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Applied Radiation and Isotopes :... Nov 2022It is well known that George Hevesy and Hilde Levi were the original discoverers of neutron activation analysis. However, there were many other researchers in Europe...
It is well known that George Hevesy and Hilde Levi were the original discoverers of neutron activation analysis. However, there were many other researchers in Europe that firstly unknowingly and knowingly discovered the neutron, and others who experimented in neutron induced radioactivity. A historical timeline of the several parallel experiments in a very short period is given in this synopsis. It eventually was Hevesy and Hilde to first use the powerful technique of neutron activation analysis for analytical chemistry.
Topics: Europe; Neutron Activation Analysis; Neutrons; Radioactivity
PubMed: 36049442
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110422 -
Journal of Hygiene, Epidemiology,... 1986Recent development and uses of neutron activation techniques for human hair analyses are reviewed. The method of neutron activation analysis (NAA) appears to have the... (Review)
Review
Recent development and uses of neutron activation techniques for human hair analyses are reviewed. The method of neutron activation analysis (NAA) appears to have the potential to be used as a tool for environmental pollution monitoring. Principally, two types of NAA procedure are in use nowadays for multielement analyses of human scalp hair. The more common of these is the method of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), consisting of a single short-term (3-10 hours) exposure of hair to a beam of neutrons in a nuclear reactor, followed by two measurements of gamma-ray spectra at 2-3 days and 3-4 weeks after the end of irradiation. The following microelements can be commonly determined by this type of activation procedure: As, Au, Br, Cu, K, La, Na, Sb, Sm, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Hg, Rb, Sc, Se and Zn. The other of the two procedures involves the use of radiochemical separation techniques and is employed for quantitative determinations of elements that are not easily determined by INAA (Mo, Cd, Ni, etc.), or in cases where there is a need to achieve the lowest possible limits of analytical determination. The accuracy of NAA techniques is strongly dependent on the hair sampling and hair sample processing methods used. The analytical error of this method may vary within the range of 5-15%. Its applicability as a tool for monitoring the environmental pollution level is here demonstrated on an example of groups of individuals living in the areas differing by the degree of environmental pollution. The use of other biopsy materials, such as e.g. mammalian hair, for the purpose of environmental exposure monitoring is also considered in this review.
Topics: Activation Analysis; Air Pollutants; Environmental Monitoring; Hair; Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis; Radiochemistry; Specimen Handling; Spectrometry, Gamma; Trace Elements
PubMed: 3517158
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2016Aluminum, as an abundant metal, has gained widespread use in human life, entering the body predominantly as an additive to various foods and drinking water. Other major... (Review)
Review
Aluminum, as an abundant metal, has gained widespread use in human life, entering the body predominantly as an additive to various foods and drinking water. Other major sources of exposure to aluminum include medical, cosmetic, and occupational routes. As a common environmental toxin, with well-known roles in several medical conditions such as dialysis encephalopathy, aluminum is considered a potential candidate in the causality of Alzheimer's disease. Aluminum mostly accumulates in the bone, which makes bone an indicator of the body burden of aluminum and an ideal organ as a proxy for the brain. Most of the techniques developed for measuring aluminum include bone biopsy, which requires invasive measures, causing inconvenience for the patients. There has been a considerable effort in developing non-invasive approaches, which allow for monitoring aluminum levels for medical and occupational purposes in larger populations. In vivo neutron activation analysis, a method based on nuclear activation of isotopes of elements in the body and their subsequent detection, has proven to be an invaluable tool for this purpose. There are definite challenges in developing in vivo non-invasive techniques capable of detecting low levels of aluminum in healthy individuals and aluminum-exposed populations. The following review examines the method of in vivo neutron activation analysis in the context of aluminum measurement in humans focusing on different neutron sources, interference from other activation products, and the improvements made in minimum detectable limits and patient dose over the past few decades.
Topics: Aluminum; Alzheimer Disease; Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis
PubMed: 26890739
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150595 -
Applied Radiation and Isotopes :... Sep 2022This work presents neutron flux calculation results and specific decay heat and activity for the European DEMO reactor divertor structure. Two DEMO 2017 models were used...
This work presents neutron flux calculation results and specific decay heat and activity for the European DEMO reactor divertor structure. Two DEMO 2017 models were used in calculations; one with a homogenised WCLL breeder blanket and the other with a homogenised HCPB breeder blanket. The neutron flux calculations were performed using MCNP6 code with JEFF 3.2 nuclear data. Activation and decay heat calculations were performed using the FISPACT-II code with TENDL - 2017 nuclear data library.
Topics: Activation Analysis; Hot Temperature; Neutrons; Radioisotopes
PubMed: 35714517
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110314 -
Radiology Dec 1958
Topics: Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis; Neutrons
PubMed: 13624041
DOI: 10.1148/71.6.856 -
Methods in Enzymology 1988
Topics: Activation Analysis; Humans; Metals; Neutron Activation Analysis; Radioisotopes; Trace Elements
PubMed: 3374378
DOI: 10.1016/0076-6879(88)58060-6 -
Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.... Apr 1957
Topics: Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis; Neutrons
PubMed: 13420308
DOI: No ID Found -
British Medical Journal Aug 1967
Topics: Activation Analysis; Animals; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Radiometry; Sheep
PubMed: 6038312
DOI: No ID Found -
Medical Physics 1981From the inauspicious beginning arising in the aftermath of a reactor accident in 1957, in vivo analysis of body elements by neutron activation has become an important... (Review)
Review
From the inauspicious beginning arising in the aftermath of a reactor accident in 1957, in vivo analysis of body elements by neutron activation has become an important tool in medical research. In particular, it provides a much needed means to make quantitative assessments of body composition of human beings in vivo. The data are useful both for basic physiological understanding and for diagnosis and management of a variety of diseases and disorders. The paper traces the development of the in vivo neutron activation technique in the past quarter of a century from basic systems to the present state of the art facilities, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems. A scan of some of the numerous clinical applications that have been made of this technique reveals the broad potentialities of in vivo neutron activation. The paper also considers alternative routes of future development and raises some of the questions now faced in making the techniques more widely available to both medical practitioners and medical investigators.
Topics: Activation Analysis; Body Composition; Calcium; Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis; Radiation Dosage; Technology, Radiologic
PubMed: 7033755
DOI: 10.1118/1.594899 -
Physics in Medicine and Biology Sep 1984
Review
Topics: Activation Analysis; Body Composition; Cadmium; Calcium; Humans; Neutron Activation Analysis; Nitrogen; Radiation Dosage
PubMed: 6385030
DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/29/9/001