The National Cardiac Societies of the European Society of Cardiology.

PubMed

Atar, Dan

2015-06-01

The National Cardiac Societies are one of the Constituent Bodies of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). They are the backbone of the ESC and together form the "Cardiology of Europe" in 56 European and Mediterranean countries.

Marrying into the European family of nations: national disorder and upset gender roles in post-Communist Romanian film.

PubMed

Georgescu, Diana

2011-01-01

Drawing on recent Romanian films, this article explores the distinctive post-communist concerns with national relocation in the symbolic geography of Europe. The focus on tragic comedies, an increasingly popular genre in Eastern European cinematography, foregrounds the critical usage of irony to express skepticism about the inclusive nature of geopolitical projects such as the European Union by national communities situated at its periphery. While the tragic comedies examined here are successful in challenging official narratives of European belonging, they rely on highly gendered scripts that prove more resilient to ironic reworkings. The movies resort to gendered plots and family tropes, representing Romania’s efforts to receive European recognition as attempts to “marry into” the European Union. The larger thrust of this article is to open complex notions such as “Europe,” “nation,” and “gender,” which are notoriously prone to essentialization, to a deconstructive analysis as systems of differentiation.

West European and East Asian perspectives on defense, deterrence, and strategy. Volume 2. Western European perspectives on defense, deterrence, and strategy. Technical report, 1 December 1982-15 May 1984

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pfaltzgraff, R.L.; Davis, J.K.; Dougherty, J.E.

1984-05-16

A survey of contemporary West European perspectives on defense, deterrence, and strategy, with special emphasis on the role of nuclear weapons deployed in, or assigned to, the NATO area. Changes have occurred during the past decade in the relative military strength of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, particularly as a result of the substantial growth in Soviet nuclear-capable systems and conventional forces assigned to Europe, and the momentum manifested by the Soviet Union in its deployments of intercontinental ballistic missiles. There has also been a substantial shift in West European thinking and attitudes about security and strategy. Together, these trendsmore » have created a need to reassess the posture of NATO forces generally, and especially nuclear weapons, both in a broader Euro-strategic framework and on the Central Front in the 1980s. The survey is on such issues as the future of the British and French national strategic nuclear forces; the role of the U.S.-strategic nuclear forces in the deterrence of conflict in Europe; the prospects of raising the nuclear threshold by the deployment of new conventional technologies; the impact of strategic defense initiatives on U.S.-NATO security; and the modernization of NATO intermediate-range nuclear capabilities, especially in light of the continuing deployment of the Soviet Union of new generation Euro-strategic forces targeted against Western Europe.« less

Towards a sampling strategy for the assessment of forest condition at European level: combining country estimates.

PubMed

Travaglini, Davide; Fattorini, Lorenzo; Barbati, Anna; Bottalico, Francesca; Corona, Piermaria; Ferretti, Marco; Chirici, Gherardo

2013-04-01

A correct characterization of the status and trend of forest condition is essential to support reporting processes at national and international level. An international forest condition monitoring has been implemented in Europe since 1987 under the auspices of the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests). The monitoring is based on harmonized methodologies, with individual countries being responsible for its implementation. Due to inconsistencies and problems in sampling design, however, the ICP Forests network is not able to produce reliable quantitative estimates of forest condition at European and sometimes at country level. This paper proposes (1) a set of requirements for status and change assessment and (2) a harmonized sampling strategy able to provide unbiased and consistent estimators of forest condition parameters and of their changes at both country and European level. Under the assumption that a common definition of forest holds among European countries, monitoring objectives, parameters of concern and accuracy indexes are stated. On the basis of fixed-area plot sampling performed independently in each country, an unbiased and consistent estimator of forest defoliation indexes is obtained at both country and European level, together with conservative estimators of their sampling variance and power in the detection of changes. The strategy adopts a probabilistic sampling scheme based on fixed-area plots selected by means of systematic or stratified schemes. Operative guidelines for its application are provided.

Impact of European Media Education Strategies on Russian Media Education Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikhaleva, Galina V.

2015-01-01

The article attempts to examine the impact of European media education theories and approaches on Russian media education evolution basing on a comparative analysis of Russian and European media literacy promotion strategies in the historical context. This influence resulted in the appearance and development of socio-cultural models of media…

National Transportation Science and Technology Strategy.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-04-01

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Technology, Subcommittee on Transportation Research and Development (R&D), has created a National Transportation Science and Technology Strategy that builds on the earlier strategy publi...

The European physical and rehabilitation medicine journal network: historical notes on national journals.

PubMed

Negrini, S; Ilieva, E; Moslavac, S; Zampolini, M; Giustini, A

2010-06-01

In the last 40 years, physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) has made significant steps forward in Europe with the foundation of the European Federation of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (EFPMR) (1963) which gave rise to the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM) (2004) the European Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (1970), the PRM Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists (1974), and the European Board of PRM (1991). Our journal, formerly Europa Medico-physica (1964), the official journal of the EFPMR, now European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (EJPRM) and official journal of the ESPRM since 2008, is distinct for its steadfast European vocation, long-standing Mediter-ranean interests and connections with various national scientific societies. Jointly with the ESPRM, efforts are under way to set up the European Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Journal Network (EPRMJN). The aim of this article is to present a profile of the national journals in the EPRMJN so as to give a better overview of how the scientific part of PRM in Europe has developed within a national perspective. A profile of the following national journals is presented: Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (France), Fizikalna i rehabilitacijska medicina (Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) (Croatia), Neurorehabilitation (Bulgaria), Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Portuguese Society Journal (Portugal), Physical Medicine, Rehabilitaton, Health (Bulgaria), Physikalische Medizin - Rehabilitationsmedizin - Kurort-medizin/Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Germany and Austria) Prevention and Rehabilitation (Bulgaria), Rehabilitacija (Rehabilitation) (Slovenia), Rehabilitación (Madr) (Spain), Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Turkey). Some national journals in Europe have a very long history and tradition of research and education. Having a better knowledge of these realities, usually

The WHO-ITU national eHealth strategy toolkit as an effective approach to national strategy development and implementation.

PubMed

Hamilton, Clayton

2013-01-01

With few exceptions, national eHealth strategies are the pivotal tools upon which the launch or refocusing of national eHealth programmes is hinged. The process of their development obviates cross-sector ministerial commitment led by the Ministry of Health. Yet countries often grapple with the task of strategy development and best efforts frequently fail to address strategic components of eHealth key to ensure successful implementation and stakeholder engagement. This can result in strategies that are narrowly focused, with an overemphasis placed on achieving technical outcomes. Without a clear link to a broader vision of health system development and a firm commitment from partners, the ability of a strategy to shape development of a national eHealth framework will be undermined and crucial momentum for implementation will be lost. WHO and ITU have sought to address this issue through the development of the National eHealth Strategy Toolkit that provides a basis for the components and processes to be considered in a strategy development or refocusing exercise. We look at this toolkit and highlight those areas which the countries should consider in formulating their national eHealth strategy.

Educational Research: What Strategies for Development in the European Research Area?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Alan

2004-01-01

This is a report of the "European Educational Research Journal" (EERJ) Roundtable that sought to describe what national educational research programmes are doing, how they are working together, and how they might contribute to the developing European Educational Research Space. The Roundtable was an opportunity for one large consortium…

Hepatitis C: The beginning of the end-key elements for successful European and national strategies to eliminate HCV in Europe.

PubMed

Papatheodoridis, G V; Hatzakis, A; Cholongitas, E; Baptista-Leite, R; Baskozos, I; Chhatwal, J; Colombo, M; Cortez-Pinto, H; Craxi, A; Goldberg, D; Gore, C; Kautz, A; Lazarus, J V; Mendão, L; Peck-Radosavljevic, M; Razavi, H; Schatz, E; Tözün, N; van Damme, P; Wedemeyer, H; Yazdanpanah, Y; Zuure, F; Manns, M P

2018-03-01

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem in the European Union (EU). An estimated 5.6 million Europeans are chronically infected with a wide range of variation in prevalence across European Union countries. Although HCV continues to spread as a largely "silent pandemic," its elimination is made possible through the availability of the new antiviral drugs and the implementation of prevention practices. On 17 February 2016, the Hepatitis B & C Public Policy Association held the first EU HCV Policy Summit in Brussels. This summit was an historic event as it was the first high-level conference focusing on the elimination of HCV at the European Union level. The meeting brought together the main stakeholders in the field of HCV: clinicians, patient advocacy groups, representatives of key institutions and regional bodies from across European Union; it served as a platform for one of the most significant disease elimination campaigns in Europe and culminated in the presentation of the HCV Elimination Manifesto, calling for the elimination of HCV in Europe by 2030. The launch of the Elimination Manifesto provides a starting point for action in order to make HCV and its elimination in Europe an explicit public health priority, to ensure that patients, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders will be directly involved in developing and implementing HCV elimination strategies, to pay particular attention to the links between hepatitis C and social marginalization and to introduce a European Hepatitis Awareness Week. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

National Strategy for Aviation Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-26

for Aviation Security (hereafter referred to as the Strategy) to protect the Nation and its interests from threats in the Air Domain. The Secretary of... Aviation security is best achieved by integrating public and private aviation security global activities into a coordinated effort to detect, deter...might occur. The Strategy aligns Federal government aviation security programs and initiatives into a comprehensive and cohesive national effort

The ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap: A Twenty Year Strategy for European Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bode, M.; Monnet, G.

2008-12-01

The process followed by ASTRONET to build a long-term strategy for European astronomy is presented. The main conclusions and priorities given in the recently unveiled report on the Infrastructure Roadmap for the next 20 years, following the establishment of a Science Vision last year, are summarised. These reports together hopefully represent a blueprint for a bright future for European astronomy.

The European Network of Coloproctology: a strategy towards the European research and healthcare system.

PubMed

Rubbini, Michele

2016-12-01

Many documents from the International Institutions point out that Health represents an engine of economic and social development. Based on these documents and concepts, the European Parliament decided to create a system of European Reference Networks as a synthesis of clinical and research activities, particularly in the field of rare diseases. This initiative, properly implemented, could be first step towards a new European health system. This article instead, wanting to deepen this perspective, postulates that the ERNs may also be related to widespread diseases, such as those of coloproctological interest, with the aim of setting up a European Network of Coloproctology (ENCP). Here are analyzed: (a) the documents related to ERNs and others related to research and training, the characteristics of the coloproctological diseases, and proposal of the ENCP; (b) a survey that involves 14 out of 25 of the National and Regional Representative of the European Society of Coloproctology. Hundred percent of the people interviewed agree to the ENCP project. The percentage of the approved proposed fields of activity of the ENCP are: Healthcare 71%, Research 100%, Training 86%, Support to legislation 78%, Professional Mobility 64%, Patient Database 71%, and Expenditure control 64%. From the analysis of the documents and the result of the survey, ERNs are appropriate not only in relation to rare diseases but also in those fields with higher diffusion and the creation of a European Network of Coloproctology is then postulated.

European Union health policy and its implications for national convergence.

PubMed

Cucic, S

2000-06-01

This paper explores the relevance for health care of European Union (EU) legislation, regulation and policies. Reports, communications and other materials of the European Commission and other relevant European bodies are screened for their implications for health care, primarily on the national health system level. The paper provides a brief overview of EU history and its main institutions, followed by an analysis of health (care)-related provisions in the EU's main legal documents--its treaties. The impact of the EU actions on health protection is considered with regard to both actions in the field of public health and health protection requirements in its policies. In the public health area, information systems that are now being developed are discussed, followed by an outline of health protection requirements in EU policies that can have an impact on health systems. These policies are then analysed using the political factions model. Finally an attempt is made to predict future developments, stressing the need for a far-reaching synchronization of national systems.

Comparison of legislation, regulations and national health strategies for palliative care in seven European countries (Results from the Europall Research Group): a descriptive study.

PubMed

Van Beek, Karen; Woitha, Kathrin; Ahmed, Nisar; Menten, Johan; Jaspers, Birgit; Engels, Yvonne; Ahmedzai, Sam H; Vissers, Kris; Hasselaar, Jeroen

2013-07-17

According to EU policy, anyone in need of palliative care should be able to have access to it. It is therefore important to investigate which palliative care topics are subject to legislation and regulations in Europe and how these are implemented in (national) health care plans. This paper aims to deliver a structured overview of the legislation, existing regulations and the different health care policies regarding palliative care in seven European countries. In 2008 an inventory of the organisation of palliative care was developed by the researchers of the Europall project. Included were two open questions about legislation, regulations, and health policy in palliative care. This questionnaire was completed using palliative care experts selected from Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Additionally, (grey) literature on palliative care health policy and regulations from the participating countries was collected to complete the inventory. Comparative analysis of country specific information was performed afterwards. In all countries palliative care regulations and policies existed (either in laws, royal decrees, or national policies). An explicit right to palliative care was mentioned in the Belgium, French and German law. In addition, access to palliative care was mentioned by all countries, varying from explicit regulations to policy intentions in national plans. Also, all countries had a national policy on palliative care, although sometimes mainly related to national cancer plans. Differences existed in policy regarding palliative care leave, advance directives, national funding, palliative care training, research, opioids and the role of volunteers. Although all included European countries have policies on palliative care, countries largely differ in the presence of legislation and regulations on palliative care as well as the included topics. European healthcare policy recommendations should support palliative care access

Comparison of legislation, regulations and national health strategies for palliative care in seven European countries (Results from the Europall Research Group): a descriptive study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background According to EU policy, anyone in need of palliative care should be able to have access to it. It is therefore important to investigate which palliative care topics are subject to legislation and regulations in Europe and how these are implemented in (national) health care plans. This paper aims to deliver a structured overview of the legislation, existing regulations and the different health care policies regarding palliative care in seven European countries. Methods In 2008 an inventory of the organisation of palliative care was developed by the researchers of the Europall project. Included were two open questions about legislation, regulations, and health policy in palliative care. This questionnaire was completed using palliative care experts selected from Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Additionally, (grey) literature on palliative care health policy and regulations from the participating countries was collected to complete the inventory. Comparative analysis of country specific information was performed afterwards. Results In all countries palliative care regulations and policies existed (either in laws, royal decrees, or national policies). An explicit right to palliative care was mentioned in the Belgium, French and German law. In addition, access to palliative care was mentioned by all countries, varying from explicit regulations to policy intentions in national plans. Also, all countries had a national policy on palliative care, although sometimes mainly related to national cancer plans. Differences existed in policy regarding palliative care leave, advance directives, national funding, palliative care training, research, opioids and the role of volunteers. Conclusions Although all included European countries have policies on palliative care, countries largely differ in the presence of legislation and regulations on palliative care as well as the included topics. European healthcare policy recommendations

The national suicide prevention strategy for England: the reality of a national strategy for the nursing profession.

PubMed

Anderson, M; Jenkins, R

2006-12-01

Suicide is recognized as a global phenomenon and many countries now have national suicide prevention strategies. International guidance on suicide prevention and accepted epidemiological and treatment-based research underpins healthcare policy relating to suicide reduction. There has been an established comprehensive strategy in England since 2002. However, the rate of suicide continues to be a concern and nurses hold a key role in the implementation of national, regional and local policy into practice. The aim of this paper is to consider the current implications of the national suicide prevention strategy in England for nursing. This discussion paper draws upon both empirical evidence-based literature, governmental guidance and policy-related documentation. The national suicide prevention strategy for England currently continues to have a multifaceted impact on the nursing profession. This ranges from clinical practice issues such as risk assessment through to broader public health responsibilities. If nurses and allied health professionals are to be effective in their role within suicide prevention, they will need to be supported in building awareness of the wider context of the national policy. In particular, this will mean working effectively and collaboratively with the voluntary sector, service users and other non-medical agencies.

The emerging mental health strategy of the European Union: a multi-level work-in-progress.

PubMed

Kelly, Brendan D

2008-01-01

Policy-making in the European Union (EU) is a complex process that can appear impenetrable and opaque. This paper examines the ongoing process of mental health policy-making in the EU. In 2005, the Health and Consumer Protectorate Director-General of the European Commission published a Green Paper and launched a consultation process aimed at mental health service-users, advocates, providers, business, social services and governments. While there were varying levels of participation between member states, a range of trans-national, national and infra-national actors made contributions. Based on these consultations, a 'Consultative Platform' was created and made 10 recommendations centered on the principles of partnership; establishing policy competencies; integrating mental health into national policies; involving stakeholders; and protecting human rights. This ongoing process illustrates many features of EU policy-making: (a) the European Commission generates an initiative; (b) policy focuses on EU standardization, with member states remaining central actors in service-delivery; (c) policy focuses on social inclusion; (d) the European Commission coordinates diverse networks of actors; and (e) there is 'multi-level' involvement, with direct interaction between trans-national, national and infra-national actors. An enhanced focus on epidemiological data and 'evidence-based policy' would increase rigor and focus further attention on this relatively neglected policy area.

Quality Assurance in Engineering Education on a National and European Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gola, Muzio M.

2005-01-01

Activity 2 of project E4, "Quality Assessment and Transparency for Enhanced Mobility and Trans-European Recognition", included the working group on "Quality Assurance in Engineering on a National and European Scale". Its report can be found in Part 2 of Volume D, final report of the E4 Thematic Network (Firenze University Press 2003). The Report…

Public health research systems in the European union

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Strengthening health research is an important objective for international health organisations, but there has been less attention to support for health research in Europe. We describe the public-health (population and organisational level) research systems in the 27 European Union countries. Methods We developed a typology for describing health research structures based on funding streams and strategies. We drew data from internet sources and asked country informants to review these for consistency and completeness. The structures were described as organograms and narratives in country profiles for each of the 27 EU member states. National public-health research structures included public and independent funding organisations, 'mixed' institutions (which receive funds, and both use and allocate them) and provider institutions. Results Most health research is funded through ministries of science or science councils (and sometimes foundations), while parliaments and regions may also contribute. National institutes of public health are usually funded by ministries of health. Many national research organisations both determine research programmes and undertake health research, but there is a move towards public-health sciences within the universities, and a transition from internal grants to competitive funding. Of 27 national research strategies, 17 referred to health and 11 to public health themes. Although all countries had strategies for public health itself, we found little coherence in public-health research programmes. The European Commission has country contact points for both EU research and health programmes, but they do not coordinate with national health-research programmes. Conclusions Public-health research is broadly distributed across programmes in EU countries. Better understanding of research structures, programmes and results would improve recognition for public health in Europe, and contribute to practice. EU ministries of health should

Technological Strategies and National Purpose

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilpin, Robert

1970-01-01

Discusses the international and domestic implications of technological growth. Defines three basic national strategies: a broad front approach, scientific and technological specialization and importation. Analyzes the strategies followed by form countries - France, the United States, Sweden, and Japan- to illustrate the alternatives and the…

Role of Sample Processing Strategies at the European Union National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) Concerning the Analysis of Pesticide Residues.

PubMed

Hajeb, Parvaneh; Herrmann, Susan S; Poulsen, Mette E

2017-07-19

The guidance document SANTE 11945/2015 recommends that cereal samples be milled to a particle size preferably smaller than 1.0 mm and that extensive heating of the samples should be avoided. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the differences in milling procedures, obtained particle size distributions, and the resulting pesticide residue recovery when cereal samples were milled at the European Union National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) with their routine milling procedures. A total of 23 NRLs participated in the study. The oat and rye samples milled by each NRL were sent to the European Union Reference Laboratory on Cereals and Feedingstuff (EURL) for the determination of the particle size distribution and pesticide residue recovery. The results showed that the NRLs used several different brands and types of mills. Large variations in the particle size distributions and pesticide extraction efficiencies were observed even between samples milled by the same type of mill.

National energy strategy to be devised

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

Secretary of Energy James D. Watkins has announced the Department of Energy's plans to develop a national energy strategy. Leaders of three national associations voiced concern that organizers of the U.S. Department of Energy hearings made no contract with the American Wind Energy Association, (AWEA) and National Wood Energy Association (NWEA) or the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). All three representatives urged the DOE to address the problems of acid rain, global climate change and continued reliance on imported fuel. The renewable energy industry groups expressed hope that a future DOE meeting with Watkins and the renewable energy industries willmore » be held to discuss the components of a national energy strategy encouraging the use of renewable energy sources.« less

Selection strategies for newly registered blood donors in European countries

PubMed Central

Lieshout-Krikke, Ryanne W.; Domanovic, Dragoslav; de Kort, Wim; Mayr, Wolfgang; Liumbruno, Giancarlo M.; Pupella, Simonetta; Kurz, Johann; Knutson, Folke; MacLennan, Sheila; Folléa, Gilles

2017-01-01

Background Two selection strategies for newly-registered blood donors are available: a single-visit selection called the standard selection procedure (SSP), and a two-stage selection named predonation and donation screening (PDS). This study reviews the selection strategies for newly-registered donors currently applied in European countries. Material and methods We collected data on donor selection procedures, blood donation, laboratory screening and HIV, HCV and HBV positive donors/donations from 2010 to 2013 in 30 European countries by using questionnaires. We grouped the countries according to the applied selection strategy, and for each country, we calculated the 4-year prevalence of confirmed positive results indicating the presence of overall and recent HIV, HCV and HBV infections among first-time and repeat donations and among newly-registered donors. Results Most of the 24 countries (80%) apply the SSP strategy for selection of newly-registered donors. Twenty-two countries (73.3%) employ a nucleic acid amplification testing in addition to the mandatory serological screening. The survey confirms a higher overall prevalence of HIV, HCV and HBV infections among first-time donations and newly-registered donors than among repeat donations. In contrast, the prevalence of recently acquired HIV and HCV infections was lower among first-time donations and newly-registered donors than among repeat donations, but higher for recent HBV infections (6.7/105 vs 2.6/105 in the SSP setting and 4.3/105 vs 0.5/105 in one country using PDS). The relatively low numbers of infected donors selected by PDS impeded accurate assessment of the prevalence of recent infections in first-time donations. Discussion The data from European countries provide inconclusive evidence that applying PDS reduces the risk of donations being made in the diagnostic window of first-time donors. The impact of PDS on the risk of window-period donations and blood donor management needs further

National Drug Control Strategy, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011

2011-01-01

In May of 2010, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural "National Drug Control Strategy". Based on the premise that drug use and its consequences pose a threat not just to public safety, but also to public health, the 2010 "Strategy" represented the first comprehensive rebalancing of Federal drug control policy in the nearly 40…

National Drug Control Strategy. 2008 Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2008

2008-01-01

This report presents the 2008 National Drug Control Strategy of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The overarching goal of the President's Strategy is to reduce drug use in America through a balanced approach that focuses on stopping use before it starts, healing America's drug users, and disrupting the market for illegal…

Emotion Regulation Strategies in European American and Hong Kong Chinese Middle School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wan, Kayan Phoebe; Savina, Elena

2016-01-01

This study explored emotion regulation strategies in middle school European American (N = 54) and Hong Kong Chinese (N = 89) children. Children were presented with scenarios describing a fictitious girl/boy who encountered situations eliciting sadness, anger, and fear. Based on Gross' theory (1998), the survey of emotion regulation strategies was…

Implementing the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Scientific challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, Alice; Borja, Angel; Solidoro, Cosimo; Grégoire, Marilaure

2015-10-01

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD; EC, 2008) is an ambitious European policy instrument that aims to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in the 5,720,000 km2 of European seas by 2020, using an Ecosystem Approach. GES is to be assessed using 11 descriptors and up to 56 indicators (European Commission, 2010), and the goal is for clean, healthy and productive seas that are the basis for marine-based development, known as Blue-Growth. The MSFD is one of many policy instruments, such as the Water Framework Directive, the Common Fisheries Policy and the Habitats Directive that, together, should result in "Healthy Oceans and Productive Ecosystems - HOPE". Researchers working together with stakeholders such as the Member States environmental agencies, the European Environmental Agency, and the Regional Sea Conventions, are to provide the scientific knowledge basis for the implementation of the MSFD. This represents both a fascinating challenge and a stimulating opportunity.

National Drug Control Strategy. Update

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2005

2005-01-01

The first National Drug Control Strategy set ambitious two and five-year performance based goals: (1) to lower the rate of drug use by 10 percent over 2 years among both youth and adults; and (2) to lower the rate by 25 percent over 5 years. The chapters in this updated version are keyed to the strategies three priorities: (1) Stopping Use Before…

West European and East Asian Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy. Volume 6. South Korean Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-11

8217IN.2 AD-A166 115 DNA-TR-84-109-V6 ’’ WEST EUROPEAN AND EAST ASIAN PERSPECTIVES ON DEFENSE, DETERRENCE AND STRATEGY Volume VI-South Korean Perspectives...on Defense, Deterrence and J. Strategy Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis Central Plaza Building 675 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139...PERSPECTIVES ON DEFENSE, DETERRENCE AND STRATEGY Volume VI-South Korean Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy 12 PERSONALAUTHOR(S

Cross-national comparability of burden of disease estimates: the European Disability Weights Project.

PubMed Central

Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise; Pereira, Joaquin; Packer, Claire; Schwarzinger, Michael; Burstrom, Kristina

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sources of cross-national variation in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in the European Disability Weights Project. METHODS: Disability weights for 15 disease stages were derived empirically in five countries by means of a standardized procedure and the cross-national differences in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were analysed. For each country the burden of dementia in women, used as an illustrative example, was estimated in DALYs. An analysis was performed of the relative effects of cross-national variations in demography, epidemiology and disability weights on DALY estimates. FINDINGS: Cross-national comparison of VAS scores showed almost identical ranking orders. After standardization for population size and age structure of the populations, the DALY rates per 100000 women ranged from 1050 in France to 1404 in the Netherlands. Because of uncertainties in the epidemiological data, the extent to which these differences reflected true variation between countries was difficult to estimate. The use of European rather than country-specific disability weights did not lead to a significant change in the burden of disease estimates for dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Sound epidemiological data are the first requirement for burden of disease estimation and relevant between-countries comparisons. DALY estimates for dementia were relatively insensitive to differences in disability weights between European countries. PMID:12219156

The European Medicines Agency's strategies to meet the challenges of Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Haas, Manuel; Mantua, Valentina; Haberkamp, Marion; Pani, Luca; Isaac, Maria; Butlen-Ducuing, Florence; Vamvakas, Spiros; Broich, Karl

2015-04-01

Regulatory agencies have a key role in facilitating the development of new drugs for Alzheimer disease, particularly given the challenges associated with early intervention. Here, we highlight the strategies of the European Medicines Agency to help address such challenges.

Publishing Strategies of Young, Highly Mobile Academics: The Question of Language in the European Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Laurie

2013-01-01

This paper examines links between publishing strategies and the academic mobility of multilingual entry-level scholars in the European context against the backdrop of European Union (EU) policies and research on academic labor market characteristics, skilled migration and scholarly publishing. An analysis of language of publication, patterns of…

How does single party dominance influence civil society organisations' engagement strategies? Exploratory analysis of participative mainstreaming in a 'regional' European polity.

PubMed

Chaney, Paul

2016-04-01

A raft of United Nations Treaties, European Union Directives and domestic laws oblige governments in 180 + countries to apply the Participative Democratic Model of mainstreaming equalities to public administration by involving those targeted by equality initiatives at all stages in their design and delivery. Notwithstanding Participative Democratic Model's deeply political nature, extant work has overlooked how governing party turnover influences civil society organisations' (CSOs) strategies. Here, this lacuna is addressed using a negative 'extreme case study' research design involving qualitative accounts from civil society organisations in Wales, a 'regional' European polity characterised by one-party dominance. The findings reveal how the absence of turnover distorts the Participative Democratic Model in relation to diverse factors including: strategic bridging, extraparliamentary politics, cognitive locks and party institutionalisation. Inter alia, the wider contribution of this analysis lies in showing the importance of turnover to effective engagement, the 'pathologies' associated with one-party dominance and the need for adaptive civil society strategies tailored to prevailing electoral politics and governing party turnover in liberal democracies.

Tobacco industry strategies for influencing European Community tobacco advertising legislation.

PubMed

Neuman, Mark; Bitton, Asaf; Glantz, Stanton

2002-04-13

Restrictions on tobacco company advertising and sponsorship are effective parts of tobacco control programmes worldwide. Through Council Directive 98/43/EC, the European Community (EC) sought to end all tobacco advertising and sponsorship in EC member states by 2006. Initially proposed in 1989, the directive was adopted in 1998, and was annulled by the European Court of Justice in 2000 following a protracted lobbying campaign against the directive by a number of interested organisations including European tobacco companies. A new advertising directive was proposed in May, 2001. We reviewed online collections of tobacco industry documents from US tobacco companies made public under the US Master Settlement Agreement of 1998. Documents reviewed dated from 1978 to 1994 and came from Philip Morris, R J Reynolds, and Brown and Williamson (British American Tobacco) collections. We also obtained approximately 15,000 pages of paper records related to British American Tobacco from its documents' depository in Guildford, UK. This information was supplemented with information in the published literature and consultations with European tobacco control experts. The tobacco industry lobbied against Directive 98/43/EC at the level of EC member state governments as well as on a pan-European level. The industry sought to prevent passage of the directive within the EC legislature, to substitute industry-authored proposals in place of the original directive, and if necessary to use litigation to prevent implementation of the directive after its passage. The tobacco industry sought to delay, and eventually defeat, the EC directive on tobacco advertising and sponsorship by seeking to enlist the aid of figures at the highest levels of European politics while at times attempting to conceal the industry's role. An understanding of these proposed strategies can help European health advocates to pass and implement effective future tobacco control legislation.

National Drug Control Strategy. FY 2009 Budget Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

The White House, 2008

2008-01-01

The National Drug Control Budget Summary identifies resources and performance indicators for programs within the Executive Branch that are integral to the President's National Drug Control Strategy. The Strategy, which is the Administration's plan for reducing drug use and availability, is based on three pillars: (1) Stopping Use Before It Starts,…

2011 National Drug Control Strategy. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011

2011-01-01

In May of 2010, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural "National Drug Control Strategy", a comprehensive approach to combat the public health and safety consequences posed by drug use. Now, a year later, the Administration is releasing its update building upon that initial "Strategy". The "Strategy" establishes ambitious goals to…

A National Strategy for Lifelong Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffield, Frank, Ed.

The first paper of this set of 12 conference papers, "Nine Learning Fallacies and Their Replacement by a National Strategy for Lifelong Learning," by Frank Coffield, synthesizes the opinions of other participants, and goes beyond them to set forth an outline of a strategy for lifelong learning in the United Kingdom. Following this…

Introduction to "Diversity of Child Health Care in Europe: A Study of the European Paediatric Association/Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations".

PubMed

Ehrich, Jochen; Namazova-Baranova, Leyla; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo

2016-10-01

The field of pediatrics in Europe is characterized by the diversities, variations, and heterogeneities of child health care services provided in 53 European countries with more than 200 million children below 18 years of age. Managing the health care of infants, children, and adolescents in Europe requires balancing clinical aims, research findings, and socioeconomic goals within a typical environment characterized by cultural and economic complexity and large disparity in availability, affordability, and accessibility of pediatric care. Since its foundation in 1976, the European Paediatric Association-Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations has worked to improve both medical care of all children and cooperation of their caretakers in Europe. Such a report has been conceived in the strong belief that broadening of the intellectual basis of the European Paediatric Association-Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations and creating a multidisciplinary society will be necessary to reduce fragmentation of pediatrics and tackle the legal, economic, and organizational challenges of child health care in Europe. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How does single party dominance influence civil society organisations’ engagement strategies? Exploratory analysis of participative mainstreaming in a ‘regional’ European polity

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A raft of United Nations Treaties, European Union Directives and domestic laws oblige governments in 180 + countries to apply the Participative Democratic Model of mainstreaming equalities to public administration by involving those targeted by equality initiatives at all stages in their design and delivery. Notwithstanding Participative Democratic Model’s deeply political nature, extant work has overlooked how governing party turnover influences civil society organisations’ (CSOs) strategies. Here, this lacuna is addressed using a negative ‘extreme case study’ research design involving qualitative accounts from civil society organisations in Wales, a ‘regional’ European polity characterised by one-party dominance. The findings reveal how the absence of turnover distorts the Participative Democratic Model in relation to diverse factors including: strategic bridging, extraparliamentary politics, cognitive locks and party institutionalisation. Inter alia, the wider contribution of this analysis lies in showing the importance of turnover to effective engagement, the ‘pathologies’ associated with one-party dominance and the need for adaptive civil society strategies tailored to prevailing electoral politics and governing party turnover in liberal democracies. PMID:28596639

European National Society Cardiovascular Journals

PubMed Central

Alfonso, F.; Ambrosio, G.; Pinto, F.J.; van der Wall, E.E.

2008-01-01

Anesti Kondili MD, Djamaleddine Nibouche MD, Karlen Adamyan MD, Kurt Huber MD, Hugo Ector MD, Izet Masic MD, Rumiana Tarnovska MD, Mario Ivanusa MD, Vladimír Stane˘k MD, Jørgen Videbæk MD, Mohamed Hamed MD, Alexandras Laucevicius MD, Pirjo Mustonen MD, Jean-Yves Artigou MD, Ariel Cohen MD, Mamanti Rogava MD, Michael Böhm MD, Eckart Fleck MD, Gerd Heusch MD, Rainer Klawki MD, Panos Vardas MD, Christodoulos Stefanadis MD, József Tenczer MD, Massimo Chiariello MD, Aleksandras Laucevicius MD, Joseph Elias MD, Halima Benjelloun MD, Olaf Rødevand MD, Piotr Kul/akowski MD, Edvard Apetrei MD, Victor A. Lusov MD, Rafael G. Oganov MD, Velibor Obradovic MD, Gabriel Kamensky MD, Miran F. Kenda MD, Christer Höglund MD, Thomas F. Lüscher MD, René Lerch MD, Moufid Jokhadar MD, Habib Haouala MD, Vedat Sansoy MD, Valentin Shumakov MD, Adam Timmis MD. (European National Society Cardiovascular Journals Editors, see Appendix for complete affiliations) PMID:18665206

Military Airlift: DOD Plans to Participate in Multi-National Program to Exchange Air Services with European Nations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-30

Air Transport, Air-to-Air Refueling and Other Exchange of Services ( ATARES ) program.1 ATARES is a European program through which member nations use a... ATARES is managed by the Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE), a multi-national organization established in July 2007 to coordinate and optimize...of ATARES but is seeking to join the program. DOD is a member of MCCE and pays a fee for this membership; there is no additional fee to become a

From heterogeneity to harmonization? Recent trends in European health policy.

PubMed

Gerlinger, Thomas; Urban, Hans-Jürgen

2007-01-01

In the European Union (EU), health policy and the institutional reform of health systems have been treated primarily as national affairs, and health care systems within the EU thus differ considerably. However, the health policy field is undergoing a dynamic process of Europeanization. This process is stimulated by the orientation towards a more competitive economy, recently inaugurated and known as the Lisbon Strategy, while the regulatory requirements of the European Economic and Monetary Union are stimulating the Europeanization of health policy. In addition, the so-called open method of coordination, representing a new mode of regulation within the European multi-level system, is applied increasingly to the health policy area. Diverse trends are thus emerging. While the Lisbon Strategy goes along with a strategic upgrading of health policy more generally, health policy is increasingly used to strengthen economic competitiveness. Pressure on Member States is expected to increase to contain costs and promote market-based health care provision.

Pan-European E-Government Services Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitvar, Tomáš; Mocan, Adrian; Nazir, Sanaullah; Wang, Xia

E-Government has been the center of interest for public administrations, citizens and businesses, as well as software vendors for several years. E-Government enables customers and members of the public and private sectors to take advantage of automated administration processes accessible on-line. These activities involve electronic exchange of information to acquire or provide products or services, to place or receive orders, or to complete financial transactions. All such communications must be performed securely, while at the same time maintaining the privacy of involved parties. E-Government allows citizens and businesses to process requests on-line, and with minimal physical interactions with public bodies. Since a complex information support often needs to be developed incrementally, e-Government services were first available as single services in specific sectors and for specific users. While these services are being further developed and expanded to be available in more sectors and for more users, their growing number leads to requirements of total or partial automation of certain tasks, for example, discovery, selection, composition and mediation of services. In addition, extensive numbers of such services are available in different sectors, and their provisioning in complex scenarios requires a good information strategy along with a good architectural and technological basis. The main goal is to identify and define methods, standards, technologies as well as legislation to be used within the whole development process and provisioning of complex e-Government systems. In the EU, the e-Government information strategy can be seen at two levels as (1) a European strategy driven by the European Commission to enable e-Government services across the EU member states and (2) national strategies to form a national e-Government available within a particular EU member state. The initiative which aims to develop the European strategy at the EU level is called IDABC.1

Development of archetypes for non-ranking classification and comparison of European National Health Technology Assessment systems.

PubMed

Allen, Nicola; Pichler, Franz; Wang, Tina; Patel, Sundip; Salek, Sam

2013-12-01

European countries are increasingly utilising health technology assessment (HTA) to inform reimbursement decision-making. However, the current European HTA environment is very diverse, and projects are already underway to initiate a more efficient and aligned HTA practice within Europe. This study aims to identify a non-ranking method for classifying the diversity of European HTA agencies process and the organisational architecture of the national regulatory review to reimbursement systems. Using a previously developed mapping methodology, this research created process maps to describe national processes for regulatory review to reimbursement for 33 European jurisdictions. These process maps enabled the creation of 2 HTA taxonomic sets. The confluence of the two taxonomic sets was subsequently cross-referenced to identify 10 HTA archetype groups. HTA is a young, rapidly evolving field and it can be argued that optimal practices for performing HTA are yet to emerge. Therefore, a non-ranking classification approach could objectively characterise and compare the diversity observed in the current European HTA environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

National Drug Control Strategy, 2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

The White House, 2006

2006-01-01

This report presents a summary of the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget for the National Drug Control Strategy within the three key priority areas; education and community action, treatment and intervention, and disruption in the illegal drug market. The first chapter, "Stopping Drug Use Before It Starts," outlines the Administration's work to prevent the…

The contribution of national disparities to international differences in mortality between the United States and 7 European countries.

PubMed

van Hedel, Karen; Avendano, Mauricio; Berkman, Lisa F; Bopp, Matthias; Deboosere, Patrick; Lundberg, Olle; Martikainen, Pekka; Menvielle, Gwenn; van Lenthe, Frank J; Mackenbach, Johan P

2015-04-01

This study examined to what extent the higher mortality in the United States compared to many European countries is explained by larger social disparities within the United States. We estimated the expected US mortality if educational disparities in the United States were similar to those in 7 European countries. Poisson models were used to quantify the association between education and mortality for men and women aged 30 to 74 years in the United States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland for the period 1989 to 2003. US data came from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index and the European data came from censuses linked to national mortality registries. If people in the United States had the same distribution of education as their European counterparts, the US mortality disadvantage would be larger. However, if educational disparities in mortality within the United States equaled those within Europe, mortality differences between the United States and Europe would be reduced by 20% to 100%. Larger educational disparities in mortality in the United States than in Europe partly explain why US adults have higher mortality than their European counterparts. Policies to reduce mortality among the lower educated will be necessary to bridge the mortality gap between the United States and European countries.

Proposal for National Targets in the Framework of the European Reduction Goal for Early School Leaving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lastra-Bravo, Xavier B.; Tolón-Becerra, Alfredo; Salinas-Andújar, José A.

2013-01-01

According to the European Commission's "Europe 2020" strategy, the early school leaving (ESL) rate in European Union (EU) Member States must be reduced to a maximum of 10 per cent by 2020. This paper proposes a nonlinear distribution method based on dynamic targets for reducing the percentage of early school leavers. The aim of this…

The Contribution of National Disparities to International Differences in Mortality Between the United States and 7 European Countries

PubMed Central

Avendano, Mauricio; Berkman, Lisa F.; Bopp, Matthias; Deboosere, Patrick; Lundberg, Olle; Martikainen, Pekka; Menvielle, Gwenn; van Lenthe, Frank J.; Mackenbach, Johan P.

2015-01-01

Objectives. This study examined to what extent the higher mortality in the United States compared to many European countries is explained by larger social disparities within the United States. We estimated the expected US mortality if educational disparities in the United States were similar to those in 7 European countries. Methods. Poisson models were used to quantify the association between education and mortality for men and women aged 30 to 74 years in the United States, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland for the period 1989 to 2003. US data came from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index and the European data came from censuses linked to national mortality registries. Results. If people in the United States had the same distribution of education as their European counterparts, the US mortality disadvantage would be larger. However, if educational disparities in mortality within the United States equaled those within Europe, mortality differences between the United States and Europe would be reduced by 20% to 100%. Conclusions. Larger educational disparities in mortality in the United States than in Europe partly explain why US adults have higher mortality than their European counterparts. Policies to reduce mortality among the lower educated will be necessary to bridge the mortality gap between the United States and European countries. PMID:25713947

European recommendations for primary prevention of congenital anomalies: a joined effort of EUROCAT and EUROPLAN projects to facilitate inclusion of this topic in the National Rare Disease Plans.

PubMed

Taruscio, Domenica; Arriola, Larraitz; Baldi, Francesca; Barisic, Ingeborg; Bermejo-Sánchez, Eva; Bianchi, Fabrizio; Calzolari, Elisa; Carbone, Pietro; Curran, Rhonda; Garne, Ester; Gatt, Miriam; Latos-Bieleńska, Anna; Khoshnood, Babak; Irgens, Lorentz; Mantovani, Alberto; Martínez-Frías, Maria Luisa; Neville, Amanda; Rißmann, Anke; Ruggeri, Stefania; Wellesley, Diana; Dolk, Helen

2014-01-01

Congenital anomalies (CA) are the paradigm example of rare diseases liable to primary prevention actions due to the multifactorial etiology of many of them, involving a number of environmental factors together with genetic predispositions. Yet despite the preventive potential, lack of attention to an integrated preventive strategy has led to the prevalence of CA remaining relatively stable in recent decades. The 2 European projects, EUROCAT and EUROPLAN, have joined efforts to provide the first science-based and comprehensive set of recommendations for the primary prevention of CA in the European Union. The resulting EUROCAT-EUROPLAN 'Recommendations on Policies to Be Considered for the Primary Prevention of Congenital Anomalies in National Plans and Strategies on Rare Diseases' were issued in 2012 and endorsed by EUCERD (European Union Committee of Experts on Rare Diseases) in 2013. The recommendations exploit interdisciplinary expertise encompassing drugs, diet, lifestyles, maternal health status, and the environment. The recommendations include evidence-based actions aimed at reducing risk factors and at increasing protective factors and behaviors at both individual and population level. Moreover, consideration is given to topics specifically related to CA (e.g. folate status, teratogens) as well as of broad public health impact (e.g. obesity, smoking) which call for specific attention to their relevance in the pre- and periconceptional period. The recommendations, reported entirely in this paper, are a comprehensive tool to implement primary prevention into national policies on rare diseases in Europe. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

National support to public health research: a survey of European ministries.

PubMed

Conceição, Cláudia; Leandro, Alexandra; McCarthy, Mark

2009-06-25

organisation and funding. Health ministries and national agencies value exchange between researchers and policy-makers, civil society organizations, and academic and public authorities, and the application of public-health research results. There would be benefits from better processes of priority setting and improved coordination for research, at regional, national and European levels.

National physical activity recommendations: systematic overview and analysis of the situation in European countries.

PubMed

Kahlmeier, Sonja; Wijnhoven, Trudy M A; Alpiger, Patrick; Schweizer, Christian; Breda, João; Martin, Brian W

2015-02-12

Developing national physical activity (PA) recommendations is an essential element of an effective national approach to promote PA. Systematic overview and analysis of national PA recommendations across the European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO European national information focal points provided information which was complemented through online searches and input from other experts. Information received until summer 2012 from 37 countries was analyzed. Sixteen countries did not have national recommendations while 21 countries did. For 17 countries, the source document was accessible. Seventeen recommendations referred to adults, 14 to young people and 6 to older adults. Most national recommendations for children and young people are quite similar: 12 countries recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA each day, in line with the WHO global recommendation. Three countries recommend longer durations and one a lower one. In some countries, slight variations were found regarding the recommended intensity and minimum bouts. Only one country was fully in line with the WHO recommendations. Two countries have issued separate recommendations for pre-school children. For adults, most countries still follow the 1995 United States recommendations of "at least 30 minutes on 5 days a week". Three countries were fully in line with the WHO recommendations. Four countries give specific recommendations on reducing weight, avoiding weight gain or continuing weight maintenance. The six identified national PA recommendations for older adults are mainly similar to those for adults but underline that particularly for this age group also less activity has important health benefits; four countries also recommend balance training. About half of the countries for which information was available and likely less than 40% of all 53 countries in the WHO European Region have developed national PA recommendations. Further investment is needed to

Resistance surveillance program report for selected European nations (2011).

PubMed

Jones, Ronald N; Flonta, Mirela; Gurler, Nazahat; Cepparulo, Mario; Mendes, Rodrigo E; Castanheira, Mariana

2014-04-01

In the European component of the Regional Resistance Surveillance study for 2011, a total of 21 countries were monitored for antimicrobial resistance patterns including Belgium, Bulgaria (BU), Croatia, Czech Republic, France (F), Germany (GE), Greece (GR), Ireland (IR), Israel (IS), Italy (IT), Poland (PO), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Russia (RU), Slovakia (SK), Slovenia, Spain, Sweden (SW), Turkey (T), Ukraine, and United Kingdom. Results from testing 12,572 strains (100 [BU] to 1535 [F] per nation) were interpreted by contemporary published breakpoints. Samples from 47 hospitals were reference tested against agents such as amikacin (AMK), cefoperazone/sulbactam (C/S), colistin (COL), levofloxacin, linezolid (LZD), tigecycline (TIG), vancomycin (VAN), and 21 others. Among Staphylococcus aureus, LZD (MIC90, 2 μg/mL), TIG (MIC90, 0.12 μg/mL), and VAN (MIC90, 1 μg/mL) exhibited complete coverage and methicillin resistance rates among nations (average, 31%) ranged from 0.9% (SW) to 60.0-60.2% (PT, SK). Seven LZD-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (only 1.1% resistance overall) were noted in 5 nations, and a Staphylococcus simulans strain (MIC, 8 μg/mL from RO) had L3 mutations (N130D, G152A, F147S, A157R); also 6 LZD-resistant enterococci were detected in 3 countries (GE, IR, T). VAN-resistant enterococci (10% overall; 84% VanA) were found in 14 countries, highest in GE and IR (23.0%). The ESBL phenotype rate for Escherichia coli was 20.1% (range, 0.9% [SW] to 70.0-89.7% [BU, RU]), best inhibited by COL (100.0% S), TIG (100.0%), AMK (83.3-94.1%), C/S (81.0%), and carbapenems (>99.0%; resistant strains in IS and T). Klebsiella spp. had greater ESBL rates (45.7% overall, range 2.5-100.0%), as well as carbapenem resistance (8.3% overall, greatest in BU, GR, IS, IT, PO, RO, RU, T). Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter [ACB]) were generally less susceptible, except against COL (99.2-99.6% S) and TIG (95.0% inhibited at

A comprehensive fracture prevention strategy in older adults: the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) statement.

