bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Historical Demography and Historical Sociolinguistics: The Role of Migrant Integration in the Development of Dunkirk French in the 17th Century
Authors: Dediu Dan , Knooihuizen Remco
Published: November 2012

Widespread minority language shift in Early Modern Europe is often ascribed to restrictive language policies and the migration of both majority- and minority-language speakers. However, without a sociohistorically credible account of the mechanisms through which these events caused a language shift, these policies lack explanatory power. Inspired by research on 'language histories from below,' we present an integrated sociohistorical and linguistic account that can shed light on the procresses taking place during a case of language shift in the 17th and 18th centuries. We present and analyze demographic data on the immigration and integration of French speakers in previously Dutch-speaking Dunkirk in this period, showing how moderate intermarriage of immigrants and locals could have represented a motive and a mechanism for language shift against a backdrop of larger language-political processes. We then discuss the modern language-shift dialect of Dunkirk in comparison with different dialects of French. The linguistic data suggests a large influence from the dialects of migrants, underlining their role in the language shift process. The combination of sociohistorical and linguistic evidence gives us a better understanding of language shift in this period, showing the value of an integrated 'from below' approach.
Technicism and the Dynamics of Creation
Authors: Schuurman Egbert
Published: November 2012

The large-scale introduction of information technology understandably raises many questions, especially because this technology affects nearly all of our cultural activities. Lyon’s paper makes this influence abundantly clear and gives good illustrations of it in the fields of labour, education and communication.
Is A Pluralist Ethos Possible?
Authors: Griffioen S.
Published: November 2012

The backdrop against which this paper situates its main theme is the multicultural society. Multiculturalness has become a fact of life, one with which one will have to reckon. The possibility of a multicultural society is ‘proven’ at every corner of our streets where mosques are opened, hindu temples built, also whenever in our class rooms we meet with non-white, non-Christian students — which in my own situation happens more and more. However, there is more to it than mere facts. These days one often hears appeals for a new attitude, a new ethos. The new ethos, it is often said, needs to be geared to and affirm the facts of the multicultural society. For convenience’s sake I shall call this ethos: a pluralist ethos. The problem that this contribution wants to pose is whether such a pluralist ethos is possible.
Het Probleem Van Het Universele en Individuele
Authors: Ouwendorp C.
Published: November 2012

Een belangrijke en steeds terugkerende vraag in de geschiedenis van het wijsgerig denken met betrekking tot het probleem van het universele en individuele is: hoe is het mogelijk dat in een wereld van individuele dingen (particularia) gezegd kan worden dat de dingen uniek zijn en nochtans gelijkenis met elkaar vertonen en dus kennelijk niet volstrekt uniek zijn. Hoe kunnen we één en dezelfde eigenschap toeschrijven aan onderscheiden dingen. Of zoals door sommigen bij voorkeur geformuleerd: Hoe kunnen we één en hetzelfde prediceren van vele onderscheiden dingen. Sommigen menen dat dit naast het accepteren van particularia ons noopt te spreken over universalia. Naast het spreken over individuele mensen, paarden, bomen, stenen, rode dingen enz. bestaat er ook iets universeels, zoals mens-zijn, paard-zijn, boom-zijn, steen-zijn, roodheid enz., kortom datgene wat mensen, paarden, bomen, stenen, rode dingen enz. gemeenschappelijk hebben. De realisten zeggen, ondanks alle verschillen, dat universalia niet gereduceerd, niet herleid kunnen worden, tot particularia. De nominalisten aanvaarden, ondanks alle verschillen, alleen individuele dingen in de werkelijkheid, terwijl het universele slechts bestaat in de menselijke geest als woorden (nomina) of als concepten (conceptualisten).
Een Geschiedenis van Het Mid-Denken. Ideeëngeschiedenis of Toch Niet?
Authors: de Jong Willem R.
Published: November 2012

Een poging om de geschiedenis van een denkwijze door de eeuwen heen, in dit geval die van het schema van “het midden- en middellijkheidsdenken” (p. 252), resp. het “denken in termen van ‘midden’ en ‘bemiddeling’” (p. 227), kritisch in kaart te brengen valt op het eerste gezicht onder het genre Ideengeschichte of history of ideas. Zeker wanneer men ideeëngeschiedenis enerzijds enger, maar anderzijds daarbinnen weer breder opvat dan de invulling die Arthur Lovejoy daaraan gaf in zijn bekende The Great Chain of Being .Het enerzijds betreft de inperking tot het terrein van de filosofie. Het anderzijds raakt hetgeen als idea wordt geaccepteerd. Lovejoy spreekt over ideeën vaak als “unit ideas” en vergt dat deze eenvoudig en ook enkelvoudig zijn. Ik zou in de ideeëngeschiedenis ook ruimte willen maken voor meer complexe filosofische noties, schema’s en zelfs filosofische theorieën. Wel lijkt me dat moet worden vastgehouden aan de eis dat deze ideeën naspeurbaar zijn door filosofische stromingen heen en dat zij bij voorkeur een zekere breedheid vertonen, ook in de zin van toepassing blijken te vinden in meerdere deelgebieden van de filosofie. En hier zij alvast maar genoteerd dat ook Van der Hoeven Lovejoy en diens studie noemt (pp. 234-5).
Logica en Het Berouw van God
Authors: Sarot Marcel
Published: November 2012

