Development, operational experience and implications for future design of fast reactors in Western Europe

1990 ◽  
Vol 331 (1619) ◽  
pp. 367-380
Keyword(s):  
Fast Reactor ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Small Power ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Future Design ◽  
The Past ◽  
Commercial Size

Over the past 30 years, the partners now collaborating in Europe on fast-reactor development have taken the technology from a theoretical possibility to an engineering reality. In that time there has been a progression from experimental zero energy facilities followed by small power-producing engineering test reactors, to prototype reactors and a large commercial-size reactor. The paper describes the highlights of the reactor programmes in the partner countries and by example illustrates the experience gained from reactor operation and some of the principal activities in the supporting development programme. These include such topics as fuel performance, fast-neutron physics, liquid-metal thermal hydraulics, sodium chemistry, instrumentation and safety aspects. The paper concludes by summarizing some of the main objectives of the current development programme, which is directed to the support of the European Fast Reactor design being prepared by the European design and construction companies.

From Black Death to Black Hole

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Piatkowski
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Black Death ◽  
European Continent ◽  
The Past

In this chapter I explain why Poland and most countries in Eastern Europe have always lagged behind Western Europe in economic development. I discuss why in the past the European continent split into two parts and how Western and Eastern Europe followed starkly different developmental paths. I then demonstrate how Polish oligarchic elites built extractive institutions and how they adopted ideologies, cultures, and values, which undermined development from the late sixteenth century to 1939. I also describe how the elites created a libertarian country without taxes, state capacity, and rule of law, and how this ‘golden freedom’ led to Poland’s collapse and disappearance from the map of Europe in 1795. I argue that Polish extractive society was so well established that it could not reform itself from the inside. It was like a black hole, where the force of gravity is so strong that the light could not come out.

Causes of Death

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Anderson ◽  
Corinne Roughley
Keyword(s):  
Heart Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Whooping Cough ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
World War Two ◽  
World War ◽  
The Past ◽  
Disease Mortality

The principal reported causes of death have changed dramatically since the 1860s, though changes in categorization of causes and improved diagnosis make it difficult to be precise about timings. Diseases particularly affecting children such as measles and whooping cough largely disappeared as killers by the 1950s. Deaths particularly linked to unclean environments and poor sanitary infrastructure also declined, though some can kill babies and the elderly even today. Pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchitis were eventually largely controlled. Reported cancer, stroke, and heart disease mortality showed upward trends well into the second half of the twentieth century, though some of this was linked to diagnostic improvement. Both fell in the last decades of our period, but Scotland still had among the highest rates in Western Europe. Deaths from accidents and drowning saw significant falls since World War Two but, especially in the past 25 years, suicide, and alcohol and drug-related deaths rose.

Arab Historical Writing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef M. Choueiri
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Colonial History ◽  
Historical Writing ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Historical Writings ◽  
Arabic World

This chapter traces the principal historiographical developments in the Arab world since 1945. It is divided into two major parts. The first part deals with the period extending from 1945 to 1970. During this period the discourse of either socialism or nationalism permeated most historical writings. The second part presents the various attempts made to decolonize, rewrite, or theorize history throughout the Arab world. The chapter then shows how in the various states of the Arabic world—some but not all of which have become fundamentalist Islamic regimes—Western models continued to be followed, though often with a more explicitly socialist approach than would be the case in America or Western Europe. By the 1970s, well before the shake-up of radical Islamicization that has dominated the past quarter-century, the entire Arabic world began to push hard against the dominance of residual Western colonial history.

scholarly journals Workload for radiologists during on-call hours: dramatic increase in the past 15 years

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. M. Bruls ◽  
R. M. Kwee
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Kendall’S Tau ◽  
Kendall's Tau ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Past ◽  
Relative Value ◽  
Burn Out ◽  
Picture Archiving And Communication ◽  
Ct Studies