PubMed

Blain, H; Masud, T; Dargent-Molina, P; Martin, F C; Rosendahl, E; van der Velde, N; Bousquet, J; Benetos, A; Cooper, C; Kanis, J A; Reginster, J Y; Rizzoli, R; Cortet, B; Barbagallo, M; Dreinhöfer, K E; Vellas, B; Maggi, S; Strandberg, T

2016-08-01

Prevention of fragility fractures in older people has become a public health priority, although the most appropriate and cost-effective strategy remains unclear. In the present statement, the Interest Group on Falls and Fracture Prevention of the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, in collaboration with the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics for the European Region, the European Union of Medical Specialists, and the International Osteoporosis Foundation-European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, outlines its views on the main points in the current debate in relation to the primary and secondary prevention of falls, the diagnosis and treatment of bone fragility, and the place of combined falls and fracture liaison services for fracture prevention in older people.

A Comprehensive Fracture Prevention Strategy in Older Adults: The European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) Statement.

PubMed

Blain, H; Masud, T; Dargent-Molina, P; Martin, F C; Rosendahl, E; van der Velde, N; Bousquet, J; Benetos, A; Cooper, C; Kanis, J A; Reginster, J Y; Rizzoli, R; Cortet, B; Barbagallo, M; Dreinhöfer, K E; Vellas, B; Maggi, S; Strandberg, T

2016-01-01

Prevention of fragility fractures in older people has become a public health priority, although the most appropriate and cost-effective strategy remains unclear. In the present statement, the Interest Group on Falls and Fracture Prevention of the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS), in collaboration with the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics for the European Region (IAGG-ER), the European Union of Medical Specialists (EUMS), the International Osteoporosis Foundation - European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, outlines its views on the main points in the current debate in relation to the primary and secondary prevention of falls, the diagnosis and treatment of bone fragility, and the place of combined falls and fracture liaison services for fracture prevention in older people.

Response to the National Career Development Strategy Green Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Journal of Career Development, 2012

2012-01-01

The National Career Development Strategy Green Paper paper proposes a strategy that is committed to these principles: (1) quality through Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) benchmarking, quality frameworks and processes and as a risk management strategy; (2) lifetime access to career development services; (3) development of career…

National European guidelines for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection: a systematic qualitative review.

PubMed

Martin, M; Zingg, W; Knoll, E; Wilson, C; Dettenkofer, M

2014-08-01

Clostridium difficile is the most frequent infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhoea and a major topic in infection prevention. To overview current national European guidelines for C. difficile infection (CDI) prevention and review the recommendations in respect of their evidence base and conformity to each other and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) guidance. In 34 European countries, the ECDC healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) surveillance National Contact Points and other HCAI experts (NCPs) were invited to complete an online questionnaire and to supply their guidelines. Guidelines not available in English, French or German were translated into English. For the qualitative analysis, a matrix with key measures based on the 2008 ECDC guidance was established. The review process was conducted independently by two reviewers. All 34 NCPs responded to the questionnaire and supplied 15 guidelines in total. Six of 34 (18%) countries reported having used the ECDC guidance as a basis for the development or revision of their national guideline. There was wide variation in the scope and detailing. Only six of the documents and the ECDC guidance supplied a rating for the strength of recommendations. The rating systems varied in how the categories were defined. Furthermore, the stated strength for similar measures varied across different guidelines. The ECDC guidance has not yet had a strong influence on the development or revision of national CDI prevention guidelines. One possible explanation for the variations is the necessity to adapt recommendations to national conditions. The use of internationally recognized instruments for the development of guidelines could help to improve their quality. Recommendations about monitoring or auditing the implementation would make them more useful. Copyright © 2014 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NREL Researchers Play Integral Role in National Offshore Wind Strategy |

Science.gov Websites

News | NREL Researchers Play Integral Role in National Offshore Wind Strategy NREL Researchers Play Integral Role in National Offshore Wind Strategy December 16, 2016 A photo of three offshore wind turbines in turbulent water. Offshore wind energy in the United States is just getting started, with the

Assessment and the National Languages Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Neil

2007-01-01

The Languages Ladder--a new framework for accrediting language proficiency--is a core element of the National Languages Strategy. This paper presents Asset Languages, the system being developed by Cambridge Assessment to implement the Languages Ladder, aiming to set it apart from existing qualification frameworks by accrediting clearly defined…

Variation in methods used to determine national mean DMFT scores for 12-year-old children in European countries.

PubMed

Patel, R N; Eaton, K A; Pitts, N B; Schulte, A; Pieper, K; White, S

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the methods used to identify national mean DMFT scores for 12-year-old children in all the Member States of the European Union and European Economic Area, and in 11 other European countries. The most recent national mean DMFT scores were accessed from the World Health Organisation Oral Health CAPP and the Council of European Chief Dental Officers databanks. A literature search was then performed to access the reports of the studies that had produced these DMFT scores, cited on these databanks. The reports were then analysed to determine: the year in which the survey/study that produced the score took place, the year the results were published, the geographical area (national, regional or local) covered, the number of children examined, how many examiners took part, how they were trained and calibrated, and the criteria used for the detection of caries. Data and information from 43 European countries were accessed. The years when the studies were performed ranged from 1990 to 2014. There were doubts over the representativeness of some samples. A wide range of different methods were used. Examiner training and calibration were very variable both in terms of duration and reported inter and intra-examiner consistency. There were important variations in the criteria employed for the detection of caries. These findings support the view that most of current national caries data for DMFT levels in 12-year-old children are not comparable across Europe. Copyright© 2016 Dennis Barber Ltd

New perspectives for European climate services: HORIZON2020

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruning, Claus; Tilche, Andrea

2014-05-01

The developing of new end-to-end climate services was one of the core priorities of 7th Framework for Research and Technological Development of the European Commission and will become one of the key strategic priorities of Societal Challenge 5 of HORIZON2020 (the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2014-2020). Results should increase the competitiveness of European businesses, and the ability of regional and national authorities to make effective decisions in climate-sensitive sectors. In parallel, the production of new tailored climate information should strengthen the resilience of the European society to climate change. In this perspective the strategy to support and foster the underpinning science for climate services in HORIZON2020 will be presented.

Using a Social Justice and Health Framework to Assess European Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

PubMed Central

Boeckmann, Melanie; Zeeb, Hajo

2014-01-01

Climate change puts pressure on existing health vulnerabilities through higher frequency of extreme weather events, changes in disease vector distribution or exacerbated air pollution. Climate change adaptation policies may hold potential to reduce societal inequities. We assessed the role of public health and social justice in European climate change adaptation using a three-fold approach: a document analysis, a critical discourse analysis of a subgroup of strategies, and a ranking of strategies against our social justice framework. The ranking approach favored planning that includes various adaptation types, social issues and infrastructure changes. Themes on values identified in the five subgroup documents showed that risks are perceived as contradictory, technology is viewed as savior, responsibilities need to be negotiated, and social justice is advocated by only a few countries. Of 21 strategy documents assessed overall, those from Austria, England and Sweden received the highest scores in the ranking. Our qualitative assessment showed that in European adaptation planning, progress could still be made through community involvement into adaptation decisions, consistent consideration of social and demographic determinants, and a stronger link between infrastructural adaptation and the health sector. Overall, a social justice framework can serve as an evaluation guideline for adaptation policy documents. PMID:25464133

Using a social justice and health framework to assess European climate change adaptation strategies.

PubMed

Boeckmann, Melanie; Zeeb, Hajo

2014-11-28

Climate change puts pressure on existing health vulnerabilities through higher frequency of extreme weather events, changes in disease vector distribution or exacerbated air pollution. Climate change adaptation policies may hold potential to reduce societal inequities. We assessed the role of public health and social justice in European climate change adaptation using a three-fold approach: a document analysis, a critical discourse analysis of a subgroup of strategies, and a ranking of strategies against our social justice framework. The ranking approach favored planning that includes various adaptation types, social issues and infrastructure changes. Themes on values identified in the five subgroup documents showed that risks are perceived as contradictory, technology is viewed as savior, responsibilities need to be negotiated, and social justice is advocated by only a few countries. Of 21 strategy documents assessed overall, those from Austria, England and Sweden received the highest scores in the ranking. Our qualitative assessment showed that in European adaptation planning, progress could still be made through community involvement into adaptation decisions, consistent consideration of social and demographic determinants, and a stronger link between infrastructural adaptation and the health sector. Overall, a social justice framework can serve as an evaluation guideline for adaptation policy documents.

The benefits from complying with the framework convention on tobacco control: a SimSmoke analysis of 15 European nations.

PubMed

Levy, David T; Huang, An-Tsun; Currie, Laura M; Clancy, Luke

2014-12-01

This article compares the predicted impact of tobacco tax increases alone and as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths (SADs) across 15 European countries. Country-specific population, smoking prevalence and policy data with modified parameter values have been applied to the previously validated SimSmoke model for 10 high-income and 5 middle-income European nations. The impact of past and potential future policies is modelled. Models generally validated well across the 15 countries, and showed the impact of past policies. Without stronger future policies, 44 million lives would be lost due to smoking across the 15 study countries between 2011 and 2040, but effective policies could avert 7.7 million of those premature deaths. Results suggest that past policies have been effective in reducing smoking rates, but there is also a strong potential for future policies consistent with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. When specific taxes are increased to 70% of retail price, strong smoke-free air laws, youth access laws and marketing restrictions are enforced, stronger health warnings are implemented, and cessation treatment and media campaigns are supported, smoking prevalence and SADs will fall substantially in European countries. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Towards National eHealth Implementation--a comparative study on WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit in Iran.

PubMed

Riazi, Hossein; Jafarpour, Maryam; Bitaraf, Ehsan

2014-01-01

Experiences has shown that utilization of ICT in health sector requires national commitment and planned efforts to make the best use of existing capacity. Establishing the main directions as well as planning the detailed steps needed are key to achieving longer-term goals such as health sector efficiency, reform or more fundamental transformation. Collaboration between the health and ICT sectors, both public and private, is central to this effort. As the major United Nations agencies for health and telecommunications respectively, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have recognized the importance of collaboration for eHealth in their global resolutions, which encourage countries to develop national eHealth strategies; the National eHealth Strategy Toolkit is the proof of these recommendations. In this study a mapping of eHealth components in WHO/ITU National eHealth Strategy Toolkit and our national eHealth vision is presented.

Consultation Process on the European Commission's "Memorandum on Lifelong Learning": Analysis of National Reports. CEDEFOP Panorama Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ni Cheallaigh, Martina, Ed.

This document presents outcomes of a review of the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (LL) consultation reports from member states of the European Commission and EEA (European Economic Area) countries that collected all views on how best to make progress in implementing LL at local, regional, and national levels. Section 1 provides an overview of…

The National Space Weather Strategy: Policy on Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murtagh, W. J.

2016-12-01

Ensuring that the United States is prepared to respond to and recover from severe space weather storms is a priority to the President and to this Administration. We cannot ignore the potential impact space weather may have on key infrastructures and technologies including aviation and satellite operations, the electric power grid, and GPS applications. These technologies form the very backbone of the critical technology infrastructure we rely on for so much of what we do today. In October 2015, OSTP Director John Holdren announced the release of the National Space Weather Strategy and the National Space Weather Action Plan. The Strategy identifies goals and establishes the principles that will guide efforts to develop national space-weather preparedness in both the near and long term, while the Action Plan identifies specific activities, outcomes, and timelines that the Federal government must pursue to be prepared for and resilient to future space-weather events. The Strategy recognizes that observations are the backbone of forecast and warning capabilities. The Strategy also recognized that to achieve a robust operational program for space-weather observations, the United States must: (1) establish and sustain a foundational set of observations; (2) when feasible and cost effective, use data from multiple sources, including international, Federal, State, and local governments, as well as from the academic and industry sectors; (3) ensure the continuity of critical data sources; (4) continue to support sensors for solar and space physics research; (5) ensure data-assimilation techniques are in place; and (6) maintain archives for ground- and space-based data, which are essential for model development and benchmarking. In this talk we explore elements in the Space Weather Action Plan that will ensure our Nation has the information we need to enhance resilience to the risk of space weather.

Coping strategies used by national champion figure skaters.

PubMed

Gould, D; Finch, L M; Jackson, S A

1993-12-01

This investigation had two purposes: (a) to identify and describe the coping strategies used by national champion figure skaters and (b) to examine the relationship between coping strategies and particular stress sources. Participants were 17 of 20 (85%) Senior U.S. National Champion figure skaters who won titles between 1985 and 1990. All skaters were interviewed, and the interview transcripts were content analyzed. General coping dimensions reported by at least 40% of the skaters included (a) rational thinking and self-talk, (b) positive focus and orientation, (c) social support (e.g., receiving support from coach, talking with friends and family), (d) time management and prioritization, (e) precompetitive mental preparation and anxiety management (e.g., relaxation, visualization), (f) training hard and smart, (g) isolation and deflection (e.g., not letting things get to me, avoiding/screening media), and (h) ignoring the stressor(s). It was also found that the skaters implemented different coping strategies depending on the specific stressors encountered.

Evaluating expansion strategies for startup European Union dairy farm businesses.

PubMed

McDonald, R; Shalloo, L; Pierce, K M; Horan, B

2013-06-01

A stochastic whole-farm simulation model was used to examine alternative strategies for new entrant dairy farmers to grow and develop dairy farm businesses in the context of European Union (EU) milk quota abolition in 2015. Six alternative strategies were compared: remain static, natural growth expansion, waiting until after EU milk quota abolition to expand, a full-scale expansion strategy without milk quotas and not incurring super levy penalties, a full-scale expansion strategy with milk quotas and incurring super levy penalties, and once-a-day milking until EU milk quota abolition, followed by full-scale expansion. Each discrete whole farm investment strategy was evaluated over a 15-yr period (2013-2027) using multiple financial stability and risk indicators, including overall discounted farm business profitability, net worth change, return on investment, and financial risk. The results of this study indicate that, although associated with increased risk, dairy farm expansion will ensure the future profitability of the farm business. Within the context of EU milk quotas until 2015, the most attractive expansion strategy is to increase cow numbers while avoiding super levy fines using once-a-day milking techniques, increasing to the full capacity of the dairy farm once milk quotas are removed. In contrast, the results also indicate that dairy farms that remain static will experience a significant reduction in farm profitability in the coming year due to production cost inflation. Cash flow deficits were observed during the initial year of expansion and, therefore, rapidly expanding dairy farm businesses require a significant cash reserve to alleviate business risk during the initial year of expansion. The results of this analysis also indicate that dairy farm businesses that expand using lower cost capital investments and avoid milk quota super levy fines significantly reduce the financial risks associated with expansion. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science

"Interactive Whole Class Teaching" in the National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardman, Frank; Smith, Fay; Wall, Kate

2003-01-01

Presents findings of extensive investigation (n=70) into interactive and discourse styles of a nationally representative sample of primary teachers. Explores impact of official endorsement of interactive whole class teaching in the teaching of England's National Literacy Strategy to examine whether it is promoting pupils' higher interaction and…

Distress disclosure and psychological functioning among Taiwanese nationals and European Americans: The moderating roles of mindfulness and nationality.

PubMed

Kahn, Jeffrey H; Wei, Meifen; Su, Jenny C; Han, Suejung; Strojewska, Agnes

2017-04-01

Research using Western samples shows that talking about unpleasant emotions-distress disclosure-is associated with fewer psychological symptoms and higher well-being. These benefits of distress disclosure may or may not be observed in East Asia where emotional control is valued. Instead, mindfulness may be more relevant to emotion regulation in East Asia (e.g., Taiwan). In the present study, cultural context (Taiwanese nationals vs. European Americans) and mindfulness were examined as moderators of the relation between distress disclosure and both depression symptoms and life satisfaction. A sample of 256 Taiwanese college students and a sample of 209 European American college students completed self-report measures in their native language. Moderated multiple regression analyses revealed significant interaction effects of mindfulness and distress disclosure on both depression symptoms and life satisfaction for Taiwanese participants but not for European Americans. Specifically, distress disclosure was negatively associated with depression symptoms and positively associated with life satisfaction for Taiwanese low in mindfulness but not for Taiwanese high in mindfulness. For European Americans, distress disclosure was not associated with depression symptoms but was associated with higher life satisfaction, regardless of one's level of mindfulness. These findings suggest that the potential benefits of disclosing distress are a function of one's cultural context as well as, for those from Taiwan, one's mindfulness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Spatial strategies for managing visitor impacts in National Parks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leung, Y.-F.; Marion, J.L.

1999-01-01

Resource and social impacts caused by recreationists and tourists have become a management concern in national parks and equivalent protected areas. The need to contain visitor impacts within acceptable limits has prompted park and protected area managers to implement a wide variety of strategies and actions, many of which are spatial in nature. This paper classifies and illustrates the basic spatial strategies for managing visitor impacts in parks and protected areas. A typology of four spatial strategies was proposed based on the recreation and park management literature. Spatial segregation is a common strategy for shielding sensitive resources from visitor impacts or for separating potentially conflicting types of use. Two forms of spatial segregation are zoning and closure. A spatial containment strategy is intended to minimize the aggregate extent of visitor impacts by confining use to limited designated or established Iocations. In contrast, a spatial dispersal strategy seeks to spread visitor use, reducing the frequency of use to levels that avoid or minimize permanent resource impacts or visitor crowding and conflict. Finally, a spatial configuration strategy minimizes impacting visitor behavior though the judicious spatial arrangement of facilities. These four spatial strategics can be implemented separately or in combination at varying spatial scales within a single park. A survey of national park managers provides an empirical example of the diversity of implemented spatial strategies in managing visitor impacts. Spatial segregation is frequently applied in the form of camping restrictions or closures to protect sensitive natural or cultural resources and to separate incompatible visitor activities. Spatial containment is the most widely applied strategy for minimizing the areal extent of resource impacts. Spatial dispersal is commonly applied to reduce visitor crowding or conflicts in popular destination areas but is less frequently applied or

West European and East Asian Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy. Volume 1. Main Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-16

this School -- especially in the SDP under David Owen’s leadership -- in raising the nuclear threshold in Europe by strengthening conventional...ConrolDEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACTORS US European Commnand ATTN: ECJ-3 Grumman-CTEC. Inc ATTM: ECJ-5 ATTN: S. Shrier us National Military

75 FR 41685 - Implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-16

.... The actions we take now will build upon a legacy of global leadership, national commitment, and... our national response to HIV/AIDS. Today I am releasing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United..., moreover, is not enough. Success will require the commitment of all parts of society, including businesses...

Local Solutions for National Challenges? Exploring Local Solutions through the Case of a National Succession Planning Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Mike

2013-01-01

The notion of localism and decentralization in national policy has come increasingly to the fore in recent years. The national succession planning strategy for headteachers in England introduced by the National College for School Leadership promoted "local solutions for a national challenge". This article deals with some aspects of the…

Organization of heart failure management in European Society of Cardiology member countries: survey of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology in collaboration with the Heart Failure National Societies/Working Groups.

PubMed

Seferovic, Petar M; Stoerk, Stefan; Filippatos, Gerasimos; Mareev, Viacheslav; Kavoliuniene, Ausra; Ristic, Arsen D; Ponikowski, Piotr; McMurray, John; Maggioni, Aldo; Ruschitzka, Frank; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J; Coats, Andrew; Piepoli, Massimo; McDonagh, Theresa; Riley, Jillian; Hoes, Arno; Pieske, Burkert; Dobric, Milan; Papp, Zoltan; Mebazaa, Alexandre; Parissis, John; Ben Gal, Tuvia; Vinereanu, Dragos; Brito, Dulce; Altenberger, Johann; Gatzov, Plamen; Milinkovic, Ivan; Hradec, Jaromír; Trochu, Jean-Noel; Amir, Offer; Moura, Brenda; Lainscak, Mitja; Comin, Josep; Wikström, Gerhard; Anker, Stefan

2013-09-01

The aim of this document was to obtain a real-life contemporary analysis of the demographics and heart failure (HF) statistics, as well as the organization and major activities of the Heart Failure National Societies (HFNS) in European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. Data from 33 countries were collected from HFNS presidents/representatives during the first Heart Failure Association HFNS Summit (Belgrade, Serbia, 29 October 2011). Data on incidence and/or prevalence of HF were available for 22 countries, and the prevalence of HF ranged between 1% and 3%. In five European and one non-European ESC country, heart transplantation was reported as not available. Natriuretic peptides and echocardiography are routinely applied in the management of acute HF in the median of 80% and 90% of centres, respectively. Eastern European and Mediterranean countries have lower availability of natriuretic peptide testing for acute HF patients, compared with other European countries. Almost all countries have organizations dealing specifically with HF. HFNS societies for HF patients exist in only 12, while in 16 countries HF patient education programmes are active. Most HFNS reported that no national HF registry exists in their country. Fifteen HFNS produced national HF guidelines, while 19 have translated the ESC HF guidelines. Most HFNS (n = 23) participated in the organization of the European HF Awareness Day. This document demonstrated significant heterogeneity in the organization of HF management, and activities of the national HF working groups/associations. High availability of natriuretic peptide and echocardiographic measurements was revealed, with differences between developed countries and countries in transition.

Super-ranging. A new ranging strategy in European badgers.

PubMed

Gaughran, Aoibheann; Kelly, David J; MacWhite, Teresa; Mullen, Enda; Maher, Peter; Good, Margaret; Marples, Nicola M

2018-01-01

We monitored the ranging of a wild European badger (Meles meles) population over 7 years using GPS tracking collars. Badger range sizes varied seasonally and reached their maximum in June, July and August. We analysed the summer ranging behaviour, using 83 home range estimates from 48 individuals over 6974 collar-nights. We found that while most adult badgers (males and females) remained within their own traditional social group boundaries, several male badgers (on average 22%) regularly ranged beyond these traditional boundaries. These adult males frequently ranged throughout two (or more) social group's traditional territories and had extremely large home ranges. We therefore refer to them as super-rangers. While ranging across traditional boundaries has been recorded over short periods of time for extraterritorial mating and foraging forays, or for pre-dispersal exploration, the animals in this study maintained their super-ranges from 2 to 36 months. This study represents the first time such long-term extra-territorial ranging has been described for European badgers. Holding a super-range may confer an advantage in access to breeding females, but could also affect local interaction networks. In Ireland & the UK, badgers act as a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (TB). Super-ranging may facilitate the spread of disease by increasing both direct interactions between conspecifics, particularly across social groups, and indirect interactions with cattle in their shared environment. Understanding super-ranging behaviour may both improve our understanding of tuberculosis epidemiology and inform future control strategies.

Super-ranging. A new ranging strategy in European badgers

PubMed Central

Kelly, David J.; Good, Margaret; Marples, Nicola M.

2018-01-01

We monitored the ranging of a wild European badger (Meles meles) population over 7 years using GPS tracking collars. Badger range sizes varied seasonally and reached their maximum in June, July and August. We analysed the summer ranging behaviour, using 83 home range estimates from 48 individuals over 6974 collar-nights. We found that while most adult badgers (males and females) remained within their own traditional social group boundaries, several male badgers (on average 22%) regularly ranged beyond these traditional boundaries. These adult males frequently ranged throughout two (or more) social group’s traditional territories and had extremely large home ranges. We therefore refer to them as super-rangers. While ranging across traditional boundaries has been recorded over short periods of time for extraterritorial mating and foraging forays, or for pre-dispersal exploration, the animals in this study maintained their super-ranges from 2 to 36 months. This study represents the first time such long-term extra-territorial ranging has been described for European badgers. Holding a super-range may confer an advantage in access to breeding females, but could also affect local interaction networks. In Ireland & the UK, badgers act as a wildlife reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (TB). Super-ranging may facilitate the spread of disease by increasing both direct interactions between conspecifics, particularly across social groups, and indirect interactions with cattle in their shared environment. Understanding super-ranging behaviour may both improve our understanding of tuberculosis epidemiology and inform future control strategies. PMID:29444100

Evolution of European Union legislation of herbal medicinal products and its transposition to national legislation in 1965-2007: case Finland.

PubMed

Koski, Sari M; Laitinen-Parkkonen, Pirjo; Airaksinen, Marja

2015-01-01

The study aim was to explore the progress of legislation relating to herbal medicinal products in the European Union and compare it with the corresponding progress of the legislation in Finland in 1965-2007. The study was carried out using content analysis. Data were searched from publicly available European Union directives and national acts. All definitions and safety-related requirements for herbal medicinal products were identified. The transposition of safety-related requirements into the national legislation was studied. Medicinal products from plant origins have been part of the European Union legislation since 1965. Most plant-based products have not initially been regarded as medicinal products but rather as some kind of medicine-like products. The official definition of herbal medicinal products was introduced in Directive 2004/24/EC and implemented into the Finnish legislation with the terminology to recognise herbal medicinal products as part of medicinal products. The current safety-related requirements of medicinal products concern analogously herbal medicinal products. Herbal medicinal products have had different definitions in pharmaceutical legislation over the study period in the European Union and Finland. The current definition places herbal medicinal products more clearly under the medicinal products' legislation. Safety-related requirements are now practically identical for all medicinal products. Transposition of the European Union legislation into the national legislation in Finland is apparent. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A European perspective--the European clinical research infrastructures network.

PubMed

Demotes-Mainard, J; Kubiak, C

2011-11-01

Evaluating research outcomes requires multinational cooperation in clinical research for optimization of treatment strategies and comparative effectiveness research, leading to evidence-based practice and healthcare cost containment. The European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN) is a distributed ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) roadmap pan-European infrastructure designed to support multinational clinical research, making Europe a single area for clinical studies, taking advantage of its population size to access patients, and unlocking latent scientific potential. Servicing multinational trials started during its preparatory phase, and ECRIN will now apply for an ERIC (European Research Infrastructures Consortium) status by 2011. By creating a single area for clinical research in Europe, this achievement will contribute to the implementation of the Europe flagship initiative 2020 'Innovation Union', whose objectives include defragmentation of the research and education capacity, tackling the major societal challenges starting with the area of healthy ageing, and removing barriers to bring ideas to the market.

Strategies for the implementation of a European Volcano Observations Research Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puglisi, Giuseppe

2015-04-01

Active volcanic areas in Europe constitute a direct threat to millions of people on both the continent and adjacent islands. Furthermore, eruptions of "European" volcanoes in overseas territories, such as in the West Indies, an in the Indian and Pacific oceans, can have a much broader impacts, outside Europe. Volcano Observatories (VO), which undertake volcano monitoring under governmental mandate and Volcanological Research Institutions (VRI; such as university departments, laboratories, etc.) manage networks on European volcanoes consisting of thousands of stations or sites where volcanological parameters are either continuously or periodically measured. These sites are equipped with instruments for geophysical (seismic, geodetic, gravimetric, electromagnetic), geochemical (volcanic plumes, fumaroles, groundwater, rivers, soils), environmental observations (e.g. meteorological and air quality parameters), including prototype deployment. VOs and VRIs also operate laboratories for sample analysis (rocks, gases, isotopes, etc.), near-real time analysis of space-borne data (SAR, thermal imagery, SO2 and ash), as well as high-performance computing centres; all providing high-quality information on the current status of European volcanoes and the geodynamic background of the surrounding areas. This large and high-quality deployment of monitoring systems, focused on a specific geophysical target (volcanoes), together with the wide volcanological phenomena of European volcanoes (which cover all the known volcano types) represent a unique opportunity to fundamentally improve the knowledge base of volcano behaviour. The existing arrangement of national infrastructures (i.e. VO and VRI) appears to be too fragmented to be considered as a unique distributed infrastructure. Therefore, the main effort planned in the framework of the EPOS-PP proposal is focused on the creation of services aimed at providing an improved and more efficient access to the volcanological facilities

Cross-national comparisons of complex problem-solving strategies in two microworlds.

PubMed

Güss, C Dominik; Tuason, Ma Teresa; Gerhard, Christiane

2010-04-01

Research in the fields of complex problem solving (CPS) and dynamic decision making using microworlds has been mainly conducted in Western industrialized countries. This study analyzes the CPS process by investigating thinking-aloud protocols in five countries. Participants were 511 students from Brazil, Germany, India, the Philippines, and the United States who worked on two microworlds. On the basis of cultural-psychological theories, specific cross-national differences in CPS strategies were hypothesized. Following theories of situatedness of cognition, hypotheses about the specific frequency of problem-solving strategies in the two microworlds were developed. Results of the verbal protocols showed (a) modification of the theoretical CPS model, (b) task dependence of CPS strategies, and (c) cross-national differences in CPS strategies. Participants' CPS processes were particularly influenced by country-specific problem-solving strategies. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A revaluation of the cultural dimension of disability policy in the European Union: the impact of digitization and web accessibility.

PubMed

Ferri, Delia; Giannoumis, G Anthony

2014-01-01

Reflecting the commitments undertaken by the EU through the conclusion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European Disability Strategy 2010–2020 not only gives a prominent position to accessibility, broadly interpreted, but also suggests an examination of the obligations for access to cultural goods and services. The European Disability Strategy 2010–2020 expressly acknowledges that EU action will support national activities to make sports, leisure, cultural and recreational organizations and activities accessible, and use the possibilities for copyright exceptions in the Directive 2001/29/EC (Infosoc Directive). This article discusses to what extent the EU has realized the principle of accessibility and the right to access cultural goods and services envisaged in the UNCRPD. Previous research has yet to explore how web accessibility and digitization interact with the cultural dimension of disability policy in the European Union. This examination attempts to fill this gap by discussing to what extent the European Union has put this cultural dimension into effect and how web accessibility policies and the digitization of cultural materials influence these efforts.

Converting science to policy through stakeholder involvement: an analysis of the European Marine Strategy Directive.

PubMed

Fletcher, Stephen

2007-12-01

The Marine Strategy Directive requires European Union Member States to develop science-based marine strategies with the involvement of stakeholders, in order that Europe's marine environment reaches 'good environmental status' by 2021. The scientific requirements of marine strategies are clearly defined within the Directive, however, the requirements related to stakeholder involvement are not. This paper presents a critical analysis of the provisions for stakeholder involvement with in the Marine Strategy Directive. In particular, the paper is focused upon the definition of stakeholder, the sequencing of involvement, and the form and purpose of involvement. The critique is set within an evaluative framework that considers policy-making to be a social process, rather than a purely scientific one. It is concluded that the Marine Strategy Directive lacks coherency with respect to stakeholder involvement which may perpetuate the traditional tension between marine science and policy. This in turn may compromise the ability of the Directive to protect Europe's marine environment.

The expansion and performance of national newborn screening programmes for cystic fibrosis in Europe.

PubMed

Barben, Jürg; Castellani, Carlo; Dankert-Roelse, Jeannette; Gartner, Silvia; Kashirskaya, Nataliya; Linnane, Barry; Mayell, Sarah; Munck, Anne; Sands, Dorota; Sommerburg, Olaf; Pybus, Simon; Winters, Victoria; Southern, Kevin W

2017-03-01

Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) is a well-established public health strategy with international standards. The aim of this study was to provide an update on NBS for CF in Europe and assess performance against the standards. Questionnaires were sent to key workers in each European country. In 2016, there were 17 national programmes, 4 countries with regional programmes and 25 countries not screening in Europe. All national programmes employed different protocols, with IRT-DNA the most common strategy. Five countries were not using DNA analysis. In addition, the processing and structure of programmes varied considerably. Most programmes were achieving the ECFS standards with respect to timeliness, but were less successful with respect to sensitivity and specificity. There has been a steady increase in national CF NBS programmes across Europe with variable strategies and outcomes that reflect the different approaches. Copyright © 2016 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Making do with less: Must sparse data preclude informed harvest strategies for European waterbirds?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Fred A.; Alhainen, Mikko; Fox, Anthony D.; Madsen, Jesper; Guillemain, Matthieu

2018-01-01

The demography of many European waterbirds is not well understood because most countries have conducted little monitoring and assessment, and coordination among countries on waterbird management has little precedent. Yet intergovernmental treaties now mandate the use of sustainable, adaptive harvest strategies, whose development is challenged by a paucity of demographic information. In this study, we explore how a combination of allometric relationships, fragmentary monitoring and research information, and expert judgment can be used to estimate the parameters of a theta-logistic population model, which in turn can be used in a Markov decision process to derive optimal harvesting strategies. We show how to account for considerable parametric uncertainty, as well as for different management objectives. We illustrate our methodology with a poorly understood population of taiga bean geese (Anser fabalis fabalis), which is a popular game bird in Fennoscandia. Our results for taiga bean geese suggest that they may have demographic rates similar to other, well-studied species of geese, and our model-based predictions of population size are consistent with the limited monitoring information available. Importantly, we found that by using a Markov decision process, a simple scalar population model may be sufficient to guide harvest management of this species, even if its demography is age-structured. Finally, we demonstrated how two different management objectives can lead to very different optimal harvesting strategies, and how conflicting objectives may be traded off with each other. This approach will have broad application for European waterbirds by providing preliminary estimates of key demographic parameters, by providing insights into the monitoring and research activities needed to corroborate those estimates, and by producing harvest management strategies that are optimal with respect to the managers’ objectives, options, and available demographic information.

75 FR 75707 - Request for Public Comment on the Draft National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategy for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-06

... Nanotechnology Initiative Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research AGENCY... the public regarding the draft National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategy for Nanotechnology... confidential. Overview: The National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related...

European Earwig, Forficula auricularia L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) at the Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington State

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The European earwig, Forficula auricularia L., was surveyed using pitfall traps at three sites at the Hanford Reach National Monument in south central Washington state. Pitfall traps were collected weekly from April 2002 through April 2003. The earwig was consistently taken during all months of the...

Applying change management metaphors to a national e-Health strategy.

PubMed

Saunders, Chad; Scott, Richard E

2014-01-01

Recent attempts at a collective understanding of how to develop an e-Health strategy have addressed the individual organisation, collection of organisations, and national levels. At the national level the World Health Organisation's National eHealth Strategy Toolkit serves as an exemplar that consolidates knowledge in this area, guides practical implementations, and identifies areas for future research. A key implication of this toolkit is the considerable number of organisational changes required to successfully apply their ideas in practice. This study looks critically at the confluence of change management and e-Health strategy using metaphors that underpin established models of change management. Several of Morgan's organisational metaphors are presented (highlighting varied beliefs and assumptions regarding how change is enacted, who is responsible for the change, and guiding principles for that change), and used to provide a framework. Attention is then directed to several prominent models of change management that exemplify one or more of these metaphors, and these theoretical insights are applied to evaluate the World Health Organisation's National eHealth Strategy Toolkit. The paper presents areas for consideration when using the WHO/ITU toolkit, and suggestions on how to improve its use in practice. The goal is to seek insight regarding the optimal sequence of steps needed to ensure successful implementation and integration of e-health into health systems using change management models. No single model, toolkit, or guideline will offer all the needed answers, but clarity around the underlying metaphors informing the change management models being used provides valuable insight so potentially challenging areas can be avoided or mitigated.

A National Strategy for Civic Networking: A Vision of Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Civille, Richard

1993-01-01

Presents a vision and a national strategy for civic networking based on the development of the National Information Infrastructure. Topics addressed include a public interest communications policy; benefits of civic networking, including improving services and reducing government costs, reducing poverty and health care costs, and improving…

Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities. Executive Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-21

March 2017 Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF...the Department of Defense. The DSB Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities completed its formal...Ensuring the Resilience of National Space Capabilities | i DSB Task Force on Defense Strategies for Ensuring the

Effect of African- and European-American maternal attitudes and limit-setting strategies on children's self-regulation.

PubMed

LeCuyer, Elizabeth A; Swanson, Dena P; Cole, Robert; Kitzman, Harriet

2011-12-01

The effect of maternal attitudes and limit-setting strategies on children's self-regulation (measured as committed compliance) was compared in 151 African-American (AA) and 108 European-American (EA) mothers and their 3-year-old children. There were no ethnic differences in children's compliance, however ethnicity moderated the relationship between maternal authoritarian attitudes and children's compliance. Higher authoritarian attitudes predicted less children's compliance in the EA sample, but greater compliance in the AA sample. Observational limit-setting data revealed that in both ethnic groups, maternal authoritarian attitudes influenced children's self-regulation through maternal use of lower-power (gentle) verbal strategies, fewer physical strategies, and judicious use of higher-power verbal strategies. The findings indicate that the meaning and purpose of authoritarian attitudes varies across these mothers' socio-cultural contexts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

75 FR 31818 - National Science Board; Committee on Strategy and Budget; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-04

... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION National Science Board; Committee on Strategy and Budget; Sunshine Act Meetings; Notice The National Science Board's Committee on Strategy and Budget, pursuant to NSF regulations (45 CFR part 614), the National Science Foundation Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1862n-5), and the...

The Redistribution of Responsibilities in Five European Educational Systems: From Global Trends to National Arrangements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batista, Susana

2014-01-01

This article provides a comparative analysis on the evolution of the distribution of responsibilities--the authority of deciding over a particular domain--at the national, regional, and local levels in the European Union educational systems. After explaining common trends in the institutional arrangements through the role of evaluation, the…

An Analysis of Ict Development Strategy Framework in Chinese Rural Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Meiying; Warren, Martyn; Lang, Yunwen; Lu, Shaokun; Yang, Linnan

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development strategy in Chinese rural areas is an indispensable part of national development strategies. This paper reviews the ICT framework in agriculture and rural areas launched by the Department of Agriculture in China. It compares the rural ICT policies and strategies between China and the European Union (EU). The ICT development strategy framework is analyzed based on the situation in Chinese rural area and the experiences of the EU. Some lessons and suggestions are provided.

Incorporating the catering sector in nutrition policies of WHO European Region: is there a good recipe?

PubMed

Lachat, Carl; Roberfroid, Dominique; Huybregts, Lieven; Van Camp, John; Kolsteren, Patrick

2009-03-01

To review how countries of the WHO European Region address issues related to the catering sector in their nutrition policy plans. Documentary analysis of national nutrition policy documents from the policy database of the WHO Regional Office for Europe by a multidisciplinary research team. Recurring themes were identified and related information extracted in an analysis matrix. Case studies were performed for realistic evaluation. Fifty-three member states of the WHO European Region in September 2007. The catering sector is a formally acknowledged stakeholder in national nutrition policies in about two-thirds of countries of the European region. Strategies developed for the catering sector are directed mainly towards labelling of foods and prepared meals, training of health and catering staff, and advertising. Half of the countries reviewed propose dialogue structures with the catering sector for the implementation of the policy. However, important policy fields remain poorly developed, such as strategies for stimulating and monitoring actual implementation of policies. Others are simply lacking, such as strategies to ensure affordability of healthy out-of-home eating or to enhance accountability of stakeholders. It is also striking that strategies for the private sector are rarely developed. Important policy issues are still embryonic. As evidence is accumulating on the impact of out-of-home eating on the increase of overweight, member states are advised to urgently develop operational frameworks and instruments for participatory planning and evaluation of stakeholders in public health nutrition policy.

Toward a national fuels mapping strategy: Lessons from selected mapping programs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loveland, Thomas R.

2001-01-01

The establishment of a robust national fuels mapping program must be based on pertinent lessons from relevant national mapping programs. Many large-area mapping programs are under way in numerous Federal agencies. Each of these programs follows unique strategies to achieve mapping goals and objectives. Implementation approaches range from highly centralized programs that use tightly integrated standards and dedicated staff, to dispersed programs that permit considerable flexibility. One model facilitates national consistency, while the other allows accommodation of locally relevant conditions and issues. An examination of the programmatic strategies of four national vegetation and land cover mapping initiatives can identify the unique approaches, accomplishments, and lessons of each that should be considered in the design of a national fuel mapping program. The first three programs are the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program, the U.S. Geological Survey National Land Cover Characterization Program, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey National Wetlands Inventory. A fourth program, the interagency Multiresolution Land Characterization Program, offers insights in the use of partnerships to accomplish mapping goals. Collectively, the programs provide lessons, guiding principles, and other basic concepts that can be used to design a successful national fuels mapping initiative.

The European Respiratory Society study on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (EUROSCOP): recruitment methods and strategies.

PubMed

Löfdahl, C G; Postma, D S; Laitinen, L A; Ohlsson, S V; Pauwels, R A; Pride, N B

1998-03-01

The European Respiratory Society's study on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (EUROSCOP) is a multicentre study performed initially in 12 countries to assess the effect of 3 years' treatment with inhaled corticosteroids on lung function decline in smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It aimed at recruiting 50 subjects in 50 European centres. This study discusses the most successful, countrywise, recruitment strategies, an important issue since many multicentre European studies may follow in the future. The total number of recruited subjects was 2147 in 39 participating centres. In total, at least 25,000 screening spirometries were performed, and about 80,000 hospital records were checked. The most effective way of recruiting subjects was to screen subjects by spirometry after mass media campaigns (eight out of nine countries). Others used workplace screenings and different types of population survey, and only a few centres successfully recruited participants by hospital records. Inclusion criteria were slightly changed upon low initial accrual rate. Initial surveys in one country, where 2405 subjects were screened by spirometry, gave an important indication for the change of the inclusion criteria. Extension of the upper age limit from 60 to 65 yr considerably improved recruitment, as did a change of the upper limit of FEV1 from below 80% predicted normal to below 100% predicted normal, while maintaining the FEV1/VC ratio below 70%. A tremendous effort is needed to recruit individuals with preclinical COPD, but this is certainly feasible with adequate strategies adjusted to each country.

The perspective of European researchers of national occupational safety and health institutes for contributing to a European research agenda: a modified Delphi study

PubMed Central

Gagliardi, Diana; Rondinone, Bruna M; Mirabile, Marco; Buresti, Giuliana; Ellwood, Peter; Hery, Michel; Paszkiewicz, Peter; Valenti, Antonio; Iavicoli, Sergio

2017-01-01

Objectives This study, developed within the frame of the Partnership for European Research on Occupational Safety and Health joint research activities and based on the frame designed by the 2013 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) study, is the first example of using the points of view of European occupational safety and health (OSH) researchers. The objective is to identify priorities for OSH research that may contribute to the achievement of present and future sustainable growth objectives set by the European strategies. Methods The study was carried out using a modified Delphi method with a two-round survey. Each round involved a panel of about 110 researchers representing the network member institutes was selected according to specific criteria, including the ownership of research expertise in at least one of the four macroareas identified by the reference report developed by EU-OSHA in 2013. Results The study identified some innovative research topics (for example, ‘Emerging technological devices’ and ‘OSH consequences of markets integration’) and research priorities (ie, crowdsourcing, e-work, zero-hours contracts) that are not reflected in previous studies of this nature. The absence of any reference to violence and harassment at work among the researchers’ proposals is a major difference from previous similar studies, while topics related to gender issues and electromagnetic fields show a lower importance. Conclusions The innovative design of a research priorities identification process, which takes advantage of a large, representative and qualified panel of European researchers allowed the definition of a number of research priorities able to support the inclusion of innovative OSH research issues in the scope of the next European research agenda. PMID:28645965

America Promises to Come Back: Our New National Security Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-23

Captain Larry Seaquist, U.S. Navy, Office of the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Strategy and Resources); Vice Admiral James Service...to be primarily based on U.S. forces in being. Under the new national security strategy, deterrence of the Soviet threat will largely be based upon a...Cheney’s IISS remarks were followed by I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Strategy and Resources), who provided

Europeanization in the "Other" Europe: Writing the Nation into "Europe" Education in Slovakia and Estonia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michaels, Deborah L.; Stevick, E. Doyle

2009-01-01

How is the tension between renewed nationalist and European narratives of belonging being unfolded in the curricula, discourse, and practice of civic education in Slovakia and Estonia. As two post-socialist territories that were "reborn" as independent nation-states in the 1990s, Slovakia and Estonia were confronted with pressure to…

["Health 2020" - the New European Framework Strategy of WHO].

PubMed

Michelsen, K; Brand, H

2012-12-01

The WHO Regional Committee for Europe agreed in September 2012 on the new framework strategy "Health 2020". The framework has the strategic objectives of improving health for all and reducing health inequalities as well as improving leadership and participatory governance for health. The present article introduces the basic points of "Health 2020". Central elements (European Action Plan for Strengthening Public Health and Public Health Services, health and well-being, reducing health inequalities, whole-of-governance and whole-of-society approaches) are described in more detail, taking background materials into account. Critical remarks address the implementation, reporting and governance issues. They are discussed by taking into account the context of the development of "Health 2020". Even if some critical aspects exist, it can be stated that "Health 2020" delivers a framework and orientation for health policies - as well as for the heterogeneous situation in WHO Europe as well as for Germany. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Educating the European Citizen in the Global Age: Engaging with the Post-National and Identifying a Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Harriet

2009-01-01

In recent decades there have been increased calls for UK schools to develop a more European and global orientation in their pedagogy and curriculum, and to equip children and young people with post-national knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This paper examines some key problems in post-national conceptions of citizenship education, in order to…

Strategies for Success: Achieving the National Urban Education Goals. Proceedings from Meetings with Representatives from 70 National Education, Business and Philanthropic Organizations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of the Great City Schools, Washington, DC.

This document outlines 44 strategies for meeting the educational needs of urban areas by the year 2000. The strategies are based on six goals for urban education adapted from the national education goals issued by President George Bush and the National Governors' Association. The strategies were proposed by representatives from more than 70…

How much do I tell thee? Strategies for managing information to parents among American adolescents from Chinese, Mexican, and European backgrounds.

PubMed

Tasopoulos-Chan, Marina; Smetana, Judith G; Yau, Jenny P

2009-06-01

Strategies for managing information about activities to parents, including partial disclosure, avoidance, lying, and full disclosure, were examined in 479 American adolescents (M = 16.38 years, SD = 0.77) varying in generational status and from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Information management strategies for personal, prudential, and overlapping (multifaceted) activities as defined within social domain theory were examined. With age, parental education, and generational status controlled, Chinese American adolescents partially disclosed more to mothers about personal and multifaceted activities than did Mexican American adolescents and more to fathers about personal activities than did European American teens. In contrast, European and Mexican American adolescents fully disclosed more to mothers about personal activities than did Chinese-origin adolescents. Strategies varied by generation among Chinese American youth; second-generation adolescents avoided discussing activities with parents more than did immigrants. Adolescents who fully disclosed about all activities and lied less about multifaceted and personal activities reported stronger endorsement of obligations to assist their families, more trust in parents, and less problem behavior. More depressed mood was associated with more lying about personal activities. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Policy recommendations and cost implications for a more sustainable framework for European human biomonitoring surveys.

