Positioning Oneself for Leadership: Feelings of Vulnerability among Aspirant School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronn, Peter; Lacey, Kathy

2004-01-01

The research context for this article is the difficulty being experienced by a number of school systems, especially in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, in recruiting principals. In our discussion we draw on preliminary findings from ongoing research into the experiences of a cohort of aspiring primary and secondary school principals. Our data…

Industry-University Collaborations in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA – With Emphasis on Publication Freedom and Managing the Intellectual Property Lock-Up Problem

PubMed Central

Kneller, Robert; Mongeon, Marcel; Cope, Jeff; Garner, Cathy; Ternouth, Philip

2014-01-01

As industry-university collaborations are promoted to commercialize university research and foster economic growth, it is important to understand how companies benefit from these collaborations, and to ensure that resulting academic discoveries are developed for the benefit of all stakeholders: companies, universities and public. Lock up of inventions, and censoring of academic publications, should be avoided if feasible. This case-study analysis of interviews with 90 companies in Canada, Japan, the UK and USA assesses the scope of this challenge and suggests possible resolutions. The participating companies were asked to describe an important interaction with universities, and most described collaborative research. The most frequently cited tensions concerned intellectual property management and publication freedom. IP disagreements were most frequent in the context of narrowly-focused collaborations with American universities. However, in the case of exploratory research, companies accepted the IP management practices of US universities. It might make sense to let companies have an automatic exclusive license to IP from narrowly defined collaborations, but to encourage universities to manage inventions from exploratory collaborations to ensure development incentives. Although Canada, the UK and US have strong publication freedom guarantees, tensions over this issue arose frequently in focused collaborations, though were rare in exploratory collaborations. The UK Lambert Agreements give sponsors the option to control publications in return for paying the full economic cost of a project. This may offer a model for the other three countries. Uniquely among the four countries, Japan enables companies to control exclusively most collaborative inventions and to censor academic publications. Despite this high degree of control, the interviews suggest many companies do not develop university discoveries to their full potential. The steps suggested above may rebalance the situation in Japan. Overall, the interviews reveal the complexity of these issues and the need for flexibility on the part of universities and companies. PMID:24632805

Letters to the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1991-12-01

Radon variations D J Noble Plockton High School, Ross shire IV52 8TU, UK Environmental physics A T Jackson Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education On mnemonic schemes A T Bardócz Teacher Training College, Szombathely, Hungary Regarding mnemonic devices for Maxwell's relations A H Kalantar Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada TG6 2G2 On an analogy for Ohm's law H S Fricker Bradford Grammar School Further reflections D Hinson `Brenig', Town Hill, Llanrwst, Gwynedd LL26 0NF, UK Moving charges W Jarvis 6 Peggy''s Mill Road, Edinburgh EH4 6JY, UK More on the distance travelled A Tan Department of Physics, Alabama A&M University, USA

Experiences of homophobia among gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional study in seven countries.

PubMed

Chard, Anna N; Finneran, Catherine; Sullivan, Patrick S; Stephenson, Rob

2015-01-01

Experiences of homophobic discrimination are associated with an increased prevalence of psychological disorders and increased odds of reporting suicidal ideation among gay and bisexual men. We examine two domains of homophobia--external homophobic discrimination and internalised homophobia--and their associations with sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, relationships and social support among a sample of gay and bisexual men from seven countries. Sexually active gay and bisexual men aged over 18 and residing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, the UK and the USA were recruited through banner advertisements on Facebook. Two outcomes were examined: reporting experiences of homophobic discrimination and reporting feelings of internalised homophobia. No covariates were consistently significantly associated with experiencing external homophobic discrimination across countries. Across all countries, bisexually identifying respondents reported significantly greater feelings of internalised homophobia. Respondents in Brazil and the UK reporting a main partner, and respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand and the USA reporting a larger gay/bisexual social network, reported significantly fewer feelings of internalised homophobia. Results suggest an ameliorative effect of social networks on experiencing homophobia. Additional research should focus on the mechanisms through which social networks reduce feelings of internalised homophobia.

A Foot in Many Camps: Literacy Teacher Educators Acquiring Knowledge across Many Realms and Juggling Multiple Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosnik, Clare; Menna, Lydia; Dharamshi, Pooja; Miyata, Cathy; Beck, Clive

2013-01-01

This study involved 28 literacy/English teachers in four countries: Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia. The goal of the study was to examine their backgrounds, knowledge, research activities, identity and support within the university. The teacher educators had a range of classroom teaching experience which they drew on in many ways. Most went…

Damage Control Technology - A Literature Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

The Canadian Navy has identified the reduction of the total operating cost ( TOC ) of new ships as a priority. The major contributors to the TOC of a...Corporation, California, USA AC-CAS Group Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand Apollo Fire Detectors, Hempshire, England, UK Compania Panamena de Sistemas ...National Defence DRDC Defence Research and Development Canada TOC Total Operating Cost BDCS Battle Damage Control System DC-ARM Damage Control

Daily disposable contact lens prescribing around the world.

PubMed

Efron, Nathan; Morgan, Philip B; Helland, Magne; Itoi, Motozumi; Jones, Deborah; Nichols, Jason J; van der Worp, Eef; Woods, Craig A

2010-10-01

Daily disposable contact lenses were introduced into the market 16 years ago. Data that we have gathered from annual contact lens fitting surveys conducted in Australia, Canada, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA between 2000 and 2008 indicates an overall increase in daily disposable lens fitting during this period. Daily disposable lenses are especially popular in Japan, Norway and the UK. There is a trend for these lenses to be fitted on a part-time basis. Males are over-represented in daily disposable lens fitting-a trend that is especially evident in Canada. Daily disposable lens wearers are about two years younger than wearers of reusable lenses in Japan and The Netherlands. The convenience and health benefits of daily disposable lenses are expected to fuel continued growth in this sector. Copyright (c) 2010 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The 13th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitcheson, Paul; Beeby, Steve

2013-12-01

It is a pleasure to welcome you to The Royal Society in London and the 13th International Conference on Micro- and Nano-Technology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications, or PowerMEMS 2013. The objective of PowerMEMS 2013 is to catalyse innovation in miniature, micro- and nano-scale technologies for power generation and energy conversion. The conference aims to stimulate the exchange of insights and information, and the development of new ideas in the Power MEMS/NEMS field as well as at the meso-scale. It will allow the attendees to interact and network within our multidisciplinary community that includes professionals from many branches of science and engineering. The technical program is led by four invited speakers covering inductive power transfer, chip scale power sources, thermal energy harvesting and implantable biofuel cells. We received 177 abstracts and following a careful reviewing process by the Technical Program Committee a total of 137 papers were selected for presentation. These have been organised into 16 oral sessions in two parallel streams and two poster sessions that have been augmented by 10 late news papers. The oral and regular poster papers are, for the first time, being published by the Institute of Physics. We have made every effort to make PowerMEMS 2013 the busiest yet and have included for the first time the PowerMEMS School. This two-day school held at Imperial College London covered a wide range of power-MEMS topics including technologies for power generation, power transmission, energy storage, power electronics interfaces and metrology. Registrations for the School exceeded our expectations and it was full by early November. We hope this, and other activities such as the Discussion Panel and the inclusion of late news papers, will make PowerMEMS 2013 a memorable success. We have also reached out to new communities, such as those working in wireless power transfer and RF harvesting to broaden the technology remit of our conference. The social program is an important aspect of any conference and the PowerMEMS 2013 banquet will be held in the Science Museum. This provides a fantastic opportunity to network whilst viewing some of the fundamental engineering innovations that have ultimately bought us all here today. There is a long list of individuals we would like to thank for their support in organising PowerMEMS 2013. Once again the TPC, chaired by Eric Yeatman and Douglas Paul, have given us their valuable time and effort in reviewing abstracts. The PowerMEMS School chairs Einar Halvorsen and Shad Roundy and the expert speakers made the School possible. The local organising committee, led by Alwyn Elliott, have provided us with invaluable assistance in making PowerMEMS 2013 happen. The financial support from Imperial College London, the University of Southampton and conference sponsors has also been gratefully appreciated. Finally, we would like to thank you all for attending and helping in making PowerMEMS 2013 a success. We wish you a productive and enjoyable conference and a wonderful stay in London. Paul Mitcheson and Steve Beeby CONFERENCE OFFICIALS Conference Co-Chairs Stephen Beeby, University of Southampton, UK Paul Mitcheson, Imperial College London, UK Technical Program Committee Co-Chairs Douglas Paul, University of Glasgow, UK Eric Yeatman, Imperial College London, UK PowerMEMS School Co Chairs Einar Halvorsen, Vestfold University College, Norway Shad Roundy, University of Utah, USA Local Organising Committee Chair Alwyn Elliott, Imperial College London, UK International Steering Committee Mark Allen, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA Steve Beeby, University of Southampton, UK Young-Ho Cho, KAIST, South Korea Alan Epstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Masayoshi Esashi, Tohoku University, Japan Luc Fréchette, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada Reza Ghodssi, University of Maryland, USA Hiroki Kuwano, Tohoku University, Japan Jeff Lang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Ryutaro Maeda, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan Kazusuke Maenaka, University of Hyogo, Japan Paul Mitcheson, Imperial College London, UK Albert Pisano, UC San Diego, USA Susumu Sugiyama, Ritsumeikan University, Japan Yuju Suzuki, University of Tokyo, Japan Shuji Tanaka, Tohoku University, Japan Miwako Waga, Susano Berkeley LLC, Japan Peter Woias, University Freiburg IMTEK, Germany Technical Program Committee David Arnold, University of Florida, USA Seiji Aoyagi, Kansai University, Japan Skandar Basrour, Tima Laboratory, France Philippe Basset, Université Paris Est/ESIEE Paris, France Mustafa Ilker Beyaz, Antalya International University, Turkey Danick Briand, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Steve Burrow, University of Bristol, UK Luc Fréchette, University of Sherbrooke, Canada Takayuki Fujita, University of Hyogo, Japan Florian Herrault, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA Andrew Holmes, Imperial College London, UK Hanseup Kim, University of Utah, USA Seong-Hyok Kim, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA Sejin Kwon, KAIST, South Korea Carol Livermore, Northeastern University, USA Matthew McCarthy, Drexel University, USA Jae Park, Kwangwoon University, South Korea Paul Ronney, University of Southern California, USA Nico de Rooij, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Yuji Suzuki, University of Tokyo, Japan Shuji Tanaka, Tohoku University, Japan Luis Velasque-Garcia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Huib Visser, Imec Netherlands Ruud Vullers, Imec, Netherlands C Mike Waits, US Army Research Laboratory, USA Xiaohong Wang, Tsinghua University, China David Yates, Imperial College London, UK Local Organising Committee Dibin Zhu, University of Southampton, UK Alex Weddell, University of Southampton, UK Tzern Toh, Imperial College London, UK Michail Kiziroglou, Imperial College London, UK Christopher Kwan, Imperial College London, UK

