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Changing societal needs means that new or existing maps need to be continuously developed. It is important that these maps are interpreted in the right way, to avoid misinterpretations and bad decision-making. The map design choices are based upon experience and cartographic theory, and in the end, are a product of expert opinions. This in-house research project aims to test and communicate the impact of these design choices to support the development processes for two Norwegian geoscience maps: Possibility of marine clay and the national Radon susceptibility map. Interviews were conducted with the map owners and based on known challenges with the maps, a web-based experiment was set up to measure intuitiveness for a series of map alternatives. A total of 450 participants, from novices to experts, took part in the experiment. By analyzing and visualizing amounts of correct answers, confidence in the map reading tasks and uncertainties, it was possible to conclude about map intuitiveness and how accessible the map is expected to be. The results show that including an experiment like this can improve cartographic work processes, support map design choices with empirical evidence, and that seemingly small improvements in design significantly improve the participant scores. Key policy highlights: Map experiments performed as part of thematic map development processes give room for focus, learning, and advancement in cartographic work. Minor differences in symbolization can have a significant impact on how easily the map is intuitively understood. Thus, the value of optimizing symbology to strictly follow cartographic rules should not be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a chemotaxis-fluid system in the whole plane $ \mathbb{R}^{2} $ which describes the motion of bacteria suspended in a Navier-Stokes fluid and attracted by a chemical (oxygen). Employing the vorticity formulation for the fluid equations and considering the prototypical case, we obtain local and global solutions with large (Radon) measures as initial data for the bacterial density and vorticity. The gravitational/centrifugal potential is taken with finite $ L^{2} $-gradient that can be large. The uniqueness property is also discussed. For the global result, we need to assume a smallness condition only on the $ L^{\infty} $-norm of the initial oxygen concentration. In comparison with previous works, our results provide a new class for the initial density and vorticity, as well as for the potential, covering particularly singular measures such as Dirac delta, measure concentrated on smooth curves (filaments and rings), among others. For that, we approach the system via critical functional spaces, Kato-type norms, and suitable $ L^{p} $-estimates uniformly in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates the presence 222Rn in tap water, natural spring water, and well water from various locations in Er-Rachidia, Morocco, to assess the potential radiological risks posed to the local community. Radon, a radioactive gas produced by the decay of uranium and thorium in rocks and soil, poses significant radiation hazards. Using a Nuclear Track Detector (LR-115), researchers investigated the presence of radon in water from wells, dams, and rivers. The highest radon concentrations are found in well water, with an average of 1.92 Bq/L. The concentration of river water is the lowest, coming in at 0.53 Bq/L, while the average concentration of dam water is 0.84 Bq/L. On average, the annual effective dosage for well water is 4.57 ms per year. The water dosages from dams range from 1.74 to 2.44 μSv/y, with 1.98 being the average. River water ranges from 0.51 to 1.69 mSv/y, averaging 1.24 µSv/y. The excess lifetime cancer risk varies significantly across water sources: 1.27 × 10−3 to 1.84 × 10−3 (average 1.60 × 10−3) for well water, 0.61 × 10−3 to 0.85 × 10−3 (average 0.69 × 10−3) for dam water, and 0.18 × 10−3 to 0.59 × 10−3 (average 0.43 × 10−3) for river water. The results dispel fears of significant radioactive dangers to the locals by suggesting that the measured radon concentrations are within the limits set by international organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a class of integro-differential operators L posed on a C 2 bounded domain Ω ⊂ R N with appropriate homogeneous Dirichlet conditions where each of which admits an inverse operator commonly known as the Green operator G Ω. Under mild conditions on L and its Green operator, we establish various sharp compactness of G Ω involving weighted Lebesgue spaces and weighted measure spaces. These results are then employed to prove the solvability for semilinear elliptic equation L u + g (u) = μ in Ω with boundary condition u = 0 on ∂Ω or exterior condition u = 0 in R N ∖ Ω if applicable, where μ is a Radon measure on Ω and g : R → R is a nondecreasing continuous function satisfying a subcriticality integral condition. When g (t) = | t | p − 1 t with p > 1 , we provide a sharp sufficient condition expressed in terms of suitable Bessel capacities for the existence of a solution. The contribution of the paper consists of (i) developing novel unified techniques which allow to treat various types of fractional operators and (ii) obtaining sharp compactness and existence results in weighted spaces, which refine and extend several related results in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term epidemiological evidence suggests that populations exposed to high natural radiation levels for extended periods may have an increased risk of cancer and other diseases. However, research on health effects in high-radon areas, particularly regarding disease-related biomarkers, remains limited. This study aimed to investigate serum metabolic biomarkers associated with diseases in individuals from areas with high radon exposure. Metabolic profiling was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry on 30 healthy participants comprising 15 individuals from a low-residential radon exposure group and 15 from a high-residential radon exposure group. Multivariate analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were applied. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) between the two groups, identifying 92 metabolites. ROC analysis (AUC ≥ 0.85) highlighted 12 key candidates associated with high radon exposure. KEGG pathway analysis linked D-sphingosine to lung cancer development and 3-methylhistidine to kidney disease, early preeclampsia, and Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that D-sphingosine and 3-methylhistidine are promising serum biomarkers for identifying high-risk individuals with prolonged radon exposure and contribute to the identification of novel biomarkers in future studies on high-radon exposure areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing cooperatives are a common form of housing in Nordic countries, being tasked with responsibilities such as maintenance, renovation, and, when needed, radon mitigation. This study analyzed the radon level variation in nearly 16,000 apartments across 3552 housing cooperatives. The analysis explored how radon levels varied based on the number of measurements conducted within each cooperative, assuming that apartments sharing the same plot address belong to the same cooperative. The radon concentrations in the apartments of the cooperative typically followed a log-normal distribution. The geometric standard deviation (GSD) specific to each housing cooperative varied considerably. The median GSD ranged between 1.5 and 2.0, depending on the number of apartments measured. A predictive model was developed to estimate the likelihood of apartments exceeding the radon reference level based on the housing cooperative's geometric mean radon concentration. The results highlight the importance of measuring radon levels in all apartments within housing cooperatives to ensure radon safety. Additionally, the model offers support for housing cooperative decision-makers and epidemiological studies, helping to address uncertainties and to account for spatial variations in radon exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor radon is a common source of problems related to public safety and health. It endangers human health and is one of the major causes of lung cancer. In the present study, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted to investigate the level of public knowledge regarding indoor radon in China. The data collected in the analysis revealed that the radon knowledge level of the public was related to various demographic factors, namely sex, age, health level, marriage, living environment, and education. After receiving additional knowledge regarding radioactivity, the public would develop positive attitudes and undertake effective measures to reduce the risk of indoor radon contamination. Marriage, age, health status, and other factors exhibited statistically significant correlations to the knowledge regarding the risk of indoor radon. Given the above-stated problems, the research group proposes effective recommendations to assist in raising public awareness of radon and improving indoor air quality. The trend of increasing indoor radon levels in China in recent years warrants a detailed study. This survey aims to assess the Chinese public's understanding of radioactivity and serve as a valuable reference for shaping policies aimed at mitigating the risks associated with radon radiation in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has checked 222Rn concentrations in groundwater from 27 sites of Haridwar and Dehradun, Uttarakhand, using the Durridge RAD-7. Seasonal variability reveals that the activity of radon is at its peak during the monsoon. Among the samples, 96.29% exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level for radon during monsoon. The results indicated significant correlations between the concentration of radon and some factors like electrical conductivity and pH. The objective is to compare seasonal radon levels in groundwater, identify significant variations, and assess potential health risks by evaluating them against established safety guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A uranium tailings pond in the humid area of southern China was taken as the research object. Through the simulation of high temperature solarization test on the scale model of uranium tailings pond, the effect of adding different particle size sand in the covering layer on the radon exhalation rate of uranium tailings beach surface under high temperature solarization conditions was investigated. The results show that in the initial state, the radon exhalation rate of the soil covered with coarse sand is the largest, the radon exhalation rate of the soil covered with pure soil under the condition of high temperature and sunshine is the largest, and the radon exhalation rate of the surface of the soil specimen when added with medium type sand is the smallest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon (222Rn), among all natural radiation sources, is considered the most hazardous to human health. This study evaluated the 222Rn concentration and radiological risk in the surface water and groundwater in Dareta Village. The water samples were randomly collected, and 222Rn was measured using a DURRIDGE-RAD7 analyzer. The mean 222Rn concentration was in the range of 2.64 ± 0.10–12.30 ± 3.20 Bq/l, and the mean of the total annual effective dose was 12.54–82.02 µSv/y. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the 222Rn concentrations were safe, except for ZGW-01 and ZGW-02. However, it is recommended that water samples be treated before consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technique of adsorption is commonly employed to capture volatile radionuclides, finding extensive use in various fields, including gas treatment in nuclear power plants, protection of personnel, and capture systems for medical radioactive isotopes. An adequate mathematical description is essential for the design, calculation, and prediction of the output concentration and distribution of radionuclides in the sorbent bed over time. The theory of chromatography for non-radioactive adsorptives can now be considered detailed. However, its applications for radioactive gases are not as numerous and are generally limited to the simplest cases (stationary adsorption mode, linear isotherm). The present investigation improves upon the current model of the equilibrium adsorption layer by incorporating the radioactive decay of the adsorptive. At any given time, the complete description of the radionuclide distribution in the mobile and solid phase can be obtained through the resulting equation system, regardless of the type of adsorption isotherm. Simple analytical solutions were also obtained for the most practical case of linear adsorption isotherm. The frontal adsorption of the short-lived isotope 220Rn on activated AG-3 at 30 °C was studied in the air flow rate from 1 to 8 l/min (superficial linear air velocity from 50 to 430 cm/min). The experimental results were fully corresponded to the theoretical representations described in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation was conducted to determine radon concentrations, radon exhalation rate, and potential radiological hazard parameters associated with cement collected from five factories in Sulaymaniyah city, Kurdistan region, Iraq. Using solid-state nuclear track detectors such as CR39, the samples were analyzed by etching processes. The average radon concentration, radium concentration, and radon exhalation rate were 138.16 Bq m - 3 , 0.254 Bq kg - 1 , and 0.317 Bq m - 2 h - 1 , respectively. In sample 14, radon concentrations were within the suggested range of 200–600 Bq m - 3 , and the radon exhalation rate was well below the global average of 57.600 Bq m - 2 h - 1 . In addition, parameters related to potential radiological hazards were calculated for cement samples, the average annual effective dose indoor and outdoor were 3.49 and 1.31 mSv y - 1 , so this study's value was within the global average limitations (1–5 mSv y - 1 ). Also, the excess lifetime cancer risk indoor and outdoor were 12.5 × 10−3 and 4.69 × 10−3 greater than the world value of 0.29 × 10−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]