PubMed

Joas, Anke; Knudsen, Lisbeth E; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Sepai, Ovnair; Casteleyn, Ludwine; Schoeters, Greet; Angerer, Jürgen; Castaño, Argelia; Aerts, Dominique; Biot, Pierre; Horvat, Milena; Bloemen, Louis; Reis, M Fátima; Lupsa, Ioana-Rodica; Katsonouri, Andromachi; Cerna, Milena; Berglund, Marika; Crettaz, Pierre; Rudnai, Peter; Halzlova, Katarina; Mulcahy, Maurice; Gutleb, Arno C; Fischer, Marc E; Becher, Georg; Fréry, Nadine; Jensen, Genon; Van Vliet, Lisette; Koch, Holger M; Den Hond, Elly; Fiddicke, Ulrike; Esteban, Marta; Exley, Karen; Schwedler, Gerda; Seiwert, Margarete; Ligocka, Danuta; Hohenblum, Philipp; Kyrtopoulos, Soterios; Botsivali, Maria; DeFelip, Elena; Guillou, Claude; Reniero, Fabiano; Grazuleviciene, Regina; Veidebaum, Toomas; Mørck, Thit A; Nielsen, Jeanette K S; Jensen, Janne F; Rivas, Teresa C; Sanchez, Jinny; Koppen, Gudrun; Smolders, Roel; Kozepesy, Szilvia; Hadjipanayis, Adamos; Krskova, Andrea; Mannion, Rory; Jakubowski, Marek; Fucic, J Aleksandra; Pereira-Miguel, Jose; Gurzau, Anca E; Jajcaj, Michal; Mazej, Darja; Tratnik, Janja Snoj; Lehmann, Andrea; Larsson, Kristin; Dumez, Birgit; Joas, Reinhard

2015-08-01

The potential of Human Biomonitoring (HBM) in exposure characterisation and risk assessment is well established in the scientific HBM community and regulatory arena by many publications. The European Environment and Health Strategy as well as the Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010 of the European Commission recognised the value of HBM and the relevance and importance of coordination of HBM programmes in Europe. Based on existing and planned HBM projects and programmes of work and capabilities in Europe the Seventh Framework Programme (FP 7) funded COPHES (COnsortium to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale) to advance and improve comparability of HBM data across Europe. The pilot study protocol was tested in 17 European countries in the DEMOCOPHES feasibility study (DEMOnstration of a study to COordinate and Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale) cofunded (50%) under the LIFE+ programme of the European Commission. The potential of HBM in supporting and evaluating policy making (including e.g. REACH) and in awareness raising on environmental health, should significantly advance the process towards a fully operational, continuous, sustainable and scientifically based EU HBM programme. From a number of stakeholder activities during the past 10 years and the national engagement, a framework for sustainable HBM structure in Europe is recommended involving national institutions within environment, health and food as well as European institutions such as ECHA, EEA, and EFSA. An economic frame with shared cost implications for national and European institutions is suggested benefitting from the capacity building set up by COPHES/DEMOCOPHES. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward a digital library strategy for a National Information Infrastructure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coyne, Robert A.; Hulen, Harry

1993-01-01

Bills currently before the House and Senate would give support to the development of a National Information Infrastructure, in which digital libraries and storage systems would be an important part. A simple model is offered to show the relationship of storage systems, software, and standards to the overall information infrastructure. Some elements of a national strategy for digital libraries are proposed, based on the mission of the nonprofit National Storage System Foundation.

Climate Change Education Roundtable: A Coherent National Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storksdieck, M.; Feder, M.; Climate Change Education Roundtable

2010-12-01

The Climate Change Education (CCE) Roundtable fosters ongoing discussion of the challenges to and strategies for improving public understanding of climate science and climate change among federal agencies, the business community, non-profit, and academic sectors. The CCE Roundtable is provides a critical mechanism for developing a coherent, national strategy to advance climate change education guided by the best available research evidence. Through its meetings and workshops, the roundtable brings together 30 federal and state policymakers, educators, communications and media experts, and members from the business and scientific community. The roundtable includes a number of ex officio members from federal agencies with dedicated interests in climate change education, including officials from the National Science Foundation’s EHR Directorate and its collaborating partner divisions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Interior, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Education. The issues that are addressed by the roundtable include: - ways to incorporate knowledge about learning and understanding in developing informative programs and materials for decision-makers who must cope with climate change - the design of educational programs for professionals such as local planners, water managers, and the like, to enable them to better understand the implications of climate change for their decisions - development of training programs for scientists to help them become better communicators to decision-makers about implications of, and solutions to climate change - coordinated and collaborative efforts at the national level between federal agencies and other stakeholders This presenation will describe how the roundtable is fostering a coherent direction for climate change education.

[Global and national strategies against antibiotic resistance].

PubMed

Abu Sin, Muna; Nahrgang, Saskia; Ziegelmann, Antina; Clarici, Alexandra; Matz, Sibylle; Tenhagen, Bernd-Alois; Eckmanns, Tim

2018-05-01

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasingly perceived as a global health problem. To tackle AMR effectively, a multisectoral one health approach is needed. We present some of the initiatives and activities at the national and global level that target the AMR challenge. The Global Action Plan on AMR, which has been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is considered a blueprint to combat AMR. Member states endorsed the action plan during the World Health Assembly 2015 and committed themselves to develop national action plans on AMR. The German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART 2020) is based on the main objectives of the global action plan and was revised and published in 2015. Several examples of the implementation of DART 2020 are outlined here.

Adolescent Leisure across European Nations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flammer, August; Schaffner, Brigitta

2003-01-01

Examined variations in adolescent time use within Europe and their relation to culture, focusing on organization of free time, most frequent leisure activities, and resulting emotional states. Found that European adolescents spent free time in a range of activities, including electronic media, computer games, playing musical instruments, reading,…

First nations people's perspectives on barriers and supports for enhancing HPV vaccination: Foundations for sustainable, community-driven strategies.

PubMed

Henderson, R I; Shea-Budgell, M; Healy, C; Letendre, A; Bill, L; Healy, B; Bednarczyk, R A; Mrklas, K; Barnabe, C; Guichon, J; Bedingfield, N; MacDonald, S; Colquhoun, A; Glaze, S; Nash, T; Bell, C; Kellner, J; Richardson, R; Dixon, T; Starlight, J; Runner, G; Nelson, G

2018-04-01

In Canada, Indigenous people have higher human papillomavirus (HPV) infection rates, lower screening rates for cervical cancer, and higher rates of invasive cancer, leading to worse cervical cancer-related outcomes than observed in non-Indigenous Canadian women. Lingering harms from European colonization drive these health inequities and create public health challenges. Policy guidance is needed to optimize HPV vaccination rates and, thereby, decrease the burden of HPV-related illness, including high-morbidity surgical procedures and chemo-radiotherapy. The Enhancing HPV Vaccination In First Nations Populations in Alberta (EHVINA) project focuses on First Nations, a diverse subset of recognized Indigenous people in Canada, and seeks to increase HPV vaccination among girls and boys living in First Nation communities. Developing an effective strategy requires partnership with affected communities to better understand knowledge and perceptions about cancer, healthcare, and the HPV vaccine. A 2017 community gathering was convened to engage First Nations community members, health directors, and health services researchers in dialogue around unique barriers and supports to HPV vaccination in Alberta. Voices of community Elders, parents, health directors, and cancer survivors (n=24) are presented as qualitative evidence to help inform intervention design. Key findings from discussions indicate barriers to HPV vaccination include resource constraints and service infrastructure gaps, historical mistrust in healthcare systems, impacts of changing modes of communication, and community sensitivities regarding sexual health promotion. Supports were identified as strengthened inter-generational relationships in communities. Ongoing dialogue and co-development of community-based strategies to increase HPV vaccine uptake are required. The identification of possible barriers to HPV vaccination in a Canadian Indigenous population contributes to limited global literature on this

The perspective of European researchers of national occupational safety and health institutes for contributing to a European research agenda: a modified Delphi study.

PubMed

Gagliardi, Diana; Rondinone, Bruna M; Mirabile, Marco; Buresti, Giuliana; Ellwood, Peter; Hery, Michel; Paszkiewicz, Peter; Valenti, Antonio; Iavicoli, Sergio

2017-06-23

This study, developed within the frame of the Partnership for European Research on Occupational Safety and Health joint research activities and based on the frame designed by the 2013 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) study, is the first example of using the points of view of European occupational safety and health (OSH) researchers.The objective is to identify priorities for OSH research that may contribute to the achievement of present and future sustainable growth objectives set by the European strategies. The study was carried out using a modified Delphi method with a two-round survey. Each round involved a panel of about 110 researchers representing the network member institutes was selected according to specific criteria, including the ownership of research expertise in at least one of the four macroareas identified by the reference report developed by EU-OSHA in 2013. The study identified some innovative research topics (for example, 'Emerging technological devices' and 'OSH consequences of markets integration') and research priorities (ie, crowdsourcing, e-work, zero-hours contract s ) that are not reflected in previous studies of this nature.The absence of any reference to violence and harassment at work among the researchers' proposals is a major difference from previous similar studies, while topics related to gender issues and electromagnetic fields show a lower importance. The innovative design of a research priorities identification process, which takes advantage of a large, representative and qualified panel of European researchers allowed the definition of a number of research priorities able to support the inclusion of innovative OSH research issues in the scope of the next European research agenda. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Teenagers and young adults with cancer in Europe: from national programmes to a European integrated coordinated project.

PubMed

Stark, D; Bielack, S; Brugieres, L; Dirksen, U; Duarte, X; Dunn, S; Erdelyi, D J; Grew, T; Hjorth, L; Jazbec, J; Kabickova, E; Konsoulova, A; Kowalczyk, J R; Lassaletta, A; Laurence, V; Lewis, I; Monrabal, A; Morgan, S; Mountzios, G; Olsen, P R; Renard, M; Saeter, G; van der Graaf, W T; Ferrari, A

2016-05-01

Over 14 000 patients aged 15-24 are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in the European Union (EU) each year. Teenagers and young adults (TYA) often fall down gaps between children's and adults cancer services. The specific challenges of providing optimal care to them are described, but we present a summary of recent progress. Progress to overcome these challenges is happening at different rates across Europe. We summarise the European national projects in this field but more recently we have seen the beginnings of European coordination. Within the EU 7th Funding Programme (FP7) European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents programme (ENCCA), a specific European Network for Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer has held a series of scientific meetings, including professionals, patients and caregivers. This group has proposed unanswered research questions and agreed key features of a high-quality service that can improve outcomes for TYA with cancer, including the primacy of collaboration between adult and paediatric services to eliminate the gap in the management of TYA with cancer. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Space strategy and governance of ESA small member states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagath, Daniel; Papadimitriou, Angeliki; Adriaensen, Maarten; Giannopapa, Christina

2018-01-01

The European Space Agency (ESA) has twenty-two Member States with a variety of governance structures and strategic priorities regarding their space activities. The objective of this paper is to provide an up-to date overview and a holistic assessment of the national space governance structures and strategic priorities of the eleven smaller Member States (based on annual ESA contributions). A link is made between the governance structure and the main strategic objectives. The specific needs and interests of small and new Member States in the frame of European Space Integration are addressed. The first part of the paper focuses on the national space governance structures in the eleven smaller ESA Member States. The governance models of these Member States are identified including the responsible ministries and the entities entrusted with the implementation of space strategy/policy and programmes of the country. The second part of this paper focuses on the content and analysis of the national space strategies and indicates the main priorities and trends in the eleven smaller ESA Member States. The priorities are categorised with regards to technology domains, the role of space in the areas of sustainability and the motivators for space investments. In a third and final part, attention is given to the specific needs and interests of the smaller Member States in the frame of European space integration. ESA instruments are tailored to facilitate the needs and interests of the eleven smaller and/or new Member States.

Year 6 Planning Exemplification 3. National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

Third in a series of booklets designed to assist Year 6 teachers with planning instruction to meet objectives of the National Literacy Strategy, this booklet contains Summer Term planning exemplification for three "revision" units (Narrative, Poetry and Non-fiction) prior to the Key Stage 2 tests and one unit after the tests (Extended…

Teacher Stress and Coping Strategies: A National Snapshot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Jan

2012-01-01

This national survey of 1,201 kindergarten through Grade-12-U.S. teachers focused on three related areas: (1) sources of teacher stress, (2) manifestations of stress, and (3) suggested coping strategies. The survey instrument was adapted from the Teacher Stress Inventory and the Coping Scale for Adults. Results indicated that teachers nationwide…

Health protection--a strategy and a national agency.

PubMed

Nicoll, A; Murray, V

2002-05-01

The Chief Medical Officer for England has published a strategy for health protection and announced the formation of a new body, the Health Protection Agency, to deal with the threats to health from infectious disease, chemicals, toxins and radiation hazards. This reflects international recognition of the need to combat threats to health from the likes of tuberculosis, HIV, influenza, anti-microbial resistance, chemical accidents and bio-terrorism, and the risks to health associated with increased movements of people, animals and goods, climate change and industrialisation. The strategy will strengthen surveillance and response linking contributions from clinical specialities with public health, microbiology, toxicology and radiation science within the health protection family. The Agency will be formed by combining a number of national and specialist public bodies and personnel delivering local protection services. The strategy represents a unique opportunity to strengthen local and national structures and develop a world-class health protection service. Detailed plans are being developed by the Department of Health with a variety of stakeholders for the launch of the Agency in 2003. A number of challenges will have to be met including developing and training the workforce in health protection, providing career structures for public health scientists and nurses, strengthening electronic communications and developing health protection networks within broader public health structures. Health protection should now be recognised as a sub-speciality of public health.

National Health Insurance and Health Education: Strategies for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwore, Richard B.

1980-01-01

The concept of National Health Insurance (NHI) as one of several strategies for resolving health problems in the U.S. is discussed. NHI goals include comprehensive health care, quality health care, efficient delivery systems, phased-in benefits, and consumer representation. (JD)

76 FR 2428 - Request for Public Comment on the Draft National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategy for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-13

... Nanotechnology Initiative Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research AGENCY... the public regarding the draft National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategy for Nanotechnology... considered proprietary, personal, sensitive, or confidential. Overview: The National Nanotechnology...

Strategies for job creation through national forest management

Treesearch

Susan Charnley

2014-01-01

This chapter explores the ways in which national forest managers may contribute to community well-being by designing projects that accomplish forest management in ways that not only meet their ecological goals, but also create economic opportunities for nearby communities. The chapter summarizes a number of strategies for enhancing the economic benefits to communities...

European Heritage Landscapes. An Account of the Conference on Planning and Management in European Naturparke/Parcs Naturels/National Parks (U.K.) and Equivalent Category "C" Reserves (Losehill Hall, Castleton, England, September 26-30, 1977).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Roland

Presented are the proceedings of the Conference on Planning and Management in European National Parks and equivalent Category "C" reserves held at the Peak National Park Study Center, Castleton, England, in 1977. Fifty-two representatives from 16 countries focused practical solutions to management and planning problems in national parks. (BT)

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Representatives' Conceptions of the Role of Information and Communication Technologies Related to National Guidance Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettunen, Jaana; Vuorinen, Raimo; Ruusuvirta, Outi

2016-01-01

This article reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network representatives' conceptions of the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) related to national lifelong guidance policies. The role of ICT in relation to national lifelong guidance policies was conceived as (1)…

Tribes and Nations: Emerging Africa, Social Studies: 6478.04.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blinn, Herbert; Weinfeld, Herbert

Materials and information in this quinmester curriculum guide for grades seven through nine focus on tribal living in Sub-Sahara, European influence in Africa, and the African's desire for independence. Activities are offered which stress discussion, inquiry strategies, and concept teaching on tribalism, colonialism, and nationalism in an attempt…

European Neutrons form Parasitic Research to Global Strategy: Realizing Plans for a Transnational European Spallation Source in the Wake of the Cold War

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiserfeld, Thomas

2016-03-01

Studies of Big Science have early on focused on instrumentation and scientific co-operation in large organizations, later on to take into account symbolic values and specific research styles while more recently also involving the relevance of commercial interests and economic development as well as the assimilation of research traditions. In accordance with these transformed practices, this presentation will analyze how an organization with the purpose of realizing a Big-Science facility, The European Spallation Source, has successfully managed to present the project as relevant to different national and international policy-makers, to the community of European neutron researchers as well as to different industrial interests. All this has been achieved in a research-policy environment, which has been the subject to drastic transformations, from calls to engage researchers from the former eastern bloc in the early 1990s via competition with American and Asian researchers at the turn of the century 2000 to intensified demands on business applications. During this process, there has also been fierce competition between different potential sites in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Hungary and Sweden, not once, but twice. The project has in addition been plagued by withdrawals of key actors as well as challenging problems in the field of spallation-source construction. Nevertheless, the European Spallation Source has survived from the early 1990s until today, now initiating the construction process at Lund in southern Sweden. In this presentation, the different measures taken and arguments raised by the European Spallation Source project in order to realize the facility will be analysed. Especially the different designs of the European Spallation Source will be analysed as responses to external demands and threats.

National crisis, supranational opportunity: the Irish construction of abortion as a European service.

PubMed

Fletcher, R

2000-11-01

In the late 1980s, the anti-abortion movement successfully sought injunctions against pregnancy counselling centres and students' unions in Ireland, preventing them from distributing information on how to obtain an abortion abroad. One of the defensive arguments that the students' unions employed was to claim that the distribution of abortion information was protected as an aspect of the free movement of services under European Community law. This paper addresses the implications of categorising abortion as a supranational economic service for feminist legal strategy. The advantages of categorising abortion as a service to which women have access as consumers are that it legitimates abortion and it provides a new strategy for making abortion claims. The disadvantages are that a woman's legal interest in abortion is based on her capacity to buy the service, fetal life is rendered devoid of value, and the service supplier has as much say about the abortion transaction as the woman consumer. If feminist legal strategy is to successfully use the legal construction of abortion as an economic service, it must work to minimise such negative implications.

A New Impetus for European Youth. European Commission White Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium).

Despite their highly divergent situations, young people largely share the same values, ambitions, and difficulties. Despite the more complex social and economic context in which young Europeans are currently living, they are well equipped to adapt. National and European policymakers must facilitate this process of change by making young people…

Interactive Whole Class Teaching in the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Fay; Hardman, Frank; Wall, Kate; Mroz, Maria

2004-01-01

The study set out to investigate the impact of the official endorsement of 'interactive whole class teaching' on the interaction and discourse styles of primary teachers while teaching the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In both strategies, interactive whole class teaching is seen as an 'active teaching' model promoting high quality…

China's New National Curriculum Reform: Innovation, Challenges and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guan, Qun; Meng, Wanjin

2007-01-01

This paper presents systematically China's New National Curriculum Reform (CNNCR). It covers the background, origin, essence, goals, features, evolvement, schedule, implementation, the alignment in primary, secondary and middle schools' curricula and inter-subjects, the outcomes and the challenges and strategies of CNNCR.

Cultural Dimensions of Digital Library Development, Part II: The Cultures of Innovation in Five European National Libraries (Narratives of Development)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalbello, Marija

2009-01-01

This article presents the narrative accounts of the beginnings of digital library programs in five European national libraries: Biblioteca nacional de Portugal, Bibliotheque nationale de France, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Library. Based on interviews with policy makers and developers of digital…

The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes, Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-26

climate change ;  ensure access to shared spaces (expanding cyberspace and including outer space and air and maritime security); and  increase global...hand, one could conclude that these, along with confronting climate change , convey both a wider range of national security challenges in terms of...The 2015 National Security Strategy: Authorities, Changes , Issues for Congress Nathan J. Lucas, Coordinator Section Research Manager Kathleen

Soft drinks: time trends and correlates in twenty-four European countries. A cross-national study using the DAFNE (Data Food Networking) databank.

PubMed

Naska, Androniki; Bountziouka, Vasiliki; Trichopoulou, Antonia

2010-09-01

To evaluate time trends in the availability of soft drinks, to identify food choices associated with their consumption and to assess the relationship between socio-economic status and daily soft drink availability in a wide range of European countries. Data on food and beverage availability collected through the national household budget surveys and harmonized in the DAFNE (Data Food Networking) project were used. Averages and variability of soft drink availability were estimated and tests for time trends were performed. The daily availability of food groups which appear to be correlated with that of soft drinks was further estimated. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were applied to evaluate the association between socio-economic status and the acquisition of soft drinks. Twenty-four European countries. Nationally representative samples of households. The availability of soft drinks is steadily and significantly increasing. Households in West and North Europe reported higher daily availability of soft drinks in comparison to other European regions. Soft drinks were also found to be correlated with lower availability of plant foods and milk and higher availability of meat and sugar products. Lower socio-economic status was associated with more frequent and higher availability of soft drinks in the household. Data collected in national samples of twenty-four European countries showed disparities in soft drink availability among socio-economic strata and European regions. The correlation of soft drinks with unfavourable dietary choices has public health implications, particularly among children and adolescents.

[Scientific advice by the national and European approval authorities concerning advanced therapy medicinal products].

PubMed

Jost, Nils; Schüssler-Lenz, Martina; Ziegele, Bettina; Reinhardt, Jens

2015-11-01

The aim of scientific advice is to support pharmaceutical developers in regulatory and scientific questions, thus facilitating the development of safe and efficacious new medicinal products. Recent years have shown that the development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in particular needs a high degree of regulatory support. On one hand, this is related to the complexity and heterogeneity of this group of medicinal products and on the other hand due to the fact that mainly academic research institutions and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are developing ATMPs. These often have limited regulatory experience and resources. In 2009 the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) initiated the Innovation Office as a contact point for applicants developing ATMPs. The mandate of the Innovation Office is to provide support on regulatory questions and to coordinate national scientific advice meetings concerning ATMPs for every phase in drug development and especially with view to the preparation of clinical trial applications. On the European level, the Scientific Advice Working Party (SAWP) of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicinal Agency (EMA) offers scientific advice. This article describes the concepts of national and EMA scientific advice concerning ATMPs and summarizes the experience of the last six years.

English Learning Strategies of Various Nations: A Study in Military Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solak, Ekrem

2014-01-01

How successful learners learn English has been one of the primary interest of scientists and researchers in recent years. Therefore, this study aimed to determine what language learning strategies the military personnel from different nations used while learning English. 56 subjects from 14 different nations deployed in three different military…

West European and American Public Opinion on Peace, Defence, and Arms Control in a Cross-National Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adler, Kenneth P.

1986-01-01

Summarizes public opinion on perceived threats to peace, the means considered most effective to preserve and strengthen peace, and attitudes toward military resistance, nuclear weapons, and defense spending. The data presented span several years and are often reported for individual West European nations. (JDH)

EURECCA colorectal: multidisciplinary management: European consensus conference colon & rectum.

PubMed

van de Velde, Cornelis J H; Boelens, Petra G; Borras, Josep M; Coebergh, Jan-Willem; Cervantes, Andres; Blomqvist, Lennart; Beets-Tan, Regina G H; van den Broek, Colette B M; Brown, Gina; Van Cutsem, Eric; Espin, Eloy; Haustermans, Karin; Glimelius, Bengt; Iversen, Lene H; van Krieken, J Han; Marijnen, Corrie A M; Henning, Geoffrey; Gore-Booth, Jola; Meldolesi, Elisa; Mroczkowski, Pawel; Nagtegaal, Iris; Naredi, Peter; Ortiz, Hector; Påhlman, Lars; Quirke, Philip; Rödel, Claus; Roth, Arnaud; Rutten, Harm; Schmoll, Hans J; Smith, Jason J; Tanis, Pieter J; Taylor, Claire; Wibe, Arne; Wiggers, Theo; Gambacorta, Maria A; Aristei, Cynthia; Valentini, Vincenzo

2014-01-01

Care for patients with colon and rectal cancer has improved in the last 20years; however considerable variation still exists in cancer management and outcome between European countries. Large variation is also apparent between national guidelines and patterns of cancer care in Europe. Therefore, EURECCA, which is the acronym of European Registration of Cancer Care, is aiming at defining core treatment strategies and developing a European audit structure in order to improve the quality of care for all patients with colon and rectal cancer. In December 2012, the first multidisciplinary consensus conference about cancer of the colon and rectum was held. The expert panel consisted of representatives of European scientific organisations involved in cancer care of patients with colon and rectal cancer and representatives of national colorectal registries. The expert panel had delegates of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO), European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO), European Society of Pathology (ESP), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), European Society of Radiology (ESR), European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP), European CanCer Organisation (ECCO), European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) and the European Colorectal Cancer Patient Organisation (EuropaColon), as well as delegates from national registries or audits. Consensus was achieved using the Delphi method. For the Delphi process, multidisciplinary experts were invited to comment and vote three web-based online voting rounds and to lecture on the subjects during the meeting (13th-15th December 2012). The sentences in the consensus document were available during the meeting and a televoting round during the conference by all participants was performed. This manuscript covers all sentences of the consensus document with the result of the voting. The consensus document represents sections on diagnostics, pathology, surgery, medical oncology, radiotherapy, and follow-up where

The future of European health policies.

PubMed

Koivusalo, Meri Tuulikki

2005-01-01

The role of the European Union in health policies is changing. The European social model is under threat due to shifts in E.U. policies on liberalization of service provision, limited public budgets, a focus on the health sector as a productive sector in the context of broader European policies and the Lisbon strategy, and changes in the context of the new Constitutional Treaty. These changes are evident in a new reflection paper on European health strategy and its focus. E.U. health policies are at a critical juncture. The danger is that the current processes will lead European health policies and the health systems of member states more in the direction of U.S. health policies and the commercialization of health systems than toward improvement of the current situation.

Year 5 Booster Units. The National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

The eight units of work in this document are designed to complement existing literacy booster units. Each unit is based on teaching objectives from the National Literacy Strategy Framework. They have been produced with the help of Year 5 teachers and have been trialled with pupils in a range of schools. The units support teachers' work with Year 5…

Health and safety strategies in a changing Europe.

PubMed

Walters, D

1998-01-01

This article presents a synthesis of some of the more significant findings from two recent surveys on working conditions and national strategies for their improvement in the European Union in the 1990s. As patterns and organization of employment have changed in the past decade, the consequences for health and safety present new challenges for legislators, the social partners, the regulatory agencies, and the specialists. These challenges are only partially met in most European member states. Because of the continued deregulation of employment, reduced public expenditure, and reduced trade union presence, the operation of strategies to implement a common framework of E.U. legislation is limited and often incomplete. This issue must be confronted if systems for promoting the well-being of people at work in Europe are to keep up with the rapidly changing nature of the risks that they face.

Health literacy lost in translations? Introducing the European Health Literacy Glossary.

PubMed

Sørensen, Kristine; Brand, Helmut

2014-12-01

Health literacy has gained momentum in the Western world, yet in Europe the concept of health literacy is only marginally integrated in research, policy and practice. The present paper presents how translation may act as an influential factor with regard to integration of the health literacy notion in Europe. This study has compared five data sources that provide translations of health literacy: The European Union's Health Strategy; the translations applied in the European Health Literacy Project; national health expert opinions and Google Translate. The comparison integrated Peter Fawcett's translation techniques as a framework for analysis. The results showed a total of 28 translations: 22 from the European Union Health Strategy; 6 from the HLS-EU project; 17 from experts; 25 from Google Translate. Some countries are consistent in translations of health literacy, other countries diverge, the reasons being that health literacy is not yet mainstreamed and the translations are primarily driven by a latent polarized discourse of the concept of literacy. The study showed that translations in general reveals enriched insights in the cohesion of health literacy as one notion and provides the European Health Literacy Glossary that can inform health professionals, academia and decision-makers to further advance health literacy across Europe. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

75 FR 43528 - Seeking Public Comment on Draft National Health Security Strategy Biennial Implementation Plan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary Seeking Public Comment on Draft National Health Security Strategy Biennial Implementation Plan AGENCY: Department of Health and Human... Interim Implementation Guide for the National Health Security Strategy of the United States of America...

Response to the National Career Development Strategy Green Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Journal of Career Development, 2012

2012-01-01

The Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) congratulates the Commonwealth Government on the development of the National Career Development Strategy Green Paper. This is a timely and important document that provides a framework to demonstrate the central contribution that career development services play in supporting individuals,…

Testing a potential national strategy for cost-effective medical technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitch, J. Patrick

1995-10-01

The Center for Healthcare Technologies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a partnership among government, industry, and universities that focuses on improving healthcare through development of cost-effective technology. With the guidance of healthcare providers, medical institutions, and medical instrument manufacturers, technology can be harnessed to reduce healthcare costs. The partnership is a miniature test case for a potential national strategy for development and adoption of technology specifically to reduce costs.

The National Literacy Strategy: The Third Year. An Evaluation by HMI.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office for Standards in Education, London (England).

The implementation of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) began in English primary schools at the start of the autumn term, 1998. The purpose of the strategy is to improve standards in literacy. This is the fourth report on NLS by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). It provides a detailed account of the implementation and impact of…

Protecting health from climate change in the WHO European Region.

PubMed

Wolf, Tanja; Martinez, Gerardo Sanchez; Cheong, Hae-Kwan; Williams, Eloise; Menne, Bettina

2014-06-16

"How far are we in implementing climate change and health action in the WHO European Region?" This was the question addressed to representatives of WHO European Member States of the working group on health in climate change (HIC). Twenty-two Member States provided answers to a comprehensive questionnaire that focused around eight thematic areas (Governance; Vulnerability, impact and adaptation (health) assessments; Adaptation strategies and action plans; Climate change mitigation; Strengthening health systems; Raising awareness and building capacity; Greening health services; and Sharing best practices). Strong areas of development are climate change vulnerability and impact assessments, as well as strengthening health systems and awareness raising. Areas where implementation would benefit from further action are the development of National Health Adaptation Plans, greening health systems, sharing best practice and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other sectors. At the Parma Conference in 2010, the European Ministerial Commitment to Act on climate change and health and the European Regional Framework for Action to protect health from climate change were endorsed by fifty three European Member States. The results of this questionnaire are the most comprehensive assessment so far of the progress made by WHO European Member States to protecting public health from climate change since the agreements in Parma and the World Health Assembly Resolution in 2008.

A Better Prescription: Advice for a National Strategy on Pharmaceutical Policy in Canada

PubMed Central

Gagnon, Marc-André; Mintzes, Barbara; Lexchin, Joel

2016-01-01

Canada needs a national strategy to fulfill its obligation to ensure universal access to necessary healthcare, including prescription drugs. A 2004 attempt at a national strategy for pharmaceutical policy failed because it lacked clear vision, logical planning and commitment from federal and provincial governments. The result of uncoordinated pharmaceutical policies in Canada has been more than a decade of poor system performance. In this essay, we present a framework for a renewed national strategy for pharmaceutical policy. Building on published research and international frameworks, we propose that pharmaceutical policies of federal, provincial and territorial governments be coordinated around a core health-focused goal. We strongly suggest policy actions be taken on four core objectives that are necessary to support the overarching health goal. If implemented, the proposed strategy would offer clear benefits to all Canadians who use medicines, federal and provincial governments and to the economy as a whole. We therefore argue that political leadership is now needed to articulate and implement such a plan on behalf of Canadians. PMID:27585023

A Better Prescription: Advice for a National Strategy on Pharmaceutical Policy in Canada.

PubMed

Morgan, Steven G; Gagnon, Marc-André; Mintzes, Barbara; Lexchin, Joel

2016-08-01

Canada needs a national strategy to fulfill its obligation to ensure universal access to necessary healthcare, including prescription drugs. A 2004 attempt at a national strategy for pharmaceutical policy failed because it lacked clear vision, logical planning and commitment from federal and provincial governments. The result of uncoordinated pharmaceutical policies in Canada has been more than a decade of poor system performance. In this essay, we present a framework for a renewed national strategy for pharmaceutical policy. Building on published research and international frameworks, we propose that pharmaceutical policies of federal, provincial and territorial governments be coordinated around a core health-focused goal. We strongly suggest policy actions be taken on four core objectives that are necessary to support the overarching health goal. If implemented, the proposed strategy would offer clear benefits to all Canadians who use medicines, federal and provincial governments and to the economy as a whole. We therefore argue that political leadership is now needed to articulate and implement such a plan on behalf of Canadians. Copyright © 2016 Longwoods Publishing.

Cybersecurity Strategy in Developing Nations: A Jamaica Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newmeyer, Kevin Patrick

2014-01-01

Developing nations have been slow to develop and implement cybersecurity strategies despite a growing threat to governance and public security arising from an increased dependency on Internet-connected systems in the developing world and rising cybercrime. Using a neorealist theoretical framework that draws from Gilpin and Waltz, this qualitative…

Tuberculosis treatment outcome monitoring in European Union countries: systematic review

PubMed Central

van Hest, Rob; Ködmön, Csaba; Verver, Suzanne; Erkens, Connie G.M.; Straetemans, Masja; Manissero, Davide; de Vries, Gerard

2013-01-01

Treatment success measured by treatment outcome monitoring (TOM) is a key programmatic output of tuberculosis (TB) control programmes. We performed a systematic literature review on national-level TOM in the 30 European Union (EU)/European Economic Areas (EEA) countries to summarise methods used to collect and report data on TOM. Online reference bibliographic databases PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched to identify relevant indexed and non-indexed literature published between January 2000 and August 2010. The search strategy resulted in 615 potentially relevant indexed citations, of which 27 full-text national studies (79 data sets) were included for final analysis. The selected studies were performed in 10 EU/EEA countries and gave a fragmented impression of TOM in the EU/EEA. Publication year, study period, sample size, databases, definitions, variables, patient and outcome categories, and population subgroups varied widely, portraying a very heterogeneous picture. This review confirmed previous reports of considerable heterogeneity in publications of TOM results across EU/EEA countries. PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE indexed studies are not a suitable instrument to measure representative TOM results for the 30 EU/EEA countries. Uniform and complete reporting to the centralised European Surveillance System will produce the most timely and reliable results of TB treatment outcomes in the EU/EEA. PMID:22790913

[Current strategies to diminish the impact of cardiovascular diseases in women].

PubMed

Stramba Badiale, Marco; Priori, Silvia G

2006-11-01

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has recently promoted the "Women at Heart" program in order to organize initiatives targeted at promoting research and education in the field of cardiovascular diseases in women. Comparisons of the gender differences in specific disease and treatment trends across Europe are provided by analyzing data from the Euro Heart Surveys. A Policy Conference has been organized with the objective to summarize the state of the art from an European perspective, to identify the scientific gaps and to delineate the strategies for changing the misperception of cardiovascular diseases in women, improving risk stratification, diagnosis, and therapy from a gender perspective and increasing women representation in clinical trials. A Statement from the Policy Conference has been provided and published in the European Heart Journal. Synergic activities should be undertaken at European level with the support of national scientific societies, European institutions, national health care authorities, patients' associations, and foundations. The commitment of the Board of the ESC is that these initiatives contribute to increase the awareness across Europe that cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in women and to improve the knowledge of risk factors, presentation and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in women.

Improving cancer control in the European Union: conclusions from the Lisbon round-table under the Portuguese EU Presidency, 2007.

PubMed

Gouveia, Joaquim; Coleman, Michel P; Haward, Robert; Zanetti, Roberto; Hakama, Matti; Borras, Josep Maria; Primic-Zakelj, Maja; de Koning, Harry J; Travado, Luzia

2008-07-01

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the European Union (EU), and a public health burden. Improving cancer control in the EU will require implementation of efficient strategies within Member States and better policy coordination between them. In cooperation between the rotating EU Presidencies of Germany (2007), Portugal (2007) and Slovenia (2008), special attention was devoted to an integrated approach to cancer control in EU policies and programmes. A round-table focussed on national cancer plans, population-based cancer registries and cancer screening programmes was held during the Health Strategies in Europe meeting in Lisbon in July 2007, under the Portuguese Presidency. These three topics were selected as critical for improving cancer control at both national and European levels. The round-table was designed to produce a set of recommendations to inform EU cancer policy. This paper provides a résumé of the conclusions and recommendations, to stimulate wider discussion and policy development. The conclusions of the meeting were presented at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in December 2007 and cancer was included in the Council Conclusions for the new European Health Strategy. Success in cancer control will require consistent attention from future EU Presidencies, such as the initiative of the Slovenian EU Presidency in early 2008.

National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This National Strategy for Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products sets forth a vision for ensuring that the federal regulatory system is prepared to efficiently assess the risks, if any, of the future products of biotechnology.

European Union's strategy on endocrine disrupting chemicals and the current position of Slovenia.

PubMed

Perharič, Lucija; Fatur, Tanja; Drofenik, Jernej

2016-06-01

In view of the European Union regulations 1107/2009 and 528/2012, which say that basic substances in plant protection and biocidal products marketed in the European Union (EU) should not have an inherent capacity to cause endocrine disruption, an initiative was started to define scientific criteria for the identification of endocrine disruptors (EDs). The objectives of the EU strategy on EDs are to protect human health and the environment, to assure the functioning of the market, and to provide clear and coherent criteria for the identification of EDs that could have broad application in the EU legislation. Policy issues were to be addressed by the Ad-hoc group of Commission Services, EU Agencies and Member States established in 2010, whereas the scientific issues were to be addressed by the Endocrine Disruptors Expert Advisory Group (ED EAG), established in 2011. The ED EAG adopted the 2002 World Health Organization (WHO) definition of endocrine disruptor and agreed that for its identification it is necessary to produce convincing evidence of a biologically plausible causal link between an adverse effect and endocrine disrupting mode of action. In 2014, the European Commission proposed four ED identification criteria options and three regulatory options, which are now being assessed for socio-economic, environmental, and health impact. Slovenia supports the establishing of identification criteria and favours option 4, according to which ED identification should be based on the WHO definition with the addition of potency as an element of hazard characterisation. As for regulatory options, Slovenia favours the risk-based rather than hazard-based regulation.

A European Vision for Adult Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waddington, Sue; Tuckett, Alan; Boucher, Fiona

2012-01-01

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) is the UK national coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning, with the challenge of creating a coherent message across the four countries to inform European cooperation on adult learning. To start the debate, the journal staff asked Sue Waddington, Alan Tuckett, and Fiona…

Nationalizing the Post-National: Reframing European Citizenship for the Civics Curriculum in Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Avril

2009-01-01

The EU and other European institutions have launched a wide range of educational initiatives over the past 50 years in order to foster European citizenship and bring Europe "closer to the people". However, the efficacy of these efforts is questionable. In the EU, education policy (and in particular, curriculum policy) is governed by…

Reconciling Energy Use with Environmental Protection in the European Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axelrod, Regina S.

1992-01-01

Presents the energy and environmental policymaking strategies of the European Community to regulate the consumption of energy. Strategies include the stabilization of carbon dioxide emissions, the creation of the European Environmental Agency, the implementation of the European Energy Charter, the SAVE Program, and economic and fiscal instruments…

76 FR 50719 - Models for a Governance Structure for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-16

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology [Docket No. 110524296-1455-02] Models for a Governance Structure for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace... comments regarding the governance structure for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace...

New Zealand = Maori, New Zealand = Bicultural: Ethnic Group Differences in a National Sample of Maori and Europeans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Jessica F.; Sibley, Chris G.; Robertson, Andrew

2011-01-01

New Zealand (NZ) Europeans show a unique implicit bicultural effect, with research using the Implicit Association Test consistently showing that they associate Maori (the Indigenous peoples) and their own (dominant/advantaged majority) group as equally representative of the nation. We replicated and extended this NZ = bicultural effect in a small…

Strategies for Financing Universal Basic Education for Sustainable National Development in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdullahi, N. J. K.; Abdulkareem, A. Y.

2017-01-01

This study investigated strategies of financing universal basic education for sustainable national development by school managers in North-Central Zone, Nigeria. Specifically the purpose was to determine the relationship between commercial based income and sustainable national development as well as to examine the relationship between agricultural…

Establishing the ACORN National Practitioner Database: Strategies to Recruit Practitioners to a National Practice-Based Research Network.

PubMed

Adams, Jon; Steel, Amie; Moore, Craig; Amorin-Woods, Lyndon; Sibbritt, David

2016-10-01

The purpose of this paper is to report on the recruitment and promotion strategies employed by the Australian Chiropractic Research Network (ACORN) project aimed at helping recruit a substantial national sample of participants and to describe the features of our practice-based research network (PBRN) design that may provide key insights to others looking to establish a similar network or draw on the ACORN project to conduct sub-studies. The ACORN project followed a multifaceted recruitment and promotion strategy drawing on distinct branding, a practitioner-focused promotion campaign, and a strategically designed questionnaire and distribution/recruitment approach to attract sufficient participation from the ranks of registered chiropractors across Australia. From the 4684 chiropractors registered at the time of recruitment, the project achieved a database response rate of 36% (n = 1680), resulting in a large, nationally representative sample across age, gender, and location. This sample constitutes the largest proportional coverage of participants from any voluntary national PBRN across any single health care profession. It does appear that a number of key promotional and recruitment features of the ACORN project may have helped establish the high response rate for the PBRN, which constitutes an important sustainable resource for future national and international efforts to grow the chiropractic evidence base and research capacity. Further rigorous enquiry is needed to help evaluate the direct contribution of specific promotional and recruitment strategies in attaining high response rates from practitioner populations who may be invited to participate in future PBRNs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Mature Maritime Strategy for Africa to Meet National Security Goals

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-17

by corrupt governments, poverty, piracy, poaching in territorial waters, terrorist cells, militant youth activities, environmental violations, illegal...regions with maritime distress that are, or have the potential to impact vital U.S. national interests. Good national strategy that informs combatant and...environmental violations and many other debilitating maritime activities get conveyed ashore and directly impact the security and well-being of the

Making Links: Guidance for Summer Schools. Key Stage 3. National Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

Summer schools are an integral part of the Key Stage 3 of England's National Literacy Strategy. They play an important role in giving students, who are still at Level 3 in the National Curriculum tests, a flying start to their secondary school career by making links between the Year 6 and Year 7 curriculum. Students are expected to achieve the…

[Counterfeit Medicines in Internet and the Fakeshare European Project: Experiences and Activities in Spain].

PubMed

Catalán-Matamoros, Daniel; González-Ochando, Nuria; Pecharroman-Arribas, Henar; Fernández-Muelas, Ana; Bentolila-Benchimol, Stella Sandra; IbarraLorente, Manuel

2016-08-16

The illicit trafficking of medicines over the Internet is a growing problem that affects public health. Since 2013, the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) participates in the European project Fakeshare, co-funded by the European Commission and coordinated by the Italian Medicines Agency (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, AIFA). This project aims to coordinate initiatives against the illegal supply of medicines, including from purchases through websites engaged in illegal activity, to thefts and other diversions of medicines to the illicit trafficking.This paper presents the activities in that area as well as strategies and elaborated materials at the national level. The keys to fight or face the illegal sale of medicines over the internet are coordinated cooperation with all the stakeholders, development of communication campaigns to raise awareness and sensitize consumers, health professionals and industry organizations about the risks of buying medicines on illegal websites, creating databases to share information on thefts and other deviations to the illegal market and disseminate national practices to combat illicit medicines trafficking at European and international levels.

Sewage sludge disposal strategies for sustainable development.

PubMed

Kacprzak, Małgorzata; Neczaj, Ewa; Fijałkowski, Krzysztof; Grobelak, Anna; Grosser, Anna; Worwag, Małgorzata; Rorat, Agnieszka; Brattebo, Helge; Almås, Åsgeir; Singh, Bal Ram

2017-07-01

The main objective of the present review is to compare the existing sewage sludge management solutions in terms of their environmental sustainability. The most commonly used strategies, that include treatment and disposal has been favored within the present state-of-art, considering existing legislation (at European and national level), characterization, ecotoxicology, waste management and actual routs used currently in particular European countries. Selected decision making tools, namely End-of-waste criteria and Life Cycle Assessment has been proposed in order to appropriately assess the possible environmental, economic and technical evaluation of different systems. Therefore, some basic criteria for the best suitable option selection has been described, in the circular economy "from waste to resources" sense. The importance of sewage sludge as a valuable source of matter and energy has been appreciated, as well as a potential risk related to the application of those strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Career Practitioner's Response to the National Career Development Strategy Green Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Athanasou, James A.

2012-01-01

The National Career Development Strategy Green Paper is a discussion paper issued by the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations. It is aimed at the formulation of a coherent and structured career development strategy throughout Australia. The Green Paper seeks to lay the foundation for policy change through establishing the…

Instructional Strategies and Best Practices to Narrow the Mathematics Achievement Gaps between African American, Hispanic, and European American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolden, Felicia Mickles

2012-01-01

A persistent mathematics achievement gap between African American, Hispanic, and European American students at one elementary school was the focus of this investigation. The research questions of this single site case study involved understanding why an achievement gap exists, and to identify the instructional strategies and best practices used to…

76 FR 34650 - Models for a Governance Structure for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-14

... Identities in Cyberspace AGENCY: U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Secretary, and National Institute... National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC or ``Strategy''). The Strategy refers to this... cyberspace to U.S. innovation, prosperity, education and political and cultural life, and the need for a...

Easter School Guidance. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

This booklet explains the goals of Easter Schools, part of England's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Easter Schools should be planned to cover four half-days and include four literacy and four mathematics lessons each covering the equivalent of at least an hour. The booklet addresses the following issues: why funding has been made…

The national strategy for the physical protection of critical infrastructures and key assets

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-02-01

This document defines the road ahead for a core mission area identified in the President's National Strategy for Homeland Security-reducing the Nation's vulnerability to acts of terrorism by protecting our critical infrastructures and key assets from...

Greater Sage-Grouse National Research Strategy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanser, Steven E.; Manier, Daniel J.

2013-01-01

The condition of the sagebrush ecosystem has been declining in the Western United States, and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a sagebrush-obligate species, has experienced concurrent decreases in distribution and population numbers. This has prompted substantial research and management over the past two decades to improve the understanding of sage-grouse and its habitats and to address the observed decreases in distribution and population numbers. The amount of research and management has increased as the year 2015 approaches, which is when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is expected to make a final decision about whether or not to protect the species under the Endangered Species Act. In 2012, the Sage-Grouse Executive Oversight Committee (EOC) of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) requested that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) lead the development of a Greater Sage-Grouse National Research Strategy (hereafter Research Strategy). This request was motivated by a practical need to systematically connect existing research and conservation plans with persisting or emerging information needs. Managers and researchers also wanted to reduce redundancy and help focus limited funds on the highest priority research and management issues. The USGS undertook the development of this Research Strategy, which addresses information and science relating to the greater sage-grouse and its habitat across portions of 11 Western States. This Research Strategy provides an outline of important research topics to ensure that science information gaps are identified and documented in a comprehensive manner. Further, by identifying priority topics and critical information needed for planning, research, and resource management, it provides a structure to help coordinate members of an expansive research and management community in their efforts to conduct priority research.

Current european regulatory perspectives on insulin analogues.

PubMed

Enzmann, Harald G; Weise, Martina

2011-07-07

Insulin analogues are increasingly considered as an alternative to human insulin in the therapy of diabetes mellitus. Insulin analogues (IAs) are chemically different from human insulin and may have different pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic properties. The significance of the modifications of the insulin molecule for the safety profile of IAs must be considered. This review describes the regulatory procedure and the expectations for the scientific content of European marketing authorization applications for innovative IAs submitted to the European Medicines Agency. Particular consideration is given to a potential cancer hazard. Specific regulatory guidance on how to address a possible carcinogenic or tumor promoting effect of innovative IAs in non-clinical studies is available. After marketing authorization, the factual access of patients to the new product will be determined to great extent by health technology assessment bodies, reimbursement decisions and the price. Whereas the marketing authorization is a European decision, pricing and reimbursement are national or regional responsibilities. The assessment of benefit and risk by the European Medicines Agency is expected to influence future decisions on price and reimbursement on a national or regional level. Collaborations between regulatory agencies and health technology assessment bodies have been initiated on European and national level to facilitate the use of the European Medicines Agency's benefit risk assessment as basis on which to build the subsequent health technology assessment. The option for combined or joint scientific advice procedures with regulators and health technology assessment bodies on European level or on a national level in several European Member States may help applicants to optimize their development program and dossier preparation in regard of both European marketing authorization application and reimbursement decisions.

European security framework for healthcare.

PubMed

Ruotsalainen, Pekka; Pohjonen, Hanna

2003-01-01

eHealth and telemedicine services are promising business areas in Europe. It is clear that eHealth products and services will be sold and ordered from a distance and over national borderlines in the future. However, there are many barriers to overcome. For both national and pan-European eHealth and telemedicine applications a common security framework is needed. These frameworks set security requirements needed for cross-border eHealth services. The next step is to build a security infrastructure which is independent of technical platforms. Most of the European eHealth platforms are regional or territorial. Some countries are looking for a Public Key Infrastructure, but no large scale solutions do exist in healthcare. There is no clear candidate solution for European-wide interoperable eHealth platform. Gross-platform integration seems to be the most practical integration method at a European level in the short run. The use of Internet as a European integration platform is a promising solution in the long run.