Modelling Operational Command Structures Using ORGAHEAD

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-01

1999 he was awarded a PhD from the University of South Australia. Dr. Sproles works part-time with DSTO Edinburgh under contract between the...Australia. Manchester, W, 1978, American Caesar. Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, Dell Publishing Co., New York, NY, USA. Manuel, K.T., and...Egypt Jordon Canada Italy HQ INTERFET HQ 3 Bde (Australia) Singapore Malaysia Fiji UK NZThailand Philipinnes S Korea Kenya Brazil Eire FranceNorway

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy for juvenile chronic arthritis: custom and practice in five centres in the UK, USA and Canada.

PubMed

Hackett, J; Johnson, B; Parkin, A; Southwood, T

1996-07-01

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are widely accepted as being of central importance for the treatment of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). However, these approaches have rarely been subject to critical scrutiny. The aims of this report are to highlight some of the inter-centre similarities and differences observed in the implementation of physical and occupational therapy for JCA, and to emphasize the need for scientifically controlled research in this area. During a series of visits to several paediatric rheumatology units in the UK, USA and Canada, three aspects of the service were noted: treatment philosophy, physical interventions used for the treatment of JCA and quality-of-life and independence training activities. There was general consensus with the philosophy that early physical intervention was a vital part of the treatment plan for JCA, although all therapists were concerned that compliance with treatment modalities was poor. Differences between units in the approach to acute arthritis, the use of foot orthoses and wrist splints, the treatment of joint contractures and the use of general quality-of-life training activities were noted. Although it was widely recognized that controlled research into the efficacy of physical intervention was needed, no centre had a co-ordinated plan for such investigations.

Experiences of homophobia among gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional study in seven countries

PubMed Central

Chard, Anna N.; Finneran, Catherine; Sullivan, Patrick S.

2016-01-01

Experiences of homophobic discrimination are associated with an increased prevalence of psychological disorders and increased odds of reporting suicidal ideation among gay and bisexual men. We examine two domains of homophobia – external homophobic discrimination and internalised homophobia – and their associations with sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, relationships, and social support among a sample of gay and bisexual men from 7 countries. Sexually active gay and bisexual men aged over 18 and residing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (USA) were recruited through banner advertisements on Facebook. Two outcomes were examined: reporting experiences of homophobic discrimination and reporting feelings of internalised homophobia. No covariates were consistently significantly associated with experiencing external homophobic discrimination across countries. Across all countries, bisexually identifying respondents reported significantly greater feelings of internalised homophobia. Respondents in Brazil and the UK reporting a main partner, and respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA reporting a larger gay/bisexual social network reported significantly fewer feelings of internalised homophobia. Results suggest an ameliorative effect of social networks on experiencing homophobia. Additional research should focus on the mechanisms through which social networks reduce feelings of internalised homophobia. PMID:26096688

PREFACE AND CONFERENCE INFORMATION: Eighth International Conference on Laser Ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Wayne P.; Herman, Peter R.; Bäuerle, Dieter; Koinuma, Hideomi

2007-04-01

Laser ablation encompasses a wide range of delicate to extreme light interactions with matter that present considerably challenging problems for scientists to study and understand. At the same time, laser ablation also represents a basic process of significant commercial importance in laser material processing—defining a multi-billion dollar industry today. These topics were widely addressed at the 8th International Conference on Laser Ablation (COLA), held in Banff, Canada on 11-16 September 2005. The meeting took place amongst the majestic and natural beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains at The Banff Centre, where delegates enjoyed many inspiring presentations and discussions in a unique campus learning environment. The conference brought together world leading scientists, students and industry representatives to examine the basic science of laser ablation and improve our understanding of the many physical, chemical and/or biological processes driven by the laser. The multi-disciplinary research presented at the meeting underlies some of our most important trends at the forefront of science and technology today that are represented in the papers collected in this volume. Here you will find new processes that are producing novel types of nanostructures and nano-materials with unusual and promising properties. Laser processes are described for delicately manipulating living cells or modifying their internal structure with unprecedented degrees of control and precision. Learn about short-pulse lasers that are driving extreme physical processes on record-fast time scales and opening new directions from material processing applications. The conference papers further highlight forefront application areas in pulsed laser deposition, nanoscience, analytical methods, materials, and microprocessing applications. Laser ablation continues to grow and evolve, touching forefront areas in science and driving new technological trends in laser processing applications. Please enjoy the collection of papers in this proceeding. Also, please join us for COLA 2007, to be held in the Canary Islands, Spain (http://www.io.csic.es/cola07/index.php). Conference on Laser Ablation (COLA'05) September 11-16, 2005 Banff, Canada Supported by University of Toronto, Canada (UT) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Sponsors Sponsorship from the following companies is gratefully acknowledged and appreciated AMBP Tech Corporation GSI Lumonics Amplitude Systèmes IMRA America, Inc. Andor Technologies Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics North Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations LUMERA LASER GmbH Clark-MXR, Inc. Pascal Coherent, Lamdbda Physik, TuiLaser PVD Products, Inc. Continuum Staib Instruments, Inc. Cyber Laser Inc. Surface GAM LASER, Inc. International Steering Committee C. Afonso (Spain)W. Husinsky (Austria) D. Bäuerle (Austria)W. Kautek (Germany) I.W. Boyd (UK) H. Koinuma (Japan) E.B. Campbell (Sweden) H.U. Krebs (Germany) J.T. Dickinson (USA) D.H. Lowndes (USA) M. Dinescu (Romania) J.G. Lunney (Ireland) J.J. Dubowski (Canada) W. Marine (France) E. Fogarassy (France) K. Murakami (Japan) C. Fotakis (Greece) T. Okada (Japan) D. Geohegan (USA) R.E. Russo (USA) M. Gower (UK) J. Schou (Denmark) R.H. Haglund Jr. (USA) M. Stuke (Germany) R.R. Herman (Canada) K. Sugioka (Japan) W.P. Hess (USA) F. Traeger (Germany) J.S Horwitz (USA) A. Yabe (Japan) Local Organizing Committee Nikki Avery Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Ken Beck Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Jan J. Dubowski University of Alberta Robert Fedosejevs Université de Sherbrooke Alan Joly Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Michel Meunier École Polytechnique de Montréal Suwas Nikumb National Research Council Canada Ying Tsui University of Alberta Conference photograph.

Paediatric rheumatology: clinical practice review. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy for juvenile chronic arthritis: custom and practice in five centres in the UK, USA and Canada

PubMed

Hackett; Johnson; Parkin; Southwood

1996-07-01

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are widely accepted as being of central importance for the treatment of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). However, these approaches have rarely been subject to critical scrutiny. The aims of this report are to highlight some of the inter-centre similarities and differences observed in the implementation of physical and occupational therapy for JCA, and to emphasize the need for scientifically controlled research in this area. During a series of visits to several paediatric rheumatology units in the UK, USA and Canada, three aspects of the service were noted: treatment philosophy, physical interventions used for the treatment of JCA and quality-of life and independence training activities. There was general consensus with the philosophy that early physical intervention was a vital part of the treatment plan for JCA, although all therapists were concerned that compliance with treatment modalities was poor. Differences between units in the approach to acute arthritis, the use of foot othoses and wrist splints, the treatment of joint contractures and the use of general quality-of-life training activities were noted. Although it was widely recognized that controlled research into the efficacy of physical intervention was needed, no centre had a co-ordinated plan for such investigations. Keywords: Juvenile chronic arthritis, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy

PREFACE: Fourth Meeting on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadoni, Mariano; Cavaglia, Marco; Nelson, Jeanette E.