In een tweetal artikelen in dit tijdschrift heeft Henk Geertsema aandacht besteed aan de Utrechtse wijsgerige theologie. In het eerste artikel concentreerde hij zich op de bundel Hoe is Uw Naam?, terwijl hij in het tweede vooral ingaat op het werk van Vincent Brümmer. De scheiding is echter niet zo strikt; ook in het artikel over Brümmer komt Geertsema veelvuldig over Hoe is Uw Naam? te spreken. In deze reactie wil ik ingaan op Geertsema’s kritiek op de wijze waarop Gijsbert van den Brink en ondergetekende in Hoe is Uw Naam? twee criteria voor de wijsgerige theologie (consistentie en coherentie) bespreken, en deze reactie concretiseren door de meer theoretische opmerkingen toe te passen op een voorbeeld dat Geertsema zelf ter sprake brengt, dat van het berouw van God. Daarbij zal ik uitgaan van enkele passages die Geertsema in zijn artikel over Brümmer aan Hoe is Uw Naam? wijdt.
Geertsema en de Utrechtse Wijsgerige Theologie
Authors: van den Brink Gijsbert
Published: November 2012

De redactie van Philosophia Reformata heeft aan prof. Brümmer, dr. Sarot en ondergetekende gevraagd te reageren op hetgeen prof. Geertsema in twee bijdragen aan dit nummer over de zogenoemde ‘Utrechtse school’ in de wijsgerige theologie te berde brengt. Aangezien het minder gebruikelijk is om als auteurs c.q. redacteuren te reageren op een boekrecensie, gaan onze duplieken vooral in op het zelfstandige artikel dat Geertsema wijdt aan de theologie van Brümmer. Toch willen we graag ook beknopt reageren op de recensie, die immers de vorm gekregen heeft van een tamelijk uitvoerige ‘kritische studie’, en daarmee toch eigenlijk ook van een min of meer zelfstandige bijdrage.
Verfijnd Realisme en de Grammatica van Het Geloof
Authors: Brümmer Vincent
Published: November 2012

In zijn verhelderende opstel over De eigen aard van het geloof in de wijsgerige theologie van Vincent Brümmer, gaat Henk Geertsema vooral in op ‘de aard van de geloofskennis zoals die in de Utrechtse school [en met name in mijn geschriften] wordt gezien’ (p. 1). De centrale vraag voor Geertsema is ‘of de wijze waarop Brümmer de kennis die eigen is aan het geloof, opvat recht doet aan het eigen aard van het bijbelse geloof als bepaald door de levende omgang met God’ (p. 1). Twee gezichtspunten zijn hier vooral van belang:’(1) de verbinding van geloofskennis met de praktische levenshouding, die kenmerkend wordt geacht voor het “verfijnd theologisch realisme” van de Utrechtse school; (2) de typering van de wijsgerige theologie als “grammatica van het geloof”‘ (p. 1). In mijn antwoord zal ik vooral ingaan op Geerstema’s bespreking van het ‘verfijnd theologisch realisme’. Ten aanzien van ‘het grammatica van het geloof’ zal ik volstaan met een opmerking over Geertsema’s onderscheiding tussen ‘de taal van de wijsgerige theologie’ en ‘die van het concrete geloven of van de Bijbel’ (p. 10). Ik kan hier kort zijn omdat Marcel Sarot in zijn bijdrage uitvoerig op dit punt ingaat.
The Modal Laws of Economics
Authors: de la Sienra Adolfo García
Published: November 2012

Herman Dooyeweerd’s classical characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality runs as follows: the sparing or frugal mode of administering scarce goods, implying an alternative choice of their destination with regard to the satisfaction of different human needs. My first aim in this paper is to show that Dooyeweerd’s characterization of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality naturally leads to neoclassical economic theory. In order to do this, I will provide an argument that, departing from Dooyeweerd’s definition of the meaning-kernel of the economic modality, concludes in a logical reconstruction of (the static case of) neoclassical economic theory (from now on denoted as NET). The fundamental law of this theory will turn out to be thus, naturally, a formulation of the fundamental modal law of economics. The second aim of the paper is epistemological since it discusses the methodological problem of the empirical claim of the theory. It is my hope that this discussion will clarify the limits of NET and provide a reply to the objections raised against it by Reformed scholars like Goudzwaard (1980).
The Conceptual Formation of the Category “Religion” in Modern Japan: Religion, State, Shintō
Authors: Isomae Jun’ichi
Published: November 2012

