Natural attenuation processes control groundwater contamination in the Chernobyl exclusion zone: evidence from 35 years of radiological monitoring.

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) contains the vast majority of radionuclides released by the accident in nuclear fuel particle form. We present and analyze groundwater measurements collected from the monitoring network in CEZ covering key aquifers over 35 years since the accident. These new data, together with a comprehensive analysis of historical data shows that Sr remains mobile in the subsurface environment, while groundwater concentrations of Cs, Pu isotopes and Am are relatively low, and are not of radiological concern.

Key performance indicators of Russian universities for 2015-2018: Dataset and Benchmarking Data.

This article presents a performance dataset of 93 Russian universities, collected from 2015 to 2018 and evaluated according to 24 indicators. These data were gathered from materials, published in the process of monitoring the effectiveness of higher education institutions by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Web of Science (citation-based research analytics tool InCites) and Scopus (citation-based research analytics tool SciVal) databases, and information from international ranking agencies QS, THE, ARWU. The dataset comprises the assessments of university performances according to the most important indicators used in socio-economic studies of comparative analysis of higher education system development levels in different countries: educational, scientific and research, international, financial and economic performance and international public recognition (university positions in leading international rankings).

Multilayer corrosion-resistant material based on iron-carbon alloys.

In this study, the architecture of a multilayer metallic material of iron-carbon alloys with an internal protector was developed based on theoretical studies. The operability of the proposed architecture was experimentally verified using gravimetry and electrochemical analysis. The internal position of the protector enabled the modification of the mechanism of corrosion.

Measuring corrosion rate and protector effectiveness of advanced multilayer metallic materials by newly developed methods.

The paper estimates corrosion resistance of new multilayer metallic materials with internal protector against pitting. Using an electron microscope method, the mechanism of the layers' corrosive destruction has been experimentally substantiated. The authors have suggested chemical and electrochemical methods of accelerated corrosion tests allowing for determining the corrosion destruction rate.

Resuspension and atmospheric transport of radionuclides due to wildfires near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 2015: An impact assessment.

In April and August 2015, two major fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) caused concerns about the secondary radioactive contamination that might have spread over Europe. The present paper assessed, for the first time, the impact of these fires over Europe. About 10.