Trace elements in sera from patients with renal disease

In hemodialysis (HD) patients, an accumulation of trace elements such as aluminum, copper, silicon and vanadium has been reported. Aluminum-caused encephalopathy and aluminum-related bone diseases are important trace element-related complications. Using particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) we determined concentrations of aluminum, silicon, copper, zinc, selenium and bromine in sera of 29 patients with HD, 14 nondialysis patients with renal disease (RD) and 27 normal controls. The concentration of serum silicon of the patients with HD was 107.4 ± 61.3 μmol/l, which is markedly higher than that of normal controls (48.3 ± 25.8 μmol/l, p < 0.0001). The serum concentrations of zinc and bromine in patients with HD were 11.9 ± 1.7 and 21.3 ± 3.0 μmol/l, respectively. Both were markedly lower than those of normal controls (15.6 ± 2.6, 69.2 ± 8.3 μmol/l, p < 0.0001). The concentrations of aluminium and bromine in the serum of patients with RD were 171.9 ± 64.3 and 81.9 ± 11.6 μmol/l, which were markedly higher than those of normal controls (p < 0.0001, p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in the concentration of copper and selenium among three groups.     

Trace element analysis of blood samples from mentally challenged children by PIXE

The accelerator based ion beam analysis method of proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has been used for analysing up to 14 elements in the blood serum of patients, collected from rehabilitation centres for the mentally retarded and from Medical College Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The experimental subjects of the different groups displayed significant variations in their levels of certain trace elements such as zinc, iron, copper, phosphorus, chlorine, and rubidium. The results are compared with those of healthy control subjects and are discussed in detail in this paper. Hence, PIXE as a method of trace element analysis can be used to determine trace element content in mentally challenged patients.     

Measurements of natural radionuclides in soil samples from Upper Egypt

This paper presents the results of natural radioactivity measured for the soil of Qena using gamma-ray spectrometry at ZSR, Hanover University, Germany. Soil samples of radioactive concentrations of ^238U-series （^234Th, ^214pb, and ^214Bi）, 232Th-series （^228Ac, ^212pb, and ^208Tl） and ^40K were analyzed. Three objectives were set： （1） activity levels by surface soft sampling at 0-30 cm depth, （2） dose rates of gamma radiation, radium equivalent, index hazard, and effective dose, and （3） ambient dose rates.     

Trace elements in reactor steels: implications for decommissioning

Trace elements in stainless steel have been systematically examined for the production of long-lived radioisotopes through neutron activation in reactors. Niobium-94 has been identified as the most important impurity. It is a long-lived ( yr) gamma ray emitter (0.7 and 0.87 MeV), which is produced by the neutron capture reaction ⁹³Nb(n, γ)⁹⁴Nb. Through X-ray fluorescence Nb concentrations of 160 ± 20 ppm have been found in type 304 stainless steel which agrees with earlier published values. At this concentration, the gamma radiation dose rate inside the pressure vessel of a reactor would remain close to 1 rem/hr for thousands of years after the ⁶⁰Co activity has decayed. This could be important for the delayed dismantling option considered for reactors.Nitrogen as an impurity in stainless steel has been shown to result in the buildup of 100 and 1000 Ci of carbon-14 over the lifetime of a BWR and a PWR, respectively. Although ¹⁴C is only a β⁻-emitter, its long half-life (5730 yr) and the crucial role of carbon in the biosphere may be important in deciding on the ultimate disposal method of the radioactive reactor components.     

胆结石样品中7种元素的中子活化法测定

用中子活化法测定了２２例胆囊结石中Ｂｒ,Ｃａ,Ｃｌ,Ｃｕ,Ｉ,Ｍｎ,Ｎａ７种元素的含量,发现“黑色煤渣样”结石中Ｂｒ,Ｃｕ和Ｍｎ含量极高,分别平均为胆固醇和胆红素类结石中的相应含量的５．５－６．９倍,２６－１１９倍和２３－７５６倍,而胆红素类结石中Ｃａ,Ｃｕ和Ｍｎ含量远高于胆固醇类结石,碘在个别结石中含量极高,远高于体液和正常组织中的碘含量,个别样品比甲状腺中还高,相关分析表明Ｃｕ与Ｂｒ间,Ｍｎ与     

Trace elements in particles of motor vehicle exhaust in Shanghai

A nuclear microprobe with high spatial resolution and high analytical sensitivity was applied to analyze trace elements,especially lead,in vehicle exhaust of Shanghai city.The result shows that the chemical composition and its corresponding x-ray relative intensity are different among different vehicle exhausts.There are many kinds of metal elements in particles of vehicle exhaust.most are harmful to people,such as Ti,Cr,Mn,Pb,etc.We found that the lead concentration was 6820μg/g and the bromine concentration was 5300μg/g in the exhaust from Santana using leaded gasoline(SULG).which is higher than any other kinds of vehicle exhausts.We have also detected the minimum lead in the particles of unleaded gasoline and its content varies from one to another.Its mean concentration was 450μg/g and the highest reached 6210μg/g.The unleaded gasoline‘s Pb existed in the whole particle while the leaded gasoline‘s enriched in the surface of the particle and was more harmful to the human beings.     

