scholarly journals Radiological Scouting, Monitoring and Inspection using Drones

Author(s):  
Luís Pinto ◽  
Alberto Vale ◽  
Yoeri Brouwer ◽  
Jorge Borbinha ◽  
José Corisco ◽  
...  

Human populations and natural ecosystems are bound to be exposed to ionizing radiation1from the deposition of artificial radionuclides resulting from nuclear accidents, nuclear devices2or radiological dispersive devices ("dirty bombs"). On the other hand, NORM industries such as3phosphate production or uranium mining, contribute to the on site storage of residuals with enhanced4concentrations of natural radionuclides. Therefore, in the context of the European agreements5concerning nuclear energy, namely the EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) Treaty,6monitoring is an essential feature of the environmental radiological surveillance. In this work, we7obtain 3D maps from outdoor scenarios, and complete such maps with measured radiation levels8and with its radionuclide signature. In such scenarios, we face challenges such as unknown and9rough terrain, limited number of sampled locations and the need for different sensors and therefore10different tasks. We propose a radiological solution for scouting, monitoring and inspecting an area of11interest, using a fleet of drones and a controlling ground station. First, we scout an area with a LiDAR12onboard a drone to accurately 3D-map the area. Then, we monitor that area with a Geiger-Muller13sensor at a low-vertical distance from the ground to produce a radiological (heat)map that is overlaid14on the 3D map of the scenario. Next, we identify the hotspots of radiation, and inspect them in detail15using a drone by landing on them, to reveal its radionuclide signature using a CZT sensor. We present16the algorithms used to implement such tasks both at the ground station and on the drones. The three17mission phases were validated using actual experiments in three different outdoor scenarios. We18conclude that drones can not only perform the mission efficiently, but in general they are faster and19as reliable as personnel on the ground

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3143
Author(s):  
Luís Ramos Pinto ◽  
Alberto Vale ◽  
Yoeri Brouwer ◽  
Jorge Borbinha ◽  
José Corisco ◽  
...  

Human populations and natural ecosystems are bound to be exposed to ionizing radiation from the deposition of artificial radionuclides resulting from nuclear accidents, nuclear devices or radiological dispersive devices (“dirty bombs”). On the other hand, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material industries such as phosphate production or uranium mining, contribute to the on site storage of residuals with enhanced concentrations of natural radionuclides. Therefore, in the context of the European agreements concerning nuclear energy, namely the European Atomic Energy Community Treaty, monitoring is an essential feature of the environmental radiological surveillance. In this work, we obtain 3D maps from outdoor scenarios, and complete such maps with measured radiation levels and with its radionuclide signature. In such scenarios, we face challenges such as unknown and rough terrain, limited number of sampled locations and the need for different sensors and therefore different tasks. We propose a radiological solution for scouting, monitoring and inspecting an area of interest, using a fleet of drones and a controlling ground station. First, we scout an area with a Light Detection and Ranging sensor onboard a drone to accurately 3D-map the area. Then, we monitor that area with a Geiger–Müller Counter at a low-vertical distance from the ground to produce a radiological (heat)map that is overlaid on the 3D map of the scenario. Next, we identify the hotspots of radiation, and inspect them in detail using a drone by landing on them, to reveal its radionuclide signature using a Cadmium–Zinc–Telluride detector. We present the algorithms used to implement such tasks both at the ground station and on the drones. The three mission phases were validated using actual experiments in three different outdoor scenarios. We conclude that drones can not only perform the mission efficiently, but in general they are faster and as reliable as personnel on the ground.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nia Jones ◽  
Simon Neill ◽  
Peter Robins ◽  
Matthew Lewis

<p>Rivers and estuaries act as conduits of microplastic transport, linking terrestrial and marine environments: however, it is unclear to what extent estuaries act as sources or sinks for marine plastic waste. In densely populated catchments, microplastic pollution could impact human populations and natural ecosystems including through industry, domestic activities or direct exposure. An investigation into the physical behaviour of microplastic within estuarine systems will allow for a greater understanding of plastic retention and exportation to coastal and offshore environments. A high resolution 3D model (Delft D-Flow FM) of the Conwy Estuary (UK) is under development, with current and future projections of microplastic concentrations used to determine local exposure levels, residence times and temporal variability.</p><p>The Conwy Estuary (UK) is a well-mixed macro-tidal, embayment type system connecting the Conwy catchment to the North Wales coast and Irish Sea – where waters are used for leisure and aquaculture. Microplastics derived from the catchment population, industry and agriculture are thought to flow into the estuary primarily from the Conwy river network. Because of this, this study will incorporate in-situ samples of microplastic concentrations in river water to be able to predict microplastic levels in the estuary with greater accuracy. Plastic dispersal simulations through particle tracking and water quality monitoring will be undertaken using known concentrations and future projections of microplastic.</p><p>The results of the model validation as well as application to plastic dispersal simulations will be presented.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
IN MAGRAS ◽  
Th.C. Tsiligianni

