A detection reagent is disclosed in the form of a dye having the basic structure of a 4-(phenylethynyl)-phenyl-amine, a 4-(phenylethenyl)-phenyl-amine and/or a biphenylamine derivative. The dye can be used as detection reagent for nitroaromatics, nitroalkanes, nitroamines, nitrates, nitric acid, nitrous acid, nitrogen oxides, and additionally for sulphur dioxide (which is produced with the degradation of black powder). The dye can be an asymmetric triphenylamine derivative, which can lead to a fluorescence quenching, which can be used analytically in the case of electron abstraction.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a simulant and method relating to producing a simulant. For example, a simulant of a textured target threat includes a background material associated with a background attenuation, and a texture component(s) dispersed in the background material and associated with a component attenuation and a component characteristic. The component characteristic prevents the component attenuation of the texture component from being homogeneously dispersed throughout the background attenuation of the background material, to cause the simulant to mimic an aspect(s) of an X-ray signature of the textured target threat.

Portable electronic devices may be inspected for the presence of explosives using a combination of nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and explosive trace detection (ETD). NQR may be used to detect bulk or sheet explosives while the ETD may be used to detect minute quantities of explosive particulates. An alarm indication may be generated when either the NQR spectroscopy or the ETD detects an explosive material.

In a conventional fine particle detection device that vaporizes fine particles attached to the object of examination by heating, processing capability decreases as the processing time elapses due to the influence of deposition of fine particles other than the object of examination, dirt/dust, a residue of the fine particles as the object of examination, or residual matter. A fine particle detection device according to the present invention includes: a vaporization device that vaporizes the fine particles trapped by a trap device by vaporization or decomposition; a first flow passageway in which a mixture of a component vaporized by the vaporization device and another component flows; a second flow passageway branching from the first flow passageway in a direction of inertial force acting on the other component; a third flow passageway branching from the first flow passageway in a direction different from the direction of the inertial force; and an analysis device that analyzes a component introduced into the third flow passageway.

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a simulant and method relating to producing a simulant. For example, a simulant of a textured target threat includes a background material associated with a background attenuation, and a texture component(s) dispersed in the background material and associated with a component attenuation and a component characteristic. The component characteristic prevents the component attenuation of the texture component from being homogeneously dispersed throughout the background attenuation of the background material, to cause the simulant to mimic an aspect(s) of an X-ray signature of the textured target threat.

Embodiments of the invention simulate the actual shape of a cumulative distribution function (CDF) that describes the energetic sensitivity of an energetic composition. Sensitivity tests and historical data are input into an electronic processor. Response data points are obtained through electronic analysis and a best fit curve is produced through the response points and produced as output in a tangible medium.

Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed for releasing a sample from a carrier medium. A method of releasing a sample from a carrier medium comprises treating a sample on a carrier medium with a first organic reagent, wherein when the sample contains at least one inorganic salt, the first organic reagent binds to a cation of the inorganic salt to produce both a first volatile compound and an isolated anion of the inorganic salt; treating the sample on the carrier medium with a second organic reagent, wherein the second organic reagent reacts with the isolated anion to produce a second volatile compound; and releasing the treated sample from the carrier medium, wherein when the first and the second volatile compounds are produced, the releasing step releases at least one of the first and second volatile compounds from the carrier medium.

A method for determining whether a sample includes a nitrate-based explosive comprises receiving the sample and selecting an area of interest on the sample. Then, at least a portion of the area of interest is interrogated with an optical source to produce a spectrum with an amplitude. The amplitude of a first portion of the spectrum is compared to a first predetermined threshold to determine if the sample includes a nitrate. After determining that the sample includes a nitrate in the area of interest, the amplitude of a second portion of the spectrum is compared to a second predetermined threshold to determine if the sample includes a secondary indicator. Then, an indicator is activated based on the determinations.

Provided is an examination technique that can quickly and reliably examine, from the outside of a container, whether a liquid which fills the container contains an explosive or the like, without being influenced by such things as the light transmissivity or size of the container, or the amount of liquid remaining in the container or the position of a label. In the present invention, a liquid examination device is formed by integrating the following: a near infrared-light examination device that examines whether a liquid which fills a container contains an explosive, an explosive raw material, and/or an illicit drug by projecting near infrared light into the liquid from outside of an optically transparent container, receiving the near infrared light which passed through the liquid or the near infrared light which was scattered by the liquid, and analyzing the absorption spectrum of such light; and an ultrasonic wave examination device that examines whether a liquid which fills a container contains an explosive, an explosive raw material, and/or an illicit drug by receiving the reflected waves of ultrasonic waves projected towards the liquid from outside of a metal container, and analyzing the ultrasonic wave speed of such waves.

Particles of a fluorine-containing polymer used as a transparent solid material in an artificial transparent frozen soil is provided. The fluorine-containing polymer is poly[4,5-difluoro-2,2bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxole-co-tetrafluoroethylene], with a refractive index of 1.31 and a density of 2.1-2.3 g/cm.sup.3. The particles have a particle diameter of 0.25-2.0 mm or a particle diameter 0.074 mm, and have irregular shapes. When particles of the fluorine-containing polymer are used as a transparent solid material for preparing a transparent frozen soil, the prepared transparent frozen soil has high transparency, low price, no toxicity and no harm, good similarity with the properties of a natural frozen soil body, can substitute natural frozen soil, is used for simulating complicated geological conditions, and is effectively used in model tests in geotechnical engineering.