Elemental analysis and health risk index assessment of leafy vegetables in Hanoi, Vietnam, were conducted using X-ray fluorescence. The identified elements were classified into three groups based on their concentrations: macronutrients (K, Ca, Mg, P, S) with high levels, mesonutrients (Cl, Si, Al), and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Br). Principal component analysis of the elemental concentrations grouped the vegetables into three clusters corresponding to their botanical families and distinctive accumulation patterns: Group 1 (Amaranthaceae and Basellaceae) with elevated macronutrient levels, Group 2 (Asteraceae) with preferential micronutrient accumulation, and Group 3 (Brassicaceae) with pronounced accumulation of both nutrients and heavy metals. A close relationship was observed between macronutrients and micronutrients, demonstrating their synergistic roles in regulating plant growth and physiological processes. The calculated health risk indices remained within safe limits (HI<1), indicating no potential health risks exist for consumers.

Gamma spectra analysis is a key component for most environmental research programs. The TENORM nuclide evaluation is essential for mapping natural and artificial radioactivity, whether conducted in situ or in laboratory experiments, and the results support a wide range of interdisciplinary investigations. Preparation protocols are well established and straightforward, and hardware tools are increasingly robust and reliable. Numerous versatile software tools are available to complement the experimental inventory, enabling precise data acquisition. However, precision is sometimes debatable due to complicated algorithms, forced correlations, or references to unadapted libraries. To address pivotal environmental requirements and embrace simplicity as an ally, we present GaDeTool Geo, an algorithm and associated software developed for the automatic calibration of spectra, with emphasis on detectors that provide a quasi-linear response to energy. Provided the spectrum includes at least a natural component or background, calibration and analysis proceed in the most minimalist and natural way possible. A variety of customizations are being implemented in the online version, which will soon evolve into an application facilitating in situ analysis. In the meantime, GaDeTool Geo has been tested against commercial software, delivering reliable output by minimizing coincidence, scattering, and, where possible, self-attenuation effects.

This study introduces the process and methodology for determining residual radioactive levels in soil at a decommissioned nuclear facility site. Drawing on current research into decommissioned sites both domestically and internationally, this study reviews the approaches adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the USA, and China for defining decommissioning end-state targets and establishing dose constraint values. A source investigation of soil pollution was first conducted to identify the types and quantify the activity concentrations of key pollutants. Subsequently, the radiological assessment defined decommissioning goals and dose constraints, identified exposure pathways and key parameters under open, unrestricted land-use scenarios, and developed an assessment model to calculate the effective dose using a forward calculation approach. By using the open-limit conversion method for reverse calculation, the residual radioactive level of the decommissioned final soil is ultimately determined. The allowable residual activity concentration values for three nuclides were calculated. The allowable residual activity concentration value for ^{60}\mathrm{Co} was 1.9 \cdot 10^{2} \, \mathrm{Bgkg^{-1}} , the allowable residual activity concentration value for ^{137}\mathrm{Cs} was 8.4 \cdot 10^{2} \, \mathrm{Bgkg^{-1}} , and the allowable residual activity concentration value for ^{90}\mathrm{Sr} was 1.1 \cdot 10^{5} \, \mathrm{Bgkg^{-1}} . The final determination of the allowable residual activity concentration values for the three nuclides will provide a basis for implementing, supervising, and accepting decommissioned engineering projects.

Three NaI(Tl) detectors of 10 cm x 15 cm, in pairs and the three-detector system, were used to acquire spectra of 133Ba and 134Cs, and to consider registration of gamma radiation from de-excitation of their daughters (133Cs and 134Ba, respectively). The sources were measured for 7200 seconds real time (detector pairs) and 10 000 seconds real time (three-detector system) in the non-coincident mode of counting, as well as in the modes of double and triple gamma coincidences. Based on the photopeak detection efficiencies, minimum detectable activity and ratios of counting rates in the source and background spectra for individual detectors, the non-coincident mode is found to be optimal for 133Ba detection via the 356 keV gamma peak, whereas the mode of double coincidences is found to be optimal for 134Cs detection via the 605 keV and 796 keV gamma peaks.

The paper discusses the influence of the dose of gamma or neutron radiation on a commercial silicon photovoltaic cell under operating conditions. Before the measurement, the cells were irradiated with electromagnetic gamma radiation or neutron radiation. The examination was carried out experimentally and theoretically. The experiments were performed under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Only licensed instruments were used. The measurement uncertainty of the experimental procedure was less than 5%.

