On-line determination of the water cut and chlorine impurities in crude oil using a pulsed beam of fast neutrons.

A neutron-based sensor has been developed able to measure the water cut and the chlorine content in crude oil. The sensor is based upon the use of a pulsed fast neutron source. Two different cases were studied.

X-ray Fluorescence Techniques for Element Abundance Analysis in Wine.

The elemental composition has been extensively used to characterize wine and to find correlations with environmental and winemaking factors. Although X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques offer many advantages, they have been rarely used for wine analysis. Here, we show the comparison of wine elemental composition results obtained by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) for elements K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, and Sr.

The Growth and Sporulation of in Nanotesla Magnetic Fields.

The order of magnitude of increased growth, multiplication rate, and decreased sporulation of after exposure to nanotesla magnetic fields (MFs) relative to control samples were observed experimentally. Earth's total magnetic field intensity was reduced from 47.9 ± 0.

Effects of microscale particles in red mud amended artificial soils on bioaccumulation of elements in E. fetida.

Red mud (RM) contains large quantities of microscale particles < 1 μm and high concentrations of potentially toxic elements. In this research, we have used two types of RM of similar chemical properties but containing different quantities of micro-particles, to test whether their size plays a role in the uptake of chemical elements by earthworm Eisenia fetida. Earthworms were exposed for seven days to artificial soils (prepared in the laboratory following a protocol) amended with increasing quantities of RM.

In-situ measurements of rare earth elements in deep sea sediments using nuclear methods.

The prospecting activities for finding new rare earth elements (REE) sources have increased greatly in recent years. One of the main discoveries was announced in 2011 by Japanese researchers who found large quantities of REE on the ocean seafloor at the sea depths greater than 4,000 m. The classic approach to investigate REE in deep sea sediments is to obtain sediment samples by drilling that is followed by laborious laboratory analysis.