Radon gas hazard

Radon (222Rn) is a natural radioactive gas that occurs in rocks and soils and can only be detected with special equipment. Radon is a major cause of lung cancer. Therefore, early detection is essential. The British Geological Survey and Public Health England have produced a series of maps showing radon affected areas based on underlying geology and indoor radon measurements, which help to identify radon-affected buildings. Many factors influence how much radon accumulates in buildings. Remedial work can be undertaken to reduce its passage into homes and workplaces and new buildings can be built with radon preventative measures

A philosophical analysis of the evidence-based medicine debate

BACKGROUND: The term "evidence-based medicine" (or EBM) was introduced about ten years ago, and there has been considerable debate about the value of EBM. However, this debate has sometimes been obscured by a lack of conceptual clarity concerning the nature and status of EBM. DISCUSSION: First, we note that EBM proponents have obscured the current debate by defining EBM in an overly broad, indeed almost vacuous, manner; we offer a clearer account of EBM and its relation to the alternative approaches to medicine. Second, while EBM proponents commonly cite the philosophical work of Thomas Kuhn and claim that EBM is a Kuhnian 'paradigm shift,' we argue that such claims are seriously mistaken and unduly polarize the EBM debate. Third, we suggest that it is much more fruitful to understand the relationship between EBM and its alternatives in light of a different philosophical metaphor: W.V. Quine's metaphor of the web of belief. Seen in this way, we argue that EBM is an approach to medical practice that is indeed importantly different from the alternatives. SUMMARY: We can have a more productive debate about the value of EBM by being clearer about the nature of EBM and its relationship to alternative approaches to medicine

Geological controls on radon potential in Scotland

222Rn, a natural radioactive gas produced by the radioactive decay of 238U, accounts for about 50 % of the total radiation dose to the average person in the UK. Geology is the most important factor controlling the source and distribution of radon; which has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. In order to prevent the public receiving high exposures to radon, it is necessary to identify those areas most at risk. We present results of new mapping of radon potential for Scotland using a method that allows the spatial variation in radon potential to be delineated both within and between geological groupings. The main geological and geochemical associations with moderate to high radon potential areas are described. The highest radon potential values in Scotland are associated with U-rich, highly evolved Siluro-Devonian biotite granite intrusions, notably those clustered within a zone to the west of Aberdeen and at Helmsdale, in Caithness. U mineralisation plays a role in areas including the Helmsdale granite and the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin. Elevated radon potential is also associated with limestones - where fracture permeability is influential - and with Ordovician-Silurian greywackes. The radon potential of unconsolidated deposits, and how this affects the radon potential of the underlying bedrock, reflects both their permeabilities and their compositions

Life on the outside: economic conditions and prospects outside euroland

The European economic and monetary union (EMU) is now over 4 years old. In this paper we assess whether monetary union has begun to have significant economic effects by comparing countries in EMU with the EU countries outside. We focus principally on trade creation between EMU member countries, using a methodology that controls for the fact that the decision to join the monetary union was not random but was more likely to be taken by countries whose prospects of trading with other EMU members were already high. We find that the trade effects of monetary union are significant. We estimate that had the UK been inside EMU the sum of its imports and exports could have been substantially greater. For comparative purposes, we also make preliminary estimates of the effect of monetary union on three other dimensions of economic performance: foreign direct investment, the development of financial markets and overall macroeconomic performance, though we recognize that our ability to control for other factors is more limited in respect of these other indicators. The evidence suggests that inward investment in the countries outside would have been greater had they joined EMU, but that the impact of this on GDP would be no more than 0.3% of GDP per annum for the UK and less than that for the other 'outs'. Financial market activity shows no clear sign of having been affected by EMU, and London's position as Europe's financial centre remains, as yet, largely unchallenged. On standard measures of aggregate performance – inflation, unemployment and output – no clear pattern of EMU effects has yet emerged

Airborne Separation Assurance And Traffic Management: Research Of Concepts And Technology

To support the need for increased flexibility and capacity in the future National Airspace System, NASA is pursuing an approach that distributes air traffic separation and management tasks to both airborne and ground-based systems. Details of the distributed operations and the benefits and technical challenges of such a system are discussed. Technology requirements and research issues are outlined, and NASA's approach for establishing concept feasibility, which includes development of the airborne automation necessary to support the concept, is described. Introduction A significant portion of the aviation user community has identified a need for increasing flexibility of aircraft operations while retaining guaranteed separation from hazards. This need has been expressed as a new operational paradigm, "free flight," which reduces reliance on centralized air traffic management. Free flight is defined as a safe and efficient flight operating capability under instrument flight rules in w..

Elevated red cell distribution width and cardiovascular mortality in ASCVD risk cohorts: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III)

Background: Although red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, the relationship between an elevated RDW and cardiovascular mortality among various ASCVD risk groups is unknown. Methods: We utilized the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, which uses a complex, multistage, clustered design to represent the civilian, community-based US population. Out of 30,818 subjects whose data were entered during the 1988-1994 period, 8884 subjects over 40 years of age, representing a weighted sample of 85,323,902 patients, were selected after excluding missing variables. The ACC/AHA pooled cohort equation (PCE) was used to calculate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, and low (<7.5%), intermediate (7.5-20%), and high (>20%) risk groups were created. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular mortality. A multivariate proportional hazard regression was performed using the Fine and Gray (sub-distribution) method. Red cell distribution (RDW), C-reactive protein (CRP), age, sex, race, diabetes, smoking status, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) were used as covariates in each of the ACC/AHA pooled cohort risk groups. Results: The adjusted hazard ratios for RDW >14 (Normal range 12.5-14.5 %) as compared to <13 were 2.79 (95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 2.77-2.81, p < 0.01), 2.02 (95% CI 2.01-2.02, p < 0.01), 1.18 (95% CI 1.18-1.18, p < 0.01) in the low, intermediate and high-risk groups respectively. The 20-year cumulative cardiovascular mortality (RDW >14 vs. <13) was 4% vs. 1.3% low, 17.7% vs. 7.7% in intermediate and 28.1% vs. 24.6% in high ASCVD risk groups respectively. Conclusion: Our findings support that measurement of RDW in the intermediate ASCVD group may be clinically valuable for further risk stratification and prognostication in the general population of people aged more than 40 years of age with regards to identifying those at an increased risk for cardiovascular mortality. © 2022 The Author(s)