New isotope technologies in environmental physics

As the levels of radionuclides observed at present in the environment are very low, high sensitive analytical systems are required for carrying out environmental investigations. We review recent progress which has been done in low-level counting techniques in both radiometrics and mass spectrometry sectors, with emphasis on underground laboratories, Monte Carlo (GEANT) simulation of background of HPGe detectors operating in various configurations, secondary ionisation mass spectrometry, and accelerator mass spectrometry. Applications of radiometrics and mass spectrometry techniques in radioecology and climate change studies are presented and discussed as well. The review should help readers in better orientation on recent developments in the field of low-level counting and spectrometry, and to advice on construction principles of underground laboratories, as well as on criteria how to choose low or high energy mass spectrometers for environmental investigations

Ghostly Presence: An Abandoned Space and Three Religious Communities in Parishville, Quebec

Once a religiously vibrant society, today Quebec is in the midst of a transition in its religious identity. Yet, the landscape of Quebec still preserves the marks of its perhaps more religious past. In other words, churches stand out in the contemporary panorama of the province. However, the lack of support by an active community has meant that many churches closed or face the threat of closure. Those religious groups that remain struggle to save their places of worship. The faithful of Parishville, both Catholic and Protestant, are no exception. This article explores the narratives of three religious groups (Anglican, United Church and Catholic) about an abandoned building that was once a church and then a Masonic Temple. Through our exploration of the aesthetic and material dimensions of the Masonic Temple we reveal aspects of the contemporary struggle of religious groups to survive as well as the fears, tensions and problems associated with this struggle. As it turns out, the Masonic Temple is a sort of ghostly presence, reminding the Protestant and Catholic parishioners of Parishville their own religious decline—the end of their building and the end of their faith

Osiguranje kvalitete u gama-spektrometriji morskih sedimenata

This article brings the results of a method for quality assurance in gamma-ray spectrometry of seabed sediments. Sediments were collected in selected locations of the South and Middle Adriatic Sea using grab and corer tools. Using our own experimental design, we determined the self-attenuation factors of selected samples. The article also discusses sources of uncertainty in gamma-ray spectrometry, which is another important issue in quality assurance. Together with self-attenuation correction sources of uncertainty are used to calculate the activity concentration for a given sample. The presented procedure demonstrates how a gamma-ray spectrometry experiment should be approached in order to properly account for errors and uncertainties specifi c to a particular sample.U ovom radu predstavljena je metoda za osiguranje kvalitete u gama-spektrometriji sedimenata s morskog dna, skupljenih s pomoću grabila i gravitacijske udarne sonde iz odabranih područja srednjeg i južnog dijela Jadranskog mora. Uzorci za gama-spektrometriju pripremljeni su prema standardnim metodama. Eksperimentalnom metodom razvijenom u našem laboratoriju odredili smo samoatenuacijske koeficijente odabranih uzoraka. Također raspravljamo o izvorima nesigurnosti u gama-spektrometriji kao važnom čimbeniku u osiguranju kvalitete. Zajedno sa samoatenuacijskim koeficijenima, ostali izvori nesigurnosti nužni su za dobivanje potpunog izračuna koncentracije aktivnosti za određeni uzorak. Ovdje predstavljena metoda prikazuje način pristupanja gama-spektrometrijskomu mjerenju, kako bismo pravilno objasnili nesigurnosti i korekcije koje potječu iz jedinstvenosti svakog uzorka