Well GeHP detector calibration for environmental measurements using reference materials

International audienceA well-type detector installed in the Modane underground Laboratory (LSM) can combine both low background and high detection efficiency and it is well suited for the analysis of small amounts of environmental samples. Reference materials such as IAEA-447 (moss-soil), IAEA-RG-Th1 and IAEA-RG-U1 were used for the detector calibration, owing to a chemical composition close to those of the environmental samples. Nevertheless , the matrix effects and the true coincidence summing effects must be corrected from the full energy peak efficiency (FEPE). The FEPE was performed for a wide range of energy by a semi-empirical method using Monte Carlo simulation (MCNP6), intended for environmental measurements such as lake sediments dating. In the well geometry, the true coincidence summing effects could be very important and correction factors have been computed in three different ways

Same data, different conclusions: Radical dispersion in empirical results when independent analysts operationalize and test the same hypothesis

In this crowdsourced initiative, independent analysts used the same dataset to test two hypotheses regarding the effects of scientists’ gender and professional status on verbosity during group meetings. Not only the analytic approach but also the operationalizations of key variables were left unconstrained and up to individual analysts. For instance, analysts could choose to operationalize status as job title, institutional ranking, citation counts, or some combination. To maximize transparency regarding the process by which analytic choices are made, the analysts used a platform we developed called DataExplained to justify both preferred and rejected analytic paths in real time. Analyses lacking sufficient detail, reproducible code, or with statistical errors were excluded, resulting in 29 analyses in the final sample. Researchers reported radically different analyses and dispersed empirical outcomes, in a number of cases obtaining significant effects in opposite directions for the same research question. A Boba multiverse analysis demonstrates that decisions about how to operationalize variables explain variability in outcomes above and beyond statistical choices (e.g., covariates). Subjective researcher decisions play a critical role in driving the reported empirical results, underscoring the need for open data, systematic robustness checks, and transparency regarding both analytic paths taken and not taken. Implications for organizations and leaders, whose decision making relies in part on scientific findings, consulting reports, and internal analyses by data scientists, are discussed

Evaluation of radionuclide concentrations and external gamma radiation levels in phosphate ores and fertilizers commonly used in Algeria

International audienc

Comparative study between reconstructed and native human epidermis using nuclear microscopy

The physiological status of native skin is suffering from large inter-individual variations, especially in terms of inorganic ions content. For this reason, together with the advent of ethic laws on animal experimentation, reconstructed skin or epidermis models are extensively employed nowadays in penetration studies for cosmetic or pharmacological applications. It has been already verified that reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) has similar physiological mechanisms to native human skin, but until now, there are few studies where the elemental concentrations of both skins, reconstructed and native, are compared. In this work, freeze-dried thin sections of human native skin obtained from surgery have been characterized using PIXE, RBS and STIM at the CENBG nuclear microprobe. RHE samples were treated and analyzed in the same conditions for comparison. The combination of the different imaging and analysis techniques made possible a clear delimitation and identification of skin ultrastructure. The elemental concentrations of P, S, Cl, K and Ca were measured in the different strata. For both skins, concentrations have been compared and significant differences in terms of elemental concentrations have been determined using statistical approaches. Similar physiological characteristics were pointed out in both skin models, in particular the Ca gradient presumably involved in the regulation of the barrier effect

Conception and realization of a parallel-plate free-air ionization chamber for the absolute dosimetry of an ultrasoft X-ray beam

International audienceWe report the design of a millimeter-sized parallel plate free-air ionization chamber 10 (IC) aimed at determining the absolute air kerma rate of an ultra-soft X-ray beam (E = 1.5 keV). The size of the IC was determined so that the measurement volume satisfies the condition of charged-particle equilibrium. The correction factors nec-essary to properly measure the absolute kerma using the IC have been established. Particular attention was given to the determination of the effective mean energy 15 for the 1.5 keV photons using the PENELOPE code. Other correction factors were determined by means of computer simulation (COMSOL and FLUKA). Measure-ments of air kerma rates under specific operating parameters of the lab-bench X-ray source have been performed at various distances from that source and compared to Monte-Carlo calculations. We show that the developed ionization chamber makes it 20 possible to determine accurate photon fluence rates in routine work and will consti-tute substantial time-savings for future radiobiological experiments based on the use of ultra-soft X-rays

Dissociative Electron Attachment to DNA-Diamine thin films: Impact of the DNA close environment on the OH- and O- Decay Channels

We measure the desorption of anions stimulated by the impact of 0–20 eV electrons on highly uniform thin films of plasmid DNA-diaminopropane. The results are accurately correlated with film thickness and composition by AFM and XPS measurements, respectively. Resonant structures in the H(−), O(−), and OH(−) yield functions are attributed to the decay of transient anions into the dissociative electron attachment (DEA) channel. The diamine induces ammonium-phosphate bridges along the DNA backbone, which suppresses the DEA O(−) channel and in counter-part increases considerably the desorption of OH(−). The close environment of the phosphate groups may therefore play an important role in modulating the rate and type of DNA damages induced by low energy electrons

Annual effective dose and excess life time cancer risk assessment from tobacco plants

International audienceCigarette smoking is one of the pathways that might cause radiation exposure due to the presence of radioactive elements in tobacco leaves used in the manufacture of cigarettes. From the health point of view, the knowledge of radioactivity content of the various radionuclides in tobacco leaves and their derivative products is important to assess the radiological effects associated with tobacco smoking for smokers. In this work, naturally occurring radionuclides 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K and man-made 137 Cs were measured in tobacco using gamma-ray spectrometry. Results show that the average concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K vary from 4.30 ± 0.2 to 11.85 ± 0.7 (average 8.17), 1.35 ± 0.1 to 16.12 ± 0.9 (average 6.08), and 565.6 ± 15.5 to 1235.81 ± 35 (average 908.09) Bq kg −1 , respectively. 137 Cs activity concentrations were ranged from 0.15 ± 0.01 to 0.67 ± 0.9 (average 0.44) Bq kg −1. The most important radiological parameters, including radium equivalent (Ra eq), total annual effective dose (AED) and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated. For smokers, the total AED resulting from activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in tobacco samples ranged from 0.44 to 2.29 (average 1.39) mSv y −1 , while of 137 Cs varied from 0.01 to 0.04 (average 0.025) Sv y −1 and so very little is contributing to the total dose due to inhalation to smokers. ELCR was higher than the world's average of 1.45 × 10 −3 for tobacco and coal samples. The excess lifetime cancer risk ranged from 1.55 × 10 −3 to 8.01 × 10 −3 with an average value of 4.88 × 10 −3 for all tobacco samples under investigation