Abstract

The Japanese word shūkyō was originally a coined word occurring in Chinese Buddhist dictionaries, but it became used as the translation for the English word “religion” when the English word was transmitted to Japan from the West after the opening of the country at the end of the nineteenth century. At that time, a new kind of Japanese language treating Shintō and Buddhism as ‘religions’ was born, with Christianity forming the axis, but while still intertwined with Buddhism and Shintō. Bearing in mind the Protestant influence on acculturation processes in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period, this paper aims to offer an overview of how the term “religion” became embedded in Japan and how the Meiji government dealt with the competition of Shintō against Christianity and Buddhism. In that context it touches upon crucial historical and social developments such as the clash between science and religion of the late 1870s and the opposition between the state and religion in the early 1890s, together with well-known incidents such as the Uchimura Kanzō affair. The paper focuses in particular on the period from the end of the early modern Edo regime through the end of the Meiji period and analyzes how views of religious issues underwent transition within Japan.
Trends and Dimensions of FDI in South Asian Economies — A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Adhikary Bishnu Kumar
Published: November 2012

This paper compares the trends and dimensions of FDI in major South Asian economies, namely Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The paper reveals that although South Asia, as a whole, received higher importance in receiving FDI after the post reform period (1990s), India holds lion’s share of FDI in this region. Besides, the equity component has been the largest form of FDI in South Asia, although the share of re-invested earnings in FDI inflows of Bangladesh and Pakistan exceeds than that of India. Likewise, South Asian economies differ substantially on an individual basis when sectoral decomposition of FDI and major source economies are taken into account. The paper highlights that poor FDI utilization efficiency, political risk in investment and cost of doing business are some of the key factors for promoting difference in the South Asian economies in receiving FDI.
Recent Developments
Authors: Londono Patricia
Published: November 2012

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has made an increasing number of key decisions concerning domestic violence, of which Kalucza v Hungary is the most recent. It is the first case that addresses the nature of the human rights obligations in circumstances where it is alleged that both parties to a domestic dispute are engaged in acts of unlawful physical violence. It also considers the requirement for swift decision-making where restraining orders are sought against violent partners. The requirement to give sufficient reasons when decisions pertaining to restraining orders is also evaluated. In addition, the judgment considers the duty to determine cases pertaining to the division of the home within a ‘reasonable when both parties are residing within it. This article considers the implications of this case, comparing it to other domestic violence cases that have been brought under both Articles 3 and 8.
Reflective Colonization: Domination, Consent, and the Self in Imperial Russia
Authors: Fournier Anna
Published: November 2012

Historians have pointed out that as a terrestrial rather than an overseas empire, the Russian empire has had to grapple with a blurry boundary between imperial center and periphery. Ektind goes a step further to show that the Russian empire was the stage for intensive colonization of the imperial core itself and the attendant processes of self-orientalization and self-alienation. The review identifies and explores three dimensions of the process of internal colonization. In the first, colonization by consent, Russian historical writers’ interpretations of the origins of the state in terms of consent to (foreign) domination are contextualized by drawing on colonizers’ fantasy of consent across contexts and historical periods, and by pointing to resistance as an important aspect of the relation between Russian imperial elites and the colonized. The second dimension is the idea of colonizing “one’s own,” whereby elites not only coerced people of the imperial core into various practices, but also viewed them through an orientalizing lens, and this, from the beginnings of serfdom through the nineteenth-century populists’ efforts at rapprochement (the perceived divide between rulers and ruled is, it is argued, still salient in Russian politics). The last dimension, strangers to ourselves, deals with the “splitting of the self” from a postcolonial studies perspective but it is pointed out that the use of psychoanalytic frameworks and literary theory may reproduce orientalist interpretations of the Russian imperial self. Instead, it is argued that self-orientalizing discourses in the Russian context may serve to divert attention away from one’s actual power.
Total Lightning Characteristics Relative to Radar and Satellite Observations of Oklahoma Mesoscale Convective Systems
Authors: Makowski Jeffrey A. , MacGorman Donald R. , Biggerstaff Michael I. , Beasley William H.
Published: November 2012

The advent of regional very high frequency (VHF) Lightning Mapping Arrays (LMAs) makes it possible to begin analyzing trends in total lightning characteristics in ensembles of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Flash initiations observed by the Oklahoma LMA and ground strikes observed by the National Lightning Detection Network were surveyed relative to infrared satellite and base-scan radar reflectivity imagery for 30 mesoscale convective systems occurring over a 7-yr period. Total lightning data were available for only part of the life cycle of most MCSs, but well-defined peaks in flash rates were usually observed for MCSs having longer periods of data. The mean of the maximum 10-min flash rates for the ensemble of MCSs was 203 min−1 for total flashes and 41 min−1 for cloud-to-ground flashes (CGs). In total, 21% of flashes were CGs and 13% of CGs lowered positive charge to ground. MCSs with the largest maximum flash rates entered Oklahoma in the evening before midnight. All three MCSs entering Oklahoma in early morning after sunrise had among the smallest maximum flash rates. Flash initiations were concentrated in or near regions of larger reflectivity and colder cloud tops. The CG flash rates and total flash rates frequently evolved similarly, although the fraction of flashes striking ground usually increased as an MCS decayed. Total flash rates tended to peak approximately 90 min before the maximum area of the −52°C cloud shield, but closer in time to the maximum area of colder cloud shields. MCSs whose −52°C cloud shield grew faster tended to have larger flash rates.
The Role of the ω‐3 Fatty Acid DHA in the Human Life Cycle
Authors: Carlson Sarah J. , Fallon Erica M. , Kalish Brian T. , Gura Kathleen M. , Puder Mark
Published: November 2012