2006-04-01

The formulation of a quantum theory of gravity seems to be the unavoidable endpoint of modern theoretical physics. Yet the quantum description of the gravitational field remains elusive. The year 2005 marks the tenth anniversary of the First Meeting on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity, held in Dubna (Russia) due to the efforts of Alexandre T. Filippov (JINR, Dubna) and Vittorio de Alfaro (University of Torino, Italy). At the heart of this initiative was the desire for an international forum where the status and perspectives of research in quantum gravity could be discussed from the broader viewpoint of modern gauge field theories. Since the Dubna meeting, an increasing number of scientists has joined this quest. Progress was reported in two other conferences in this series: in Santa Margherita Ligure (Italy) in 1996 and in Villasimius (Sardinia, Italy) in 1999. After a few years of ``working silence'' the time was now mature for a new gathering. The Fourth Meeting on Constrained Dynamics and Quantum Gravity (QG05) was held in Cala Gonone (Sardinia, Italy) from Monday 12th to Friday 16th September 2005. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, 100 scientists from 23 countries working in field theory, general relativity and related areas discussed the latest developments in the quantum treatment of gravitational systems. The QG05 edition covered many of the issues that had been addressed in the previous meetings and new interesting developments in the field, such as brane world models, large extra dimensions, analogue models of gravity, non-commutative techniques etc. The format of the meeting was similar to the previous ones. The programme consisted of invited plenary talks and parallel sessions on cosmology, quantum gravity, strings and phenomenology, gauge theories and quantisation and black holes. A major goal was to bring together senior scientists and younger people at the beginning of their scientific career. We were able to give financial support to both groups. In particular, help was provided to students and scientists from non-EU countries. It is our great pleasure to thank those people and institutions whose help and support was crucial to the success of the meeting. We appreciate the enthusiastic support of our colleagues of the academic community, especially those from the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and the Universities of Cagliari, Pisa, Torino and Mississippi. Financial support was provided by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, the Universities of Cagliari, Torino, Pisa and Mississippi. This was used largely to support participants, especially younger people. Special thanks go to Pietro Menotti (University of Pisa) and Stefano Sciuto (University of Torino) for their friendship and their universities' financial contributions. It is also a pleasure to acknowledge financial support from the Regione Autonoma della Sardegna and from Tiscali, the communications and Internet company, for providing free telephone cards. Technical support and local organisation was provided by the Sezione di Cagliari of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. Warmest thanks go to our administrative and technical staff - Maria Assunta Lecca and Simona Renieri, for their untiring assistance, and to Palmasera Village and Hotel Smeraldo for their splendid hospitality. And finally, our gratitude goes to all the participants and especially the many experienced scientists. Their contributions highlighted the meeting and were largely without support. The success of the meeting is due to them and to the enthusiasm of the younger participants. The Editors January 2006 COMMITTEES Organising Committee Mariano Cadoni (Università and INFN Cagliari) Marco Cavaglià (University of Mississippi) Jeanette E. Nelson (Università and INFN Torino) Advisory Committee Orfeu Bertolami (IST Lisboa, Portugal) Luca Bombelli (Univ. Mississippi) Steve Carlip (UC Davis, USA) Alessandro D'Adda (INFN Torino, Italy) Stanley Deser (Brandeis, USA) Georgi Dvali (NYU, USA) Sergio Ferrara (CERN) Gian Francesco Giudice (CERN) Roman Jackiw (MIT, USA) Edward W. Kolb (Fermilab, USA) Luca Lusanna (INFN Firenze, Italy) Roy Maartens (Univ. Portsmouth, UK) Hermann Nicolai (AEI, Potsdam, Germany) Tullio Regge (Politecnico di Torino, Italy) Augusto Sagnotti (Univ. Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Kellogg S. Stelle (Imperial College London, UK) Ruth Williams (DAMTP, Cambridge, UK) SPONSORS Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Università di Cagliari Università di Torino University of Mississippi Università di Pisa Regione autonoma della Sardegna Tiscali LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Eun-Joo Ahn (University of Chicago, USA) David Alba (Università di Firenze, Italy) Stanislav Alexeyev (Lomonosov Moscow State U., Russia) Damiano Anselmi (Università di Pisa, Italy) Ignatios Antoniadis (CERN, Geneva, Switzerland) Maria Da Conceicao Bento (Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa, Portugal) Orfeu Bertolami (Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa, Portugal) Massimo Bianchi (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Mariam Bouhmadi-Lopez (University of Portsmouth, UK) Raphael Bousso (University of California at Berkeley, USA) Mariano Cadoni (Università di Cagliari, Italy) Steven Carlip (University of California at Davis, USA) Roberto Casadio (Università di Bologna, Italy) Marco Cavaglià (University of Mississippi, USA) Demian Cho (Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India) Theodosios Christodoulakis (University of Athens, Greece) Chryssomalis Chryssomalakos (Inst. de Ciencias Nucleares - UNAM, Mexico) Diego Julio Cirilo-Lombardo (JINR, Dubna, Russia) Denis Comelli INFN, Sezione di Ferrara, Italy ) Ruben Cordero-Elizalde (Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico) Lorenzo Cornalba (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Branislav Cvetkovic (Institute of Physics, Belgrade, Serbia ) Maro Cvitan (University of Zagreb, Croatia) Alessandro D'Adda (Università di Torino, Italy) Claudio Dappiaggi (Università di Pavia, Italy) Roberto De Leo (Università di Cagliari, Italy) Roberto De Pietri (Università di Parma, Italy) Giuseppe De Risi (Università di Bari, Italy) Hans-Thomas Elze (Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) Alessandro Fabbri (Università di Bologna, Italy) Sergey Fadeev (VNIIMS, Moscow, Russia) Serena Fagnocchi (Università di Bologna, Italy) Sara Farese (Universidad de Valencia, Spain) Alessandra Feo (Università di Parma, Italy) Dario Francia (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Francesco Fucito (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Dmitri Fursaev (JINR, Dubna, Russia) Daniel Galehouse (University of Akron, Ohio, USA) Remo Garattini (Università di Bergamo, Italy) Florian Girelli (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) Luca Griguolo (Università di Parma, Italy) Daniel Grumiller (Universität Leipzig, Germany) Shinichi Horata (Hayama Center of Advanced Research, Japan) Giorgio Immirzi (Università di Perugia, Italy) Roman Jackiw (MIT, Cambridge, USA) Matyas Karadi (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) Mikhail Katanaev (Steklov Mathematical Institute, Moscow, Russia) Claus Kiefer (Universität Koln, Germany) John Klauder (University of Florida, Gainesville, USA) Pavel Klepac (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic) Jen-Chi Lee (National Chiao-Tung University, Taiwan) Carlos Leiva (Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile) Stefano Liberati (SISSA/ISAS, Trieste, Italy) Jorma Louko (University of Nottingham, UK) Luca Lusanna (INFN, Sezione di Firenze, Italy) Roy Maartens (University of Portsmouth, UK) Fotini Markopoulou (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) Annalisa Marzuoli (Università di Pavia, Italy) Evangelos Melas (QMW, University of London, UK) Maurizio Melis (Università di Cagliary, Italy) Vitaly Melnikov (VNIIMS, Moscow, Russia) Guillermo A. Mena Marugan (CSIC, Madrid, Spain) Pietro Menotti (Università di Pisa, Italy) Salvatore Mignemi (Università di Cagliari, Italy) Aleksandar Mikovic (Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal) Leonardo Modesto (Université de la Mediterranée, Marseille, France) Michael Mueller (Sardinien.com, Cagliari, Italy) Mario Nadalini (Università di Trento, Italy) José Navarro-Salas (Universidad de Valencia, Spain) Jeanette E. Nelson (Università di Torino, Italy) Alexander Nesterov (Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico) Hermann Nicolai (Albert-Einstein-Institut, Golm, Germany) Daniele Oriti (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) Marcello Ortaggio (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) Silvio Pallua (University of Zagreb, Croatia) Matej Pavsic (Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia) Wlodzimierz Piechocki (Soltan Inst. for Nuclear Studies, Warsaw, Poland) Nicola Pinamonti (Università di Trento, Italy) J. Brian Pitts (University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA) Vojtech Pravda (Academy of Sciences, Praha, Czech Rep.) Gianpaolo Procopio (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) Alice Rogers (King's College London, UK) Efrain Rojas (Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico) James Ryan (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) Augusto Sagnotti (Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy) Wenceslao Santiago-German (University of California at Davis, USA) Stefano Sciuto (Università di Torino, Italy) Domenico Seminara (Università di Firenze, Italy) Lorenzo Sindoni (Università di Udine, Italy) Kellogg S. Stelle (Imperial College, London, UK) Cosimo Stornaiolo (INFN, Sezione di Napoli, Italy) Ward Struyve (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) Makoto Tanabe (Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan) Daniel Terno (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) Charles Wang (Lancaster University, UK) Silke Weinfurtner (Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand) Hans Westman (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) Ruth Williams (DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK) Tetsuyuki Yukawa (Graduate U. for Adv. Studies, Kanagawa, Japan) Jorge Zanelli (CECS, Santiago, Chile)

Prevalence of homeopathy use by the general population worldwide: a systematic review.

PubMed

Relton, Clare; Cooper, Katy; Viksveen, Petter; Fibert, Philippa; Thomas, Kate

2017-05-01

To systematically review surveys of 12-month prevalence of homeopathy use by the general population worldwide. Studies were identified via database searches to October 2015. Study quality was assessed using a six-item tool. All estimates were in the context of a survey which also reported prevalence of any complementary and alternative medicine use. A total of 36 surveys were included. Of these, 67% met four of six quality criteria. Twelve-month prevalence of treatment by a homeopath was reported in 24 surveys of adults (median 1.5%, range 0.2-8.2%). Estimates for children were similar to those for adults. Rates in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada all ranged from 0.2% to 2.9% and remained stable over the years surveyed (1986-2012). Twelve-month prevalence of all use of homeopathy (purchase of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines and treatment by a homeopath) was reported in 10 surveys of adults (median 3.9%, range 0.7-9.8%) while a further 11 surveys which did not define the type of homeopathy use reported similar data. Rates in the USA and Australia ranged from 1.7% to 4.4% and remained stable over the years surveyed. The highest use was reported by a survey in Switzerland where homeopathy is covered by mandatory health insurance. This review summarises 12-month prevalence of homeopathy use from surveys conducted in eleven countries (USA, UK, Australia, Israel, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Singapore). Each year a small but significant percentage of these general populations use homeopathy. This includes visits to homeopaths as well as purchase of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

CSP-IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference 2016 (IEEE 12MTC 2016)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-22

