Plant transfer factors of naturally occurring radioactive decay series radionuclides, Be, and Cs in a semi-arid climate.

Arid and semi-arid climates give rise to drought stress in plants, implying an increased uptake of radionuclides through both leaves and roots. This study was carried out in the Tabernas Desert (Almería, Spain), classified as an arid climate. Seventeen plants were analyzed, collected from four areas of the study site.

Study of the Chemical Recovery and Selectivity against U in the Radiochemical Separation of Th with Tri-n-butyl Phosphate by Varying the Proportion of Xylene and HCl Concentration.

Thorium is a radionuclide used in various environmental studies such as dating, sediment movement, soil-plant transfer studies, and contamination of waste from the natural fuel cycle. The liquid-liquid extraction method using tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) allows for the separation of Th from the accompanying actinides. However, the separation of Th and U present in the same sample is not trivial.

Genetic Screen in a Preclinical Model of Sarcoma Development Defines Drivers and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities.

Purpose: High-grade complex karyotype sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors with a uniformly poor prognosis. Within complex karyotype sarcomas, there are innumerable genetic changes but identifying those that are clinically relevant has been challenging.

Experimental Design: To address this, we utilized a pooled genetic screening approach, informed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, to identify key drivers and modifiers of sarcoma development that were validated in vivo.

Radiological characterization of the tailings of an abandoned copper mine using a neural network and geostatistical analysis through the Co-Kriging method.

The radiological characterization of soil contaminated with natural radionuclides enables the classification of the area under investigation, the optimization of laboratory measurements, and informed decision-making on potential site remediation. Neural networks (NN) are emerging as a new candidate for performing these tasks as an alternative to conventional geostatistical tools such as Co-Kriging. This study demonstrates the implementation of a NN for estimating radiological values such as ambient dose equivalent (H*(10)), surface activity and activity concentrations of natural radionuclides present in a waste dump of a Cu mine with a high level of natural radionuclides.

An Evaluation of the Radioactive Content of Ashes Obtained from the Use of Fuels from Recycled Materials by Co-Processing in the Cement Industry.

The co-processing of different wastes as fuels in the manufacture of cement clinker not only meets the objectives of a circular economy but also contributes to the reduction in CO emissions in the manufacture of Portland cement. However, waste used as alternative fuels, such as sludge or organic-rich residues, may contain naturally occurring radionuclides that can be concentrated during the combustion process. In this study, the presence of natural radionuclides (radioactive series of uranium, thorium, and K) and anthropogenic radionuclides (Cs) in these wastes has been investigated by gamma spectrometry.

Notch pathway mutants do not equivalently perturb mouse embryonic retinal development.

In the vertebrate eye, Notch ligands, receptors, and ternary complex components determine the destiny of retinal progenitor cells in part by regulating Hes effector gene activity. There are multiple paralogues for nearly every node in this pathway, which results in numerous instances of redundancy and compensation during development. To dissect such complexity at the earliest stages of eye development, we used seven germline or conditional mutant mice and two spatiotemporally distinct Cre drivers.

Influence of soil chemical composition on U, Ra and Pb uptake in leaves and fruits of Quercus ilex L.

To determine their transfer factors, activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were measured in the leaves and acorns of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) trees collected from seven locations with different soil properties and radionuclide activity concentrations. The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the soils were also analysed to investigate the effect these had on radionuclide absorption by the trees.

Increasing the recovery and selectivity of U, U, and U extraction with tri-n-butyl phosphate in mine tailing samples with a high copper content.

Abandoned Cu mine tailings may be associated high concentrations of U. However, the presence of stable cations such as Cu, Fe, Al, Ca, or Mg, etc. in high concentrations can reduce the chemical efficiency of the liquid-liquid extraction method with tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP); it can also inhibit the electrodeposition of U on the stainless steel planchet where the sample is measured.

