PADAMOT : project overview report

Background and relevance to radioactive waste management International consensus confirms that placing radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel deep underground in a geological repository is the generally preferred option for their long-term management and disposal. This strategy provides a number of advantages compared to leaving it on or near the Earth’s surface. These advantages come about because, for a well chosen site, the geosphere can provide: • a physical barrier that can negate or buffer against the effects of surface dominated natural disruptive processes such as deep weathering, glaciation, river and marine erosion or flooding, asteroid/comet impact and earthquake shaking etc. • long and slow groundwater return pathways from the facility to the biosphere along which retardation, dilution and dispersion processes may operate to reduce radionuclide concentration in the groundwater. • a stable, and benign geochemical environment to maximise the longevity of the engineered barriers such as the waste containers and backfill in the facility. • a natural radiation shield around the wastes. • a mechanically stable environment in which the facility can be constructed and will afterwards be protected. • an environment which reduces the likelihood of the repository being disturbed by inadvertent human intrusion such as land use changes, construction projects, drilling, quarrying and mining etc. • protection against the effects of deliberate human activities such as vandalism, terrorism and war etc. However, safety considerations for storing and disposing of long-lived radioactive wastes must take into account various scenarios that might affect the ability of the geosphere to provide the functionality listed above. Therefore, in order to provide confidence in the ability of a repository to perform within the deep geological setting at a particular site, a demonstration of geosphere “stability” needs to be made. Stability is defined here to be the capacity of a geological and hydrogeological system to minimise the impact of external influences on the repository environment, or at least to account for them in a manner that would allow their impacts to be evaluated and accounted for in any safety assessments. A repository should be sited where the deep geosphere is a stable host in which the engineered containment can continue to perform according to design and in which the surrounding hydrogeological, geomechanical and geochemical environment will continue to operate as a natural barrier to radionuclide movement towards the biosphere. However, over the long periods of time during which long-lived radioactive wastes will pose a hazard, environmental change at the surface has the potential to disrupt the stability of the geosphere and therefore the causes of environmental change and their potential consequences need to be evaluated. As noted above, environmental change can include processes such as deep weathering, glaciation, river and marine erosion. It can also lead to changes in groundwater boundary conditions through alternating recharge/discharge relationships. One of the key drivers for environmental change is climate variability. The question then arises, how can geosphere stability be assessed with respect to changes in climate? Key issues raised in connection with this are: • What evidence is there that 'going underground' eliminates the extreme conditions that storage on the surface would be subjected to in the long term? • How can the additional stability and safety of the deep geosphere be demonstrated with evidence from the natural system? As a corollary to this, the capacity of repository sites deep underground in stable rock masses to mitigate potential impacts of future climate change on groundwater conditions therefore needs to be tested and demonstrated. To date, generic scenarios for groundwater evolution relating to climate change are currently weakly constrained by data and process understanding. Hence, the possibility of site-specific changes of groundwater conditions in the future can only be assessed and demonstrated by studying groundwater evolution in the past. Stability of groundwater conditions in the past is an indication of future stability, though both the climatic and geological contexts must be taken into account in making such an assertion

Modus Vivendi Beyond the Social Contract: Peace, Justice, and Survival in Realist Political Theory

This essay examines the promise of the notion of modus vivendi for realist political theory. I interpret recent theories of modus vivendi as affirming the priority of peace over justice, and explore several ways of making sense of this idea. I proceed to identify two key problems for modus vivendi theory, so conceived. Normatively speaking, it remains unclear how this approach can sustain a realist critique of Rawlsian theorizing about justice while avoiding a Hobbesian endorsement of absolutism. And conceptually, the theory remains wedded to a key feature of social contract theory: political order is conceived as based on agreement. This construes the horizontal tensions among individual or group agents in society as prior to the vertical, authoritative relations between authorities and their subjects. Political authority thereby appears from the start as a solution to societal conflict, rather than a problem in itself. I argue that this way of framing the issue abstracts from political experience. Instead I attempt to rethink the notion of modus vivendi from within the lived experience of political conflict, as oriented not primarily toward peace, but political survival. With this shift of perspective, the idea of modus vivendi shows us, pace Bernard Williams, that the “first political question” is not how to achieve order and stability, but rather: what can I live with