Youth, Europe and the Nation: The Political Knowledge, Interests and Identities of the New Generation of European Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faas, Daniel

2007-01-01

Europe is undergoing considerable demographic, economic, cultural and socio-political change. National citizenship identities have been challenged by the simultaneous processes of European integration and the migration of people into and across Europe. This paper explores how the current generation of youth relates towards Europe, and highlights…

Radon remediation and prevention status in 23 European countries.

PubMed

Holmgren, O; Arvela, H; Collignan, B; Jiránek, M; Ringer, W

2013-12-01

Radon remediation and prevention aim at reducing indoor radon concentrations in the existing and new buildings. This paper gives an estimate of the number of dwellings where remediation or preventive measures have been applied so far in Europe. Questionnaires were sent to contact persons in national radiation protection authorities and radon-related research institutes. Answers from 23 European countries were obtained. Approximately 26 000 dwellings have been remediated in total. Millions of dwellings remain to be remediated and the number is increasing due to the rare use of radon prevention. These facts imply a need for an efficient radon strategy to promote radon remediation. Moreover, the importance of radon prevention in new construction and the regulations concerning radon in the national building codes should be emphasised.

Breaking the Cycle of Drug Abuse. 1993 Interim National Drug Control Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, DC.

This Interim Drug Strategy is intended to give a new sense of direction and to reinvigorate the nation's efforts against drug trafficking and abuse. The preface to the report lists eight new strategies that the Administration will implement: (1) make drug policy a cornerstone of domestic and social policy; (2) target pregnant women, children, and…

Development of a Nationally Coordinated Evaluation Plan for the Ghana National Strategy for Key Populations

PubMed Central

Reynolds, Heidi W; Atuahene, Kyeremeh; Sutherland, Elizabeth; Amenyah, Richard; Kwao, Isaiah Doe; Larbi, Emmanuel Tettey

2015-01-01

Objective Just as HIV prevention programs need to be tailored to the local epidemic, so should evaluations be country-owned and country-led to ensure use of those results in decision making and policy. The objective of this paper is to describe the process undertaken in Ghana to develop a national evaluation plan for the Ghana national strategy for key populations. Methods This was a participatory process that involved meetings between the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), other partners in Ghana working to prevent HIV among key populations, and MEASURE Evaluation. The process included three two-day, highly structured yet participatory meetings over the course of 12 months during which participants shared information about on-going and planned data and identified research questions and methods. Results An evaluation plan was prepared to inform stakeholders about which data collection activities need to be prioritized for funding, who would implement the study, the timing of data collection, the research question the data will help answer, and the analysis methods. The plan discusses various methods that can be used including the recommendation for the study design using multiple data sources. It has an evaluation conceptual model, proposed analyses, proposed definition of independent variables, estimated costs for filling data gaps, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders to carry out the plan, and considerations for ethics, data sharing and authorship. Conclusion The experience demonstrates that it is possible to design an evaluation responsive to national strategies and priorities with country leadership, regardless of stakeholders' experiences with evaluations. This process may be replicable elsewhere, where stakeholders want to plan and implement an evaluation of a large-scale program at the national or subnational level that is responsive to national priorities and part of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system. PMID:26120495

The "Culture" of Migrant Pupils: A Nation- and Welfare-State Historical Perspective on the European Refugee Crisis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchardt, Mette

2018-01-01

Culture seems to function as a central explanation when refugees and other migrants are framed as a risk and a challenge in European and national politics across the member states, including educational politics. Based on the case of Denmark during the 1970s, the article unfolds how education historically has been an arena for the internal…

Implementation of Strategies to Leverage Public and Private Resources for National Security Workforce Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-04-01

This report documents implementation strategies to leverage public and private resources for the development of an adequate national security workforce as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), being performed under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. There are numerous efforts across the United States to develop a properly skilled and trained national security workforce. Some of these efforts are the result of the leveraging of public and private dollars. As budget dollars decrease and the demand for a properly skilled and trained national security workforce increases, it will become even more important tomore » leverage every education and training dollar. This report details some of the efforts that have been implemented to leverage public and private resources, as well as implementation strategies to further leverage public and private resources.« less

The Stranger within: Luxembourg's Early School System as a European Prototype of Nationally Legitimized International Blends (ca. 1794-1844)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thyssen, Geert

2013-01-01

This comparative analysis of Luxembourg's early school (law) system reveals the extent to which European school systems reflect "national-cultural idiosyncrasies" apart from "structural isomorphism". It first examines the legal soil into which the Luxembourg school system was implanted. Legislative pendular swings, reflecting…

The European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics Policy Statement No. 6.1: Recommended Guidelines on National Registration Schemes for Medical Physicists.

PubMed

Christofides, Stelios; Isidoro, Jorge; Pesznyak, Csilla; Bumbure, Lada; Cremers, Florian; Schmidt, Werner F O

2016-01-01

This EFOMP Policy Statement is an update of Policy Statement No. 6 first published in 1994. The present version takes into account the European Union Parliament and Council Directive 2013/55/EU that amends Directive 2005/36/EU on the recognition of professional qualifications and the European Union Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM laying down the basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. The European Commission Radiation Protection Report No. 174, Guidelines on Medical Physics Expert and the EFOMP Policy Statement No. 12.1, Recommendations on Medical Physics Education and Training in Europe 2014, are also taken into consideration. The EFOMP National Member Organisations are encouraged to update their Medical Physics registration schemes where these exist or to develop registration schemes taking into account the present version of this EFOMP Policy Statement (Policy Statement No. 6.1"Recommended Guidelines on National Registration Schemes for Medical Physicists"). Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[European community guidelines and standards in indoor air quality: what proposals for Italy].

PubMed

Settimo, Gaetano; D'Alessandro, Daniela

2014-01-01

Indoor air quality is an issue on which to focus because of the increasing number of exposed population and in view of the strong public feeling on this issue. This paper reports the rules of EU and several European countries about indoor air quality, focusing on the initiatives performed in Italy to respond to WHO recommendations. Several EU countries have introduced in their legislation rules relating to indoor air quality. At the moment, in Italy, a reference rule has not been issued. For this reason, up to date main informations concerning some guidelines or reference values in indoor air, to be used for a first comparison, are those obtained by the scientific literature, or by the guidelines issued by other European countries or, for analogy, by other standard values such as limit or reference values regarding outdoor air. Even the EU, while reaffirming the priority of energy efficiency measures, recommends healthier indoor environments and the development of a specific European strategy on the issue of indoor air quality. The National Study Group on indoor pollution of the Italian National Health Institute (ISS), is working for the development of shared technical and scientific documents, in order to provide greater uniformity of actions at national level, waiting for a legal framework for indoor air quality, in the light of the indication already produced by the WHO.

Suggesting a new European language policy.

PubMed

Nelde, Peter H

2004-01-01

Conflict is the most intriguing aspect of contact linguistics. Throughout history ever since the Tower of Babel was left unfinished, contacts between speakers of different languages have unavoidably resulted in conflicts between speakers of those languages. Without any doubt, the European Union (EU)--above all after the decision to enlarge the community--has accepted the multidisciplinary symbolic function of language and culture as a basis for European political unification. Accordingly, European Union policy makers have had to analyze conflicts caused by monolingualism and multilingualism, all aspects of contact linguistics. Can these conflicts be solved, minimized or neutralized by strategies of language planning, language policies and language politics? Initial results of European language policy strategies permit at least a cautious measure of optimism and open broad perspectives for the future of a New Multilingualism which will be discussed in our contribution.

Australia's National Mental Health Strategy and deinstitutionalization: some empirical results.

PubMed

Doessel, Darrel P; Scheurer, Roman W; Chant, David C; Whiteford, Harvey A

2005-01-01

To determine the role of the National Mental Health Strategy in the deinstitutionalization of patients in psychiatric hospitals in Queensland. Regression analysis (using the maximum likelihood method) has been applied to relevant time-series datasets on public psychiatric institutions in Queensland. In particular, data on both patients and admissions per 10 000 population are analysed in detail from 1953-54 to the present, although data are presented from 1883-84. These Queensland data indicate that deinstitutionalization was a continuing process from the 1950s to the present. However, it is clear that the experience varied from period to period. For example, the fastest change (in both patients and admissions) took place in the period 1953-54 to 1973-74, followed by the period 1974-75 to 1984-85. In large part, the two policies associated with deinstitutionalization, namely a discharge policy ('opening the back door') and an admission policy ('closing the front door') had been implemented before the advent of the National Mental Health Strategy in January 1993. Deinstitutionalization was most rapid in the 30-year period to the early 1980s: the process continued in the 1990s, but at a much slower rate. Deinstitutionalization was, in large part, over before the Strategy was developed and implemented.

European health research and globalisation: is the public-private balance right?

PubMed

McCarthy, Mark

2011-03-22

The creation and exchange of knowledge between cultures has benefited world development for many years. The European Union now puts research and innovation at the front of its economic strategy. In the health field, biomedical research, which benefits the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, has been well supported, but much less emphasis has been given to public health and health systems research. A similar picture is emerging in European support for globalisation and health Two case-studies illustrate the links of European support in global health research with industry and biomedicine. The European Commission's directorates for (respectively) Health, Development and Research held an international conference in Brussels in June 2010. Two of six thematic sessions related to research: one was solely concerned with drug development and the protection of intellectual property. Two European Union-supported health research projects in India show a similar trend. The Euro-India Research Centre was created to support India's participation in EU research programmes, but almost all of the health research projects have been in biotechnology. New INDIGO, a network led by the French national research agency CNRS, has chosen 'Biotechnology and Health' and funded projects only within three laboratory sciences. Research for commerce supports only one side of economic development. Innovative technologies can be social as well as physical, and be as likely to benefit society and the economy. Global health research agendas to meet the Millenium goals need to prioritise prevention and service delivery. Public interest can be voiced through civil society organisations, able to support social research and public-health interventions. Money for health research comes from public budgets, or indirectly through healthcare costs. European 'Science in Society' programme contrasts research for 'economy', using technical solutions, commercialisation and a passive consumer voice for

Space strategy for Europe and the International Lunar Decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beldavs, VZ

2017-09-01

The 2020-2030 decade offers extraordinary opportunity for the European space sector that is largely not recognized in present space strategy which does not recognize commercial space activities beyond communications satellites, launchers, and earth observation and navigation and downstream activities. Lunar and cislunar development can draw on the extensive experience of Europe in mining, clean energy, ecological systems as well as deep experience in managing the development of technologies through TRL1 through commercial sale via Horizon 2020 and previous Framework programs. The EU has unrivalled experience in coordinating research and advanced technology development from research centers, major firms and SMEs across multiple sovereign states. This capacity to coordinate across national boundaries can be a significant contribution to a global cooperative program like the International Lunar Decade. This paper will present a European space strategy for beyond 2020 and how this can mesh with the International Lunar Decade.

Report on the 1990 European Asphalt Study Tour

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1991-06-01

In mid-September 1990, a team of pavement specialists from the United States participated in a 2-week study tour of six European nations. The tour, designated the European Asphalt Study Tour (EAST), was arranged through the efforts of the National As...

Overview of eutrophication indicators to assess environmental status within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, João G.; Andersen, Jesper H.; Borja, Angel; Bricker, Suzanne B.; Camp, Jordi; Cardoso da Silva, Margarida; Garcés, Esther; Heiskanen, Anna-Stiina; Humborg, Christoph; Ignatiades, Lydia; Lancelot, Christiane; Menesguen, Alain; Tett, Paul; Hoepffner, Nicolas; Claussen, Ulrich

2011-06-01

In 2009, following approval of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC), the European Commission (EC) created task groups to develop guidance for eleven quality descriptors that form the basis for evaluating ecosystem function. The objective was to provide European countries with practical guidelines for implementing the MSFD, and to produce a Commission Decision that encapsulated key points of the work in a legal framework. This paper presents a review of work carried out by the eutrophication task group, and reports our main findings to the scientific community. On the basis of an operational, management-oriented definition, we discuss the main methodologies that could be used for coastal and marine eutrophication assessment. Emphasis is placed on integrated approaches that account for physico-chemical and biological components, and combine both pelagic and benthic symptoms of eutrophication, in keeping with the holistic nature of the MSFD. We highlight general features that any marine eutrophication model should possess, rather than making specific recommendations. European seas range from highly eutrophic systems such as the Baltic to nutrient-poor environments such as the Aegean Sea. From a physical perspective, marine waters range from high energy environments of the north east Atlantic to the permanent vertical stratification of the Black Sea. This review aimed to encapsulate that variability, recognizing that meaningful guidance should be flexible enough to accommodate the widely differing characteristics of European seas, and that this information is potentially relevant in marine ecosystems worldwide. Given the spatial extent of the MSFD, innovative approaches are required to allow meaningful monitoring and assessment. Consequently, substantial logistic and financial challenges will drive research in areas such as remote sensing of harmful algal blooms, in situ sensor development, and mathematical models. Our review takes into

EVALUATION OF THE HTA CORE MODEL FOR NATIONAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT REPORTS: COMPARATIVE STUDY AND EXPERIENCES FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

PubMed

Kõrge, Kristina; Berndt, Nadine; Hohmann, Juergen; Romano, Florence; Hiligsmann, Mickael

2017-01-01

The health technology assessment (HTA) Core Model® is a tool for defining and standardizing the elements of HTA analyses within several domains for producing structured reports. This study explored the parallels between the Core Model and a national HTA report. Experiences from various European HTA agencies were also investigated to determine the Core Model's adaptability to national reports. A comparison between a national report on Genetic Counseling, produced by the Cellule d'expertise médicale Luxembourg, and the Core Model was performed to identify parallels in terms of relevant and comparable assessment elements (AEs). Semi-structured interviews with five representatives from European HTA agencies were performed to assess their user experiences with the Core Model. The comparative study revealed that 50 percent of the total number (n = 144) of AEs in the Core Model were relevant for the national report. Of these 144 AEs from the Core Model, 34 (24 percent) were covered in the national report. Some AEs were covered only partly. The interviewees emphasized flexibility in using the Core Model and stated that the most important aspects to be evaluated include characteristics of the disease and technology, clinical effectiveness, economic aspects, and safety. In the present study, the national report covered an acceptable number of AEs of the Core Model. These results need to be interpreted with caution because only one comparison was performed. The Core Model can be used in a flexible manner, applying only those elements that are relevant from the perspective of the technology assessment and specific country context.

Strategies To Improve Young People's Access to, and Their Progression within, Initial Vocational Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, John

Strategies to improve disadvantaged young people's access to and progression within initial vocational training (VT) were identified through a study of relevant experiences within the European Union's member states. The study, which was based on national reports from each country, focused on the following topics: identifying the challenges and…

Personhood, dementia policy and the Irish National Dementia Strategy.

PubMed

Hennelly, Niamh; O'Shea, Eamon

2017-01-01

Personhood and its realisation in person-centred care is part of the narrative, if not always the reality, of care for people with dementia. This paper examines how personhood is conceptualised and actualised in Ireland through a content analysis of organisational and individual submissions from stakeholders in the development of the Irish National Dementia Strategy, followed by an examination of the Strategy itself. The organisational submissions are further categorised into dementia care models. A structural analysis of the Strategy examines its principles, actions and outcomes in relation to personhood. Of the 72 organisational and individual submissions received in the formulation of the Strategy, 61% contained references to personhood and its synonyms. Of the 35 organisational submissions, 40% fit a biomedical model, 31% a social model and 29% a biopsychosocial model. The Strategy contains one direct reference to personhood and 33 to personhood synonyms. Half of these references were contained within its key principles and objectives; none were associated with priority actions or outcomes. While stakeholders value personhood and the Strategy identifies personhood as an overarching principle, clearer direction on how personhood and person-centred care can be supported in practice and through regulation is necessary in Ireland. The challenge, therefore, is to provide the information, knowledge, incentives and resources for personhood to take hold in dementia care in Ireland.

The technology management process at the European space agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guglielmi, M.; Williams, E.; Groepper, P.; Lascar, S.

2010-03-01

Technology is developed at the European Space Agency (ESA) under several programmes: corporate and domain specific, mandatory and optional, with different time horizons and covering different levels of the TRL scale. To improve the transparency and efficiency of the complete process, it was felt necessary to establish an agreed end to end process for the management of all technology R&D activity that could: Include all ESA programmes and consider the requirements of European users Lead to coordinated multi-year work plan and yearly procurement plans Prepare and enable future European space programmes Be harmonized with national initiatives in Europe Thereby establishing the basis for a product policy to reduce risks to technology users, reduce costs and delays, and enhance industrial competitiveness and non-dependence. In response to the above needs, ESA has developed a technology management process called the ESA End-to-End process (E2E), from establishment of the strategy to the monitoring and evaluation of R&D results. In this paper, the complete process will be described in detail including a discussion on its strengths and limitations, and its links to the wider European Harmonization process. The paper will be concluded with the introduction of the ESA Technology Tree: a basic tool to structure and facilitate communication about technology issues.

European Higher Education Policy and the Formation of Entrepreneurial Students as Future European Citizens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papatsiba, Vassiliki

2009-01-01

In this article, the author argues that European education policies and rhetoric are imbued with orthodoxy of agency and models of empowered, entrepreneurial actors, striving to surpass the limits of national boundaries. Free circulation of citizens has progressively underpinned a new construction of "the European", who is…

New European community strategy for health and safety: the elephant in the room.

PubMed

Woolfson, Charles; Calite, Dace

2007-01-01

Although Lithuania has comprehensive health and safety legislation in line with EU requirements, on a range of general health and occupational health and safety (OHS) indicators, it is a poor performer. Survey data suggest that the norm for work in Lithuania is based on a regime of intensification without a participative working environment in which employees have a voice in safety management. Although European-style legislative reforms appear to be having no measurable effects on CHS performance in post-communist New Member States, the EU OHS strategy for 2007-2012 fails to take account of the deteriorated working environments in these states, suggesting that prospects for harmonization of working environment standards in the enlarged Europe may recede with eastward expansion.

United States European Command

Science.gov Websites

service members from 13 nations gathered in 7th Army Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area in NATO nations. Units will conduct training alongside our NATO allies to strengthen interoperability and Eastern European NATO nations. Units will conduct training alongside our NATO allies to strengthen

The Role of Human Resource Management in Today's Organizations: The Case of Cyprus in Comparison with the European Union.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stavrou-Costea, Eleni

2002-01-01

A survey of 91 Cypriot human resource managers identified strategies, training and development practices, and use of flexible work arrangements. Compared with European Union nations, the role of human resource management in many Cypriot organizations is not strategic, and flexible practices are not yet implemented to the same extent as elsewhere.…

Chicago partners in the American dream: A local effort within the national homeownership strategy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wallace, E.; Cavallo, J.; Peterson, N.

1997-03-01

President Clinton and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have set a goal of increasing homeownership in America. Currently the rate of homeownership is approximately 64 percent of the population. The goal is to raise that rate to 67.5 percent by the year 2000, a higher rate than ever recorded in U.S. history. Achieving the goal will require about 8 million families to acquire homes of their own. HUD has developed a plan for reaching the national homeownership goal. The plan is known as the National Homeownership Strategy. It was formulated with input from more than 50more » public- and private-sector groups and consists of 100 objectives designed to make homeownership easier and affordable for American families. Among the objectives are expanded use of energy conservation and new construction technologies. The groups participating in the formulation of the National Homeownership Strategy formed a collaboration that was named the National Partners in Homeownership. Chicago Partners in the American Dream is a collaboration of Chicago organizations implementing the National Homeownership Strategy on a local level. It has made achieving the objectives of the Strategy the foundation for its local partnership. The Chicago Partners in the American Dream is a grassroots collaboration, combining the experience, resources, and expertise of a variety of local organizations. The fundamental goal of the Chicago Partners in the American Dream is to create 5,000 homeownership opportunities in nine to twelve focused areas within Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Communities in the Chicagoland market by the end of the year 2000.« less

Towards a European strategy for medicines research (2014-2020): The EUFEPS position paper on Horizon 2020.

PubMed

Gaspar, Rogério; Aksu, Buket; Cuine, Alain; Danhof, Meindert; Takac, Milena Jadrijevic-Mladar; Linden, Hans H; Link, Andreas; Muchitsch, Eva-Maria; Wilson, Clive G; Ohrngren, Per; Dencker, Lennart

2012-12-18

biomedical research programmes of long term importance for development of medicines; however, fundamental research initiatives on medicines development will not be competitive in such an environment. In order to strengthen the long term outlook, we must foster innovative research within the university sector, EUFEPS proposes that a fund for such research be set up within Horizon 2020, which would be open for individual research groups and which would include Public-Public Partnerships (complementing already existing Public-Private Partnerships). How do we look for implementation? There is an established research agenda for medicines research that is globally focused, and which incorporates a cooperative model between universities and industry, facilitating integration of complex technologies. Regulatory Science will play an important role in this integration. This agenda uses tools arising from systems approaches (including discovery with systems biology and also systems pharmacology) and has the potential for providing better knowledge management, as well as technological innovation (including manufacturing). It also addresses the drive towards personalised medicines and can, with support from both public and private sectors, foster translation of knowledge to new technologies and from that, to new medicinal products and complex integrated systems. This is a part of a strategy capable of solving unmet medical needs, which would increase the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic and debilitating diseases. The instruments to allow the development of a research agenda should strengthen existing partnerships such as the IMI-JU model; allow for the creation of European-network infrastructures that can bring together existing competences with adequate European coordination, thus promoting advanced training and continuous professional development for the pharmaceutical sciences. This will be the cornerstone of a knowledge management strategy, providing education and

Identifying components for programmatic latent tuberculosis infection control in the European Union

PubMed Central

Sandgren, Andreas; Vonk Noordegraaf-Schouten, Jannigje M; Oordt-Speets, Anouk M; van Kessel, Gerarda B; de Vlas, Sake J; van der Werf, Marieke J

2016-01-01

Individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are the reservoir of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a population and as long as this reservoir exists, elimination of tuberculosis (TB) will not be feasible. In 2013, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) started an assessment of benefits and risks of introducing programmatic LTBI control, with the aim of providing guidance on how to incorporate LTBI control into national TB strategies in European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) Member States and candidate countries. In a first step, experts from the Member States, candidate countries, and international and national organisations were consulted on the components of programmatic LTBI control that should be considered and evaluated in literature reviews, mathematical models and cost-effectiveness studies. This was done through a questionnaire and two interactive discussion rounds. The main components identified were identification and targeting of risk groups, determinants of LTBI and progression to active TB, optimal diagnostic tests for LTBI, effective preventive treatment regimens, and to explore the potential for combining LTBI control with other health programmes. Political commitment, a solid healthcare infrastructure, and favourable economic situation in specific countries were identified as essential to facilitate the implementation of programmatic LTBI control. PMID:27589214

The impact of elite labour migration on the identification, selection and development of European soccer players.

PubMed

Maguire, J; Pearton, R

2000-09-01

In this study, we examined sociocultural aspects of the identification, selection and development of elite soccer players as part of wider processes of globalization, particularly worker migration. Patterns of migration were identified among the 704 players who comprised the national squads of the 32 nations contesting the finals of the 1998 World Cup in France. An analysis of the migration patterns within and between the six Confederations into which member nations of FIFA are grouped established the European Federation (UEFA) as soccer's core economy. The study is subsequently focused on Europe and, in particular, upon the import strategies of clubs in the four most popular destination countries - England, Germany, Italy and Spain. It is argued that, in light of European Union deregulation of worker migration between member states and, in particular, the Bosman judgement, European soccer is being reshaped. The identification and selection of elite players are producing migrant patterns that are seen increasingly to impact upon indigenous player development and, potentially, the viability and success of national teams. We argue that, although these developments are contoured in part by global economic factors, economic accounts alone do not provide an adequate understanding of them. A series of interrelated economic, political, cultural and social factors is at work. We conclude with a brief outline of the policy implications of the analysis.

The Community College and the Human Resources Development Council: Toward a National Training Strategy for the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eskow, Seymour

The key to economic renewal in the United States is a national human resources development strategy in which community colleges assume the national training role. This national strategy must recognize changes in the American economy and workforce, such as a more educated labor force, the demographics of developing countries, the increased…

Strategies and Students: Beginning Teachers' Early Encounters with National Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosowsky, Andrey

2006-01-01

The 1-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education Secondary English method course at the University of Sheffield's School of Education has, since 2001, asked its students to write an essay of around 4000 words on their initial understanding and experience of the National Strategies promoted by the United Kingdom's Department for Education and…

Education for National Identity: Arab Schools Principals and Teachers Dilemmas and Coping Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arar, Khalid; Ibrahim, Fadia

2016-01-01

This article discusses strategies used by Arab principals and teachers in Israel to cope with dilemmas involved in education for national identity stemming from conflict between two national narratives. While the Israeli Ministry of Education expects the Arab education system to educate students according to the Jewish State's values, Palestinian…

Using biological effects tools to define Good Environmental Status under the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

PubMed

Lyons, B P; Thain, J E; Stentiford, G D; Hylland, K; Davies, I M; Vethaak, A D

2010-10-01

The use of biological effects tools offer enormous potential to meet the challenges outlined by the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) whereby Member States are required to develop a robust set of tools for defining 11 qualitative descriptors of Good Environmental Status (GES), such as demonstrating that "Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects" (GES Descriptor 8). This paper discusses the combined approach of monitoring chemical contaminant levels, along side biological effect measurements relating to the effect of pollutants, for undertaking assessments of GES across European marine regions. We outline the minimum standards that biological effects tools should meet if they are to be used for defining GES in relation to Descriptor 8 and describe the current international initiatives underway to develop assessment criteria for these biological effects techniques. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adverse Outcome Pathways During Early Fish Development: A Framework for Identifying and Implementing Alternative Chemical Prioritization Strategies

EPA Science Inventory

In accordance with recommendations contained in a National Research Council Report on Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and Strategy, as well as European goals pertaining to reducing, refining, and replacing the use of animals in ecotoxicology safety testing there is...

Current European data collection on emergency department presentations with acute recreational drug toxicity: gaps and national variations.

PubMed

Heyerdahl, Fridtjof; Hovda, Knut Erik; Giraudon, Isabelle; Yates, Christopher; Dines, Alison M; Sedefov, Roumen; Wood, David M; Dargan, Paul I

2014-12-01

The number of new (novel) psychoactive substances (NPS) available in the illegal market is increasing; however, current monitoring of the drug situation in Europe focuses mainly on classical drugs of abuse, with limited emphasis on clinical presentation in the emergency department (ED). The European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN) is a European Commission-funded project that aims to improve the knowledge of acute drug toxicity of both classical recreational drugs and NPS. As a baseline for this project, we performed a study to establish which data are currently being collected and reported in Europe on ED presentations with acute toxicity related to NPS and classical drugs of abuse. We used a three-pronged approach to identify any systematic collection of data on NPS toxicity in Europe by i) performing a literature search, ii) utilising an online survey of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction Re seau Europe en d'Information sur les Drogues et les Toxicomanies national focal points and iii) exploiting the knowledge and resources of the Euro-DEN network members. The literature search revealed 21 papers appropriate for assessment, but only one described a systematic collection of clinical data on NPS. Twenty-seven of thirty countries responded to the online survey. More than half of all the countries (52%) did not perform any registration at all of such data, 37% collected systematic clinical data on NPS at a national level, while 44% collected data on classical drugs. A few examples for good practice of systematic collection of clinical data on ED presentations due to acute toxicity were identified. The systematic collection of data on ED presentation of toxicity related to NPS and classical drugs in Europe is scarce; the existing collection is limited to single centres, single countries, groups of patients or not focused on novel drugs; the collection of data is highly variable between the different countries. Euro-DEN, a European

Role and goals of the EUR-OCEANS Consortium - Bringing marine scientists priorities and strategies to the European research planning agenda.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cury, Philippe; Baisnée, Pierre-François

2010-05-01

The EUR-OCEANS Consortium is the follow-up structure of the homonym European Network of Excellence (NoE; 2005-2008, FP6 contract number 511106). It is a scientific network, benefiting from and relying upon the institutional commitment of the 27 research performing organisations forming its core (paying) membership. It aims at the long-term harmonization of European research efforts related to ocean ecosystems undergoing anthropogenic and natural forcing. More specifically, its objectives are to facilitate and promote: (1) top-level scientific research on the impacts of anthropogenic and natural forcing on ocean ecosystems, fostering collaborations across the European Research Area; (2) the optimal use of any shared technical infrastructures and scientific facilities; and (3) activities to spread excellence, such as the training of scientific personnel and students, or knowledge dissemination towards the general public and socio-economic users. A particular focus is put during the first scientific coordination mandate on the building of scenarios for marine ecosystems under anthropogenic and natural forcing in the XXI Century, and on the improvement of the science-policy interface. Through calls for projects and networking activities, the Consortium seeks to favour the emergence of coordinated projects on key hot topics on one hand, and the crystallisation of scientific priorities and strategies that could serve as input to ERA-NETs, ESFRI, Joint Programming Initiatives and European Research Planning actors in general. While being an active standalone structure, the Consortium is also engaged in the Euromarine FP7 project (submitted) aiming at the definition of a common coordinating or integrating structure for the three follow-up entities of FP6 marine science NoEs (Marine Genomics Europe, MarBEF, EUR-OCEANS). The 2009-2011 strategy and activity plan of EUR-OCEANS will be presented and the involvement of EUR-OCEANS members in other key projects or programmes will

Functionalizing Conflict: Jesse Jackson's Rhetorical Strategy at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Di Mare, Lesley A.

1987-01-01

Examines Jesse Jackson's rhetorical strategy of functionalizing conflict among divisive Democrats during the 1984 national convention. Applies conflict theory to Jackson's convention address, which serves as the basis for this rhetorical analysis. (JD)

Experiences and Perspectives of African-American, Latina/o, Asian-American and European-American Psychology Graduate Students: A National Study

PubMed Central

Maton, Kenneth I.; Wimms, Harriette E.; Grant, Sheila K.; Wittig, Michele A.; Rogers, Margaret R.; Vasquez, Melba J. T.

2013-01-01

A national, web-based survey of 1,222 African-American, Latina/o, Asian-American and European-American psychology graduate students revealed both similarities and differences in experiences and perspectives. Mentoring was found to be the strongest predictor of satisfaction across groups. Academic supports and barriers, along with perceptions of diversity were also important predictors of satisfaction. Students of color differed from European-American students in perceptions of fairness of representation of their ethnic group within psychology, and in aspects of the graduate school experience perceived as linked to ethnicity. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and action are discussed. PMID:21341899

Experiences and perspectives of African American, Latina/o, Asian American, and European American psychology graduate students: A national study.

PubMed

Maton, Kenneth I; Wimms, Harriette E; Grant, Sheila K; Wittig, Michele A; Rogers, Margaret R; Vasquez, Melba J T

2011-01-01

A national, Web-based survey of 1,219 African American, Latina/o, Asian American, and European American psychology graduate students revealed both similarities and differences in experiences and perspectives. Mentoring was found to be the strongest predictor of satisfaction across groups. Academic supports and barriers, along with perceptions of diversity within the academic environment, were also important predictors of satisfaction. Students of color perceived less fairness of representation of their ethnic group within psychology than European American students, and a greater linkage between aspects of the graduate school experience and their ethnicity. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and action are discussed.

Conservation Status of the Family Orchidaceae in Spain Based on European, National, and Regional Catalogues of Protected Species

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This report reviews the European, National, and Regional catalogues of protected species, focusing specifically on the Orchidaceae family to determine which species seem to be well-protected and where they are protected. Moreover, this examination highlights which species appear to be underprotected and therefore need to be included in some catalogues of protection or be catalogued under some category of protection. The national and regional catalogues that should be implemented are shown, as well as what species should be included within them. This report should be a helpful guideline for environmental policies about orchid's conservation in Spain, at least at the regional and national level. Around 76% of the Spanish orchid flora are listed with any figure of protection or included in any red list, either nationally (about 12–17%) or regionally (72%). PMID:29643757

78 FR 64285 - National Maritime Strategy Symposium: Cargo Opportunities and Sealift Capacity

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD-2013-0101] National Maritime Strategy Symposium: Cargo Opportunities and Sealift Capacity AGENCY: Maritime Administration...: The Maritime Administration (MARAD) invites the public and other Marine Transportation System...

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-06-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-01-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee the credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

Conflicts of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-06-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is neither systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This article provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardized questionnaire, are discussed.

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-04-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-03-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COIs) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. Conflict of interest disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into the current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardized questionnaire, are discussed.

[Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals].

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-04-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-01-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

The Early Career Paths of UK-Educated Intra-European Mobile Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behle, Heike

2017-01-01

Students and graduates alike are encouraged to enhance their skills and knowledge by moving to a different European country as both national governments and European institutions anticipate individual skill gains, closer European networks and a boost to national economies as a result. Using data from a longitudinal survey, this paper follows…

Current strategy for treatment of patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and asymptomatic preexcitation in Europe: European Heart Rhythm Association survey.

PubMed

Svendsen, Jesper Hastrup; Dagres, Nikolaos; Dobreanu, Dan; Bongiorni, Maria Grazia; Marinskis, Germanas; Blomström-Lundqvist, Carina

2013-05-01

The aims of this survey was to provide insight into treatment activity, the strategy of treatment, and risk stratification of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic ventricular pre-excitation across Europe. Fifty-eight centres, members of the European Heart Rhythm Association EP research network, covering 20 countries answered the survey questions. All centres were high-volume ablation centres. A younger person with asymptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) pattern has a higher likelihood of being risk-stratified or receiving ablation therapy compared with an older subject. Two-thirds of centres report that they have observed a decline in the number of patients ablated for an accessory pathway during the last 10 years. Pre-excited atrial fibrillation is rarely seen. Discontinuation of a scheduled WPW ablation due to close vicinity of the accessory pathway to the AV node happens very rarely. Patients with a first episode of pre-excited atrial fibrillation would immediately be referred for catheter ablation to be performed within weeks by 80.4% of the centres. A significant proportion of responders (50.9%) would use electrical cardioversion to restore sinus rhythm in a patient with pre-excited atrial fibrillation. With respect to the choice of antiarrhythmic medication for a patient with pre-excited AF, the majority (80.0%) would choose class 1C antiarrhytmic drugs while waiting for a catheter ablation. A patient seen in the emergency room with a second episode of orthodromic atrioventricular reentry tachycardia would be referred for immediate ablation by 79.2-90.6% of centres depending on the presence of pre-excitation. The volume of paediatric ablations performed on children younger than 12 years was low (46.4%: 0 patients per year; 46.4%: 1-9 patients per year). The majority of responding centres (61-69%) report that their country lack national guidelines dealing with clinical strategies related to WPW. There is a need for national guidelines dealing with

A European Master's Programme in Public Health Nutrition.

PubMed

Yngve, A; Warm, D; Landman, J; Sjöström, M

2001-12-01

Effective population-based strategies require people trained and competent in the discipline of Public Health Nutrition. Since 1997, a European Master's Programme in Public Health Nutrition has been undergoing planning and implementation, by establishing initial quality assurance systems with the aid of funding from the European Commission (DG SANCO/F3). Partners from 17 European countries have been involved in the process. A European Network of Public Health Nutrition has been developed and accredited by the European Commission.

How Is European Governance Configuring the EHEA?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magalhães, António; Veiga, Amélia; Sousa, Sofia; Ribeiro, Filipa

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the interaction between the European dimension driven by the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the development of national reforms to fulfil that objective. On the basis of data gathered in eight countries involved in EuroHESC project TRUE (Transforming European Universities), the curricular and the…

Land-based air in a national maritime strategy: the need for a joint strategic doctrine. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Staley, R.S.

This paper examines the role of land-based air power within a national maritime strategy. Corbett taught that naval strategy is a subsidiary aspect of a national maritime strategy; and the increasing speed, range, and accuracy of aircraft, weapons, detection, and communications ensure that an important part of maritime air control will be land-based. To evaluate that claim, this paper examines the unity of sea control and air control; examines the Air Force missions that affect sea control; discusses the strategic concerns directing land-based air in maritime strategy; and explains why joint strategic doctrine will better integrate our military forces.

Year 6 Planning Exemplification, 2002-2003. The National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

This booklet contains examples of units of work for teaching children in Year 6 as part of the National Literacy Strategy. The seven units are drawn from all three terms in Year 6. Some of the units were written for the Year 6 Exemplification booklets in 2001-2002 and are reproduced in this publication with supplementary resources and/or guidance.…

Gambling in Finland: problem gambling in the context of a national monopoly in the European Union.

PubMed

Tammi, Tuukka; Castrén, Sari; Lintonen, Tomi

2015-05-01

To describe and analyse the Finnish gambling market, regulatory system and the state of gambling research as well as the treatment system in operation for problem gamblers. A review of the literature and official documents relating to gambling in Finland, focusing primarily on the 1990s and 2000s. Only in recent years have gambling problems become a major issue for public debate in Finland. One reason for the increase in activity to address gambling problems is that, after Finland became a member of the European Union in 1995, the Finnish state gambling monopoly and its compatibility with European Union (EU) regulations have been questioned repeatedly. Since 2000, the Finnish government has put significant new resources into the research as well as the prevention and treatment of gambling problems. The resources grew from almost nothing to several million Euros in less than 10 years. This could be seen as an attempt to protect the national gambling monopoly system by showing that the Finnish monopoly system meets EU requirements. Since joining the European Union in 1995, the Finnish government has been able to maintain its gambling monopoly by providing substantial resources to signal a commitment to minimizing problem gambling. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

National Advisory Groups and their role in immunization policy-making processes in European countries.

PubMed

Nohynek, H; Wichmann, O; D Ancona, F

2013-12-01

During the twenty-first century, the development of national immunization programmes (NIP) has matured into robust processes where evidence-based methodologies and frameworks have increasingly been adopted. A key role in the decision-making and recommending processes is played by National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs). In a survey performed among European Union member states, Norway and Iceland, in February 2013, 85% of the 27 responding countries reported having established a NITAG, and of these, 45% have formal frameworks in place for the systematic development of vaccination recommendations. Independent of whether a formal framework is in place, common key factors are addressed by all NITAGs and also in countries without NITAGs. The four main factors addressed by all were: disease burden in the country, severity of the disease, vaccine effectiveness or efficacy, and vaccine safety at population level. Mathematical modelling and cost-effectiveness analyses are still not common tools. Differences in the relative weighting of these key factors, differences in data or assumptions on country-specific key factors, and differences in existing vaccination systems and financing, are likely to be reasons for differences in NITAG recommendations, and eventually NIPs, across Europe. Even if harmonization of NIPs is presently not a reasonable aim, systematic reviews and the development of mathematical/economic models could be performed at supranational level, thus sharing resources and easing the present work-load of NITAGs. Nevertheless, it has been argued that harmonization would ease central purchase of vaccines, thus reducing the price and increasing access to new vaccines. © 2013 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2013 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

European health research and globalisation: is the public-private balance right?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The creation and exchange of knowledge between cultures has benefited world development for many years. The European Union now puts research and innovation at the front of its economic strategy. In the health field, biomedical research, which benefits the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, has been well supported, but much less emphasis has been given to public health and health systems research. A similar picture is emerging in European support for globalisation and health Case studies Two case-studies illustrate the links of European support in global health research with industry and biomedicine. The European Commission's directorates for (respectively) Health, Development and Research held an international conference in Brussels in June 2010. Two of six thematic sessions related to research: one was solely concerned with drug development and the protection of intellectual property. Two European Union-supported health research projects in India show a similar trend. The Euro-India Research Centre was created to support India's participation in EU research programmes, but almost all of the health research projects have been in biotechnology. New INDIGO, a network led by the French national research agency CNRS, has chosen 'Biotechnology and Health' and funded projects only within three laboratory sciences. Discussion Research for commerce supports only one side of economic development. Innovative technologies can be social as well as physical, and be as likely to benefit society and the economy. Global health research agendas to meet the Millenium goals need to prioritise prevention and service delivery. Public interest can be voiced through civil society organisations, able to support social research and public-health interventions. Money for health research comes from public budgets, or indirectly through healthcare costs. European 'Science in Society' programme contrasts research for 'economy', using technical solutions, commercialisation

European PTTI report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordara, Franco; Grimaldi, Sabrina; Leschiutta, Sigfrido

1994-01-01

Time and frequency metrology in Europe presents some peculiar features in its three main components: research on clocks, comparisons and dissemination methods, and dissemination services. Apart from the usual activities of the national metrological laboratories, an increasing number of cooperation between the European countries are promoted inside some European organizations, such as the ECC, EFTA, EUROMET, and WECC. Cooperation between these organizations is covered. The present, evolving situation will be further influenced by the recent political changes in Eastern Europe.

Resource allocation strategies in Southeastern European health policy.

PubMed

Jakovljevic, Mihajlo B

2013-04-01

The past 23 years of post-socialist restructuring of health system funding and management patterns has brought many changes to small Balkan markets, putting them under increasing pressure to keep pace with advancing globalization. Socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare access are still growing across the region. This uneven development is marked by the substantial difficulties encountered by local governments in delivering medical services to broad sectors of the population. This paper presents the results of a systematic review of the following evidence: published reports on health system reforms in the region commissioned by WHO, IMF, World Bank, OECD, European Commission; all available published evidence on health economics, funding, reimbursement in world/local languages since 1989 indexed at Medline, Excerpta Medica and Google Scholar; in depth analysis of official website data on medical care financing related legislation among key public institutions such as national Ministries of health, Health Insurance Funds, Professional Associations were applicable, in local languages; correspondence with key opinion leaders in the field in their respective communities. Contributors were asked to answer a particular set of questions related to the issue, thus enlightening fresh legislative developments and hidden patterns of policy maker's behavior. Cost awareness is slowly expanding in regional management, academic and industrial establishment. The study provides an exact and comprehensive description of its current extent and legislative framework. Western Balkans policy makers would profit substantially from health-economics-based decision-making to cope with increasing difficulties in funding and delivering medical care in emerging markets with a rapidly growing demand for health services.

Development and assessment of national performance indicators for infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship in European long-term care facilities.

PubMed

Cookson, B; Mackenzie, D; Kafatos, G; Jans, B; Latour, K; Moro, M L; Ricchizzi, E; Van de Mortel, M; Suetens, C; Fabry, J

2013-09-01

Healthcare-associated infections in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are of increasing importance. To develop consensus national performance indicators (NPIs) for infection control (ICPI) and antimicrobial stewardship (ASPI) in LTCFs, and assess the performance of 32 European countries against these NPIs. Previously established European standards were the basis for consensus and the same iterative approach with national representatives from the 32 countries. A World Health Organization scoring system recorded how close each country was to implementing each standard. The 42 agreed component indicators were grouped into six NPI categories: 'national programme', 'guidelines', 'expert advice', 'IC structure' (not present in the ASPI), 'surveillance' and 'composite'. 'Guidelines' scored the highest mean total possible score (60%, range 20-100%), followed by 'composite' (53%, range 30-100%), 'expert advice' (48%, range 20-100%), 'surveillance' (47%, range 20-83%), 'national programme' (42%, range 20-100%) and 'IC structure' (39%, range 20-100%). Although several scores were low, some countries were able to implement all NPIs, indicating that this was feasible. Most NPIs were very significantly related, indicating that they were considered to be important by the countries. 'Guidelines' and 'IC structure' were significantly related to European region (P ≤ 0.05). Accreditation/inspection was not evident in seven (22%) countries, nine (28%) countries had accreditation/inspection that included IC assessments, and seven (22%) countries had accreditation/inspection that included IC and antimicrobial stewardship assessments. Multi-variable analysis found that only the NPI and the ICPI 'expert advice' were associated with accreditation/inspection which included IC and antimicrobial stewardship. The identified gaps represent significant potential patient safety issues. The NPIs should serve as a basis for monitoring improvements over the coming years. Copyright © 2013 The

The Validity and Reliability of the Cross-National Comparison of Degree Programme Levels in European Countries. What Have Students Learnt?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rexwinkel, Trudy; Haenen, Jacques; Pilot, Albert

2017-01-01

A cross-national comparison of degree programme levels became relevant when the borders of European countries opened for students and graduates, and higher education institutions were restructured into bachelor's and master's programmes. This new situation foregrounded the questions of what students are learning in the degree programmes of…

The implementation of the Strategy Europe 2020 objectives in European Union countries: the concept analysis and statistical evaluation.

PubMed

Stec, Małgorzata; Grzebyk, Mariola

2018-01-01

The European Union (EU), striving to create economic dominance on the global market, has prepared a comprehensive development programme, which initially was the Lisbon Strategy and then the Strategy Europe 2020. The attainment of the strategic goals included in the prospective development programmes shall transform the EU into the most competitive economy in the world based on knowledge. This paper presents a statistical evaluation of progress being made by EU member states in meeting Europe 2020. For the basis of the assessment, the authors proposed a general synthetic measure in dynamic terms, which allows to objectively compare EU member states by 10 major statistical indicators. The results indicate that most of EU countries show average progress in realisation of Europe's development programme which may suggest that the goals may not be achieved in the prescribed time. It is particularly important to monitor the implementation of Europe 2020 to arrive at the right decisions which will guarantee the accomplishment of the EU's development strategy.

European Plate Observing System - Norway (EPOS-N): A National Consortium for the Norwegian Implementation of EPOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atakan, Kuvvet; Tellefsen, Karen

2017-04-01

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) aims to create a pan-European infrastructure for solid Earth science to support a safe and sustainable society. The main vision of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) is to address the three basic challenges in Earth Science: (i) unravelling the Earth's deformational processes which are part of the Earth system evolution in time, (ii) understanding geo-hazards and their implications to society, and (iii) contributing to the safe and sustainable use of geo-resources. The mission of EPOS-Norway is therefore in line with the European vision of EPOS, i.e. monitor and understand the dynamic and complex Earth system by relying on new e-science opportunities and integrating diverse and advanced Research Infrastructures for solid Earth science. The EPOS-Norway project started in January 2016 with a national consortium consisting of six institutions. These are: University of Bergen (Coordinator), NORSAR, National Mapping Authority, Geological Survey of Norway, Christian Michelsen Research and University of Oslo. EPOS-N will during the next five years focus on the implementation of three main components. These are: (i) Developing a Norwegian e-Infrastructure to integrate the Norwegian Solid Earth data from the seismological and geodetic networks, as well as the data from the geological and geophysical data repositories, (ii) Improving the monitoring capacity in the Arctic, including Northern Norway and the Arctic islands, and (iii) Establishing a national Solid Earth Science Forum providing a constant feedback mechanism for improved integration of multidisciplinary data, as well as training of young scientists for future utilization of all available solid Earth observational data through a single e-infrastructure. Currently, a list of data, data products, software and services (DDSS) is being prepared. These elements will be integrated in the EPOS-N data/web-portal, which will allow users to browse, select and download

Methods of Implementation of Evidence-Based Stroke Care in Europe: European Implementation Score Collaboration.

