The INAA of untreated and water-extracted bone samples

Bone samples /of about 5 mg/ were activated in a nuclear reactor for 1 h. Lines of^87mSr,⁵⁶Mn,²⁴Na,⁴²K,³⁸Cl and⁴⁷Sc /daughter of⁴⁷Ca/ were found in the -ray spectrum. Effects of pre-activation boiling with water and affinities of particular ions for the bone mineral are discussed.     

INAA of Ca, Cl, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Sr contents in the human cortical and trabecular bone

Summary Concentration of Ca, Cl, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, and Sr were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis using short-lived radionuclides in intact cortical and trabecular bone of femoral neck and iliac crest of 81 relatively healthy 15-55 years old women (n = 36) and men (n = 45). In cortical bone the Ca, P, and Mg mass fractions in the femoral neck were statistically significantly higher, and Cl, K, and Na lower, than the values for the iliac crest. In trabecular bone the Cl, K, and Na mass fractions in the iliac crest were significantly higher, and Ca, P also higher, than the values for the femoral neck.     

Test of multielement analysis of bone samples using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and anti-Compton spectrometry

INAA and anti-Compton spectrometry has been employed in the analysis of test bone samples. Validity and accuracy of the method were checked by the use of two biological reference materials procured from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA (NIST) and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria (IAEA). NIST 1486 Bone Meal (ca. 200–800 mg) and A-11 Milk Powder (ca. 200–600 mg) samples were irradiated in the 100 kW TRIGA Mainz reactor. Concentrations of 13 elements in both biological reference materials have been determined and were found in good agreement with the certified and provisional values.     

Multielemental automated INAA system for gold ore samples

A methodological approach to the activation analysis of bulk samples up to 300 g mass on a reactor is proposed. As applied to the analysis of massive gold-bearing ore samples, the questions of representativity of the samples with inhomogeneous distribution of the component under examination, specific effects caused by gold particles as well as large sample dimensions and mass are studied and ways for taking into account their influence are suggested. An automated system of multielemental neutron activation analysis of large samples of gold-bearing ores has been developed. The system has found application in geological prospecting and the mining industry.     

Cluster analysis of infrared spectra of rabbit cortical bone samples during maturation and growth

Bone consists of an organic and an inorganic matrix. During development, bone undergoes changes in its composition and structure. In this study we apply three different cluster analysis algorithms [K-means (KM), fuzzy C-means (FCM) and hierarchical clustering (HCA)], and discriminant analysis (DA) on infrared spectroscopic data from developing cortical bone with the aim of comparing their ability to correctly classify the samples into different age groups. Cortical bone samples from the mid-diaphysis of the humerus of New Zealand white rabbits from three different maturation stages (newborn (NB), immature (11 days-1 month old), mature (3-6 months old)) were used. Three clusters were obtained by KM, FCM and HCA methods on different spectral regions (amide I, phosphate and carbonate). The newborn samples were well separated (71-100% correct classifications) from the other age groups by all bone components. The mature samples (3-6 months old) were well separated (100%) from those of other age groups by the carbonate spectral region, while by the phosphate and amide I regions some samples were assigned to another group (43-71% correct classifications). The greatest variance in the results for all algorithms was observed in the amide I region. In general, FCM clustering performed better than the other methods, and the overall error was lower. The discriminate analysis results showed that by combining the clustering results from all three spectral regions, the ability to predict the correct age group for all samples increased (from 29-86% to 77-91%). This study is the first to compare several clustering methods on infrared spectra of bone. Fuzzy C-means clustering performed best, and its ability to study the degree of memberships of samples to each cluster might be beneficial in future studies of medical diagnostics.     

Elemental analysis of vegetation samples by INAA internal standard method

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The application of comparator instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) combined with the internal standard method (ISM) was considered to...     

Identification of provenance of obsidian samples analyzing elemental composition by INAA

The results of a study on 111 obsidian artifacts collected during an archaeological campaign performed by the University of Siena near Sesto Fiorentino (Florence, Italy) are reported. Earlier, we used the concentration ratios among some elements as reported in the literature to discriminate the deposit sources. Later, optimizing the characterization and for having a more strong classification, multivariate chemiometric investigation has been performed (multivariate statistical analysis in Principal Components and Discriminating Factor Analysis). The data obtained show three wellseparated groups connected to the relative sites in Lipari and in Sardinia (flows A and C from Arci Mountain).     

