Radiation shielding calculation for interventional radiology: An updated workload survey using a dose monitoring software.

Shielding design is an essential aspect of radiation protection. It is necessary to ensure that barriers safeguard workers, patients, the general public, and the environment from the harmful radiation emitted by X-ray machines. The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) 147 method is widely accepted within the radiation protection experts' (RPEs) community for structural shielding design for medical X-ray imaging facilities.

Demography and conservation of the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus): what clues can be obtained from photo-identification data.

Long-lived and slow reproducing species, such as cetaceans, are among the most critical conservation units: a demographic approach can be very useful for their management and conservation. In the present work, we examined, by demographic tools, the most exhaustive photo-identification database available for the Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) population, recorded by Tethys Research Institute between 1990 and 2007 in the Western Ligurian Sea. A total of 31,782 km were covered and 548 fin whale sightings were recorded.