Abstract Background The objective of this study is to investigate the workload for radiologists during on-call hours and to quantify the 15-year trend in a large general hospital in Western Europe. Methods Data regarding the number of X-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) studies during on-call hours (weekdays between 6.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m., weekends, and national holidays) between 2006 and 2020 were extracted from the picture archiving and communication system. All studies were converted into relative value units (RVUs) to estimate the on-call workload. The Mann–Kendall test was performed to assess the temporal trend. Results The total RVUs during on-call hours showed a significant increase between 2006 and 2020 (Kendall's tau-b = 0.657, p = 0.001). The overall workload in terms of RVUs during on-call hours has quadrupled. The number of X-ray studies significantly decreased (Kendall's tau-b = − 0.433, p = 0.026), whereas the number of CT studies significantly increased (Kendall's tau-b = 0.875, p < 0.001) between 2006 and 2020. CT studies which increased by more than 500% between 2006 and 2020 are CT for head trauma, brain CTA, brain CTV, chest CT (for suspected pulmonary embolism), spinal CT, neck CT, pelvic CT, and CT for suspected aortic dissection. The number of ultrasound studies did not change significantly (Kendall's tau-b = 0.202, p = 0.298). Conclusions The workload for radiologists during on-call hours increased dramatically in the past 15 years. The growing amount of CT studies is responsible for this increase. Radiologist and technician workforce should be matched to this ongoing increasing trend to avoid potential burn-out and to maintain quality and safety of radiological care.

Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings & Buildings Built with Industrialized Technology: The Case of Hungary

2016 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 469-476
Author(s):  
Attila Talamon ◽  
Viktória Sugár ◽  
Ferenc Pusztai
Keyword(s):  
Economic Structure ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Central European ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

There is an urgent need nowadays to reduce current levels of GHGs emissions. On the other hand the EU countries are largely dependent on energy imports and are vulnerable to disruption in energy supply which may in turn threaten the functioning of their current economic structure. The EU imported 54% of its energy sources in 2006 and this value was projected to increase even further by 2030. Reducing its import dependency is one of the EU’s main goals of the 20-20 by 2020 target – this legislative package is believed to reduce the expected imports of energy by 26% compared to the development before the 20-20 initiative.One of the most important environmental problems is the energy consumption of the buildings. Current paper shows that buildings built with industrialized technology can deliver large energy and GHG emission reductions at low costs.Only 1-2% part of the building stock is exchanged every year, so it is very important to increase the energy efficiency of the existing buildings, too.Present paper focuses on the buildings built with industrialized technology only, and their potential in nearly zero-energy buildings sector. Up till now the Central European support schemes concentrated most financial resources on buildings built with prefabricated technology. Present paper explains the past and present of the “panel” problem in Hungary with a short outlook to some other countries.

The Birth of the National Historical Writing in England and France

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Palamarchuk ◽  
◽  
Ekaterina Terenteva ◽  
Sergey Fyodorov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Complex Analysis ◽  
Legal Consciousness ◽  
Historical Writing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Historical Past ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Prevalent Form ◽  
Xviith Century

The monograph is a study of main trends of emergence and evolution of the national historical writing in Western Europe in the XVIIth century. Based on a complex analysis of several phenomena which defined the development of the Early Modern historical writing, it provides a comparative analysis of the regional schools of historical writing (particularly those of the English antiquaries and French érudits) in the process of their respective growth and formation accomplished by the end of XVIIth century with the advent of the national historiography. The conceptual unity of the book is verified within the context of the rise of the national states in England and France, which stipulated a consistent demand for reinforcing the nationally orientated discourses not only in a historical writing but also in legal and political thought. The perception of England as an empire, entrenched in the insular historical and legal consciousness, recurring during the reigns of the Stuarts and extending to the whole British archipelago, determined the establishment of chorography as a prevalent form characteristic of the English historiography. Chorographic structure of the narrative unfolding the space of the territorial “empire” to the reader corresponded to the method of “intellectual appropriation” of the British Isles by the English antiquarians which could be defined as “cultural-historical”. A considerable role was devoted to reactualization of ethnogenetic myths at different levels: while some of them (primarily – the Galfridian myth) were regarded as relevant to the pan-British cultural and historical past, others emphasized autonomous dimensions of the past and present of distinct composites (Scotland, Ireland, Wales) The continental French variant of proto-national historiography also utilized the idea of empire but in a different mode defined by the formula “rex in regno suo imperator est”. The emerging school of érudits modelled principles of its narratives on patrimonial structures rooted in the feudal medieval society (dynasty; royal family; aristocratic lineages; seigneurial rights and vassal obligations; the system of offices created by the monarch stemming from the royal household etc.). The unity of the subjects of the French kingdom was ensured not by the shared territorial commonality but by their loyalty to the king. Therefore, the French variant of “intellectual appropriation” was developed in a socio-political direction in contrast to the territorial.

Blessing or Curse?