An INAA study of trace elements in hair samples from two children on different sampling dates

A study of trace elements in hair samples from two children of different sex on different sampling dates has been carried out using INAA. Using several combinations of irradiation, cooling and counting times, about thirty elements were quantitatively determined. Some conclusions could be drawn from the data obtained.Visiting scientist in ENEA C.R.E. Casaccia, Rome, Italy during 1989.     

Computer graphics for quality control in the INAA of geological samples

A data reduction system for the routine instrumental activation analysis of samples is described, with particular emphasis on interactive graphics capabilities for evaluating analytical quality. Graphics procedures have been developed to interactively control the analysis of selected photopeaks during spectral analysis, and to evaluate detector performance during a given counting cycle. Graphics algorithms are also used to compare the data on reference samples with accepted values, to prepare quality control charts to evaluate long term precision and to search for systematic variations in data on reference samples as a function of time.     

Semi-empirical determination of detector absolute efficiency in INAA of voluminous samples

When neutron activation analysis of voluminous samples is performed using the absolute method, the detector absolute efficiency for -ray emiting distributed sources must be known. In this study, a Monte-Carlo program was developed to include the calculation of the effective solid angle subtended by a collimated detector from irregularly shaped voluminous samples. The program cna cope with dififerent sample shapes and geometries provided that the sample covers the view of the detector. Data such as the source and detector dimensions, the source-detector distance, the detector view at a cartain distance, the thickness and the composition of any intervening materials, the -ray energies of interest and the corresponding attenuation coefficients for each material are required. The method adopted for calculating the detector absolute efficiency of the voluminous sample in a certain geometry takes into account the effect by -rays baing emited from different position within the sample and also considers their attenuation in the sample material as well as any intervening materials between the sample and the detector and is compared with a reference point source. The alculations are varified experimentally using a distributed source of 75 mm diameter and 100 mm thickness and two semiconductor detectors. The difference between the calculated and measured absolute efficiencies did not exceed 4%.     

Use of INAA to study the biodistribution of platinum compounds in animals

The concentration of platinum in various organs of mice and rat was determined, after injection of tetrachloroplatinate and dichlorodimethioninoplatinum/II/, by neutron activation analysis. It was found that these two platinum complexes have a different biodistribution pattern in animals.     

INAA of human and animal whole blood samples by short term reactor irradiation

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis /INAA/ has been employed for the determination of 15 major, minor and trace elements in human and animal blood samples. Dry whole blood samples along with NBS and IAEA standards were irradiated for 5 min, 1 h, 5 h and 10 h with reactor thermal neutrons and counted using high resolution -spectrometry at successive intervals. Data for a new IAEA proposed CRM Mixed Human Diet /H-9/ is reported.     

INAA determination of selenium via77mSe in plasma,semen and hair samples from beef and dairy bulls

Interest in the element selenium with respect to its biological significance has been steadily increasing for the last ten years. Neutron activation analysis has long been used for the accurate determination of selenium in biological samples usually via⁷⁵Se. More recently activation analysts having access to high flux reactors with rapid delivery pneumatic tube facilities; have successfully employed^77mSe. This approach, which is much faster, is particularly well suited to the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR). The specific interest concerning bulls has to do with the involvement of selenium in the reproductive system. Selenium analysis methodology and data on plasma, semen and 22 tissues from both beef and dairy bulls are presented.     

Factorial discriminant analysis of occupational exposure in metallurgy using INAA of hair samples

A multivariate statistical technique-factoral discriminant analysis (FDA)-has been used to evaluate the occupational esposure of a group of metallurgy workers using the elemental composition of their scalp hair, as compared with a control group. The initial variables were the concentrations of ten minor and trace elements Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Sb, Se, V, and Zn determined in hair samples by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). A good discrimination between exposed and control subjects has been achieved after the normalization of the data (by log-transforming the initial variables) and considering sex-matched groups. To measure the accuracy of the classification and the predictive ability a cross-validation procedure was used.     