The aim of the present bibliographical review was to approach the most considerable causes, in relation to the unbridled pollution of innumerable areas of our planet. Congenital malformations are created during the prenatal development and could possible cause embryonic death. They become visible after an abortion or after the birth and they could be mild or extensive malformations. Monsters always stimulate the people’s interest and they were source of superstitions and topic of scientific research as well. In the international bibliography, there are plenty of such cases, and some of them are indicatively referred in the present review. The investigation of the causes of the congenital malformations is of a particular importance, in order to take the necessary preventive measures, when it is possible. The factors, which are responsible for the congenital malformations, are characterized as teratogenic or, in some cases, as embryo- or fetotoxic factors, and usually affect the genital cells of the parents or the organs of the pregnant female. A very important role in the mammalian congenital malformation play, except of the teratogenic factors, the animal species, the placenta type, the histochemical background of the mother and the embryo as well as the stage of the prenatal development during the exposition to the teratogenic factor. The teratogenic factors can be genetic or environmental. During the prenatal development, there is an interaction between the genome, which insure the genotypic feature of the species and the different epigenetic process, which create the phenotypic varieties. The interaction of the genome with the microenvironment, where the embryo is developed, is usually the key of the congenital malformation. Every genetic disturbance leads to the deviation from the normal development, because the embryonic development is depended on the genome. Genetical disturbance is possible to arise because of some chromosomal atypical or abnormal genes or (endo - or - exogenous) environmental factors. The environmental factors are numerous and according to their nature they can be classified to the following categories: physical factors, chemical agents and biological agents. Physical factors are the ionizing and the non - ionizing radiations. A new type of environmental pollution has been raised, after the artificial production of the radiations. A very important role in the increase of the cases of congenital malformation play the ionizing radiation, as a free nuclear energy after the bombing, the nuclear accidents and the nuclear litter. The ionizing radiation, as well as the radiowaves and the microwaves, known as radiofrequency or radiomagnetic radiation, include low energy. Their radio-embryo-toxicity is not negligible, however, and depends on the area of the spectrum, the power density, the "special absorption rate", the duration of the exposure, the sensitivity of the embryo fetus and its organs. A lot of chemical substances adversely intervene in the normal embryonic and fetal development, causing congenital malformations. These substances could be natural having their origin from the external environment or from the organism itself or they could be artificial. Most of the drugs are considered as suspicious teratogens. Some plants contain dangerous embryotoxical substances and pregnant animals must not consume them. The deficiency of some nutrients is possible to cause disturbances in the prenatal development. Moreover, congenital malformations are observed after the deficiency of some elements. Infection agents, such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungus and parasites, when they pass through the placental barrier are possible to cause congenital malformations. Also, the vaccination of the pregnant animals has to be avoided or to be applied on a period that is not critical for teratogenesis. Furthermore, there are a lot of unknown teratogenic agents that usually cause a considerable rate of congenital malformations. During the early embryonic development, there is a "critical period" where the embryo is particularly sensitive in the teratogenic agents. It is obvious that, if any teratogenic agent affects the embryonic development during the "critical period", the normal development of the embryo will be disorganized resulting in the embryonic deformities. In the full text of this review a detailed analysis of what can happen during this period is discussed. In the second half of the former century, the frequency of the congenital malformations has been considerably increased in human being and in animals, as well. This phenomenon is supported by a series of real events and situations, such as: the uncontrolled use of the nuclear energy and the nuclear accidents, the pollution by the major as well as the minor polemic conflicts, the unrestrained industrial development, the production of an enormous number of chemical substances, the increase of the fumes, the uncontrolled spreading of the electromagnetic radiation, the over consumption of industrial elaborated aliments, the malnutrition, the overexploitation of the land, with an excess of chemical fertilizing, pesticides and plant hormons, as well as the irresponsible use of hormones, drugs and unusual feed for livestock. The restriction of the continuing pollution and the simultaneous recovery of the environment must be the target of the humanity. The protection of the environment, beyond the improvement of health generally and the welfare of the animals and human will contribute in the diminuition of the congenital malformation cases in newborn animals and in human, as well.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Jane Hockings

