich 48Ca . By adjusting diffuseness in the neutron density distribution, three different neutron density distributions of 48Ca are obtained. The yields of fragments in the 80 A MeV 40, 48Ca + 12C reactions are calculated by using a modified statistical abrasion-ablation model. It is found that the IBD results obtained from the prefragments are sensitive to the density distribution of the projectile, while the IBD results from the final fragments are less sensitive to the density distribution of the projectile.

Neutron matter within QCD sum rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Bao-Jun; Chen, Lie-Wen

2018-05-01

The equation of state (EOS) of pure neutron matter (PNM) is studied in QCD sum rules (QCDSRs ). It is found that the QCDSR results on the EOS of PNM are in good agreement with predictions by current advanced microscopic many-body theories. Moreover, the higher-order density terms in quark condensates are shown to be important to describe the empirical EOS of PNM in the density region around and above nuclear saturation density although they play a minor role at subsaturation densities. The chiral condensates in PNM are also studied, and our results indicate that the higher-order density terms in quark condensates, which are introduced to reasonably describe the empirical EOS of PNM at suprasaturation densities, tend to hinder the appearance of chiral symmetry restoration in PNM at high densities.

Using Inertial Fusion Implosions to Measure the T+^{3}He Fusion Cross Section at Nucleosynthesis-Relevant Energies.

PubMed

Zylstra, A B; Herrmann, H W; Johnson, M Gatu; Kim, Y H; Frenje, J A; Hale, G; Li, C K; Rubery, M; Paris, M; Bacher, A; Brune, C R; Forrest, C; Glebov, V Yu; Janezic, R; McNabb, D; Nikroo, A; Pino, J; Sangster, T C; Séguin, F H; Seka, W; Sio, H; Stoeckl, C; Petrasso, R D

2016-07-15

Light nuclei were created during big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Standard BBN theory, using rates inferred from accelerator-beam data, cannot explain high levels of ^{6}Li in low-metallicity stars. Using high-energy-density plasmas we measure the T(^{3}He,γ)^{6}Li reaction rate, a candidate for anomalously high ^{6}Li production; we find that the rate is too low to explain the observations, and different than values used in common BBN models. This is the first data directly relevant to BBN, and also the first use of laboratory plasmas, at comparable conditions to astrophysical systems, to address a problem in nuclear astrophysics.

Using inertial fusion implosions to measure the T + He 3 fusion cross section at nucleosynthesis-relevant energies

DOE PAGES

Zylstra, A. B.; Herrmann, H. W.; Johnson, M. Gatu; ...

2016-07-11

Light nuclei were created during big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Standard BBN theory, using rates inferred from accelerator-beam data, cannot explain high levels of 6Li in low-metallicity stars. Using high energy-density plasmas we measure the T( 3He,γ) 6Li reaction rate, a candidate for anomalously high 6Li production; we find that the rate is too low to explain the observations, and different than values used in common BBN models. In conclusion, this is the first data directly relevant to BBN, and also the first use of laboratory plasmas, at comparable conditions to astrophysical systems, to address a problem in nuclear astrophysics.

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF Streptomyces coelicolor

PubMed Central

Hopwood, David A.; Glauert, Audrey M.

1960-01-01

Colonies and spore suspensions of Streptomyces coelicolor were fixed for electron microscopy by the method of Kellenberger, Ryter, and Séchaud (1958). In thin sections the nuclear regions have a lower average density than the cytoplasm and the outlines of these regions correspond well with the profiles of the chromatinic bodies observed with the light microscope. The nuclear regions contain fibrils, about 5 mµ in diameter. In contrast, after fixation by the method of Palade (1952) the nuclear material is coagulated into irregular dense masses and tubular structures about 20 mµ in diameter, lying in a nuclear "vacuole." The significance of these observations is discussed in relation to the observations of other workers on the fine structure of the nuclear material of other bacteria and the chromosomes of higher cells. PMID:13715794

Nuclear pasta phases within the quark-meson coupling model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grams, Guilherme; Santos, Alexandre M.; Panda, Prafulla K.; Providência, Constança; Menezes, Débora P.

2017-05-01

In this work, the low-density regions of nuclear and neutron star matter are studied. The search for the existence of nuclear pasta phases in this region is performed within the context of the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model, which incorporates quark degrees of freedom. Fixed proton fractions are considered, as well as nuclear matter in β equilibrium at zero temperature. We discuss the recent attempts to better understand the surface energy in the coexistence phases regime and we present results that show the existence of the pasta phases subject to some choices of the surface energy coefficient. We also analyze the influence of the nuclear pasta on some neutron star properties. The equation of state containing the pasta phase will be part of a complete grid for future use in supernova simulations.