Advanced Measurement and Instrumentation for NDT&E • Instrumentation and measurement for improving quality, reliability and safety : new...the Conference is in Asia , therefore China , Taiwan , Malaysia , and India were on the list. As for the acceptance rat ion , Austria , Italy, UK...15 69.4% Brazil 14 7 66.7% USA 15 6 71.4% Malaysia 12 10 54 .5% Germany 9 3 75.0% United Kingdom 10 2 83 .3% Canada 8 2 80.0% Austria 10 0

PS2007 Satellite Meeting on Photosynthetic Antennas, 19-22 July 2007, Drymen, Scotland

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

Robert E. Blankenship

2009-06-04

A Satellite Workshop of the 14th International Congress on Photosynthesis on the topic of photosynthetic light-harvesting systems was held on 18-21 July 2007, at the Buchanan Arms Hotel in Drymen, Scotland, near Glasgow. This meeting continued the tradition of satellite light-harvesting conferences occurring prior to the last five international photosynthesis congresses in Japan, France, Hungary, Australia and Canada, dating from 1992. With an attendance of 124 participants, this Workshop represents an intimate gathering of scientists interested in a thorough coverage of the light-harvesting aspects of photosynthesis. A significant amount of time was set aside for discussion and poster sessions. Themore » organizers were: Richard J. Cogdell, UK (Chairperson), Alastair T. Gardiner, UK, Conrad W. Mullineaux, UK, Robert A. Niederman, USA, Robert E. Blankenship, USA, Harry Frank, USA, Bruno Robert, France. Sessions were focused on new concepts relating to the function, regulation, assembly, photoprotection and evolution of a wide variety of antenna systems. Cutting-edge scientific methods used to study these systems that were covered included time-resolved and single-molecule spectroscopy, structure determination by X-ray diffraction, NMR and electron and atomic force microscopy, molecular genetics, protein chemistry, model systems and theory. A central theme was how emerging high-resolution structural information on antenna proteins continues to provide an enhanced understanding of areas ranging from the kinetics of energy transfer processes to the assembly of the photosynthetic apparatus.« less

The use of non-speech oral-motor exercises among Indian speech-language pathologists to treat speech disorders: An online survey

PubMed Central

Thomas, Roha M.; Kaipa, Ramesh

2015-01-01

Objective Previous surveys in the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), and Canada have indicated that most of the speech-language pathologists (SLPs) tend to use non-speech oral-motor exercises (NSOMEs) on a regular basis to treat speech disorders. At present, there is considerable debate regarding the clinical effectiveness of NSOMEs. The current study aimed to investigate the pattern and extent of usage of NSOMEs among Indian SLPs. Method An online survey intended to elicit information regarding the use of NSOMEs was sent to 505 members of the Indian Speech and Hearing Association. The questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first section solicited demographic information, the second and third sections solicited information from participants who did and did not prefer to use NSOMEs, respectively. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the responses that were clinically relevant. Results A total of 127 participants responded to the survey. Ninety-one percent of the participants who responded to the survey indicated that they used NSOMEs. Conclusion The results suggested that the percentage of SLPs preferring to use NSOMEs is similar to the findings of surveys conducted in the USA, the UK, and Canada. The Indian SLPs continue to use NSOMEs based on a multitude of beliefs. It is important for SLPs to incorporate the principles of evidence-based practice while using NSOMEs to provide high quality clinical care. PMID:26304211

Is there a financial incentive to immigrate? Examining of the health worker salary gap between India and popular destination countries.

PubMed

George, Gavin; Rhodes, Bruce

2017-10-19

International migration is one of the factors resulting in the shortage of Human Resources for Health (HRH) in India. Literature suggests that migration is fuelled by the prospect of higher salaries available abroad. The extent of these salary differentials are unknown, and this study seeks to examine the salaries of selected HRH in India and four popular destination countries (United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada and the United Arab Emirates), whilst accounting for the in-country cost of living. This study will therefore determine truer financial incentives for Indian HRH to migrate abroad. A purchasing power parity (PPP) ratio is employed to equalise the international price of buying a representative basket of commonly bought goods (including food, entertainment, fuel and utilities). Using the PPP index, real differences in salaries are directly compared for selected work categories and different levels of work experience in the four respective countries. Nurses in the USA can earn up to 82.7% more than their Indian counterparts. Nurses in Canada and the UAE reveal more modest salary differentials, yet still significant better off by up to 28 and 20% respectively. Only nurses in the UK are potentially materially worse off than nurses working in India. We observe significant potential PPP gains of up to 57.4, 99.1 and 94.4% for medical doctors in the USA, Canada and the UAE respectively. Medical specialists potentially experience the greatest income disparities with anaesthetists potentially earning up to 600% more than their counterparts in India. Radiologists operating in the UK and general surgeons working in the USA can potentially earn more than double that of their counterparts working in India. We observe more modest positive or negligible PPP gains in other selected countries for health specialists. Even when considering the differences in the cost of living, the financial incentive for selected cadres of Indian HRH to seek work abroad remains strong. The migration of Indian HRH to countries offering superior salaries makes it difficult for India to retain experienced health personal and compromises government efforts to render health care more accessible across the country.

What happened to smokers’ beliefs about light cigarettes when “light/mild” brand descriptors were banned in the UK? Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

Borland, R; Fong, G T; Yong, H-H; Cummings, K M; Hammond, D; King, B; Siahpush, M; McNeill, A; Hastings, G; O’Connor, R J; Elton-Marshall, T; Zanna, M P

2015-01-01

Aim This paper examines how beliefs of smokers in the UK were affected by the removal of “light” and “mild” brand descriptors, which came into effect on 30 September 2003 for Member States of the European Union (EU). Participants The data come from the first four waves (2002–2005) of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Four-Country Survey, an annual cohort telephone survey of adult smokers in Canada, USA, UK and Australia (15 450 individual cases). Design The UK ban on misleading descriptors occurred around the second wave of data collection in the ITC survey, permitting us to compare beliefs about light cigarettes among adult smokers in the UK before and after the ban, with beliefs in the three other ITC countries unaffected by the ban. Results There was a substantial decline in reported beliefs about the benefits of light cigarettes in the UK following the policy change and an associated public information campaign, but by 2005 (ie, wave 4), these beliefs rebounded slightly and the change in beliefs was no greater than in the USA, where there was no policy change. Conclusions The findings reveal that high levels of misperceptions about light cigarettes existed among smokers in all four countries before and after the EU ban took effect. We cannot conclude that the policy of removing some aspects of misleading labels has been effective in changing beliefs about light cigarettes. Efforts to correct decades of consumer misperceptions about light cigarettes must extend beyond simply removing “light” and “mild” brand descriptors. PMID:18426868

PREFACE: International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP 2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Simon C.; Shen, Stella; Neufeld, Niko; Gutsche, Oliver; Cattaneo, Marco; Fisk, Ian; Panzer-Steindel, Bernd; Di Meglio, Alberto; Lokajicek, Milos

2011-12-01

The International Conference on Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP) was held at Academia Sinica in Taipei from 18-22 October 2010. CHEP is a major series of international conferences for physicists and computing professionals from the worldwide High Energy and Nuclear Physics community, Computer Science, and Information Technology. The CHEP conference provides an international forum to exchange information on computing progress and needs for the community, and to review recent, ongoing and future activities. CHEP conferences are held at roughly 18 month intervals, alternating between Europe, Asia, America and other parts of the world. Recent CHEP conferences have been held in Prauge, Czech Republic (2009); Victoria, Canada (2007); Mumbai, India (2006); Interlaken, Switzerland (2004); San Diego, California(2003); Beijing, China (2001); Padova, Italy (2000) CHEP 2010 was organized by Academia Sinica Grid Computing Centre. There was an International Advisory Committee (IAC) setting the overall themes of the conference, a Programme Committee (PC) responsible for the content, as well as Conference Secretariat responsible for the conference infrastructure. There were over 500 attendees with a program that included plenary sessions of invited speakers, a number of parallel sessions comprising around 260 oral and 200 poster presentations, and industrial exhibitions. We thank all the presenters, for the excellent scientific content of their contributions to the conference. Conference tracks covered topics on Online Computing, Event Processing, Software Engineering, Data Stores, and Databases, Distributed Processing and Analysis, Computing Fabrics and Networking Technologies, Grid and Cloud Middleware, and Collaborative Tools. The conference included excursions to various attractions in Northern Taiwan, including Sanhsia Tsu Shih Temple, Yingko, Chiufen Village, the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area, Keelung, Yehliu Geopark, and Wulai Aboriginal Village, as well as two banquets held at the Grand Hotel and Grand Formosa Regent in Taipei. The next CHEP conference will be held in New York, the United States on 21-25 May 2012. We would like to thank the National Science Council of Taiwan, the EU ACEOLE project, commercial sponsors, and the International Advisory Committee and the Programme Committee members for all their support and help. Special thanks to the Programme Committee members for their careful choice of conference contributions and enormous effort in reviewing and editing about 340 post conference proceedings papers. Simon C Lin CHEP 2010 Conference Chair and Proceedings Editor Taipei, Taiwan November 2011 Track Editors/ Programme Committee Chair Simon C Lin, Academia Sinica, Taiwan Online Computing Track Y H Chang, National Central University, Taiwan Harry Cheung, Fermilab, USA Niko Neufeld, CERN, Switzerland Event Processing Track Fabio Cossutti, INFN Trieste, Italy Oliver Gutsche, Fermilab, USA Ryosuke Itoh, KEK, Japan Software Engineering, Data Stores, and Databases Track Marco Cattaneo, CERN, Switzerland Gang Chen, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Stefan Roiser, CERN, Switzerland Distributed Processing and Analysis Track Kai-Feng Chen, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Ulrik Egede, Imperial College London, UK Ian Fisk, Fermilab, USA Fons Rademakers, CERN, Switzerland Torre Wenaus, BNL, USA Computing Fabrics and Networking Technologies Track Harvey Newman, Caltech, USA Bernd Panzer-Steindel, CERN, Switzerland Antonio Wong, BNL, USA Ian Fisk, Fermilab, USA Niko Neufeld, CERN, Switzerland Grid and Cloud Middleware Track Alberto Di Meglio, CERN, Switzerland Markus Schulz, CERN, Switzerland Collaborative Tools Track Joao Correia Fernandes, CERN, Switzerland Philippe Galvez, Caltech, USA Milos Lokajicek, FZU Prague, Czech Republic International Advisory Committee Chair: Simon C. Lin , Academia Sinica, Taiwan Members: Mohammad Al-Turany , FAIR, Germany Sunanda Banerjee, Fermilab, USA Dario Barberis, CERN & Genoa University/INFN, Switzerland Lothar Bauerdick, Fermilab, USA Ian Bird, CERN, Switzerland Amber Boehnlein, US Department of Energy, USA Kors Bos, CERN, Switzerland Federico Carminati, CERN, Switzerland Philippe Charpentier, CERN, Switzerland Gang Chen, Institute of High Energy Physics, China Peter Clarke, University of Edinburgh, UK Michael Ernst, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA David Foster, CERN, Switzerland Merino Gonzalo, CIEMAT, Spain John Gordon, STFC-RAL, UK Volker Guelzow, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany John Harvey, CERN, Switzerland Frederic Hemmer, CERN, Switzerland Hafeez Hoorani, NCP, Pakistan Viatcheslav Ilyin, Moscow State University, Russia Matthias Kasemann, DESY, Germany Nobuhiko Katayama, KEK, Japan Milos Lokajícek, FZU Prague, Czech Republic David Malon, ANL, USA Pere Mato Vila, CERN, Switzerland Mirco Mazzucato, INFN CNAF, Italy Richard Mount, SLAC, USA Harvey Newman, Caltech, USA Mitsuaki Nozaki, KEK, Japan Farid Ould-Saada, University of Oslo, Norway Ruth Pordes, Fermilab, USA Hiroshi Sakamoto, The University of Tokyo, Japan Alberto Santoro, UERJ, Brazil Jim Shank, Boston University, USA Alan Silverman, CERN, Switzerland Randy Sobie , University of Victoria, Canada Dongchul Son, Kyungpook National University, South Korea Reda Tafirout , TRIUMF, Canada Victoria White, Fermilab, USA Guy Wormser, LAL, France Frank Wuerthwein, UCSD, USA Charles Young, SLAC, USA

Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control in national surveys from England, the USA and Canada, and correlation with stroke and ischaemic heart disease mortality: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Joffres, Michel; Falaschetti, Emanuela; Gillespie, Cathleen; Robitaille, Cynthia; Loustalot, Fleetwood; Poulter, Neil; McAlister, Finlay A; Johansen, Helen; Baclic, Oliver; Campbell, Norm

2013-08-30

Comparison of recent national survey data on prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in England, the USA and Canada, and correlation of these parameters with each country stroke and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) mortality. Non-institutionalised population surveys. England (2006 n=6873), the USA (2007-2010 n=10 003) and Canada (2007-2009 n=3485) aged 20-79 years. Stroke and IHD mortality rates were plotted against countries' specific prevalence data. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was higher in England than in the USA and Canada in all age-gender groups. Mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was similar in the three countries before age 50 and then fell more rapidly in the USA, being the lowest in the USA. Only 34% had a BP under 140/90 mm Hg in England, compared with 50% in the USA and 66% in Canada. Prehypertension and stages 1 and 2 hypertension prevalence figures were the highest in England. Hypertension prevalence (≥140 mm Hg SBP and/or ≥90 mm Hg DBP) was lower in Canada (19·5%) than in the USA (29%) and England (30%). Hypertension awareness was higher in the USA (81%) and Canada (83%) than in England (65%). England also had lower levels of hypertension treatment (51%; USA 74%; Canada 80%) and control (<140/90 mm Hg; 27%; the USA 53%; Canada 66%). Canada had the lowest stroke and IHD mortality rates, England the highest and the rates were inversely related to the mean SBP in each country and strongly related to the blood pressure indicators, the strongest relationship being between low hypertension awareness and stroke mortality. While the current prevention efforts in England should result in future-improved figures, especially at younger ages, these data still show important gaps in the management of hypertension in these countries, with consequences on stroke and IHD mortality.

Support and correlates of support for banning smoking in cars with children: findings from the ITC Four Country Survey*

PubMed Central

Fong, Geoffrey T.; Zanna, Mark P.; Hyland, Andrew; Bansal-Travers, Maansi

2011-01-01

Background: Since 2006, banning smoking in cars with children has become a rapidly growing tobacco control policy. However, to date, there have been few studies examining support and correlates of support for car smoking bans, and none of the existing studies have been international in nature. We conducted such a study among smokers in four countries. Methods: 6716 adult current smokers from the 2007 Wave of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort telephone survey of smokers in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. Controlling for demographics, heaviness of smoking, smoking health knowledge/beliefs and quit intentions, we compared support and correlates of support for banning smoking in cars with children across the four countries. Results: The majority of smokers supported banning smoking in cars with children. Support was highest in Australia (83%), followed by the UK (75%) and Canada (74%); support was lower—but still high—in the USA (60%). Support was highest among smokers who: had stronger quit intentions, were lighter smokers, had lower education, had no children in the home, believed that cigarette smoke is dangerous to non-smokers and could cause asthma in children, and were concerned about modelling smoking to children. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a majority of smokers in the four countries support banning smoking in cars with children, and lend support to banning smoking in cars with children. Additionally, they suggest that support may be increased by educating smokers about the dangers of cigarette smoke exposure. PMID:20630910

Support and correlates of support for banning smoking in cars with children: findings from the ITC Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Hitchman, Sara C; Fong, Geoffrey T; Zanna, Mark P; Hyland, Andrew; Bansal-Travers, Maansi

2011-06-01

Since 2006, banning smoking in cars with children has become a rapidly growing tobacco control policy. However, to date, there have been few studies examining support and correlates of support for car smoking bans, and none of the existing studies have been international in nature. We conducted such a study among smokers in four countries. 6716 adult current smokers from the 2007 Wave of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort telephone survey of smokers in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia. Controlling for demographics, heaviness of smoking, smoking health knowledge/beliefs and quit intentions, we compared support and correlates of support for banning smoking in cars with children across the four countries. The majority of smokers supported banning smoking in cars with children. Support was highest in Australia (83%), followed by the UK (75%) and Canada (74%); support was lower-but still high-in the USA (60%). Support was highest among smokers who: had stronger quit intentions, were lighter smokers, had lower education, had no children in the home, believed that cigarette smoke is dangerous to non-smokers and could cause asthma in children, and were concerned about modelling smoking to children. These findings indicate that a majority of smokers in the four countries support banning smoking in cars with children, and lend support to banning smoking in cars with children. Additionally, they suggest that support may be increased by educating smokers about the dangers of cigarette smoke exposure.

Estimating prevalence of osteoporosis: examples from industrialized countries.

PubMed

Wade, S W; Strader, C; Fitzpatrick, L A; Anthony, M S; O'Malley, C D

2014-01-01

In nine industrialized countries in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia, country-specific osteoporosis prevalence (estimated from published data) at the total hip or hip/spine ranged from 9 to 38 % for women and 1 to 8 % for men. In these countries, osteoporosis affects up to 49 million individuals. Standardized country-specific prevalence estimates are scarce, limiting our ability to anticipate the potential global impact of osteoporosis. This study estimated the prevalence of osteoporosis in several industrialized countries (USA, Canada, five European countries, Australia, and Japan) using the World Health Organization (WHO) bone mineral density (BMD)-based definition of osteoporosis: BMD T-score assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry ≤-2.5. Osteoporosis prevalence was estimated for males and females aged 50 years and above using total hip BMD and then either total hip or spine BMD. We compiled published location-specific data, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III age and BMD reference groups, and adjusted for differences in disease definitions across sources. Relevant NHANES III ratios (e.g., male to female osteoporosis at the total hip) were applied where data were missing for countries outside the USA. Data were extrapolated from geographically similar countries as needed. Population counts for 2010 were used to estimate the number of individuals with osteoporosis in each country. For females, osteoporosis prevalence ranged from 9 % (UK) to 15 % (France and Germany) based on total hip BMD and from 16 % (USA) to 38 % (Japan) when spine BMD data were included. For males, prevalence ranged from 1 % (UK) to 4 % (Japan) based on total hip BMD and from 3 % (Canada) to 8 % (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) when spine BMD data were included. Up to 49 million individuals met the WHO osteoporosis criteria in a number of industrialized countries in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities in Canada and the UK: The Impact of Its Disability Employment Laws

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerber, Paul J.; Batalo, Cecilia G.; Achola, Edwin O.

