The (de)politicisation of nuclear power: The Finnish discussion after Fukushima

When the Fukushima accident occurred in March 2011, Finland was at the height of a nuclear renaissance, with the Government's decision-in-principle in 2010 to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors. This article examines the nuclear power debate in Finland after Fukushima. We deploy the concepts of (de)politicisation and hyperpoliticisation in the analysis of articles in the country's main newspaper. Our analysis indicates that Finnish nuclear exceptionalism manifested in the safety-related depoliticising and the nation's prosperity-related hyperpoliticisation arguments of the pro-nuclear camp. The anti-nuclear camp used politicisation strategies, such as economic arguments, to show the unprofitability of nuclear power. The Fukushima accident had a clear effect on Finnish nuclear policy: the government programme of 2011 excluded the nuclear new build. However, in 2014 the majority of Parliament again supported nuclear power. Hence, the period after Fukushima until 2014 could be described as continued but undermined loyalty to nuclear power.

[Electrical conversion of atrial fibrillation. Superior effects of biphasic transthoracic method when compared with the conventional monophasic method]

Can biphasic electrical conversion of atrial fibrillation replace the standard monophasic method? This report reviews factors facilitating the electrical conversion of atrial fibrillation and describes a clinical trial, showing superior effects of biphasic versus monophasic electrical conversion of atrial fibrillation. We conclude that the most important factors for successful electrical conversion of atrial fibrillations are 1) a biphasic impulse, 2) low transthoracic impedance and 3) a short history of atrial fibrillation.

Antibodies reactive with human immunodeficiency virus gag-coded antigens (gag reactive only) are a major cause of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactivity in a blood donor population

Normal blood donors were examined for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-reactive antibodies with both virus- and Escherichia coli-expressed env- and gag-coded antigens. The frequency of samples from normal (low-risk) donors that were repeatedly reactive with an HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay blood screening test (Du Pont Co.) was 0.6%. Two classes of HIV serological reactivity were identified: a minor env-reactive class (0.03 to 0.06% of donors) and the predominant env-nonreactive gag-reactive class (gag reactive only [GRO]) (0.4 to 0.5% of donors). Assignment of env reactivity was made by a synthetic (recombinant) env enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus immunoblot. Most GRO sera reacted with p15/p17 bands on HIV immunoblot. Antibody specificity in GRO sera was confirmed by competition-binding studies with viral gag and E. coli-expressed p55gag. This study provides independent verification that gag-specific antibodies are present in many env-nonreactive sera. More serological and virological studies of individuals with this antibody pattern should be pursued to determine the origin of these gag-reactive antibodies.