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The effect of IT industry on r is discussed. For informatics to make a definite contribution, it is necessary for Pharma companies to invest in the new technology.

The article discusses different topics related to sports in the U.S. such as soccer player Neymar's love for piano playing, baseball player Buster Posey's request for volunteerism to help children diagnosed with pediatric cancer, and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Topics discussed include birthdays of sportsters in October such as Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy; hosting of Ironman World Championship; and gymnast Simone Biles' love for pizza.

Particle size distributions and compositions of primary aerosols produced by means of near-IR femtosecond laser ablation (λ = 775 nm) of brass in He or Ar at atmospheric pressure have been measured. Aerosols were characterized using a 13-stage low-pressure impactor covering a size range from 5 nm up to 5 μm and subsequently analyzed applying total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The results indicate, that for femtosecond laser ablation in the low-fluence regime (<5 J cm−2) ultra-fine aerosols (mean diameter d_p ≈ 10 nm/peak width w_p ≈ 35 nm) are produced. Furthermore, the total Cu/Zn ratio of these aerosols corresponds to the composition of the bulk material. In contrast, ablation above 10 J cm−2 results in the formation of polydisperse, bimodal aerosols, which are distributed around d_p1 ≈ 20 nm (w_p1 ≈ 50 nm) and d_p2 ≈ 1 μm (w_p2 ≈ 5 µm), respectively, and whose total Cu/Zn ratio slightly deviates from the bulk composition. In order to examine the influence of pulse duration on particle size distribution and aerosol composition, comparative measurements by means of near-IR nanosecond ablation were also performed. The data show that nanosecond ablation generally leads to an intensified formation of particles in the micrometer range. Moreover, the composition of these aerosols strongly departs from the stoichiometry of the bulk. Aspects concerning the formation of particles during ablation as well as implications for the element-selective analysis by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry are discussed.

Synchrotron radiation was applied to recording a line profile across buried conductive paths in a silicon 〈100〉 wafer. For that purpose, Co ions were first implanted in a depth of 60 nm below the silicon surface with a dose of 10¹⁷ cm⁻² and an energy of 100 keV. By means of a photoresist mask, small strips of ca 150 and 40 µm width were produced. The analytical characterization was performed at DESY/HASYLAB by concentrating the synchrotron beam with a cylindrical and a tapered capillary with an effective diameter of 10 and 4 µm, respectively. The implanted wafer was shifted in steps of 1 µm on a straight line along a capillary in order to record a line profile of the implanted element cobalt across the buried strips. An internal standard was used in order to compensate for the large long-term drift and the strong fluctuations of the synchrotron beam. A 0.1 µm thin Ti foil turned out to be a very simple standard easily placed in front of the implanted wafer. This aid facilitates an examination of buried layers with a flank down to only micrometer steepness and with a uniform plateau down to only 1% deviations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Three different techniques of instrumental analysis applied at ISAS were evaluated within a proficiency test, organised by IRMM in Geel. The 3 techniques, in particular flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP­MS) and total­reflection X­ray fluorescence (TXRF) were used for multielement trace analysis of a sediment sample after digestion. The reported results of up to 9 elements were evaluated with respect to the reference values after the disclosure of the latter. The relative deviations, mostly <4%, demonstrate the high accuracy of the 3 techniques. In addition, the uncertainty bars of report and reference show a high degree of overlapping, which gives evidence that the mean values are not significantly different. The high ranking of ISAS results among all 239 participants of the test confirms these findings. With regard to accuracy, ICP­MS and TXRF are somewhat inferior to conventional FAAS but in their favour they are labour­ and time­saving and have a good detection power.

