Modelling soil - Vegetation - Atmospheric interactions of radon products in a Belgian Scots pine forest site.

A soil-vegetation-atmospheric transfer (SVAT) model for radon and its progeny is presented to improve process-level understanding of the role of forests in taking-up radionuclides from soil radon outgassing. A dynamic system of differential equations couples soil, tree (Scots pine) and atmospheric processes, treating the trees as sources, sinks and conduits between the atmosphere and the soil. The model's compartments include a dual-layer soil column undergoing hydrological and solute transport, the tree system (comprising roots, wood, litter, and foliage) and the atmosphere, with physical processes governing the transfers of water and radon products between these compartments.

Regulation of abscisic acid receptor mRNA stability: involvement of microRNA5628 in PYL6 transcript decay.

Phytohormone signaling is fine-tuned by regulatory feedback loops. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays key roles in plant development and abiotic stress tolerance. PYRABACTIN RESISTENCE 1/PYR1-LIKE/REGULATORY COMPONENT OF ABA RECEPTOR (PYR/PYL/RCAR) receptors sense ABA, and in turn, ABA represses their expression.

Novel radionuclides: demand, production and distribution for translational research in Europe.

Background: In the field of medical and scientific research, radionuclides are used to investigate various physiological and pathological processes. PRISMAP - the European medical radionuclide programme was created to bring together production facilities including intense neutron sources, an isotope mass separation facility, high-power accelerators, biomedical research institutes, and hospitals to support medical research. The aim of this article is to introduce readers with the current status of innovative radionuclides in Europe.

Comparison of calibration results for α, β surface contamination monitors.

Surface contamination monitors are used intensively in many facilities, like in the nuclear medicine departments for clearance measurements and decontamination and in decommissioning of nuclear installations. For a reliable use, all surface contamination monitors should have a valid calibration with traceability to the international standards. A comparison exercise for calibrations in terms of efficiency in 2π steradian for surface contamination monitors was organized between five dosimetry calibration laboratories, members of EURAMET (The European Association of National Metrology Institutes).

Doses from ionising radiation in paediatric cardiac catheterisations in Norway 1975-2021.

Paediatric patients with congenital heart disease often undergo cardiac catheterisation procedures and are exposed to considerable ionising radiation early in life. This study aimed to develop a method for estimating the dose area product () from paediatric cardiac catheterisation procedures (1975-1989) at a national centre for paediatric cardiology and to evaluate trends inand exposure parameters until 2021. Data from 2200 catheterisation procedures on 1685 patients (1975-1989) and 4184 procedures on 2139 patients (2000-2021) under 18 years of age were retrospectively collected.

The Formation of Stable Lung Tumor Spheroids during Random Positioning Involves Increased Estrogen Sensitivity.

The formation of tumor spheroids on the random positioning machine (RPM) is a complex and important process, as it enables the study of metastasis ex vivo. However, this process is not yet understood in detail. In this study, we compared the RPM-induced spheroid formation of two cell types of lung carcinoma (NCI-H1703 squamous cell carcinoma cells and Calu-3 adenocarcinoma cells).

Targeted radiopharmaceuticals: an underexplored strategy for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy worldwide with the highest mortality. This low survival rate can be attributed to the fact that symptoms arise only at an advanced disease stage, characterized by a (micro)metastatic spread across the peritoneal cavity. Radiopharmaceuticals, composed of a targeting moiety coupled with either a diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclide, constitute a relatively underexplored theranostic approach that may improve the current standard of care.

Bayesian inference of coupled groundwater flow and radiogenic helium-4 production and transport at the catchment scale.

Hydrogeological numerical models are essential for assessing radioactive waste disposal by understanding groundwater flow systems. These models typically rely on hydraulic head data, with other state variables often underutilized in model inversions. In Flanders' Neogene aquifer, where safety studies for Boom Clay are ongoing, existing models face uncertainties due to dependence on hydraulic heads alone.

Evaluation of deep space exploration risks and mitigations against radiation and microgravity.

Ionizing radiation and microgravity are two considerable health risks encountered during deep space exploration. Both have deleterious effects on the human body. On one hand, weightlessness is known to induce a weakening of the immune system, delayed wound healing and musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and sensorimotor deconditioning.

From crop left-overs to nutrient resource: growth-stimulating potential of biochar in nutrient solutions for wheat soilless cultivation systems.

To reach the estimated food demands for 2050 in decreasingly suiting climates, current agricultural techniques have to be complemented by sustainably intensified practices. The current study repurposed wheat crop residues into biochar, and investigated its potential in different plant cultivation systems, including a hydroponic cultivation of wheat. Biochars resulting from varying pyrolysis parameters including feedstock composition (straw and chaff) and temperature (450°C and 600°C), were tested using a fast plant screening method.