Opinion dynamics: rise and fall of political parties

We analyze the evolution of political organizations using a model in which agents change their opinions via two competing mechanisms. Two agents may interact and reach consensus, and additionally, individual agents may spontaneously change their opinions by a random, diffusive process. We find three distinct possibilities. For strong diffusion, the distribution of opinions is uniform and no political organizations (parties) are formed. For weak diffusion, parties do form and furthermore, the political landscape continually evolves as small parties merge into larger ones. Without diffusion, a pattern develops: parties have the same size and they possess equal niches. These phenomena are analyzed using pattern formation and scaling techniques.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

"How do pilates trained physiotherapists utilize and value pilates exercise for MSK conditions? A qualitative study"

Background Pilates is a popular exercise therapy approach offering numerous benefits, including muscular strength, flexibility, control, and core stability. Pilates has been widely utilized in the prevention and rehabilitation of a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and opinions of Pilates trained NHS and private practice physiotherapists in the UK, regarding the perceived benefits, risks, delivery and rationale for this exercise method. Methods This qualitative study used a self‐designed electronic survey to retrieve the views of 30 physiotherapists, who had undertaken formal Pilates Instruction training, recruited by a purposive and snowball sampling method. Questions were either multiple choice or open‐ended, examined via thematic analysis. Results Physiotherapists identified the most important benefits of Pilates as reduction in fear‐avoidance, improving bodily awareness and increasing muscular strength. Exercises that promote general movement were highlighted as being particularly useful, with a majority recommending daily practice for optimum benefit. Participants recognized lack of core strength as a key indicator, whereas others criticized excessive focus on this principle. Conclusions Physiotherapists identified a range of inter‐linked benefits and recognized that Pilates is hugely modifiable. Individualizing exercises can further encourage participation and negate the restriction of some health conditions. NHS and Private Practice Therapists utilize Pilates in a similar way, although rationales for its use may differ, as the justification for Pilates exercise may be evolving. Pilates appears a valuable methodology in the NHS, which can help patients engage with activity

Dark Matter Seeding in Neutron Stars

We present a mechanism that may seed compact stellar objects with stable lumps of quark matter, or {\it strangelets}, through the self-annihilation of gravitationally accreted WIMPs. We show that dark matter particles with masses above a few GeV may provide enough energy in the nuclear medium for quark deconfinement and subsequent strangelet formation. If this happens this effect may then trigger a partial or full conversion of the star into a strange star. We set a new limit on the WIMP mass in the few-GeV range that seems to be consistent with recent indications in dark matter direct detection experiments.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure. Prepared for 19th Particles and Nuclei International Conference (PANIC 2011), Boston, USA 25-29 Jul 201

"We Really Help, Taking Care of Each Other": Older Homeless Adults as Caregivers.

Objectives:Many older homeless adults maintain contact with family. We conducted a qualitative study examining the role of family caregiving for older homeless adults. Method:We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with a sample of 46 homeless participants who reported spending at least one night with a housed family member in the prior 6 months. Results:A total of 13 of 46 older adult participants provided caregiving. Themes included (a) the death of the care recipient led to the participant's homelessness; (b) feeling a duty to act as caregivers; (c) providing care in exchange for housing; (d) caregivers' ability to stay was tenuous; (e) providing care conflicted with the caregiver's needs; and (f) resentment when family was ungrateful. Discussion:In a sample of older homeless adults in contact with family, many provided caregiving for housed family. For some, caregiving precipitated homelessness; for others, caregiving provided temporary respite from homelessness, and for others, caregiving continued during homelessness