不同甲状腺激素水平病人红细胞中的微量元素

用质子激发Ｘ荧光和中子活化分析方法测量了不同甲状腺激素水平的甲状腺病人红细胞中的微量元素Ｋ,Ｃａ,Ｆｅ,Ｃｕ,Ｚｎ,Ｓｅ和Ｒｂ等的含量。用ＳＰＳＳ／ＰＣ软件中的单因素方差分析和相关性分析检验了不同组之间甲状腺激素和微量元素的差异和相关性。结果表明,不同甲状腺激素水平病人红细胞中Ｓｅ元素含量未见显著性差异。     

大米中矿质元素含量测定及分析

采用粉末压片制样,用波长色散X射线荧光光谱法对湖北、四川和黑龙江产地大米中Mn、Fe、Cu、Zn、Mg、P、S、K、Ca 9种元素含量进行测定,并用主成分和聚类分析对结果进行分析。讨论了各目标元素测量条件,运用经验系数法和散射射线作内标对基体效应进行校正,通过测量国家生物标准物质建立了工作曲线。分析结果表明,该方法检出限较低、精密度较好、准确度较高,不同产地大米样品中目标元素含量差异显著。前4个主成分的累计方差贡献率为89.3%,30份大米样品分布在三个区域,分别来自三个产地。聚类分析在阈值为9时,将大米样品分成三类,与主成分分析结果一致。因此矿质元素可作为大米产地溯源的指标。     

Trace elements concentration in sediments of Orontes River using PIXE technique

Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has been used to measure trace elements in sediments of Orontes River. Measurements were carried out using a 2 MeV proton beam produced from of the 3 MV tandem accelerator. Sediment samples were collected from 11 sites covering the important potential pollution sources at the river. The accuracy of the experimental procedure was verified using a certified sediment reference material (IAEA-SL1) and was found to be less than 10%. The results have shown that Pb and As were within the natural levels. In contrast, high concentrations of other elements like Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn have been found at different sites and explained by local human and industrial activities.     

Trace elements in lake sediments measured by the PIXE technique

Lakes are ecosystems where there is a great potential of metal accumulation in sediments due to their depositional characteristics. Total concentration of trace elements was measured on a 50 cm long sediment core from the Infernão Lake, that is an oxbow lake of the Moji-Guaçu River basin, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Dating of the core shows up to 180 yrs old sediment layers. The use of the PIXE technique for elemental analysis avoids the traditional acid digestion procedure common in other techniques. The multielemental characteristic of PIXE allows a simultaneous determination of about 20 elements in the sediment samples, such as, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba, and Pb. Average values for the elemental composition were found to be similar to the bulk crustal composition. The lake flooding pattern strongly influences the time series of the elemental profiles. Factor analysis of the elemental variability shows five factors. Two of the factors represent the mineralogical matrix, and others represent the organic component, a factor with lead, and another loaded with chromium. The mineralogical component consists of elements such as, Fe, Al, V, Ti, Mn, Ni, K, Zr, Sr, Cu and Zn. The variability of Si is explained by two distinct factors, because it is influenced by two different sources, aluminum-silicates and quartz, and the effect of inundation are different for each other. The organic matter is strongly associated with calcium, and also bounded with S, Zn, Cu and P. Lead and chromium appears as separated factors, although it is not clear the evidences for their anthropogenic origin. The techniques developed for sample preparation and PIXE analysis was proven as advantageous and provided very good reproducibility and accuracy.     

嫦娥五号月壤元素含量中子活化分析测定的质量保证和质量控制

精准测定嫦娥五号月壤样品的元素含量,对于探讨月壤的成因及其形成的物理化学条件、研究月球演化历史具有重要意义。为了确保利用中子活化分析测定嫦娥五号月壤样品元素含量结果的准确性和可靠性,需要做好分析过程的质量保证和分析结果的质量控制。基于中子活化分析原理和误差来源,讨论了月壤样品中子活化分析中的质量保证措施,并采用标准物质监控、重复测试、自我验证、方法比对等内部质量控制方法对月壤样品中子活化分析结果进行评价和验证。内部质控样品的分析结果满足实验室的接收标准,重复测试等内部质量控制方法显示元素定值结果具有一致性。通过分析测量数据,验证了检测结果的可靠性,证明质量保证过程和质量控制方法有效。     

Reagent-based remediation of soil contaminated with transuranium elements

The results of studies on selecting remediation solutions for removing plutonium and americium from soil are presented. The effect of the type and concentration of different reagents on the degree of leaching of radionuclides is studied. It is shown that acid solutions extract americium from soils. Reducing media must be used to extract plutonium from soils efficiently. The conditions for obtaining 90% reagent-based remediation of soils are determined.     