New Approach to Determine the Activity Concentration Index in Cements, Fly Ashes, and Slags on the Basis of Their Chemical Composition.

The manufacture of Portland cement entails high energy and environmental costs, and various solutions have been implemented in recent years to mitigate this negative impact. These solutions include improvements in the manufacture of cement clinker or the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as fly ash (FA) or slag as a replacement for a portion of the clinker in cement. The incorporation of these SCMs in cement may increase its radiological content as they are naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs).

Not all Notch pathway mutations are equal in the embryonic mouse retina.

In the vertebrate retina, combinations of Notch ligands, receptors, and ternary complex components determine the destiny of retinal progenitor cells by regulating effector gene activity. Owing to reiterated Notch signaling in numerous tissues throughout development, there are multiple vertebrate paralogues for nearly every node in this pathway. These Notch signaling components can act redundantly or in a compensatory fashion during development.

Improvements in the radiochemical method for separating Ra in solid samples through coprecipitation with BaSO.

The aim of this work was to improve the commonly used method for Ra determination in water and to establish its application in solid samples. This method is based on the coprecipitation of Ra with BaSO and gross alpha counting of the precipitate. An exhaustive study of the coprecipitation behaviour of the most abundant cations present in solid samples was performed to avoid incorrect radiochemical yields.

Radiological Characteristics of Carbonated Portland Cement Mortars Made with GGBFS.

The objective of this study is to assess whether the carbonation process can modify the physicochemical characteristics of the natural radionuclides of the three natural radioactive series, together with K. Three mortar specimens with different percentages of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), cured under water for 1, 3, 7, 14, or 28 days, were subjected to a natural carbonation process. Activity concentrations for the solid and ground mortars were determined by gamma spectrometry and by radiochemical separation of isotopic uranium.

Hybrid Cements: Mechanical Properties, Microstructure and Radiological Behavior.

The use of more eco-efficient cements in concretes is one of the keys to ensuring construction industry sustainability. Such eco-efficient binders often contain large but variable proportions of industrial waste or by-products in their composition, many of which may be naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs). This study explored the application of a new gamma spectrometric method for measuring radionuclide activity in hybrid alkali-activated cements from solid 5 cm cubic specimens rather than powder samples.

Microstructural, Mechanical and Radiological Characterization of Mortars Made with Granite Sand.

The study reported the effect of granite sand on strength and microstructural developments in mortars prepare from OPC with a high coal fly ash (FA) content or from hybrid alkaline cements. The radiological behaviour of the resulting mortars was compared to materials prepared with siliceous sand (with particles sizes of <2 mm) and the relationship between such radiological findings and mortar microstructure and strength was explored. A new method for determining natural radionuclides and their activity concentration Index (ACI) on cement mortars (specifically to solid 5-cm cubic specimens) was applied and validated.

Europe-Wide Atmospheric Radionuclide Dispersion by Unprecedented Wildfires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, April 2020.

From early April 2020, wildfires raged in the highly contaminated areas around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP), Ukraine. For about 4 weeks, the fires spread around and into the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) and came within a few kilometers of both the CNPP and radioactive waste storage facilities. Wildfires occurred on several occasions throughout the month of April.

New Approach for the Determination of Radiological Parameters on Hardened Cement Pastes with Coal Fly Ash.

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in industrial waste and by-products are routinely used to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of, and lower the energy consumption associated with, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacture. Many such SCMs, such as type F coal fly ash (FA), are naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs). Ra, Th and K radionuclide activity concentration, information needed to determine what is known as the gamma-ray activity concentration index (ACI), is normally collected from ground cement samples.

Multiple roles for Pax2 in the embryonic mouse eye.

The vertebrate eye anlage grows out of the brain and folds into bilayered optic cups. The eye is patterned along multiple axes, precisely controlled by genetic programs, to delineate neural retina, pigment epithelium, and optic stalk tissues. Pax genes encode developmental regulators of key morphogenetic events, with Pax2 being essential for interpreting inductive signals, including in the eye.