The objective of this study is to simulate shielding effectiveness against galactic cosmic rays, focusing on secondary neutrons. The simulation uses a combination of aluminum and poly-ethylene materials. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted, with the particle and heavy ion transport code system - PHITS. The shielding effectiveness of aluminum and polyethylene was compared. The flux spectra of secondary emissions from the rear surface of the slab shielding were computed. Results indicate that secondary neutrons are mainly generated when galactic cosmic ray protons interact with shielding material. The proposed layered configuration suggests that placing the polyethylene layer on the inner side of the shielding structure significantly improves the overall performance of aluminum. Polyethylene efficiently moderates and reduces secondary neutrons. This improvement in shielding contributes meaningfully to the protection of astronauts and onboard electronic equipment during long-duration deep space missions , where galactic radiation is more intense and prolonged.

The physical problem of element yield inversion is transformed into a mathematical problem of solving overdetermined equations, then the particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to find the optimal solution of the system of equations to obtain the yield of formation elements. During the inversion process, relevant parameters such as the objective function, inertia weight factor, and learning factor are designed and optimized to make the particle swarm optimization algorithm more suitable for gamma spectrum signal processing, avoiding local extremum problems during the optimization process and improving the accuracy of element yield inversion. The calculation results show that compared with the traditional least squares method, the particle swarm optimization algorithm used in this paper can effectively invert the multi-peak gamma spectrum signal, with high inversion accuracy, and can effectively calculate the yield of trace elements.

Polypropylene was produced using compression molding and combined with bulk Bi2O3/CuO, and Bi2O3/CuO nanocomposites at various filler weight fractions (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). Gamma-ray energies from four radioactive sources (241Am, 133Ba, 137Cs, and 60Co), ranging from 59.53 keV to 1332.5 keV, were used to evaluate the radiation attenuation capabilities of the new PP/Bi2O3/CuO polymer composite. Parameters such as the mass attenuation coefficients, total molecular cross-section, effective atomic cross-section, total electronic cross-section, electron density, effective atomic number, half-value layer, tenth value layer, and relaxation length were examined. The results underscored the significant influence of both the size and weight fraction of Bi2O3/CuO fillers on the gamma-ray shielding ability of the polypropylene composite, particularly at lower gamma-ray energy levels. Pure lead, a traditional and widely used shielding material, was used as a reference to assess the effectiveness of the polypropylene composite's half-value layer. Polypropylene composites incorporating nano-sized Bi2O3/CuO exhibited notable improvements in attenuation parameters, highlighting their potential for radiation protection and gamma-ray shielding applications.

Evaluating the radiation dose of target organs of a laboratory mouse requires a glass dosimeter to be surgically inserted at the irradiated location. However, precisely inserting the glass dosimeter at the same location in different mice is rarely achieved, reducing the reliability of the measured radiation dose. To address this limitation, 3-D mouse phantom was developed using computed tomography scanning and 3-D printing technology. The radiation dose of target organs was assessed using four mouse models: laboratory mouse, 3-D mouse phantom, Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) 3-D phantom, and MCNP simulation. In all the experiments, the brain, heart, lungs, and abdomen were irradiated with 100 mGy of measured air kerma at a 6 mGyh?1 air kerma rate. A small volume glass dosimeter was inserted into the mouse models to assess the radiation dose, and the reliability of the glass dosimeter reading system was evaluated using the dose-response curves. The dose values of the laboratory mouse and 3-D-printed mouse phantom were found to differ by up to 3.3 %. This study provides a method to accurately measure the radiation dose to target organs, enhancing the reliability of pre-experiments.

The research presents an experiment with a model of an electronic generator for energy injection into the plasma of a fusion reactor. By recording a non-ionizing field in the vicinity of a fusion reactor, it was determined that this field has an extremely high growth rate. At the site of the maximum intensity of the field of non-ionizing radiation, commercial surge arresters with a flexible model of surge arresters were used for experimentation. It has been found that the commercial surge arresters have an efficiency of about 20%. For the efficiency of the flexible model, it was found to be slightly less than 40% (and to be achieved by the application of alpha particle radiation). Since neither of these efficiencies guarantee reliable operation of the gas-filled surge arrester, it was concluded that essential electronics in the vicinity of the fusion generator must be protected. However, since this protection can only be implemented in a fusion reactor, the fact remains that the environment of such a reactor is extremely contaminated with non-ionizing radiation. Commercial surge voltages are isolated for testing since the protection of electronic circuits from fast overvoltages is a critical point for the functioning of modern electronics.