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-459
Author(s):  
Lisa Katharina Schmid ◽  
Alexander Reitzenstein ◽  
Nina Hall
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Donor States

Abstract Earmarked funding to international organizations (IO s) has increased significantly over the past two decades. International relations scholars have examined the causes of this trend, but know less about its effects on UN entities. This article identifies different types of earmarked funding, varying from low to high discretion delegated to IO s. Secondly, it examines trends in the UN Development Programme and UN Children’s Fund and finds that both have significant proportions of earmarked funding with low discretion. Drawing on thirty interviews, the article notes four implications of tightly earmarked financing: 1) higher transaction costs for IO s; 2) less predictable funding; 3) overhead costs that are rarely covered; and 4) increasing competition for financing. Overall, the article highlights that earmarked financing exists on a spectrum from tight to minimal control by donor states, and this has important implications for multilateralism.

Decay Heat Characterization for the European Sodium Fast Reactor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Jiménez-Carrascosa ◽  
Nuria Garcia Herranz ◽  
Jiri Krepel ◽  
Marat Margulis ◽  
Una Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Reactor ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Summation Method ◽  
Heat Power ◽  
Coupled Transport ◽  
Decay Heat ◽  
Sodium Fast Reactor ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Commercial Size

Abstract In this work a detailed assessment of the decay heat power for the commercial-size European Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (ESFR) at the end of its equilibrium cycle has been performed. The summation method has been used to compute very accurate spatial- and time-dependent decay heat by employing state-of-the-art coupled transport-depletion computational codes and nuclear data. This detailed map provides basic information for subsequent transient calculations of the ESFR. A comprehensive analysis of the decay heat has been carried out and interdependencies among decay heat and different parameters characterizing the core state prior to shutdown, such as discharge burnup or type of fuel material, have been identified. That analysis has served as a basis to develop analytic functions to reconstruct the spatial-dependent decay heat power for the ESFR for cooling times within the first day after shutdown.

scholarly journals Illuminating Vestige: Amateur Archaeology and the Emergence of Historical Consciousness in Rural France

2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 474-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Economic Restructuring ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Historical Ethnography ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Rural France

AbstractThis article provides a historical ethnography of an abrupt and transient awakening of interest in Roman vestige during the 1970s in rural France, and explores its implications for comparative understanding of historical consciousness in Western Europe. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Languedoc, and particularly the commune of Monadières, it details a vogue for collecting pottery shards scattered in a nearby lagoon that developed among local inhabitants. The article frames this as a ritualized “expressive historicity” emergent from political economic restructuring, cultural transformation, and time-space compression. It analyses the catalyzing role of a historian who introduced discursive forms into the commune for symbolizing the shards, drawn from regionalist and socialist historiography, which local people adapted to rearticulate the historicity of lived experience as a novel, hybrid genre of “historical consciousness.” These activities are conceptualized as a “reverse historiography.” Elements of historiographical and archaeological discourses—for example, chronological depth, collation and evaluation of material relics—are reinvented to alternate ends, partly as a subversive “response” to contact with such discourses. The practice emerges as a mediation of distinct ways of apprehending the world at a significant historical juncture. Analysis explores the utility of new anthropological theories of “historicity”—an alternative to the established “historical idiom” for analyzing our relations with the past—which place historiography within the analytical frame, and enable consideration of the temporality of historical experience. Findings suggest that the alterity of popular Western cultural practices for invoking the past would reward further study.

Adelaide's Heart Transplant 1970–88: 1. Creation, Transfer, and Capture of ‘Value’ within the Built Environment

1992 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
B A Badcock
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Heart Transplant ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Property Market ◽  
Housing Investment ◽  
The Past ◽  
Residential Capital ◽  
Fiscal And Monetary Policy

The circulation of capital within the built environment, as first formalised by Harvey in 1978, is treated empirically via an analysis of residential capital formation and the transfer of value within the Adelaide Metropolitan Area, in the period 1970–88. Operational concepts of value ‘creation’, ‘transfer’, and ‘capture’ are defined before estimates of housing investment and its redistribution through the medium of the urban property market are derived. These are imputed for eight subregions of Adelaide. It is suggested that the chief beneficiaries from the ‘capture’ of value during the past two decades have been the Inner Adelaide suburbs and homeowners; hence the implication of Adelaide's ‘heart transplant’. Harvey's ‘framework for analysis’ and more particularly his account of the timing and patterning of (dis)investment within the built environment are then evaluated in light of Adelaide's experience between 1970 and 1988. It is decided that urban investment trends and patterns cannot be properly understood without giving much greater deference to fiscal and monetary policy together with the state's urban development programme than Harvey is prepared to in his analysis.

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