PubMed

Di Carlo, Antonio; Pezzella, Francesca Romana; Fraser, Alec; Bovis, Francesca; Baeza, Juan; McKevitt, Chris; Boaz, Annette; Heuschmann, Peter; Wolfe, Charles D A; Inzitari, Domenico

2015-08-01

Differences in stroke care and outcomes reported in Europe may reflect different degrees of implementation of evidence-based interventions. We evaluated strategies for implementing research evidence into stroke care in 10 European countries. A questionnaire was developed and administered through face-to-face interviews with key informants. Implementation strategies were investigated considering 3 levels (macro, meso, and micro, eg, policy, organization, patients/professionals) identified by the framing analysis, and different settings (primary, hospital, and specialist) of stroke care. Similarities and differences among countries were evaluated using the categorical principal components analysis. Implementation methods reported by ≥7 countries included nonmandatory policies, public financial incentives, continuing professional education, distribution of educational material, educational meetings and campaigns, guidelines, opinion leaders', and stroke patients associations' activities. Audits were present in 6 countries at national level; national and regional regulations in 4 countries. Private financial incentives, reminders, and educational outreach visits were reported only in 2 countries. At national level, the first principal component of categorical principal components analysis separated England, France, Scotland, and Sweden, all with positive object scores, from the other countries. Belgium and Lithuania obtained the lowest scores. At regional level, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden had positive scores in the first principal component, whereas Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, and Scotland showed negative scores. Spain was in an intermediate position. We developed a novel method to assess different domains of implementation in stroke care. Clear variations were observed among European countries. The new tool may be used elsewhere for future contributions. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Implementing national strategies on antimicrobial resistance in Thailand: potential challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Sommanustweechai, A; Tangcharoensathien, V; Malathum, K; Sumpradit, N; Kiatying-Angsulee, N; Janejai, N; Jaroenpoj, S

2018-04-01

Thailand has developed a national strategic plan on antimicrobial resistance (NSP-AMR) and endorsed by the Cabinet in August 2016. This study reviewed the main contents of the NSP-AMR and the mandates of relevant implementing agencies and identified challenges and recommends actions to mitigate implementation gaps. This study analysed the contents of NSP-AMR, reviewed institutional mandates and assessed the implementation gaps among agencies responsible for NSP-AMR. Two of six strategies are related to monitoring and surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial consumption in human and animal. Two other strategies aim to improve antibiotic stewardship and control the spread of AMR in both clinical and farm settings. The remaining two strategies aim to increase knowledge and public awareness on AMR and establish national governance for inter-sectoral actions. Strategies to overcome implementation challenges are sustaining cross-sectoral policy commitments, effective cross-sectoral coordination using One Health approach, generating evidence which guides policy implementation, and improving enforcement capacities in regulatory authorities. To address AMR, Thailand requires significant improvements in implementation capacities in two dimensions. First, technical capacities among implementing agencies are needed to translate policies into practice. Second, governance and organizational capacities enable effective multi-sectoral actions across human, animal, and environmental sectors. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The European system of veterinary specialization.

PubMed

Romagnoli, Stefano

2010-01-01

Veterinary specialist diplomas were available in many European countries during the second half of the 20th century. However, such an early recognition of the importance of veterinary specialization actually delayed the concept of the European veterinary specialist in Europe, compared with the United States, where the first specialist colleges were established in the 1960s, because it was felt that the national system was functioning properly and there was therefore no need for a new structure in the European countries. The European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) was established in 1996, and currently there are 23 specialist colleges with more than 2,600 veterinarians officially listed in the EBVS register as European specialists. The Advisory Committee on Veterinary Training (ACVT) approved the establishment of EBVS but never implemented a supervising body (with ACVT representation). Such a body, the European Coordinating Committee on Veterinary Training, was later implemented by the profession itself, although it still lacked a political component. Each college depends on the EBVS, which has the function to define standards and criteria for monitoring the quality of college diplomates. To become a European Diplomate, veterinarians must have gone through an intensive period of training supervised by a diplomate, after which candidates must pass an examination. Although the term European veterinary specialist still does not have any legal recognition, national specialist qualifications are being phased out in many countries because of the inherent higher quality of EBVS specialist qualifications.

On Cooperation and Competition: A Comparative Analysis of National Policies for Internationalisation of Higher Education in Seven Western European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luijten-Lub, Anneke; Van der Wende, Marijk; Huisman, Jeroen

2005-01-01

The focus of this article is on a comparison of the national policies for internationalisation in seven Western European countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). In this comparison, it will be shown that the trend suggested in previous research of increasing economical rationales for…

Survey of surveillance systems and select prevention activities for hepatitis B and C, European Union/European Economic Area, 2009.

PubMed

Duffell, E F; van de Laar, M J

2015-04-02

Hepatitis B and C viral infections are leading causes of hepatic cirrhosis and cancer. The incidence and prevalence of both hepatitis B and C varies across European countries. European wide surveillance data help to understand the dynamic epidemiology of hepatitis B and C, which is important for the implementation and effectiveness of prevention and control activities.Comparison of surveillance data between countries in Europe is hampered by the differences in national healthcare and reporting systems. This report presents the results of a survey in 2009 which was undertaken to collect baseline information on surveillance systems and core prevention programmes for hepatitis B and C in individual European Union/ European Economic Area countries. The results provide key information to aid the interpretation of surveillance data, and while indicating heterogeneity in national surveillance systems and programmes, they highlight the potential of these systems. This resource has supported the implementation of a standardised European enhanced surveillance programme.

European specialist porphyria laboratories: diagnostic strategies, analytical quality, clinical interpretation, and reporting as assessed by an external quality assurance program.

PubMed

Aarsand, Aasne K; Villanger, Jørild H; Støle, Egil; Deybach, Jean-Charles; Marsden, Joanne; To-Figueras, Jordi; Badminton, Mike; Elder, George H; Sandberg, Sverre

2011-11-01

The porphyrias are a group of rare metabolic disorders whose diagnosis depends on identification of specific patterns of porphyrin precursor and porphyrin accumulation in urine, blood, and feces. Diagnostic tests for porphyria are performed by specialized laboratories in many countries. Data regarding the analytical and diagnostic performance of these laboratories are scarce. We distributed 5 sets of multispecimen samples from different porphyria patients accompanied by clinical case histories to 18-21 European specialist porphyria laboratories/centers as part of a European Porphyria Network organized external analytical and postanalytical quality assessment (EQA) program. The laboratories stated which analyses they would normally have performed given the case histories and reported results of all porphyria-related analyses available, interpretative comments, and diagnoses. Reported diagnostic strategies initially showed considerable diversity, but the number of laboratories applying adequate diagnostic strategies increased during the study period. We found an average interlaboratory CV of 50% (range 12%-152%) for analytes in absolute concentrations. Result normalization by forming ratios to the upper reference limits did not reduce this variation. Sixty-five percent of reported results were within biological variation-based analytical quality specifications. Clinical interpretation of the obtained analytical results was accurate, and most laboratories established the correct diagnosis in all distributions. Based on a case-based EQA scheme, variations were apparent in analytical and diagnostic performance between European specialist porphyria laboratories. Our findings reinforce the use of EQA schemes as an essential tool to assess both analytical and diagnostic processes and thereby to improve patient care in rare diseases.

Pandemic risk prevention in European countries: role of the ECDC in preparing for pandemics. Development and experience with a national self-assessment procedure, 2005-2008.

PubMed

Nicoll, A

2010-12-01

To be effective risk prevention work takes place well before pandemics through the three Ps: Planning, Preparedness and Practise. Between 2005 and 2008 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) worked with the European Commission (EC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO-Euro) to assist European countries in preparing themselves for a future influenza pandemic. All eligible countries in the European Union and European Economic Area participated with energy and commitment. Indicators of preparedness were developed based on WHO planning guidance and these were set within a simple assessment which included a formal country visit. The procedure evolved considerably with field experience. As the complexity of pandemic preparedness was appreciated it changed from being a classical short external assessment to longer national self-assessments with demonstrable impact, especially when self-assessments were published. There were essential supporting activities undertaken including a series of pan-European pandemic preparedness workshops organised by EC, WHO-Euro, ECDC and countries holding the European Union Presidency. The self-assessments highlighted additional work and documentation that was needed by national authorities from the ECDC. This work was undertaken and the document produced. The benefits of the self-assessments were seen in the 2009 pandemic in that EU/EEA countries performed better than some others. A number of the guidance documents were updated to fit the specific features of the pandemic. However the pandemic revealed many weaknesses and brought new challenges for European countries, notably over communication and vaccines, the need to prepare for a variety of scenarios and to factor severity estimates into preparedness, to improve surveillance for severe disease and to deliver seroepidemiology. Any revised self-assessment procedure will need to respond to these challenges.

Including SENCOs in Behaviour Improvement: An Exploration of the Behaviour and Attendance Strands of the National Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Simon; Tod, Janet

2005-01-01

In this article Simon Ellis and Janet Tod review the KS3 National Strategy Behaviour and Attendance strand (DfES, 2003a; 2004a) and the Behaviour and Attendance pilot materials from the Primary National Strategy (DfES, 2003b; 2003c; 2003d). Relevant policy documentation is examined in order to explore how the role of the special educational needs…

Contextualising change through a common strategy: Lecturers' perceptions and key role in supporting academic reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kindelan, Paz; Martin, Ana

2014-05-01

European universities are currently going through a process of change in order to meet the common goals set for higher education by the European Commission. They are revising their educational models to adjust them to the guidelines of the "Bologna Process" and are devising an institutional strategy for its implementation. In practical terms, this means aligning former national degrees and diplomas to standard European Bachelor and Masters degrees and PhD doctorates, by creating acknowledged professional qualification benchmarks that also include adjusted course lengths and contents. This process, in the end, mostly affects academic staff members who have a fundamental role to play in carrying out the pedagogical reforms on the teaching front. Besides presenting a commentary on the institutional approach of one particular technical university in Spain, the purpose of this paper is to propose, from the authors' point of view as lecturers, a strategy which has the potential to create a favourable atmosphere for carrying out such a reform. The article's main objective is to highlight a series of action points which may serve to reinforce and advance the main institutional strategy by relying on the powerful influence of its academic staff members.

The role of EMODnet Chemistry in the European challenge for Good Environmental Status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinci, Matteo; Giorgetti, Alessandra; Lipizer, Marina

2017-02-01

The European Union set the ambitious objective to reach within 2020 the goal of Good Environmental Status. The European Commission (2008) represents the legislative framework that drives member state efforts to reach it. The Integrated Maritime Policy supported the need to provide a European knowledge base able to drive sustainable development by launching in 2009 a new European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). Through a stepwise approach, EMODnet Chemistry aims to provide high-quality marine environmental data and related products at the scale of regions and sub-regions defined by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The chemistry lot takes advantage and further develops the SeaDataNet pan-European infrastructure and the distributed approach, linking together a network of more than 100 National Oceanographic Data Centres providing data from more than 500 data originators. The close interaction with EEA, RSCs, ICES and EMODnet-MSFD coordination group facilitated the identification of the most appropriate set of information required for the MSFD process. EMODnet Chemistry provides aggregated and validated regional data collections for nutrients, dissolved gasses, chlorophyll, and contaminants, properly visualized with OGC WMS and WPS viewing services. Concentration maps with 10-year moving window from 1960 to 2014, by season and for selected vertical layers, are computed and made available.

Addressing the surveillance goal in the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report.

PubMed

Gahm, Gregory A; Reger, Mark A; Kinn, Julie T; Luxton, David D; Skopp, Nancy A; Bush, Nigel E

2012-03-01

The US National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (National Strategy) described 11 goals across multiple areas, including suicide surveillance. Consistent with these goals, the Department of Defense (DoD) has engaged aggressively in the area of suicide surveillance. The DoD's population-based surveillance system, the DoD Suicide Event Report (DoDSER) collects information on suicides and suicide attempts for all branches of the military. Data collected includes suicide event details, treatment history, military and psychosocial history, and psychosocial stressors at the time of the event. Lessons learned from the DoDSER program are shared to assist other public health professionals working to address the National Strategy objectives.

National Strategy for Violence Prevention in the Austrian Public School System: Development and Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiel, Christiane; Strohmeier, Dagmar

2011-01-01

As a result of a quick succession of several spectacular events in schools, and the ensuing public discussion on the high rates of bullying in Austria, a national strategy for violence prevention in schools and preschools has been developed. In formulating the strategy, a systematic procedure involving international experts and a number of local…

Strategic Actions and Strategy Changes in European Universities: Clues from Institutional Evaluation Reports of the European University Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uslu, Baris

2018-01-01

This research examined strategic actions in European universities through the institutional evaluation reports of the EUA. EUA reports for 21 universities from seven European countries were included in the data set. Qualitative inquiry was carried out and six sub-sections in the reports were used as established themes. The findings were then…

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-04-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. Conflict of interest disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into the current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier España.

Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5).

PubMed

Bousquet, J; Farrell, J; Crooks, G; Hellings, P; Bel, E H; Bewick, M; Chavannes, N H; de Sousa, J Correia; Cruz, A A; Haahtela, T; Joos, G; Khaltaev, N; Malva, J; Muraro, A; Nogues, M; Palkonen, S; Pedersen, S; Robalo-Cordeiro, C; Samolinski, B; Strandberg, T; Valiulis, A; Yorgancioglu, A; Zuberbier, T; Bedbrook, A; Aberer, W; Adachi, M; Agusti, A; Akdis, C A; Akdis, M; Ankri, J; Alonso, A; Annesi-Maesano, I; Ansotegui, I J; Anto, J M; Arnavielhe, S; Arshad, H; Bai, C; Baiardini, I; Bachert, C; Baigenzhin, A K; Barbara, C; Bateman, E D; Beghé, B; Kheder, A Ben; Bennoor, K S; Benson, M; Bergmann, K C; Bieber, T; Bindslev-Jensen, C; Bjermer, L; Blain, H; Blasi, F; Boner, A L; Bonini, M; Bonini, S; Bosnic-Anticevitch, S; Boulet, L P; Bourret, R; Bousquet, P J; Braido, F; Briggs, A H; Brightling, C E; Brozek, J; Buhl, R; Burney, P G; Bush, A; Caballero-Fonseca, F; Caimmi, D; Calderon, M A; Calverley, P M; Camargos, P A M; Canonica, G W; Camuzat, T; Carlsen, K H; Carr, W; Carriazo, A; Casale, T; Cepeda Sarabia, A M; Chatzi, L; Chen, Y Z; Chiron, R; Chkhartishvili, E; Chuchalin, A G; Chung, K F; Ciprandi, G; Cirule, I; Cox, L; Costa, D J; Custovic, A; Dahl, R; Dahlen, S E; Darsow, U; De Carlo, G; De Blay, F; Dedeu, T; Deleanu, D; De Manuel Keenoy, E; Demoly, P; Denburg, J A; Devillier, P; Didier, A; Dinh-Xuan, A T; Djukanovic, R; Dokic, D; Douagui, H; Dray, G; Dubakiene, R; Durham, S R; Dykewicz, M S; El-Gamal, Y; Emuzyte, R; Fabbri, L M; Fletcher, M; Fiocchi, A; Fink Wagner, A; Fonseca, J; Fokkens, W J; Forastiere, F; Frith, P; Gaga, M; Gamkrelidze, A; Garces, J; Garcia-Aymerich, J; Gemicioğlu, B; Gereda, J E; González Diaz, S; Gotua, M; Grisle, I; Grouse, L; Gutter, Z; Guzmán, M A; Heaney, L G; Hellquist-Dahl, B; Henderson, D; Hendry, A; Heinrich, J; Heve, D; Horak, F; Hourihane, J O' B; Howarth, P; Humbert, M; Hyland, M E; Illario, M; Ivancevich, J C; Jardim, J R; Jares, E J; Jeandel, C; Jenkins, C; Johnston, S L; Jonquet, O; Julge, K; Jung, K S; Just, J; Kaidashev, I; Kaitov, M R; Kalayci, O; Kalyoncu, A F; Keil, T; Keith, P K; Klimek, L; Koffi N'Goran, B; Kolek, V; Koppelman, G H; Kowalski, M L; Kull, I; Kuna, P; Kvedariene, V; Lambrecht, B; Lau, S; Larenas-Linnemann, D; Laune, D; Le, L T T; Lieberman, P; Lipworth, B; Li, J; Lodrup Carlsen, K; Louis, R; MacNee, W; Magard, Y; Magnan, A; Mahboub, B; Mair, A; Majer, I; Makela, M J; Manning, P; Mara, S; Marshall, G D; Masjedi, M R; Matignon, P; Maurer, M; Mavale-Manuel, S; Melén, E; Melo-Gomes, E; Meltzer, E O; Menzies-Gow, A; Merk, H; Michel, J P; Miculinic, N; Mihaltan, F; Milenkovic, B; Mohammad, G M Y; Molimard, M; Momas, I; Montilla-Santana, A; Morais-Almeida, M; Morgan, M; Mösges, R; Mullol, J; Nafti, S; Namazova-Baranova, L; Naclerio, R; Neou, A; Neffen, H; Nekam, K; Niggemann, B; Ninot, G; Nyembue, T D; O'Hehir, R E; Ohta, K; Okamoto, Y; Okubo, K; Ouedraogo, S; Paggiaro, P; Pali-Schöll, I; Panzner, P; Papadopoulos, N; Papi, A; Park, H S; Passalacqua, G; Pavord, I; Pawankar, R; Pengelly, R; Pfaar, O; Picard, R; Pigearias, B; Pin, I; Plavec, D; Poethig, D; Pohl, W; Popov, T A; Portejoie, F; Potter, P; Postma, D; Price, D; Rabe, K F; Raciborski, F; Radier Pontal, F; Repka-Ramirez, S; Reitamo, S; Rennard, S; Rodenas, F; Roberts, J; Roca, J; Rodriguez Mañas, L; Rolland, C; Roman Rodriguez, M; Romano, A; Rosado-Pinto, J; Rosario, N; Rosenwasser, L; Rottem, M; Ryan, D; Sanchez-Borges, M; Scadding, G K; Schunemann, H J; Serrano, E; Schmid-Grendelmeier, P; Schulz, H; Sheikh, A; Shields, M; Siafakas, N; Sibille, Y; Similowski, T; Simons, F E R; Sisul, J C; Skrindo, I; Smit, H A; Solé, D; Sooronbaev, T; Spranger, O; Stelmach, R; Sterk, P J; Sunyer, J; Thijs, C; To, T; Todo-Bom, A; Triggiani, M; Valenta, R; Valero, A L; Valia, E; Valovirta, E; Van Ganse, E; van Hage, M; Vandenplas, O; Vasankari, T; Vellas, B; Vestbo, J; Vezzani, G; Vichyanond, P; Viegi, G; Vogelmeier, C; Vontetsianos, T; Wagenmann, M; Wallaert, B; Walker, S; Wang, D Y; Wahn, U; Wickman, M; Williams, D M; Williams, S; Wright, J; Yawn, B P; Yiallouros, P K; Yusuf, O M; Zaidi, A; Zar, H J; Zernotti, M E; Zhang, L; Zhong, N; Zidarn, M; Mercier, J

2016-01-01

Action Plan B3 of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) focuses on the integrated care of chronic diseases. Area 5 (Care Pathways) was initiated using chronic respiratory diseases as a model. The chronic respiratory disease action plan includes (1) AIRWAYS integrated care pathways (ICPs), (2) the joint initiative between the Reference site MACVIA-LR (Contre les MAladies Chroniques pour un VIeillissement Actif) and ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma), (3) Commitments for Action to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing and the AIRWAYS ICPs network. It is deployed in collaboration with the World Health Organization Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD). The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing has proposed a 5-step framework for developing an individual scaling up strategy: (1) what to scale up: (1-a) databases of good practices, (1-b) assessment of viability of the scaling up of good practices, (1-c) classification of good practices for local replication and (2) how to scale up: (2-a) facilitating partnerships for scaling up, (2-b) implementation of key success factors and lessons learnt, including emerging technologies for individualised and predictive medicine. This strategy has already been applied to the chronic respiratory disease action plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

European emissions of the powerful greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons inferred from atmospheric measurements and their comparison with annual national reports to UNFCCC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graziosi, F.; Arduini, J.; Furlani, F.; Giostra, U.; Cristofanelli, P.; Fang, X.; Hermanssen, O.; Lunder, C.; Maenhout, G.; O'Doherty, S.; Reimann, S.; Schmidbauer, N.; Vollmer, M. K.; Young, D.; Maione, M.

2017-06-01

Hydrofluorocarbons are powerful greenhouse gases developed by industry after the phase-out of the ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons required by the Montreal Protocol. The climate benefit of reducing the emissions of hydrofluorocarbons has been widely recognised, leading to an amendment of the Montreal Protocol (Kigali Amendment) calling for developed countries to start to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons by 2019 and in developing countries to follow with a freeze between 2024 and 2028. In this way, nearly half a degree Celsius of warming would be avoided by the end of the century. Hydrofluorocarbons are also included in the basket of gases controlled under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Annex I parties to the Convention submit annual national greenhouse gas inventories based on a bottom-up approach, which relies on declared anthropogenic activities. Top-down methodologies, based on atmospheric measurements and modelling, can be used in support to the inventory compilation. In this study we used atmospheric data from four European sites combined with the FLEXPART dispersion model and a Bayesian inversion method, in order to derive emissions of nine individual hydrofluorocarbons from the whole European Geographic Domain and from twelve regions within it, then comparing our results with the annual emissions that the European countries submit every year to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as with the bottom-up Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research. We found several discrepancies when considering the specific compounds and on the country level. However, an overall agreement is found when comparing European aggregated data, which between 2008 and 2014 are on average 84.2 ± 28.0 Tg-CO2-eq·yr-1 against the 95.1 Tg-CO2-eq·yr-1 reported by UNFCCC in the same period. Therefore, in agreement with other studies, the gap on the global level between

Design and Implementation Aspects of the Geological Data Infrastructure for European Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Krogt, Rob; Pedersen, Mikael; Tulstrup, Jørgen; Robida, François; Serrrano, Jean-Jacques; Grellet, Sylvain; Lee, Kathryn; Harrison, Matthew; Demicheli, Luca; Delfini, Claudia; Hugelier, Sara; van Daalen, Tirza

2014-05-01

policy, academia and industry. These exchanges have contributed to the description of relevant use cases. Prioritization of relevant datasets: Connected to relevant use cases, and the availability of datasets through the European survey organizations, from European projects and INSPIRE, a number of datasets (including associated derived information, tools and services) has been prioritized for the implementation phase. Technical design: Based on user requirements as well as specific technical requirements principles and preferred options for the technical design of the infrastructure have been described. Legal aspects: based on inventories and analyses of national and international legal frameworks, and connected to the objectives and requirements of the EGDI conclusions have been drawn with regard to the applicability of certain legal frameworks. Governance and funding aspects: A strategy and roadmap have been developed for appropriate governance structures for the several development stages of the EGDI, including cost estimates and options for funding from diverse programs at national and international levels.

The Need for European Surveillance of CDI.

PubMed

Wiuff, Camilla; Banks, A-Lan; Fitzpatrick, Fidelma; Cottom, Laura

2018-01-01

Since the turn of the millennium, the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has continued to challenge. Over the last decade there has been a growing awareness that improvements to surveillance are needed. The increasing rate of CDI and emergence of ribotype 027 precipitated the implementation of mandatory national surveillance of CDI in the UK. Changes in clinical presentation, severity of disease, descriptions of new risk factors and the occurrence of outbreaks all emphasised the importance of early diagnosis and surveillance.However a lack of consensus on case definitions, clinical guidelines and optimal laboratory diagnostics across Europe has lead to the underestimation of CDI and impeded comparison between countries. These inconsistencies have prevented the true burden of disease from being appreciated.Acceptance that a multi-country surveillance programme and optimised diagnostic strategies are required not only to detect and control CDI in Europe, but for a better understanding of the epidemiology, has built the foundations for a more robust, unified surveillance. The concerted efforts of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) CDI networks, has lead to the development of an over-arching long-term CDI surveillance strategy for 2014-2020. Fulfilment of the ECDC priorities and targets will no doubt be challenging and will require significant investment however the hope is that both a national and Europe-wide picture of CDI will finally be realised.

A Bridge to the Future. Australia's National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training 1998-2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian National Training Authority, Brisbane.

The National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training 1998-2003 expresses the collective commitment by Australian governments, in partnership with Australian industry, to vocational education and training. The strategy includes the following mission: to ensure that the skills of the Australian labor force are sufficient to support…

Contaminated Sites in Europe: Review of the Current Situation Based on Data Collected through a European Network

PubMed Central

Van Liedekerke, Marc; Yigini, Yusuf; Montanarella, Luca

2013-01-01

Under the European Union (EU) Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, the European Commission has identified soil contamination as a priority for the collection of policy-relevant soil data at European scale. In order to support EU soil management policies, soil-related indicators need to be developed which requires appropriate data collection and establishment of harmonized datasets for the EU Member States. In 2011-12, the European Soil Data Centre of the European Commission conducted a project to collect data on contaminated sites from national institutions in Europe using the European Environment Information and Observation Network for soil (EIONET-SOIL). This paper presents the results obtained from analysing the soil contaminated sites data submitted by participating countries. According to the received data, the number of estimated potential contaminated sites is more than 2.5 million and the identified contaminated sites around 342 thousand. Municipal and industrial wastes contribute most to soil contamination (38%), followed by the industrial/commercial sector (34%). Mineral oil and heavy metals are the main contaminants contributing around 60% to soil contamination. In terms of budget, the management of contaminated sites is estimated to cost around 6 billion Euros (€) annually. PMID:23843802

Turning the tide: national policy approaches to increasing physical activity in seven European countries.

PubMed

Bull, Fiona; Milton, Karen; Kahlmeier, Sonja; Arlotti, Alberto; Juričan, Andrea Backović; Belander, Olov; Martin, Brian; Martin-Diener, Eva; Marques, Ana; Mota, Jorge; Vasankari, Tommi; Vlasveld, Anita

2015-06-01

Physical inactivity is one of the four leading behavioural risk factors for non-communicable disease (NCD). Like tobacco control, increasing levels of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) will require a national policy framework providing direction and a clear set of actions. Despite frequent calls, there has been insufficient progress on policy development in the majority of countries around the world. This study sought and summarised national HEPA policy in seven European countries (Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland). Data collection used a policy audit tool (PAT), a 27-item instrument structured into four sections. All countries reported some legislation or policy across the sectors of education, sport and health. Only some countries reported supportive policy in the transport and environment sectors. Five countries reported a stand-alone HEPA policy and six countries reported national recommendations. HEPA prevalence targets varied in magnitude and specificity and the presence of other relevant goals from different sectors highlighted the opportunity for joint action. Evaluation and the use of scientific evidence were endorsed but described as weak in practice. Only two countries reported a national multisector coordinating committee and most countries reported challenges with partnerships on different levels of policy implementation. Bringing together the key components for success within a national HEPA policy framework is not simple. This in-depth policy audit and country comparison highlighted similarities and differences and revealed new opportunities for consideration by other countries. These examples can inform countries within and beyond Europe and guide the development of national HEPA policy within the NCD prevention agenda. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The European Qualification Framework: Skills, Competences or Knowledge?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehaut, Philippe; Winch, Christopher

2012-01-01

The European Qualification Framework (EQF) is intended to transform European national qualification frameworks (NQFs) by moulding them into a learning outcomes framework. Currently adopted as an enabling law by the European Union, the EQF has now operated for several years. In order to secure widespread adoption, however, it will be necessary for…

The impact of agricultural intensification and land-use change on the European arable flora

PubMed Central

Storkey, J.; Meyer, S.; Still, K. S.; Leuschner, C.

2012-01-01

The impact of crop management and agricultural land use on the threat status of plants adapted to arable habitats was analysed using data from Red Lists of vascular plants assessed by national experts from 29 European countries. There was a positive relationship between national wheat yields and the numbers of rare, threatened or recently extinct arable plant species in each country. Variance in the relative proportions of species in different threat categories was significantly explained using a combination of fertilizer and herbicide use, with a greater percentage of the variance partitioned to fertilizers. Specialist species adapted to individual crops, such as flax, are among the most threatened. These species have declined across Europe in response to a reduction in the area grown for the crops on which they rely. The increased use of agro-chemicals, especially in central and northwestern Europe, has selected against a larger group of species adapted to habitats with intermediate fertility. There is an urgent need to implement successful conservation strategies to arrest the decline of this functionally distinct and increasingly threatened component of the European flora. PMID:21993499

Exemplar Units of Work for English. Key Stage 3: National Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

These exemplar units of work for National Strategy Key Stage 3 English show how medium and short-term planning can be based on the Key Stage 3 Framework objectives and support the implementation of Curriculum 2000. The Key Stage 3 English strand introduces pupils to more specialist study of language and literature and supports the study of…

The Swedish strategy and method for development of a national healthcare information architecture.

PubMed

Rosenälv, Jessica; Lundell, Karl-Henrik

2012-01-01

"We need a precise framework of regulations in order to maintain appropriate and structured health care documentation that ensures that the information maintains a sufficient level of quality to be used in treatment, in research and by the actual patient. The users shall be aided by clearly and uniformly defined terms and concepts, and there should be an information structure that clarifies what to document and how to make the information more useful. Most of all, we need to standardize the information, not just the technical systems." (eHälsa - nytta och näring, Riksdag report 2011/12:RFR5, p. 37). In 2010, the Swedish Government adopted the National e-Health - the national strategy for accessible and secure information in healthcare. The strategy is a revision and extension of the previous strategy from 2006, which was used as input for the most recent efforts to develop a national information structure utilizing business-oriented generic models. A national decision on healthcare informatics standards was made by the Swedish County Councils, which decided to follow and use EN/ISO 13606 as a standard for the development of a universally applicable information structure, including archetypes and templates. The overall aim of the Swedish strategy for development of National Healthcare Information Architecture is to achieve high level semantic interoperability for clinical content and clinical contexts. High level semantic interoperability requires consistently structured clinical data and other types of data with coherent traceability to be mapped to reference clinical models. Archetypes that are formal definitions of the clinical and demographic concepts and some administrative data were developed. Each archetype describes the information structure and content of overarching core clinical concepts. Information that is defined in archetypes should be used for different purposes. Generic clinical process model was made concrete and analyzed. For each decision

Improving cancer care in Europe: Which institutional health structures might be beneficial and why? 1. European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM), 16th May 2014, Berlin, Germany.

PubMed

Ortmann, Olaf; Helbig, U; Torode, J

2016-01-01

Bringing the knowledge and expertise of different European countries and the European Commission together for an analysis of the different factors being beneficent or rather opposing for high quality in cancer care. A specific focus is set on the structures and views in European nations on implementation processes. Due to the variation of National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) the preferences for implementation strategies differ. For quality achievement the involvement of the different stakeholders is beneficial. Common sense was the importance of NCCPs. However, it was consensus between participants that a bottom-up approach that considers the needs of different professional groups involved in cancer care and also the views of patients is of critical importance for successful implementation. Functioning cancer registries and evidence-based guidelines with standard of care are fundamental for quality measurement. There is consensus between participants of the meeting that NCCPs are essential for improvement of cancer care. However, national preferences and the views of patients and caregivers have to be included to guarantee successful implementation.

[The EU law on genetically modified organisms: the European Commission changes the strategy in order to allow, restrict, or prohibit its culture].

PubMed

González Vaqué, Luis

2010-01-01

On July 13 2010, the European Commission adopted a series of measures which outline a new approach on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) cultivation in the Member States. This proposal, which still retains the basis of the existing science-based GMO authorisation system, will be implemented through: a Communication from the Commission, explaining the new approach on the freedom for Member States to decide on the cultivation of genetically modified crops; the "Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory"; and a new "European Commission Recommendation (2010/C 200/01) of 13 July 2010 on guidelines for the development of national co-existence measures to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs in conventional and organic crops".

Effect of global warming on willingness to pay for uninterrupted electricity supply in European nations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Jed; Moeltner, Klaus; Reichl, Johannes; Schmidthaler, Michael

2018-01-01

Predicted changes in temperature and other weather events may damage the electricity grid and cause power outages. Understanding the costs of power outages and how these costs change over time with global warming can inform outage-mitigation-investment decisions. Here we show that across 19 EU nations the value of uninterrupted electricity supply is strongly related to local temperatures, and will increase as the climate warms. Bayesian hierarchical modelling of data from a choice experiment and respondent-specific temperature measures reveals estimates of willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid an hour of power outage between €0.32 and €1.86 per household. WTP varies on the basis of season and is heterogeneous between European nations. Winter outages currently cause larger per household welfare losses than summer outages per hour of outage. However, this dynamic will begin to shift under plausible future climates, with summer outages becoming substantially more costly and winter outages becoming slightly less costly on a per-household, per-hour basis.

How Green Are European Curricula? A Comparative Analysis of Primary School Syllabi in Five European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanish, Anna; Rank, Astrid; Seeber, Gunther

2014-01-01

The authors conducted a cross-national curriculum analysis as part of a European Union Comenius project regarding the implementation of an online tool to foster environmental education (EE) in primary schools. The overall goal was to determine the extent and intensity that EE is embedded in the syllabi of five European countries. To this end, the…

A national environmental monitoring system to support the Moroccan sustainable development strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mourhir, A.; Rachidi, T.

2010-12-01

Morocco is a mountainous country, subject to both marine and Saharan influences. The increase in population has led to an increase of the gross domestic product (GDP), which accentuated by inadequate resource management, has been accompanied by the degradation of the environment. The annual cost of environmental damage has been estimated at nearly eight percent of Morocco’s GDP. Morocco is a country that has scarce natural resources, especially arable land and water. In recent years, intensive agricultural production, large-scale irrigation schemes, industrialization, and urbanization have been creating serious problems. The country has faced severe air, water and soil pollution, environmental health problems, deforestation and soil erosion. The country is very vulnerable to impacts of global climate change. Morocco’s approach to sustainable development (SD) is mainly environmental. The two main documents for Morocco’s SD strategy are the National Strategy for the Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development (SNPEDD), 1995, and the National Plan of Action for the Environment (PANE), 1998. SNPEDD’s main objective is the integration and strengthening of environmental concerns in economic development activities. The activities for the formulation and implementation of the strategy include: a) studies on the state of the Moroccan environment; b) formulation of the PANE; c) preparation of a sensitization program on environmental issues and the implementation of a database and information system on the environment; (d) preparation of regional and local environmental monographies. The aim of the current work is to create an information system as an approach to complex sustainability analyses at the national level using GIS technologies. This information system includes the following: 1.Development of a database of SD indicators and historical data. Morocco has been involved in the working framework of the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable

A European Space for Education Looking for Its Public

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahlstrom, Ninni

2010-01-01

The open method of coordination (OMC) within the Lisbon strategy is discussed in terms of a European Space for Education and "programme ontology". The focus is on indicators and the European dimension, and how they "work" in the forming of contents and identities in this European Space for Education. The OMC is analyzed in…

The common objectives of the European Nordic countries and the role of space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehnert, Christopher; Giannopapa, Christina; Vaudo, Ersilia

2016-11-01

The European Space Agency (ESA) has twenty two Member States with common goals of engaging in European space activities. However, the various Member States have a variety of governance structures, strategic priorities regarding space and other sectorial areas depending on their cultural and geopolitical aspirations. The Nordic countries, namely Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, have similarities which result often in common geopolitical and cultural aspects. These in turn shape their respective priorities and interests in setting up their policies in a number of sectorial areas like shipping and fisheries, energy, immigration, agriculture, security and defence, infrastructures, climate change and the Arctic. Space technology, navigation, earth observation, telecommunication and integrated applications can assist the Nordic countries in developing, implementing and monitoring policies of common interest. This paper provides an in-depth overview and a comprehensive assessment of these common interests in policy areas where space can provide support in their realisation. The first part provides a synthesis of the Nordic countries respective priorities through analysing their government programmes and plans. The priorities are classified according to the six areas of sustainability: energy, environment and climate change, transport, knowledge and innovation, natural resources (fisheries, agriculture, forestry, mining, etc), and security and external relations. Although the national strategies present different national perspectives, at the same time, there are a number of similarities when it comes to overall policy objectives in a number of areas such as the Arctic and climate change. In other words, even though the Arctic plays a different role in each country's national context and there are clear differences as regards geography, access to resources and security policies, the strategies display common general interest in sustainable development and management of

Counter-Revolutionary Warfare: Strategy Considerations

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-01

many years after that. By 1951, European production had reached or exceeded its prewar output and European markets for American goods wete expanding...goals of the US involvement in nation building are to nurture an open political system, a free market economy, and independence. If we do not build...the markets needed to benefit the American economy. Neither does government investment n the target nation’s economy more productive. Nation building

Comprehensive mapping of national school food policies across the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland

PubMed Central

Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann, S

2014-01-01

Childhood obesity is a major public health challenge in Europe. Schools are seen as an important setting to promote healthy diet and lifestyle in a protected environment and school food-related practices are essential in this regard. To understand what policy frameworks European countries have created to govern these practices, a systematic assessment of national school food policies across the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland (n = 30 countries) was carried out. The survey revealed that all 30 countries currently have a school food policy in place; a total of 34 relevant policies were identified, 18 of which were mandatory and the remaining 16 voluntary. Major policy objectives specified were those to improve child nutrition (97% of policies), to help children learn and adopt healthy diet and lifestyle habits (94%) and to reduce or prevent childhood obesity (88%). Most commonly (>90%), the policies offered food-based standards for menu composition, and portion sizes were guided by age-appropriate energy requirements. Lunch and snacks were the most widely addressed mealtimes for almost 90% of all policies examined. Other important areas covered included food marketing to children; the availability of vending services; training requirements for catering staff; and whether nutrition education is a mandatory part of the national curriculum. Evaluation was mentioned in 59% of the school food policies reviewed. Future analyses should focus on evaluating the implementation of these policies and more importantly, their effectiveness in meeting the objectives defined therein. Comparable and up-to-date information along with data on education, attainment and public health indicators will enable a comprehensive impact assessment of school food policies and help facilitate optimal school food provision for all. PMID:25663818

Comprehensive mapping of national school food policies across the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland.

PubMed

Storcksdieck Genannt Bonsmann, S

2014-12-01

Childhood obesity is a major public health challenge in Europe. Schools are seen as an important setting to promote healthy diet and lifestyle in a protected environment and school food-related practices are essential in this regard. To understand what policy frameworks European countries have created to govern these practices, a systematic assessment of national school food policies across the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland ( n  = 30 countries) was carried out. The survey revealed that all 30 countries currently have a school food policy in place; a total of 34 relevant policies were identified, 18 of which were mandatory and the remaining 16 voluntary. Major policy objectives specified were those to improve child nutrition (97% of policies), to help children learn and adopt healthy diet and lifestyle habits (94%) and to reduce or prevent childhood obesity (88%). Most commonly (>90%), the policies offered food-based standards for menu composition, and portion sizes were guided by age-appropriate energy requirements. Lunch and snacks were the most widely addressed mealtimes for almost 90% of all policies examined. Other important areas covered included food marketing to children; the availability of vending services; training requirements for catering staff; and whether nutrition education is a mandatory part of the national curriculum. Evaluation was mentioned in 59% of the school food policies reviewed. Future analyses should focus on evaluating the implementation of these policies and more importantly, their effectiveness in meeting the objectives defined therein. Comparable and up-to-date information along with data on education, attainment and public health indicators will enable a comprehensive impact assessment of school food policies and help facilitate optimal school food provision for all.

Pan-European management of coastal lagoons: A science-policy-stakeholder interface perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillebø, Ana I.; Stålnacke, Per; Gooch, Geoffrey D.; Krysanova, Valentina; Bielecka, Małgorzata

2017-11-01

The main objective of the work carried out in the scope of a three years collaborative research project was to develop science-based strategies and a decision support framework for the integrated management of coastal lagoons and their catchments and, in this context, to enhance connectivity between research and policymaking. In this paper our main objective is to share the lessons learned from the innovative methodology used throughout the project. To achieve the proposed objectives, the multidisciplinary scientific knowledge in the project team was combined and integrated with the knowledge and views of local stakeholders of four selected European coastal lagoons, using a three step participatory approach. With this innovative approach, which included the usage of eco-hydrological and water quality-modelling tools, the team developed and analyzed integrated scenarios of possible economic development and environmental impacts in four European lagoons and their catchments. These scenarios were presented and discussed with stakeholders, giving rise to management recommendations for each case study lagoon. Results show that some management options might be transferrable to other European lagoons having similar climatic, geophysical and socio-economic settings. In management terms, the project output provides a set of policy guidelines derived from the different analyses conducted and proposes initiatives concerning management implementation in a local-regional-national-European setting.

The ESA contribution to the European Satellite Navigation Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, R.; Lo Galbo, P.; de Mateo, M. L.; Steciw, A.; Ashford, E.

1996-02-01

This paper describes the ESA ARTES-9 programme on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). This programme will be the ESA contribution to the wider European Satellite Navigation Programme which is to be implemented as a joint effort of the European Union, Eurocontrol and ESA with the support of other European bodies such as telecommunication operators, national civil aviation authorities, national space agencies, industry, universities and R&D institutes in general. In fact, in view of the geographical area concerned, the large number of parties interested, the experience required and the global nature of GNSS, the proposed initiative can only be successful if based on a strong cooperation at a European and international scale. The ESA ARTES-9 programme will consist on one side, of the design, development and validation of the European complement to the GPS and GLONASS systems (GNSS1), and on the other side of the study, design and pre-development of the European contribution to follow-on systems: GNSS2.

Conflict of interest policies and disclosure requirements among European Society of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Journals.

PubMed

Alfonso, Fernando; Timmis, Adam; Pinto, Fausto J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Ector, Hugo; Kulakowski, Piotr; Vardas, Panos

2012-05-01

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. Conflict of interest disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for conflicts of interest disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical conflict of interest-related issues. New insights into current conflicts of interest policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Espana.

Measuring progress from nationally determined contributions to mid-century strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyer, Gokul; Ledna, Catherine; Clarke, Leon; Edmonds, James; McJeon, Haewon; Kyle, Page; Williams, James H.

2017-12-01

The Paris Agreement requires countries to articulate near-term emissions reduction strategies through to 2025 or 2030 by communicating nationally determined contributions (NDCs), as well as encouraging the formulation of long-term low-emission development strategies (Article 4.19)1. In response, many countries have either submitted or are preparing mid-century strategies2. Most NDCs set high-level near-term goals—such as limits on emissions or emissions intensity3—which do not provide information about the extent to which they lay the foundations of technology, infrastructure and institutions for deeper reductions in the future, which is a key question for decision makers. Here, using a state-level model of the US embedded within a global integrated assessment model4,5, we demonstrate that although the US NDC lies on a straight-line emissions pathway towards its mid-century strategy, the resulting energy system transitions involve nonlinear transformations. The rates of capacity additions and capital investments in electricity generation beyond 2025 are more than three times the rates during the next decade. Our results demonstrate the need for global stocktaking exercises to evaluate the NDCs using metrics broader than emissions to better illuminate their effectiveness in addressing the Paris Agreement's long-term goals6,7.

National occupational health research priorities, agenda and strategy of Japan: invited report in NORA symposium 2001, USA.

PubMed

Araki, Shunichi; Tachi, Masatomo

2003-01-01

An invited report on national occupational health research priorities, agenda and strategy of Japan was delivered in the NORA (National Occupational Research Agenda) Symposium 2001, USA. The third NORA Symposium was held by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Washington DC on June 27, 2001. The national conference in Japan entitled "Conference on Occupational Health Research Strategies in the 21st Century" was organized by the Japanese Ministry of Labour (Currently, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) in the years 1998-2001, and the national occupational health research agenda and strategy for the next decade in Japan was identified. A total of 50 Conference members, i.e., representatives from various fields of occupational health in Japan, ranked 58 comprehensive research topics, yielding short-term (5-year) and long-term (6-10 year) priority research topics. Overall (10-year) priority research topics were calculated by combining the short-term and long-term priority scores. Together with the ranking by 145 extramural occupational health specialists, it was identified that work stress (i.e., one of the 58 research topics) was the first overall priority research topic for the next 10 years in Japan. Three other topics, i.e., elderly workers, women workers and maternity protection, and mental health and quality of work and life, were the second group of priority topics; and hazard and risk assessment and biological effect index were the third priority group. Based on the scores for the short-term and long-term priority research topics, all 58 research topics were classified into three key research areas with 18 key research issues (National Occupational Health Research Agenda, NOHRA). Finally, eight implementation measures of national strategy for the Japanese Government to promote occupational health research were introduced.

Cultural Dimensions of Digital Library Development, Part I: Theory and Methodological Framework for a Comparative Study of the Cultures of Innovation in Five European National Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalbello, Marija

2008-01-01

This study examines the influence of culture on digital libraries of the first wave. The local cultures of innovation of five European national libraries (Biblioteca nacional de Portugal, Bibliotheque nationale de France, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Library) are reconstructed in case histories from…

Achievements in Training of Future Technology Teachers: European Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheludko, Inna

2015-01-01

The article discusses the possibilities and prospects of using the experience of training future technology teachers in European countries. Its structure and content in accordance with national traditions and European standards led to the success of the educational components of the European Higher Pedagogical School. This fact encourages local…

Socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality and antibiotics use: A cross-cultural study among European countries.

PubMed

Gaygısız, Ümmügülsüm; Lajunen, Timo; Gaygısız, Esma

There are considerable cross-national differences in public attitudes towards antibiotics use, use of prescribed antibiotics, and self-medication with antibiotics even within Europe. This study was aimed at investigating the relationships between socio-economic factors, cultural values, national personality characteristics and the antibiotic use in Europe. Data included scores from 27 European countries (14 countries for personality analysis). Correlations between socio-economic variables (Gross National Income per capita, governance quality, life expectancy, mean years of schooling, number of physicians), Hofstede's cultural value dimensions (power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, indulgence), national personality characteristic (extraversion, neuroticism, social desirability) and antibiotic use were calculated and three regression models were constructed. Governance quality (r=-.51), mean years of schooling (r=-.61), power distance (r=.59), masculinity (r=.53), and neuroticism (r=.73) correlated with antibiotic use. The highest amount of variance in antibiotic use was accounted by the cultural values (65%) followed by socio-economic factors (63%) and personality factors (55%). Results show that socio-economic factors, cultural values and national personality characteristics explain cross-national differences in antibiotic use in Europe. In particular, governance quality, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and neuroticism were important factors explaining antibiotics use. The findings underline the importance of socio-economic and cultural context in health care and in planning public health interventions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

European information on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jol, A.; Isoard, S.

2010-09-01

Vulnerability to natural and technological disasters is increasing due to a combination of intensifying land use, increasing industrial development, further urban expansion and expanding infrastructure and also climate change. At EU level the European Commission's White Paper on adaptation to climate change (published in 2009) highlights that adaptation actions should be focused on the most vulnerable areas and communities in Europe (e.g. mountains, coastal areas, river flood prone areas, Mediterranean, Arctic). Mainstreaming of climate change into existing EU policies will be a key policy, including within the Water Framework Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Nature protection and biodiversity policies, integrated coastal zone management, other (sectoral) policies (agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, health) and disaster risk prevention. 2010 is the international year on biodiversity and the Conference of Parties of the biodiversity convention will meet in autumn 2010 (Japan) to discuss amongst other post-2010 strategies, objectives and indicators. Both within the Biodiversity Convention (CBD) and the Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) there is increasing recognition of the need for integration of biodiversity conservation into climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. Furthermore a number of European countries and also some regions have started to prepare and/or have adopted national adaptation plans or frameworks. Sharing of good practices on climate change vulnerability methods and adaptation actions is so far limited, but is essential to improve such plans, at national, sub national and local level where much of the adaptation action is already taking place and will be expanding in future, also involving increasingly the business community. The EU Clearinghouse on CC impacts, vulnerability and adaptation should address these needs and it is planned to be operational end of 2011. The EEA is expected to have a role in its

[The Spanish National Health System patient safety strategy, results for the period 2005-2007].

