Sourcing the ore from the Drierivier copper smelting site in central Namibia, using lead isotope fingerprinting

Copper smelting residues from C. AD 1650 found at the Drierivier site near Rehoboth in central Namibia have 207Pb/206Pb isotope ratios that match a particular deposit at Swartmodder, but are markedly different from other known occurrences in the Rehoboth–Windhoek areas. For this reason, precise lead isotope determination is not necessary to source the ore, and raw peak height ratios obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are sufficient. This characteristic signature is present in all samples of malachite ore, slag, and copper prills collected on the site. Significantly, it is absent from a sample of local native copper, as well as from seven copper beads found elsewhere in central Namibia. This not only identifies the probable source of malachite ore but also provides a powerful tool for provenancing copper artefacts made at the Drierivier site, distinguishing them from those made elsewhere in the Namibian highlands

Terugkeer en re-integratie van ex-Syriëgangers

ARIKELEN: Inleiding Ruth Kats, Beatrice de Graaf en Pauline Jacobs - Terroristen in detentie. Een overzicht van de ontwikkeling en discussie over de terroristenafdelingen in Nederland, 2004-2022 Ruth Kats, Beatrice de Graaf en Pauline Jacobs - Terroristen voor de rechter. Hoe strafrechters een verblijf op de terroristenafdeling meenemen in hun beslissingen (of niet) Hanne Cuyckens - De repatriëring van Nederlandse Syriëgangers. Een verplichting voor de staat van oorsprong? Tamara Buruma en Frederieke Dölle - Vrouwelijke terugkeerders uit Syrië. Het perspectief van de verdediging Elanie Rodermond - Het leven na een terroristisch misdrijf. Recidive en re-integratie van extremistische ex-gedetineerden Chrisje Sandelowsky-Bosman en Ton Liefaard - Waarom Nederland zijn uitreizigers en hun kinderen in Noord-Syrië moet ophalen SAMENVATTING: Twintig jaar nadat het debat over terrorisme in Nederland juridische gevolgen kreeg in wet- en regelgeving, is het tijd om de balans op te maken. Hoe hebben het recht, de rechtspraak en de omgang met terrorismeverdachten in Nederland zich ontwikkeld? Waar staan we als het gaat om de berechting en detentie van terrorismeverdachten en geradicaliseerden? In dit themanummer van Justitiële verkenningen worden diverse aspecten van dit juridische complex aangesneden. De vraag van dit themanummer is inventariserend (waar staan we?), beschrijvend (hoe zijn de ontwikkelingen verlopen?), analyserend (wat is het effect van detentie?) en gedeeltelijk ook wel normatief/proscriptief (wat zou de wenselijke richting zijn van de ontwikkelingen?). De artikelen behandelen het vraagstuk van detentie, strafmaat, recidive, repatriëring, resocialisatie en rehabilitatie van terrorismeverdachten en -veroordeelden en denken kritisch mee met de doorontwikkeling van deze praktijken. Een rode draad in dit themanummer is, dat er wordt gepleit voor meer maatvoering, minder boude, politiek gekleurde en algemene maatregelen (‘het is nu eenmaal terrorisme’), en voor een perspectief op terrorisme dat boven het strikt strafrechtelijke uitstijgt. Terrorisme is – omdat het vaak over nog niet begane strafdaden, over preventie en risico gaat – een categorie dreiging die soms moeilijk in het binaire koppel van schuldig-onschuldig te vangen is. Terrorisme – en zeker radicalisering – is ook een psychologisch, pedagogisch, en soms sociaaleconomisch fenomeen, dat meer in die bredere context en minder als een strikt strafrechtelijke kwestie kan en moet worden afgedaan

COPD - do the right thing

A gap exists between guidelines and real-world clinical practice for the management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although this has narrowed in the last decade, there is room for improvement in detection rates, treatment choices and disease monitoring. In practical terms, primary care practitioners need to become aware of the huge impact of COPD on patients, have non-judgemental views of smoking and of COPD as a chronic disease, use a holistic consultation approach and actively motivate patients to adhere to treatment. This article is based on discussions at a virtual meeting of leading Nordic experts in COPD (the authors) who were developing an educational programme for COPD primary care in the Nordic region. The article aims to describe the diagnosis and lifelong management cycle of COPD, with a strong focus on providing a hands-on, practical approach for medical professionals to optimise patient outcomes in COPD primary care

The prevalence of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a primary care population with respiratory tract infections - a case finding study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an underdiagnosed cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence of COPD has been shown to be highly associated with positive smoking history and increasing age. Spirometry is the method used for diagnosing COPD. However, identifying patients at risk of COPD to undergo spirometry tests has been challenging. Therefore, there is a need for new cost-effective and feasible diagnostic screening procedures for use in primary care centers. Our aim was to describe the prevalence and severity of undiagnosed COPD in a group of patients with respiratory infections attending urgent primary care, and to identify those variables in patients' history that could be used to detect the disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients of 40-75 years (n = 138) attending urgent primary care center with acute respiratory tract infection, positive smoking history and no previously known pulmonary disease underwent pre- and post bronchodilator spirometry testing four to five weeks after the acute infection. Prevalence and severity of COPD were estimated following the Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD) criteria. Variables such as sex, age, current smoking status, smoking intensity (pack years) and type of infection diagnosis were assessed for possible associations with COPD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of previously undiagnosed COPD in our study group was 27%, of which 45% were in stage 1 (FEV1 ≥ 80% of predicted), 53% in stage 2 (50 ≤ FEV1 < 80% of predicted), 3% in stage 3 (30 ≤ FEV1 < 50% of predicted) and 0% in stage 4 (FEV1 < 30% of predicted). We found a significant association between COPD and age ≥ 55 (OR = 10.9 [95% CI 3.8-30.1]) and between COPD and smoking intensity (pack years > 20) (OR = 3.2 [95% CI 1.2-8.5]). Sex, current smoking status and type of infection diagnosis were not shown to be significantly associated with COPD.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A middle-aged or older patient with any type of common respiratory tract infection, positive smoking history and no previously known pulmonary disease has an increased likelihood of having underlying COPD. These patients should be offered spirometry testing for diagnosis of COPD.</p