Dietary consumption of the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (LA; ω‐6) and α‐linolenic acid (ALA; ω‐3) is necessary for human growth and development. In the past 150 years, the average Western diet has changed dramatically such that humans today consume a much higher proportion of ω‐6 fatty acids relative to ω‐3 fatty acids than ever before. The importance of ω‐3 fatty acids in human development has been well established in fetal and neonatal development, with brain and retinal tissues highly dependent on ω‐3 fatty acids, specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for membrane fluidity and signal transduction. In childhood, ω‐3s have been shown to contribute to ongoing cognitive development and may be involved in metabolic programming of bone turnover and adipogenesis. ω‐3s may also play important roles in adult neurophysiology and disease prevention.
Is Export Expansion of Manufactured Goods an Escape Route from Terms of Trade Deterioration of Developing Countries?
Authors: Chakraborty Shouvik
Published: November 2012

In the recent past, the developing countries, in particular the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICs), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China and India, have become a major player in the global market of manufactured goods. It had been argued that this changing composition in the export baskets of these developing countries in favour of the manufactured goods had helped the developing countries to escape from the problems of ‘deteriorating’ terms of trade and doubts the validity of the Prebisch–Singer hypothesis in the present world economic order. This study empirically finds a secular negative trend in the movement of the manufacture-manufacture terms of trade of the developing countries vis-à-vis the developed countries spanning over the period between 1975 and 2005. It also identifies the probable factors responsible for this negative trend in the terms of trade index and whether this diversification of exports towards more of manufactured goods helps the developing countries to escape from the problem of Prebisch–Singer hypothesis.
Comparing Dimensional Models Assessing Personality Traits and Personality Pathology Among Adult ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder
Authors: Koerting Johanna , Pukrop Ralf , Klein Philipp , Ritter Kathrin , Knowles Mark , Banzhaf Anke , Gentschow Laura , Vater Aline , Heuser Isabella , Colla Michael , Roepke Stefan
Published: November 2012

Objective: This pilot study was a comparison of dimensional models assessing personality traits and personality pathology in a clinical sample of adults diagnosed with ADHD and adults diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), and a nonclinical control sample of healthy adults. Method: Personality traits were assessed using the NEO–Personality Inventory–Revised (NEO-PI-R) and dimensional personality pathology with the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology–Basic Questionnaire (DAPP-BQ). Results: Adults with ADHD and BPD produced higher Emotional Dysregulation/Neuroticism and Dissocial Behavior scores than controls. For the Extraversion/Inhibitedness scale, adults with BPD produced significantly lower scores than adults with ADHD and controls. On the Conscientiousness/Compulsivity domains, Conscientiousness scores were lower for both disorders, whereas low Compulsivity values were specific to adult ADHD. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with adult ADHD and BPD have distinguishable profiles of personality traits and personality pathology.
Binding and aging
Authors: Rosner Daniela K , Taylor Alex S
Published: November 2012

In many respects, we take the age of things for granted. Age is assumed to be an inherent quality, dictated by the time a thing has been in existence and put to use. Many of us have even developed an appreciation for the wear associated with age. The worn leather covers of old books, their mottled pages and the creases along their spines are all considered, in some circles at least, to be signs of age and thus value. This article examines such ideas of age through the practices of restoration bookbinding. First and foremost, it illustrates how age can be something produced through the interleaving of both social and material practices. Age is seen here not as an intangible, definite attribute. Rather, it is something actively worked on; it is co-produced through an ongoing relationship between materials, craftsmen and the world they work in. The article focuses, specifically, on the craft of restoration binding. From 200-year-old antique books to the most mundane paperbacks, restoration binding requires that manual skills and aesthetic sensitivity be distributed between the binders, the materials and tools of the trade. However, notions of age have changed over the years and these, we hope to show, are tightly interwoven with the social and material practices that make up restoration bookbinding.
Association of SELE genotypes/haplotypes with sE-selectin levels in Taiwanese individuals: interactive effect of MMP9 level
Authors: Wu Semon , Hsu Lung-An , Teng Ming-Sheng , Lin Jeng-Feng , Chang Hsien-Hsun , Sun Yu-Chen , Chen Hsuan-Pu , Ko Yu-Lin
Published: November 2012

Background

E-selectin is implicated in various inflammatory processes and related disorders. We aimed to investigate the role ofSELE-gene genotypes/haplotypes on plasma levels of MMP9 and sE-selectin in Taiwanese individuals.

Methods

Five hundred twenty individuals were enrolled. Seven taggingSELEsingle nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed.

Results

SELEgenotypes were found associated with MMP9 and sE-selectin levels. Multivariate analysis identified that the most significant genetic polymorphism (rs5368 genotype) was independently associated with MMP9 levels (P < 0.001). One haplotype (GGAGAGT) was marginally associated with MMP9 levels (P = 0.0490). OneSELESNP, (rs3917406,P = 0.031) was associated with sE-selectin levels after adjusting for MMP9 and sICAM1 levels. Subgroup and interaction analysis revealed association ofSELESNP rs10800469 with sE-selectin levels only in the highest quartile of MMP9 level (P = 0.002, interactionP = 0.023). Haplotype analysis showed one haplotype (AAAAAGC) borderline associated with sE-selectin level (P = 0.0511).

