Fate of anthropogenic radionuclides (90Sr, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Am) in seawater in the northern Benguela upwelling system off Namibia

A baseline study on anthropogenic radioactivity in the Namibian marine ecosystem, which is part of the northern Benguela upwelling system, known as one of the most productive ocean areas in the world, has been performed. A scientific cruise carried out in 2014 covering inshore and offshore areas, exhibiting different oceanographic features, has provided a basis for better understanding the distributions, ratios and inventories of six anthropogenic radionuclides (Sr, Cs, Pu, Pu, Pu and Am) in seawater. Although H was also measured, due to extremely low levels, its behaviour was not studied. The main source of Sr, Cs, Pu, Pu and Am in the samples analysed was proven to be global fallout, a finding further confirmed by Pu/Pu and Sr/Cs ratios. Furthermore, the Pu SNAP-9A satellite accident signal was confirmed once again through the determination of the Pu/Pu activity ratio. Inshore and offshore samples showed different patterns due to the unique oceanographic features of this upwelling system. The levels of anthropogenic radionuclides, comprehensively assessed for the first time in this region, are comparable with the few existing data and filled a critical gap for the Southern Atlantic Ocean.This work has been partly financed through the project PGC 2018-094546-B-I00 provided by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades)

Architectural and intangible heritage in Andalusia: the impact of tourism after UNESCO’s inscriptions

Póster presentado en la muestra de la International Union of Architects (UIA), la UIA International Forum 2019, con sede en Bakú, bajo la temática ‘Turismo masivo en ciudades históricas'. El Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE) seleccionó a partir de las propuestas de los Colegios de Arquitectos 6 paneles con los que participó en la exposición. Este panel ha sido desarrollado por miembros del grupo de investigación HUM700: Patrimonio y Desarrollo Urbano Territorial en Andalucía de la Universidad de Sevilla y coordinado por el catedrático y colegiado del COAS Eduardo Mosquera Adell.Poster presented at the exhibition of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the UIA International Forum 2019 in Baku, under the theme ‘Mass tourism in historical cities'. The Superior Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) selected 6 panels from the proposals of the Association of Architects. This panel has been developed by members of the Research Lab HUM700: Heritage and Urban Territorial Development in Andalusia at the University of Seville and coordinated by the professor and registered architect Eduardo Mosquera Adell.Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de SevillaConsejo Andaluz de Colegios Oficiales de ArquitectosConsejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de Españ

Monitoring and evaluation of nursing practices through the sisep application

El avance tecnológico y la consecuente incorporación de las TICs en el ámbito docente ha conllevado la aparición de nuevas herramientas para facilitar a los docentes el proceso de seguimiento y evaluación del alumnado. De igual forma, dicho avance ha contribuido a la adquisición de un modelo de aprendizaje más proactivo e individualizado por parte del alumnado. El presente proyecto pretende implementar una herramienta informática denominada “Seguimiento y Evaluación de Practicas” (SISEP) en las asignaturas de prácticas clínicas de la titulación de Grado en Enfermería para optimizar el seguimiento y la evaluación de los alumnos durante el desarrollo de sus prácticas externas, así como mejorar el proceso de adquisición de competencias y habilidades. La metodología ha consistido en la elaboración de material didáctico para dicha aplicación y la posterior evaluación del grado de satisfacción de los distintos roles implicados en su uso mediante un cuestionario autoadministrado de elaboración propia. El grado de satisfacción con respecto a la aplicación fue alto, señalando que contribuye de forma decisiva en la adquisición de competencias, aunque no en todos los casos los usuarios han considerado su interfaz como completamente sencilla o intuitiva.The technological advance and consequent incorporation of IT in the teaching field has entailed the appearance of new tools to facilitate teachers the process of monitoring and evaluating students. In the same way, this advance has contributed to the acquisition of a more proactive and individualized learning model on the students' side. The present project intends to implement a computer tool called “Monitoring and Evaluation of Practices” (SISEP) in the subjects of clinical practices of the degree in Nursing in order to optimize the monitoring and evaluation of students during the development of their external practices, as well as improving the process of acquiring skills and abilities. The methodology used consisted in the elaboration of the teaching material and the later evaluation of the degree of satisfaction from the different roles involved through the use of a self-administered, self-produed questionnaire. The degree of satisfaction regarding the application was high, pointing out its decisive contribution to the acquisition of skills, even if not all users have found its interface clear or intuitive enough

Actinides measurements by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at the CNA

Trabajo presentado en I Meeting of Tordesillas Doctoral School in Physics, celebrado en la Universidad de Granada, del 11 al 13 de noviembre de 2018This work has been financed from the project FIS2015-69673-P, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy. This work was partially funded by Fundación Cámara Sevilla through a Grant for Graduate StudiesPeer reviewe

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry of 237Np, 239Pu and 240Pu for environmental studies at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores

