Notes on mortality research. Discussion of related papers presented at the International Population Conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), held in Manila, Philippines, December 9-16, 1981

This article overviews the papers presented at a session of the International Population Conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population devoted to the determinants of changes in late fetal, infant, and child mortality. A strong negative association of maternal and paternal educational level and infant and child mortality was reported; however, it was recognized that this association may be spurious since education is also associated with cultural and socioeconomic variables. Improved utilization of health services may be 1 of the mechanisms through which education influences mortality. In addition, women with low levels of education tend to be of lower socioeconomic status, in turn associated with infant mortality risk factors such as delays in seeking prenatal care, short stature, poorer health, work during pregnancy, and inadequate nutrition. Other papers focused on the impact of specific interventions on infant and child mortality, e.g. family planning, tetanus immunization, and oral rehydration therapy. It was noted that technology successful in pilot studies aften fails when implemented in larger population groups. It was suggested that integrated primary health care programs with a strong education component and utilization of paramedical personnel may be most effective in reducing infant and child mortality. The application of the principles of social learning theory, which seeks to modify behavior through participant modelling and reinforcement, should be explored. Also essential is attention to the social and economic context that influences and constrains maternal and child health. Finally, a need for analyses of mortality rates by categories of functional groups (e.g. occupation of father) was noted.     

EURADOS Annual Meeting 2007, Scientific Symposium on Characterisation of Workplaces for the Assessment of the Doses to Individuals and Winter School on Practical Examples to Determine Uncertainties in Radiation Dosimetry

The European Radiation Dosimetry Group, EURADOS, stimulatescollaboration in the dosimetry of ionising radiation particularlyby setting up working groups (WGs) of experts to address specificproblem areas. It presently comprises 54 member institutionsthroughout Europe. One of the means by which EURADOS coordinates its work and disseminatesresults is via annual meetings, usually held at the start ofthe year. Since 2004, this annual meeting has been increasedby a day set aside as a Scientific Symposium to address issuesin a particular topic area. Thus, during the annual meeting2004 in Braunschweig, a symposium     

Selective Oxidation of Glycerol Catalyzed by Rh/Activated Carbon: Importance of Support Surface Chemistry

Abstract  

Noble metal catalysts (Pt, Ir, Pd, Rh, Au) supported on activated carbon were assessed for glycerol oxidation. Rhodium is a highly efficient catalyst when the support has neutral or basic properties. The surface chemistry of activated carbon plays a key role in the performance.     

The influence of nuclear generation on CO2 emissions and on the cost of the Spanish system in long-term generation planning

This paper presents the influence of a nuclear generation option on CO₂ emissions and on the cost of the Spanish long-term generation system by means of the development of a stochastic linear model, based on the software GAMS, where multiple aspects have been contemplated: the uncertainty regards fossil fuel and CO₂ emission allowance prices by analysing different scenarios, the stability and supply security of the system by considering different restrictions, the maximum grade of penetration of the different technologies by means of commissioning plans, etc. Only two of the conclusions drawn are focused on here. First, it is possible to get a clean system without nuclear power generation but the cost would be higher than in the case where the existing nuclear power plants continue to operate. Second, the development of clean coal technologies could be affected negatively by the development of nuclear generation.     

Catalytic Activity of Thallium on Electrochemical Degradation of Metronidazole from Aqueous Solutions

The platinum/thallium electrode was prepared by thallium electrodeposition on platinum substrate in order to use it for the increase of the electrochemical degradation rate of some drugs, such as, in our study, metronidazole (MNZ). The platinum/thallium electrode was characterized by chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. 2D progressive nucleation mechanism of thallium layer development was found by chronoamperometry. The value of charge transfer resistance of 537.2 Ω cm² and the double-layer capacitance value of 2.9 mF cm^?2 were deduced by EIS. The scanning electron microscopy showed a relatively fine-grained structure and the uniform distribution of the thallium granules. The electrochemical degradation of metronidazole has been performed using galvanostatic technique associated with UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The degradation degree of metronidazole reached a higher level on platinum/thallium electrode than that on platinum plate, indicating its improved performance and electrocatalytic activity of thallium coating. Moreover, the electrochemical degradation mechanism of this drug was proposed, the best way to fit the experimental data being the kinetics model of the first-order reactions.     

TAPISTRY—A Software Process Improvement Approach Tailored for Small Enterprises

TAPISTRY is a tutored process improvement approach tailored for small enterprises. The approach was developed, used and validated in an ongoing ESSI Esprit project (No 24238), called “TAPISTRY.” The TAPISTRY project adopted a downscaled assessment model of the BOOTSTRAP assessment methodology, called BootCheck, and developed a workshop-based assessment and improvement method, to form together a process improvement approach for small-to-medium-sized enterprises. In TAPISTRY workshops the participants are tutored in self-assessment and improvement planning by software process improvement experts. The resulting TAPISTRY approach was validated through the experiments performed during the TAPISTRY project. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.