644 research outputs found
Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and the risk of childhood cancer-illustrated with domestic radon and radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure
No full textBackground
Children are exposed to many different environmental factors, including exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation and to non-ionizing radiation.
Low-dose ionizing radiation comprises anthropogenic modified radiation and natural ionizing radiation from cosmic rays from the atmosphere, terrestrial gamma radiation from radionuclides in rocks and soils and radiation from radon.
Non-ionizing radiation comprises optical radiation and radiation from electromagnetic fields. The latter comprises radiation from extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF; high voltage power lines, electrical installations) and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF; broadcast transmitters, mobile phone base stations, mobile and cordless phones).
Both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation are assumed to be associated with childhood cancer.
Aims
Within this dissertation, we primarily aimed to assess whether there is an association between domestic radon exposure and childhood cancers. We further investigated whether there is an association between low-dose ionizing gamma radiation and childhood cancers. We finally assessed whether there is an association between RF-EMF exposure from broadcast transmitters and childhood cancers.
Methods
We performed prospective census-based cohort designs, considering all children, aged less than 16 years and living in Switzerland at the date of census 2000 (December 5th 2000). Time at risk was set to begin at census and lasted until the date of diagnosis, death, emigration, a child’s 16th birthday or until the end of the year 2008. In terms of non-ionizing radiation from far-field RF-EMF sources from broadcast transmitters, we carried out a further prospective cohort analysis, considering all children, aged less than 16 years and living in Switzerland between 1985 and 2008.
We assessed exposure at baseline (date of census 2000) for each child’s home address. For the analyses on RF-EMF exposure to broadcast transmitters and childhood cancers where a longer follow-up was considered, we considered exposure at the time of diagnosis.
For the analyses on domestic radon exposure and childhood cancers, exposure assessment was based on a nationwide radon prediction model. For the analyses on low-dose ionizing gamma radiation and childhood cancers, exposure assessment was based on modelled and measured dose rates from outdoor gamma radiation. For the analyses on RF-EMF exposure to broadcast transmitters and childhood cancers, exposure assessment was based on modeled field strengths.
Results
We estimated arithmetic mean radon concentrations to be 85.7 Bq/m³ (range: 6.9-337.2 Bq/m³) for childhood cancer cases and 85.9 Bq/m³ (range: 0.7-490.1 Bq/m³) for the rest of the study population. Despite relative high radon levels in Switzerland, we found no evidence for an association between domestic radon exposure and childhood cancers.
We found increased leukaemia risk (including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) with respect to gamma radiation for children who lived at the same address between 1995 and 2000.
Finally, we found no increased leukaemia risk but increased central nervous system (CNS) tumour risks with respect to RF-EMF exposure from broadcast transmitters.
Conclusions and Outlook
The findings of our analyses, indicating no association between domestic radon exposure and childhood cancers were consistent with past studies that estimated doses of domestic radon concentrations for different body organs (lung, red bone marrow, brain).
The results of the analyses on gamma radiation and childhood cancers indicate that low dose ionizing gamma radiation might be relevant in terms of childhood leukaemia. These results were also found to be consistent with dose estimations for different body organs (red bone marrow, brain). They indicated that the same gamma radiation dose to the red bone marrow over a longer time period is probably necessary for gamma radiation to lead to childhood leukaemia.
The findings from the analyses on RF-EMF exposure from broadcasting and childhood leukaemia were found to be consistent with results from animal, in-vitro and laboratory studies. On the contrary, the findings indicating increased CNS tumours from RF-EMF exposure to broadcast transmitters contradict results from former studies. Our results are further in contradiction to a previous case-control study on wireless phones. This study could not find an increased risk for CNS tumours from the use of wireless phones that lead to substantially higher exposure to the head.
Although no evidence for an association with childhood cancers was found, domestic radon exposure is of public health relevance with regard to lung cancer in adults.
The findings from the analyses on gamma radiation and childhood cancers indicate that gamma radiation is of public health relevance as well, especially when children are exposed to the same gamma radiation dose over a longer time period.
