Gamma spectroscopy methodology for large amounts of environmental samples in Sweden 30 years after the Chernobyl accident

In a Swedish citizen science project, more than 200 elementary school classes participated in collecting fungi, soil samples, and droppings from deer and wild boar, from all over Sweden. The samples have been sent to a laboratory at Uppsala University where they are being analyzed through gamma spectroscopy with a shielded HPGe detector. The main objective is to scan the samples for 137Cs from the Chernobyl accident and compare the data with measurements from 1986, but uptake of naturally occuring radionuclides like 40K and radon daughters will also be determined. Together with the soil samples, transfer factors will be derived, and correlations for these factors will be sought for different species of fungi and soil types. The potential for correlating the results with different biological processes will also be investigated, in part through the collected animal droppings. This is a work in progress where the present status of the experimental setup and methodology are presented. Issues with the initial approach for corrections are discussed and preliminary results are presented.

Download Full-text

Developing a software for self-absorption correction for gamma spectrometry of soil and water samples based on MCNP5 Monte Carlo simulations

Scientific Research Journal ◽

10.24191/srj.v17i1.6326 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Eliyeh Zamani ◽

Sedigheh Sina ◽

Reza Faghihi ◽

Banafshe Zeinali-Rafsanjani

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Hpge Detector ◽

Gamma Spectroscopy ◽

Efficiency Calibration ◽

Monte Carlo Code ◽

Detector Efficiency ◽

Calibration Curves ◽

Absorption Correction ◽

Soil And Water

Gamma spectroscopy using HPGe is one of the most effective methods in determining the concentration of gamma emitting radionuclides in environmental samples. The purpose of this study is obtaining the efficiency calibration curves for the HPGe detector using MCNP5 Monte Carlo code, and designing appropriate software for correction of self-absorption caused by changes in density, height, and geometry of different samples. For this purpose the detector was simulated using MCNP5 Monte Carlo code, and the detector calibration curves were obtained for different geometries and heights, and appropriate software was designed for efficiency calibration. The results obtained in this study, show that changing the height, geometry, and density of the samples have significant effects on the detector efficiency because of the changes in self-absorption of the samples. Comparison of the self-absorption correction using the software, and the results of simulations show that designed software can predict the calibration curves for the new samples in different energies with error much less than 1%.

Download Full-text

Quantification of Tire-Tread Particles Using Extractable Organic Zinc as Tracer

Rubber Chemistry and Technology ◽

10.5254/1.3538846 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 72 (5) ◽

pp. 969-977 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Patrik Fauser ◽

Jens Christian Tjell ◽

Hans Mosbaek ◽

Kim Pilegaard

Keyword(s):

Atomic Absorption Spectrometry ◽

Atomic Absorption ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Absorption Spectrometry ◽

Soil Samples ◽

New Method ◽

Organic Zinc

Abstract A method for identifying and quantifying tire-tread particles in the environment has been developed. It is based on the measurement of extractable organic zinc. The high sensitivity of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) with a heated graphite atomizer (HGA) permits assessment of submilligram amounts of tire debris in environmental samples. The analysis is performed on aerosol and soil samples. This new method is more accurate and faster than the previously reported IR method.

Download Full-text

Study on analyzing overlaped peaks using the Gold algorithm of unfolding

Science and Technology Development Journal ◽

10.32508/stdj.v19i2.791 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 71-79

Author(s):

Loan Thi Hong Truong ◽

Hoa Phuc Long Cao ◽

Phuong Dang Nguyen ◽

My Thi Thao Dang ◽

Huy Quang Ngo

Keyword(s):

Gamma Spectrometry ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Hpge Detector ◽

Gamma Spectrum ◽

Low Level ◽

Continuum Region ◽

Gamma Spectra

In this work, we initially applied the Gold unfolding algorithm to deconvolute continuum region in the gamma spectra and to analyze its overlaped peaks for the gamma spectrometry using HPGe detector. The results could be used to analyse overlaped peaks of low level gamma spectrum for environmental samples.

Download Full-text

Biological activity of soils cultivated with yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poep. & Endl) H. Robinson, inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense and native mycorrhizal fungi

Revista de Ciencias Agrícolas ◽

10.22267/rcia.213801.148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 125-133

Author(s):

María Gabriela Di Barbaro ◽

Horacio Enrique Andrada ◽

Eleodoro Eduardo Del Valle ◽

Celia Inés Brandán

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Azospirillum Brasilense ◽

Microbial Consortium ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Smallanthus Sonchifolius ◽

