Macroeconomic policy change: Ireland in comparative perspective

This paper sets out to develop an improved framework for examining critical junctures. This a priori framework is a significant improvement over existing critical juncture frameworks that lack any predictive element. It is an advance for historical institutionalism in particular, and political science in general. After the new framework is set out in detail here, it is tested. The framework is used to examine a number of potential critical junctures in macroeconomic policy, drawn from Ireland, Sweden, Britain, and America in the latter half of the twentieth century

The role of economic evaluation in the decision-making process of family physicians: design and methods of a qualitative embedded multiple-case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A considerable amount of resource allocation decisions take place daily at the point of the clinical encounter; especially in primary care, where 80 percent of health problems are managed. Ignoring economic evaluation evidence in individual clinical decision-making may have a broad impact on the efficiency of health services. To date, almost all studies on the use of economic evaluation in decision-making used a quantitative approach, and few investigated decision-making at the clinical level. An important question is whether economic evaluations affect clinical practice. The project is an intervention research study designed to understand the role of economic evaluation in the decision-making process of family physicians (FPs). The contributions of the project will be from the perspective of Pierre Bourdieu's sociological theory.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>A qualitative research strategy is proposed. We will conduct an embedded multiple-case study design. Ten case studies will be performed. The FPs will be the unit of analysis. The sampling strategies will be directed towards theoretical generalization. The 10 selected cases will be intended to reflect a diversity of FPs. There will be two embedded units of analysis: FPs (micro-level of analysis) and field of family medicine (macro-level of analysis). The division of the determinants of practice/behaviour into two groups, corresponding to the macro-structural level and the micro-individual level, is the basis for Bourdieu's mode of analysis. The sources of data collection for the micro-level analysis will be 10 life history interviews with FPs, documents and observational evidence. The sources of data collection for the macro-level analysis will be documents and 9 open-ended, focused interviews with key informants from medical associations and academic institutions. The analytic induction approach to data analysis will be used. A list of codes will be generated based on both the original framework and new themes introduced by the participants. We will conduct within-case and cross-case analyses of the data.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The question of the role of economic evaluation in FPs' decision-making is of great interest to scientists, health care practitioners, managers and policy-makers, as well as to consultants, industry, and society. It is believed that the proposed research approach will make an original contribution to the development of knowledge, both empirical and theoretical.</p

Time dependent tomographic reconstruction of the solar corona

International audienceno abstrac

Analysis of aerosol emission and dispersion during the laser cutting of fukushima fuel debris simulants

International audienceThe general context of the article is related to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of the laser cutting technique for the fuel debris retrieval on the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi. IRSN is involved in a project lead by ONET with CEA, to bring relevant elements to analyze the risk occurred by the dispersion of aerosols emitted by the dismantling operations. Results regarding the aerosols source term characterization emitted during laser cutting of non-radioactive fuel debris simulants were acquired during experiments undertaken on the DELIA cutting laser platform from CEA. IRSN realized aerosol sampling, aerosol size distribution measurement and CFD calculation of aerosol transport and wall deposition. The evaluations performed will enable the Japanese teams responsible for extracting corium from the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi to define the best strategies to implement containment, and ultimately to limit the dissemination of radionuclides in the environment

Time-dependent tomographic reconstruction of the solar corona

International audienceno abstrac

Analysis of aerosol emission and dispersion during the laser cutting of fukushima fuel debris simulants

International audienceThe general context of the article is related to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of the laser cutting technique for the fuel debris retrieval on the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi. IRSN is involved in a project lead by ONET with CEA, to bring relevant elements to analyze the risk occurred by the dispersion of aerosols emitted by the dismantling operations. Results regarding the aerosols source term characterization emitted during laser cutting of non-radioactive fuel debris simulants were acquired during experiments undertaken on the DELIA cutting laser platform from CEA. IRSN realized aerosol sampling, aerosol size distribution measurement and CFD calculation of aerosol transport and wall deposition. The evaluations performed will enable the Japanese teams responsible for extracting corium from the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi to define the best strategies to implement containment, and ultimately to limit the dissemination of radionuclides in the environment

Analysis of aerosol emission and dispersion during the laser cutting of fukushima fuel debris simulants

International audienceThe general context of the article is related to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of the laser cutting technique for the fuel debris retrieval on the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi. IRSN is involved in a project lead by ONET with CEA, to bring relevant elements to analyze the risk occurred by the dispersion of aerosols emitted by the dismantling operations. Results regarding the aerosols source term characterization emitted during laser cutting of non-radioactive fuel debris simulants were acquired during experiments undertaken on the DELIA cutting laser platform from CEA. IRSN realized aerosol sampling, aerosol size distribution measurement and CFD calculation of aerosol transport and wall deposition. The evaluations performed will enable the Japanese teams responsible for extracting corium from the damaged reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi to define the best strategies to implement containment, and ultimately to limit the dissemination of radionuclides in the environment