Statements on possible public health relevance concerning non-ionizing radiation of RF-EMF from broadcasting on the other hand are not yet possible, as the results for CNS tumours need further clarification
Saint Dimitri of Rostov and Dostoevsky
No full textAcademic literature until now has ignored the possibility of seeing the roots of Dostoevsky’s idea of a God-bearing people in the Saint Dimitri of Rostov’s conception of the passion bearer. But, on the contrary, obvious parallels between the two permit the author to speak of a deliberate coincidence. On the other hand, the two are divided in their conceptions of the reasons for human sufferin
Die Herkunft des byzantinischen Familiennamens Λάσκαρις
No full textIn this article, the author suggests a new etymology for the name Laskaris, born by a family that gave Byzantium one of its imperial dynasties. Older hypotheses are examined, especially the generally accepted one according to which Laskaris is a name of Persian origin meaning "warrior." The author suggests Lascaris rather comes from a Arabic word defining a physical feature: "blonde" or "red-haired.REB 62 2004 p. 269-273
Dimitri Theodorides, Die Herkunft des Byzantinischen Familiennamens Αάσκαρις. — Cet article propose une nouvelle étymologie du nom Lascaris, porté par une famille qui donna une dynastie à Byzance. L'auteur reprend les hypothèses proposées, notamment celle qui est généralement admise et qui ferait de Lascaris un nom d'origine perse, signifiant le « guerrier ». L'auteur propose plutôt d'y voir un mot arabe caractérisant un trait physique : le « blond » ou le « roux ».Theodoridis Dimitri. Die Herkunft des byzantinischen Familiennamens Λάσκαρις. In: Revue des études byzantines, tome 62, 2004. pp. 269-273
Take me to church
No full textThis thesis is a narrative of masculinity and Latinx identity. More specifically, multiple generations of Puerto Ricanness.M.F.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Dimitri Reye
Book Launch | Dimitri Van Den Meerssche's The World Bank's Lawyers
No full textOn Wednesday 16 November, the ESIL Interest Groups on History of Intentional Law and International Organisations and Völkerrechtsblog, hosted a book launch for The World Bank’s Lawyers by Dr. Dimitri van den Meerssche (Queen Mary University London).In addition to hearing from the author, discussants included Negar Mansouri (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), Dr Gail Lythgoe (University of Manchester), Dr. Tommaso Soave (Central European University) and Dr. Ahmed Memon (Cardiff School of Law and Politics). Florenz Volkaert (Ghent University) moderated.<br/
Book Launch | Dimitri Van Den Meerssche's The World Bank's Lawyers
No full textOn Wednesday 16 November, the ESIL Interest Groups on History of Intentional Law and International Organisations and Völkerrechtsblog, hosted a book launch for The World Bank’s Lawyers by Dr. Dimitri van den Meerssche (Queen Mary University London).In addition to hearing from the author, discussants included Negar Mansouri (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), Dr Gail Lythgoe (University of Manchester), Dr. Tommaso Soave (Central European University) and Dr. Ahmed Memon (Cardiff School of Law and Politics). Florenz Volkaert (Ghent University) moderated.<br/
Book Launch | Dimitri Van Den Meerssche's The World Bank's Lawyers
No full textOn Wednesday 16 November, the ESIL Interest Groups on History of Intentional Law and International Organisations and Völkerrechtsblog, hosted a book launch for The World Bank’s Lawyers by Dr. Dimitri van den Meerssche (Queen Mary University London).In addition to hearing from the author, discussants included Negar Mansouri (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), Dr Gail Lythgoe (University of Manchester), Dr. Tommaso Soave (Central European University) and Dr. Ahmed Memon (Cardiff School of Law and Politics). Florenz Volkaert (Ghent University) moderated.<br/
Unemployment insurance in Algeria : implications for a labor market in transition
No full textTo predict how Algeria's unemployment crisis will evolve, the author evaluates the Algerian unemployment insurance system's ability to finance itself, to affect employment decisions, and promote enterprise restructuring. The main conclusion is that industrial restructuring has serious and persistent implications for the labor market. In an environment where many equilibria are possible, there is a real danger of reaching a high unemployment equilibrium. The big-bang experience of structural adjustment in Central and Eastern Europe transition economies resulted in large-scale unemployment. Despite considerable restructuring progress, structural rigidities still exist in the labor market, and long-term unemployment has persisted. One advantage of the big-bang approach is adjustment speed, but the resulting unemployment may be too costly for Algeria's economy, especially if it persists. A more modern mixed bang approach would incorporate active employment measures to mitigate entrenched unemployment. The policies will maintain or enhance human capital through work, so idle workers don't lose their skills. Flex-time arrangements would help workers maintain an attachment to the labor force. However minor, such work would help workers avoid the traps of long-term unemployment. Two striking conclusions emerge from the Central and Eastern European experience: a) unemployment is not essential to enterprise restructuring and labor market adjustment;and b) growing long-term unemployment is self-fulfilling and results in higher and persistence unemployment. Although active employment measures are costly and have relatively low rates of return in the short run, they can be marginally effective as part of a long-term strategy.Health Economics&Finance,Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Markets,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Markets,Economic Theory&Research,Health Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform
Emerging properties of the citations network
No full textTreballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2024, Tutor: Dimitri MarinelliThis essay presents an analysis of the American Physical Society (APS) dataset, comprising metadata and citations of APS articles. We focus on network structures behind the dataset.
We build three different networks: citation network, author citation networks, and co-author network.
We compute key network metrics such as degree distribution, clustering coefficients, and centrality measures. We expect the degree distribution of the different networks to follow a power-law distribution. Through simulations, we compare the citation network structure to randomly generated directed graphs built by the configuration model with the same degree distribution, obtaining substantially different structural configurations. The in-degree distribution of the citation network exhibited scale-free properties, compatible with the preferential attachment network development.
This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the APS citation network and emphasizes the importance of temporal and preferential attachment mechanisms in shaping real-world network
Uncertainty and propagation analysis on DIMITRI
No full textDIMITRI is a tool that has been developed for monitoring the radiometric performance of optical instruments onboard Earth observation satellites. It includes a reflectance model through which a calibration coefficient is computed which is used for performance monitoring. In this thesis, the uncertainty that is associated with this coefficient is researched and a classification in random and systematic uncertainty components is attempted. Throughout this research it became clear that such a classification is somewhat ambiguous and can be misleading because systematic uncertainties are not always constant. In order to identify such uncertainties, the entire modelling / measurement process with respect to the input variables of the reflectance model, and the algorithm of the reflectance model itself, have been researched for potential uncertainty sources. What became clear is that input variable uncertainties are of both nature; random and systematic. In addition, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted to assess how the calibration coefficient depends on changes in the input variables. Out of these, the Chlorophyll variable causes the highest deviations due to the large uncertainties associated with this parameter. This research has been able to identify uncertainty sources but has not been able to assign any value to those sources. Any subsequent research could use the identified uncertainty sources described here and attempt to quantify their value to yield a total uncertainty that can be associated to the calibration coefficient. This will increase the usability of this performance monitoring coefficient which means that the user will obtain more information regarding the accuracy of the performance degradation of the optical instrument onboard Earth observation satellites.Aerospace Engineering | Space Fligh
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