ESARDA Bulletin No. 53

ESARDA is an association initially formed to advance and harmonize research and development for nuclear safeguards whose scope has in recent year expanded as the number and type of its working groups’ activities below indicates. Esarda is currently composed of about 30 laboratories, private and governmental institutions worldwide. Within Esarda (http://esarda.jrc.ec.europa.eu/), a number working groups have been over the years established and active namely: Techniques and Standards for Destructive Analysis, Techniques and Standards for Non-Destructive Analysis, Containment and Surveillance, Novel Approaches / Novel Technologies, Implementation of Safeguards, Verification Technologies and Methodologies, Training and Knowledge Management, Editorial Committee. ESARDA publishes a Bulletin containing scientific and technical articles related to safeguards and verification (and beyond) as well as news and reports related to the ESARDA activities. This publication appears generally twice a year. In addition, thematic special issues are published as proposed by the ESARDA community. The Bulletin Editorial Board is composed of about 10 experts in the various technical and scientific fields related to safeguards. They are all actively engaged in safeguards R&D or in safeguards implementation and other fields. The Editorial Board decides the contents of the Bulletin, selects the papers to be published and reviews them before publication. All ESARDA editorial activities are carried out at JRC in Ispra. Scientific and technical papers submitted for publication in the peer reviewed section are reviewed by independent authors and by members of the Editorial Committee. The bulletin is currently submitted to Thomson Reuters for evaluation in view of citation. ESARDA Bulletin is published jointly by ESARDA and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and distributed free of charge to over 1100 registered members, libraries and institutions worldwide. The bulletin will predominantly contain peer review papers which have been either directly submitted to the journal by the scientific community or selected by the editorial committee and chair sessions of Esarda symposia and or Workshops. The bulletin may also contain reports on the activities of various Esarda working groups, tribune, news etc. where appropriate.JRC.G.II.7-Nuclear securit