Some natural environments on Earth are characterised by high levels of radiation, including naturally radioelement enriched mineral springs in the French Massif Central. Therefore, naturally radioactive mineral springs are interesting ecosystems for understanding how bacterial populations in these springs have adapted to high levels of natural and chronic radioactivity over the very long term. The aim of this study was to analyse the bacterial communities of sediments from five naturally radioactive mineral springs in the French Massif Central, sampled in autumn 2019 and spring 2020, and to observe whether radionuclides, compared to other physicochemical parameters, are drivers of the bacterial community structuring in these extreme environments. Physicochemical measurements showed that two springs, Dourioux and Montagne had high radioelement concentrations/activities (uranium, thorium and radon). Analysis of the structure of the bacterial communities, by next generation sequencing based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, showed that the presence of radionuclides in Dourioux and Montagne, did not lead to a reduction in bacterial diversity and richness compared to the other springs. However, Dourioux and Montagne were characterised by specific bacterial populations, whose presence correlates with the radioelement concentrations/activities measured in these springs. This suggests that radioelements could partly explain the structuring of bacterial communities in these springs. In addition, several of these operational taxonomic units (OTUs) specific to Dourioux and Montagne, mainly affiliated to Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, could be involved in the biogeochemistry of radionuclides through different mechanisms (biosorption, biomineralisation, bioaccumulation, and bioreduction), which would allow the development of other bacterial species sensitive to these metals/radioelements. In particular, the co-occurrence of sulphate and/or iron-reducing bacteria, capable of bioreducing uranium, with fermentative bacteria, releasing sources of organic carbons, reflects associations of bacteria with complementary functions that allow them to grow in this peculiar environment and maintain a high diversity in these extreme environments. This study has provided a better understanding of the structuring of bacterial communities exposed to ionising radiation for thousands of years in naturally radioactive environments.

Labuan, Miri, Kundasang and Raub regions of Malaysia have very different geological formations and settings that could result in different levels of natural radioactivity. Hence, this study determines the influence of different geological formations on radioactivity in these locations using field measurements, petrology and geochemistry. A total of 141 gamma dose rates and 227 beta flux measurements were collected using Polimaster survey meters (PM1405) in these four regions. The gamma dose rate values range from 0.37 to 0.05 µSv/h with a mean value of 0.11 µSv/h. Beta flux values range from 3.46 to 0.12 CPS with a mean value of 0.57 CPS. Mineralogy and elemental composition of the different rock types were analysed using thin-section petrography, XRD, ICP and pXRF methods. Felsic igneous rocks such as syenite and granite have higher natural radioactivity and contain more radionuclide-bearing minerals such as apatite, zircon, allanite, K-feldspar, titanite, muscovite and biotite. Metamorphic rocks have the second highest natural radioactivity and contain fewer radioactive minerals. The natural radioactivity of sedimentary rocks mostly depends on their clay content. The gamma dose rate maps show that igneous and metamorphic regions around Raub have higher radioactivity compared to the sedimentary-dominated regions around Miri and Labuan. Annual effective dose (AED) and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated to evaluate the potential health risk for inhabitants of these regions. Labuan and Miri are considered to be safe zones with respect to natural radioactivity as the results show little to no risk for the public, compared with the Raub region, which is medium to high risk.

Multiculturalism and tolerance, as two sets of normative beliefs about how to deal with intergroup diversity, have been recognized as effective at reducing outgroup negativity among majority group members. However, whether majority group members\' normative beliefs regarding them might motivate their solidarity-based collective actions and how their political ideology might qualify this influence remained unclear. To answer these questions, we conducted two pre-registered experimental studies (N = 626), both zooming in on the multiculturalism issues in the context of the relationships between native Dutch citizens and citizens with a Moroccan background within Dutch university campuses (Study 1) and broader Dutch society (Study 2). In both studies, we found an ingroup norm of tolerance (vs. control) undermined majority group members\' engagement in collective actions in support of ethnic minorities. Additionally, ideological leftists were more sensitive to norms than rightists: Study 1 showed a facilitative effect of the multiculturalism norm (vs. control) on solidarity-based collective action intentions particularly among leftists, whilst Study 2 revealed a dampening effect of the tolerance norm (vs. control) on these intentions particularly among leftists.

Fertilizers play a key role in increasing crop yield per unit land answering the growing demand for food production. However, excessive or improper use of fertilizers can lead to several environmental issues including soil contamination. One of the known contaminants attributed to fertilizers are radionuclides. The goal of this study was to determine the concentration of thorium isotopes in several types of commonly used fertilizers produced in Poland. The methodology included the use of an alternative tracer (namely 228Th) to evaluate chemical recovery. The correctness of the proposed method was confirmed by analyzing certified reference materials. The obtained results showed that the activity concentration of 232Th was ranged from <0.34 Bq kg-1 for nitrogenous fertilizer up to 97 ± 22 Bq kg-1 for pure phosphate fertilizer.

This paper aimed to conduct a systematic review of 26 published articles from 13 different regions in the Republic of Yemen related to the study of natural radioactivity (NORM) and enhanced artificial radioactivity (TENORM). The study relied on the analysis of various sample types, including air, groundwater, surface water, hot spring water, soil, sand, rocks, building materials, and oil field samples. It also analyzed the study areas, the types of detectors employed, and the study\'s timeframe. The analytical results raised significant concerns regarding the high levels of radioactivity observed in many of the studied regions. Moreover, some regions indicated the absence of any prior radiological study, despite apparent effects on the population and the environment, which suggest the presence of potential radionuclide concentration. Based on this study, it is strongly recommended that researchers conduct further radiological studies in regions previously studied over extended periods and in areas where no prior radiological studies have been conducted to assess potential radionuclide concentration.