PubMed

Terol, E; Agra, Y; Fernández-Maíllo, M M; Casal, J; Sierra, E; Bandrés, B; García, M J; del Peso, P

2008-12-01

In 2005 the Spanish National Health System (SNHS) implemented a strategy aimed at improving patient safety in Spanish healthcare centres. Promote and develop knowledge of patient safety and a patient safety culture among health professionals and patients; design and implement adverse event information and reporting systems for learning purposes; introduce recommended safe practices in SNHS centres; promote patient safety research and public and patient involvement in patient safety policies. An Institutional Technical Committee was created with representatives from all the Spanish regions. All national organizations involved in healthcare quality and patient safety took part in the project. The strategy follows the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety and Council of Europe recommendations. Budget allocated in the period 2005-2007: approximately EUR35 million. Around 5,000 health professionals were educated in PS concepts. Several studies were conducted on: adverse events in Hospitals and Primary Care, as well as studies to obtain information on health professionals' perceptions on safety, the use of medications and the situation regarding hospital-acquired infections. All the regions have introduced safe clinical practices related with the strategy. The strategy has been implemented in all the Spanish regions. Awareness was raised among health professionals and the public. A network of alliances has been set up with the regions, universities, schools, agencies and other organizations supporting the strategy.

National Will: Achilles Heel in United States National Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-01

value of the psychosocial or national-will. element of power is significantly underrated by national leaders in developing an appropriate national... developing and using the political, economic, and psychosocial powers of a nation, together with its armed forces during peace and war to secure National...employ the 5 M RI psychosocial element of power. Colonel Summers argues that, this failure to develop and use national will was our major strategic

77 FR 19661 - Draft National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-02

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0943; FRL-9655-1] Draft National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments. SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is publishing...

National nutrition surveys in Europe: a review on the current status in the 53 countries of the WHO European region

PubMed Central

Rippin, Holly L.; Hutchinson, Jayne; Evans, Charlotte E. L.; Jewell, Jo; Breda, Joao J.; Cade, Janet E.

2018-01-01

Objectives The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the coverage of national nutrition surveys in the 53 countries monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and identify gaps in provision, (2) to describe relevant survey attributes and (3) to check whether energy and nutrients are reported with a view to providing information for evidence-based nutrition policy planning. Design Dietary survey information was gathered using three methods: (1) direct email to survey authors and other relevant contacts, (2) systematic review of literature databases and (3) general web-based searches. Survey characteristics relating to time frame, sampling and dietary methodology and nutrients reported were tabled from all relevant surveys found since 1990. Setting Fifty-three countries of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, which have need for an overview of dietary surveys across the life course. Subjects European individuals (adults and children) in national diet surveys. Results A total of 109 nationally representative dietary surveys undertaken post-1990 were found across 34 countries. Of these, 78 surveys from 33 countries were found post-2000, and of these, 48 surveys from 27 countries included children and 60 surveys from 30 countries included adults. No nationally representative surveys were found for 19 of 53 countries, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Multiple 24hr recall and food diaries were the most common dietary assessment methods. Only 22 countries reported energy and nutrient intakes from post-2000 surveys; macronutrients were more widely reported than micronutrients. Conclusions Less than two-thirds of WHO Europe countries have nationally representative diet surveys, mainly collected post-2000. The main availability gaps lie in Central and Eastern European countries, where nutrition policies may therefore lack an appropriate evidence base. Dietary methodological differences may limit the scope for inter

National nutrition surveys in Europe: a review on the current status in the 53 countries of the WHO European region.

PubMed

Rippin, Holly L; Hutchinson, Jayne; Evans, Charlotte E L; Jewell, Jo; Breda, Joao J; Cade, Janet E

2018-01-01

The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the coverage of national nutrition surveys in the 53 countries monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and identify gaps in provision, (2) to describe relevant survey attributes and (3) to check whether energy and nutrients are reported with a view to providing information for evidence-based nutrition policy planning. Dietary survey information was gathered using three methods: (1) direct email to survey authors and other relevant contacts, (2) systematic review of literature databases and (3) general web-based searches. Survey characteristics relating to time frame, sampling and dietary methodology and nutrients reported were tabled from all relevant surveys found since 1990. Fifty-three countries of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, which have need for an overview of dietary surveys across the life course. European individuals (adults and children) in national diet surveys. A total of 109 nationally representative dietary surveys undertaken post-1990 were found across 34 countries. Of these, 78 surveys from 33 countries were found post-2000, and of these, 48 surveys from 27 countries included children and 60 surveys from 30 countries included adults. No nationally representative surveys were found for 19 of 53 countries, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. Multiple 24hr recall and food diaries were the most common dietary assessment methods. Only 22 countries reported energy and nutrient intakes from post-2000 surveys; macronutrients were more widely reported than micronutrients. Less than two-thirds of WHO Europe countries have nationally representative diet surveys, mainly collected post-2000. The main availability gaps lie in Central and Eastern European countries, where nutrition policies may therefore lack an appropriate evidence base. Dietary methodological differences may limit the scope for inter-country comparisons.

Payload operations management of a planned European SL-Mission employing establishments of ESA and national agencies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joensson, Rolf; Mueller, Karl L.

1994-01-01

Spacelab (SL)-missions with Payload Operations (P/L OPS) from Europe involve numerous space agencies, various ground infrastructure systems and national user organizations. An effective management structure must bring together different entities, facilities and people, but at the same time keep interfaces, costs and schedule under strict control. This paper outlines the management concept for P/L OPS of a planned European SL-mission. The proposal draws on the relevant experience in Europe, which was acquired via the ESA/NASA mission SL-1, by the execution of two German SL-missions and by the involvement in, or the support of, several NASA-missions.

European Perspectives of Teacher Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayer, John

2006-01-01

Despite broad agreements on professional mobility, there has been little movement towards consensus across the European Union on what constitutes the good teacher and therefore on common features in training and qualification. Political declarations have not led to significant action by national politicians. Impetus towards a European dimension in…

[Advanced therapy: from European regulatory framework to national regulatory framework].

PubMed

Lucas-Samuel, S

2013-05-01

The European regulation n(o) 1394/2007/CE published on the 13th of November 2007 defined and harmonized the European regulatory framework for advanced therapy medicinal products. It creates a specialized committee located at the European Medicine Agency, in charge of the assessment of these medicinal products. The consequences of this regulation are introduced in the French regulation by the law n(o) 2011-302 published on the 22nd of March 2011. It detailed notably the possibility for public establishments (except health establishments) and nonprofit organisms to create pharmaceutical establishments. This law defined also a specific category of advanced therapy medicinal products, which fall under the "hospital exemption" framework. The rules regarding the authorizations of the establishments able to prepare these types of medicinal products and the authorization of the products are defined by the n(o) 2012-1236 decree published on the 6th of November 2012. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

[Transnational solidarity? Cross-border heath-care in the European Union].

PubMed

Schmucker, R

2010-03-01

The responsibilities of the European Union surrounding public health are concentrated on co-ordinating and complementary practices. A mandatory European harmonization of standards and policies is in effect in only a few areas such as pharmaceutical authorization and health protection at the workplace. The implementation of single market rights over the national health-care systems (negative integration) is growing at the European level. This has ambivalent repercussions. Whilst the rights of patients on the basis of the four fundamental freedoms in the context of cross-border health-care have got stronger, national governments see themselves confronted with a limitation of scope for their health-care policies. The basic principles of the integration project place European pressure on national governments. They are subject to sanctions if their policies are not directly in accordance with the single market concept. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart. New York.

Complementing, competing, or co-operating? Exploring newspapers' portrayals of the European Parliament and national parliaments in EU affairs.

PubMed

Eisele, Olga

2017-06-07

The paper explores newspapers' portrayals of the European Parliament and national parliaments (NPs) in European Union (EU) affairs. To understand underlying perceptions of journalists, it takes public parliamentary activities and looks at their influence on parliaments' news visibility in Finland, Germany and the UK in routine periods in 2011 and 2012. This is done against the background that parliaments, regarded as ultimate legitimisers of state power, depend on the mass media to reach their citizenry. However, journalists follow their own agenda in publishing parliamentary news. In this regard, they may highlight the complementarity, competition or cooperation of parliaments in the EU's unique multi-tier environment. Overall, our results suggest that NPs correspond stronger with newsmakers' anticipation of readership interest. In addition, findings seem to support the assumption that parliaments in the EU are mostly perceived as complementary, separate legislative branches in EU decision-making.

The U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues. Volume 1: Theory of War and Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

strategic. What Clausewitz described is really the development of a theater or campaign strategy. Historian Jay Luvaas used to say that because...towards the attainment of the political object of the war—the goal defined by fundamental policy. Liddell Hart went on to say , Grand strategy should both...basis: strategy can be declaratory, actual, or ideal. Declaratory strategy is what a nation says its strategy is. Declaratory strategy may or may

National Port Strategy Assessment: Reducing Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases at U.S. Ports

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The assessment finds that air pollution at the Nation's ports can be significantly reduced by implementing currently available strategies and technologies to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants from diesel vehicles and engines.

A Holistic Strategy Examining How Armed Drone Strikes Interact with Other Elements of National Power

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

states in terms of diplomatic, information, military—other than drone strikes—and economic instruments of national power to achieve the objectives...United States conducted in fragile states in terms of diplomatic, information, military—other than drone strikes—and economic instruments of...29  3.  2015 National Military Strategy .................................................30  E.  ECONOMIC

The Quality of Textbooks: A Basis for European Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooghoff, Hans

The enhancement of the European dimension in the national curriculum is a large scale educational innovation that affects many European countries. This report puts forward the proposition that broad scale educational innovation has more success if the aims and objectives find their way into textbooks. The reasons why a European dimension in…

Prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia: European perspective.

PubMed

Bonten, Marc J M

2003-12-01

Several preventive measures for VAP have been empirically tested. There is clear evidence that antibiotic-containing preventive strategies, such as SDD and oropharyngeal decontamination, are very effective in different patient populations. Selection of antibiotic resistance remains the major disadvantage of these strategies, however, limiting its applicability in settings with high levels of antibiotic resistance. This probably precludes the use of these strategies in many American settings, but may allow their use in European countries with much lower endemic levels of resistance. There is little evidence that systemic prophylaxis is effective for the prevention of VAP, and initial studies were associated with resistance problems. Of the non antibiotic-containing preventive strategies, subglottic aspiration was effective in several studies, whereas other strategies, such as immunonutrition with glutamine or the semirecumbent patient position, were effective in single studies. All these studies were executed in European ICUs. For these interventions, more data are needed on the generalizability, feasibility, and cost effectiveness. Few data support the use of sucralfate for stress ulcer prophylaxis and modulation of enteral nutrition practices as preventive measures for VAP.

Dynamic conservation of forest genetic resources in 33 European countries.

PubMed

Lefèvre, François; Koskela, Jarkko; Hubert, Jason; Kraigher, Hojka; Longauer, Roman; Olrik, Ditte C; Schüler, Silvio; Bozzano, Michele; Alizoti, Paraskevi; Bakys, Remigijus; Baldwin, Cathleen; Ballian, Dalibor; Black-Samuelsson, Sanna; Bednarova, Dagmar; Bordács, Sándor; Collin, Eric; de Cuyper, Bart; de Vries, Sven M G; Eysteinsson, Thröstur; Frýdl, Josef; Haverkamp, Michaela; Ivankovic, Mladen; Konrad, Heino; Koziol, Czesław; Maaten, Tiit; Notivol Paino, Eduardo; Oztürk, Hikmet; Pandeva, Ivanova Denitsa; Parnuta, Gheorghe; Pilipovič, Andrej; Postolache, Dragos; Ryan, Cathal; Steffenrem, Arne; Varela, Maria Carolina; Vessella, Federico; Volosyanchuk, Roman T; Westergren, Marjana; Wolter, Frank; Yrjänä, Leena; Zariŋa, Inga

2013-04-01

Dynamic conservation of forest genetic resources (FGR) means maintaining the genetic diversity of trees within an evolutionary process and allowing generation turnover in the forest. We assessed the network of forests areas managed for the dynamic conservation of FGR (conservation units) across Europe (33 countries). On the basis of information available in the European Information System on FGR (EUFGIS Portal), species distribution maps, and environmental stratification of the continent, we developed ecogeographic indicators, a marginality index, and demographic indicators to assess and monitor forest conservation efforts. The pan-European network has 1967 conservation units, 2737 populations of target trees, and 86 species of target trees. We detected a poor coincidence between FGR conservation and other biodiversity conservation objectives within this network. We identified 2 complementary strategies: a species-oriented strategy in which national conservation networks are specifically designed for key target species and a site-oriented strategy in which multiple-target units include so-called secondary species conserved within a few sites. The network is highly unbalanced in terms of species representation, and 7 key target species are conserved in 60% of the conservation units. We performed specific gap analyses for 11 tree species, including assessment of ecogeographic, demographic, and genetic criteria. For each species, we identified gaps, particularly in the marginal parts of their distribution range, and found multiple redundant conservation units in other areas. The Mediterranean forests and to a lesser extent the boreal forests are underrepresented. Monitoring the conservation efficiency of each unit remains challenging; however, <2% of the conserved populations seem to be at risk of extinction. On the basis of our results, we recommend combining species-oriented and site-oriented strategies. © 2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

Results from an audit feedback strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in-hospital care: a joint analysis from the AUDIPOC and European COPD audit studies.

PubMed

Lopez-Campos, Jose Luis; Asensio-Cruz, M Isabel; Castro-Acosta, Ady; Calero, Carmen; Pozo-Rodriguez, Francisco

2014-01-01

Clinical audits have emerged as a potential tool to summarize the clinical performance of healthcare over a specified period of time. However, the effectiveness of audit and feedback has shown inconsistent results and the impact of audit and feedback on clinical performance has not been evaluated for COPD exacerbations. In the present study, we analyzed the results of two consecutive nationwide clinical audits performed in Spain to evaluate both the in-hospital clinical care provided and the feedback strategy. The present study is an analysis of two clinical audits performed in Spain that evaluated the clinical care provided to COPD patients who were admitted to the hospital for a COPD exacerbation. The first audit was performed from November-December 2008. The feedback strategy consisted of personalized reports for each participant center, the presentation and discussion of the results at regional, national and international meetings and the creation of health-care quality standards for COPD. The second audit was part of a European study during January and February 2011. The impact of the feedback strategy was evaluated in term of clinical care provided and in-hospital survival. A total of 94 centers participated in the two audits, recruiting 8,143 admissions (audit 1∶3,493 and audit 2∶4,650). The initially provided clinical care was reasonably acceptable even though there was considerable variability. Several diagnostic and therapeutic procedures improved in the second audit. Although the differences were significant, the degree of improvement was small to moderate. We found no impact on in-hospital mortality. The present study describes COPD hospital care in Spanish hospitals and evaluates the impact of peer-benchmarked, individually written and group-oral feedback strategy on the clinical outcomes for treating COPD exacerbations. It describes small to moderate improvements in the clinical care provided to COPD patients with no impact on in

A review of abortion laws in Western-European countries. A cross-national comparison of legal developments between 1960 and 2010.

PubMed

Levels, Mark; Sluiter, Roderick; Need, Ariana

2014-10-01

The extent to which women have had access to legal abortions has changed dramatically in Western-Europe between 1960 and 2010. In most countries, abortion laws developed from completely banning abortion to allowing its availability on request. Both the timing and the substance of the various legal developments differed dramatically between countries. Existing comparative studies on abortion laws in Western-European countries lack detail, usually focus either on first-trimester abortions or second trimester abortions, cover a limited time-span and are sometimes inconsistent with one another. Combining information from various primary and secondary sources, we show how and when the conditions for legally obtaining abortion during the entire gestation period in 20 major Western-European countries have changed between 1960 and 2010. We also construct a cross-nationally comparable classification of procedural barriers that limit abortion access. Our cross-national comparison shows that Western-Europe witnessed a general trend towards decreased restrictiveness of abortion laws. However, legal approaches to regulating abortion are highly different in detail. Abortion access remains limited, sometimes even in countries where abortion is legally available without restrictions relating to reasons. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Turkey and European Security Institutions

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

considered French , how could they be prevented from settling in France, where the standard of living is so much higher? My village would no longer be...of the Algerian insurgency. De Gaulle also stated that French and European civilization was European and “white.” In fact, French -Turkish rivalry...survive the shock.”16 The French made rules against privileges for hereditary nobility, and encouraged nationalism in the people of the Balkans

Roots and Research. Key Stage 3 English. Key Stage 3: National Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, Colin

In 1998, Roger Beard of the University of Leeds wrote an account of the research underpinning the emerging National Literacy Strategy (NLS). Since Beard published his review, there have been developments both in terms of age groups covered and within the field of literacy research. This document attempts a fresh review of the relationship between…

Gifted European American Woman.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitano, Margie K.; Perkins, Carol O.

2000-01-01

This article describes factors affecting the achievement of 15 highly accomplished European American women in the fields of business, higher education, and law and government. Findings indicate participants tended to attribute their success to external factors while simultaneously employing proactive strategies to overcome potential barriers.…

Motivation towards dual career of European student-athletes.

PubMed

Lupo, Corrado; Guidotti, Flavia; Goncalves, Carlos E; Moreira, Liliana; Doupona Topic, Mojca; Bellardini, Helena; Tonkonogi, Michail; Colin, Allen; Capranica, Laura

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate motivations for the dual career of European student-athletes living in countries providing different educational services for elite athletes: State-centric regulation-State as sponsor/facilitator (State), National Sporting Federations/Institutes as intermediary (Federation) and Laisser Faire, no formal structures (No Structure). Therefore, the European Student-athletes' Motivation towards Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ-EU) was administered to 524 European student-athletes. Exploratory Factor Analysis, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were applied to test the factor structure, and the reliability and validity of the SAMSAQ-EU, respectively. A multivariate approach was applied to verify subgroup effects (P ≤ 0.05) according to gender (i.e., female and male), age (i.e., ≤ 24 years, > 24 years), type of sport (i.e., individual sport and team sport) and competition level (i.e., national and international). Insufficient confirmatory indexes were reported for the whole European student-athlete group, whereas distinct three factor models [i.e., Student Athletic Motivation (SAM); Academic Motivation (AM); Career Athletic Motivation (CAM)] emerged, with acceptable reliability estimates, for State (SAM = 0.82; AM = 0.75; and CAM = 0.75), Federation (SAM = 0.82; AM = 0.66; and CAM = 0.87) and No Structure (SAM = 0.78; AM = 0.74; and CAM = 0.79) subgroups. Differences between subgroups were found only for competition level (P < 0.001) in relation to SAM (P = 0.001) and CAM (P < 0.001). For SAM, the highest and lowest values emerged for Federation (national, 5.1 ± 0.5; international, 5.4 ± 0.5) and State (national, 4.5 ± 0.9; international, 4.8 ± 0.7). The opposite picture emerged for CAM (Federation: national, 3.3 ± 0.7; international, 3.5 ± 0.9; State: national, 5.0 ± 0.8; international, 5.0 ± 0.9). Therefore, despite SAMSAQ-EU demonstrated to be a useful tool, results showed that European student

Nursing care for stroke patients: A survey of current practice in 11 European countries.

PubMed

Tulek, Zeliha; Poulsen, Ingrid; Gillis, Katrin; Jönsson, Ann-Cathrin

2018-02-01

To conduct a survey of the clinical nursing practice in European countries in accordance with the European Stroke Strategies 2006 and to examine to what extent the European Stroke Strategies have been implemented in stroke care nursing in Europe. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Optimal organisation of interdisciplinary stroke care is expected to ameliorate outcome after stroke. Consequently, universal access to stroke care based on evidence-based guidelines is a priority. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire comprising 61 questions based on the European Stroke Strategies and scientific evidence in nursing practice was distributed to representatives of the European Association of Neuroscience Nurses, who sent the questionnaire to nurses active in stroke care. The questionnaire covered the following areas of stroke care: organisation of stroke services, management of acute stroke and prevention including basic care and nursing, and secondary prevention. Ninety-two nurses in stroke care in 11 European countries participated in the survey. Within the first 48 hr after stroke onset, 95% monitor patients regularly, 94% start mobilisation after 24 hr when patients are stable, and 89% assess patients' ability to swallow. Change of position for immobile patients is followed by 73%, and postvoid residual urine volume is measured by 85%. Some aspects needed improvement, for example, staff education (70%), education for patients/families/carers (55%) and individual care plans in secondary prevention (62%). The participating European countries comply well with the European Stroke Strategies guidelines, particularly in the acute stroke care, but not all stroke units have reached optimal development in all aspects of stroke care nursing. Our study may provide clinical administrators and nurses in stroke care with information that may contribute to improved compliance with the European Stroke Strategies and evidence

National launch strategy vehicle data management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordes, David

1990-01-01

The national launch strategy vehicle data management system (NLS/VDMS) was developed as part of the 1990 NASA Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. The system was developed under the guidance of the Engineering Systems Branch of the Information Systems Office, and is intended for use within the Program Development Branch PD34. The NLS/VDMS is an on-line database system that permits the tracking of various launch vehicle configurations within the program development office. The system is designed to permit the definition of new launch vehicles, as well as the ability to display and edit existing launch vehicles. Vehicles can be grouped in logical architectures within the system. Reports generated from this package include vehicle data sheets, architecture data sheets, and vehicle flight rate reports. The topics covered include: (1) system overview; (2) initial system development; (3) supercard hypermedia authoring system; (4) the ORACLE database; and (5) system evaluation.

European Academic Labor Markets in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musselin, Christine

2005-01-01

Even if convergences are to be observed among the orientations adopted by higher education policies in European countries, they still are characterized by strong national features. One of the most striking national patterns of each system is its academic labor market, salaries, status, recruitment procedures, workloads, career patterns, promotion…

Freight transportation : the European market

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-06-01

The purpose of the international scan was to investigate the issues, constraints, opportunities, and challenges : faced by the European Union (EU) in developing a policy of open boundaries and what strategies it uses to : implement the policy. : The ...

Survey of national guidelines, education and training on phlebotomy in 28 European countries: an original report by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) working group for the preanalytical phase (WG-PA).

PubMed

Simundic, Ana-Maria; Cornes, Michael; Grankvist, Kjell; Lippi, Giuseppe; Nybo, Mads; Kovalevskaya, Svjetlana; Sprongl, Ludek; Sumarac, Zorica; Church, Stephen

2013-08-01

European questionnaire survey was conducted by the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group for the Preanalytical Phase (EFLM WG-PA) to assess how phlebotomy is performed in EFLM countries, including differences in personnel, level of education and skills, and to investigate the presence and compliance of national phlebotomy guidelines on this matter. A questionnaire was constructed containing questions elucidating different aspects of the organization behind the phlebotomy praxis on a national basis, including questions on the staff performing phlebotomy, the education of these staff members, and the existence of and adherence to national guidelines. All 39 EFLM member countries were invited to participate. In total 28/39 (72%) EFLM member countries responded. Seven out of the 28 (25%) have national phlebotomy guidelines and five have implemented other guidelines. The estimated compliance with phlebotomy guidance for the laboratories in the countries that have national guidelines available is poor, regardless to whether the phlebotomy was under the laboratory control or not. Most countries were interested in EFLM guidelines and to participate in a pilot EFLM preanalytical phase external quality assessment (EQA) scheme. In the responding EFLM member countries, the majority of phlebotomy is performed by nurses and laboratory technicians. Their basic education is generally 4-5 years of high school, followed by 2-5 years of colleague or university studies. Only a third (10/28; 36%) of the participating member countries has any specific training available as a continuous educational resource. A specific training for phlebotomy is not part of the education required to become qualified in 6/28 (21%) and 9/28 (32%) of countries for nurses and laboratory technicians, respectively. In countries and professions where training is required, most require more than 5 h of training. Based on the results of this survey we conclude the

National IVHS Architecture Development Strategy

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-01-27

NATIONAL INFORMATION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE EMERGING THAT REQUIRE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES FOR DEPLOYMENT ACROSS THE NATION, E.G., AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, MILITARY COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS, AND OTHER NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS. THE REQUIRED CH...

Did the English strategy reduce inequalities in health? A difference-in-difference analysis comparing England with three other European countries.

PubMed

Hu, Yannan; van Lenthe, Frank J; Judge, Ken; Lahelma, Eero; Costa, Giuseppe; de Gelder, Rianne; Mackenbach, Johan P

2016-08-24

Between 1997 and 2010, the English government pursued an ambitious programme to reduce health inequalities, the explicit and sustained commitment of which was historically and internationally unique. Previous evaluations have produced mixed results. None of these evaluations have, however, compared the trends in health inequalities within England with those in other European countries. We carried out an innovative analysis to assess whether changes in trends in health inequalities observed in England after the implementation of its programme, have been more favourable than those in other countries without such a programme. Data were obtained from nationally representative surveys carried out in England, Finland, the Netherlands and Italy for years around 1990, 2000 and 2010. A modified difference-in-difference approach was used to assess whether trends in health inequalities in 2000-2010 were more favourable as compared to the period 1990-2000 in England, and the changes in trends in inequalities after 2000 in England were then compared to those in the three comparison countries. Health outcomes were self-assessed health, long-standing health problems, smoking status and obesity. Education was used as indicator of socioeconomic position. After the implementation of the English strategy, more favourable trends in some health indicators were observed among low-educated people, but trends in health inequalities in 2000-2010 in England were not more favourable than those observed in the period 1990-2000. For most health indicators, changes in trends of health inequalities after 2000 in England were also not significantly different from those seen in the other countries. In this rigorous analysis comparing trends in health inequalities in England both over time and between countries, we could not detect a favourable effect of the English strategy. Our analysis illustrates the usefulness of a modified difference-in-difference approach for assessing the impact of policies

Pharmacologically directed strategies in academic anticancer drug discovery based on the European NCI compounds initiative.

PubMed

Hendriks, Hans R; Govaerts, Anne-Sophie; Fichtner, Iduna; Burtles, Sally; Westwell, Andrew D; Peters, Godefridus J

2017-07-11

The European NCI compounds programme, a joint initiative of the EORTC Research Branch, Cancer Research Campaign and the US National Cancer Institute, was initiated in 1993. The objective was to help the NCI in reducing the backlog of in vivo testing of potential anticancer compounds, synthesised in Europe that emerged from the NCI in vitro 60-cell screen. Over a period of more than twenty years the EORTC-Cancer Research Campaign panel reviewed ∼2000 compounds of which 95 were selected for further evaluation. Selected compounds were stepwise developed with clear go/no go decision points using a pharmacologically directed programme. This approach eliminated quickly compounds with unsuitable pharmacological properties. A few compounds went into Phase I clinical evaluation. The lessons learned and many of the principles outlined in the paper can easily be applied to current and future drug discovery and development programmes. Changes in the review panel, restrictions regarding numbers and types of compounds tested in the NCI in vitro screen and the appearance of targeted agents led to the discontinuation of the European NCI programme in 2017 and its transformation into an academic platform of excellence for anticancer drug discovery and development within the EORTC-PAMM group. This group remains open for advice and collaboration with interested parties in the field of cancer pharmacology.

Possible Orientations of the European Dimension in Romanian Educational Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enache, Roxana

2011-01-01

Curricular reform in any educational system should be to balance national, European or international elements and should integrate diversity. European education calls for a democratic citizenship education that includes a political, cultural, social and economic education--an overall European dimension, which implies an awareness of the drive and…

A Qualitative Study of the European Trucking Industry and Logistics Strategies Using the United States Motor Carrier Industry as a Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

UNITED STATES MOTOR CARRIER INDUSTRY AS A GUIDE THESIS David W. Butler Andrew P. Wilhelm Captain, USAF Captain, USAF AFIT/GLM/LSM/92S-7 Approved for...UNITED STATES MOTOR CARRIER INDUSTRY AS A GUIDE THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the School of Systems and Logistics of the Air Force Institute of...THE EUROPEAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY AND LOGISTICS STRATEGIES USING THE UNITED STATES MOTOR CARRIER INDUSTRY AS A GUIDE I. Introduction General Issue The

Computational fluency and strategy choice predict individual and cross-national differences in complex arithmetic.

PubMed

Vasilyeva, Marina; Laski, Elida V; Shen, Chen

2015-10-01

The present study tested the hypothesis that children's fluency with basic number facts and knowledge of computational strategies, derived from early arithmetic experience, predicts their performance on complex arithmetic problems. First-grade students from United States and Taiwan (N = 152, mean age: 7.3 years) were presented with problems that differed in difficulty: single-, mixed-, and double-digit addition. Children's strategy use varied as a function of problem difficulty, consistent with Siegler's theory of strategy choice. The use of decomposition strategy interacted with computational fluency in predicting the accuracy of double-digit addition. Further, the frequency of decomposition and computational fluency fully mediated cross-national differences in accuracy on these complex arithmetic problems. The results indicate the importance of both fluency with basic number facts and the decomposition strategy for later arithmetic performance. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The European Framework of Languages: A Piloting Sample of Cross-Curricular Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansilla, Paloma Ubeda; Riejos, Ana Maria Roldan

2007-01-01

This paper gives a short overview of the history of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) and European Language Portfolio (ELP) and explains their aims and functions. It then provides a summary of the ELP use in Europe and in Spain by showing a pilot study of its implementation carried out at the Schools of Civil Engineering and…

A New Strategy for Latin America

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-01

resulted in six significant racial groups; Indians, Europeans, Mestizo (Indians & Europeans); Black, Mulattoes (Black & Europeans), and Zambos (Indians...slice of the budget pie , a priority ranking of these countries would establish where the best benefits lie for US national security. As discussed, Latin

National and sub-national analysis of the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of strategies to reduce maternal mortality in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Carvalho, Natalie; Salehi, Ahmad Shah; Goldie, Sue J

2013-01-01

Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. We assess the health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve the safety of pregnancy and childbirth in Afghanistan. Using national and sub-national data, we adapted a previously validated model that simulates the natural history of pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications. We incorporated data on antenatal care, family planning, skilled birth attendance and information about access to transport, referral facilities and quality of care. We evaluated single interventions (e.g. family planning) and strategies that combined several interventions packaged as integrated services (transport, intrapartum care). Outcomes included pregnancy-related complications, maternal deaths, maternal mortality ratios, costs and cost-effectiveness ratios. Model-projected reduction in maternal deaths between 1999-2002 and 2007-08 approximated 20%. Increasing family planning was the most effective individual intervention to further reduce maternal mortality; up to 1 in 3 pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented if contraception use approached 60%. Nevertheless, reductions in maternal mortality reached a threshold (∼30% to 40%) without strategies that assured women access to emergency obstetrical care. A stepwise approach that coupled improved family planning with incremental improvements in skilled attendance, transport, referral and appropriate intrapartum care and high-quality facilities prevented 3 of 4 maternal deaths. Such an approach would cost less than US$200 per year of life saved at the national level, well below Afghanistan's per capita gross domestic product (GDP), a common benchmark for cost-effectiveness. Similar results were noted sub-nationally. Our findings reinforce the importance of early intensive efforts to increase family planning for spacing and limiting births and to provide control of fertility choices. While significant improvements in health delivery

Lung cancer mortality trends in 36 European countries: secular trends and birth cohort patterns by sex and region 1970-2007.

PubMed

Bray, Freddie Ian; Weiderpass, Elisabete

2010-03-15

Smoking is a major contributor to all-cause mortality in Europe and accounts for one-fifth of the cancer-related deaths. Monitoring the tobacco epidemic via an analysis of lung cancer trends is essential in helping countries arrest the effects of tobacco epidemic in the region. The study aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the temporal patterns of lung cancer mortality in Europe, emphasizing country- and sex-specific differences. National lung cancer mortality data were extracted from the WHO mortality databank by age, sex, year of death (1970-2007) for 36 countries in Europe. Trends in lung cancer mortality in men have tended to decrease in many European countries during the last two decades, particularly in North and Western Europe. Among women, mortality rates are still increasing in many countries, although in a few populations, rates are beginning to stabilize, notably in the high-risk countries within Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic), and in Northern Europe (Denmark, Iceland and the United Kingdom). Men and women are clearly in very different phases of the smoking epidemic, and, as reflected in the mortality rates by birth cohort, the stage varies widely by country within each European region. That lung cancer mortality trends in men are on a downwards path in most European countries while female rates continue to rise, points to an urgent need for national and European prevention strategies that target tobacco cessation and prevention among European women.

Recognition of Prior Learning at the Centre of a National Strategy: Tensions between Professional Gains and Personal Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lima, Licínio C.; Guimarães, Paula

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on recognition of prior learning as part of a national policy based on European Union guidelines for lifelong learning, and it explains how recognition of prior learning has been perceived since it was implemented in Portugal in 2000. Data discussed are the result of a mixed method research project that surveyed adult learners,…

The association between implementation strategy use and the uptake of hepatitis C treatment in a national sample.

PubMed

Rogal, Shari S; Yakovchenko, Vera; Waltz, Thomas J; Powell, Byron J; Kirchner, JoAnn E; Proctor, Enola K; Gonzalez, Rachel; Park, Angela; Ross, David; Morgan, Timothy R; Chartier, Maggie; Chinman, Matthew J

2017-05-11

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common and highly morbid illness. New medications that have much higher cure rates have become the new evidence-based practice in the field. Understanding the implementation of these new medications nationally provides an opportunity to advance the understanding of the role of implementation strategies in clinical outcomes on a large scale. The Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) study defined discrete implementation strategies and clustered these strategies into groups. The present evaluation assessed the use of these strategies and clusters in the context of HCV treatment across the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration, the largest provider of HCV care nationally. A 73-item survey was developed and sent to all VA sites treating HCV via electronic survey, to assess whether or not a site used each ERIC-defined implementation strategy related to employing the new HCV medication in 2014. VA national data regarding the number of Veterans starting on the new HCV medications at each site were collected. The associations between treatment starts and number and type of implementation strategies were assessed. A total of 80 (62%) sites responded. Respondents endorsed an average of 25 ± 14 strategies. The number of treatment starts was positively correlated with the total number of strategies endorsed (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Quartile of treatment starts was significantly associated with the number of strategies endorsed (p < 0.01), with the top quartile endorsing a median of 33 strategies, compared to 15 strategies in the lowest quartile. There were significant differences in the types of strategies endorsed by sites in the highest and lowest quartiles of treatment starts. Four of the 10 top strategies for sites in the top quartile had significant correlations with treatment starts compared to only 1 of the 10 top strategies in the bottom quartile sites. Overall, only 3 of the

Improving the National Strategy Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

nation. Sunil Desai stated, “For any nation, coordinating the diverse elements of national power--diplomatic, economic, intelligence, military, and...Strategy”, Studies In Conflict and Terrorism, 34, no. 2, (2011), 139. 12 Sunil B. Desai, “Solving the Interagency Puzzle,” Policy Review 129

Depression in Europe: does migrant integration have mental health payoffs? A cross-national comparison of 20 European countries.

PubMed

Levecque, Katia; Van Rossem, Ronan

2015-01-01

Objectives. Depression is a leading cause of ill health and disability. As migrants form an increasing group in Europe, already making up about 8.7% of the population in 2010, knowledge on migrant-related inequalities in depression is of main public health interest. In this study, we first assess whether migrants in Europe are at higher risk for depression compared to the native population. Second, we assess whether the association between migration and depression is dependent on different forms of migrant integration. Migrant integration is looked at both from the individual and from the national level. Design. Hierarchical linear regression analyses based on data for 20 countries in the European Social Survey 2006/2007 (N = 37,076 individuals aged 15 or more). Depression is measured using the center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale. We consider migrant integration over time (first- and second-generation migrants, differentiated according to European Union (EU) or non-EU origin), barriers to integration (low educational level, financial difficulties, being out of the labor market, ethnic minority status, discrimination), and the host country environment (national migrant integration policy). Controls are gender, age, partner relationship, social support, and welfare state regime. Results. Natives and second-generation migrants do not differ significantly in their risk profile for depression. First-generation migrants show higher levels of depression, with those born outside of Europe to be the worst off. This higher risk for depression is not attributable to ethnic minority status but is mainly due to experienced barriers to socioeconomic integration and processes of discrimination. A country's national policy on migrant integration shows not to soften the depressing effect of being a first-generation migrant nor does it have indirect beneficial health effects by reducing barriers to integration. Conclusion. In Europe, first-generation EU and non-EU migrants

Social welfare support and homicide: longitudinal analyses of European countries from 1994 to 2010.

PubMed

McCall, Patricia L; Brauer, Jonathan R

2014-11-01

The purpose of this research is to explore the extent to which retrenchment in welfare support is related to homicide trends across European countries between 1994 and 2010. Using a longitudinal decomposition design that allows for stronger causal inferences compared to typical cross-sectional designs, we examine these potential linkages between social support spending and homicide with data collected from a heterogeneous sample of European nations, including twenty Western nations and nine less frequently analyzed East-Central nations, during recent years in which European nations generally witnessed substantial changes in homicide rates as well as both economic prosperity and fiscal crisis. Results suggest that even incremental, short-term changes in welfare support spending are associated with short-term reductions in homicide-specifically, impacting homicide rates within two to three years for this sample of European nations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Strategy for Thailand's Space Technology Development: National Space Program (NSP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pimnoo, Ammarin; Purivigraipong, Somphop

2016-07-01

The Royal Thai Government has established the National Space Policy Committee (NSPC) with mandates for setting policy and strategy. The NSPC is considering plans and budget allocation for Thai space development. NSPC's goal is to promote the utilization of space technology in a manner that is congruent with the current situation and useful for the economy, society, science, technology, educational development and national security. The first proposed initiative of the National Space Program (NSP) is co-development of THEOS-2, a next-generation satellite system that includes Thailand's second and third earth observation satellite (THAICHOTE-2 and THAICHOTE-3). THEOS-1 or THAICHOTE-1 was the first Earth Observation Satellite of Thailand launched in 2008. At present, the THAICHOTE-1 is over the lifetime, therefore the THEOS-2 project has been established. THEOS-2 is a complete Earth Observation System comprising THAICHOTE-2&3 as well as ground control segment and capacity building. Thus, NSPC has considered that Thailand should manage the space system. Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) has been assigned to propose the initiative National Space Program (NSP). This paper describes the strategy of Thailand's National Space Program (NSP) which will be driven by GISTDA. First, NSP focuses on different aspects of the utilization of space on the basis of technology, innovation, knowledge and manpower. It contains driving mechanisms related to policy, implementation and use in order to promote further development. The Program aims to increase economic competitiveness, reduce social disparity, and improve social security, natural resource management and environmental sustainability. The NSP conceptual framework includes five aspects: communications satellites, earth observation satellite systems, space economy, space exploration and research, and NSP administration. THEOS-2 is considered a part of NSP with relevance to the earth observation

Why Are the Mathematics National Examination Items Difficult and What Is Teachers' Strategy to Overcome It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Retnawati, Heri; Kartowagiran, Badrun; Arlinwibowo, Janu; Sulistyaningsih, Eny

2017-01-01

The quality of national examination items plays an enormous role in identifying students' competencies mastery and their difficulties. This study aims to identify the difficult items in the Junior High School Mathematics National Examination, to find the factors that cause students' difficulty and to reveal the strategies that the teachers and the…

Proposal of the confinement strategy of radioactive and hazardous materials for the European DEMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, X. Z.; Carloni, D.; Stieglitz, R.; Ciattaglia, S.; Johnston, J.; Taylor, N.

2017-04-01

Confinement of radioactive and hazardous materials is one of the fundamental safety functions in a nuclear fusion facility, which has to limit the mobilisation and dispersion of sources and hazards during normal, abnormal and accidental situations. In a first step energy sources and radioactive source have been assessed for a conceptual DEMO configuration. The confinement study for the European DEMO has been investigated for the main systems at the plant breakdown structure (PBS) level 1 taking a bottom-up approach. Based on the identification of the systems possessing a confinement function, a confinement strategy has been proposed, in which DEMO confinement systems and barriers have been defined. In addition, confinement for the maintenance has been issued as well. The assignment of confinement barriers to the identified sources under abnormal and accidental conditions has been performed, and the DEMO main safety systems have been proposed as well. Finally, confinement related open issues have been pointed out, which need to be resolved in parallel with DEMO development.

Knowledge and perceptions of national and provincial tuberculosis control programme managers in Pakistan about the WHO Stop TB strategy: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Khan, Wasiq Mehmood; Smith, Helen; Qadeer, Ejaz; Hassounah, Sondus

2016-01-01

To understand how national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in Pakistan perceive and engage with the Stop TB strategy, its strengths, weaknesses and their experience in its implementation. National and provincial tuberculosis programme managers play an important role in effective implementation of the Stop TB strategy. A qualitative interview study was conducted with 10 national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers to understand how they perceive and engage with the Stop TB strategy, its strengths, weaknesses and their experience in its implementation. Managers were selected purposively; 10 managers were interviewed (six national staff and four from provincial level). National and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in Pakistan. Managers were selected purposively; 10 managers were interviewed (six national staff and four from provincial level). National and provincial tuberculosis programmes in Pakistan. 1. Knowledge and perceptions of national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers about the Stop TB strategy 2. Progress in implementing the strategy in Pakistan 3. Significant success factors 4. Significant implementation challenges 5. Lessons learnt to scale up successful implementation. The managers reported that most progress had been made in extending DOTS, health systems strengthening, public -private mixed interventions, MDR-TB care and TB/HIV care. The four factors that contributed significantly to progress were the availability of DOTS services, the public-private partnership approach, comprehensive guidance for TB control and government and donor commitment to TB control. This study identified three main challenges as perceived by national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in terms of implementing the Stop TB strategy: 1. Inadequate political commitment, 2. Issue pertaining to prioritisation of certain components in the TB strategy over others due to external influences and 3. Limitations in the overall

Knowledge and perceptions of national and provincial tuberculosis control programme managers in Pakistan about the WHO Stop TB strategy: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Khan, Wasiq Mehmood; Smith, Helen; Qadeer, Ejaz

2016-01-01

Objective To understand how national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in Pakistan perceive and engage with the Stop TB strategy, its strengths, weaknesses and their experience in its implementation. National and provincial tuberculosis programme managers play an important role in effective implementation of the Stop TB strategy. Design A qualitative interview study was conducted with 10 national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers to understand how they perceive and engage with the Stop TB strategy, its strengths, weaknesses and their experience in its implementation. Managers were selected purposively; 10 managers were interviewed (six national staff and four from provincial level). Participants National and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in Pakistan. Managers were selected purposively; 10 managers were interviewed (six national staff and four from provincial level). Setting National and provincial tuberculosis programmes in Pakistan Main outcome measures 1. Knowledge and perceptions of national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers about the Stop TB strategy 2. Progress in implementing the strategy in Pakistan 3. Significant success factors 4. Significant implementation challenges 5. Lessons learnt to scale up successful implementation. Results The managers reported that most progress had been made in extending DOTS, health systems strengthening, public -private mixed interventions, MDR-TB care and TB/HIV care. The four factors that contributed significantly to progress were the availability of DOTS services, the public-private partnership approach, comprehensive guidance for TB control and government and donor commitment to TB control. Conclusion This study identified three main challenges as perceived by national and provincial tuberculosis programme managers in terms of implementing the Stop TB strategy: 1. Inadequate political commitment, 2. Issue pertaining to prioritisation of certain components in the TB

Reconstituting National Defense: The New U.S. National Security Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-30

PORT NUMNBER(S) 5. MO.M] ORLNG ORGA.NIZATION REPIORT NUM ’,BE R(S) NPS-NS-91-012___________________________________ (Ya NAEOF PERORNING ORGANZATON 6b...U.S. intelligence community. Chapter on impact of Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. Analysis of role on Congress in formulating the strategy and...raised by President Bush’s strategy. After a 9 brief overview of how the strategy was formulated , the chapter examines the main elements of the strategy

A Short History of Europeanizing Education: The New Political Work of Calculating the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grek, Sotiria; Lawn, Martin

2009-01-01

A constant element of Europeanization, from the 1950s, was the cultural strategy of creating a common identity, fabricated through cultural symbols and exchange; education was enmeshed within this strategy. In particular, cultural cooperation was associated with a new identity, "a European model of culture correlating with European…

Suicide burden and prevention in Nepal: The need for a national strategy.

PubMed

Marahatta, Kedar; Samuel, Reuben; Sharma, Pawan; Dixit, Lonim; Shrestha, Bhola Ram

2017-04-01

Suicide is a major cause of deaths worldwide and is a key public health concern in Nepal. Although routine national data are not collected in Nepal, the available evidence suggests that suicide rates are relatively high, notably for women. In addition, civil conflict and the 2015 earthquake have had significant contributory effects. A range of factors both facilitate suicide attempts and hinder those affected from seeking help, such as the ready availability of toxic pesticides and the widespread, although erroneous, belief that suicide is illegal. Various interventions have been undertaken at different levels in prevention and rehabilitation but a specific long-term national strategy for suicide prevention is lacking. Hence, to address this significant public health problem, a multisectoral platform of stakeholders needs to be established under government leadership, to design and implement innovative and country-contextualized policies and programmes. A bottom-up approach, with active and participatory community engagement from the start of the policy- and strategy-formulation stage, through to the design and implementation of interventions, could potentially build grass-roots public ownership, reduce stigma and ensure a scaleable and sustainable response.

Civil society engagement in innovation and research through the European Public Health Association.

PubMed

Zeegers Paget, Dineke; Barnhoorn, Floris; McCarthy, Mark; Alexanderson, Kristina; Conceição, Claudia; Devillé, Walter; Grimaud, Olivier; Katreniakova, Zuzana; Narkauskaité, Laura; Saliba, Amanda; Sammut, Marvic; Voss, Margaretha

2013-11-01

The European Public Health Association (EUPHA) proposed and led PHIRE (Public Health Innovation and Research in Europe), with co-financing by the European Commission, to assess public health innovation and research at national level in Europe. PHIRE was also designed to promote organizational development and capacity building of EUPHA. We assess the success and limitations of using EUPHA's participative structures. In total, 30 European countries were included-27 EU countries, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. EUPHA thematic section presidents were asked to identify country informants to report, through a web-based questionnaire, on eight public health innovations. National public health associations (EUPHA member organizations) were requested to identify their national public health research programmes and calls, review the health research system, coordinate a stakeholder workshop and provide a national report. The section and national reports were assessed for responses and completeness. Half of the final responding CIs were members of EUPHA sections and the other half gained from other sources. Experts declined to respond for reasons including lack of time, knowledge of the innovation or funding. National public health associations held PHIRE workshops with Ministries of Health in 14 countries; information for 10 countries was gained through discussions within the national association, or country visits by PHIRE partners. Six countries provided no response. Some national associations had too weak organizational structures for the work or insufficient financial resources or criticism of the project. EUPHA is the leading civil society organization giving support to public health research in Europe. PHIRE created new knowledge and supported organizational development. EUPHA sections gained expert reports on public health innovations in European countries and national public health associations reported on national public health research systems. Significant advances

Setting strategy for system change: using concept mapping to prioritise national action for chronic disease prevention.

