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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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What’s in your Dubai chocolate? Nuclear scientists test pistachios for toxins
For the uninitiated, Dubai chocolate is a candy bar filled with pistachio and tahini cream and crispy pastry recently popularized by social media influencers. While it’s easy to dismiss as a viral craze now past its peak, the nutty green confection has spiked global pistachio demand, and growers and processors are ramping up production. That means more pistachios need to be tested for aflatoxins—a byproduct of a common crop mold.
G. J. Safford, W. W. Havens, Jr.
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 11 | Number 1 | September 1961 | Pages 65-68
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE61-A25986
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The total neutron cross section of Pu239 has been measured at seventeen neutron energies between 0.00291 ev and 0.10 ev with a crystal spectrometer. The absorption cross section was obtained by subtracting the relatively small scattering cross section from the measured total cross section. The sample used was a plutonium-aluminum metallic foil containing 1% aluminum. The isotopic content of the plutonium was 99.82% Pu239, 0.15% Pu240, and 0.03% Pu241. The value obtained for the absorption cross section of Pu239 at 2200 meters/sec was σa = 1007 ± 8 barns.
