<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="https://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <channel>
    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
    <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://trid.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
      <url>https://trid.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.jpg</url>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>CEMENT CONTENT OF SOIL-CEMENT BY X-RAY FLUORESCENCE</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/122613</link>
      <description><![CDATA[THE DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN X-RAY SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE CONTENTS OF SOIL-CEMENT ARE DESCRIBED. THE ANALYTICAL METHOD USED TO DETERMINE THE WEIGHT PERCENTAGE OF CEMENT IN AN UNKNOWN SOIL-CEMENT MIXTURE IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT CERTAIN TYPES OF SOIL AND CEMENT HAVE PRACTICALLY CONSTANT CALCIUM AND IRON CONTENTS. THE SOIL SAMPLES WERE OBTAINED FROM THE BASE AND SUBBASE AT SELECTED LOCATIONS IN A CEMENT-STABILIZED ROADWAY PRIOR TO INCORPORATION OF CEMENT DURING CONSTRUCTION. THE SOIL-CEMENTS ANALYZED WERE FROM PROCTOR SIZE COMPRESSION SAMPLES OF THE DESCRIBED SOILS PROPORTIONED, MIXED AND MOLDED IN THE LABORATORY, AND SAMPLES FROM THE SAME LOCATIONS MOLDED AFTER INCORPORATION OF CEMENT AND MIXING OF MATERIAL ON THE ROAD. THE INTENSITIES OF THE CHARACTERISTIC K-ALPHA RADIATION OF CALCIUM AND IRON WERE MADE WITH AN X-RAY SPECTROMETER. A PULSE HEIGHT SELECTOR WAS USED TO ISOLATE BACKGROUND NOISES. X-RAY DETECTION WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH A SCINTILLATION COUNTER AND A P-10 GAS FLOW PROPORTIONAL COUNTER. A LITHIUM FLUORIDE ANALYZING CRYSTAL WAS USED. THE RESULTS OBTAINED LED TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: (1) X-RAY FLUORESCENCE DETERMINATION OF CEMENT CONTENT OF SOIL-CEMENT IS NONDESTRUCTIVE, FAIRLY RAPID, SIMPLE, AND SHOULD BE SUFFICIENTLY ACCURATE, (2) CORRECTIONS FOR BACKGROUND INTENSITIES ARE NECESSARY, (3) THE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN SOIL-CEMENTS' STANDARDS SHOULD BE OF THE SAME NATURE, (4) THE MOST RELIABLE RESULTS ARE OBTAINED WITH MAXIMUM PARTICLE SIZE OF 74 MICRONS IN THE SAMPLES, AND (5) CEMENT CONTENTS DETERMINED BY X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ARE GENERALLY HIGHER THAN THOSE BY THE ASTM METHOD, BUT SEEM TO COMPARE FAVORABLY WITH THOSE BY OTHER METHODS.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2004 02:44:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/122613</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RADIO ISOTOPES</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/120137</link>
      <description><![CDATA[THE PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF RADIOISOTOPIC MEASUREMENTS /MAINLY OF DENSITY AND HUMIDITY/ IS BEING REVIEWED AND SOME OF THE APPARATUS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IS DISCUSSED. THE MEASUREMENT OF DENSITY THROUGH THE INTERACTION OF GAMMA RAYS WITH MATTER IS DISCUSSED, AND THE USE OF NEUTRONS AND LABELLED ATOMS IS MENTIONED. AFTER A REVIEW OF FRENCH EXPERIMENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD, THE APPARATUS, ITS ELECTRONIC UNITS, AND ITS DESIGN ARE PRESENTED. SAFETY MEASURES ARE EMPHASIZED. SPECIAL NOTE IS TAKEN OF SCINTILLATION COUNTERS AND LYSIMMETERS. AFTER A VERY SUCCINCT REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF THE PHYSICS OF NEUTRONS, A DESCRIPTION IS GIVEN OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE METHOD AND PROCEDURES FOR THE CALIBRATION OF THE NEUTRON PROBE. THE USE OF SUCH A PROBE IS DISCUSSED, AND ITS USES AND LIMITATIONS ARE MENTIONED. THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF THE USE OF TRACERS AND GAMMAGRAPHY IN HIGHWAY ENGINEERING ARE POINTED OUT. /AUTHOR/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2004 02:34:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/120137</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>EXPERIMENTAL TESTING OF A SCINTILLATION DEVICE DESIGNED TO DETECT COBALT-60 IN SEEDED DETONATOR CAPS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/75632</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Tests were conducted to determine the operating characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of a nuclear scintillation detection system developed by Catholic University of America for use in conjunction with the detection of Cobalt-60 in seeded explosive detonator caps. Results were generally favorable except for the inability of the device to detect rapidly moving sources and the relative ease with which a source might be shielded from the detector. (Author)]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/75632</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>ANALYSIS AND IMPROVED DESIGN OF GAMMA-RAY BACKSCATTERING DENSITY GAGES</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/110054</link>
