16 research outputs found
Living organ donation and minors : a major dilemma
No full textAbstract: Home > Journals > European Journal of Health Law > Volume 20: Issue 1 > Living Organ Donation and Minors: A Major Dilemma Living Organ Donation and Minors: A Major Dilemma Author: Nils Broeckx 1 Source: European Journal of Health Law, Volume 20, Issue 1, pages 41 62 Subjects: Human Rights & Humanitarian Law Publication Year : 2013 DOI: 10.1163/15718093-12341253 ISSN : 0929-0273 E-ISSN : 1571-8093 View subscription options Keywords: minors; surrogate decision-making; solid organ donation; competence Full text article: \uab Previous ArticleTable of ContentsNext Article \ubbAbstract References & citations (0) Supplements (0) Abstract In this article, the case of living organ donation by minors is discussed. A distinction can be made between minors who are in fact already competent and those who are not. Minors who are in fact competent, should be able to decide on organ donation under the same conditions as competent adults. Incompetent minors could be allowed to act as living organ donors under exceptional circumstances on the basis of a best interest test. Decisions on living organ donation by incompetent minors should be embedded into a procedural framework in which parental consent, the approval of an independent body of health professionals, and the minors wishes play a substantial role
Works and plays in music
No full textThe aim of the author has been to revise the concept of the musical work and to re‐define different types of music which cannot be brought into accordance with any current meaning of ‘works’.
The inquiry starts from R. Ingarden's definition of the musical work and from Z. Lissa's critical remarks on it. Musical products are divided into two main categories: ‘works’ and ‘plays’.
Musical products presenting a sufficiently specific shape to distinguish them from other musical occurrences and based on a ‘composed’ musical content, displaying syntactical coherence and semantic autonomy are called ‘musical works’.
‘Musical plays’ are characterized either:
(a) by a complete functional subservience to a social, ideological, theatrical or filmic context;
(b) by vocal or instrumental performances, considered as completely self‐sufficient activities;
(c) by lacking any internal coherence;
(d) or by lacking a sufficient degree of specificity
Estimation of fissile material content in irradiated In-Pile Sections using neutron coincidence counters
No full textA set of In-Pile Sections (IPS) has been irradiated in the BR2 reactor at SCK•CEN in Belgium during the 1970’s and 1980’s. The primary goal of the IPS was to replicate the thermo-hydraulic loop of a sodium-cooled fast reactor in order to study severe accident scenarios. The top part of the IPS contained the sodium-cooled loop whereas the lower part contained the fuel element. Due to the experimental conditions, the rupture of the fuel pins contained in the IPS occurred and fuel fragments may have been deposited in the rest of the IPS loop. The part of the IPS containing the fuel pins has been cut from the rest of the IPS and underwent post-irradiation examinations at specialized EU laboratories, while the top parts remained stored at SCK•CEN. To prepare for future transport, dismantling and conditioning, a reliable estimation of the total fissile content in the stored parts of the IPS is indispensable.
In this framework, two IPS were measured with a Canberra WM3400 neutron coincidence counter with customized electronics. The measurements of the IPS were challenging due their length (roughly 6 m) and intense gamma-ray radiation background. For each IPS an axial scan was carried out with a series of short measurements (600-700 s each) recording the Totals rate and Reals rate. Based on the results of the axial scans, measurements with longer measurement time were conducted for the axial positions with the larger values of Reals rates.
A system of equations was then established to quantify the 240Pu content in the different sections of the IPS from the Reals rates in each measurement position and account for cross-talk between the neutron emission associated to the different sections. A set of Monte Carlo simulations was carried out to estimate the probability to record a Real count in the detector due to spontaneous fission events occurring in a given section of the IPS. The 240Pu content in each section of the IPS was calculated by combining the measured Reals rates and the detection probabilities calculated with the simulations. The total fissile content in the IPS was then determined with scaling factors based on burnup calculations for the irradiated fuel assemblies in the IPS. The results indicate that both IPS measured with the neutron coincidence counters have a fissile content lower than the limit for transport. It is expected that the envisaged segmentation of the IPS in shorter sections required to fit into 200L drums will provide an additional safety margin on this limit
Estimation of fissile material content in irradiated In-Pile Sections using neutron coincidence counters
No full textA set of In-Pile Sections (IPS) has been irradiated in the BR2 reactor at SCK•CEN in Belgium during the 1970’s and 1980’s. The primary goal of the IPS was to replicate the thermo-hydraulic loop of a sodium-cooled fast reactor in order to study severe accident scenarios. The top part of the IPS contained the sodium-cooled loop whereas the lower part contained the fuel element. Due to the experimental conditions, the rupture of the fuel pins contained in the IPS occurred and fuel fragments may have been deposited in the rest of the IPS loop. The part of the IPS containing the fuel pins has been cut from the rest of the IPS and underwent post-irradiation examinations at specialized EU laboratories, while the top parts remained stored at SCK•CEN. To prepare for future transport, dismantling and conditioning, a reliable estimation of the total fissile content in the stored parts of the IPS is indispensable.
In this framework, two IPS were measured with a Canberra WM3400 neutron coincidence counter with customized electronics. The measurements of the IPS were challenging due their length (roughly 6 m) and intense gamma-ray radiation background. For each IPS an axial scan was carried out with a series of short measurements (600-700 s each) recording the Totals rate and Reals rate. Based on the results of the axial scans, measurements with longer measurement time were conducted for the axial positions with the larger values of Reals rates.
