Tributyltin (TBT) and other organotin compounds have been restricted for use on leisure boats since 1989 in the EU. Nonetheless, release of TBT is observed from leisure boats during hull maintenance work, such as pressure hosing. In this work, we used a handheld X-ray Fluorescence analyser (XRF) calibrated for antifouling paint matrixes to measure tin, copper and zinc in antifouling paints coat...

The development of a rapid and non-destructive method to assess purity levels in samples of biogenic silica prior to geochemical/isotope analysis remains a key objective in improving both the quality and use of such data in environmental and palaeoclimatic research. Here a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) mass-balance method is demonstrated for calculating levels of contamination ...

OBJECTIVES X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a non-invasive method for determining the iodine content of the thyroid gland in vivo. In spite of the obvious clinical value of such a method in situations of iodine deficiency or iodine overload, the method has not so far been widely used. The objective was to investigate the applicability of the XRF method in a larger number of subjects. DESIGN AND SU...

Context. X-ray flashes (XRFs) are a class of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) with a peak energy of the time-integrated ν Fν spectrum, Ep, typically below 30 keV, whereas classical GRBs have Ep of a few hundreds of keV. Apart from Ep and the systematically lower luminosity, the properties of XRFs, such as their duration or spectral indices, are typical of the classical GRBs. Yet, the nature of XRFs and ...

X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray rich gamma-ray bursts (XRGRBs) share many observational characteristics with long duration (& 2 s) GRBs, but the reason for which the spectral energy distribution of their prompt emission peaks at lower photon energies, Ep, is still a subject of debate. Although many different models have been invoked in order to explain the lower values of Ep, their implications ...

(109)Cd-based K-shell X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (hereafter, for brevity, XRF) is used, often in epidemiological studies, to perform non-invasive, in vivo measurements of lead in bone. We conducted the first interlaboratory study of XRF via the circulation of nine goat tibiæ in which the mean lead value ranged from 4.0 µg g(-1) to 55.3 µg g(-1) bone mineral. The test tibiæ were subsequentl...

BACKGROUND Transbronchial biopsy for peripheral pulmonary lesions is generally performed under X-ray fluoroscopy. Virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) is a method in which virtual images of the bronchial route to the lesion are produced based on CT images obtained before VBN, and the bronchoscope is guided using these virtual images, improving the diagnostic yield of peripheral pulmonary lesi...

This thesis uses early-time and simultaneous data from all three instruments on-board Swift to explore how the conditions of long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and their envi­ ronment affect their observed prompt and afterglow properties. I firstly analyse two long GRBs with properties that distinguish them from the more standard class of long GRB; XRF 050406 and GRB 061007. The X-Ray Flash XRF 05040...

In this paper we will introduce the general benefits of X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) for assessing the condition of the outer environment, especially where ambient aerosol particles are causing environmental disturbances. Examples from recent environmental studies are presented, and energy dispersive XRF is concluded to be a powerful, nondestructive yet easily applicable tool to supply...