      <description><![CDATA[THE NUCLEAR REACTIONS WHICH GAMMA RADIATION MAY UNDERGO IN A MATERIAL OF MEDIUM ATOMIC WEIGHT, SUCH AS SOIL, ARE DISCUSSED AND RELATED TO THE PROPERTIES OF BACKSCATTERING DENSITY GAGES. THEORETICAL REASONING AND EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE ARE PRESENTED TO SHOW THAT THE EFFECT OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE MATERIAL MAY BE ELIMINATED WHEN' /A/ THE DETECTOR SEES MATERIAL NEAR THE SOURCE, AND /B/ PHOTONS OF ENERGY BELOW 0.1 MEV ARE NOT DETECTED. THE LATTER MAY BE ACHIEVED WITH A SCINTILLATION COUNTER AND PULSE SELECTOR OR BY PLACING IRON FILTERS IN FRONT OF A GEIGER-MULLER TUBE. THE GEOMETRY DEFINED BY /A/ CAUSES THE PEAK IN THE CALIBRATION CURVE TO MOVE TO A DENSITY SO HIGH THAT THE COUNT RATE BECOMES A UNIQUE MEASURE OF DENSITY, RISING OVER THE ENTIRE RANGE OF DENSITY FROM 0 TO 160 PCF. ERRORS IN THE DENSITY READING DUE TO THE STATISTICS OF NUCLEAR COUNTING AND SURFACE ROUGHNESS ARE DISCUSSED. /AUTHOR/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 1994 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/110054</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A RADIO-ACTIVE METHOD FOR MEASURING VARIATIONS IN DENSITY IN CONCRETE CORES, CUBES AND BEAMS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/95417</link>
      <description><![CDATA[AN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING THE VARIATION OF DENSITY ALONG CORES AND BEAMS OF CONCRETE IS DESCRIBED' THE VARIATION OF DENSITY IS DETERMINED BY MEASURING THE CHANGE IN THE ABSORPTION OF GAMMA RADIATION. THE GAMMA RAYS EMANATE FROM A ONE MILLCURIE SOURCE OF CESIUM 137 AND ARE DETECTED BY A SCINTILLATION COUNTER. THIS IS CONNECTED TO A RATE-METER AND A CHART-RECORDER WHICH CONTINUOUSLY DISPLAY THE INTENSITY OF RADIATION TRASMITTED AS THE SAMPLE TRAVERSES ALONG ITS DEPTH DIMENSION THROUGH THE GAMMA BEAM. THE VARIATION IN THE INTENSITY OF THE TRANSMITTED RADIATION IS TRANSLATED INTO DENSITY VARIATIONS BY A SUITABLE CALCULATION. ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE NEED TO RETAIN, FOR EACH TYPE OF SPECIMEN, THE SAME SOURCE-SAMPLE-DETECTOR GEOMETRY, BUT IT IS SHOWN THAT, WITH CAREFUL OPERATION, VARIATIONS MAY BE MEASURED WITH A STANDARD DEVIATION OF ABOUT 1 LB PER CUBIC FT. ALTHOUGH DESIGNED FOR USE WITH CONCRETE SPECIMENS, THE TECHNIQUE CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY COHESIVE MATERIAL. /RRL/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 May 1994 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/95417</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RADIOACTIVE TRACERS AND CONTROL SURVEY MONUMENTS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/93441</link>
      <description><![CDATA[RESULTS ARE SUMMARIZED OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INCORPORATION OF RADIOACTIVE TRACERS IN NEW JERSEY LOCAL CONTROL SURVEY MONUMENTS. NEARLY 10,000 HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CONTROL MONUMENTS WERE ESTABLISHED IN NEW JERSEY DURING THE DEPRESSION YEARS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TRIANGULATION STATIONS, ALL CONTROL MONUMENTS IN THIS SYSTEM ARE LOCATED WITHIN RIGHT-OF-WAY LINES ALONG PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS. THOSE STATIONS WHICH PROJECT ABOVE THE GROUND SURFACE ARE EASILY RECOVERED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, ROAD MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS MAY EVENTUALLY DESTROY THE POSITION. VISIBLE MONUMENTS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO VANDALISM. INCLUDING THE THOUSANDS OF MONUMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN BURIED BY GREAT CHANGES, OR ORIGINALLY PLACED BELOW GRADE, THE SYSTEM IS SLOWLY MOVING UNDERGROUND. CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT EACH STATION REPRESENTS OVER $200 IN FIRST COSTS AND, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO LOCAL ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS, ANY PROCEDURE WHICH WILL ASSIST