Laser ablation (LA) was applied as a sampling technique for the analysis of solids by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The sample material ablated by a pulsed Nd∶YAG laser was collected directly on a quartz glass or Plexiglas® disc commonly used as a sample carrier for TXRF. The analytical capabilities of the combined method were investigated using an improved arrangement of solid sample and TXRF carrier. The technique was applied to the analysis of metallic samples, i.e. Fe–Cr binaries and high-alloy steel, and non-metallic samples, i.e. Al–Ti ceramics, native mineral rocks and gallstones. The nanogram amounts of material deposited on the carrier were always sufficient for TXRF analysis. Quantification was performed by addition of an internal standard. Absolute detection limits for Fe and Cr in binary samples were 50–60 pg, corresponding to a mass fraction of 5–6 mg g⁻¹ assuming a 10 ng deposit. Sampling from preselected spots of mineral rocks made possible the identification of different components in granite by means of their major and minor constituents. The combined method of LA and TXRF can be used for the rapid characterization of solids on the 10 µm scale without laborious steps of sample preparation.

Old oil paintings and illuminated historical manuscripts are valuable objects of cultural heritage. Pigments and inks once used for these artefacts today allow insights of art historical or archaeological relevance. For their identification, a number of non-destructive spectroanalytical methods can be applied. This paper first gives a historical review and describes fundamentals of optical and x-ray fluorescence spectrometry including instrumentation and analytical characteristics. The variant of total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) is shown to be a highly convenient tool for the characterization of inorganic pigments and inks. Since only micro-samples are needed, a very gentle sampling technique can be applied. It consists of rubbing a dry cotton-wool bud (Q-tip) over the painted surface without causing any visible damage. Only a minute amount of a few micrograms is removed from the object, transferred to a glass carrier and analyzed by TXRF. Some remarkable examples of TXRF analysis of old paintings and illuminated manuscripts are given. Rather than emphasizing the analytical details, the archaeometric potential of the method is illustrated. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Thin and shallow layers of some 50–150 nm were produced by ion implantation of Co ions in Si wafers and afterwards characterized by concentration–depth profiling. Two methods were applied for that purpose: a novel method combining a stepwise wet-chemical etching of an implanted wafer with total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) and the well-known method of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) of the original non-etched wafer. The corresponding profiles agree quite well for both methods, demonstrating a high accuracy of both the novel and established method. The characteristic parameters of the profiles, e.g. concentration and depth at the maximum, mean depth, full width at half-maximum and total dose, show relative deviations of only 4–6% between both methods. Such good agreement was ensured by results traceable to SI units: mass per mass (g g⁻¹) and depth (m). In addition to the accuracy, further figures of merit, such as detection limit and depth resolution, were discussed in order to demonstrate the high effectiveness and analytical potential of the novel method. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A survey of solid sampling techniques is given, suitable for microanalysis or even ultramicroanalysis by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). A sample amount of 1 ng to 100 μg is placed on a clean, flat carrier usually made of quartz glass or Plexiglas^®. For quantification, a drop is added to the sample with a known amount of a single element serving as internal standard. Solid samples can be applied as small particles, fine powders, thin sections or deposits. Several techniques of solid sampling have been examined and one example of each technique is given demonstrating its suitability: direct placing of individual particles, suspension of powdered materials, collection of air dust by impaction, the touchstone technique for metals, laser ablation for local analysis, the Q-tip technique for paints and inks, freeze-cutting of organic materials and direct contamination control of wafers.

The reductive co-precipitation of trace and ultra-trace elements together with mercury followed by complete evaporation of the mercury makes it possible to determine palladium and gold by total reflection X-ray fluorescence. Both elements can be detected without interferences at optimal sensitivity in the pg range. Thus, detection limits of, e.g., 2.5 ng L⁻¹ for palladium and 2.0 ng L⁻¹ for gold, in urine, were obtained. The precision was determined to 0.04 at a palladium concentration of about 200 ng L⁻¹ urine and to 0.19 at a gold concentration of only 18 ng L⁻¹. The recovery for a urine sample spiked with known amounts of palladium and gold amounted to >95%. Results of the combined procedure are given for the determination of palladium and gold in the urine of non-exposed and occupationally exposed persons and in some other environmentally relevant samples.