2012-01-01

The impact of employment laws pertaining to individuals with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK were investigated via the extant research literature. Currently, there is very little research in this area despite Canada and the UK having laws in effect for decades. Surprisingly, their laws have been revamped despite an absence…

PREFACE: The 16th International Conference on Positron Annihilation (ICPA-16)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Ashraf; Coleman, Paul; Dugdale, Stephen; Roussenova, Mina

2013-06-01

The 16th International Conference on Positron Annihilation (ICPA-16) was held at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom during 19-24 August, 2012. This triennial conference is the foremost gathering of the Positron Annihilation Physics community and it was hosted in the UK for the first time since the series of meetings first started back in 1965. The University of Bristol, the Alma Mater of Paul Dirac, is situated at the heart of the city, and it has established a worldwide reputation in research and teaching. Many of the topics which were discussed during ICPA-16 form an integral part of the research themes in the schools of Physics, Chemistry and Engineering of this University. ICPA-16 attracted a diverse audience, both from academic and industrial institutions, with over 200 participants from 29 countries. It continued the long held tradition of showcasing novel research in the field of positron annihilation and a total of 170 papers were presented as talks and posters. The papers reported studies of metallic and semi-conducting solids, polymers and soft matter, porous materials, surfaces and interfaces, as well as advances in experimental, analytical and biomedical applications. The high quality of the presented work, coupled with the enthusiastic exchange of ideas, provided an invaluable forum, especially for younger researchers and postgraduate students. The excellence of student presentations was acknowledged by the award of prizes for the best student posters, which were received by David Billington (University of Bristol, UK), Moussa Sidibe (CEMHTI, France) and Hongxia Xu (Tohoku University, Japan). All papers published in the Conference Proceedings were reviewed by ICPA-16 participants. We are indebted to all reviewers who contributed their time and intellectual resources, allowing the refereeing and editing process to move smoothly toward the compilation of the Proceedings. Our sincere thanks and gratitude go to everyone who contributed to the success of the conference. We are grateful to all participants for their informative talks, poster presentations and fruitful discussions; the session chairs for keeping to the tight time schedule and for making sure the oral presentation sessions ran smoothly; Maria Dugdale for her time and effort in organising the social programme for the accompanying persons; the student volunteers from the Bristol Positron Group for all their help and time before, during and after the conference; the Bath positron group for helping with the organisation of the excursion and last, but not least, the University of Bristol Conference Office staff for their help with the organisation of the conference. We are also very grateful for the financial and logistical help from the University of Bristol and financial support from our sponsors and exhibitors, Ortec and Canberra. We conclude by wishing the Organising Committee of ICPA-17 all the best for a successful conference. We look forward to seeing everyone in China in 2015. Ashraf Alam, Paul Coleman, Stephen Dugdale and Mina Roussenova Guest Editors Bristol, April 2013 Local organising committeeInternational Advisory committee M A Alam, S Dugdale and M Roussenova P Coleman (UK, Chairman) University of Bristol, UK R Krause-Rehberg(Germany, Vice-chairman) P Coleman and S Townrow M A Alam (UK) University of Bath, UK G Laricchia (UK) M Charlton R Brusa (Italy) University of Swansea, UK M Doyama (Japan) G Laricchia B Ganguly (India) University College London, UK C Hugenschmidt (Germany) D Keeble Zs Kajcsos (Hungary, deceased) University of Dundee, UK Y Kobayashi (Japan) J Kuriplach (Czech Republic) P Mascher (Canada) A Mills (USA) Y Nagashima (Japan) Steering committee M Puska (Finland) M A Alam (UK, Secretary) H Schut (Netherlands) P Coleman (UK) A Seeger (Germany) B Ganguly (India) Y Shirai (Japan) Y Kobayashi (Japan) A Somoza (Argentina) P Mascher (Canada) A Stewart (Canada) H Schut (Netherlands) Z Tang (China) R Krause-Rehberg (Germany) A Weiss (USA) Sponsor logos Conference photograph

Committees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-01-01

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR POSITRON WORKSHOP Roberto S Brusa (Italy) Michael Charlton (UK) Arnab S Ghosh (India) Franco A Gianturco (Italy) Gleb F Gribakin (UK) John Humberston (UK) Helge Knudsen (Denmark) Akos Kover (Hungary) Gaetana Laricchia (UK) Marco AP Lima (Brazil) Allen Mills (USA) Yasuyuki Nagashima (Japan) Clifford M Surko (USA) James Walters (UK) Sandra Ward (USA) LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR POSITRON WORKSHOP Radu I Campeanu (York, Chairman) Jurij W Darewych (York) Allan D Stauffer (York) Cody Storry (York)

PREFACE: Eurotherm Conference No. 95: Computational Thermal Radiation in Participating Media IV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulet, Pascal; Lacroix, David; Lemonnier, Denis; Lybaert, Paul; Selçuk, Nevin

2012-06-01

This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series is based on papers presented at the Eurotherm Conference 95: Computational Thermal Radiation in Participating Media IV, which was held in Nancy, France, on 18-20 April 2012. This seminar was the fourth in a series after Mons, Belgium (Eurotherm Seminar 73, April 2003), Poitiers, France (Eurotherm Seminar 78, April 2006) and Lisbon, Portugal (Eurotherm Seminar 83, April 2009). Around 70 contributions were received during the conference preparation, including submissions for oral and poster presentations. A first selection process based on abstracts and a second based on two peer-reviews of the full papers finally resulted in the acceptance of 38 contributions from oral presentations and 11 from poster presentations. The conference was attended by almost 80 scientists from 17 different countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey and USA. The 30 contributions presented in this volume relate to the following main topics: Radiative transfer in complex media Applications, combustion and high temperatures Inverse methods New developments for RTE solution Gas radiation modeling Particles, droplets and dispersed systems Monte Carlo methods The conference organizers gratefully acknowledge the members of the scientific committee and the experts who carried out the reviews of the papers, and the local organizing committee for their preparation of the conference. Also acknowledged are the support by the LEMTA, the Société Française de Thermique, ICHMT, the sponsorship of CNRS and the Lorraine Region, and the financial contributions of the Université de Lorraine, FLIR, Baccarat and the city of Nancy. Conference Chairs P BouletLEMTA, Nancy, France D LemonnierInstitut P', Poitiers, France N SelçukMiddle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey P LybaertFaculté Polytechnique de Mons, Belgium International Scientific Committee R BialeckiSTU Gliwice, Poland P CoehloInstituto Superior Tecnico, Lisboa, Portugal L A DombrovskyIHT, Moscow, Russia M El HafiENSTIMAC, Albi, France J HowellUniversity of Texas, Austin, USA S KumarPolytechnic University of New York, USA W LipinskiUniversity of Minnesota, USA F LiuInstitute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology, Canada W MalalasekeraLoughborough University, UK S MaruyamaInstitute of Fluid Science, Tohoku, Japan M P MengüçOzyeğin University, Istanbul, Turkey M MishchenkoNASA Goddard Institute, USA M F ModestUniversity of California, USA L PilonUniversity of California, Los Angeles, USA S RukolaineIoffe Institute, St Petersburg, Russia C SalinasUniversity of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil A SoufianiÉcole Centrale, Paris, France R VaillonCETHIL INSA, Lyon, France B WebbBrigham Young University, USA Z ZhangGeorgia Institute of Technology, USA H C ZhouHuazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China Guest Editors P Boulet Université de Lorraine, LEMTA, CNRS, France pascal.boulet@univ-lorraine.fr D Lacroix Université de Lorraine, LEMTA, CNRS, France david.lacroix@univ-lorraine.fr D Lemonnier PPrime Institute, CNRS -- ENSMA, University of Poitiers, France denis.lemonnier@ensma.fr P Lybaert UMONS, Thermal Engineering and Combustion Laboratory, Belgium paul.lybaert@umons.ac.be N Selçuk Middle East Technical University, Turkey selcuk@metu.edu.tr

PREFACE: Ocean and climate changes in polar and sub-polar environments: proceedings from the 2010 IODP-Canada/ECORD summer school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St-Onge, Guillaume; Veiga-Pires, Cristina; Solignac, Sandrine

2011-05-01

IODP logoECORD logo The European Consortium for Ocean Drilling Program (ECORD), the Canadian Consortium for Ocean Drilling (CCOD), the Network of the Universités du Québec (UQ), the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and GEOTOP sponsored, in 2010, a summer school entitled 'Ocean and climate changes in polar and sub-polar environments'. This summer school took place from 27 June to 12 July in Rimouski, Québec city and Montréal (Quebec, Canada) and was attended by nineteen students and postdoctoral fellows from seven countries: Canada, France, Germany, UK, Serbia, Portugal and the USA. Lectures, hands-on laboratory exercises and laboratory visits were conducted at the Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski (ISMER), Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique - Centre Eau Terre Environnement (INRS-ETE) and UQAM, in addition to two field trips and a short geological and geophysical cruise on board the R/V Coriolis II in the St Lawrence Estuary and Saguenay Fjord. During the summer school, more than twenty researchers gave lectures on the use of several paleoceanographic and geophysical techniques to reconstruct ocean and climate changes in polar and sub-polar environments. Some of these lectures are presented as short review papers in this volume. They are intended to portray a brief, but state-of-the-art overview of an array of techniques applied to Arctic and sub-Arctic environments, as well as the geological background information needed by the summer school participants to put the scientific expedition and fieldwork into context. The volume begins with a view on the great challenges and key issues to be addressed in the Arctic Ocean (Stein) in the forthcoming years and is followed by a review (O'Regan) on Late Cenozoic paleoceanography of the Central Arctic. The two subsequent papers (St-Onge et al and de Vernal et al) deal with the oceanographic, paleoceanographic and geological context of the Saguenay Fjord, and St Lawrence Estuary and Gulf. The subsequent set of papers review the use of planktonic foraminifers (Eynaud), diatoms (Crosta) and dinocysts (de Vernal and Rochon) in polar or sub-polar environments. These articles are followed by a paper on transfer functions (Guiot) summarizing the different approaches used to reconstruct past environmental conditions from micropaleontological proxy data. Two papers on geochemical and isotopic proxies are then presented and related to either foraminifera isotopic records (Hillaire-Marcel) in high northern latitudes or changes in ocean circulation and weathering inputs derived from radiogenic isotopes (Frank). The volume concludes with a paper on the application of visible/near infrared derivative spectroscopy to Arctic sediments (Ortiz). All the papers published in this volume benefited from the reviews of at least two reviewers, whom we thank for their valuable time and comments. We also thank the crew of the Coriolis II, and the many scientists, participants and volunteers who contributed to the summer school and made it a great success. In addition to GEOTOP and UQAM, the following institutions contributed to the organization of the summer school: ISMER, INRS-ETE, the Geological Survey of Canada, and REFORMAR. Finally, we thank Hélène Gaonac'h (UQAM) for coordinating the summer school and Anne de Vernal (UQAM) for her leadership throughout the summer school. Editors Guillaume St-Onge Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology, Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER) & GEOTOP Research Center, 310 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada, G5L 3A1 Cristina Veiga-Pires FCMA - CIMA, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8000-117 Faro, Portugal Sandrine Solignac GEOTOP, Université du Québec à Montréal, PO Box 8888, succursale 'centre ville' Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8 Canada Scientists who contributed to the summer school: Hans Asnong (UQAM/GEOTOP, Canada) Gilles Bellefleur (Geological Survey of Canada-Ottawa, Canada) Anne de Vernal (UQAM/GEOTOP, Canada) Mathieu Duchesne (Geological Survey of Canada-Québec, Canada) Frédérique Eynaud (EPOC/Universite Bordeaux I, France) Pierre Francus (INRS-ETE/GEOTOP, Canada) Martin Frank (IFM-GEOMAR, Germany) Yves Gélinas (Concordia/GEOTOP, Canada) Joël Guiot (CEREGE, France) Claude Hillaire-Marcel (UQAM/GEOTOP, Canada) Patrick Lajeunesse (University Laval, Canada) Jean-François Lemieux (Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, USA) Guillaume Massé (LOCEAN/Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, France) Matt O'Regan (Cardiff University, UK) Joseph Ortiz (Kent State University, USA) Frank Rack (University Nebraska-Lincoln, USA/ANDRILL Science Management Office) Taoufik Radi (UQAM/GEOTOP, Canada) André Rochon (ISMER-UQAR/GEOTOP, Canada) Ruediger Stein (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany) Guillaume St-Onge (ISMER-UQAR/GEOTOP, Canada) Bjorn Sundby (ISMER-UQAR, Canada) GEOTOP logoUQAM UQAR logoINRS logo Universite de Quebec logoGeological Survey of Canada logo

