Biomedical subjects

R M Lindstrom

Publications and source records attributed to R M Lindstrom.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Sum and mean. Standard programs for activation analysis.

Two computer programs in use for over a decade in the Nuclear Methods Group at NIST illustrate the utility of standard software: programs widely available and widely used, in which (ideally) well-tested public algorithms produce results that are well understood, and thereby capable of comparison, within the community of users. Sum interactively computes the position, net area, and uncertainty of the area of spectral peaks, and can give better results than automatic peak search programs when peaks are very small, very large, or unusually shaped. Mean combines unequal measurements of a single quantity, tests for consistency, and obtains the weighted mean and six measures of its uncertainty.

Activation Analysis↗

PubMed1994

Analytical applications of guided neutron beams.

Guided beams of thermal and cold neutrons have become available to analysts at several reactors during the past decade. The very pure beams from these guides have led to lower backgrounds and higher sensitivities for prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA), and thus to new applications for this technique. For analytical accuracy, the details of neutron scattering within the sample need to be taken into account; this consideration is especially important for most materials of biological origin.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Use of spherical targets to minimize effects of neutron scattering by hydrogen in neutron capture prompt gamma-ray activation analysis.

For hydrogenous targets that are thinner than they are wide, element sensitivities (counts.s-1.mg-1) for determining concentrations of elements by neutron capture prompt gamma-ray activation analysis (PGAA) are enhanced relative to sensitivities obtained from measurements on nonhydrogenous materials. These enhancements are caused mainly by elastic neutron scattering by H, which changes the average neutron fluence rate within the matrix. The magnitude of the effect depends on the macroscopic scattering and absorption cross sections and on the size, shape, and orientation of the target with respect to the neutron beam. Sensitivities increase linearly with H density for thin targets of constant size and shape and also vary with target shape. Theoretical work was shown that element sensitivities for hydrogenous targets in the form of spheres are least affected by neutron scattering. Methods were devised for creating solid spheres and for containing liquids in spherical shapes. Element sensitivities were determined for spheres and disks of several hydrogenous materials. For H, B, Cl, K, Br, and Cd, sensitivities for spheres were found to be less affected by neutron scattering. Exceptions were Sm and Gd sensitivities measured in liquids contained in quartz globes.

Chemistry Techniques, Analytical↗

PubMed1991

Effects of target shape and neutron scattering on element sensitivities for neutron-capture prompt gamma-ray activation analysis.

Results are presented for a study of the effects of neutron scattering by hydrogen on element sensitivities for in-beam neutron capture prompt gamma-ray activation analysis. In a scattering matrix, sensitivities vary as a function of both the scattering density, i.e., the number of scatters per unit volume and the magnitude of scattering cross sections, and the target geometry, i.e., the target shape and orientation with respect to the neutron beam. Element sensitivities (counts.s-1.mg-1) increased linearly with H density (g.mL-1) for H, B, Na, Cl, K, Mn, Br, Ag, Cd, I, Sm, and Gd, measured for liquids packaged in Teflon bags. Nine of the 12 elements studied had 1.69 +/- 0.18% sensitivity enhancement per percent increase in H density. Samarium sensitivity was enhanced by only 0.54 +/- 0.07%/% H, which may indicate that neutron scattering by H causes a shift in the energy distribution of the neutrons. Manganese sensitivity was enhanced by 2.44 +/- 0.26%/% H. The enhancement of the sensitivity for H itself varied with matrix composition. For several series of disk-shaped, solid, hydrogenous targets, element sensitivities increased with decreasing target thickness until, at some limiting thickness, this trend was reversed. Consistent with theory, sensitivities measured for spherical hydrogenous targets showed no enhancement.

Chlorine↗