Low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) systems (i.e. working with 1 MV terminal voltages and below) have demonstrated in the past their capability for the ultra-trace analyses of U and Pu in different field studies. The situation for Np has been different, mostly due to the constraints imposed by the lack of a Np isotopic tracer. Here, it is presented a comprehensive study on the performance of the 1 MV AMS system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) for: i) the determination of Np using Pu as the AMS normalisation isotope and, ii) the efficient analysis of Pu, Pu and Np when they coexist in the same cathode with traces of natural uranium. Working procedures to analyse Np and Pu on one hand, and Pu on the other, are developed in order to meet competitive U suppression factors and counting efficiencies for every radionuclide. It is demonstrated that the sputtering-process-based temporal trend in the Np/Pu AMS ratios show a coherent behaviour between the different studied matrixes, demonstrating the reliability of the necessary standard correction procedure in AMS. It is proved that Np and Pu concentrations at the 1 fg level and Pu concentrations at the 0.1 fg level can be quantified in samples containing U traces. The technique is applied to the Pu and Np analysis of a seawater reference sample supplied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): IAEA-443.This work has been financed from the project FIS2015-69673-P, provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy. This work was partially funded by Fundación Cámara Sevilla through a Grant for Graduate Studies.Peer reviewe

Accelerator mass spectrometry of 236U with he stripping at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores

In January 2015, the 1 MV AMS facility at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Seville, Spain) was upgraded with He stripping. In this work, we present a comprehensive study of the uranium transmission through the accelerator together with the background sources that limit the current sensitivity of our system to measure the 236U/238U atom ratio. In addition to the well-known background caused by scattered 235U3+ molecular fragments, we identify an additional component, not observed with Ar gas, that we relate to scattered 238U3+ molecular fragments. Stripper gas pressures below the one corresponding to the equilibrium charge state distribution are used to minimize the resulting overall background, which is in the (0.8–1.3) × 10−10 range. This is at least a factor of 3 higher than the background obtained with Ar gas. On the other hand, new information on the stripping process of U on He gas at the 400–1000 keV stripping energy range is presented. A maximum transmission of 45% for U3+ is achieved at about 650 keV, which correspond to a stripping yield of about 50%. This is the maximum yield that can be actually obtained working with He gas at low energies according to previous results.This work has been funded through the project FIS2015-69673-P, provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, and partially financed by the Camara Sevilla Foundation.Peer reviewe

Actinides measurement with He stripping at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores

Trabajo presentado en la 14th International conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, celebrada en Ottawa (Canadá), del 14 al 18 de agosto de 2017The 1 MV AMS system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Seville, Spain) was the first multielemental compact device designed and manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVEE, Amersfoort, Netherlands). In February 2015, the stripper gas was changed from Ar to He. Since then, our group has worked extensively on the optimization of the new parameters of the measurement for actinides (236U, 237Np, 239,240Pu and 241,243Am). Besides, additional information on the stripping process with He gas at terminal voltages between 500 and 1000 kV has been gained. Maximum stripping yields for U3+ are achieved at about 650 kV, with a transmission through the accelerator of 38% (47% stripping yield). This is in contrast with Ar gas, with 11% maximum transmission for U3+ (16% stripping yield) [1]. Scattering processes with residual stripping gas along the highenergy acceleration tube, limit drastically the abundance sensitivity that can be actually achieved, on a system where only a sector magnet is available on the high-energy side. A thorough adjustment of the slits and of the stripper gas pressure becomes necessary to achieve competitive figures of merit for: a) 236U, being 9x1011 the lowest 236U /238U atom ratios that can be measured; and b) 237Np, where the 238U scattering tail imposes serious restrictions on the limit of detection. The experienced gained during these years on our system will be shared. On the other hand, the state of the art of the CNA actinides measurement program will be briefly presented.Peer reviewe

Performance of the 1 MV Accelerator Mass Spectrometry system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores for the analysis of 233U at environmental levels

U (T = 0.159 My) has aroused much interest in the last few years because of the potential of U/U to inform about anthropogenic U sources. The reported U/U atom ratios in general environmental samples are in the 10–10 range. We demonstrate that U/U abundance sensitivities at the 5 × 10 level can be achieved at the 1 MV Accelerator Mass Spectrometry system at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Seville, Spain). Unresolved U, U and Th molecular fragments are identified as the main U background contributors and procedures to subtract them are proposed. U/U and U/U atom ratios were analysed in the IAEA reference materials coded Soil-6, 300, 385, 410, and 412 at the CNA and at the 600 kV ETH AMS system for intercomparison. U/U atom ratios for samples 412 and 385 were only reported by the ETH.This work was partly financed through the project PGC2018-094546-B-I00 provided by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades)

Isolation of 236U, 237Np and 239,240Pu from seawater samples for AMS analysis at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores

Trabajo presentado en la 14th International conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, celebrada en Ottawa (Canadá), del 14 al 18 de agosto de 2017This work has been financed from the project FIS2015-69673-P, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy. This work was partially funded by Fundación Cámara Sevilla through a Grant for Graduate StudiesPeer reviewe