Comparative Neutron Radiography Analysis of Siliceous Marine Sponges: Dragmacidon lunaecharta
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by Idaho State University.
Abstract
Porifera (sea sponges) have an affinity for heavy metal accumulation that will become more important as ocean warming and acidification increases the solubility of heavy metals. Porifera are also notoriously difficult to identify for taxonomic purposes without genetic sampling and/or dissection of each sample. The internal architecture of a sponge and heavy metal accumulation, features seen with neutron radiography imaging techniques, could be useful as a simple means of taxonomic and biomarker identification.
Six specimens of Dragmacidon lunaecharta were exposed to sea water contaminated with cadmium chloride as a means of exploring the heavy metal uptake in the organisms and the capability of the different imaging techniques to detect the contamination and internal structures. Neutron imaging was performed at the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory using a prototype complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera-based digital imaging system in the north beamline. Results were compared to the indirect film radiography performed in the east beamline. Comparison with previous neutron activation analysis (NAA) data indicates that artifacts visible in neutron radiography have a high probability of being cadmium. The study provided initial data for future studies of sponges and a unique test specimen for the prototype digital neutron imager.
Comparative Neutron Radiography Analysis of Siliceous Marine Sponges: Dragmacidon lunaecharta
Porifera (sea sponges) have an affinity for heavy metal accumulation that will become more important as ocean warming and acidification increases the solubility of heavy metals. Porifera are also notoriously difficult to identify for taxonomic purposes without genetic sampling and/or dissection of each sample. The internal architecture of a sponge and heavy metal accumulation, features seen with neutron radiography imaging techniques, could be useful as a simple means of taxonomic and biomarker identification.
Six specimens of Dragmacidon lunaecharta were exposed to sea water contaminated with cadmium chloride as a means of exploring the heavy metal uptake in the organisms and the capability of the different imaging techniques to detect the contamination and internal structures. Neutron imaging was performed at the Neutron Radiography (NRAD) Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory using a prototype complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera-based digital imaging system in the north beamline. Results were compared to the indirect film radiography performed in the east beamline. Comparison with previous neutron activation analysis (NAA) data indicates that artifacts visible in neutron radiography have a high probability of being cadmium. The study provided initial data for future studies of sponges and a unique test specimen for the prototype digital neutron imager.
Comments
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