Search

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sand has been used to identify periods of enhanced aeolian activity at two coastal archaeological sites in Orkney that coincide with periods of Holocene climatic deterioration recorded elsewhere in both Scotland and W Europe. Areas of Tofts Ness, Sanday were settled from the Neolithic, abandoned in the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age, reoccupied and permanently abandoned in the Iron Age. Sand layers above the Neolithic soils have been OSL dated to about 4000 BP, correlating well with a period of increased aeolian activity elsewhere in W Europe. OSL dating of aeolian sands above midden deposits and a Bronze Age burial at Lopness on Sanday suggest dune development by 3000 BP, although both sites also contain sand that was deposited during the ‘Little Ice Age’. Several possible mechanisms may have contributed to an increase in aeolian activity during the Holocene that led to the abandonment of these sites. Although volcanic eruptions in Iceland cannot be discounted as a contributory factor, a more likely driver of change in sand dune systems is the enhanced N Atlantic storminess suggested by ice core records from Greenland. During periods of climatic deterioration the declining productivity of other agricultural land places enhanced demands on agriculturally marginal sand dunes, leading to further destabilization and the potential for enhanced sand transport events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the quality assurance model for nursing education in the United Kingdom (UK) for the first nine months after the inception in 2002 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)., Method: A specially designed questionnaire was administered to representatives of higher education institutions where nurse education took place and representatives of the NMC in all four countries of the UK., Results: Quality assurance activity had taken place across the UK, mostly in the shape of validation events. Quality assurance events proceeded largely as expected by higher education and NMC representatives. There was a statistically significant trend towards greater preparedness and knowledge for validation and satisfaction with the new quality assurance procedures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compared with England., Conclusion: At the time of this study the new quality assurance procedures were less than 12 months old and there may have been resistance to change in England where the changes were greatest.

Airborne gamma spectrometry (AGS) is being increasingly recognised as an important means for mapping environmental radioactivity in emergency response. Progress has been made in recent years towards methodological convergence and cooperation between European teams. Recently, an international comparison was undertaken in SW Scotland in 2002 to evaluate AGS and ground-based methods. Teams from 18 institutions in 10 European countries attended, collecting some 140,000 AGS spectra, with 750 laboratory gamma spectrometry analyses and 120 in situ observations from the ground sites. Comparisons between AGS and ground-based methods have confirmed the validity of AGS protocols. A composite mapping task, where AGS teams recorded data over adjacent parts of a 90 x 40 km2 area within a few days, confirmed the ability of teams to work together in an effective manner. This paper provides a summary of the results of the exercise. These demonstrate the operational capabilities of European AGS teams and confirm the quantitative nature of the method., (Copyright 2004 Oxford University Press)

Gamma-ray spectra were measured from Scottish heather honey samples gathered from hive locations with associated airborne gamma-ray survey data. The honeys all contained radiocesium, with activity concentrations ranging from 43-680 Bq kg(-1) 137Cs, and 134Cs/137Cs ratios consistent with Chernobyl deposition. Activity concentrations in honey were highly correlated with ground deposition within 2.5 km of the hive location over two successive years. Both isotope ratios and the quantitative relationships between environmental and food levels suggest that weapons testing fallout is significantly less available than recent deposition. The implications for design of future monitoring programs and radiological consequences are discussed. The whole-body retention of 137Cs in honey ingested by a volunteer was consistent with the ICRP's metabolic model for cesium.