Retention of chlorine-36 by a cementitious backfill

Radial diffusion experiments have been carried out to assess the migration of 36Cl, as chloride, through a cementitious backfill material. Further experiments in the presence of cellulose degradation products were performed to assess the effect of organic ligands on the extent and rate of chloride diffusion. Results show that breakthrough of 36Cl is dependent on chloride concentration: as the carrier concentration increases, both breakthrough time and the quantity retained by the cement matrix decreases. Experiments in the presence of cellulose degradation products also show a decrease in time to initial breakthrough. However, uptake at various carrier concentrations in the presence of organic ligands converges at 45% of the initial concentration as equilibrium is reached. The results are consistent with organic ligands blocking sites on the cement that would otherwise be available for chloride binding, though further work is required to confirm that this is the case. Post-experimental digital autoradiographs of the cement cylinders, and elemental mapping showed evidence of increased 36Cl activity associated with black ash-like particles in the matrix, believed to correspond to partially hydrated glassy calcium-silicate-sulfate-rich clinker

Let's talk about sex – what do older men and women say about their sexual relations and sexual activities? A qualitative analysis of ELSA Wave 6 data

In 2012/2013 the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) included a comprehensive Sexual Relationships and Activities questionnaire (SRA-Q). A total of 7,079 men and women aged 50 to >90, primarily heterosexual and in a coupled relationship, completed the SRA-Q answering a series of questions about their attitudes to sexual relationships, their own sexual activities, problems and concerns with sexual functioning, and quality of intimate relationships. The questions aimed to gain insights into the ways in which sexual relations and activities related to health, well-being and other lifestyle factors as people grow older. The primary mode of data collection was a tick box response to a series of questions. However, at the end of the questionnaire an open comment box was provided, which asked respondents whether there was anything else that they would like to say. 1,084 respondents provided additional information and these comments created a unique qualitative dataset. The analysis of this data then illustrated how people’s health, relationships, experiences and perceptions of ageing, along with sexual satisfaction, impact on sexual relationships and activities

Experience of pelvic floor muscle exercises among women in Taiwan: a qualitative study of improvement in urinary incontinence and sexuality

Aims and objectives To gain an in-depth understanding of women's experiences of performing pelvic floor muscle exercises for urinary incontinence and the impact on their sexuality. Background Urinary incontinence is not a life-threatening disorder; however, it has been shown to have detrimental effects on quality of life in terms of psychological, social and sexual dysfunction. Pelvic floor muscle exercises is the first recommended strategy for managing mild to moderate urinary incontinence as it is noninvasive and cost effective. Pelvic floor muscle exercises reduce incontinence and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which positively affects sexual function in women. Currently, the data are scarce for qualitative literature regarding the subjective experiences of Taiwanese women undergoing pelvic floor muscle exercises and the impact on their urinary incontinence and sexuality. Design Qualitative exploratory study. Methods Semi-structured in depth interviews were undertaken with twelve women who had completed a pelvic floor muscle exercises program in Taiwan. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Themes were related to Taiwanese women's initial feelings that urinary incontinence was inevitable and the effects on their sexuality. Three core themes were identified: perceptions of inevitability, developing awareness and gaining control and sexual taboo. Through developing awareness and control of their pelvic floor muscles women expressed improvement in urinary incontinence. Sexual enjoyment, body image, self confidence and sexuality were also enhanced. Conclusion Pelvic floor muscle exercises had a positive effect on urinary incontinence and sexuality. The findings demonstrated that sex is a taboo topic for many Taiwanese women. With the sensitive management of pelvic floor muscle exercises programs this issue can be addressed. Relevance to clinical practice This study raises awareness of healthcare professionals by identifying how Taiwanese women perceive pelvic floor muscles. The positive impact of pelvic floor muscle exercises upon both urinary incontinence and sexuality within the Taiwanese context are addressed. Nurses may also, with greater confidence initiate discussion of women's sexual concerns as part of managing urinary incontinence

Successful aging, change in sexual interest and sexual satisfaction in couples from four European countries

Although the importance of sexuality and physical intimacy for well-being of older adults has been recognized, the role of sexuality in successful aging (SA) has been largely neglected. Building on our previous work, here we further validated a three-dimensional model of SA and examined its associations with sexual satisfaction and change in sexual interest among older heterosexual couples (aged 60–75 years). Participants were recruited in a probability-based survey, which was carried out in 2016–2017 in four European countries. Using structural equation modeling of the Actor–Partner Interdependence, we observed significant relationships between SA and sexual satisfaction for both male and female partners across countries. Among women, their retrospectively assessed change in sexual interest over the past 10 years was consistently associated with sexual satisfaction. Partner effects were gender-specific: male partners’ SA was significantly related to their female partners’ change in sexual interest, which in turn was linked to male partners’ sexual satisfaction. The findings point to substantial ties between successful aging and sexuality in older European couples. Taking into account the prevalent stereotypes about old age and sexuality, this study’s findings can assist professionals working with aging couples

