Gardening for Health: Using Garden Coordinators and Volunteers to Implement Rural School and Community Gardens.

Gardens provide access to healthy food, increase access to nutrition and physical activity opportunities, and are a focal point for community interventions. We used a gardening intervention to improve local access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables and as an integral part of overall efforts of local wellness coalitions. Seasonal garden coordinators were hired, and action plans included goals for nutrition and physical activity education programs and youth and adult engagement.

A composite position independent monitor of reactor fuel irradiation using Pu, Cs, and Ba isotope ratios.

When post-irradiation materials from the nuclear fuel cycle are released to the environment, certain isotopes of actinides and fission products carry signatures of irradiation history that can potentially aid a nuclear forensic investigation into the material's provenance. In this study, combinations of Pu, Cs, and Ba isotope ratios that produce position (in the reactor core) independent monitors of irradiation history in spent light water reactor fuel are identified and explored. These position independent monitors (PIMs) are modeled for various irradiation scenarios using automated depletion codes as well as ordinary differential equation solutions to approximate nuclear physics models.

Nuclear forensic analysis of an unknown uranium ore concentrate sample seized in a criminal investigation in Australia.

Early in 2009, a state policing agency raided a clandestine drug laboratory in a suburb of a major city in Australia. During the search of the laboratory, a small glass jar labelled "Gamma Source" and containing a green powder was discovered. The powder was radioactive.

Application of visible/near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to uranium ore concentrates for nuclear forensic analysis and attribution.

Uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) are produced at mining facilities from the various types of uranium-bearing ores using several processes that can include different reagents, separation procedures, and drying conditions. The final UOC products can consist of different uranium species, which are important to identify to trace interdicted samples back to their origins. Color has been used as a simple indicator; however, visual determination is subjective and no chemical information is provided.

Evaluation of historical beryllium abundance in soils, airborne particulates and facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Beryllium has been historically machined, handled and stored in facilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) since the 1950s. Additionally, outdoor testing of beryllium-containing components has been performed at LLNL's Site 300 facility. Beryllium levels in local soils and atmospheric particulates have been measured over three decades and are comparable to those found elsewhere in the natural environment.