Geographical distribution of publications in the field of medical education

PubMed Central

Tutarel, Oktay

2002-01-01

Background The geographical distribution of publications as an indicator of the research productivity of individual countries, regions or institutions has become a field of interest. We investigated the geographical distribution of contributions to the two leading journals in the field of medical education, Academic Medicine and Medical Education. Methods PubMed was used to search Medline. For both journals all journal articles in each year from 1995 to 2000 were included into the study. Then the affiliation was retrieved from the affiliation field of the MEDLINE format. If this was not possible, it was obtained from the paper version of the journal. Results Academic Medicine published contributions from 25 countries between 1995 and 2000. Authors from 50 countries contributed to Medical Education in the same period of time. Authors from the USA and Canada wrote ca. 95% off all articles in Academic Medicine, whereas authors from the UK, Australia, the USA, Canada and the Netherlands were responsible for ca. 74% of all articles in Medical Education in the investigated period of time. Conclusions While many countries contributed to both journals, only a few of them were responsible for the majority of all articles. PMID:12031092

Atmospheric Nitrogen Inputs to the Ocean and their Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jickells, Tim D.

2016-04-01

Atmospheric Nitrogen Inputs to the Ocean and their Impact T Jickells (1), K. Altieri (2), D. Capone (3), E. Buitenhuis (1), R. Duce (4), F. Dentener (5), K. Fennel (6), J. Galloway (7), M. Kanakidou (8), J. LaRoche (9), K. Lee (10), P. Liss (1), J. Middleburg (11), K. Moore (12), S. Nickovic (13), G. Okin (14), A. Oschilies (15), J. Prospero (16), M. Sarin (17), S. Seitzinger (18), J. Scharples (19), P. Suntharalingram (1), M. Uematsu (20), L. Zamora (21) Atmospheric nitrogen inputs to the ocean have been identified as an important source of nitrogen to the oceans which has increased greatly as a result of human activity. The significance of atmospheric inputs for ocean biogeochemistry were evaluated in a seminal paper by Duce et al., 2008 (Science 320, 893-7). In this presentation we will update the Duce et al 2008 study estimating the impact of atmospheric deposition on the oceans. We will summarise the latest model estimates of total atmospheric nitrogen deposition to the ocean, their chemical form (nitrate, ammonium and organic nitrogen) and spatial distribution from the TM4 model. The model estimates are somewhat smaller than the Duce et al estimate, but with similar spatial distributions. We will compare these flux estimates with a new estimate of the impact of fluvial nitrogen inputs on the open ocean (Sharples submitted) which estimates some transfer of fluvial nitrogen to the open ocean, particularly at low latitudes, compared to the complete trapping of fluvial inputs on the continental shelf assumed by Duce et al. We will then estimate the impact of atmospheric deposition on ocean primary productivity and N2O emissions from the oceans using the PlankTOM10 model. The impacts of atmospheric deposition we estimate on ocean productivity here are smaller than those predicted by Duce et al impacts, consistent with the smaller atmospheric deposition estimates. However, the atmospheric input is still larger than the estimated fluvial inputs to the open ocean, even with the increased transport across shelf to the open ocean from low latitude fluvial systems identified. 1. School of Environmental Science University of East Anglia UK 2. Energy Research Centre University of Cape Town SA 3. Department of Biological Sciences University of S California USA 4. Departments of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Texas A&M University USA 5. JRC Ispra Italy 6. Department of Oceanography Dalhousie University Canada 7. Department of Environmental Sciences U. Virginia USA 8. Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Greece 9. Department of Biology Dalhousie University, Canada 10. School of Environmental Science and Engineering Pohang University S Korea. 11. Faculty of Geosciences University of Utrecht Netherlands 12. Department of Earth System Science University of California at Irvine USA 13. WMO Geneva 14. Department of Geography University of California USA 15. GEOMAR Keil Germany 16. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, USA 17. Geosciences Division at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India 18. Department of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Canada 19. School of Environmentak Sciences, U Liverpool UK 20. Center for International Collaboration, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Japan 21. Oak Ridge Associated Universities USA

Treatment of Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)/Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State (HHS): Novel Advances in the Management of Hyperglycemic Crises (UK Versus USA).

PubMed

Dhatariya, Ketan K; Vellanki, Priyathama

2017-05-01

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are diabetic emergencies that cause high morbidity and mortality. Their treatment differs in the UK and USA. This review delineates the differences in diagnosis and treatment between the two countries. Large-scale studies to determine optimal management of DKA and HHS are lacking. The diagnosis of DKA is based on disease severity in the USA, which differs from the UK. The diagnosis of HHS in the USA is based on total rather than effective osmolality. Unlike the USA, the UK has separate guidelines for DKA and HHS. Treatment of DKA and HHS also differs with respect to timing of fluid and insulin initiation. There is considerable overlap but important differences between the UK and USA guidelines for the management of DKA and HHS. Further research needs to be done to delineate a unifying diagnostic and treatment protocol.

Food advertising during children's television in Canada and the UK.

PubMed

Adams, J; Hennessy-Priest, K; Ingimarsdóttir, S; Sheeshka, J; Ostbye, T; White, M

2009-09-01

Television advertisements for less healthy foods are thought to contribute to overweight and obesity in children. In the UK, new regulations on television food advertising to children came into effect in April 2007. These prohibit advertisements for "less healthy" foods during or around programmes "of particular appeal to" (OPAT) children. In Canada, self-regulated codes of practice on television food advertising to children were recently strengthened. To document the nutritional content of food advertised and number of advertisements OPAT children broadcast in the UK and central Canada before the introduction of the new UK regulations. All food advertisements broadcast on four popular channels in Canada and the three terrestrial commercial channels in the UK during 1 week in 2006 were identified and linked to relevant nutritional data. Food advertisements OPAT children and for "less healthy" products were identified using the criteria in the UK regulations. 2315 food related advertisements broadcast in Canada and 1365 broadcast in the UK were included. 52-61% were for "less healthy" products; 5-11% were OPAT children. Around 5% of food advertisements would have been prohibited under the new UK regulations. There were few differences in the nutritional content of food described in advertisements that were and were not OPAT children. There was little evidence that food described in advertisements OPAT children were any less healthy than those that were not. Few food advertisements are likely to be prohibited by the new UK regulations.

Benchmarking management practices in Australian public healthcare.

PubMed

Agarwal, Renu; Green, Roy; Agarwal, Neeru; Randhawa, Krithika

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of management practices of public hospitals in the Australian healthcare system, specifically those in the state-managed health systems of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW). Further, the authors assess the management practices of Queensland and NSW public hospitals jointly and globally benchmark against those in the health systems of seven other countries, namely, USA, UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. In this study, the authors adapt the unique and globally deployed Bloom et al. (2009) survey instrument that uses a "double blind, double scored" methodology and an interview-based scoring grid to measure and internationally benchmark the management practices in Queensland and NSW public hospitals based on 21 management dimensions across four broad areas of management - operations, performance monitoring, targets and people management. The findings reveal the areas of strength and potential areas of improvement in the Queensland and NSW Health hospital management practices when compared with public hospitals in seven countries, namely, USA, UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. Together, Queensland and NSW Health hospitals perform best in operations management followed by performance monitoring. While target management presents scope for improvement, people management is the sphere where these Australian hospitals lag the most. This paper is of interest to both hospital administrators and health care policy-makers aiming to lift management quality at the hospital level as well as at the institutional level, as a vehicle to consistently deliver sustainable high-quality health services. This study provides the first internationally comparable robust measure of management capability in Australian public hospitals, where hospitals are run independently by the state-run healthcare systems. Additionally, this research study contributes to the empirical evidence base on the quality of management practices in the Australian public healthcare systems of Queensland and NSW.