Conclusion

SELEgenotypes/haplotypes are independently associated with MMP9 and E-selectin levels in Taiwanese individuals. The associations ofSELEgenotypes/haplotypes with sE-selectin levels are affected by MMP9 levels.
Nanoscale electrical property studies of individual GeSi quantum rings by conductive scanning probe microscopy
Authors: Lv Yi , Cui Jian , Jiang Zuimin M , Yang Xinju
Published: November 2012

The nanoscale electrical properties of individual self-assembled GeSi quantum rings (QRs) were studied by scanning probe microscopy-based techniques. The surface potential distributions of individual GeSi QRs are obtained by scanning Kelvin microscopy (SKM). Ring-shaped work function distributions are observed, presenting that the QRs' rim has a larger work function than the QRs' central hole. By combining the SKM results with those obtained by conductive atomic force microscopy and scanning capacitance microscopy, the correlations between the surface potential, conductance, and carrier density distributions are revealed, and a possible interpretation for the QRs' conductance distributions is suggested.
Does gap-free intensity modulated chemoradiation therapy provide a greater clinical benefit than 3D conformal chemoradiation in patients with anal cancer?
Authors: Dewas Claire Vautravers , Maingon Philippe , Dalban Cécile , Petitfils Aurélie , Peignaux Karine , Truc Gilles , Martin Etienne , Khoury Cédric , Dewas Sylvain , Créhange Gilles
Published: November 2012

Background

Chemoradiation is the standard treatment for anal cancer. 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) is usually split in 2 sequences with a therapeutic break (gap) in between. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) makes it possible to reduce treatment time by abandoning this gap. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes and toxicities in patients treated with either IMRT or 3D-CRT.

Methods

Between 2004 and 2011, the data of 51 patients treated with exclusive radiotherapy with or without concomitant chemotherapy for non-metastatic anal carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-seven patients were treated with 3D-CRT and 24 patients with IMRT, with a median dose delivered to the tumor of 59.4Gy [30.6-66.6], whatever the radiotherapy technique (p= 0.99). The median follow-up was 40 months [26.4-51.6].

Results

There was no difference between the two groups for response to treatment (p= 0.46). Two-year overall survival, locoregional relapse-free survival and colostomy-free survival rates were 88.5%, 63% and 60.3%, respectively for the IMRT group and 81%, 76.5% and 81.1% for the 3D-CRT group (all NS). Ten patients (37%) in 3D-CRT and 11 patients (45.8%) in IMRT (p= 0.524) had grade 3 acute toxicity. No grade 4 toxicity occurred.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that further investigations concerning the use of IMRT to treat cancer of the anus are warranted. IMRT makes it possible to remove the gap, but with no impact on the prognosis. Nonetheless, a longer follow-up is essential to determine whether or not IMRT has an impact on late toxicity, local control and survival compared with conventional 3D-CRT.
Hippocampal volumes in patients exposed to low-dose radiation to the basal brain. A case–control study in long-term survivors from cancer in the head and neck region
Authors: Olsson Erik , Eckerström Carl , Berg Gertrud , Borga Magnus , Ekholm Sven , Johannsson Gudmundur , Ribbelin Susanne , Starck Göran , Wysocka Anna , Löfdahl Elisabet , Malmgren Helge
Published: November 2012

Background

An earlier study from our group of long time survivors of head and neck cancer who had received a low radiation dose to the hypothalamic-pituitary region, with no signs of recurrence or pituitary dysfunction, had their quality of life (QoL) compromised as compared with matched healthy controls. Hippocampal changes have been shown to accompany several psychiatric conditions and the aim of the present study was to test whether the patients’ lowered QoL was coupled to a reduction in hippocampal volume.

Methods

Patients (11 men and 4 women, age 31–65) treated for head and neck cancer 4–10 years earlier and with no sign of recurrence or pituitary dysfunction, and 15 matched controls were included. The estimated radiation doses to the basal brain including the hippocampus (1.5 – 9.3 Gy) had been calculated in the earlier study. The hippocampal volumetry was done on coronal sections from a 1.5 T MRI scanner. Measurements were done by two independent raters, blinded to patients and controls, using a custom method for computer assisted manual segmentation. The volumes were normalized for intracranial volume which was also measured manually. The paired t test and Wilcoxon’s signed rank test were used for the main statistical analysis.

Results

There was no significant difference with respect to left, right or total hippocampal volume between patients and controls. All mean differences were close to zero, and the two-tailed 95% confidence interval for the difference in total, normalized volume does not include a larger than 8% deficit in the patients.

Conclusion

The study gives solid evidence against the hypothesis that the patients’ lowered quality of life was due to a major reduction of hippocampal volume.
Knowledge of prescribed medication information among patients with limited English proficiency in Sri Lanka
Authors: Perera Thisara , Ranasinghe Priyanga , Perera Udeshika , Perera Sherin , Adikari Madura , Jayasinghe Saroj , Constantine Godwin R
Published: November 2012

Background

Patients’ knowledge on prescribed medications play a key role in the long term management of cardiac diseases and in determining their outcome. The present study evaluates the knowledge about prescribed medication among cardiac patients and aim to identify factors influencing knowledge.

