Review and statistical analysis of activity values reported for coastal sands worldwide.

The activity of natural radionuclides is unevenly distributed across the Earth's crust, with certain areas exhibiting significantly higher levels than others, known as High Background Radiation Areas (HBRAs). This study presents a statistical analysis of reported activity values for coastal sands globally. Through this statistical analysis, costal sands were classified into four categories based on their activity levels, providing a standardized framework to compare the natural radioactivity of these sands.

Approximate total Fe content determined by Mössbauer spectrometry: Application to determine the correlation between gamma-ray-emitter activities and total content of Fe phases in soils of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Pearson correlation coefficients between K, Ra and Th activities and the total Fe phase fractions yielded by Mössbauer spectroscopy have been calculated for soils of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Total fractions of Fe phases have been obtained from the relative fractions reported in previous works weighted by the Fe soil content and the recoilless-fraction of each Fe phase. An approximate method based on the relationship between the Mössbauer spectral absorption area (obtained from the Fe Mössbauer data) and the total Fe concentration (determined by colorimetric methods, after microwave assisted acid digestion of soil samples) has been used for the first time to determine the Fe concentration in soils with an accuracy of 15%.

Mössbauer cell for low-temperature studies of catalysts under reaction conditions.

Mössbauer spectroscopy is an essential tool to investigate the structure of Fe supported catalysts and their changes, when they are used in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. A cell, that allows keeping the samples in the same atmosphere of the reduction treatment, was designed in order to characterize the Fe species without changing the working atmosphere avoiding the oxidation. It allows to measure at low temperatures in a helium closed-cycle refrigerator.

A comparison of girdled ash detection trees and baited artificial traps for Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) detection.

Detection of newly established populations of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, the most destructive forest insect to invade the United States, remains challenging. Regulatory agencies currently rely on artificial traps, consisting of baited three-sided panels suspended in the canopy of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees.

Estimating the influence of population density and dispersal behavior on the ability to detect and monitor Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) populations.

Emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a phloem-feeding pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees native to Asia, was first discovered in North America in 2002. Since then, A.