IN PROTECTION AND RECOVERY IS COMPLETELY JUSTIFIABLE. RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL WAS INCORPORATED IN MONUMENTS, THUS FIXING THE IONIZING RADIATION SOURCE IN A CONTAINING ENVIRONMENT, AND PREVENTING REMOVAL OF THE TRACER BY ROAD MAINTENANCE MACHINERY. MONAZITE WAS USED AS A TRACER. A RADIATION INTENSITY ANALYSIS OF THE TRACER WAS MADE WITH A SCINTILLATOR. MEASUREMENTS OF SEVERAL SIX-POUND SAMPLES INDICATED THAT THE AVERAGE TOTAL EMISSION RATE IS 1.7 MILLIROETGENS PER HOUR FOR THE QUANTITY TESTED. FIELD TESTS WERE SUCCESSFUL AND RADIOACTIVE TRACERS ARE NOW BEING USED AT SELECTED NEW LOCATIONS AND WHERE ORIGINAL POSITIONS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. FIVE PROCEDURAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFETY AND HANDLING WERE DISCUSSED AND ADOPTED.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 12 Mar 1994 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/93441</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RADIOISOTOPIC COMBINED MOISTURE-DENSITY METER</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/123718</link>
      <description><![CDATA[THE ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT OF THE CENTERAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR PHYSICS IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY HAS DEVELOPED A RADIOISOTOPIC MOISTURE-DENSITY METER. A COMBINED SYSTEM, DEVELOPED FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF HUMIDITY AND DENSITY, CONSISTING OF A DOUBLE SCINTILLATOR AND PULSE SHAPE DISCRIMINATOR WITHIN A SINGLE PROBE IS DESCRIBED. TESTS ON THE METER HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN MEASUREMENTS CONCERNED WITH SOIL MECHANICS. FOR IMPROVING THE CALIBRATION ACCURACY, HIGH PRECISION DENSITY AND HUMIDITY STANDARDS WOULD BE NEEDED, FOR WHICH CORRECTIONS CAN BE MADE UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS. /AUTHOR/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 1994 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/123718</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>DETERMINATION OF AIR CONTENT IN HARDENED CONCRETE BY GAMMA- RAY TRANSMISSION</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/98652</link>
      <description><![CDATA[AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED OF A METHOD OF DETERMINING AIR CONTENT OF HARDENED CONCRETE BY GAMMA-RAY TRANSMISSION. THE STUDY WAS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT SINCE GAMMA RAY TRANSMISSION WAS RELATED TO DENSITY, IT COULD ALSO BE RELATED TO CONCRETE AIR CONTENT, DEPENDING ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN AIR CONTENT AND DENSITY. A DIRECT STATISTICAL COMPARISON WAS ATTEMPTED BETWEEN AIR CONTENT AS MEASURED BY THE LINEAR TRAVERSE METHOD AND BY GAMMA-RAY TRANSMISSION. A SEALED SOURCE OF RADIUM 226, A SCINTILLATION DETECTOR, AND APPROPRIATE SCALER WERE USED TO MEASURE CYLINDRICAL SAMPLES OF HARDENED CONCRETE OF VARYING LENGTHS MADE WITH THREE KINDS OF COARSE AGGREGATE. THE THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS PROVED TO BE INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES. THE ANALYSIS OF ERROR COMPONENTS, PERFORMED SUBSEQUENT TO THIS STUDY, INVESTIGATED AND DEFINED THE EFFECTS ON CONCRETE DENSITY OF VARIABLES OTHER THAN AIR CONTENT. THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN INHERENT LIMITATIONS IN THE NUCLEAR METHOD FOR MEASURING AIR CONTENT OF HARDENED CONCRETE WHICH CANNOT BE ELIMINATED BY FURTHER RESEARCH OR ADDITIONAL INSTRUMENTAL DEVELOPMENT. /AUTHOR/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 1994 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/98652</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RADIOTRACER APPLICATION IN DETERMINING CHANGES IN CEMENT MIX HOMOGENEITY</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/190540</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A small amount of cement labelled with exp 24 Na is added to the concrete mix and the relative activity of the mix is measured using a scintillation detector in preset points at different time intervals of the mixing process. The detector picks up information from a volume of 10 to 15 litres.  The values characterize the degree of homogeneity of the cement component in the mix.  Mathematical statistics methods are used for assessing mixing or the homogeneity changes.  