Methods

A descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 adult patients attending clinics at the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Knowledge assessment focused on four different sections; drug name, dose, frequency and indication. The total score of 60 was calculated by giving each component the following weighted scores; drug name = 20, indication = 20, drug dose = 10 and frequency = 10. A binary logistic regression analysis to evaluate factors associated with ‘good knowledge’ (total score ≥ 40) was performed.

Results

Among 200 participants 56.5% (n = 113) were males. Mean age was 59.7 ± 8.2 years and a majority (n = 170, 85.0%) were older than 50 years of age. Sinhala was the primary language of 91.5% (n = 183) of participants, while English was the primary language in only two of the study participants (1.0%). Eighty four percent of the participants were educated up to secondary education or above, while 2.5% (n = 5) had no formal education. The overall knowledge (total score-60) on prescribed medications among the study population was ‘poor’ (score ≤ 20) in 46%, ‘adequate’ (score 21–40) in 36.5% and ‘good’ (score ≥ 40) in 17.5%. The results of the binary logistic regression analysis indicates that Secondary (OR-1.53) and Tertiary levels (OR-2.79) of education, self-reported perception of illness as being Moderate (OR-1.23) or Severe (OR-1.70) and being educated by a doctor (as reported by patients) (OR-1.69) significantly increased the odds of having a ‘Good Knowledge of Drugs’. Majority of the patients were unable to read and understand the information written in English. The doctor’s contributed towards educating on drug information only in 33.0% of the patients.

Conclusion

In a resource-poor setting in patients with Limited English Proficiency, lower level of education and misperception of illness severity resulted in reduced knowledge on prescribed medications. Furthermore, being educated by a doctor significantly improved knowledge. However the doctors’ contribution at present to deliver quality health information to their patients was at an unsatisfactory level.
Active social insurance
Authors: Røed Knut
Published: November 2012

The paper argues that a comprehensive activation strategy is called for – in both unemployment and disability insurance – to minimize the conflict between income insurance and work incentives and to prevent the economic crisis from causing a long-lasting decline in labor force participation. A review of recent empirical evidence, particularly from the Scandinavian countries, indicates that “mild” activation requirements effectively counteract moral hazard problems in social insurance. The paper also argues that the distinction between unemployment and disability is blurred, and that both temporary and permanent disability insurance programs should be designed to encourage and support the use of remaining (partial) work capacity.
Monitoring the change in colour of meat: A comparison of traditional and kernel-based orthogonal
transformations
Authors: Christiansen Asger , Carstensen Jens , Møller Flemming , Nielsen Allan
Published: November 2012

Currently, no objective method exists for estimating the rate of change in the colour of meat. Consequently, the
purpose of this work is to develop a procedure capable of monitoring the change in colour of meat over time, environment
and ingredients. This provides a useful tool to determine which storage environments and ingredients a manufacturer
should add to meat to reduce the rate of change in colour. The procedure consists of taking multi-spectral images of a
piece of meat as a function of time, clustering the pixels of these images into categories, including several types of meat,
and extracting colour information from each category. The focus has primarily been on achieving an accurate
categorisation since this is crucial to develop a useful method. The categorisation is done by applying an orthogonal
transformation followed by k-means clustering. The purpose of the orthogonal transformation is to reduce the noise and
amount of data while enhancing the difference between the categories. The orthogonal transformations principal
components analysis, minimum noise fraction analysis and kernel-based versions of these have been applied to test which
produce the most accurate categorisation.
Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Management Problems: A Literature Review
Authors: Beliën Jeroen , De Boeck Liesje , Van Ackere Jonas
Published: November 2012

This paper presents a review of the available literature on solid waste management problems, with a particular focus on vehicle routing problems. The available papers are classified into different categories with the purpose of providing the reader with a guide that facilitates his or her search for papers in his or her field of interest. For each category, a table is presented that gives a summary of how each paper scores from that perspective. Additional explanation is presented about the characteristics of each category using some key references. Finally, this paper discovers unexplored areas of research and identifies trends in the literature.
Les mâts d’ornement des pylônes aux époques ptolémaïque et romaine: entre réalité et idéal
Authors: Martzolff Laetitia
Published: November 2012

Numerous representations of pylons, formed from towers and front masts, remain from the New Kingdom. The images square with several texts describing pylons and tally with archaeological finds which prove that masts were erected in front of the towers. In the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, the form of the pylon was used several times in architecture. Constructions of this kind, though from their outer aspect they are reminiscent of New Kingdom monuments, yet present architectural novelty: their towers are hollow. As for the masts however, to judge from the evidence provided by archaeological finds, they seem to have ceased to be erected, though they are still mentioned in texts. This article investigates each pylon and takes into consideration other kinds of documentation in two and three dimensions (models, coins, pictures) in order to analyse the situation of the masts and to understand how the monument was understood by architects and artists. The conclusions are that they were idealizing the pylons with their masts and the fixation system, for, in fact, masts generally stopped being placed in front of the pylon-towers. Various factors lie behind this change. An explanation based on the dimensions of the monuments is here put forward but a possible problem of wood supply can be another factor.
Application of field emission scanning electron microscopy for observing irradiated fuel materials
Authors: Sasaki S. , Maeda K. , Yamada A. , Asaga T.
Published: November 2012

The microstructure change of the uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels (MOX fuels) irradiated in a fast reactor occurs because of a radial temperature gradient. To make detailed observations and elemental analyses of fuel samples, a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with a wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDX) was installed in a hot laboratory.

