Cancer mortality in Sweden from 1931 to 1992

Trends in age-standardized cancer mortality for Swedish men and women, between 1931 and 1992, were studied using official cause of death statistics. Overall, age-standardized cancer mortality increased by about 16 percent among men and decreased by about six percent among women during the period studied. Among both men and women older than 70 years, age-standardized cancer mortality increased. In all other age groups decreases occurred. During the period studied, a number of changes have occurred that affect cause of death registration, for example, changes in classification routines and improved diagnosis. The exact magnitude of these effects on the observed trends is difficult to estimate, but it seems clear that a bias towards increasing age-standardized cancer mortality has been introduced. Furthermore, this bias may be substantial, thus obscuring the real trends in age- standardized cancer mortality

Pre-existing disease: the most important factor for health related quality of life long-term after critical illness: a prospective, longitudinal, multicentre trial

Introduction The aim of the present multicenter study was to assess long term (36 months) health related quality of life in patients after critical illness, compare ICU survivors health related quality of life to that of the general population and examine the impact of pre-existing disease and factors related to ICU care on health related quality of life. Methods Prospective, longitudinal, multicentre trial in three combined medical and surgical intensive care units of one university and two general hospitals in Sweden. By mailed questionnaires, health related quality of life was assessed at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after the stay in ICU by EQ-5D and SF-36, and information of pre-existing disease was collected at the 6 months measure. ICU related factors were obtained from the local ICU database. Comorbidity and health related quality of life (EQ-5D; SF-36) was examined in the reference group. Among the 5306 patients admitted, 1663 were considered eligible (>24 hrs in the intensive care unit, and age ≥ 18 yrs, and alive 6 months after discharge). At the 6 month measure 980 (59%) patients answered the questionnaire. Of these 739 (75%) also answered at 12 month, 595 (61%) at 24 month, and 478 (47%) answered at the 36 month measure. As reference group, a random sample (n = 6093) of people from the uptake area of the hospitals were used in which concurrent disease was assessed and adjusted for. Results Only small improvements were recorded in health related quality of life up to 36 months after ICU admission. The majority of the reduction in health related quality of life after care in the ICU was related to the health related quality of life effects of pre-existing diseases. No significant effect on the long-term health related quality of life by any of the ICU-related factors was discernible. Conclusions A large proportion of the reduction in the health related quality of life after being in the ICU is attributable to pre-existing disease. The importance of the effect of pre-existing disease is further supported by the small, long term increment in the health related quality of life after treatment in the ICU. The reliability of the conclusions is supported by the size of the study populations and the long follow-up period.

The neutron-gamma Feynman variance to mean approach: gamma detection and total neutron-gamma detection (theory and practice)

Two versions of the neutron-gamma variance to mean (Feynman-alpha method or Feynman-Y function) formula for either gamma detection only or total neutron-gamma detection, respectively, are derived and compared in this paper. The new formulas have a particular importance for detectors of either gamma photons or detectors sensitive to both neutron and gamma radiation. If applied to a plastic or liquid scintillation detector, the total neutron-gamma detection Feynman-Y expression corresponds to a situation where no discrimination is made between neutrons and gamma particles. The gamma variance to mean formulas are useful when a detector of only gamma radiation is used or when working with a combined neutron-gamma detector at high count rates. The theoretical derivation is based on the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation with inclusion of general reactions and passage intensities for neutrons and gammas, but with the inclusion of prompt reactions only. A one energy group approximation is considered. The comparison of the two different theories is made by using reaction intensities obtained in MCNPX simulations with a simplified geometry for two scintillation detectors and a 252Cf-source enclosed in a steel container. In addition, the variance to mean ratios, neutron, gamma and total neutron-gamma, are evaluated experimentally for a weak 252Cf neutron-gamma source in a steel container, a 137Cs random gamma source and a 22Na correlated gamma source. Due to the focus being on the possibility of using neutron-gamma variance to mean theories for both reactor and safeguards applications, we limited the present study to the general analytical expressions for Feynman-Y formulas

Ultrafast Coherent Control and Characterization of Surface Reactions using FELs

The microscopic understanding of reactions at surfaces requires an in-depth knowledge of the dynamics of elementary processes on an ultrafast timescale. This can be accomplished using an ultrafast excitation to initiate a chemical reaction and then probe the progression of the reaction with an ultrashort x-ray pulse from the FEL. There is a great potential to use atom-specific spectroscopy involving core levels to probe the chemical nature, structure and bonding of species on surfaces. The ultrashort electron pulse obtained in the linear accelerator to feed the X-ray FEL can also be used for generation of coherent synchrotron radiation in the low energy THz regime to be used as a pump. This radiation has an energy close to the thermal excitations of low-energy vibrational modes of molecules on surfaces and phonons in substrates. The coherent THz radiation will be an electric field pulse with a certain direction that can collectively manipulate atoms or molecules on surfaces. In this respect a chemical reaction can be initiated by collective atomic motion along a specific reaction coordinate. If the coherent THz radiation is generated from the same source as the X-ray FEL radiation, full-time synchronization for pump-probe experiments will be possible. The combination of THz and X-ray spectroscopy could be a unique opportunity for FEL facilities to conduct ultrafast chemistry studies at surfaces

Tollkvoter i landbruksforhandlingene i WTO

Formålet med dette notatet er å belyse mulige effekter av økte tollkvoter på det norske markedet med bakgrunn i de pågående forhandlingene i WTO. En tollkvote er definert som en toll i to lag. I en gitt periode (gjerne ett år) benyttes en lav kvotetoll (toll innenfor tollkvoten) for et bestemt volum, og for det overskytende volumet innenfor perioden benyttes en høyere toll (toll over tollkvoten). Notatet gir en oversikt over teorien knyttet til denne problemstillingen, importen via tollkvoter til Norge og gir en del eksempler på hvilke følger import har fått på norsk produksjon og prisnivå. I Uruguayrunden ble det lagt inn krav om å bevare eksisterende markedsadgang og å sikre en minimumsadgang gjennom tollkvoter. I julirammeverket fra 2004 ble det bestemt at en kan få lavere krav om tollreduksjoner på sensitive produkter mot at en aksepterer tollkvoter på disse produktene. Skal det ha noen hensikt å definere varer som sensitive, må det ligge en gevinst i dette i forhold til det generelle regimet knyttet til tollreduksjoner. Økonomisk teori og empirisk erfaring tilsier at matvarer som importeres med bakgrunn i tollkvoter påvirker markedspris og omsatt mengde. Alt annet likt, øker matvareimport det samlede innenlandske tilbudet og resulterer dermed i større etterspørsel til en lavere markedspris. Tollkvoter som ikke utnyttes har ingen direkte innvirkning på markedet. […]publishedVersio