The technique is quick and simple and is used to advantage in determining the effect of the duration and method of transport of the cement mix on its homogenity, and in monitoring the mixing process and determining the minimum mixing time for all types of concrete mix.  (Atomindex citation 12:602261).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 1983 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/190540</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NONDESTRUCTIVE SOIL BULK DENSITY MEASUREMENTS BY X-RAY ATTENUATION</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/181062</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Nondestructive density measurement of soil samples in the laboratory has a number of important applications.  It can be used to monitor the progress of soil settlement through water and subsequent consolidation to a final equilibrium state, with or without an additional applied load.  It can provide information on moisture content distribution in laboratory samples, in both static and changing conditions, and on soil structure in undisturbed cores.  This paper describes a nondestructive technique for density measurement that can achieve accuracies in measured soil density of the order of plus or minus 0.005 g/cu cm and a spatial resolution of plus or minus 1 mm.  The technique uses an X-ray system with a scintillation detector and counter assembly to record the radiation transmitted through the soil sample.  This is converted to a density value by empirical calibration.  The principles of the method are described with consideration given to the variables of the measuring system, the beam collimation, and the sample geometry.  The method is shown to be reliable and versatile.  (Author)]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 Oct 1982 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/181062</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>BOMB DETECTION SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/75641</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To determine the economic feasibility and reliability of bomb detection devices adequate for use at airports serving air carriers, nationwide systems of devices for surveillance of passengers and baggage and detection of gamma-ray emissions from bombs using Co60-tagged detonator caps are examined. Alternatives to the liquid scintillator coincidence device, which was developed and tested by Catholic University for airport application, are also examined. It is concluded that a liquid scintillator device large enough to monitor a full cart or pod of baggage at one time is most suitable for monitoring baggage, but that sodium iodide scintillator devices have significant advantages for use in monitoring passengers. (Author)]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Nov 1979 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/75641</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>THE USE OF LIQUID SCINTILLATION FOR THE ASSAY OF CARBON-14 IN CLAY AND SOIL SUSPENSIONS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/26635</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The use of liquid scintilation for the assay of C14 in layer silicate and soil suspensions is evaluated by various procedures with several scintilator media.  The effects of sample weight, color, settling time, and the level of activity on the counting characteristics of scintillator media which contain soils and layer silicates are presented. Highly statistically significant linear regressions, which differed for each solid tested, were obtained between the level of activity added and the observed activity.  The differences between the materials tested were related predominantly to the color which the solid imparted to the scintillator medium.  A procedure for the determination of the retention of carbon compounds by layer silicates and soils is presented.  The procedure described is specific, but can easily be modified to fit the needs of related studies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 1975 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/26635</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>ORES ANALYSED AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/25821</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Instrumentation for mineral processing work is described, which is made up from a high power (above 5 x 10 to the 11th power neutrons per sec) irradiation source together with detection and analytical equipment.  