In this paper, we present a Bayesian analysis for the Weibull proportional hazard (PH) model used in step-stress accelerated life testings. The key mathematical and graphical difference between the Weibull cumulative exposure (CE) model and the PH model is illustrated. Compared with the CE model, the PH model provides more flexibility in fitting step-stress testing data and has the attractive m...

In ma ny high-latitude areas, slushflows occ ur frequently during th e snowmelt period but inform ation on the initiat ion mechani sm is rare. Field observations and measurements of slush fl ows in northwestern Spitsbe rgen and in northern Sweden demonstrate the role of meltwater accumulation and the hydraulic pressure gradient in the rel ea se process. Snow metamorphism is revea led to be of m...

All materials used during the nuclear reactor operation are potential radioactive wastes. The role of the free release of materials from regulatory control is to reduce the amount of radioactive wastes. The CNCAN allows licensees to release materials according to pre-established criteria which comply with Romanian standards and international recommendations. In this paper, the methodology used ...

AIM Pilot studies have evaluated the correlation between hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) overexpression and clinical outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the results remain inconclusive. To comprehensively and quantitatively summarize the evidence on the suitability of HIF-1α to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC, a meta-analysis was carried out. METHODS S...

Background The presence of nitrate is one of the factors limiting the quality of groundwater resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid climates. Therefore, the knowledge about the distribution of nitrate in groundwater and its source has an effective role in protecting health. The study aimed to optimize an interpolation method to predict the nitrate concentration and assessment of aquifer ...

Anion self-diffusion has been studied in PbBrz and AgBr using an isotope exchange technique. In addition the diffusion of Pb in PbBr? has been measured using 2loPb as tracer and a chemical sectioning method. The effect of bromine gas pressure on anion diffusion has been examined for both materials. In the case of PbBr. these observations have been supplemented by ionic conductivity measurements...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the risk for autoimmune diabetes in adults differs between socioeconomic groups and to compare such risk with that for type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The inhabitants of the Norwegian county of Nord-Trøndelag were investigated by questionnaires and clinical examinations on three occasions during 1984-2008. We used information from a subset consist...

The standard therapy for thyroid cancer is total or near total thyroidectomy, followed by the administration of radioactive iodine for remnant ablation or residual disease. Patients with radioiodine therapy are predisposed to second malignant neoplasms in organs such as central nervous system (CNS), breast, prostate, kidney, bone marrow, salivary gland, and digestive tract. Exposure to carcinog...

We reviewed some moral hazard (MH) models applied to agri-environmental policies and identified the main methodological aspects of the literature on this topics. Imperfect vs incomplete monitoring , static vs dynamic and single vs multiple agents models are the main lines along which the literature has been organised analysing each component of a MH model. Most papers point out the role of farm...

The article argues that insufficient attention has been paid to the operational aspects of the U.S. radioactive waste management system when it grows to the scale necessary to handle wastes produced by a fully deployed plutonium economy. Without such information, many of the unsettling speculations which have become part of the public debate and are summarized herein cannot be clearly addressed...