UNASSIGNED: We previously demonstrated the validity of a regression model that included ethnicity as a novel predictor for predicting normative brain volumes in old age. The model was optimized using brain volumes measured with a standard tool FreeSurfer.
UNASSIGNED: Here we further verified the prediction model using newly estimated brain volumes from Neuro I, a quantitative brain analysis system developed for Korean populations.
UNASSIGNED: Lobar and subcortical volumes were estimated from MRI images of 1,629 normal Korean and 786 Caucasian subjects (age range 59-89) and were predicted in linear regression from ethnicity, age, sex, intracranial volume, magnetic field strength, and scanner manufacturers.
UNASSIGNED: In the regression model predicting the new volumes, ethnicity was again a substantial predictor in most regions. Additionally, the model-based z-scores of regions were calculated for 428 AD patients and the matched controls, and then employed for diagnostic classification. When the AD classifier adopted the z-scores adjusted for ethnicity, the diagnostic accuracy has noticeably improved (AUC = 0.85, ΔAUC = + 0.04, D = 4.10, p < 0.001).
UNASSIGNED: Our results suggest that the prediction model remains robust across different measurement tool, and ethnicity significantly contributes to the establishment of norms for brain volumes and the development of a diagnostic system for neurodegenerative diseases.

Michel Foucault\'s modes of power (sovereign, disciplinary and bio-politics) have dominated both our understanding of power and norm. It is pretty impossible to think of the organisation of life outside his thinking. Here I argue that the idea and practice of mutual aid, articulated by Peter Kropotkin in his 1902 book Mutual Aid (2009) stirs us towards a different understanding of the management of life, bereft of hierarchies and bestowed with co-operation and care. Moreover, as I argue, the existence of mutual aid groups and practices challenges the very idea of the norm. This has become even more apparent during the Covid19 pandemic with the surfacing of mutual aid groups globally. It is therefore rather misleading to understand our present as generator of the \'new normal\'; such claims are mere rhetorical devices aiming at keeping us in our place.

Legacy disposal of oil and gas produced water (OGPW) to surface water has led to radium contamination in streambed sediment creating a long-term radium source. Increased radium activities pose a potential health hazard to benthic organisms, such as freshwater mussels, as radium is capable of bioaccumulation. This project quantifies the impact of OGPW disposal on adult freshwater mussels, Eurynia dilatata, which were examined along the Allegheny River adjacent to a centralized waste treatment facility (CWT) that historically treated and then discharged OGPW. Radium isotopes (226Ra and 228Ra) were measured in streambed sediment, mussel soft tissue, and mussel hard shell collected upstream, at the outfall, 0.5 km downstream, and 5 km downstream of the CWT. Total radium activity was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in mussel tissue (mean = 3.44 ± 0.95 pCi/g), sediment (mean = 1.45 ± 0.19 pCi/g), and hard shell (mean = 0.34 ± 0.11 pCi/g) samples 0.5 km downstream than background samples collected upstream (mean = 1.27 ± 0.24; 0.91 ± 0.09; 0.10 ± 0.02 pCi/g respectively). Mussel shells displayed increased 226Ra activities up to 5 km downstream of the original discharge. Downstream soft tissue and hard shell 87Sr/86Sr ratios, as well as hard shell metal/calcium (e.g., Na/Ca; K/Ca; Mg/Ca) and 228Ra/226Ra ratios demonstrated trends towards values characteristic of Marcellus OGPW. Combined, this study demonstrates multiple lines of evidence for radium retention and bioaccumulation in freshwater mussels resulting from exposure to Marcellus OGPW.

Metal mining in the Extremadura region was very important in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, due to different reasons the great majority of mines ceased operations, leading to plenty of abandoned mining sites, most of them with on-site waste dumps. Although metal extraction is not radioactive per se, it is considered a NORM activity. In this study, three former mining sites, in which Pb-V-Zn-Ag, Pb-Ag, and Pb-Zn were extracted, were selected to assess the radiological impact on the population and the environment. The external γ exposure was estimated by determining the effective dose and elaborating isodose maps of the sites. The presence of the mining sites increased up to 0.41 mSv/y the effective dose over the surrounding background, which is below the reference value of 1 mSv/y. In only one mining site, the uranium and radium activity concentration of waste dumps were higher than the surrounding soil. The soil to plant (wild grass) transfer factors were similar to other reported values without the influence of NORM activities. So, no enhanced transfer of radionuclides was observed. The radiological impact on the environment was assessed by the risk to non-human biota using the tiered approach developed in ERICA Tool. The sum of the risk quotients of all considered radionuclides in the most conservative Tier 1 was below 1. Total dose rates for several terrestrial Reference Animal and Plants (RAPs) were estimated using Tier 3, obtaining values below 40 µGy/h. Therefore, the impact on non-human biota can be considered as negligible.

We show that the conventional income inequality indexes assess income inequality incorrectly because of three problems. The unequally distributed (UD) income-based approach solves the problems, decomposes income inequality into two kinds of departure from equality, and provides two indexes. The comprehensive assessment of income inequality requires the integration of two kinds of departure. This paper proposes the relative UD (RUD) income-based approach. The RUD income-based approach combines the cumulative distribution function and quantile function of the RUD income and produces a new index integrating two kinds of departure. We investigate the properties of the new index and demonstrate its applicability through example income distributions.