Health care professionals' views on discussing sexual wellbeing with patients who have had a stroke: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: To examine the experiences of health care professionals discussing sexual wellbeing with patients who have had a stroke. DESIGN: In-depth qualitative interview study with purposive sampling and thematic analysis. PARTICIPANTS: 30 health care professionals purposively recruited to include different roles and settings along the stroke patient pathway in secondary and primary care. SETTING: Two hospitals and three general practices in the West Midlands, UK. RESULTS: Sexual wellbeing was a topic that participants did not raise with patients and was infrequently raised by patients. Barriers to raising discussion were on four levels: structural, health care professional, patient, and professional-patient interface. Barriers within these levels included: sexual wellbeing not present within hospital stroke policy; the perception that sexual wellbeing was not within participants' role; participants' concern that raising the issue could cause harm to the patient; and the views that discussion would be inappropriate with older people or unimportant to women. Resources exist to aid discussion but many participants were unaware of them, and most of those that were, did not use them routinely. CONCLUSIONS: Participants lacked motivation, ownership, and the confidence and skills to raise sexual wellbeing routinely after stroke. Similar findings have been reported in cancer care and other taboo subjects such as incontinence potentially resulting in a sub-optimal experience for patients. Normalisation of the inclusion of sensitive topics in discussions post-stroke does not seem to need significant structural intervention and simple changes such as information provision and legitimisation through consideration of the issue in standard care policies may be all that is required. The experiences recounted by professionals in this study suggest that such changes are needed now

Nested radiations and the pulse of angiosperm diversification: increased diversification rates often follow whole genome duplications

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111924/1/nph13491-sup-0001-FigS1-TableS1-S2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111924/2/nph13491.pd

Presentism and the flow of time

The paper examines the relations between presentism and the thesis concerning the existence of the flow of time. It tries to show that the presentist has to admit the existence of the passage of time and that the standard formulation of presentism as a singular thesis saying that only the present exists is insufficient because it does not allow the inference of the existence of the passage of time. Instead of this, the paper proposes a formulation of presentism with the aid of the notion of becoming; not only does a formulation state the existence of the flow of time in such a way as to avoid the question of the rate of the passage of time, it also allows the inference of the existence of only present things and events. The paper demonstrates that the proposed conception of presentism also has other virtues, such as homogeneity, non-triviality, and ability to express dynamicity of presentists’ image of the world which testify for it

The bien r package: A tool to access the Botanical Information and Ecology Network (BIEN) database

There is an urgent need for largeâ scale botanical data to improve our understanding of community assembly, coexistence, biogeography, evolution, and many other fundamental biological processes. Understanding these processes is critical for predicting and handling humanâ biodiversity interactions and global change dynamics such as food and energy security, ecosystem services, climate change, and species invasions.The Botanical Information and Ecology Network (BIEN) database comprises an unprecedented wealth of cleaned and standardised botanical data, containing roughly 81 million occurrence records from c. 375,000 species, c. 915,000 trait observations across 28 traits from c. 93,000 species, and coâ occurrence records from 110,000 ecological plots globally, as well as 100,000 range maps and 100 replicated phylogenies (each containing 81,274 species) for New World species. Here, we describe an r package that provides easy access to these data.The bien r package allows users to access the multiple types of data in the BIEN database. Functions in this package query the BIEN database by turning user inputs into optimised PostgreSQL functions. Function names follow a convention designed to make it easy to understand what each function does. We have also developed a protocol for providing customised citations and herbarium acknowledgements for data downloaded through the bien r package.The development of the BIEN database represents a significant achievement in biological data integration, cleaning and standardization. Likewise, the bien r package represents an important tool for open science that makes the BIEN database freely and easily accessible to everyone.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142458/1/mee312861_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142458/2/mee312861.pd

Later life sex and Rubin’s ‘Charmed Circle'

Gayle Rubin’s now classic concept of the ‘charmed circle’ has been much used by scholars of sexuality to discuss the ways in which some types of sex are privileged over others. In this paper, I apply the concept of the charmed circle to a new topic– later life – in order both to add to theory about later life sex and to add an older-age lens to thinking about sex hierarchies. Traditional discursive resources around older people’s sexual activities, which treat older people’s sex as inherently beyond the charmed circle, now coexist with new imperatives for older people to remain sexually active as part of a wider project of ‘successful’ or ‘active’ ageing. Drawing on the now-substantial academic literature about later life sex, I discuss some of the ways in which redrawing the charmed circle to include some older people’s sex may paradoxically entail the use of technologies beyond the charmed circle of ‘good, normal, natural, blessed’ sex. Sex in later life also generates some noteworthy inversions in which types of sex are privileged and which treated as less desirable, in relation to marriage and procreation. Ageing may, furthermore, make available new possibilities to redefine what constitutes ‘good’ sex and to refuse compulsory sexuality altogether, without encountering stigma