bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Response to concurrent cetuximab: radiotherapy following failure of platinum-based induction chemotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
Authors: Pettit L. , Ramachandra P. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractConcurrent chemoradiation is the standard of care in the non-surgical management of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx. Cetuximab can be used as an alternative to platinum for concomitant radiotherapy and the addition of cetuximab to cisplatin has been reported to improve response rates compared with cisplatin alone. We report two cases of patients who progressed through platinum-based induction chemotherapy and subsequently achieved a complete response with concurrent cetuximab radiotherapy.
Do factors of emotion-focussed patient care and communication impact job stress, satisfaction and burnout in radiation therapists?
Authors: Diggens Justine , Chesson Therese 
Published: April 2013

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate levels and sources of job stress, job satisfaction and burnout experienced by radiation therapists (RTs) in an Australian cancer hospital, and determine the factors of emotion-focussed patient care and communication that contribute to RTs’ stress and burnout.MethodsOne hundred and thirteen RTs working in a dedicated cancer hospital in Australia completed a self-report questionnaire.ResultsTwelve percent of RTs reported job stress while 73·5% reported job satisfaction in their current work roles. Up to 19% of RTs experienced burnout as measured on the Maslach Burnout Inventory scales. Emotion-focussed care and communication with patients was found to have links with job stress and burnout, but also with job reward and satisfaction. A range of organisational, personal and support factors were associated with RTs’ experiences, including training and confidence in emotion-focussed patient communication.ConclusionEmotion-focussed care and patient communication contributes to both job stress and burnout, as well as job satisfaction. RTs’ experience of job stress, satisfaction or burnout are likely to vary according to a range of personal, demographic and organisational factors.
Inverse planned constant dose rate volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) as an efficient alternative to five-field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate
Authors: McGarry Conor K. , McMahon Stephen J. , Craft David , O'Sullivan Joe M. , Prise Kevin M. , Hounsell Alan R. 
Published: April 2013

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this work was to determine if volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans, created for constant dose-rate (cdrVMAT) delivery are a viable alternative to step and shoot five-field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).Materials and methodsThe cdrVMAT plans, inverse planned on a treatment planning system with no solution to account for couch top or rails, were created for delivery on a linear accelerator with no variable dose rate control system. A series of five-field IMRT and cdrVMAT plans were created using dual partial arcs (gantry rotating between 260° and 100°) with 4° control points for ten prostate patients with the average rectal constraint incrementally increased. Pareto fronts were compared for the planning target volume homogeneity and average rectal dose between the two techniques for each patient. Also investigated were tumour control probability and normal tissue complication probability values for each technique. The delivery parameters [monitor units (MU) and time] and delivery accuracy of the IMRT and VMAT plans were also compared.ResultsPareto fronts showed that the dual partial arc plans were superior to the five-field IMRT plans, particularly for the clinically acceptable plans where average rectal doses were less for rotational plans (p = 0·009) with no statistical difference in target homogeneity. The cdrVMAT plans had significantly more MU (p = 0·005) but the average delivery time was significantly less than the IMRT plans by 42%. All clinically acceptable cdrVMAT plans were accurate in their delivery (gamma 99·2 ± 1·1%, 3%3 mm criteria).ConclusionsAccurate delivery of dual partial arc cdrVMAT avoiding the couch top and rails has been demonstrated.
Effect of correction/calibration factors on accuracy of in vivo dose delivery with cylindrical n-type Isorad diode in conventional radiotherapy
Authors: Islam Kashif , ul Haque Asdar , Hussain Muzaffar , Murad Sohail , Muhammad Khan , Ashfaq Asma , Islam Atif 
Published: April 2013