Effects of simulated space conditions on CD4+ T cells: a multi modal analysis.

Introduction: The immune system is an intricate network of cellular components that safeguards against pathogens and aberrant cells, with CD4+ T cells playing a central role in this process. Human space travel presents unique health challenges, such as heavy ion ionizing radiation, microgravity, and psychological stress, which can collectively impede immune function. The aim of this research was to examine the consequences of simulated space stressors on CD4+ T cell activation, cytokine production, and gene expression.

Preclinical evaluation of CXCR4 peptides for targeted radionuclide therapy in glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM), is the most fatal form of brain cancer, with a high tendency for recurrence despite combined treatments including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy with temozolomide. The C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) plays an important role in tumour radioresistance and recurrence, and is considered as an interesting GBM target. TRT holds untapped potential for GBM treatment, with CXCR4-TRT being a promising strategy for recurrent GBM treatment.

Benchmarking short-, long- and hybrid-read assemblers for metagenome sequencing of complex microbial communities.

Metagenome community analyses, driven by the continued development in sequencing technology, is rapidly providing insights in many aspects of microbiology and becoming a cornerstone tool. Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) are the leading technologies, each with their own advantages and drawbacks. Illumina provides accurate reads at a low cost, but their length is too short to close bacterial genomes.

Highly weathered mineral soils have highest transfer risk of radiocaesium contamination after a nuclear accident: A global soil-plant study.

Accidental release of radiocaesium (Cs) from nuclear power plants may result in long-term contamination of environmental and food production systems. Assessment of food chain contamination with Cs relies on Cs soil-to-plant transfer data and models mainly available for regions affected by the Chornobyl and Fukushima accidents. Similar data and models are lacking for other regions.

Radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks in cortisol exposed fibroblasts as quantified with the novel foci-integrated damage complexity score (FIDCS).

Without the protective shielding of Earth's atmosphere, astronauts face higher doses of ionizing radiation in space, causing serious health concerns. Highly charged and high energy (HZE) particles are particularly effective in causing complex and difficult-to-repair DNA double-strand breaks compared to low linear energy transfer. Additionally, chronic cortisol exposure during spaceflight raises further concerns, although its specific impact on DNA damage and repair remains unknown.

Radiotolerance of N-cycle bacteria and their transcriptomic response to low-dose space-analogue ionizing irradiation.

The advancement of regenerative life support systems (RLSS) is crucial to allow long-distance space travel. Within the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA), efficient nitrogen recovery from urine and other waste streams is vital to produce liquid fertilizer to feed food and oxygen production in subsequent photoautotrophic processes. This study explores the effects of ionizing radiation on nitrogen cycle bacteria that transform urea to nitrate.

Correction: Podlutskii et al. Accessions from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Show Decreased Sensitivity to Additional Acute Irradiation. 2022, , 3142.

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Complexity of responses to ionizing radiation in plants, and the impact on interacting biotic factors.

In nature, plants are simultaneously exposed to different abiotic (e.g., heat, drought, and salinity) and biotic (e.

Terbium radionuclides for theranostic applications in nuclear medicine: from atom to bedside.

Terbium features four clinically interesting radionuclides for application in nuclear medicine: terbium-149, terbium-152, terbium-155, and terbium-161. Their identical chemical properties enable the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals with the same pharmacokinetic character, while their distinctive decay characteristics make them valuable for both imaging and therapeutic applications. In particular, terbium-152 and terbium-155 are useful candidates for positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging, respectively; whereas terbium-149 and terbium-161 find application in α- and β-/Auger electron therapy, respectively.

Assessment of radiation dose to people and wildife inhabiting the Grote Nete catchment in Belgium.

We evaluate the impact of the radiological contamination of the Grote Nete catchment in Belgium to people and non-human biota. This region has received effluents from the phosphate and nuclear industries via tributaries of the Grote Nete river in past decades, resulting in the presence of radionuclides such as Am, Co, Cs, K, Pb, Pu, Pu, Ra, Ra, Th, Th, U, U and U. During the period 2016-2021, we measured these radionuclides in the water column, the bed sediment and riverbanks.

Monitoring functional immune responses with a cytokine release assay: ISS flight hardware design and experimental protocol for whole blood cultures executed under microgravity conditions.

Long-term space missions trigger a prolonged neuroendocrine stress response leading to immune system dysregulation evidenced by susceptibility to infections, viral reactivation, and skin irritations. However, due to existing technical constraints, real-time functional immune assessments are not currently available to crew inflight. The cytokine release assay (CRA) has been effectively employed to study the stimulated cytokine response of immune cells in whole blood albeit limited to pre- and post-flight sessions.