PubMed

Wutzke, Sonia; Roberts, Nick; Willis, Cameron; Best, Allan; Wilson, Andrew; Trochim, William

2017-08-08

Chronic diseases are a serious and urgent problem, requiring at-scale, multi-component, multi-stakeholder action and cooperation. Despite numerous national frameworks and agenda-setting documents to coordinate prevention efforts, Australia, like many countries internationally, is yet to substantively impact the burden from chronic disease. Improved evidence on effective strategies for the prevention of chronic disease is required. This research sought to articulate a priority set of important and feasible action domains to inform future discussion and debate regarding priority areas for chronic disease prevention policy and strategy. Using concept mapping, a mixed-methods approach to making use of the best available tacit knowledge of recognised, diverse and well-experienced actors, and national actions to improve the prevention of chronic disease in Australia were identified and then mapped. Participants (ranging from 58 to 78 in the various stages of the research) included a national sample of academics, policymakers and practitioners. Data collection involved the generation and sorting of statements by participants. A series of visual representations of the data were then developed. A total of 95 statements were distilled into 12 clusters for action, namely Inter-Sectoral Partnerships; Systems Perspective/Action; Governance; Roles and Responsibilities; Evidence, Feedback and Learning; Funding and Incentive; Creating Demand; Primary Prevention; Social Determinants and Equity; Healthy Environments; Food and Nutrition; and Regulation and Policy. Specific areas for more immediate national action included refocusing the health system to prevention over cure, raising the profile of public health with health decision-makers, funding policy- and practice-relevant research, improving communication about prevention, learning from both global best-practice and domestic successes and failures, increasing the focus on primary prevention, and developing a long-term prevention

Competitive funding and structures for public health research in European countries.

PubMed

McCarthy, Mark; Conceição, Claudia; Grimaud, Olivier; Katreniakova, Zuzana; Saliba, Amanda; Sammut, Marvic; Narkauskaité, Laura

2013-11-01

The European Union is giving increasing emphasis to research as a driver for innovation and economic development. The European collaborative study PHIRE (Public Health Innovation and Research in Europe) investigated the funding and structures of public health research at national level in European countries. Background materials were prepared for national public health associations of European countries to hold workshops or discussions with research and policy stakeholders on their public health research systems. The reports, supplemented from internet sources for 23 EU countries (four did not contribute), provided information for framework analysis. All countries have public funding and administrative structures for research, but structures for public health research are more varied. In most countries, competitive health research funding is controlled by the Ministry of Science, with little input from the Ministry of Health. In four countries, Ministries of Health provide competitive funding alongside Ministries of Science, and in two countries there is a single health research council. There is no comparative reporting of public health research funding, and little connection with European public health research programmes. Europe needs a comprehensive picture of national and regional systems of public health research, in order to critically assess them and better adapt to changes and challenges, and to achieve a European Research Area for public health.

European activities in radiation protection in medicine.

PubMed

Simeonov, Georgi

2015-07-01

The recently published Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom ('new European Basic Safety Standards', EU BSS) modernises and consolidates the European radiation protection legislation by taking into account the latest scientific knowledge, technological progress and experience with implementing the current legislation and by merging five existing Directives into a single piece of legislation. The new European BSS repeal previous European legislation on which the national systems for radiation protection in medicine of the 28 European Union (EU) Member States are based, including the 96/29/Euratom 'BSS' and the 97/43/Euratom 'Medical Exposure' Directives. While most of the elements of the previous legislation have been kept, there are several legal changes that will have important influence over the regulation and practice in the field all over Europe-these include, among others: (i) strengthening the implementation of the justification principle and expanding it to medically exposed asymptomatic individuals, (ii) more attention to interventional radiology, (iii) new requirements for dose recording and reporting, (iv) increased role of the medical physics expert in imaging, (v) new set of requirements for preventing and following up on accidents and (vi) new set of requirements for procedures where radiological equipment is used on people for non-medical purposes (non-medical imaging exposure). The EU Member States have to enforce the new EU BSS before January 2018 and bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with it. The European Commission has certain legal obligations and powers to verify the compliance of the national measures with the EU laws and, wherever necessary, issue recommendations to, or open infringement cases against, national governments. In order to ensure timely and coordinated implementation of the new European legal requirements for radiation protection, the Commission is launching several actions

A pilot study on the feasibility of European harmonized human biomonitoring: Strategies towards a common approach, challenges and opportunities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casteleyn, L., E-mail: Ludwine.Casteleyn@med.kuleuven.be; Dumez, B.; Becker, K.

In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized approach for Human Biomonitoring surveys throughout Europe. The main objective was to sustain environmental health policy by building a coherent and sustainable framework and by increasing the comparability of data across countries. A pilot study to test common guidelines for setting up surveys was considered a key step in this process. Through a bottom-up approach that included all stakeholders, a joint study protocol was elaborated. From September 2011 till February 2012, 17 European countries collected data from 1844 mother–child pairs in the frame of DEMOnstration of amore » study to COordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (DEMOCOPHES). Mercury in hair and urinary cadmium and cotinine were selected as biomarkers of exposure covered by sufficient analytical experience. Phthalate metabolites and Bisphenol A in urine were added to take into account increasing public and political awareness for emerging types of contaminants and to test less advanced markers/markers covered by less analytical experience. Extensive efforts towards chemo-analytical comparability were included. The pilot study showed that common approaches can be found in a context of considerable differences with respect to experience and expertize, socio-cultural background, economic situation and national priorities. It also evidenced that comparable Human Biomonitoring results can be obtained in such context. A European network was built, exchanging information, expertize and experiences, and providing training on all aspects of a survey. A key challenge was finding the right balance between a rigid structure allowing maximal comparability and a flexible approach increasing feasibility and capacity building. Next steps in European harmonization in Human Biomonitoring surveys include the establishment of a joint process for prioritization of substances to cover and biomarkers to

A Comparison of Agriculture in the United States and the European Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Mark; And Others

It is difficult to compare the United States and European Community (EC) agricultural sectors for several reasons. For one thing, the European community is an economic association of 12 independent nations, each of which has its own national methods of data collection and statistical presentation. The problem of comparing the two sectors is…

New perspectives on sea use management: initial findings from European experience with marine spatial planning.

PubMed

Douvere, Fanny; Ehler, Charles N

2009-01-01

Increased development pressures on the marine environment and the potential for multiple use conflicts, arising as a result of the current expansion of offshore wind energy, fishing and aquaculture, dredging, mineral extraction, shipping, and the need to meet international and national commitments to biodiversity conservation, have led to increased interest in sea use planning with particular emphasis on marine spatial planning. Several European countries, on their own initiative or driven by the European Union's Marine Strategy and Maritime Policy, the Bergen Declaration of the North Sea Conference, and the EU Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, have taken global leadership in implementing marine spatial planning. Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany in the North Sea, and the United Kingdom in the Irish Sea, have already completed preliminary sea use plans and zoning proposals for marine areas within their national jurisdictions. This paper discusses the nature and context of marine spatial planning, the international legal and policy framework, and the increasing need for marine spatial planning in Europe. In addition, the authors review briefly three marine spatial planning initiatives in the North Sea and conclude with some initial lessons learned from these experiences.

First European consensus for diagnosis, management, and treatment of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy

PubMed Central

Adams, David; Suhr, Ole B.; Hund, Ernst; Obici, Laura; Tournev, Ivailo; Campistol, Josep M.; Slama, Michel S.; Hazenberg, Bouke P.; Coelho, Teresa

2016-01-01

Purpose of review Early and accurate diagnosis of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) represents one of the major challenges faced by physicians when caring for patients with idiopathic progressive neuropathy. There is little consensus in diagnostic and management approaches across Europe. Recent findings The low prevalence of TTR-FAP across Europe and the high variation in both genotype and phenotypic expression of the disease means that recognizing symptoms can be difficult outside of a specialized diagnostic environment. The resulting delay in diagnosis and the possibility of misdiagnosis can misguide clinical decision-making and negatively impact subsequent treatment approaches and outcomes. Summary This review summarizes the findings from two meetings of the European Network for TTR-FAP (ATTReuNET). This is an emerging group comprising representatives from 10 European countries with expertise in the diagnosis and management of TTR-FAP, including nine National Reference Centres. The current review presents management strategies and a consensus on the gold standard for diagnosis of TTR-FAP as well as a structured approach to ongoing multidisciplinary care for the patient. Greater communication, not just between members of an individual patient's treatment team, but also between regional and national centres of expertise, is the key to the effective management of TTR-FAP. PMID:26734952

European Association for Palliative Care: Forging a Vision of Excellence in Palliative Care in Central and Eastern European and Former Soviet Union Countries.

PubMed

Radbruch, Lukas; Ling, Julie; Hegedus, Katalin; Larkin, Philip

2018-02-01

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) represents many thousands of health care workers and volunteers working in or with an interest in palliative care. In 2016, the EAPC has individual members from 48 nations across the world, and collective members from 57 national palliative care associations in 32 European countries. Throughout its history, the EAPC has produced guidance on a range of palliative care issues. The biennial congresses and research congresses and the comprehensive Web site (www.eapcnet.eu) are renowned and well utilized platforms for dissemination and exchange of palliative care information. The EAPC has also published a newsletter specifically for Eastern European and Central Asian countries that has been available in both English and Russian from 2005 to 2012. In addition, for a period of time, a Russian Web site (www.eapcspeaksrussian.eu) was also available. A survey of palliative care in Central and Eastern European nations sponsored by Open Society Foundation's International Palliative Care Initiative found that in most countries, the national language is preferred rather than using English or Russian for the provision of information. Accordingly, the EAPC Web site provides translations of white papers, position papers, and blog posts in a number of languages. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

European Proficiency testing of national reference laboratories for the confirmation of sulfonamide residues in muscle and milk.

PubMed

Juhel-Gaugain, Murielle; Fourmond, Marie-Pierre; Delepine, Bernard; Laurentie, Michel; Brigitte, Roudaut; Sanders, Pascal

2005-03-01

Two interlaboratory studies were organized in 2002-2003 in order to check the proficiency of laboratories in confirming the presence of sulfonamide residues in muscle and milk. These studies involved 25 EU National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) from 21 different European Countries in charge of statutory monitoring of antimicrobial residues in food of animal origin at a national level. The study was conducted according to international and national guidelines by the Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) in charge of antimicrobial substances. Four different test matrices of sheep muscle and four different test matrices of bovine milk containing different sulfonamide substances were prepared and sent to the participants. Each participant was asked to use his own routine confirmatory method and to analyse each sample in triplicate within a period of about six weeks during which the stability of the materials was checked by the organizer. The sulfonamide content of each material was determined by calculating the robust means of all the results and the deviation of the results from the assigned values was assessed by calculating Z-scores. Overall, results were satisfactory, particularly considering that it was the first proficiency test dealing with sulfonamides organised by the Community Reference Laboratory.

National Space Weather Program Releases Strategy for the New Decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, Samuel P.; Babcock, Michael R.; Bonadonna, Michael F.

2010-12-01

The National Space Weather Program (NSWP; http://www.nswp.gov) is a U.S. federal government interagency program established by the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM) in 1995 to coordinate, collaborate, and leverage capabilities across stakeholder agencies, including space weather researchers, service providers, users, policy makers, and funding agencies, to improve the performance of the space weather enterprise for the United States and its international partners. Two important documents released in recent months have established a framework and the vision, goals, and strategy to move the enterprise forward in the next decade. The U.S. federal agency members of the NSWP include the departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Interior, State, and Transportation, plus NASA, the National Science Foundation, and observers from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OFCM is also working with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency to formally join the program.

The European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (erihs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Striova, J.; Pezzati, L.

2017-08-01

The European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) entered the European strategic roadmap for research infrastructures (ESFRI Roadmap [1]) in 2016, as one of its six new projects. E-RIHS supports research on heritage interpretation, preservation, documentation and management. Both cultural and natural heritage are addressed: collections, artworks, buildings, monuments and archaeological sites. E-RIHS aims to become a distributed research infrastructure with a multi-level star-structure: facilities from single Countries will be organized in national nodes, coordinated by National Hubs. The E-RIHS Central Hub will provide the unique access point to all E-RIHS services through coordination of National Hubs. E-RIHS activities already started in some of its national nodes. In Italy the access to some E-RIHS services started in 2015. A case study concerning the diagnostic of a hypogea cave is presented.

Multiple Hub Network Choice in the Liberalized European Market

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berechman, Joseph; deWit, Jaap

1997-01-01

A key question that so far has received relatively little attention in the germane literature is that of the changes at various airports as a result of the EU liberalization policies. That is, presently, most major European airports still benefit from the so-called home-carrier phenomenon where the country's publicly or semi-publicly owned carrier uses the country's main airport as its gateway hub and, consequently, the home-carrier is also the principal user of this airport (in terms of proportion of total aircraft movements, number of passengers transported, connections, slots ownership, etc.). The country's main airport has substantially benefited from these monopoly conditions of airline captivity, strongly determined by the bilateral system of international air transport regulation. Therefore, European major airports were used to operate in essentially different markets, compared to the increasingly competitive markets of their home based carriers. This partly explains relative stability of transport volumes and financial results of European major airports compared to the relatively volatile financial results of most European national airlines. However, the liberalization of European aviation is likely to change this situation. Market access is open now to all community carriers, i.e. carriers with majority ownership and effective control in the hands of EU citizens. Ticket prices are free, governments can only intervene in case of dumping or excessive pricing. A community airline can choose its seat in any of the 15 member states. Licensing procedures are harmonized between member states. In the last few months community carriers have had unrestricted route access within the EU. Most probably this development will be extended to countries inside and outside Europe. Last year the European Commission got the mandate to start negotiations with 10 other European countries. In the meantime the EC has also started negotiations with the USA on so-called soft rights

Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes: Impact or Illusion?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazelkorn, Ellen; Loukkola, Tia; Zhang, Thérèse

2014-01-01

The "Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes" (RISP) project is the first pan-European study of the impact and influence of rankings on European higher education institutions. The project has sought to build understanding of how rankings impact and influence the development of institutional strategies and processes and its…

Governing Education in Europe: A "New" Policy Space of European Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlos, Sofia

2012-01-01

European Schools are a particular type of school that are not integrated into any national education system but are nonetheless official educational establishments that constitute a European Schools System (ESS) governed jointly by the Member States of the European Union. This positioning creates particularly interesting issues of governance that…

Gabriel: Gateway to Europe's National Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jefcoate, Graham

2006-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to look into Gabriel--the Worldwide web server for those European national libraries represented in the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL), providing a single point of access on the internet for the retrieval of information about their functions, services and collections. Above all, it serves as a gateway…

Applying an equity lens to tobacco-control policies and their uptake in six Western-European countries.

PubMed

Giskes, K; Kunst, A E; Ariza, C; Benach, J; Borrell, C; Helmert, U; Judge, K; Lahelma, E; Moussa, K; Ostergren, P O; Patja, K; Platt, S; Prättälä, R; Willemsen, M C; Mackenbach, J P

2007-07-01

We identified policies that may be effective in reducing smoking among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, and examined trends in their level of application between 1985 and 2000 in six western-European countries (Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain). We located studies from literature searches in major databases, and acquired policy data from international data banks and questionnaires distributed to tobacco policy organisations/researchers. Advertising bans, smoking bans in workplaces, removing barriers to smoking cessation therapies, and increasing the cost of cigarettes have the potential to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in smoking. Between 1985 and 2000, tobacco control policies in most countries have become more targeted to decrease the smoking behaviour of low-socioeconomic groups. Despite this, many national tobacco-control strategies in western-European countries still fall short of a comprehensive policy approach to addressing smoking inequalities.

A pilot study on the feasibility of European harmonized human biomonitoring: Strategies towards a common approach, challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Casteleyn, L; Dumez, B; Becker, K; Kolossa-Gehring, M; Den Hond, E; Schoeters, G; Castaño, A; Koch, H M; Angerer, J; Esteban, M; Exley, K; Sepai, O; Bloemen, L; Horvat, M; Knudsen, L E; Joas, A; Joas, R; Biot, P; Koppen, G; Dewolf, M-C; Katsonouri, A; Hadjipanayis, A; Cerná, M; Krsková, A; Schwedler, G; Fiddicke, U; Nielsen, J K S; Jensen, J F; Rudnai, P; Közepésy, S; Mulcahy, M; Mannion, R; Gutleb, A C; Fischer, M E; Ligocka, D; Jakubowski, M; Reis, M F; Namorado, S; Lupsa, I-R; Gurzau, A E; Halzlova, K; Jajcaj, M; Mazej, D; Tratnik Snoj, J; Posada, M; López, E; Berglund, M; Larsson, K; Lehmann, A; Crettaz, P; Aerts, D

2015-08-01

In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized approach for Human Biomonitoring surveys throughout Europe. The main objective was to sustain environmental health policy by building a coherent and sustainable framework and by increasing the comparability of data across countries. A pilot study to test common guidelines for setting up surveys was considered a key step in this process. Through a bottom-up approach that included all stakeholders, a joint study protocol was elaborated. From September 2011 till February 2012, 17 European countries collected data from 1844 mother-child pairs in the frame of DEMOnstration of a study to COordinate and Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (DEMOCOPHES).(1) Mercury in hair and urinary cadmium and cotinine were selected as biomarkers of exposure covered by sufficient analytical experience. Phthalate metabolites and Bisphenol A in urine were added to take into account increasing public and political awareness for emerging types of contaminants and to test less advanced markers/markers covered by less analytical experience. Extensive efforts towards chemo-analytical comparability were included. The pilot study showed that common approaches can be found in a context of considerable differences with respect to experience and expertize, socio-cultural background, economic situation and national priorities. It also evidenced that comparable Human Biomonitoring results can be obtained in such context. A European network was built, exchanging information, expertize and experiences, and providing training on all aspects of a survey. A key challenge was finding the right balance between a rigid structure allowing maximal comparability and a flexible approach increasing feasibility and capacity building. Next steps in European harmonization in Human Biomonitoring surveys include the establishment of a joint process for prioritization of substances to cover and biomarkers to develop

Strategy for a transparent, accessible, and sustainable national claims database.

PubMed

Gelburd, Robin

2015-03-01

The article outlines the strategy employed by FAIR Health, Inc, an independent nonprofit, to maintain a national database of over 18 billion private health insurance claims to support consumer education, payer and provider operations, policy makers, and researchers with standard and customized data sets on an economically self-sufficient basis. It explains how FAIR Health conducts all operations in-house, including data collection, security, validation, information organization, product creation, and transmission, with a commitment to objectivity and reliability in data and data products. It also describes the data elements available to researchers and the diverse studies that FAIR Health data facilitate.

National mass care strategy: a national integrated approach.

PubMed

Mintz, Amy; Gonzalez, Waddy

2013-01-01

Mass care refers to a wide range of humanitarian activities that collectively provide life- sustaining services, such as emergency sheltering, feeding, reunification, distribution of emergency supplies and recovery information, before or in the aftermath of an emergency or disaster. Most services are coordinated and provided by non-governmental organisations and/or local government. Based on the lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters joined efforts to expand national mass care capabilities in order to support survivors in the wake of catastrophic events, as well as to enhance the integration of volunteers and non-governmental organisations into the broader national effort. These efforts resulted in the creation of the National Mass Care Council in 2010, with representatives of Federal and State agencies, voluntary organisations and the private sector working together to develop a unified approach to mass care and to ensure the provision of consistent and uniform services across the USA, regardless of the magnitude of the event.

Family Responsibilities: How Are They Shared in European Households?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Statistics in Focus: Population and Social Conditions, 1997

1997-01-01

This newsletter focuses on the division of family responsibilities in European households, which is based on results of the European Community Household Panel, a multi-dimensional survey covering several subjects, including demographic and employment characteristics. The survey was based on a questionnaire adapted by various national data…

What Makes Cyprus European? Curricular Responses of Greek-Cypriot Civic Education to "Europe"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philippou, Stavroula

2009-01-01

Increasing European integration and European education policies are fuelling political and academic debates over the meaning of a "European identity" and a "European citizenship" and their potential relationship(s) to national and/or state identities. These debates are especially fraught in a case such as Cyprus, a case…

[Harmful alcohol consumption: prevalence, trends, health burden, reduction strategy].

PubMed

Грузева, Татьяна С; Дуфинец, Василий А; Замкевич, Виктория Б

2016-01-01

Harmful alcohol consumption constitutes a significant cause of the global burden of disease, causing more than 200 different diseases, 5.9% of all deaths worldwide, causing substantial medical and social costs, major economic loss, slowing progress towards the strategic goals of human development. to substantiate approaches to the formation of a national strategy to combat the harmful use of alcohol in Ukraine based on the analysis of the prevalence of alcohol consumption and related health and social problems and international experience and recommendations of WHO. The study was based on analysis of the extent and patterns of alcohol consumption in Ukraine, levels, structure and dynamics of morbidity and mortality from diseases associated with alcohol abuse; investigation of preventive activities in primary healthcare, the existing problems and doctors' needs for prevention alcohol abuse, national and international experience on this problem.This work usesbibliosemantic, medical, statistical, sociological, epidemiological methods. The information base are: European Health for All Database (HFA-DB)for 2000-2012,Center of Medical Statistics, Ministry of Health of Ukraine for 2000-2015, questionnaire survey of physicians in primary care, strategic and policy documents of WHO, WHO Regional Office for Europe. In Ukraine, as in most countries in the WHO European Region prevalence of alcohol is high. In the ranking of the WHO European Region Ukraine ranks fifth in alcohol consumption per capita. The structure of consumption of alcoholic drinks is dominated by strong spirits (48%). There has been a negative trend for this indicator from 5.4 liters in 2002 to 15.6 liters in 2012.The dominant pattern of alcohol consumption is characterized by early onset of alcohol consumption, significant frequency, large doses, mostly strong alcohol beverages, with significant share of low-quality alcohol. This factor contributes to high levels of morbidity. A total of546.3 thousandpeople

Tilling the Soil of the European Higher Education Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burnett, John

2007-01-01

The Bologna Process presents both opportunities and challenges for teachers in the European area. As tensions surface between different forms of national legislation, accreditation and quality assurance, projects need to be developed that model ways of resolving problems within a European context. Utilising their links and network of contacts…

Creating a Common Grammar for European Higher Education Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magalhaes, Antonio; Veiga, Amelia; Ribeiro, Filipa M.; Sousa, Sofia; Santiago, Rui

2013-01-01

This paper addresses the interaction between European Union policies and national higher education sectors in the countries involved in the TRUE project (England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland) making the case for European governance. Relevant for this matter is the role of political processes that…

The making of a pan-European organ transplant registry.

PubMed

Smits, Jacqueline M; Niesing, Jan; Breidenbach, Thomas; Collett, Dave

2013-03-01

A European patient registry to track the outcomes of organ transplant recipients does not exist. As knowledge gleaned from large registries has already led to the creation of standards of care that gained widespread support from patients and healthcare providers, the European Union initiated a project that would enable the creation of a European Registry linking currently existing national databases. This report contains a description of all functional, technical, and legal prerequisites, which upon fulfillment should allow for the seamless sharing of national longitudinal data across temporal, geographical, and subspecialty boundaries. To create a platform that can effortlessly link multiple databases and maintain the integrity of the existing national databases crucial elements were described during the project. These elements are: (i) use of a common dictionary, (ii) use of a common database and refined data uploading technology, (iii) use of standard methodology to allow uniform protocol driven and meaningful long-term follow-up analyses, (iv) use of a quality assurance mechanism to guarantee completeness and accuracy of the data collected, and (v) establishment of a solid legal framework that allows for safe data exchange. © 2012 The Authors Transplant International © 2012 European Society for Organ Transplantation. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Minimalist Medical Diplomacy - Do Engagements Achieve US National Strategy Global Health Security Objectives?

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

AU/ACSC/KELLETT, N/AY15      AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY Minimalist Medical Diplomacy – Do Engagements Achieve US National...DATES COVERED 00-00-2015 to 00-00-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Minimalist Medical Diplomacy - Do Engagements Achieve US National Strategy Global...Engagements……………………………...4 Historical Minimalist Medical Diplomacy Experiences and Challenges……………...7 Methods…………………………………………………………………………………...15

Deconstructing "Aspiration": UK Policy Debates and European Policy Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spohrer, Konstanze

2011-01-01

Strategies of "employability" and "activation" are increasingly favoured in the European Union policy context. These strategies are aimed at fostering inclusion by stressing the responsibility of the individual to participate in education and employment. Similar tendencies can be observed in the United Kingdom (UK) over the…

A proposed national strategy for tuberculosis vaccine development.

PubMed

Ginsberg, A M

2000-06-01

The global tuberculosis epidemic causes approximately 5% of deaths worldwide. Despite recent concerted and largely successful tuberculosis control efforts, the incidence of tuberculosis in the United States remains 74-fold higher than the stated elimination goal of <1 case per million population by the year 2010. Current bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccines, although efficacious in preventing extrapulmonary tuberculosis in young children, have shown widely variable efficacy in preventing adult pulmonary tuberculosis, confound skin test screening, and are not recommended for use in the United States. The Advisory Council for Elimination of Tuberculosis recently stated that tuberculosis would not be eliminated from the United States without a more effective vaccine. Recent scientific advances have created unprecedented opportunity for tuberculosis vaccine development. Therefore, members of the broad tuberculosis research and control communities have recently created and proposed a national strategy, or blueprint, for tuberculosis vaccine development, which is presented here.

Animal welfare: European legislation and future perspectives.

PubMed

Bonafos, Laurence; Simonin, Denis; Gavinelli, Andrea

2010-01-01

Although animals are central to the life of all societies, substantial differences exist in the level of understanding or attitudes toward animal-welfare issues between agrarian and urban societies in developing or industrial countries. These differences are largely dependent on people's degree of contact with animals. Other than domestic species, people in industrialized nations tend to have limited contact with farm and wild animals. With this reduced or lack of daily animal contact, there can be a parallel lack of understanding of or appreciation for animal-welfare issues. As a result, different nations have adopted various policies, procedures, and laws to ensure that their societies protect the welfare of animals. In this article, we chronicle 30 years of actions by European nations through the European Commission to enact legislation that ensures uniform standards of animal-welfare practices to protect farm animals, animals used in research, and wild animals held in captivity.

Developing the national community health assistant strategy in Zambia: a policy analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In 2010, the Ministry of Health in Zambia developed the National Community Health Assistant strategy, aiming to integrate community health workers (CHWs) into national health plans by creating a new group of workers, called community health assistants (CHAs). The aim of the paper is to analyse the CHA policy development process and the factors that influenced its evolution and content. A policy analysis approach was used to analyse the policy reform process. Methodology Data were gathered through review of documents, participant observation and key informant interviews with CHA strategic team members in Lusaka district, and senior officials at the district level in Kapiri Mposhi district where some CHAs have been deployed. Results The strategy was developed in order to address the human resources for health shortage and the challenges facing the community-based health workforce in Zambia. However, some actors within the strategic team were more influential than others in informing the policy agenda, determining the process, and shaping the content. These actors negotiated with professional/statutory bodies and health unions on the need to develop the new cadre which resulted in compromises that enabled the policy process to move forward. International agencies also indirectly influenced the course as well as the content of the strategy. Some actors classified the process as both insufficiently consultative and rushed. Due to limited consultation, it was suggested that the policy content did not adequately address key policy content issues such as management of staff attrition, general professional development, and progression matters. Analysis of the process also showed that the strategy might create a new group of workers whose mandate is unclear to the existing group of health workers. Conclusions This paper highlights the complex nature of policy-making processes for integrating CHWs into the health system. It reiterates the need for recognising the

Developing the national community health assistant strategy in Zambia: a policy analysis.

PubMed

Zulu, Joseph Mumba; Kinsman, John; Michelo, Charles; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2013-07-20

In 2010, the Ministry of Health in Zambia developed the National Community Health Assistant strategy, aiming to integrate community health workers (CHWs) into national health plans by creating a new group of workers, called community health assistants (CHAs). The aim of the paper is to analyse the CHA policy development process and the factors that influenced its evolution and content. A policy analysis approach was used to analyse the policy reform process. Data were gathered through review of documents, participant observation and key informant interviews with CHA strategic team members in Lusaka district, and senior officials at the district level in Kapiri Mposhi district where some CHAs have been deployed. The strategy was developed in order to address the human resources for health shortage and the challenges facing the community-based health workforce in Zambia. However, some actors within the strategic team were more influential than others in informing the policy agenda, determining the process, and shaping the content. These actors negotiated with professional/statutory bodies and health unions on the need to develop the new cadre which resulted in compromises that enabled the policy process to move forward. International agencies also indirectly influenced the course as well as the content of the strategy. Some actors classified the process as both insufficiently consultative and rushed. Due to limited consultation, it was suggested that the policy content did not adequately address key policy content issues such as management of staff attrition, general professional development, and progression matters. Analysis of the process also showed that the strategy might create a new group of workers whose mandate is unclear to the existing group of health workers. This paper highlights the complex nature of policy-making processes for integrating CHWs into the health system. It reiterates the need for recognising the fact that actors' power or position in the

Daily exercise and anabolic steroids use in adolescents: a cross-national European study.

PubMed

Kokkevi, Anna; Fotiou, Anastasios; Chileva, Anina; Nociar, Alojz; Miller, Patrick

2008-12-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between anabolic steroid (AS) use and intensive physical exercise among adolescents. The 1999 cross-sectional European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Data collection by standardized methodology using anonymous self-administered questionnaires completed in the classroom. National probability samples of a total of 18,430 16-year-old high school students from six European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, the Slovak Republic, and the U.K.) Besides AS use and physical exercise, questionnaire items selected for this study included tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use, indicators of other deviant behavior (self-harming thoughts and behavior, truancy, aggressive behavior), friends' use of AS, and perceived availability. Backward elimination with likelihood ratio tests was used to select the variables to be retained in a mutlifactorial model. Interactions of other independent variables with country were checked. Logistic regression analysis of lifetime AS users compared to nonusers showed that the odds of lifetime AS use are 1.4 times higher for students who exercise almost daily and 1.8 times higher for boys compared to girls. Significant associations of AS use were also found with current frequent alcohol use, lifetime use of tranquilizers/sedatives and cannabis, and with the perceptions of friends' use of AS and of easy availability of the substance. Findings indicate that daily exercising appears to increase the risk of anabolic steroid use in adolescents. However, a more general pattern of closely interlinked deviant types of behavior, such as other drug use and aggressive behavior, is prominent. Preventive interventions are needed targeted towards adolescents involved in intensive exercise and sport. These should take into account both the idiosyncrasy and setting of the sporting culture and the special characteristics of this group.

Differences in national legislation for the implementation of lead regulations included in the European directive for the protection of the health and safety of workers with occupational exposure to chemical agents (98/24/EC).

PubMed

Taylor, Andrew; Angerer, Jurgen; Arnaud, Josiane; Claeys, Françoise; Kristiansen, Jesper; Mazarrasa, Olav; Menditto, Antonio; Patriarca, Marina; Pineau, Alain; Valkonen, Sinikka; Weykamp, Cas

2007-01-01

The European Council Directive 98/24 on the protection of the health and safety of workers exposed to chemical agents sets out provisions for environmental and biological monitoring, making specific reference to binding limit values and health surveillance measures for those with exposure to lead To compare how the Directive has been implemented at a national level in EU countries and to determine whether workers receive equivalent protection. Information on selected key issues was collected from 14 EU countries by means of a structured questionnaire. National occupational exposure limit values generally reflect that set by the Directive (0.15 mg/m(3)), but in five cases lower limits are set. National binding biological limit values range from 20 microg/100 ml blood in one country up to 80 microg/100 ml blood in others. The risk to the unborn child is generally recognised with specific measures for women of child-bearing potential or those that are pregnant or breast feeding. In only three countries are special arrangements included for young workers. Limits at which medical surveillance is put into effect are more consistent at 40 microg/100 ml in most countries. The Directive also refers to guidelines for health surveillance but none have been issued with respect to lead. Thus monitoring strategies and requirements for analytical performance vary considerably. The results of this survey suggest that protection of workers against the risk of exposure to lead at work is far from uniform across the European Union. Such disparity may also have implications on the requirements set at national level for laboratories measuring lead in blood and/or air. In the interest of harmonisation within the EU, further consideration should be given to the Annex II of the EC Directive 98/24, taking into account the suggestions for lower binding limit values for lead; this should include full guidelines for medical surveillance and requirements for laboratories should be issued.

The European Social Fund: The Commission, the Member State and Levels of Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brine, Jacqueline

2004-01-01

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the European Union structural fund that redistributes funds to facilitate vocational education and training (VET). With the exception of the Common Agricultural Policy it is the EU's largest instrument for redistribution. Currently linked to the European Employment Strategy it match-funds, and through its…

The Climaware project: Impacts of climate change on water resources management - regional strategies and European view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thirel, Guillaume; D'Agostino, Daniela; Démerliac, Stéphane; Dorchies, David; Flörke, Martina; Jay-Allemand, Maxime; Jost, Claudine; Kehr, Katrin; Perrin, Charles; Scardigno, Alessandra; Schneider, Christof; Theobald, Stephan; Träbing, Klaus

2014-05-01

Climate projections produced with CMIP5 and applied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its fifth assessment report indicate that changes in precipitation and temperature are expected to occur throughout Europe in the 21th century, with a likely decrease of water availability in many regions. Besides, water demand is also expected to increase, in link with these expected climate modifications, but also due to socio-economic and demographic changes. In this respect, the use of future freshwater resources may not be sustainable from the current water management perspective. Therefore adaptation strategies will most likely be needed to cope with these evolutions. In this context, the main objective of the ClimAware project (2010-2013 - www.uni-kassel.de/fb14/wasserbau/CLIMAWARE/, a project implemented within the IWRM-NET Funding Initiative) was to analyse the impacts of climate change (CC) on freshwater resources at the continental and regional scales and to identify efficient adaptation strategies to improve water management for various socio-economic sectors. This should contribute to a more effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and its instruments (river basin management plans, programmes of measures). The project developed integrated measures for improved freshwater management under CC constraints. More specifically, the objectives of the ClimAware project were to: • elaborate quantitative projections of changes in river flows and consequences such as flood frequency, drought occurrence and sectorial water uses. • analyse the effect of CC on the hydromorphological reference conditions of rivers and therefore the definition of "good status". • define management rules/strategies concerning dam management and irrigation practices on different time perspectives. • investigate uncertainties in climate model - scenario combinations. The research approach considered both European and regional perspectives, to get

Training on intellectual disability in health sciences: the European perspective.

PubMed

Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Martínez-Leal, Rafael; Heyler, Carla; Alvarez-Galvez, Javier; Veenstra, Marja Y; García-Ibáñez, Jose; Carpenter, Sylvia; Bertelli, Marco; Munir, Kerim; Torr, Jennifer; Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, Henny M J

2015-01-01

Intellectual disability (ID) has consequences at all stages of life, requires high service provision and leads to high health and societal costs. However, ID is largely disregarded as a health issue by national and international organisations, as are training in ID and in the health aspects of ID at every level of the education system. This paper aims to (1) update the current information about availability of training and education in ID and related health issues in Europe with a particular focus in mental health; and (2) to identify opportunities arising from the initial process of educational harmonization in Europe to include ID contents in health sciences curricula and professional training. We carried out a systematic search of scientific databases and websites, as well as policy and research reports from the European Commission, European Council and WHO. Furthermore, we contacted key international organisations related to health education and/or ID in Europe, as well as other regional institutions. ID modules and contents are minimal in the revised health sciences curricula and publications on ID training in Europe are equally scarce. European countries report few undergraduate and graduate training modules in ID, even in key specialties such as paediatrics. Within the health sector, ID programmes focus mainly on psychiatry and psychology. The poor availability of ID training in health sciences is a matter of concern. However, the current European policy on training provides an opportunity to promote ID in the curricula of programmes at all levels. This strategy should address all professionals working in ID and it should increase the focus on ID relative to other developmental disorders at all stages of life.

Announced Strategy Types in Multiagent RL for Conflict-Avoidance in the National Airspace

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rebhuhn, Carrie; Knudson, Matthew D.; Tumer, Kagan

2014-01-01

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the national airspace is of growing interest to the research community. Safety and scalability of control algorithms are key to the successful integration of autonomous system into a human-populated airspace. In order to ensure safety while still maintaining efficient paths of travel, these algorithms must also accommodate heterogeneity of path strategies of its neighbors. We show that, using multiagent RL, we can improve the speed with which conflicts are resolved in cases with up to 80 aircraft within a section of the airspace. In addition, we show that the introduction of abstract agent strategy types to partition the state space is helpful in resolving conflicts, particularly in high congestion.

First steps towards a novel European forest fuel classification systems and a European forest fuel map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebastián-López, Ana; Urbieta, Itziar R.; de La Fuente Blanco, David; García Mateo, Rubén.; Moreno Rodríguez, José Manuel; Eftichidis, George; Varela, Vassiliki; Cesari, Véronique; Mário Ribeiro, Luís.; Viegas, Domingos Xavier; Lanorte, Antonio; Lasaponara, Rosa; Camia, Andrea; San Miguel, Jesús

2010-05-01

Forest fires burn at the local scale, but their massive occurrence causes effects which have global dimensions. Furthermore climate change projections associate global warming to a significant increase in forest fire activity. Warmer and drier conditions are expected to increase the frequency, duration and intensity of fires, and greater amounts of fuel associated with forest areas in decline may cause more frequent and larger fires. These facts create the need for establishing strategies for harmonizing fire danger rating, fire risk assessment, and fire prevention policies at a supranational level. Albeit forest fires are a permanent threat for European ecosystems, particularly in the south, there is no commonly accepted fuel classification scheme adopted for operational use by the Member States of the EU. The European Commission (EC) DG Environment and JRC have launched a set of studies following a resolution of the European Parliament on the further development and enhancement of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the EC focal point for information on forest fires in Europe. One of the studies that are being funded is the FUELMAP project. The objective of FUELMAP is to develop a novel fuel classification system and a new European fuel map that will be based on a comprehensive classification of fuel complexes representing the various vegetation types across EU27, plus Switzerland, Croatia and Turkey. The overall work plan is grounded on a throughout knowledge of European forest landscapes and the key features of fuel situations occurring in natural areas. The method makes extended use of existing databases available in the Member States and European Institutions. Specifically, our proposed classification combines relevant information on ecoregions, land cover and uses, potential and actual vegetation, and stand structure. GIS techniques are used in order to define the geographic extent of the classification units and for identifying the main

Skills for Life: Statement on the National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills. The Agency Responds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Penny, Ed.

England's Learning and Skills Development Agency welcomes the introduction of a coherent national funding and delivery strategy for adult literacy, numeracy, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The agency believes that the strategy should incorporate the lessons of previous literacy and numeracy initiatives and build on examples of…

Identification of Strategies to Leverage Public and Private Resources for National Security Workforce Development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-02-01

This report documents the identification of strategies to leverage public and private resources for the development of an adequate national security workforce as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP).There are numerous efforts across the United States to develop a properly skilled and trained national security workforce. Some of these efforts are the result of the leveraging of public and private dollars. As budget dollars decrease and the demand for a properly skilled and trained national security workforce increases, it will become even more important to leverage every education and training dollar. The leveraging of dollars serves many purposes.more » These include increasing the amount of training that can be delivered and therefore increasing the number of people reached, increasing the number and quality of public/private partnerships, and increasing the number of businesses that are involved in the training of their future workforce.« less

National Strategy for Promotion of Russian Universities in the World Market of Education Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mushketova, Natalia; Bydanova, Elizaveta; Rouet, Gilles

2018-01-01

Purpose: The export of Russian educational services worldwide was not considered by the Russian Government as a full-fledged economic sector until recently. However, the situation has changed since the early 2000s, when in 2002, the Russian Government approved the national strategy for higher education promotion abroad and since then has been…

Forecasting European cold waves based on subsampling strategies of CMIP5 and Euro-CORDEX ensembles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero-Llana, Laura; Braconnot, Pascale; Vautard, Robert; Vrac, Mathieu; Jezequel, Aglae

2016-04-01

Forecasting future extreme events under the present changing climate represents a difficult task. Currently there are a large number of ensembles of simulations for climate projections that take in account different models and scenarios. However, there is a need for reducing the size of the ensemble to make the interpretation of these simulations more manageable for impact studies or climate risk assessment. This can be achieved by developing subsampling strategies to identify a limited number of simulations that best represent the ensemble. In this study, cold waves are chosen to test different approaches for subsampling available simulations. The definition of cold waves depends on the criteria used, but they are generally defined using a minimum temperature threshold, the duration of the cold spell as well as their geographical extend. These climate indicators are not universal, highlighting the difficulty of directly comparing different studies. As part of the of the CLIPC European project, we use daily surface temperature data obtained from CMIP5 outputs as well as Euro-CORDEX simulations to predict future cold waves events in Europe. From these simulations a clustering method is applied to minimise the number of ensembles required. Furthermore, we analyse the different uncertainties that arise from the different model characteristics and definitions of climate indicators. Finally, we will test if the same subsampling strategy can be used for different climate indicators. This will facilitate the use of the subsampling results for a wide number of impact assessment studies.

Salt as a public health challenge in continental European convenience and ready meals.

PubMed

Kanzler, Sonja; Hartmann, Christina; Gruber, Anita; Lammer, Guido; Wagner, Karl-Heinz

2014-11-01

To assess the salt content of continental European convenience and ready meals. A multistage study in which, after laboratory analysis of the products' salt contents (n 32), new salt-reduced meals were developed through food reformulation. Additionally, a comprehensive survey of convenience meals from the Austrian market (n 572) was conducted to evaluate the salt contents of a wider product range. Six continental European countries participated. No subjects enrolled. The salt contents of continental European convenience and ready meals mostly exceeded 1·8 g/100 g, which is 30 % of the targeted daily intake level; some contained even more than the recommended daily intake of 6 g. The highest salt contents were found in pizzas and pasta dishes, the lowest ones in sweet meals. Large variations in salt levels were found not only between and within meal type categories, but also between similar meals from different producers. In addition, our approach to develop new salt-reduced meals showed that a stepwise reduction of the ready meals' salt contents is possible without compromising the sensory quality. To address the problem of hypertension and increased risk for CVD through high salt intake, a reduction of the salt levels in continental European convenience and ready meals is urgently needed, since they are providing a major part of the daily salt intake. Successful national-wide salt reduction strategies in the UK or Finland have already demonstrated the public health impact of this setting.

Regulatory Regionalism and Education: The European Union in Central Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Peter

2010-01-01

This paper investigates the purchase which Jayasuriya's regulatory regionalism approach offers for an analysis of the European Union's engagement in Central Asia. The European Union has a clearly articulated strategy through which to pursue what it sees as its interests in Central Asia and the development of a range of EU-Central Asia education…

How do national cultures influence lay people's preferences toward doctors' style of communication? A comparison of 35 focus groups from an European cross national research.

PubMed

Rimondini, Michela; Mazzi, Maria Angela; Deveugele, Myriam; Bensing, Jozien M

2015-12-14

The evidence that inspires and fosters communication skills, teaching programmes and clinical recommendations are often based on national studies which assume, implicitly, that patients' preferences towards doctors' communication style are not significantly affected by their cultural background. The cross-cultural validity of national results has been recognized as a potential limitation on how generally applicable they are in a wider context. Using 35 country-specific focus group discussions from four European countries, the aim of the present study is to test whether or not national cultures influence lay people's preferences towards doctors' style of communication. Lay people preferences on doctor's communication style have been collected in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Italy. Each centre organized between eight and nine focus groups, where participants (n = 259) were asked to comment on a video of a simulated medical interview. The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and coded using a common framework (Guliver Coding System) that allowed for the identification of different themes. The frequency distribution of the topics discussed highlights lay people's generally positive views towards most part of doctors interventions. The regression model applied to the Guliver categories highlighted slight national differences and the existence of a cross-cultural appreciation, in particular, of five types of intervention: Doctors attitudes (both Task-Oriented and Affective/Emotional), Summarizing, Structuring and Providing solution. Lay panels valued doctors' communication style in a similar manner in the countries selected. This highlights the existence of a common background, which in the process of internationalization of heath care, might foster the implementation of cross-national teaching programmes and clinical guidelines.

The European initiative on low-dose risk research: from the HLEG to MELODI.

PubMed

Belli, Mauro; Tabocchini, Maria Antonella; Jourdain, Jean-René; Salomaa, Sisko; Repussard, Jacques

2015-09-01

The importance of low-dose risk research for radiation protection is now widely recognised. The European Commission (EC) and five European Union (EU) Member States involved in the Euratom Programme set up in 2008 a 'High Level and Expert Group on European Low Dose Risk Research' (HLEG) aimed at identifying research needs and proposing a better integration of European efforts in the field. The HLEG revised the research challenges and proposed a European research strategy based on a 'Multidisciplinary European LOw Dose Initiative' (MELODI). In April 2009, five national organisations, with the support of the EC, created the initial core of MELODI (http://www.melodi-online.eu) with a view to integrate the EU institutions with significant programmes in the field, while being open to other scientific organisations and stakeholders, and to develop an agreed strategic research agenda (SRA) and roadmap. Since then, open workshops have been organised yearly, exploring ideas for SRA implementation. As of October 2014, 31 institutions have been included as members of MELODI. HLEG recommendations and MELODI SRA have become important reference points in the radiation protection part of the Euratom Research Programme. MELODI has established close interactions through Memorandum of Understanding with other European platforms involved in radiation protection (Alliance, NERIS and EURADOS) and, together with EURADOS, with the relevant medical European Associations. The role of Joint Programming in priority setting, foreseen in the forthcoming EU Horizon 2020, calls for keeping MELODI an open, inclusive and transparent initiative, able to avoid redundancies and possible conflicts of interest, while promoting common initiatives in radiation protection research. An important issue is the establishment of a proper methodology for managing these initiatives, and this includes the set-up of an independent MELODI Scientific Committee recently extended to Alliance, NERIS and EURADOS, with

European Lung Foundation: from local to global.

PubMed

Powell, Pippa; Williams, Sîan; Smyth, Dan

2016-09-01

Although there are many patient organisations in Europe, this is not the case in all countries across the globe.Access to care is one of the main global issues highlighted by the European Lung Foundation International Patient Advisory Committee.The European Respiratory Society/European Lung Foundation Healthy Lungs for Life campaign can be used locally or globally to raise awareness of the risk factors for lung disease.Implementation science is a method that can be used to assess the feasibility of using research findings in routine healthcare in clinical settings in different parts of the world. To show how patient- and public-focussed initiatives and activities can be adapted and modified to be effective in local, national and international settings, and to provide specific examples of these from the European Lung Foundation.

Ecological and Economic Impacts and Invasion Management Strategies for the European Green Crab (2008)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The goals of this case study were to estimate the European green crab’s current and historical impacts on ecosystem services on the East Coast of the United States and to estimate the European green crab’s current and potential future impacts from invasion

European Security in the Balkans: The Case of Macedonia

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

for the Republic of Macedonia; it is the problem of the European Union as well, due to the historical fact that the European Great Powers had...integration of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union was based on the short term political interests of the EU - to create a safe ring toward... Union in the Security of Europe: From Cold War to Terror War, 117. 28 Nicola Guy, The Birth of Albania, “Ethnic Nationalism, the Great Powers of World

Tracking uptake of innovations from the European Union Public Health Programme.

PubMed

Voss, Margaretha; Alexanderson, Kristina; McCarthy, Mark

2013-11-01

The European Commission developed the Public Health Programme to enable cross-national innovation and transfer in fields of health information, health threats and health promotion. PHIRE (Public Health Innovation and Research in Europe), a collaboration of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) with seven partners, addressed the uptake of these public health innovation projects at country level. EUPHA thematic sections lead on areas of public health practice and research and experts can choose to be section members. The section presidents of seven sections chose eight European public health projects, starting in the EU Public Health Programme in 2003-05, that provided new knowledge for practice and covered a majority of the EU countries. A web-based questionnaire recorded country informants' (CIs) perceptions of uptake, assessed as relevance and dissemination to a range of public and non-governmental organizations. 108 CIs individually described the eight innovations in an average of 14 (46%) of the 30 European countries. Three of the eight innovations were considered of high relevance by >60% of respondents and at least 70% of informants considered seven of the eight innovation projects as of high or moderate relevance. Dissemination was noted across governmental, professional and academic settings, with high impact on knowledge/awareness for at least 30% of CIs. Some projects had uptake within the policy cycle in particular countries and connected strongly with academics and professionals. Projects working at local level had less visibility nationally and some projects were unknown to national respondents. European Union funding for public health can contribute to cross-national knowledge transfer and uptake of innovations. More attention is needed to classify, characterize and identify public health innovations and to demonstrate their direct contribution to European health and well-being.