Because fuel samples have high radioactivities and emit α-particles, the instrument was modified as follows :

1)

The instrument was attached to a remote control air-tight sample transfer unit between a shielded hot cell and the FE-SEM.

2)

The FE-SEM was installed in a lead shield box and the control unit was separately located outside the box.

After the installation, the microscopy and elemental analyses were applied to low burnup fuel samples. High resolution images were obtained and characteristic X-rays (U, Pu, and so on) emitted from the sample surface were measured. The technique has the great advantage of being able to evaluate the irradiated fuels in detail. In future work, samples of even higher radioactive will be observed and analyzed.
Vitrocerus: An alternative for processing MTR spent fuel from research reactors
Authors: Arboleda P.A , Rodríguez D.S , Prado M.O
Published: November 2012

Research reactors spent fuels disposal is a problematic area that conduces to the quest of feasible solutions for ensure safe destination of the spent fuels. In this work, a new method for processing spent fuel from MTR reactors is presenting. The main objective of this process, is the immobilization of principal radioactive elements that are present in the spent fuel, in order to achieve a suitable material which could be temporally stored safely. The Vitrocerus method involves ordinary physical procedures performed in a hot cell. It differs from conventional vitrification because there is a reduction in volume of glass material added.

The process propose the ceramization of a mixture of spent fuel plates (wich were milled and calcined previously) with natural uranium oxide (U3O8) to obtain the desired isotopic dilution (to low the U235 enrichment). At the same time, a small fraction of VG98/12 glass [1] was added to enhance low temperature sintering. The treatment and conditioning tasks proposed in Vitrocerus were tested on MTR fuel miniplates that simulate a real U3Si2 dispersed in Al fuel, which were successfully transformed into ceramic sintered pellets [2,3] with low enrichment, structural integrity, outstanding mechanical properties and water corrosion resistance. Eventually these pellets could be stored safely in an interim dry storage facility.
A Comparison of Alumino and Calcium Phosphate Sintering Aids for Consolidation of Halide Containing Wastes
Authors: Fong Shirley K. , Metcalfe Brian
Published: November 2012

A process has been developed at AWE for the immobilisation of halide containing wastes arising from the reprocessing of plutonium. Initially, the wastes are calcined with a calcium phosphate to form a number of target host phases, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and apatite for the immobilisation of actinides, and apatite and spodiosite for halide.

These mineral phases are then mixed with a glass binder, cold pressed and sintered to form a monolithic waste form. Two glass binders GTI/168, a sodium alumino phosphate glass and GTI/206, a sodium calcium phosphate glass were compared to optimise the halide retention in the waste-form. Analysis from powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that neither glass stabilises spodiosite. However, GTI/206 glass retains 10 wt.% more apatite and results in a much smaller proportion of the non-chloride bearing whitlockite phase than GTI/168.

In all compositions where GTI/168 glass was used as a sintering aid, the sodium deficient and calcium enriched glass was present as an amorphous matrix phase.
An Experimental Determination of the Thermophysical Properties of [NZP]-Structure Type Ceramics
Authors: Gregg Daniel J. , Karatchevtseva Inna , Triani Gerry , Lumpkin Gregory R. , Vance Eric R.
Published: November 2012

Calcium and barium zirconium phosphates were prepared by hot isostatic pressing and their thermophysical properties investigated for potential use as actinide hosts for inert matrix fuels (IMF) in light water reactors. The materials are thermally stable up to at least 1600°C in air, however they degrade above around 1400°C in an inert atmosphere. The heat capacity and thermal conductivity were measured from room temperature up to 1200°C. The thermal conductivity coefficient for both CZP and BZP at 1000°C is 1.0 W m-1 K-1, a relatively low thermal conductivity that requires NZP-type materials to be dispersed in a composite cercer or cermet IMF.
Factors in the Selection of Container Materials for the Disposal of HLW/SF
Authors: King Fraser
Published: November 2012

The container is the only absolute barrier in the multi-barrier system that forms the basis of all nuclear waste disposal strategies. The selection of an appropriate container material is therefore of utmost importance. Some of the factors that underlay the choice of container material are discussed, ranging from the properties of the near-field and host rock to the desired or expected containment period.

There has been a trend towards the specification of container materials that will corrode actively under repository conditions, such as copper and carbon steel. Passive materials, such as titanium and nickel alloys and the various stainless steels, have found less acceptance and the reasons for this emphasis on active materials are also discussed.

