A system and method is provided to determine the moisture content in a sample material undergoing elemental activation analysis (EAA), the sample material containing at least one sample element which during EAA forms an activation product. The method comprises the steps of (i) positioning a reference material in vicinity of the sample material, the reference material containing a reference element having a thermal neutron capture cross-section of at least 1 barn, the reference material selected such that its product isotope of a thermal neutron capture reaction is a radioisotope that emits gamma-rays, (ii) irradiating the sample material and the reference material with a source of fast neutrons to produce thermal neutrons in the sample material and (iii) detecting gamma-rays emitted from the reference material and generating signals representative of the detected gamma-rays, (iv) calculating a factor, R, proportional to the thermal neutron flux based on the generated signals and (v) identifying, from a relationship relating moisture content to R, the moisture content in the sample material.

The non-destructive inspection method includes: a water absorbing or drying step of changing a water-content state of a test piece; a transmission image capturing step of irradiating, with a radiation, the test piece absorbed water or dried for a predetermined time in the water absorbing or drying step and capturing a transmission image created by visualizing the radiation transmitted through the test piece; and an evaluation step of evaluating the test piece on the basis of the water-content state of the test piece determined from the transmission image captured in the transmission image capturing step.

Methods for characterizing living plants, wherein one or more beams of penetrating radiation such as x-rays are scanned across the plant under field conditions. Compton scatter is detected from the living plant and processed to derive characteristics of the living plant such as water content, root structure, branch structure, xylem size, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit aggregate volume, cluster size and shape, fruit maturity and an image of a part of the plant. Ground water content is measured using the same technique. Compton backscatter is used to guide a robotic gripper to grasp a portion of the plant such as for harvesting a fruit.

A system is provided. The system includes a conveyor apparatus configured for conveying a material and a water content measurement system positioned about the conveyor apparatus for determining water content in the material. A dimension characteristic measurement system for detecting one or more dimension characteristics of the material is provided and a computer device is configured to manipulate data received from the water content measurement system and the dimension characteristic measurement system to determine a water content of the material.

Methods for characterizing living plants, wherein one or more beams of penetrating radiation such as x-rays are scanned across the plant under field conditions. Compton scatter is detected from the living plant and processed to derive characteristics of the living plant such as water content, root structure, branch structure, xylem size, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit aggregate volume, cluster size and shape, fruit maturity and an image of a part of the plant. Ground water content is measured using the same technique. Compton backscatter is used to guide a robotic gripper to grasp a portion of the plant such as for harvesting a fruit.

Methods for characterizing living plants, wherein one or more beams of penetrating radiation such as x-rays are scanned across the plant under field conditions. Compton scatter is detected from the living plant and processed to derive characteristics of the living plant such as water content, root structure, branch structure, xylem size, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit aggregate volume, cluster size and shape, fruit maturity and an image of a part of the plant. Ground water content is measured using the same technique. Compton backscatter is used to guide a robotic gripper to grasp a portion of the plant such as for harvesting a fruit.

Methods for characterizing living plants, wherein one or more beams of penetrating radiation such as x-rays are scanned across the plant under field conditions. Compton scatter is detected from the living plant and processed to derive characteristics of the living plant such as water content, root structure, branch structure, xylem size, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit aggregate volume, cluster size and shape, fruit maturity and an image of a part of the plant. Ground water content is measured using the same technique. Compton backscatter is used to guide a robotic gripper to grasp a portion of the plant such as for harvesting a fruit.

A system is provided. The system includes a conveyor apparatus configured for conveying a material and a water content measurement system positioned about the conveyor apparatus for determining water content in the material. A dimension characteristic measurement system for detecting one or more dimension characteristics of the material is provided and a computer device is configured to manipulate data received from the water content measurement system and the dimension characteristic measurement system to determine a water content of the material.

An apparatus for cosmogenic neutron sensing to detect moisture includes a thermal neutron proportional counter. A housing is formed at least partially from a moderating material, which is positioned around the thermal neutron proportional counter. A proportional counter electronics unit is within the housing and has a preamplifier and a shaping amplifier. The preamplifier and shaping amplifier are directly connected to the thermal neutron proportional counter. At least one photovoltaic panel provides electrical power to the thermal neutron proportional counter. A data logger is positioned vertically above the thermal neutron proportional counter and proportional counter electronics unit. A signal from the thermal neutron proportional counter is transmitted through the proportional counter electronics unit and is received by the data logger. The signal indicates a moisture content within a measurement surface of the thermal neutron proportional counter.

There is provided an X-ray utilized compound measuring apparatus in which troublesome tasks required to dispose a measurement object are reduced and the accuracy or the validity of measurements on multiple kinds of measurement can be improved. The X-ray utilized compound measuring apparatus comprises an X-ray generator 10 that outputs X-rays, a reflected-wave detector 12 that detects a reflected wave of the X-rays emitted from the X-ray generator 10 and reflected by a measurement object 21, a transmitted-wave detector 11 that detects a transmitted wave of the X-rays emitted from the X-ray generator 10 and passing through the measurement object 21, and a control unit that controls the X-ray generator 10 to output X-rays and performs computational processing for obtaining measurement values of a plurality of items on the measurement object 21 using a reflected-wave detection signal output from the reflected-wave detector 12 and representing the reflected wave and a transmitted-wave detection signal output from the transmitted-wave detector 11 and representing the transmitted wave and also performs computational processing for component analysis.