Footprint and height corrections for UAV-borne gamma-ray spectrometry studies

Advancements in the development of gamma-ray spectrometers (GRS) have led to small and lightweight spectrometers that can be used under unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Airborne GRS measurements are used to determine radionuclide concentrations in the ground, among which the natural occurring radionuclides K-40, U-238, and Th-232. For successful applications of these GRS sensors, it is important that absolute values of concentrations can be measured. To extract these absolute radionuclide concentrations, airborne gamma-ray data has to be corrected for measurement height. However, the current analysis models are only valid for the height range of 50-250 m. The purpose of this study is to develop a procedure that correctly predicts the true radionuclide concentration in the ground when measuring in the UAV operating range of 0-40 m. An analytical model is developed to predict the radiation footprint as a function of height. This model is used as a tool to properly determine a source-detector geometry to be used in Monte-Carlo simulations of detector response at various elevations between 0 and 40 m. The analytical model predicts that the smallest achievable footprint at 10 m height lies between 22 and 91 m and between 40 and 140 m at 20 m height. By using Monte-Carlo simulations it is shown that the analytical model correctly predicts the reduction in full energy peak gamma-rays, but does not predict the Compton continuum of a spectrum as a function of height. Therefore, Monte-Carlo simulations should be used to predict the shape and intensity of gamma-ray spectra as a function of height. A finite set of Monte-Carlo simulations at intervals of 5 m were used for the analysis of GRS measurements at heights up to 35 m. The resulting radionuclide concentrations at every height agree with the radionuclide concentration measured on the ground

Cross-shore graded sediment transport:Grain size and density effects

Sediment sorting processes (sorting on grain size and density) are the result of local hydrodynamic conditions. In this paper two measuring techniques are described which derive in situ time dependent and time averaged distributions of sediment sorted on grain size and density. The technique on measuring grain size of the sediment is described in more detail. The sediment distributions give information on the local hydrodynamic conditions on different time scales. Measurements from the field serve as a test case of describing the depth of closure from measurements of sediment composition.</p

Monte Carlo based calibration of scintillation detectors for laboratory and in situ gamma ray measurements

The calibration of scintillation detectors for gamma radiation in a well characterized setup can be transferred to other geometries using Monte Carlo simulations to account for the differences between the calibration and the other geometry. In this study a calibration facility was used that is constructed from bricks of well-known activity concentrations of (40)K and of radionuclides from the (238)U- and (232)Th-series. Transfer of the calibration was attempted to a Marinelli beaker geometry with the detector inside a lead shield and to an in situ application with the detector positioned on a sand bed. In general this resulted in good correspondence (within 5-10%) between the activity concentrations derived using the transferred calibration and activities that were derived by independent measurements. Some discrepancies were identified that were attributed to coincident summing in the natural decay series and interference of radon. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

In situ radiometric mapping as a proxy of sediment contamination:Assessment of the underlying geochemical and -physical principles

Correlations between sediment contaminants like heavy metals or organic micro-compounds and natural or anthropogenic radionuclides (K-40, (238)u, Th-232, (CS)-C-137) facilitates in situ mapping of the contaminated sediment using gamma-ray detectors. These maps can be male quickly and economically using surveys with towed underwater gamma-ray detectors and based on the fundamental correlation of contaminants with radioactivity. This paper aims at an assessment of the geochemical and -physical principles underlying these correlations. This assessment uses multivariate analysis of a data base containing information on radionuclides and contaminants for a large number of sediment samples used to derive radionuclide-contaminant correlations in radiometric mapping projects in freshwater bodies of the Netherlands. More specifically, the aims of this study are to test if these correlations are valid for the entire Dutch freshwater environment and to investigate the validity of the thesis that these correlations are mainly due to the presence of clay. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Renal function and sleep-disordered breathing in older men

Background. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is common in severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) and may contribute to morbidity and mortality in this population. However, the association between mild to moderate CKD and likelihood of SDB is uncertain