European core curriculum in neurorehabilitation

PubMed Central

Sandrini, Giorgio; Binder, Heinrich; Hömberg, Volker; Saltuari, Leopold; Tarkka, Ina; Smania, Nicola; Corradini, Claudio; Giustini, Alessandro; Kätterer, Christian; Picari, Ledina; Diserens, Karin; Koenig, Eberhard; Geurts, Alexander; Anghelescu, Aurelian; Opara, Józef; Tonin, Paolo; Kwakkel, Gert; Golyk, Volodymyr; Onose, Gelu; Pérennou, Dominique; Picelli, Alessandro

2017-01-01

Summary To date, medical education lacks Europe-wide standards on neurorehabilitation. To address this, the European Federation of NeuroRehabilitation Societies (EFNR) here proposes a postgraduate neurorehabilitation training scheme. In particular, the European medical core curriculum in neurorehabilitation should include a two-year residency in a neurorehabilitation setting where trainees can gain practical experience. Furthermore, it should comprise six modules of classroom training organized as weekend seminars or summer/winter schools. In conclusion, after defining the European medical core curriculum in neurorehabilitation, the next activities of the EFNR will be to try and reach the largest possible consensus on its content among all national societies across Europe in order to further validate it and try to extend it to the other, non-medical, professionals on the neurorehabilitation team in line with their core curricula defined by each professional association. PMID:28676138

Burnout and Coping Strategies in Male Staff from National Police in Valparaíso, Chile

PubMed Central

BRIONES MELLA, Daniel; KINKEAD BOUTIN, Ana P.

2013-01-01

Abstract Background This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between several dimensions of the burnout syndrome with certain stress-coping strategies, seniority level and marital status in male staff from National Police in Vaparaíso, Chile. Methods The sample collected in 2010 was composed of 338 male officers coming from various special units of a National Police in Valparaíso. Burnout and Coping Strategies were assessed and classified according Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and COPE Inventory, respectively. Data was analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation, t-test for independent measures and Multiple Linear Regression to generate a predictive model. Results The prevalence of the burnout syndrome disaggregated by grouping criteria, the dimensions concentrated in middle levels for emotional exhaustion with a 52.1%, a 51.8% for depersonalization and finally, personal achievement with a 48.8%. Only 28% of participants showed more exacerbated dimensions of the burnout syndrome. There was a weak and direct yet statistically significant relationship between personal achievement and active coping. Mental disconnection had a weak direct relationship between both coping strategies and emotional exhaustion also existed. Certain correlations between burnout dimensions and coping strategies focused on emotion as predictor variables over the criterion variable corresponding to emotional exhaustion were mental disconnection in first place, secondly, focusing on emotions, and emotional social support. Conclusions Burnout dimensions scored medium values ​​focusing mainly on emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. Coping strategies are used in parallel and in general are not mutually exclusive. Finally, there were not any relationship between variables seniority level and marital status. PMID:26060656

Do online pharmacies fit European internal markets?

PubMed

Mäkinen, Mia Maria; Rautava, Päivi Tuire; Forsström, Jari Johannes

2005-05-01

The aim of this article is to consider the suitability of online pharmacies into European internal market area. This required considering the models of present online pharmacies in respect to the existing legislation. Data on online pharmacy settings was collected by looking some online pharmacies, which were found by using Goggle search machine with term "online pharmacy" and by studying websites of some well-known online pharmacies. European legislation and policy were studied from European Union's official website. Online drug markets seem to be increasing in popularity for reasons related to their ready availability and cost benefits. Few online pharmacies are based in Europe, yet online markets are worldwide. Community legislation does not stipulate on the legality of online pharmacies on European internal markets. Instead Community legislation offers framework for electronic commerce that could also include online pharmacy practise. National legislation, however, may rule them out either directly or indirectly. Regardless of European internal markets online pharmacies' cross-border operations are particularly complicated. Preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice concerning one European online pharmacy's cross-border practise is awaited 2003-2004 and will offer some aspects for future.

A proposal to create an extension to the European baseline series.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Mark; Gallo, Rosella; Goossens, An; Johansen, Jeanne D; Rustemeyer, Thomas; Sánchez-Pérez, Javier; Schuttelaar, Marie L; Uter, Wolfgang

2018-02-01

The current European baseline series consists of 30 allergens, and was last updated in 2015. To use data from the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA) to propose an extension to the European baseline series in response to changes in environmental exposures. Data from departmental and national extensions to the baseline series, together with some temporary additions from departments contributing to the ESSCA, were collated during 2013-2014. In total, 31689 patients were patch tested in 46 European departments. Many departments and national groups already consider the current European baseline series to be a suboptimal screen, and use their own extensions to it. The haptens tested are heterogeneous, although there are some consistent themes. Potential haptens to include in an extension to the European baseline series comprise sodium metabisulfite, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, additional markers of fragrance allergy, propolis, Compositae mix, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. In combination with other published work from the ESSCA, changes to the current European baseline series are proposed for discussion. As well as addition of the allergens listed above, it is suggested that primin and clioquinol should be deleted from the series, owing to reduced environmental exposure. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality control and improvement of cancer care: what is needed? 4th European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) May 5th, 2017, Berlin, Germany.

PubMed

Ortmann, Olaf; Helbig, Ulrike; Torode, Julie; Schreck, Stefan; Karjalainen, Sakari; Bettio, Manola; Ringborg, Ulrik; Klinkhammer-Schalke, Monika; Bray, Freddy

2018-06-01

National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) often describe structural requirements for high quality cancer care. During the fourth European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) participants shared learnings from their own national setting to formulate best practice in optimizing communication strategies between parties involved in clinical cancer registries, cancer centers and guideline groups. A decentralized model of data collection close to the patient and caregiver enhances timely completion and the quality of the data captured. Nevertheless, central coordination is necessary to define datasets, indicators, standard settings, education, training and quality control to maintain standards across the network. In particular, interaction of parties in cancer care network has to be established and maintained on a regular basis. After establishing the structural requirements of cancer care networks, communication between the different components and parties is required to analyze outcome data, provide regular reporting to all and develop strategies for continuous improvement of quality across the network.

Euro 2012 European Football Championship Finals: planning for a health legacy.

PubMed

Smallwood, Catherine A H; Arbuthnott, Katherine G; Banczak-Mysiak, Barbara; Borodina, Mariya; Coutinho, Ana Paula; Payne-Hallström, Lara; Lipska, Elzbieta; Lyashko, Viktor; Miklasz, Miroslaw; Miskiewicz, Paulina; Nitzan, Dorit; Pokanevych, Igor; Posobkiewicz, Marek; Rockenschaub, Gerald; Sadkowska-Todys, Malgorzata; Sinelnik, Svetlana; Smiley, Daniel; Tomialoic, Rysard; Yurchenko, Volodimir; Memish, Ziad A; Heymann, David; Endericks, Tina; McCloskey, Brian; Zumla, Alimuddin; Barbeschi, Maurizio

2014-06-14

The revised international health regulations offer a framework that can be used by host countries to organise public health activities for mass gatherings. From June 8, to July 1, 2012, Poland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Union of European Football Associations European Football Championship Finals (Euro 2012). More than 8 million people from around the world congregated to watch the games. Host countries and international public health agencies planned extensively to assess and build capacity in the host countries and to develop effective strategies for dissemination of public health messages. The effectiveness of public health services was maximised through rapid sharing of information between parties, early use of networks of experienced individuals, and the momentum of existing national health programmes. Organisers of future mass gatherings for sporting events should share best practice and their experiences through the WHO International Observer Program. Research about behaviour of large crowds is needed for crowd management and the evidence base translated into practice. A framework to measure and evaluate the legacy of Euro 2012 is needed based on the experiences and the medium-term and long-term benefits of the tournament. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Innovating in public health: monitoring of social determinants of health and reduction of health inequities: a priority for Spanish presidency of the European union in 2010].

PubMed

Calvete Oliva, Antonio; Campos Esteban, Pilar; Catalán Matamoros, Daniel; Fernández de la Hoz, Karoline; Herrador Ortiz, Zaida; Merino Merino, Begoña; Ramírez Fernández, Rosa; Santaolaya Cesteros, María; Hernández Aguado, Ildefonso

2010-01-01

Tackling health inequalities to achieve health equity is currently one of the main challenges for developed and developing countries. Aware of this reality, and knowing how relevant for economic and social growth the inequalities in health are, the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy has established "Innovation in Public Health: monitoring social determinants of health and reduction of health inequalities" as one of the priorities for the Spanish presidency of the European Union in the first semester of 2010. Furthermore, a national strategy to tackle health inequalities is being developed in the current political term. By choosing this priority, the Spanish Ministry of Health an Social Policy aims to contribute to move forward a coherent and effective agenda at both European and national level, in a new world stage more aware of the social and economic expenditure of inequity in health and its repercussions on countries welfare and development.

The Iranian National Geodata Revision Strategy and Realization Based on Geodatabase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haeri, M.; Fasihi, A.; Ayazi, S. M.

2012-07-01

In recent years, using of spatial database for storing and managing spatial data has become a hot topic in the field of GIS. Accordingly National Cartographic Center of Iran (NCC) produces - from time to time - some spatial data which is usually included in some databases. One of the NCC major projects was designing National Topographic Database (NTDB). NCC decided to create National Topographic Database of the entire country-based on 1:25000 coverage maps. The standard of NTDB was published in 1994 and its database was created at the same time. In NTDB geometric data was stored in MicroStation design format (DGN) which each feature has a link to its attribute data (stored in Microsoft Access file). Also NTDB file was produced in a sheet-wise mode and then stored in a file-based style. Besides map compilation, revision of existing maps has already been started. Key problems of NCC are revision strategy, NTDB file-based style storage and operator challenges (NCC operators are almost preferred to edit and revise geometry data in CAD environments). A GeoDatabase solution for national Geodata, based on NTDB map files and operators' revision preferences, is introduced and released herein. The proposed solution extends the traditional methods to have a seamless spatial database which it can be revised in CAD and GIS environment, simultaneously. The proposed system is the common data framework to create a central data repository for spatial data storage and management.

The Transformation of the European Educational Discourse in the Balkans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zmas, Aristotelis

2012-01-01

The transfer of the European educational discourse to particular nation-states is a complex process. The outcomes following this transfer are unclear. This article examines the transfer of the European educational discourse in the Balkans and proposes its richer description through the consideration of the processes of educational democratisation…

A national EHR strategy preparedness characterisation model and its application in the South-East European region.

PubMed

Orfanidis, Leonidas; Bamidis, Panagiotis; Eaglestone, Barry

2006-01-01

This paper is concerned with modelling national approaches towards electronic health record systems (NEHRS) development. A model framework is stepwise produced, that allows for the characterisation of the preparedness and the readiness of a country to develop an NEHRS. Secondary data of published reports are considered for the creation of the model. Such sources are identified to mostly originate from within a sample of five developed countries. Factors arising from these sources are identified, coded and scaled, so as to allow for a quantitative application of the model. Instantiation of the latter for the case of the five developed countries is contrasted with the set of countries from South East Europe (SEE). The likely importance and validity of this modelling approach is discussed, using the Delphi method.

The reorganisation of European pharmacovigilance. Part 2. From spontaneous reports to agency reviews and decisions.

PubMed

2015-02-01

Despite the fact that adverse effects are vastly under-reported, spontaneous reporting remains the foundation of pharmacovigilance. A small series of properly documented cases, when very specific, can suffice to constitute a signal. In France, reporting adverse effects to Regional Pharmacovigilance Centres (CRPVs) permits high-quality analysis of pharmacovigilance signals, so that they can be brought to the attention of the national agency responsible for making decisions about drugs, the French Health Products Agency (ANSM). The ANSM can use this information to protect patients by implementing the measures within its power or by initiating a European referral. When a decision taken at the national level concerns a drug marketed in several Member States of the European Union, a "harmonisation" procedure results in a decision taken at community level, applicable in all Member States. This means that a safety issue raised by a single Member State sometimes leads to a decision that protects the population of the entire European Union. But it also means that other European decisions can compel national agencies to allow back onto the market a drug that they sought to withdraw in order to protect their citizens. Negotiations with other Member States, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission must be supported by robust data: this is yet another reason for each country to have its own effective national pharmacovigilance database, the contents of which should be publicly accessible. This is unfortunately not yet the case in France in 2014. It also provides another good reason for healthcare professionals and patients to report adverse effects, so that the details can be recorded in national and European databases.

Vincent Lambert, Dignity in Dying and the European Court: A Critical Evaluation and the Global Reflections.

PubMed

Kishore, R R

2016-04-01

In this article I analyse the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the Case of Lambert and Others v. France, delivered on 5 June 2015, affirming the Conseil d'État's decision holding that the withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration from Vincent Lambert, a French national lying in tetraplegia and persistent vegetative state, was consistent with French domestic law and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In order to make a comparative evaluation I give an account of judicial decisions across the world and find that the European Court's decision is an affirmative pronouncement, in the prevailing milieu of judicial heterogeneity, as it recognizes a person's right to die with dignity in the face of conflicting claims and arguments, by giving supremacy to a person's autonomy and right of self-determination over the deep-rooted religious beliefs and undue paternalistic postures. I conclude that right to die with dignity is a profound area where judge-made law is not the answer. The situation calls for greater consensus and uniformity by evolving suitable legislative strategies.

Keeping it wild: an interagency strategy to monitor trends in wilderness character across the National Wilderness Preservation System

Treesearch

Peter Landres; Chris Barns; John G. Dennis; Tim Devine; Paul Geissler; Curtis S. McCasland; Linda Merigliano; Justin Seastrand; Ralph Swain

2008-01-01

The Interagency Wilderness Character Monitoring Team--representing the Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Land Management, DOI Fish and Wildlife Service, DOI National Park Service, DOI U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Forest Service-offers in this document an interagency strategy to monitor trends in wilderness character across the National Wilderness...

Diet and physical activity--interactions for health; public health nutrition in the European perspective.

PubMed

Sjöström, M; Yngve, A; Poortvliet, E; Warm, D; Ekelund, U

1999-09-01

For the majority of European adults, who neither smoke nor drink excessively, the most significant controllable risk factors affecting their long-term health are what they eat, and how physically active they are. Scientists are supposed to clarify to policy makers and health professionals the usefulness of their health messages. However, to be able to do that, a more detailed understanding is needed of the basic mechanisms behind the effects on health of diet and physical activity and, especially, the two in combination. Further, better methods for assessment of nutrition and physical activity in the population have to be developed, and more and better baseline data have to be collected. Increased and more efficient interventions are then needed. People trained and competent in the new discipline of Public Health Nutrition are required. Through the stimulating support that the European Commission, as well as other national and international partners, are presently giving to the development of Public Health Nutrition across Europe, we can hope for an increased mobility, networking and understanding between European nutrition and physical activity professionals. This will most likely result in greater and better policy making, strategy development, implementation and evaluation. We now have a great possibility to develop the integrated field of preventive nutrition and health enhancing physical activity.

First proficiency testing to evaluate the ability of European Union National Reference Laboratories to detect staphylococcal enterotoxins in milk products.

PubMed

Hennekinne, Jacques-Antoine; Gohier, Martine; Maire, Tiphaine; Lapeyre, Christiane; Lombard, Bertrand; Dragacci, Sylviane

2003-01-01

The European Commission has designed a network of European Union-National Reference Laboratories (EU-NRLs), coordinated by a Community Reference Laboratory (CRL), for control of hygiene of milk and milk products (Council Directive 92/46/ECC). As a common contaminant of milk and milk products such as cheese, staphylococcal enterotoxins are often involved in human outbreaks and should be monitored regularly. The main tasks of the EU-CRLs were to select and transfer to the EU-NRLs a reference method for detection of enterotoxins, and to set up proficiency testing to evaluate the competency of the European laboratory network. The first interlaboratory exercise was performed on samples of freeze-dried cheese inoculated with 2 levels of staphylococcal enterotoxins (0.1 and 0.25 ng/g) and on an uninoculated control. These levels were chosen considering the EU regulation for staphylococcal enterotoxins in milk and milk products and the limit of detection of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test recommended in the reference method. The trial was conducted according to the recommendations of ISO Guide 43. Results produced by laboratories were compiled and compared through statistical analysis. Except for data from 2 laboratories for the uninoculated control and cheese inoculated at 0.1 ng/g, all laboratories produced satisfactory results, showing the ability of the EU-NRL network to monitor the enterotoxin contaminant.

European Science Notes Information Bulletin Reports on Current European/ Middle Eastern Science

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-02-01

tics. sults in hardening effect which persists over greater 9. Fulmer Research Institute; design of polymer ma- depths than expected. D. Treheux...Dr. A.R. Bunsell, Dr. A. Massiah. Scientists Moncoffre); 92, page 14. and industrialists from at least seven European countries The experimental ...Ceramnic-Ceramic The Consultant Scientist is Professor K. Jack Composite Materials, page 3). 8 ESNIB 89-02 25. National Non -Destructive Testing Centre

Implementation of an Integrated Approach to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for Improving Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care for Youths.

PubMed

Fortenberry, J Dennis; Koenig, Linda J; Kapogiannis, Bill G; Jeffries, Carrie L; Ellen, Jonathan M; Wilson, Craig M

2017-07-01

Youths aged 13 to 24 years old living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less likely than adults to receive the health and prevention benefits of HIV treatments, with only a small proportion having achieved sustained viral suppression. These age-related disparities in HIV continuum of care are owing in part to the unique developmental issues of adolescents and young adults as well as the complexity and fragmentation of HIV care and related services. This article summarizes a national, multiagency, and multilevel approach to HIV care for newly diagnosed youths designed to bridge some of these fragmentations by addressing National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals for people living with HIV. Three federal agencies developed memoranda of understanding to sequentially implement 3 protocols addressing key National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. The goals were addressed in the Adolescent Trials Network, with protocols implemented in 12 to 15 sites across the United States. Outcome data were collected from recently diagnosed youth referred to the program. Cross-agency collaboration, youth-friendly linkage to care services, community mobilization to address structural barriers to care, cooperation among services, proportion of all men who have sex with men who tested, and rates of linkage to prevention services. The program addressed National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals 2 through 4 including steps within each goal. A total of 3986 HIV-positive youths were referred for care, with more than 75% linked to care within 6 weeks of referral, with almost 90% of those youths engaged in subsequent HIV care. Community mobilization efforts implemented and completed structural change objectives to address local barriers to care. Age and racial/ethnic group disparities were addressed through targeted training for culturally competent, youth-friendly care, and intensive motivational interviewing training. A national program to address the National HIV/AIDS Strategy specifically for youths can

Integrated fly management in European ruminant operations from the perspective of directive 2009/128/EC on sustainable use of pesticides.

PubMed

Durel, Luc; Estrada-Peña, Augustin; Franc, Michel; Mehlhorn, Heinz; Bouyer, Jérémy

2015-02-01

Integrated pest management (IPM) in agriculture animals remains undeveloped as compared to IPM in crops. With respect to the range of external nuisance arthropods that may bother farm animals, development and implementation of systematic IPM strategies are difficult to carry out. However, recurrent outbreaks of blue tongue disease in sheep and cattle, the public threats regarding the prophylactic use of veterinary insecticides and the need to preserve the efficacy of available actives have to lead the reflexion on new control strategies for arthropod pests of livestock. A recent extension of EU regulation on the use of pesticides in crops provides an opportunity to compare IPM strategies and to suggest new lines of reflection for the control of nuisance pests in ruminants under European conditions. In this paper, actions suggested by the Annex III of the Directive 2009/128/CE on Sustainable Use of Pesticides and related National Action Plans from 28 member states of the EU were reviewed from an animal production perspective by a group of veterinary entomologists. Eight lines of action have been identified and thus challenged with respect to current husbandry practices in modern European ruminant operations. Many IPM strategies for crops were identified to be unsuitable for large animals. Suggestions for implementing tools, opportunities and constraint assessment, and needs for support were also discussed. Only control of pest development sites and monitoring of harmful organisms were considered achievable in the near future; both in conjunction with the use of topical insecticides. Complementary actions such as alternatives to chemical control require further researches and industrial development. Marketing of IGR-based feed additives would be of great interest, but development of new compounds for veterinary medicines is very unlikely with respect to the European regulatory environment and associated cost of development.

Current Trends in European Quality Assurance. ENQA Workshop Report 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozo, Dhurata; Damian, Radu; Gonzalez, Cecilia de la Rosa; Helle, Emmi; Imoda, Franco; Kohler, Alexander; Papazoglou, Vassilios J.; Dalmau, Gemma Rauret; Shopov, Todor

2009-01-01

The present report is a product of two ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) seminars, held in 2007, on current trends in European Quality Assurance. The first seminar, hosted by the Bulgarian National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), examined the situation in South-Eastern Europe. The second seminar…

Factor Analysis of the HEW National Strategy for Youth Development Model's Community Program Impact Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truckenmiller, James L.

The former HEW (Health, Education, and Welfare) National Strategy for Youth Development Model proposed a community-based program to promote positive youth development and to prevent delinquency through a sequence of youth needs assessments, needs-targeted programs, and program impact evaluation. HEW Community Program Impact Scales data obtained…

The European Drought Observatory (EDO): Current State and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, J.; Singleton, A.; Sepulcre, G.; Micale, F.; Barbosa, P.

2012-12-01

Europe has repeatedly been affected by droughts, resulting in considerable ecological and economic damage and climate change studies indicate a trend towards increasing climate variability most likely resulting in more frequent drought occurrences also in Europe. Against this background, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is developing methods and tools for assessing, monitoring and forecasting droughts in Europe and develops a European Drought Observatory (EDO) to complement and integrate national activities with a European view. At the core of the European Drought Observatory (EDO) is a portal, including a map server, a metadata catalogue, a media-monitor and analysis tools. The map server presents Europe-wide up-to-date information on the occurrence and severity of droughts, which is complemented by more detailed information provided by regional, national and local observatories through OGC compliant web mapping and web coverage services. In addition, time series of historical maps as well as graphs of the temporal evolution of drought indices for individual grid cells and administrative regions in Europe can be retrieved and analysed. Current work is focusing on validating the available products, improving the functionalities, extending the linkage to additional national and regional drought information systems and improving medium to long-range probabilistic drought forecasting products. Probabilistic forecasts are attractive in that they provide an estimate of the range of uncertainty in a particular forecast. Longer-term goals include the development of long-range drought forecasting products, the analysis of drought hazard and risk, the monitoring of drought impact and the integration of EDO in a global drought information system. The talk will provide an overview on the development and state of EDO, the different products, and the ways to include a wide range of stakeholders (i.e. European, national river basin, and local authorities) in

The European Drought Observatory (EDO): Current State and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Jürgen; Sepulcre, Guadalupe; Magni, Diego; Valentini, Luana; Singleton, Andrew; Micale, Fabio; Barbosa, Paulo

2013-04-01

Europe has repeatedly been affected by droughts, resulting in considerable ecological and economic damage and climate change studies indicate a trend towards increasing climate variability most likely resulting in more frequent drought occurrences also in Europe. Against this background, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is developing methods and tools for assessing, monitoring and forecasting droughts in Europe and develops a European Drought Observatory (EDO) to complement and integrate national activities with a European view. At the core of the European Drought Observatory (EDO) is a portal, including a map server, a metadata catalogue, a media-monitor and analysis tools. The map server presents Europe-wide up-to-date information on the occurrence and severity of droughts, which is complemented by more detailed information provided by regional, national and local observatories through OGC compliant web mapping and web coverage services. In addition, time series of historical maps as well as graphs of the temporal evolution of drought indices for individual grid cells and administrative regions in Europe can be retrieved and analysed. Current work is focusing on validating the available products, developing combined indicators, improving the functionalities, extending the linkage to additional national and regional drought information systems and testing options for medium-range probabilistic drought forecasting across Europe. Longer-term goals include the development of long-range drought forecasting products, the analysis of drought hazard and risk, the monitoring of drought impact and the integration of EDO in a global drought information system. The talk will provide an overview on the development and state of EDO, the different products, and the ways to include a wide range of stakeholders (i.e. European, national river basin, and local authorities) in the development of the system as well as an outlook on the future developments.

Inside the Mechanics of Network Development: How Competition and Strategy Reorganize European Air Traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huber, Hans

2006-01-01

Air transport forms complex networks that can be measured in order to understand its structural characteristics and functional properties. Recent models for network growth (i.e., preferential attachment, etc.) remain stochastic and do not seek to understand other network-specific mechanisms that may account for their development in a more microscopic way. Air traffic is made up of many constituent airlines that are either privately or publicly owned and that operate their own networks. They follow more or less similar business policies each. The way these airline networks organize among themselves into distinct traffic distributions reveals complex interaction among them, which in turn can be aggregated into larger (macro-) traffic distributions. Our approach allows for a more deterministic methodology that will assess the impact of airline strategies on the distinct distributions for air traffic, particularly inside Europe. One key question this paper is seeking to answer is whether there are distinct patterns of preferential attachment for given classes of airline networks to distinct types of European airports. Conclusions about the advancing degree of concentration in this industry and the airline operators that accelerate this process can be drawn.

PRM Programmes of Care and PRM Care Pathways: European Approach, Developments in France

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Korvin, Georges; Yelnik, Alain P.; Ribinik, Patricia; Calmels, Paul; Le Moine, Francis; Delarque, Alain

2013-01-01

The development of European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) physical and rehabilitation medicine programmes of care (PRMPC) and physical and rehabilitation medicine care pathways (PRMCP) in France is a good example of the positive interaction between European and national organizations. PRMPC were defined at the European level to offer a…

Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: a 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating.

PubMed

Schmitt, David P

2005-04-01

The Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI; Simpson & Gangestad 1991) is a self-report measure of individual differences in human mating strategies. Low SOI scores signify that a person is sociosexually restricted, or follows a more monogamous mating strategy. High SOI scores indicate that an individual is unrestricted, or has a more promiscuous mating strategy. As part of the International Sexuality Description Project (ISDP), the SOI was translated from English into 25 additional languages and administered to a total sample of 14,059 people across 48 nations. Responses to the SOI were used to address four main issues. First, the psychometric properties of the SOI were examined in cross-cultural perspective. The SOI possessed adequate reliability and validity both within and across a diverse range of modem cultures. Second, theories concerning the systematic distribution of sociosexuality across cultures were evaluated. Both operational sex ratios and reproductively demanding environments related in evolutionary-predicted ways to national levels of sociosexuality. Third, sex differences in sociosexuality were generally large and demonstrated cross-cultural universality across the 48 nations of the ISDP, confirming several evolutionary theories of human mating. Fourth, sex differences in sociosexuality were significantly larger when reproductive environments were demanding but were reduced to more moderate levels in cultures with more political and economic gender equality. Implications for evolutionary and social role theories of human sexuality are discussed.

Data Resource Profile: The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).

PubMed

Arora, Vishal S; Karanikolos, Marina; Clair, Amy; Reeves, Aaron; Stuckler, David; McKee, Martin

2015-04-01

Social and economic policies are inextricably linked with population health outcomes in Europe, yet few datasets are able to fully explore and compare this relationship across European countries. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey aims to address this gap using microdata on income, living conditions and health. EU-SILC contains both cross-sectional and longitudinal elements, with nationally representative samples of individuals 16 years and older in 28 European Union member states as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Data collection began in 2003 in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg and Austria, with subsequent expansion across Europe. By 2011, all 28 EU member states, plus three others, were included in the dataset. Although EU-SILC is administered by Eurostat, the data are output-harmonized so that countries are required to collect specified data items but are free to determine sampling strategies for data collection purposes. EU-SILC covers approximately 500,000 European residents for its cross-sectional survey annually. Whereas aggregated data from EU-SILC are publicly available [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/income-and-living-conditions/data/main-tables], microdata are only available to research organizations subject to approval by Eurostat. Please refer to [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/microdata/eu_silc] for further information regarding microdata access. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Training on intellectual disability in health sciences: the European perspective

PubMed Central

Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Martínez-Leal, Rafael; Heyler, Carla; Alvarez-Galvez, Javier; Veenstra, Marja Y.; García-Ibáñez, Jose; Carpenter, Sylvia; Bertelli, Marco; Munir, Kerim; Torr, Jennifer; Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, Henny M. J.

2015-01-01

Background Intellectual disability (ID) has consequences at all stages of life, requires high service provision and leads to high health and societal costs. However, ID is largely disregarded as a health issue by national and international organisations, as are training in ID and in the health aspects of ID at every level of the education system. Specific aim This paper aims to (1) update the current information about availability of training and education in ID and related health issues in Europe with a particular focus in mental health; and (2) to identify opportunities arising from the initial process of educational harmonization in Europe to include ID contents in health sciences curricula and professional training. Method We carried out a systematic search of scientific databases and websites, as well as policy and research reports from the European Commission, European Council and WHO. Furthermore, we contacted key international organisations related to health education and/or ID in Europe, as well as other regional institutions. Results ID modules and contents are minimal in the revised health sciences curricula and publications on ID training in Europe are equally scarce. European countries report few undergraduate and graduate training modules in ID, even in key specialties such as paediatrics. Within the health sector, ID programmes focus mainly on psychiatry and psychology. Conclusion The poor availability of ID training in health sciences is a matter of concern. However, the current European policy on training provides an opportunity to promote ID in the curricula of programmes at all levels. This strategy should address all professionals working in ID and it should increase the focus on ID relative to other developmental disorders at all stages of life. PMID:25705375

West European and East Asian Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy. Volume 2. Western European Perspectives on Defense, Deterrence and Strategy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-16

3a - vDE Or 4EPORT 13b 󈨋M COvERED :W)AE OF REPOR~ r or ay 5~ COu.N. *Technical :ROM 821201 -o 8451" 1984, May 16"a 238" 0y 5-I o. * 6 Su POLEMETARY...34 International Defense Review, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1979). 82. Geneste, Colonel Marc. ’La Bataille Terrestre Nuc1~aire,5 Strategie, (July-September 1976). 83.t, u...Strategi- gues, Nucl~aires Tactiques, Terrestres Maritimes et Aeriennes,’ Le Figaro, April 21, 1983. 182. Everts, Philip P. ’Reviving Unilateralism

Rate vs. rhythm control and adverse outcomes among European patients with atrial fibrillation.

PubMed

Purmah, Yanish; Proietti, Marco; Laroche, Cecilé; Mazurek, Michal; Tahmatzidis, Dimitrios; Boriani, Giuseppe; Novo, Salvatore; Lip, Gregory Y H

2018-02-01

The impact of rate and rhythm control strategies on outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. Our aims were: to report use of rate and rhythm control strategies in European patients from the EURObservational Research Program AF General Pilot Registry. Secondly, to evaluate outcomes according to assigned strategies. Use of pure rate and rhythm control agents was described according to European regions. 1-year follow-up data were reported. Among rate control strategies, beta-blockers were the most commonly used drug. Proportions of patients assigned to rhythm control varied greatly between countries, and amiodarone was the most used rhythm control drug. Of the original 3119 patients, 1036 (33.2%) were assigned to rate control only and 355 (11.4%) to rhythm control only. Patients assigned to a rate control strategy were older (P < 0.0001) and more likely female (P = 0.0266). Patients assigned to a rate control strategy had higher rates for any thrombo-embolic event (P = 0.0245), cardiovascular death (P = 0.0437), and all-cause death (P < 0.0001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that rate control strategy was associated with a higher risk for all-cause death (P < 0.001). On Cox regression analysis, rate control strategy was independently associated with all-cause death (P = 0.0256). A propensity matched analysis only found a trend for the association between rate control and all-cause death (P = 0.0664). In a European AF patients' cohort, a pure rate control strategy was associated with a higher risk for adverse events at 1-year follow-up, and partially adjusted analysis suggested that rate control independently increased the risk for all-cause death. A fully adjusted propensity score matched analysis found that this association was no longer statistically significant, suggesting an important role of comorbidities in determining the higher risk for all-cause death. Published on behalf of the European Society

Adult Learning in the Queer Nation: A Foucauldian Analysis of Educational Strategies for Social Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Wayland

2009-01-01

Adult education for social change can occur within social movements, and the fight for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer (LGBTQ) rights has included educational strategies designed to challenge heterosexist and homophobic systems of power. This article explores how the Queer Nation movement of the early 1990s deployed a Foucauldian…

European guidelines for workplace drug testing in oral fluid.

PubMed

Brcak, Michaela; Beck, Olof; Bosch, Tessa; Carmichael, Duncan; Fucci, Nadia; George, Claire; Piper, Mark; Salomone, Alberto; Schielen, Wim; Steinmeyer, Stefan; Taskinen, Sanna; Weinmann, Wolfgang

2018-03-01

These guidelines for Legally Defensible Workplace Drug Testing have been prepared and updated by the European Workplace Drug Testing Society (EWDTS). The European Guidelines are designed to establish best practice procedures whilst allowing individual countries to operate within the requirements of national customs and legislation. The EWDTS recommends that all European laboratories that undertake legally defensible workplace drug testing should use these guidelines as a template for accreditation. These guidelines are relevant to laboratory-based testing only. These guidelines follow current best practices and are constantly under review. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Great Apes and Biodiversity Offset Projects in Africa: The Case for National Offset Strategies

PubMed Central

Kormos, Rebecca; Kormos, Cyril F.; Humle, Tatyana; Lanjouw, Annette; Rainer, Helga; Victurine, Ray; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Diallo, Mamadou S.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Williamson, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

The development and private sectors are increasingly considering “biodiversity offsets” as a strategy to compensate for their negative impacts on biodiversity, including impacts on great apes and their habitats in Africa. In the absence of national offset policies in sub-Saharan Africa, offset design and implementation are guided by company internal standards, lending bank standards or international best practice principles. We examine four projects in Africa that are seeking to compensate for their negative impacts on great ape populations. Our assessment of these projects reveals that not all apply or implement best practices, and that there is little standardization in the methods used to measure losses and gains in species numbers. Even if they were to follow currently accepted best-practice principles, we find that these actions may still fail to contribute to conservation objectives over the long term. We advocate for an alternative approach in which biodiversity offset and compensation projects are designed and implemented as part of a National Offset Strategy that (1) takes into account the cumulative impacts of development in individual countries, (2) identifies priority offset sites, (3) promotes aggregated offsets, and (4) integrates biodiversity offset and compensation projects with national biodiversity conservation objectives. We also propose supplementary principles necessary for biodiversity offsets to contribute to great ape conservation in Africa. Caution should still be exercised, however, with regard to offsets until further field-based evidence of their effectiveness is available. PMID:25372894

Great apes and biodiversity offset projects in Africa: the case for national offset strategies.

PubMed

Kormos, Rebecca; Kormos, Cyril F; Humle, Tatyana; Lanjouw, Annette; Rainer, Helga; Victurine, Ray; Mittermeier, Russell A; Diallo, Mamadou S; Rylands, Anthony B; Williamson, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

The development and private sectors are increasingly considering "biodiversity offsets" as a strategy to compensate for their negative impacts on biodiversity, including impacts on great apes and their habitats in Africa. In the absence of national offset policies in sub-Saharan Africa, offset design and implementation are guided by company internal standards, lending bank standards or international best practice principles. We examine four projects in Africa that are seeking to compensate for their negative impacts on great ape populations. Our assessment of these projects reveals that not all apply or implement best practices, and that there is little standardization in the methods used to measure losses and gains in species numbers. Even if they were to follow currently accepted best-practice principles, we find that these actions may still fail to contribute to conservation objectives over the long term. We advocate for an alternative approach in which biodiversity offset and compensation projects are designed and implemented as part of a National Offset Strategy that (1) takes into account the cumulative impacts of development in individual countries, (2) identifies priority offset sites, (3) promotes aggregated offsets, and (4) integrates biodiversity offset and compensation projects with national biodiversity conservation objectives. We also propose supplementary principles necessary for biodiversity offsets to contribute to great ape conservation in Africa. Caution should still be exercised, however, with regard to offsets until further field-based evidence of their effectiveness is available.

The role of pulmonology in the National Health System Chronicity Strategy.

PubMed

Soler-Cataluña, Juan José; Sánchez Toril, Fernando; Aguar Benito, M Carmen

2015-08-01

Longer life expectancy and the progressive aging of the population is changing the epidemiological pattern of healthcare, with a reduction in the incidence of acute diseases and a marked increase in chronic diseases. This change brings important social, healthcare and economic consequences that call for a reorganization of patient care. In this respect, the Spanish National Health System has developed a Chronicity strategy that proposes a substantial change in focus from traditional rescue medicine to patient- and environment-centered care, with a planned, proactive, participative and multidisciplinary approach. Some of the more common chronic diseases are respiratory. In COPD, this integrated approach has been effective in reducing exacerbations, improving quality of life, and even reducing costs. However, the wide variety of management strategies, not only in COPD but also in asthma and other respiratory diseases, makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Pulmonologists can and must participate in the new chronicity models and contribute their knowledge, experience, innovation, research, and special expertise to the development of these new paradigms. Copyright © 2014 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Teenage conceptions, abortions, and births in England, 1994-2003, and the national teenage pregnancy strategy.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Paul; French, Rebecca; Kane, Ros; Lachowycz, Kate; Stephenson, Judith; Grundy, Chris; Jacklin, Paul; Kingori, Patricia; Stevens, Maryjane; Wellings, Kaye

2006-11-25

The aim of this study was to quantify the change in the number of conceptions and abortions among women younger than 18 years in England in relation to the government's national teenage pregnancy strategy. We undertook geographic analysis of data for 148 top-tier local authority areas. The main outcomes were changes in under-18 conceptions, abortions, and births between the 5-year period before implementation of the strategy (1994-98) and the period immediately after implementation (1999-2003). The number of teenage conceptions peaked in 1998, then declined after the implementation in 1999 of the teenage pregnancy strategy. Under-18 conception rates fell by an average of 2.0% (95% CI 1.8 to 2.2) per year between 1998 and 2003, below the rate needed to achieve the target of 50% reduction by 2010. The net change between 1994-98 and 1999-2003 was a fall in conceptions of 3.2% (2.6 to 3.9) or 1.4 per 1000 women aged 15-17 years, a rise in abortions of 7.5% (6.5 to 8.6) or 1.4 per 1000, and a fall in births of 10.6% (9.9 to 11.3) or 2.8 per 1000. The change in the number of conceptions was greater in deprived and more rural areas, and in those with lower educational attainment. The change was greater in areas where services and access to them were poorer, but greater where more strategy-related resources had been targeted. The decline in under-18 conception and birth rates since 1998 and evidence that the declines have been greatest in areas receiving higher amounts of strategy-related funding provides limited evidence of the effect of England's national teenage pregnancy strategy. The full effect of local prevention will be clear only with longer observation, and substantial further progress is needed to remedy England's historically poor international position in teenage conceptions.

National Perspectives on Data Protection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurow, Jane

1983-01-01

Discussion of different approaches to protecting personal information in Europe and the United States highlights data protection laws and agreements (international transfer of personal data, European laws, United States state and federal laws), United States and European views of privacy protection, national economic and political goals, and…

National military strategy in the post cold war era: Nuclear deterrence or an alternative. Study project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pooley, G.R.

In the aftermath of the Cold War it becomes necessary to explore the validity of nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of the United States National Military Strategy for the upcoming period of transition in international relations. Using the current world situation as a starting point, the evolving trends in international relations, arms control and nuclear proliferation, the strategic threat and the evolution of technology will be analyzed in an effort to forecast the complexion of international relations twenty years hence. Then, within this context, nuclear deterrence and a non nuclear alternative nonoffensive defense, proposed by the Danish political scientist, Bjornmore » Moller, will be examined. In the final analysis, this project will suggest an appropriate direction for the evolution of the United States' National Military Strategy which, in the opinion of the author, provides the best probability for long term world peace.« less

PEP725 Pan European Phenological Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, E.; Lipa, W.; Ungersböck, M.; Zach-Hermann, S.

2012-04-01

PEP725 is a 5 years project with the main object to promote and facilitate phenological research by delivering a pan European phenological database with an open, unrestricted data access for science, research and education. PEP725 is funded by EUMETNET (the network of European meteorological services), ZAMG and the Austrian ministry for science & research bm:w_f. So far 16 European national meteorological services and 7 partners from different nati-onal phenological network operators have joined PEP725. The data access is very easy via web-access from the homepage www.pep725.eu. Ha-ving accepted the PEP725 data policy and registry the data download can be done by different criteria as for instance the selection of a specific plant or all data from one country. At present more than 300 000 new records are available in the PEP725 data-base coming from 31 European countries and from 8150 stations. For some more sta-tions (154) META data (location and data holder) are provided. Links to the network operators and data owners are also on the webpage in case you have more sophisticated questions about the data. Another objective of PEP725 is to bring together network-operators and scientists by organizing workshops. In April 2012 the second of these workshops will take place on the premises of ZAMG. Invited speakers will give presentations spanning the whole study area of phenology starting from observations to modelling. Quality checking is also a big issue. At the moment we study the literature to find ap-propriate methods.

Diminished States? National Power in European Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kupfer, Antonia

2008-01-01

The increasing research on international organisations' education policy lacks analyses of the relation between international organisations and nation states. This paper aims to analyse the power of nation states in international education policy. Focusing on the new degree system in higher education in Europe, partly from Foucault's…

Cross-National User Priorities for Housing Provision and Accessibility — Findings from the European innovAge Project

PubMed Central

Haak, Maria; Slaug, Björn; Oswald, Frank; Schmidt, Steven M.; Rimland, Joseph M.; Tomsone, Signe; Ladö, Thomas; Svensson, Torbjörn; Iwarsson, Susanne

2015-01-01

To develop an innovative information and communication technology (ICT) tool intended to help older people in their search for optimal housing solutions, a first step in the development process is to gain knowledge from the intended users. Thus the aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge about needs and expectations about housing options as expressed and prioritized by older people, people ageing with disabilities and professionals. A participatory design focus was adopted; 26 people with a range of functional limitations representing the user perspective and 15 professionals with a variety of backgrounds, participated in research circles that were conducted in four European countries. An additional 20 experts were invited as guests to the different research circle meetings. Three themes illustrating cross-national user priorities for housing provision and accessibility were identified: “Information barrier: accessible housing”, “Information barrier: housing adaptation benefits”, and “Cost barrier: housing adaptations”. In conclusion, early user involvement and identification of cross-national differences in priorities and housing options will strengthen the development of a user-friendly ICT tool that can empower older people and people with disabilities to be more active consumers regarding housing provision. PMID:25739003

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. Monitoring the European drug situation: the ongoing challenge for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

PubMed

Griffiths, Paul; Mounteney, Jane; Lopez, Dominique; Zobel, Frank; Götz, Wolfgang

2012-02-01

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the designated hub for drug-related information in the European Union. The organization's role is to provide the European Union (EU) and its Member States with a factual overview of European drug problems and a common information framework to support the drugs debate. In order to achieve its mission, the EMCDDA coordinates and relies on a network of 30 national monitoring centres, the Reitox National Focal Points. The Centre publishes on a wide range of drug-related topics, across epidemiology, interventions, laws and policies. Every November, the EMCDDA publishes its Annual Report, providing a yearly update on the European drug situation, translated into 23 EU languages. In line with its founding regulation, the EMCDDA has a role acting as an interface between the worlds of science and policy. While not a research centre in the formal sense, the results the Centre generates serve as catalysts for new research questions and help to identify priorities. Current challenges facing the agency include continuing to increase scientific standards while maintaining a strong institutional role, as well as supporting European efforts to identify, share and codify best practice in the drugs field. © 2011 EMCDDA.

Impact of Demographic Change on Education Systems in the European Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Journal of Education, 1981

1981-01-01

A paper prepared by a committee of EURYDICE, the Educational Information Network in the European Community, is presented. The impact of demographic change on the future development of European societies, including the development of national economies, the labor market, and the whole social system are discussed. (Author/MLW)

One WEEE, many species: lessons from the European experience.

PubMed

Deepali Sinha Khetriwal; Widmer, Rolf; Kuehr, Ruediger; Huisman, Jaco

2011-09-01

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) pervades modern lifestyles, but its quick obsolescence is resulting in huge quantities of EEE to be disposed of. This fast-growing waste stream has been recognized for its hazard potential. The European Union's (EU) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was essentially in response to the toxicity of e-waste - to ensure that it was collected and treated in an environmentally sound manner. Since then, the WEEE Directive has expanded its aims to include recovery of valuable resources as a means to reduce raw material extraction. With these objectives in mind, the Directive sets a common minimum legislative framework for all EU member states. However, the transposition of the Directive into national legislations has meant many differences in actual implementation models. There are 27 national transpositions of the Directive with different definitions, provisions and agreements. Each legislation reflects national situations, whether they are geographical considerations, legislative history, the influence of lobby groups and other national priorities. Although this diversity in legislations has meant massive problems in compliance and enforcement, it provides an opportunity to get an insight into the possible operational models of e-waste legislation. Building on the study by the United Nations University commissioned by the European Commission as part of its 2008 Review of the WEEE Directive, the paper identifies some key features of the Directive as well as legislative and operational differences in transposition and implementation in the various members states. The paper discusses the successes and challenges of the Directive and concludes with lessons learnt from the European experience.

Key Competences for the Development of Lifelong Learning in the European Union

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hozjan, Dejan

2009-01-01

This paper discusses certain developments in education policy in the European Union since the implementation of the Lisbon strategy. Greater focus on lifelong learning as a means of increasing the competitiveness of the European Union, and establishment of several new, efficient policy tools (above all the "open method of coordination")…

ASTRONET: Strategic Planning for European Astronomy 2005-2025

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Johannes; Mourard, Denis

2015-08-01

European astronomy, with ESO and ESA, is supported by a wide variety of independent national agencies or similar bodies, which jointly provide ~98% of the total funding (with ~2% EU grants). In 2005 these agencies concluded that common strategic planning would be a more cost-effective approach, so they founded a consortium, ASTRONET (http://www.astronet-eu.org/), to prototype such an effort for all of Europe, with EU support. A bottom-up process resulted in a Science Vision (2007) and Infrastructure Roadmap (2008) for European astronomy, with recent updates (2014).These ASTRONET reports cover all branches of astronomy; infrastructures at all electromagnetic wavelengths as well as particles etc., on the ground and in space; laboratory work, software and archiving; and training, recruitment and public outreach. In short, they are agreed blueprints for what Europe plans to accomplish in the next 1-2 decades.Subsequently, a systematic and sustained pragmatic effort has been made to implement the strategy laid out in the Roadmap, including a common European participation in projects and facilities of global dimensions. Decisions on the organisation and construction of several major research facilities have been taken as foreseen (E-ELT, SKA, CTA,…), and they are on track for completion around 2025. The task for global astronomy is now to optimise the overall scientific returns and cost-effectiveness of these investments across wavelength domains, scientific disciplines, and political and financial borders. Accordingly, ASTRONET is currently transforming itself into a permanent, self-sustaining activity reaching out to the world.The ideal of a fully integrated global astronomy may not be reached until ~2050, but no science is better suited than astronomy to set such an example: One Universe surrounds us all, and one Earth is our platform. The IAU General Assembly is a springboard towards this goal.