Human–wildlife interactions have existed for thousands of years, however as human populations increase and human impact on natural ecosystems becomes more intensive, both parties are increasingly being forced to compete for resources vital to both. Humans can value wildlife in many contexts promoting coexistence, while in other situations, such as crop-raiding, wildlife conflicts with the interests of people. As our closest phylogenetic relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in particular occupy a special importance in terms of their complex social and cultural relationship with humans. A case study is presented that focuses on the Bossou chimpanzees’ (Pan troglodytes verus) perspective of their habitat in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, by highlighting the risks and opportunities presented by a human-dominated landscape, and detailing their day-to-day coexistence with humans. Understanding how rural people perceive chimpanzees and how chimpanzees adapt to living in anthropogenic environments will enhance our understanding of how people-wildlife interactions develop into situations of conflict and therefore can generate sustainable solutions to prevent or mitigate situations of conflict.


Author(s):  
Marc Deffrennes ◽  
Michel Hugon ◽  
Panagiotis Manolatos ◽  
Georges Van Goethem ◽  
Simon Webster

The activities of the European Commission (EC) in the field of nuclear energy are governed by the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The research activities of the European Union (EU) are designed as multi-annual Framework Programmes (FP). The EURATOM 6th Framework Programme (EURATOM FP-6), covering the period 2002–2006, is funded with a budget of 1, 230 million Euros and managed by the European Commission. Beyond the general strategic goal of the EURATOM Framework Programmes to help exploit the potential of nuclear energy, in a safe and sustainable manner, FP-6 is designed to contribute also to the development of the “European Research Area” (ERA), a concept described in the Commission’s Communication COM(2000)6, of January 2000. Moreover EURATOM FP-6 contributes to the creation of the conditions for sharing the same nuclear safety culture throughout the EU-25 and the Candidate Countries, fostering the acceptance of nuclear power as an element of the energy mix. This paper gives an overview of the research activities undertaken through EURATOM FP-6 in the area of Reactor Systems, covering the safety of present reactors, the development of future safe reactors, and the needs in terms of research infrastructures and education & training. The actions under FP-6 are presented in their continuity of a ctions under FP-5. The perspectives under FP-7 are also provided. Other parts of the EURATOM FP, covering Waste Handling and Radiation Protection, as well as Fusion Energy, are not detailed in this paper.


2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1637-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Wolf

Only a few European integration experts know that Jean Monnet, one of the masterminds of the European Coal and Steel Community, strongly preferred the European Atomic Energy Community to the European Economic Community in the 1950s and 1960s. From his point of view, sectoral and technical cooperation in the field of nuclear energy seemed to be much more promising in order to foster European integration than cross-sectoral economic integration. Monnet and others believed that nuclear energy could, inter alia, solve all energy supply problems, would revolutionize research and technical development, and could contribute to unifying the peoples of Europe in a few decades. However, nuclear energy in general and Euratom in particular have belied these expectations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 08001
Author(s):  
Peter Gell

Natural ecosystems provide amenity to human populations in the form of ecosystem services. These services are grouped into four broad categories: provisioning – food and water production; regulating – control of climate and disease; supporting – crop pollination; and cultural – spiritual and recreational benefits. Aquatic systems provide considerable service through the provision of potable water, fisheries and aquaculture production, nutrient mitigation and the psychological benefits that accrue from the aesthetic amenity provided from lakes, rivers and other wetlands. Further, littoral and riparian ecosystems, and aquifers, protect human communities from sea level encroachment, and tidal and river flooding. Catchment and water development provides critical resources for human consumption. Where these provisioning services are prioritized over others, the level and quality of production may be impacted. Further, the benefits from these provisioning services comes with the opportunity cost of diminishing regulating, supporting and cultural services. This imbalance flags concerns for humanity as it exceeds recognised safe operating spaces. These concepts are explored by reference to long term records of change in some of the world’s largest river catchments and lessons are drawn that may enable other communities to consider the balance of ecosystems services in natural resource management.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (36) ◽  
pp. 17673-17682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yican Wu ◽  
Zhibin Chen ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Shanqi Chen ◽  
Daochuan Ge ◽  
...  

