Developing Detection DecisioNS on the Absence or Presence of a Radiological Source using a Bayesian Interaction Model.

Bayesian statistics have been used in various health physics applications, but only limited material exists on the development of a decision threshold for simple gross count measurements using Bayesian statistics. Bayesian modeling specifies a logical procedure for processing information and provides the means to obtain abstract statistical knowledge about the data in question. A Bayesian interaction model was developed to analyze gross count measurements.

Dose Reconstruction Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Dosimetry on Tooth Enamel From Wild Boar Living in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

The goal of the study was to establish characteristics of Japanese wild boar tooth enamel in the dose region of 0.25-2.0 Gy and to reconstruct external absorbed doses to wild boar native to the Fukushima exclusion zone using electron paramagnetic resonance dosimetry.

Optimization of Spectral String Data Analysis Using a Binomial Discriminator for Weak-source Detection Decisions.

Operational health physics applications, such as radiological and nuclear monitoring and detection for homeland security or radiation protection purposes, generate time sequences of independent individual measurement data. Statistical algorithms have been developed that use the analysis of patterns in the data strings to enhance the test statistic for the decision on the absence or presence of a radiation source. These hypothesis test procedures have been applied to spectral data and have been optimized for the highest rate of correct identification of a weak Cs source at constant false positive detection rates.

Time-varying predatory behavior is primary predictor of fine-scale movement of wildland-urban cougars.

Background: While many species have suffered from the detrimental impacts of increasing human population growth, some species, such as cougars (), have been observed using human-modified landscapes. However, human-modified habitat can be a source of both increased risk and increased food availability, particularly for large carnivores. Assessing preferential use of the landscape is important for managing wildlife and can be particularly useful in transitional habitats, such as at the wildland-urban interface.

A Brief Review-EPR Dosimetry and the Use of Animal Teeth as Dosimeters.

The technique of electron paramagnetic resonance dosimetry using tooth enamel was established in the late 1960s, and considerable research has been conducted to learn more about the benefits of using human teeth as dosimeters for the purpose of retrospective dose reconstruction. Comparatively few studies have been done which have investigated animal teeth for the same purpose. The potential exists for utilizing animal teeth as dosimeters to reconstruct doses received by a species, as well as by humans.

Investigation of Dose Rates Exterior to an Above-Ground Waste Storage Facility Using Radiation Transport Models.

The dose rate profile at different heights above the ground and as a function of distance from the north, west, and south walls of an above-ground waste storage facility was analyzed using the Monte Carlo n-Particle Transport eXtended (MCNPX) radiation transport code. The waste storage facility houses 9,996 waste barrels of conditioned waste. The facility has concrete shielding added to the building walls on the north, west, and east sides, with no such additional shielding towards the roof or the south side wall; instead, the distance from the first row of barrels to the wall is extended to allow for maneuverability of a crane on the south side.

Indian students' perspectives on obesity and school-based obesity prevention: a qualitative examination.

Childhood obesity has recently been reported as a growing problem in low- and middle-income countries. One potential prevention strategy is to apply effective obesity prevention approaches from the United States and/or other Western countries into programs that can be implemented in developing countries such as India. The purpose of this study was to explore Indian students' perceptions of social-contextual factors related to obesity and whether they perceived a role for school-based obesity prevention.

Establishing and evaluating wrist cutpoints for the GENEActiv accelerometer in youth.

Purpose: This study aimed to establish physical activity (PA) intensity cutpoints for a wrist-mounted GENEActiv accelerometer (ACC) in elementary school-age children. A second purpose was to apply cutpoints to a free-living sample and examine the duration of PA based on continuous 1-s epochs.

Methods: Metabolic and ACC data were collected during nine typical activities in 24 children age 6-11 yr.

Evaluation of fluorescence in situ hybridization for the detection of bacteria in feline inflammatory liver disease.

The etiopathogenesis of feline inflammatory liver disease (ILD) is unclear. Therefore, we sought to determine the presence and distribution of bacteria within the livers of cats with ILD using eubacterial fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Histopathology from 39 cats with ILD and 19 with histologically normal livers (C) were classified using World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines.

The impacts of an invasive species citizen science training program on participant attitudes, behavior, and science literacy.

Citizen science can make major contributions to informal science education by targeting participants' attitudes and knowledge about science while changing human behavior towards the environment. We examined how training associated with an invasive species citizen science program affected participants in these areas. We found no changes in science literacy or overall attitudes between tests administered just before and after a one-day training program, matching results from other studies.