AbstractPurposeThe main aim was to use pre-calculated correction factors and calibration factors for measurement of accuracy of dose delivery before implementation of such in vivo dosimetry on real patients visiting for first radiation treatment. These factors were verified by generating the most common treatment plans on human phantom except for breast and colon using cobalt-60 unit.Materials and methodsSix treatment plans were generated, i.e. nasopharynx, bladder, prostate, brain, larynx and lung of human phantom, total 18 fields were planned keeping in view the correction factors which are to be verified. MULTIDATA Decision Support System 2.5, Shimadzu simulator, Isorad diode-n type, electrometer patient dose monitor and ATOM Adult male human phantom were used.Results and conclusionFor 18 fields, the dose delivery was accurate in the range 0·29–6·74%. The deviation between measured and expected doses to nasopharynx, lung, bladder, prostate, brain and larynx cases of human phantom ranged from 1·44–3·89%, 0·29–0·54%, 0·44–6·18%, 0·54–5·16%, 0·33–4·90%, 5·58–6·74%, respectively. In 30 palliative patient cases, the first radiation treatment was also monitored. The accuracy of dosimety ranged from 1·05% to 5·35%. This study is helpful to identify areas of improvement in treatment of patients like quality control/quality assurance (QA) of treatment planning system, beam data modifications, machine repair maintenance, QA audit in radiotherapy.
Economics of a low-carbon future
Authors: Hanley Nick , Brennan Dervla 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTThis paper sets out some of the economic factors underpinning Scotland's move to a low-carbon economy. Economics matters, since it addresses the costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the costs of climate change impacts, and the economic factors that motivate individuals' behaviour and the behaviour of businesses. All of these are important in understanding the barriers to meeting targets and to successful adaptation, and in thinking about how these barriers can be lifted. We discuss the relative merits of market mechanisms such as carbon taxes and cap-and-trade, the cost of including additional targets, and the issue of counting carbon embedded in imported goods. An efficient way of achieving carbon reductions is to widen the scope of carbon trading to include forestry, transport and agriculture. Energy efficiency in businesses and households and adaptation to climate change are a priority, because the benefits will be felt in the short term and at the local level.
Society and a low-carbon future: individual behaviour change or new social values and priorities?
Authors: Webb Janette 
Published: April 2013

ABSTRACTAlthough Scottish and UK governments have ambitious targets for climate change mitigation, and there is increased understanding of the risks to future prosperity of fossil fuel energy dependence, limited practical progress has been made by the advanced economies in reducing carbon emissions, especially when embedded emissions in imported consumer goods are taken into account. Significant contributory factors are the social and cultural values, beliefs and practices, which result in risks of climate change being regarded as secondary to short-term pressures for economic growth and increased consumer spending. The result is that climate change and transition to a low-carbon society become ‘back of the mind’ issues. Current policy designed to lower carbon emissions from household consumption treats society as a series of individuals, each responding rationally to market incentives to maximise short-term personal gain. ‘Greener choices’ are incentivised and encouraged by social marketing, but, at best, this approach will achieve only very gradual change. An alternative model treats society as comprising historically evolving, dynamic social systems and cultures that are capable of dealing with transformational change, when there is a shared understanding of the reasons for acting. From this perspective, society can implement step changes in behaviour through collaborative action in the interests of the longer-term common good. Political momentum can be gathered for new legislative and/or taxation measures, as for example in the case of the strong programme for tobacco control legislation in Scotland and the UK. By focusing on social and technical infrastructures, the built environment, and the regeneration of local economies, rather than on individual behaviours, government investment can have far greater impact. A distinctively Scottish narrative for a low-carbon society can create momentum for transition through shared understanding of the risks of climate change, and its meanings for social life, cultures, economic relationships and values.
The Comparative Amount of Reserves obtained by Valuations on different approved Tables of Mortality and by different Rates of Interest
Authors: Turnbull Aw. H. 
Published: April 2013

Gentlemen,—It is usual for your President, at the opening of a session, to address to the younger members of the Society some words of advice and encouragement, indicating the direction their studies should take to qualify them for the important positions which in time they may be called upon to fill. This has been so ably done by some of my distinguished predecessors in this chair, and the number of new entrants and students now bears so much less a proportion to the number of older members of the Society than formerly, that I intend to depart in great measure from this time-honoured practice, and to devote the opportunity with which I am favoured, mainly to an endeavour to add to the information you possess on a subject that I am sure is of interest to you, viz., The comparative amount of reserves obtained by valuations on different approved Tables of Mortality, and by different rates of interest.It is my intention to place before you some results of valuations made by the Actuaries of The Scottish Widows' Fund to determine these differences on the actual business of that Society to 1873, which I think I may say contains risks of all possible durations in combinations that cannot differ much from those in other prosperous Offices, and I believe that I shall be able to show, that if the combinations did differ considerably, the results on a business of long standing would not be material. With this latter object I shall, so far as is practicable, compare the results of these valuations with the results obtained by Messrs. Manly, King, and Valentine, on valuations of the risks in hypothetical Offices so ingeniously and laboriously compiled by the two first-named gentlemen.
Practical Notes on the Training and Duties of an Actuary
Authors: Marr Thomas 
Published: April 2013