In selecting an appropriate container material, it is essential to understand the nature of the corrosive environment and how it evolves over time. The evolution of environmental conditions will also cause the corrosion behaviour of the container to change with time. For repositories in saturated environments, it will be argued that passive alloys can provide long container lifetimes without some of the disadvantages of some active materials such as gas generation and other adverse impacts on other barriers.

Finally, areas of future development and areas requiring additional study will be discussed.
Lessons Learned from the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Project The Engineered Barrier System
Authors: Duquette D. J. , Di Bella C. A. W. , Latanision R. M. , Kirstein B. E.
Published: November 2012

Nuclear waste isolation programs both inside and outside the United States have provided evidence that there are many geologic options for a repository, but virtually all of them rely to some degree on an engineered barrier system (EBS) to isolate and/or retard the migration of radionuclides to the biosphere. At Yucca Mountain, the design of the EBS was unexpectedly challenging because of uncertainties in quantitatively determining the local environment of the EBS particularly during the thermal pulse. The EBS design for the Yucca Mountain site evolved from a thin-walled, limited-lifetime, corrosion-resistant canister through a corrosion-allowance canister, to the present design, which may have a lifetime of more than 106years. The EBS proposed for the Yucca Mountain repository has many individual sub-barriers, beginning with the spent fuel and waste, the cladding of the spent fuel, the geometry of the package, etc. The anticipated modes of degradation of engineering materials, including corrosion of the fuel, of the canister, and of the drip shield proposed specifically for the Yucca Mountain project, and the consequences of the materials degradation on the performance of the repository are presented. The roles of conservative modeling and simplifying assumptions for radionuclide mobilization and transport in the EBS on characterization of the source term are addressed.
Processing Characteristics and Strength of Magnesium Phosphate Cement Formulations Compatible with UK Nuclear Waste Treatment Plants
Authors: Montague W. , Vandeperre L. , Hayes M.
Published: November 2012

Cementation is the dominant encapsulation technology for UK intermediate level waste (ILW) from nuclear operations. However, Portland cement (PC) based encapsulation systems encourage corrosion of reactive metals such as uranium, aluminium and magnesium. Thus, the development of alternative systems is required. A candidate alternative system is magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) and in this paper the results of a wide testing programme to establish a formulation envelope for MKPC is presented. This envelope determines a region where bleed production, fluidity and workability are within a range suitable for plant processing and encapsulation. Additionally, the evolution of the compressive strength with curing age for multiple formulations and curing temperatures was determined. Fly ash (PFA) inclusion was found to be highly beneficial to slurry workability and its addition also improved strength; high PFA content formulations reached compressive strength values of 34 ±2 MPa and 44 ± 2 MPa at 28 days and 180 days respectively. A decreased in achieved compressive strengths was observed on increasing the curing temperature from 47 °C to 72 °C.
Alteration and dissolution of Na-montmorillonite in simulated groundwaters
Authors: Myllykylä E. , Tanhua-Tyrkkö M. , Bouchet A.
Published: November 2012

This study aims at gaining a better understanding of the behaviour of montmorillonite in contact with different ground waters; alteration of montmorillonite and possible formation of secondary minerals. Batch experiments were conducted with purified Swy-2 montmorillonite in simulated fresh (I=0.05 M, pH 8) and saline (I=0.1 M, pH 11) waters at 25 and 60ºC in anaerobic (Ar(g)) conditions. The concentrations of Al, Fe; Mg and Si were analysed from ultra-filtered solution samples with HR-ICP-MS (High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). The amount of released Si depended strongly on the experimental conditions. The Si concentrations at 60oC in the saline and fresh waters showed a difference greater than an order of magnitude. The initial purified montmorillonite and the solid materials from experiments were analysed with XRD. The analysis indicated that the nature of smectite did not change, but the experimental conditions, more or less, modified the structure of montmorillonite, e.g., in fresh waters the XRD spectra showed peaks typical of mixed layer minerals, which can refer to the presence of either randomly ordered illite/smectite or randomly ordered collapsed smectite/ hydrated smectite layers. The dissolution of montmorillonite was studied also by modelling with TOUGHREACT. The experimental and modelled results were compared revealing a need to develop the model e.g. in respect of the evolution of pH.
Na/Ca selectivity coefficients of montmorillonite in perchlorate solution at different temperatures
Authors: Itälä Aku , Muurinen Arto
Published: November 2012

The Finnish spent nuclear fuel disposal is based on the Swedish KBS-3 concept in crystalline bedrock. The concept aims at long-term isolation and containment of spent fuel in copper canisters surrounded by bentonite buffer which mostly consists of montmorillonite. For the long-term modelling of the chemical processes in the buffer, the cation-exchange selectivity coefficients have to be known at different temperatures. In this work, the cation-exchange selectivity coefficients and cation-exchange isotherms were determined in batch experiments for montmorillonite at three different temperatures (25 °C, 50 °C and 75 °C). Five different ratios of NaClO4/Ca(ClO4)2 were used in the experimental solutions. After equilibration the solution and montmorillonite were separated and the solution analysed to get the desired exchange parameters. The experiments were modelled with a computational model capable of taking into account the physicochemical processes that take place in the experiment.