Factors that influence the absorption of uranium by indigenous plants on the spoil tip of an abandoned mine in western Spain.

The purpose of this work was to study the factors affecting the absorption of U by plants growing on the spoil tip of an abandoned mine in western Spain. The plant species were selected based on how palatable they were to livestock and were sampled for four consecutive years during which, we also recorded rainfall data. The factors related to the plants studied were the leaf size and the percentage and characteristics of the arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi present in their roots.

Development of a reference material for analysing naturally occurring radioactive material from the steel industry.

Accurate measurement of naturally occurring radionuclides in blast furnace slag, a by-product of the steel industry, is required for compliance with building regulations where it is often used as an ingredient in cement. A matrix reference blast furnace slag material has been developed to support traceability in these measurements. Raw material provided by a commercial producer underwent stability and homogeneity testing, as well as characterisation of matrix constituents, to provide a final candidate reference material.

Data on natural radionuclide's activity concentration of cement-based materials.

Cement based materials may contain varying levels of radionuclides, mainly Ra (from the U series), Th and K, which are used to determine the Activity Concentration Index ("ACI"). According to the European directive Euratom 2013/59 in these materials, the "ACI" must be < 1 to be suitable for their use in construction. In this paper, data on the activity concentration of natural radionuclides in cement-based materials (i.

Characteristic limits of Th in alpha spectrometry with Th as tracer, calculated by simulating interfering tails and overlapping peaks.

This study explores the effect of Th tracer tail interference on the determination of the sensitivity of Th alpha spectrometry of samples with environmental levels of radioactivity. Tracer peak tail interference was calculated with Suma-Alpha, whilst Visual Basic for Applications (VBA in Excel©) software was used to study the variation in sensitivity in terms of the amount of tracer added. Unnecessary increases in the amount of tracer or extended sample measuring times were observed to have adverse effects on method sensitivity (Detection Limit- L).

A radiological index for evaluating the impact of an abandoned uranium mining area in Salamanca, Western Spain.

The establishment of a screening index would be a powerful tool to decide whether abandoned uranium mining areas should be rehabilitated or decommissioned. Thus, in this work we established a radiological index which uses the activity concentrations of different groups of gamma emitters from the natural radioactive series of U, U, and Th, as well as K and Cs. These activity concentrations were calculated by using the absorbed gamma radiation dose value of 175 nGy h specified in the U.

Use of Genie 2000 and Excel VBA to correct for γ-ray interference in the determination of NORM building material activity concentrations.

The γ-radiation emitted by building materials is calculated from the activity indices for Th, Ra and K and expressed as the activity concentration index (ACI). Gamma spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique frequently used to simultaneously determine the indices for several radionuclides. Spectral interpretation poses a number of challenges, including identification of γ-lines subject to summing-in effects, interference from other γ-ray emitting radionuclides and the time required to reach secular equilibrium.

Determination of specific alpha-emitting radionuclides (uranium, plutonium, thorium and polonium) in water using [Ba+Fe]-coprecipitation method.

The indicative dose (ID) is one of the parameters established in the current European directive for water intended for human consumption. To determine the ID, it is necessary to know the activity concentration of: U, U, Ra, Po, Pu and Am. The existing methods to determine these radionuclides involve complex radiochemical separations (ionic exchange columns, extraction chromatography, etc.

Sample pretreatment in the determination of specific alpha emitters in drinking water using [Ba+Fe]-coprecipitation method.

The [Ba+Fe]-coprecipitation method is applied to measure gross alpha activity for radiological examination of drinking water in the laboratory. This method collects all the alpha-emitting radionuclides of interest (natural alpha emitters and transuranium elements) in a precipitate on a filter. This paper describes an investigation of sample pretreatment of the precipitate collected by the [Ba+Fe]-coprecipitation method for gross alpha activity determination.