A system of equations was then established to quantify the 240Pu content in the different sections of the IPS from the Reals rates in each measurement position and account for cross-talk between the neutron emission associated to the different sections. A set of Monte Carlo simulations was carried out to estimate the probability to record a Real count in the detector due to spontaneous fission events occurring in a given section of the IPS. The 240Pu content in each section of the IPS was calculated by combining the measured Reals rates and the detection probabilities calculated with the simulations. The total fissile content in the IPS was then determined with scaling factors based on burnup calculations for the irradiated fuel assemblies in the IPS. The results indicate that both IPS measured with the neutron coincidence counters have a fissile content lower than the limit for transport. It is expected that the envisaged segmentation of the IPS in shorter sections required to fit into 200L drums will provide an additional safety margin on this limit
Comparison of multiple protein extraction buffers for GeLC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of liver and colon formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues
No full textFormalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue specimens represent a potential valuable source of samples for clinical research. Since these specimens are banked in hospital archives, large cohorts of samples can be collected in short periods of time which can all be linked with a patients' clinical history. Therefore, the use of FFPE tissue in protein biomarker discovery studies gains interest. However, despite the growing number of FFPE proteome studies in the literature, there is a lack of a FFPE proteomics standard operating procedure (SOP). One of the challenging steps in the development of such a SOP is the ability to obtain an efficient and repeatable extraction of full length FFPE proteins. In this study, the protein extraction efficiency of eight protein extraction buffers is critically compared with GeLC-MS/MS (1D gel electrophoresis followed by in-gel digestion and LC-MS/MS). The data variation caused by using these extraction buffers was investigated since the variation is a very important aspect when using FFPE tissue as a source for biomarker detection. In addition, a qualitative comparison was made between the protein extraction efficiency and repeatability for FFPE tissue and fresh frozen tissue.sponsorship: The authors thank Wouter De Haes for assistance with the power analysis and Lut Arckens for the provision of murine FFPE tissue samples. This work was supported by the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT) and by the KU Leuven Research Fund. (Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), KU Leuven Research Fund)status: Publishe
Soil erosion in the Anthropocene: Research needs
No full textCopyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Soil erosion is a geomorphological and, at the same time, a land degradation process that may cause environmental and property damage, loss of livelihoods and services as well as social and economic disruption. Erosion not only lowers soil quality on-site, but causes also significant sediment-related problems off-site. Given the large number of research papers on this topic, one might therefore conclude that we know now almost everything about soil erosion and its control so that little new knowledge can be added. This conclusion can be refuted by pointing to some major research gaps. There is a need for more research attention to (1) improved understanding of both natural and anthropogenic soil erosion processes and their interactions, (2) scaling up soil erosion processes and rates in space and time, and (3) innovative techniques and strategies to prevent soil erosion or reduce erosion rates. This is illustrated with various case studies from around the world. If future research addresses these research gaps, we will (1) better understand processes and their interactions operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales, predict their rates as well as their on-site and off-site impacts, which is academically spoken rewarding but also crucial for better targeting erosion control measures, and (2) we will be in a better position to select the most appropriate and effective soil erosion control techniques and strategies which are highly necessary for a sustainable use of soils in the Anthropocene. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.sponsorship: Many colleagues have worked with me over the last few decades on the topics discussed in this paper and have, through inspiring visits to their erosion study sites and stimulating discussions, significantly influenced the ideas that I have presented. My sincere thanks go to them all. Some persons contributed directly by providing figures or data used in this paper: i.e. Hans Erens provided photos of termite mounds in Uganda, Lee Ingelbrecht (Research Centre of the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, Zonnebeke) for providing aerial photographs taken during World War I (WWI) and Mr Nicolas Pinoli (DOVO, Service for destruction of explosives, Belgian Army) for providing explosion crater data for WWI bombs. Matthias Vanmaercke, Jente Broeckx and Wouter Vannoppen are thanked for their critical review of an earlier manuscript. ESPL Editor Stuart Lane, an associate editor and two referees provided constructive comments which is much appreciated. I also thank the many funding agencies that have supported my research. I was honoured by the British Society for Geomorphology with the Linton Award and this paper is based on the Linton lecture 2016. (British Society for Geomorphology)status: Publishe
Integrating -Omics: Systems Biology as Explored Through C. elegans Research
No full text-Omics data have become indispensable to systems biology, which aims to describe the full complexity of functional cells, tissues, organs and organisms. Generating vast amounts of data via such methods, researchers have invested in ways of handling and interpreting these. From the large volumes of -omics data that have been gathered over the years, it is clear that the information derived from one -ome is usually far from complete. Now, individual techniques and methods for integration are maturing to the point that researchers can focus on network-based integration rather than simply interpreting single -ome studies. This review evaluates the application of integrated -omics approaches with a focus on Caenorhabditis elegans studies, intending to direct researchers in this field to useful databases and inspiring examples.sponsorship: Funding for this project was provided by Interuniversity Attraction Poles (IAP-P7/44). V.B. is an IWT Flanders research fellow. L.T. is an FWO-Flanders postdoctoral fellow. W.D.H. is funded by the KU Leuven Research Fund. (Interuniversity Attraction Poles|IAP-P7/44, KU Leuven Research Fund)status: Publishe
INSIDER UC2: the BR3 biological shield preliminary results and future work
No full textAiming at economical optimization, the characterisation of the biological shield of the Belgian Reactor 3 is one of the three use cases intended to validate the integrated characterization methodology developed within the INSIDER project. Pre-existing data were used to define the sampling design strategy. The additional sampling and analysis program consisted of total gamma measurements at the inner surface of the biological shield (secondary data) and gamma spectrometry measurements on drill core samples (primary data). The newly acquired data is supplemented with the historical available data. The full data set currently consists of a total of 283 secondary and 379 primary data points. Preliminary calculations already provide a clear-cut representation of the three different end-stage classes: unconditional clearance, conditional clearance and radioactive waste. On the short term, the current model will be further refined and completed with proper risk evaluation. On the longer term, we envisage a global uncertainty calculation and sensitivity analysis of the entire process