Physical Chemical ◽

Promote Plant Growth ◽

Time Of Harvest

The soil is influenced by the roots of plants because the exudate radicals affect its physical, chemical, and biological processes. The aim of this research was to evaluate the microbial activity of soils cultivated with yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poep. & Endl) H. Robinson and inoculated with microorganisms which promote plant growth. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with three repetitions per treatment. Each repetition corresponded to a 3m x 3m plot with 25 plants, in 5 cultivation lines with a distance of 70 cm apart. Four treatments were applied at the time of plantation. These consisted of yacón propagules inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense (T1) and native mycorrhizal fungi (T2) inoculated with the microbial consortium (T3). In the control treatments, the propagules were not inoculated with these microorganisms (T0). Soil samples were collected in lots cultivated with yacón located in the Province of Catamarca, in the northwest of Argentina. The samples were collected at the time of implantation and harvest during three agricultural cycles. The total Biological Activity (TBA) of the collected samples was determined by Fluorescein Diacetate Hydrolysis. The TBA of the soil was affected by the different crop treatments, which rose in the analyzed soils and was statistically different from the control treatments. Significant differences were also observed between the TBA of the soils at the beginning of the crops in comparison with the recorded values of the crop at the time of harvest. The inoculation of yacón propagules with A. brasilense and native mycorrhizal fungi affects the TBA of the cultivated soils marking a significant increase.

Download Full-text

Diversity ofLeptospiraspp. in Rats and Environment from Urban Areas of Sarawak, Malaysia

Journal of Tropical Medicine ◽

10.1155/2017/3760674 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Chai Fung Pui ◽

Lesley Maurice Bilung ◽

Kasing Apun ◽

Lela Su’ut

Keyword(s):

Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽

Water Samples ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Chain Reaction ◽

Prevalence Studies ◽

Pcr Method ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Soil And Water

Various prevalence studies onLeptospirain animals and humans, as well as environmental samples, had been conducted worldwide, including Malaysia. However, limited studies have been documented on the presence of pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophyticLeptospirain selected animals and environments. This study was therefore conducted to detectLeptospiraspp. in rats, soil, and water from urban areas of Sarawak using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. A total of 107 rats, 292 soil samples, and 324 water samples were collected from April 2014 to February 2015. PathogenicLeptospirawas present in 5.6% (6/107) of rats, 11.6% (34/292) of soil samples, and 1.9% (6/324) of water samples. IntermediateLeptospirawas present in 2.7% (8/292) of soil samples and 1.9% (6/324) of water samples. SaprophyticLeptospirawas present in 10.3% (11/107) of rats, 1.4% (4/292) of soil samples, and 0.3% (1/324) of water samples. From this study, 76Leptospiraspp. were isolated. Based on DNA sequencing, the dominantLeptospiraspp. circulating in urban areas of Sarawak are pathogenicLeptospira noguchii, intermediateLeptospira wolffiiserovar Khorat, and saprophyticLeptospira meyeri, respectively. Overall, this study provided important surveillance data on the prevalence ofLeptospiraspp. from rats and the environment, with dominant local serovars in urban areas of Sarawak.

Download Full-text

Ecological Chemistry Aspects of Food Safety

Handbook of Research on Emerging Developments and Environmental Impacts of Ecological Chemistry - Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-1241-8.ch022 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 472-490

Author(s):

Rodica Sturza

Keyword(s):

Raw Materials ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Anthropogenic Contamination ◽

Transfer Factors ◽

Ecological Chemistry ◽

Republic Of Moldova ◽

The Republic ◽

And Storage ◽

Technological Treatment

The presented results reflect the researches carried out over the last decade, having as their object the soil, water, vegetal raw materials, and wines from the Republic of Moldova. The analysis of the possible anthropogenic contamination (NAA method) demonstrated the absence of systematic soil pollution. A total of 30 elements were determined in soil samples and the soil-leaves-fruit transfer factors were calculated. Approximately 3000 samples of local wines have been analysed to determine the residual quantities of pesticides. POPs were not found in any of the wine samples. In most of the examined cases (> 60% of samples), the lack of organic pesticide residues was observed. The migration of phthalates into different solutions from polymeric materials (PVC, rubber) and the influence of the temperature on the extraction rate were investigated. It has been shown that the contamination with phthalate residues occurs predominantly at the stage of grape processing, technological treatment, and storage.

Download Full-text

New plectosphaerellaceous species from Dutch garden soil

Mycological Progress ◽

10.1007/s11557-019-01511-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 1135-1154 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alejandra Giraldo ◽

Margarita Hernández-Restrepo ◽

Pedro W. Crous

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Garden Soil ◽

Science Project ◽

Fungal Isolates ◽

University Museum ◽

Citizen Science Project

Abstract During 2017, the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (WI) and the Utrecht University Museum launched a Citizen Science project. Dutch school children collected soil samples from gardens at different localities in the Netherlands, and submitted them to the WI where they were analysed in order to find new fungal species. Around 3000 fungal isolates, including filamentous fungi and yeasts, were cultured, preserved and submitted for DNA sequencing. Through analysis of the ITS and LSU sequences from the obtained isolates, several plectosphaerellaceous fungi were identified for further study. Based on morphological characters and the combined analysis of the ITS and TEF1-α sequences, some isolates were found to represent new species in the genera Phialoparvum, i.e. Ph. maaspleinense and Ph. rietveltiae, and Plectosphaerella, i.e. Pl. hanneae and Pl. verschoorii, which are described and illustrated here.

Download Full-text