Nuclear energy development has entered an unexpected second nuclear era, which is mainly driven by developing countries. Despite major efforts to pursue a safe nuclear energy system in the first nuclear era, severe nuclear accidents occurred. A basic problem is that we do not have an adequate understanding of nuclear safety. From the viewpoints of risk and the close coupling of technical and social factors, this paper reexamines the nature of nuclear safety and reviews how previous experts understood it. We also highlight the new challenges that we are likely to confront in the unexpected second nuclear era and clarify some of the refinements that need to be made to the concept of nuclear safety from a sociotechnical perspective. These include the following: 1) Risk decisions should be made based on integrating social and technical elements (i.e., “social rationality”); 2) risk needs to be controlled based on the “Wuli–Shili–Renli” framework; 3) systems thinking should be substituted for reductionism in risk assessment, and social mechanisms need to be combined to address uncertainties; and 4) public-centered risk communication should be established. This contribution can provide a theoretical foundation for improving our understanding of the nature of nuclear safety and for transforming the concept of nuclear safety in the unexpected second nuclear era.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3120-3135
Author(s):  
Binnian Tian ◽  
Jiatao Xie ◽  
Yanping Fu ◽  
Jiasen Cheng ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Fungal pathogens are seriously threatening food security and natural ecosystems; efficient and environmentally friendly control methods are essential to help safeguard such resources for increasing human populations on a global scale. Here, we find that Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a widespread pathogen of dicotyledons, can grow endophytically in wheat, rice, barley, maize, and oat, providing protection against Fusarium head blight, stripe rust, and rice blast. Protection is also provided by disabled S. sclerotiorum strains harboring a hypovirulence virus. The disabled strain DT-8 promoted wheat yields by 4–18% in the field and consistently reduced Fusarium disease by 40–60% across multiple field trials. We term the host-dependent trophism of S. sclerotiorum, destructively pathogenic or mutualistically endophytic, as schizotrophism. As a biotroph, S. sclerotiorum modified the expression of wheat genes involved in disease resistance and photosynthesis and increased the level of IAA. Our study shows that a broad-spectrum pathogen of one group of plants may be employed as a biocontrol agent in a different group of plants where they can be utilized as beneficial microorganisms while avoiding the risk of in-field release of pathogens. Our study also raises provocative questions about the potential role of schizotrophic endophytes in natural ecosystems.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2837
Author(s):  
Biel Garcias ◽  
Laia Aguirre ◽  
Chiara Seminati ◽  
Nerea Reyes ◽  
Alberto Allepuz ◽  
...  

Wildlife has been suggested to be a good sentinel of environmental health because of its close interaction with human populations, domestic animals, and natural ecosystems. The alarming emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine has activated/triggered the awareness of monitoring the levels of AMR pollution in wildlife. European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are common wild species habiting urban areas in Europe. However, there are few studies conducted in hedgehogs as reservoirs of AMR bacteria or genes. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and distribution of ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria and AMR genes in wild European hedgehogs in Catalonia, a densely populated region of NE Spain. A total of 115 hedgehogs admitted at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Torreferrussa were studied. To our knowledge, this is the first description of β-lactam resistant enterobacteria in wild hedgehogs. Interestingly, 36.8% (42/114) of the animals were detected as carriers of β-lactamase/carbapenemase resistance genes. Klebsiella spp. (59.6%), and specifically K. pneumoniae (84.6%), were the bacteria with the highest proportion of resistance genes, followed by E. coli (34.6%) and C. freundii (5.8 %). The most frequently detected genetic variants were blaCTX-M-15 (19.3%), blaSHV-28 (10.5%), blaCMY-1 (9.7%), blaCMY-2 (8.8%), and blaOXA-48 (1.7%). In addition, 52% (27/52) of the isolates presented a multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype and 31% had an extended drug resistance (XDR) profile. No clustering of animals with AMR genes within the study region was shown in the spatial analysis, nor differences in the proportion of positive animals among regions, were detected. The results of this study suggest that wild European hedgehogs could be good sentinels of AMR environmental pollution, especially in areas with a high human population density, because they either inhabit and/or feed in an anthropogenic environment. In conclusion, it is crucial to raise awareness of the strong interconnection between habitats and compartments, and therefore this implies that AMR issues must be tackled under the One Health approach.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document