Gentlemen,—I have to thank you for the honour you have conferred upon me in electing me to be your Honorary President—an honour which I appreciate all the more when there are so many gentlemen connected with the profession better qualified to adorn the post. Had I consulted your interests, I certainly should have declined the office, but the honour was too great to be refused, even although the acceptance sacrificed your advancement.Having resolved to accept the position, the difficulty which presented itself to my mind was, on what subject to address you. At first I felt inclined to take as my topic the Education of an Actuary, but on reflection I found that it would be impossible to add anything to what had been said by my predecessors; and however satisfactory this would have, been to me, I felt it might not be so to you; so I at length concluded that, as a scientific paper would be out of place, I could not do better than give you a few practical notes relating to the actuarial profession.
Note on War Mortality in Recent Campaigns, with Special reference to the German experience in the War of 1870–1871
Authors: Mackenzie A. G. 
Published: April 2013

The subject of War-Risk does not seem to have been discussed in actuarial circles since Mr. W. B. Hodge's papers on “The Mortality arising from Military Operations” appeared in the seventh volume of The Assurance Magazine. This admirable investigation, published in 1858, ends with the Crimean War; and considering the subsequent revolutionary changes in military science and tactics, a glance at the results of more recent campaigns may not be without interest.The divergences of mortality characterising these campaigns preclude, as might be expected, the discovery of any general law of war mortality, and consequently the scientific calculation of extra premium to meet the corresponding risk. It seems as if, in the case of war, the Actuary must take a view of the whole surrounding circumstances, somewhat similar to that of a surveyor in fixing a premium for a fire insurance risk. Details of climate, of the season of the year, of the resources of the enemy, of the probable duration of the war, and of many other circumstances, alter the complexion of a military risk most materially, and must be carefully considered. Perhaps the most important question is the probable mortality from disease; a secondary consideration, the probable mortality from battle.
On Money and the Future Rate of Interest
Authors: Smith Adam Gillies 
Published: April 2013

Gentlemen,—I thank you very heartily for the honour which you have conferred upon me by electing me your President for this session. It is an honour of which any one might be proud: and one for which, bestowed on me, who have so recently come amongst you, I have reason to be especially grateful.In following the now time-honoured custom of delivering an Introductory Address to you on assuming this Chair, I had to consider how I could best fulfil the duty imposed npon me. I have not, as you are aware, as some of your former Presidents have done, devoted the whole, or even the greater part, of my life to actuarial study, and I was unwilling therefore to take, as the subject of these remarks, any matter of purely actuarial doubt and difficulty. But I have all my life been engaged in general business, and frequently been occupied with subjects which required some knowledge of finance. In these I have been ever met by the unknown quantities,—the value of money, and the future rate of interest. In everything relating to the success of Insurance Offices a knowledge of these values is likewise of paramount necessity, for, however accurately your facts as to mortality are stated, however skilfully your formulæ are framed, if a mistake is made as to the value of money or rate of interest, error will be the result.
The History and Work of the Actuarial Society of Edinburgh
Authors: Low George M. 
Published: April 2013

When this Society elected its first Honorary President, and in so doing paid a fitting compliment to one who had taken the leading part in its formation, his reply to the request that he would undertake the office was, “I have never in my life received any mark of approbation and esteem which has given me greater pleasure.”I do not know that any words of mine could more fittingly express the feelings with which I received your invitation to take this Chair; but, if I were to add anything to the expression, it would be to say how sensible I am of the honour of holding a position which has been filled by so many eminent members of our profession.If during the considerable period of my connection with the Society I have been able to show in any useful way my warm interest in its welfare, I am more than repaid by finding that I have gained in some measure your confidence and esteem.In considering how best to discharge the duty which a time-honoured and excellent custom has associated with the office of President, I was led to think that your time might be profitably occupied in taking a glance at our past history as a Society, and at our present position, and trying to gather from the survey some useful lessons for the future.
On the Official Publications of the Mortality of Assured Lives
Authors: Meikle James 
Published: April 2013

Gentlemen,—I thank you for again electing me your President, —it is an honour which I highly esteem. You may rest assured that I will, to the utmost of my power, endeavour to perform the duties of the chair, I trust, to your satisfaction.It is customary on the opening of a session for your President to say a few words by way of “Address” on some subject, of his own selection, which has more or less relation to the general business of the Society. As I had last winter the pleasure of reading a paper which occupied a good deal of my time, I have chosen a subject for which the materials are almost all at hand, but which when strung together may, in their continuity, possess an interest which will not be unwelcome to the members of an Actuarial Society. I propose to consider one or two incidents in the History and Statistics of Life Assurance.The History of Life Assurance is exceedingly interesting. Bestowing all our attention upon the engagements of the passing hour, we are very apt to forget the arduous up-hill struggles of the many schemes of the past two centuries. If an account should ever be written, as I believe it will, of the career of those futile efforts, it should teach us to be very careful, and watchful of our position. There is in our time, it sometimes appears to me, rather an excess of that spirit of competition which I fear tends to weaken, and not to strengthen. Life Assurance is not entirely one of the exact sciences. The ordinary trader may easily, by applying one or two principles of accounting, exhibit the solvency or insolvency of his business; but it is almost impossible, except in the mass, to fathom the Liabilities of the business of Life Assurance. An ordinary debt is owing now, or a bill will certainly mature on a given date, but our debts accrue in the future, and are not individually dated. In the maturing of a multitude of them we have the utmost confidence.
On Life Assurance Book-keeping
Authors: M'Lauchlan James John 
Published: April 2013