The neutron generator makes use of the fusion reaction between tritium (combined physically in a solid) placed at one end of an evacuated tube, and gaseous deuterium at low pressure which is introduced at the other end and ionized by electrical discharge.  Positively-charged deuterons are accelerated down the tube by an electric field of 250 KV, and produce the neutron flux when they collide with the tritium target.  Beam currents of up to 5 ma of deuterons are available.  A stabilized power supply provides the high voltage supply to the deuteron gun, and the output of neutrons is accurately monitored by counting the alpha particle emission.  The vaccuum system for the generator depends on an ion pump with a capacity of 400 liters per sec.  A high speed pneumatic system is employed to transfer the irradiated sample to the 400 channel pulse height analyzer.  The detector is a scintillation counter, and pulses from the detector are into the analyzer which plots the number of gamma rays emitted against gamma ray energy.  Means are provided whereby the confusion that could result from the overlap of energies from the two isotopes different elements may be eliminated.  Read out from the equipment is in digital or analogue form, and single channel analysers are used where the proportions present for an individual element must be determined.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 May 1975 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/25821</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>DISCUSSION OF CALIBRATION ON NUCLEAR METERS FOR MEASURING MOISTURE AND DENSITY</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/25605</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The calibration is outlined, of a scintillation-type neutron-moisture meter designed to avoid materials containing neutron absorbers.  Artificial materials such as bentonite, silica sand, and sodium metaphosphate were used to adjust densities; water and sugar were added to provide the moderation component.  When the calibration curve was used to predict the water content in a marine clay, a serious discrepancy was found amounting to 6 lb of water per cu ft.  A new calibration curve was then determined for the marine clay (illustrated).  Subsequent chemical analysis showed that this particular soil contained about 1 percent potassium and 7 percent iron (by weight) which accounted for an 11 percent reduction in thermal neutron activity by absorption.  One must, therefore, understand the factors that affect calibration, and the feasibility is questioned of using one calibration for all soils.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 1975 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/25605</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CALIBRATION OF A NEUTRON SOIL MOISTURE METER</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/139572</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In both the design and the calibration of a neutron moisture meter, the following assumptions are made: all other atoms present in soils have such a large mass when compared to hydrogen atoms that their role in reducing the energy of neutrons is negligible; the only reactions in which the neutrons are involved are mechanical; and the hydrogen atoms present in soils are only those chemically bonded to oxygen in the form of water.  Early workers stated that any errors caused by these assumptions, except in extreme cases, would be too small to measure.  This inevitably led to the broader supposition that, once calibrated, a neutron moisture meter could be used in any type of soil--an assumption that experience is now showing to be unwise. Experience in the use of a neutron soil moisture meter in substitute media in the laboratory and in natural soils led to the discovery that actual neutron activities could differ by 11 percent from one to the other.  The explanation for this discrepancy appears to lie in the presence in the natural soil of an element whose capture cross section for neutrons is comparatively low but which occurs in such large quantities that the absorption of neutrons is significant.  The design of a scintillation moisture meter, its calibration in the laboratory, and its subsequent field assessment are described.  Those factors found to cause the discrepancy in instrument readings are also discussed.  /Author/]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 1974 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/139572</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>