A comparison of N-type semi-planar and coaxial INAA detectors for 33 geochemical reference samples

While INAA is becoming a less popular analytical technique and it is a mature tool, there are still many improvement happening in the field. The effect of the new semi-planar detector is evaluated as compared to geological reference material and as its performance to the classical coaxial detector. The semi-planar detector offers improved accuracy (about 5%) for many analytes (As, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Eu, Hf, Lu, Nd, Rb, Sm, Th, U, Yb and Zn) while the coaxial gives an accuracy in the range of 10-15%.     

A comparison of INAA and ICP-MS/ICP-AES methods for the analysis of meteorite samples

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (hereafter, ICPs) were applied to meteorite samples for the determination of elemental content. The analytical applicability and suitability of the three methods have been compared. Those comparisons led to the refinement of our analytical procedures for INAA and ICPs, yielding more reliable data. Our INAA data proved to be reliable enough for classifying meteorites, while the ICPs, especially ICP-MS, can characterize elemental abundance features in detail, as demonstrated by REE abundance patterns for the Allende meteorite. In this manner, INAA and ICPs can be used in a complementary fashion in cosmochemical studies.     

Determination of major,minor and trace elements in Iraqi vegetable samples by INAA

Our aim was to discover a method of separating zirconium(IV) and uranium(VI) from solutions. It is known that Zr(IV) and U(VI) are effectively extracted by tertiary amines from weak acidic sulfate solutions but the possibility of extraction decreases with increasing acidity. The transition from tertiary amine to primary amine Primene JMT enables the extraction of Zr also from more acidic solution. If both Zr and U are present in an aqueous solution, Zr is extracted preferentially and only the free part of the amine can convert uranium to an extract. The separation described below was carried out by preferentially stripping zirconium from the organic phase. The application of nitrate solution (2M HNO₃) to eliminate Zr from the solvent was tested. This method does not demand any special regeneration of the extraction agent and the amine nitrate, formed in the organic phase, can be used for further extraction of Zr without modification. Using this method of separation, a solution for producing pure ZrOCl₂·8H₂O was obtained.     

INAA of coals from the Midwestern USA

The concentrations of 43 elements were determined in coal samples collected from the state of Missouri using INAA at the University of Missouri Research Reactor. The results of the whole coal analysis reveal that the chemical compositions of Missouri coals are highly variable. Enrichment factors were determined for each of the elements determined in this project to provide a measure of the relative enrichment of the element as compared to the average crustal abundance for that element. Most elements are relatively depleted in coals, however the elements As, Br, B, Ca, Cd, Cl, Fe, Mo, Ni, Sb, S, U, Zn and Zr were found to be enriched in Missouri coals. The determination of the relative enrichment of a given element in coal will allow a greater assessment of the environment impact the will be incurred from the use of that coal.     

Elemental characterization of impurities at trace and ultra-trace levels in metallurgical lead samples by INAA

The purity of several economically important metals is routinely verified by a reference material. Further, it is essential to provide a means of maintaining the consistency between laboratories and on disseminating the accurate value.This work, developed within an activity of certification promoted by EURATOM, reports the results on impurity determination (Ag, As, Cd, Ni, Sb, Sn, Te and Zn) at trace (µg g^{− 1}) and ultra-trace (ng g^{− 1}) levels in three metallurgical lead samples (99.99% of purity). Among the different analytical techniques available for the characterization, the use of a nuclear technique, i.e. Instrumental Nuclear Activation Analysis, has allowed to reach high sensitivity and to obtain accurate values for these elements.The irradiations were performed in the rotating rack (Lazy Susan) and in the central channel of the Triga Mark II reactor reaching a total integrated flux of 9.36 × 10¹⁷ n cm^{− 2} and 2 × 10¹⁹ n cm^{− 2}, respectively.The results about the determination of elements such as Ni, Sn, Te and Zn present at ultra-trace levels (ng/g), are showed and discussed. This task is very interesting for the radio-analytical and methodological implications: in fact, for analyzing them a radiochemical separation is involved and an anti-Compton gamma spectrometer is necessary due to their very low levels.