1. Book-keeping by Double Entry is now universally admitted to be the only complete and satisfactory system, and its general principles have been shown to be adapted to all kinds of commercial or public accounts. The work of the accountant in arranging a special system adapted to the purposes of a Life Assurance Office, is therefore principally confined to fixing the number and forms of the subsidiary books which serve either to receive the original entries of transactions, or to relieve the Principal Ledger of the particulars of individual accounts.In Life Assurance Book-keeping, as in that of Mercantile Houses, Banks, or Government Departments, these subsidiary books must be specially adapted to the various classes of transactions or other financial facts which occur in the business. I have therefore found it convenient to deal with the subject of Life Assurance Book-keeping by considering in succession the various classes of financial facts that fall to be recorded in conducting the business, and in the case of each class, describing the books required for receiving the original entries, and the subsequent progress of these entries through the books.
Life Assurance in Canada
Authors: Sanderson Frank 
Published: April 2013

Before proceeding to trace the origin, growth, and present position of Life Assurance in Canada, it will be necessary to give some idea of the size, population, and vital statistics of the Dominion in order to better appreciate the developments of the past and the possibilities of the future.The Dominion of Canada consists of the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec (formerly Upper and Lower Canada), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Manitoba, and the North-west Territories. The area of the whole Dominion is about 3,456,383 square miles, including the water surface. From west to east it is about 3500 miles, and from north to south 1400 miles. The Island of Newfoundland, although included in British North America, does not yet form part of the Dominion; while Alaska belongs to the United States, and Labrador is under the control of Newfoundland. The area of Europe is about 3,661,360 square miles, and of Great Britain and Ireland 120,849 square miles, so that Canada is only about 200,000 square miles smaller than all Europe, while it is nearly twenty nine times as large as the whole United Kingdom. It is also 400,000 square miles larger than the United States, omitting Alaska.
Life Office Investments Retrospect and Outlook
Authors: Paulin David 
Published: April 2013

On looking over the list of interesting and varied subjects which have been submitted for consideration and discussion in past years to this Society, in the enjoyment of which I have been a constant participant, I find that it is fully sixteen years since I appeared before you in the position which I am glad to occupy again to-night as the reader of a paper.The subject then selected related to the distribution of population in the United Kingdom, and discussed how each district could most effectively be occupied by branches and agencies, so as to bring the beneficent system of Life Assurance within the reach of every one. Since that paper was read, it has been my good fortune to extend my experience from the superintendence of the outside organisation of a great office to other departments of the business of Life Assurance, and especially to give the closest attention in a variety of connections to that most important but most difficult subject, the investment of moneys at the highest rate of interest consistent with the safety of the principal.
Lecture IV. Conditions in Fire Policies
Authors: Harvey William 
Published: April 2013

The law of fire insurance depends on the two fundamental principles, that a fire policy is a contract of indemnity, and that, in its usual form, it is a personal contract. In the present lecture I propose only to deal with the conditions in fire policies which express or modify these principles.The first principle, that fire insurance is a contract of indemnity, is founded on considerations of public policy, and is a rule of law which cannot be set aside by consent of parties. An insurance against loss by fire for a fixed sum, irrespective of the actual loss sustained by the insured, would not be valid or enforceable.Policies of marine insurance, which, like fire insurance, is a contract of indemnity, are sometimes made valued policies, but this does not mean that the policy will be sustained if it is proved that the value stated in the policy exceeds the actual value of the subject insured. The object of the valuation is to supersede the necessity of inquiry into the value of the vessel and cargo after they have been lost, but if it is proved that there has been a fraudulent over-valuation on the part of the insured, or an illegal agreement between the insurer and insured to effect an insurance without interest, the policy will not be sustained for the actual value, but will be treated as altogether void. A valued policy is therefore good for its amount or for nothing.