Investigating methods of normalization for X-ray fluorescence measurements of zinc in nail clippings using the TOPAS Monte Carlo code

Utsav Sharma; Kurt Van Delinder; James L Gräfe; David E B Fleming

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110151

Investigating methods of normalization for X-ray fluorescence measurements of zinc in nail clippings using the TOPAS Monte Carlo code

Appl Radiat Isot. 2022 Apr:182:110151. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110151. Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Authors

Utsav Sharma¹, Kurt Van Delinder², James L Gräfe², David E B Fleming³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: utsav.sharma@ryerson.ca.
² Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Physics Department, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada.

PMID: 35189511
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110151

Abstract

Development of portable X-ray fluorescence devices has made it easier to quickly assess trace elements such as zinc in human tissue. A TOPAS Monte Carlo code was used to investigate the use of a portable X-ray fluorescence system for detecting zinc in nail clippings. The obtained energy spectra from different nail thicknesses were analyzed and three different normalization techniques (coherent, Compton, and entire spectrum) were introduced. The simulation results suggested that coherent normalization can be a particularly robust normalization procedure.

MeSH terms

Computer Simulation
Fluorescence
Humans
Monte Carlo Method
Nails / chemistry*
Point-of-Care Systems
Radiography*
Trace Elements / analysis
X-Rays
Zinc / analysis*

Substances

Trace Elements
Zinc