Development code for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of input on the MCNPX for neutronic calculation in PWR core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartini, Entin; Andiwijayakusuma, Dinan

2014-09-01

This research was carried out on the development of code for uncertainty analysis is based on a statistical approach for assessing the uncertainty input parameters. In the butn-up calculation of fuel, uncertainty analysis performed for input parameters fuel density, coolant density and fuel temperature. This calculation is performed during irradiation using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport. The Uncertainty method based on the probabilities density function. Development code is made in python script to do coupling with MCNPX for criticality and burn-up calculations. Simulation is done by modeling the geometry of PWR terrace, with MCNPX on the power 54 MW with fuel type UO2 pellets. The calculation is done by using the data library continuous energy cross-sections ENDF / B-VI. MCNPX requires nuclear data in ACE format. Development of interfaces for obtaining nuclear data in the form of ACE format of ENDF through special process NJOY calculation to temperature changes in a certain range.

Development code for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of input on the MCNPX for neutronic calculation in PWR core

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartini, Entin, E-mail: entin@batan.go.id; Andiwijayakusuma, Dinan, E-mail: entin@batan.go.id

2014-09-30

This research was carried out on the development of code for uncertainty analysis is based on a statistical approach for assessing the uncertainty input parameters. In the butn-up calculation of fuel, uncertainty analysis performed for input parameters fuel density, coolant density and fuel temperature. This calculation is performed during irradiation using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport. The Uncertainty method based on the probabilities density function. Development code is made in python script to do coupling with MCNPX for criticality and burn-up calculations. Simulation is done by modeling the geometry of PWR terrace, with MCNPX on the power 54 MW with fuelmore » type UO2 pellets. The calculation is done by using the data library continuous energy cross-sections ENDF / B-VI. MCNPX requires nuclear data in ACE format. Development of interfaces for obtaining nuclear data in the form of ACE format of ENDF through special process NJOY calculation to temperature changes in a certain range.« less

Impact of nuclear data on sodium-cooled fast reactor calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aures, Alexander; Bostelmann, Friederike; Zwermann, Winfried; Velkov, Kiril

2016-03-01

Neutron transport and depletion calculations are performed in combination with various nuclear data libraries in order to assess the impact of nuclear data on safety-relevant parameters of sodium-cooled fast reactors. These calculations are supplemented by systematic uncertainty analyses with respect to nuclear data. Analysed quantities are the multiplication factor and nuclide densities as a function of burn-up and the Doppler and Na-void reactivity coefficients at begin of cycle. While ENDF/B-VII.0 / -VII.1 yield rather consistent results, larger discrepancies are observed between the JEFF libraries. While the newest evaluation, JEFF-3.2, agrees with the ENDF/B-VII libraries, the JEFF-3.1.2 library yields significant larger multiplication factors.

Relativistic effects in the intermolecular interaction-induced nuclear magnetic resonance parameters of xenon dimer.

PubMed

Hanni, Matti; Lantto, Perttu; Ilias, Miroslav; Jensen, Hans Jorgen Aagaard; Vaara, Juha

2007-10-28

Relativistic effects on the (129)Xe nuclear magnetic resonance shielding and (131)Xe nuclear quadrupole coupling (NQC) tensors are examined in the weakly bound Xe(2) system at different levels of theory including the relativistic four-component Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) method. The intermolecular interaction-induced binary chemical shift delta, the anisotropy of the shielding tensor Deltasigma, and the NQC constant along the internuclear axis chi( parallel) are calculated as a function of the internuclear distance. DHF shielding calculations are carried out using gauge-including atomic orbitals. For comparison, the full leading-order one-electron Breit-Pauli perturbation theory (BPPT) is applied using a common gauge origin. Electron correlation effects are studied at the nonrelativistic (NR) coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbational triples [CCSD(T)] level of theory. The fully relativistic second-order Moller-Plesset many-body perturbation (DMP2) theory is used to examine the cross coupling between correlation and relativity on NQC. The same is investigated for delta and Deltasigma by BPPT with a density functional theory model. A semiquantitative agreement between the BPPT and DHF binary property curves is obtained for delta and Deltasigma in Xe(2). For these properties, the currently most complete theoretical description is obtained by a piecewise approximation where the uncorrelated relativistic DHF results obtained close to the basis-set limit are corrected, on the one hand, for NR correlation effects and, on the other hand, for the BPPT-based cross coupling of relativity and correlation. For chi( parallel), the fully relativistic DMP2 results obtain a correction for NR correlation effects beyond MP2. The computed temperature dependence of the second virial coefficient of the (129)Xe nuclear shielding is compared to experiment in Xe gas. Our best results, obtained with the piecewise approximation for the binary chemical shift combined with the previously published state of the art theoretical potential energy curve for Xe(2), are in excellent agreement with the experiment for the first time.