An Anthropological View of Risk Phenomena

This paper aims at a definition and an analysis of the risk phenomenon including risk perception. Particular attention is given to risk as experienced in small-scale societies. Various aspects of technological progress lead to a broader understanding of man's attitude toward risk

Analysis of the Relationship Between Social Structure and Stress Behavior in Primitive Societies

Two population groups have been chosen for this study based on the findings of two conscientious and presumably unbiased ethnologists: the Tikopia and the North American Eskimo

Resilience Factors Inherent in Social Systems: A Comparative Study

The purpose of this paper is to compare five traditional cultures, evaluating the premise that in-depth information on situations of stress -- from inside the system or from the environment -- should elucidate the factors which endanger a system. Where are the most vulnerable spots? What mechanisms are inherent in a social system to maintain its persistence? What agents must be mobilized to prevent a breakup of the traditional culture

Epidemiología i assistència primària

Amb aquest article pretenem presentar, de forma resumida, els elements més rellevants de la sessió dedicada per la Societat a la relació entre l'Epidemiologia i l'Assistència Primària. Hem refusat d'intentar una transcripciò cronològica per tal d'aconseguiruna síntesis més útil. Així després d'una consideració preliminar sobre què és. d'una banda l'Epidemiologiai, de l'altra, L'assistència Primària, passarem a tractar els aspectes de l'organització de la tasca epidemiològica en el context del primer esglaó dels serveis sanitari

Project Status Report: Ecology and Environment Project

We present here the extended outline and copies of the illustrations used in the Status Report of the IIASA Ecology and Environment Project, presented at Schloss Laxenburg on 21 June 1974. Section 1., "General Review", is covered in the outline. Section 2., "A Case Study of Ecosystem Management", is the subject of a major monograph now in preparation. Section 3., on Selected Conceptual Developments, is in part documented in IIASA Research Reports RR-73-3 and RR-74-3

Field assessment of guar gum stabilized microscale zerovalent iron particles for in-situ remediation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane

A pilot injection test with guar gum stabilized microscale zerovalent iron (mZVI) particles was performed at test site V (Belgium) where different chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) were present as pollutants in the subsurface. One hundred kilograms of 56 μm-diameter mZVI (~ 70 g/L) was suspended in 1.5 m3 of guar gum (~ 7 g/L) solution and injected into the test area. In order to deliver the guar gum stabilized mZVI slurry, one direct push bottom-up injection (Geoprobe) was performed with injections at 5 depths between 10.5 and 8.5 m bgs. The direct push technique was preferred above others (e.g. injection at low flow rate via screened wells) because of the limited hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, and to the large size of the mZVI particles. A final heterogeneous distribution of the mZVI in the porous medium was observed explicable by preferential flow paths created during the high pressure injection. The maximum observed delivery distance was 2.5 m. A significant decrease in 1,1,1-TCA concentrations was observed in close vicinity of spots where the highest concentration of mZVI was observed. Carbon stable isotope analysis (CSIA) yielded information on the success of the abiotic degradation of 1,1,1-TCA and indicated a heterogeneous spatio-temporal pattern of degradation. Finally, the obtained results show that mZVI slurries stabilized by guar gum can be prepared at pilot scale and directly injected into low permeable aquifers, indicating a significant removal of 1,1,1-TCA

Differences in avoidable mortality between migrants and the native Dutch in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: The quality of the healthcare system and its role in influencing mortality of migrant groups can be explored by examining ethnic variations in 'avoidable' mortality. This study investigates the association between the level of mortality from 'avoidable' causes and ethnic origin in the Netherlands and identifies social factors that contribute to this association. METHODS: Data were obtained from cause of death and population registries in the period 1995–2000. We compared mortality rates for selected 'avoidable' conditions for Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese and Antillean/Aruban groups to native Dutch. RESULTS: We found slightly elevated risk in total 'avoidable' mortality for migrant populations (RR = 1.13). Higher risks of death among migrants were observed from almost all infectious diseases (most RR > 3.00) and several chronic conditions including asthma, diabetes and cerebro-vascular disorders (most RR > 1.70). Migrant women experienced a higher risk of death from maternity-related conditions (RR = 3.37). Surinamese and Antillean/Aruban population had a higher mortality risk (RR = 1.65 and 1.31 respectively), while Turkish and Moroccans experienced a lower risk of death (RR = 0.93 and 0.77 respectively) from all 'avoidable' conditions compared to native Dutch. Control for demographic and socioeconomic factors explained a substantial part of ethnic differences in 'avoidable' mortality. CONCLUSION: Compared to the native Dutch population, total 'avoidable' mortality was slightly elevated for all migrants combined. Mortality risks varied greatly by cause of death and ethnic origin. The substantial differences in mortality for a few 'avoidable' conditions suggest opportunities for quality improvement within specific areas of the healthcare system targeted to disadvantaged groups

DPCM with Forward Gain-Adaptive Quantizer and Simple Switched Predictor for High Quality Speech Signals

In this article DPCM (Differential Pulse Code Modulation) speech coding scheme with a simple switched first order predictor is presented. Adaptation of the quantizer to the signal variance is performed for each particular frame. Each frame is classified as high or low correlated, based on the value of the correlation coefficient, then the selection of the appropriate predictor coefficient and bitrate is performed. Low correlated frames are encoded with a higher bitrate, while high correlated frames are encoded with a lower bitrate without the objectionable loss in quality. Theoretical model and experimental results are provided for the proposed algorithm