尖晶石－石榴石相转变过程中矿物的微量元素组成与分布特征

利用质子微探针和微束ＰＩＸＥ定量分析技术对山东梭罗树地慢橄榄岩中橄榄石、斜方辉石、单斜辉石、尖晶石和石榴石等矿物的微量元素组成与分布进行了研究。结果表明，不相容元素（Ｓｒ、Ｙ、Ｚｒ）主要富集于单斜辉石内，尖晶石则几乎富集质子探针所能检出的所有微量元素，而石榴石中微量元素含量最少。该研究表明，在矿物微区微量元素分布是十分不均匀的，推测可能受地幔交代过程中溶液的渗滤效应以及存在微粒包裹体的共同制约。     

古汝瓷指纹元素散布分析

将古汝瓷、现代汝瓷的釉和胎等２８个样品进行中子活化分析，测定每个样品３６种元素的含量，从中选取９种指纹元素进行散布分析，结果表明，除少数样品外，这批釉色迥异，出自众多不同窑口、不同时间烧制的古汝瓷、有着长期的、稳定的、基本相同的原料来源。初步分析了古钧瓷与古汝瓷相近的起源关系，现代汝瓷与古汝瓷原料产地基本相同。现代景德镇高白瓷釉料有别于所有其他样品。     

辐照前富集微型堆中子活化法测定地质样品中稀土元素的研究

介绍了一种过氧化钠熔样、稀土元素、过氧化物共沉淀、阳离子交换树脂富集后，用ＩＮＡＡ分析方法在微型堆上完成１４个稀土元素的测定程序。该方法的探测下限各元素不等．最低Ｅｕ为８．４ｎｇ，最高Ｐｒ为３．９２μｇ，可满足土壤、水系沉积物和某些岩石样品的稀土元素分析。与纯仪器方法相比，不仅可完成Ｅｒ、Ｐｒ、Ｔｍ、Ｎｄ、Ｈｏ的测试．补充纯仪器法的不足，而且其它元素如Ｌａ、Ｃｅ、Ｓｍ、Ｇｄ、Ｌｕ、Ｄｙ、Ｅｕ、Ｙｂ、Ｔｂ等元素的测试灵敏度也得到很大程度的改善。     

Manganese survey in airborne particulate matter from a mining area at Hidalgo State, Mexico

A manganese (Mn) survey in airborne particulate matter from a mining area located in Hidalgo State (Mexico) was performed using PIXE. Deposits of Mn ore, first discovered in 1959 and under continuous exploitation since 1962, are nowadays considered as one of the most important of their kind in the American Continent. Afterwards, local inhabitants have been under continuous overexposure to dusts and water highly enriched with Mn. Since no information was available about Mn content in airborne particulate matter in that area, especially in the respirable fraction PM_2.5, airborne particles were collected simultaneously at two sites located on opposite sides of the rim of the mining valley, and along the line of prevailing local winds. The sample collection was performed on eight alternate days, taking two samples per day (day-time and night-time) at each sampling site, using Stacked Filter Units (SFUs) of the Davis design to separate particles into fine (PM_2.5) and coarse (PM₁₅) sizes. The samples were PIXE analyzed and the results of this study revealed that Mn content, in both fine and coarse fractions, were in excess of the general urban background level of 40 ng/m³ (US Environmental Protection Agency, 1990) in more than 50% of the samples, which indicate severe environmental deterioration in the place under study.     

Quantitative microanalysis of matrix elements in biological samples by MeV proton scattering

A computer program, HCNO-MAP, has been specially designed to evaluate data from the analysis of biological samples done with a scanning nuclear microprobe. It produces quantitative maps of the elements ¹H, ¹²C, ¹⁴N and ¹⁶O from spectra of elastically backscattered and forward-scattered protons, at a speed of 0.3–0.4 s/pixel on a microVAX-II computer. Algorithms for the automatic evaluation used in the program are described. Results from analyses of plastic foils show that the program is capable of handling poor pulse statistics. A quantitative map of ¹²C in a cross section of a rootlet is presented.     

Natural radioactivity level of associated bone-coal mining area in Zhejiang Province

The geographic distribution, γ-radiation level and specific activity of radionuclides of the bone-coal mines in Zhejiang Province were reported. The weighted average of γ-radiation dose rate of the bone-coal mines is 566 nGy/h for 107 main bone-coal mines. The weighted mean activity of ^238U, ^226Ra, ^232Th and ^40K in the samples are 949,918, 34 and 554 Bq/kg for 171 samples of bone-coal, respectively.