Comparative Review of UK-USA Industry-University Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decter, Moira H.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore significant historical changes, legislation and policy in the UK and USA from the 1960s to present day relating to university-industry relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents a review of papers, reports and policy documents from the UK and USA drawing comparisons of…

Career Progress and Career Barriers: Women MBA Graduates in Canada and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Ruth; Sturges, Jane; Woods, Adrian; Altman, Yochanan

2004-01-01

This article explores the career progress of female MBA graduates in Canada and the UK and the nature of career barriers experienced in each context. Results suggest that while Canadian women have similar career profiles to men, women in the UK lag behind their male counterparts after graduation from the course. At the same time, UK women…

The effect of seasonal drying on sulphate dynamics in streams across southeastern Canada and the northeastern USA

Treesearch

J.G. Kerr; M.C. Eimers; I.F. Creed; M.B. Adams; F. Beall; D. Burns; J.L. Campbell; S.F. Christopher; T.A. Clair; F. Courchesne; L. Duchesne; I. Fernandez; D. Houle; D.S. Jeffries; G.E. Likens; M.J. Mitchell; J. Shanley; H. Yao

2012-01-01

Within the southeast Canada and northeast USA region, a peak in sulphate (SO42-) concentration has been reported for some streams following periods of substantial catchment drying during the summer months (ON, Canada; VT, NH and NY, USA). However, it is currently unclear if a SO42-...

Differences in the sodium content of bread products in the USA and UK: implications for policy.

PubMed

Coyne, Kasey J; Baldridge, Abigail S; Huffman, Mark D; Jenner, Katharine; Xavier, Dagan; Dunford, Elizabeth K

2018-02-01

Americans consume Na in excess of daily recommendations. Most dietary Na comes from packaged foods, and bread is a major contributor. In the UK, national Na reduction strategies contributed to lower Na levels in packaged foods and lower population Na intake. Similar initiatives are emerging in the USA and require surveillance to assess effectiveness. We aimed to examine Na levels in bread products in the USA and compare levels with similar UK products. Na data for bread products were obtained from the US Label Insight Open Data Initiative (n 4466) and the FoodSwitch UK database (n 1651). Mean, median and range of Na content, and proportion of products meeting Na targets established by the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) and the UK Department of Health (DH) were calculated overall, by bread type and by country. Mean (sd) Na content in bread was 455 (170) mg/100 g in the USA and 406 (179) mg/100 g in the UK. In both countries, savoury bread had the highest mean Na (USA=584 mg/100 g, UK=543 mg/100 g) and fruit bread the lowest mean Na (USA=345 mg/100 g, UK=277 mg/100 g). Na content of US bread products was 12 % higher than in the UK, with 21 % of US bread products and 31 % of UK bread products meeting the NSRI and DH targets, respectively. US bread products have, on average, 12 % more Na than similar products in the UK. Variation in Na content within product categories, and between countries, suggests the feasibility of manufacturing products with lower Na to lower dietary Na intake.

Identification of alkaptonuria in the general population: a United Kingdom experience describing the challenges, possible solutions and persistent barriers.

PubMed

Ranganath, L; Taylor, A M; Shenkin, A; Fraser, W D; Jarvis, J; Gallagher, J A; Sireau, N

2011-06-01

Progress in research into rare diseases is challenging. This paper discusses strategies to identify individuals with the rare genetic disease alkaptonuria (AKU) within the general population. Strategies used included a questionnaire survey of general practitioners, a dedicated website and patient network contact, targeted family screening and medical conference targeting. Primary care physicians of the UK were targeted by a postal survey that involved mailing 11,151 UK GPs; the response rate was 18.2%. We have identified 75 patients in the UK with AKU by the following means: postal survey (23), targeted family screening (11), patient networks and the website (41). Targeting medical conferences (AKU, rare diseases, rheumatology, clinical biochemistry, orthopaedics, general practitioners) did not lead to new identification in the UK but helped identify overseas cases. We are now aware of 626 patients worldwide including newly identified non-UK people with AKU in the following areas: Slovakia (208), the rest of Europe (including Turkey) (79), North America (including USA and Canada) (110), and the rest of the world (154). A mechanism for identifying individuals with AKU in the general population-not just in the UK but worldwide-has been established. Knowledge of patients with AKU, both in the UK and outside, is often confined to establishing their location in a particular GP practice or association with a particular medical professional. Mere identification, however, does not always lead to full engagement for epidemiological research purposes or targeting treatment since further barriers exist.

Differences in cancer awareness and beliefs between Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership): do they contribute to differences in cancer survival?

PubMed Central

Forbes, L J L; Simon, A E; Warburton, F; Boniface, D; Brain, K E; Dessaix, A; Donnelly, C; Haynes, K; Hvidberg, L; Lagerlund, M; Lockwood, G; Tishelman, C; Vedsted, P; Vigmostad, M N; Ramirez, A J; Wardle, J

2013-01-01

Background: There are wide international differences in 1-year cancer survival. The UK and Denmark perform poorly compared with other high-income countries with similar health care systems: Australia, Canada and Sweden have good cancer survival rates, Norway intermediate survival rates. The objective of this study was to examine the pattern of differences in cancer awareness and beliefs across these countries to identify where these might contribute to the pattern of survival. Methods: We carried out a population-based telephone interview survey of 19 079 men and women aged ⩾50 years in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK using the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer measure. Results: Awareness that the risk of cancer increased with age was lower in the UK (14%), Canada (13%) and Australia (16%) but was higher in Denmark (25%), Norway (29%) and Sweden (38%). Symptom awareness was no lower in the UK and Denmark than other countries. Perceived barriers to symptomatic presentation were highest in the UK, in particular being worried about wasting the doctor's time (UK 34% Canada 21% Australia 14% Denmark 12% Norway 11% Sweden 9%). Conclusion: The UK had low awareness of age-related risk and the highest perceived barriers to symptomatic presentation, but symptom awareness in the UK did not differ from other countries. Denmark had higher awareness of age-related risk and few perceived barriers to symptomatic presentation. This suggests that other factors must be involved in explaining Denmark's poor survival rates. In the UK, interventions that address barriers to prompt presentation in primary care should be developed and evaluated. PMID:23370208

Index of International Publications in Aerospace Medicine

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

Health and Welfare Canada. The Pilot’s Guide to Medical Human Factors. Ottawa, Canada: Canada Communication Group, 1993. International Commission on...Press, 2003. Condon-Rall ME. Disaster on Green Ramp: The Army’s Response. Washington, DC, USA: Government Printing Office, 1996. Coombs CI. Survival...in the Sky. New York, NY, USA: William Morrow and Co., 1956. Cushing S. Fatal Words: Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes. Chicago, IL, USA

How do government regulations influence the ability to practice Chinese herbal medicine in western countries.

PubMed

Fleischer, Tom; Su, Yi-Chang; Lin, Sunny Jui-Shan

2017-01-20

The regulation policies of substances used in Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), have a direct influence on the ability of health providers to practice in the clinic. We set out to assess the truth behind the assumption that practice of CHM in the west is constrained by the regulations imposed by authorities in western countries. For the first part of our study we surveyed and compiled lists of banned and restricted Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) from six countries: USA, UK, Germany, Israel, Canada and Australia. Afterwards, we estimated the relevant importance of the 300 CMM most-commonly-prescribed to the practice of CHM according to prescriptions from 2,000,000 randomly selected patients, from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). We then compared both lists and determined the clinical importance of the banned and restricted CMM. Except for regulations from Canada, most of the information of banned CMM proved to be difficult to organize. The USA was found to have the least amount of banned herbs, with 9 substances. Canada had the highest amount, with 98. In Germany, Australia, the UK, and Israel 10, 29, 36, 68 banned CMM were found, respectively. Apart from aristolochic acid containing substances, ma huang (, Ephedra sinica) was the only CMM banned in all countries. Most of the banned CMM were not found to be among the most-commonly-prescribed according to the NHIRD. Authorities should make this information more accessible. No clear relation exists between CHM regulations and any 'Western' common denominator, and the amount of banned CMM varied greatly among the surveyed countries. However, even among countries with a larger amount of banned CMM, the majority of these were in the bottom two-thirds in respect to the frequency of their use. Thus, regulations in some western countries surely influence the practice of CHM, however, the variability of CMM have been influenced by regulations only to a limited extent. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing UK, USA and Australian values for EQ-5D as a health utility measure of oral health.

PubMed

Brennan, D S; Teusner, D N

2015-09-01

Using generic measures to examine outcomes of oral disorders can add additional information relating to health utility. However, different algorithms are available to generate health states. The aim was to assess UK-, US- and Australian-based algorithms for the EuroQol (EQ-5D) in relation to their discriminative and convergent validity. Methods: Data were collected from adults in Australia aged 30-61 years by mailed survey in 2009-10, including the EQ-5D and a range of self-reported oral health variables, and self-rated oral and general health. Responses were collected from n=1,093 persons (response rate 39.1%). UK-based EQ-5D estimates were lower (0.85) than the USA and Australian estimates (0.91). EQ-5D was associated (p<0.01) with all seven oral health variables, with differences in utility scores ranging from 0.03 to 0.06 for the UK, from 0.04 to 0.07 for the USA, and from 0.05 to 0.08 for the Australian-based estimates. The effect sizes (ESs) of the associations with all seven oral health variables were similar for the UK (ES=0.26 to 0.49), USA (ES=0.31 to 0.48) and Australian-based (ES=0.31 to 0.46) estimates. EQ-5D was correlated with global dental health for the UK (rho=0.29), USA (rho=0.30) and Australian-based estimates (rho=0.30), and correlations with global general health were the same (rho=0.42) for the UK, USA and Australian-based estimates. EQ-5D exhibited equivalent discriminative validity and convergent validity in relation to oral health variables for the UK, USA and Australian-based estimates.

Dyslexia and learning disabilities in Canada and the UK: the impact of its disability employment laws.

PubMed

Gerber, Paul J; Batalo, Cecilia G; Achola, Edwin O

2012-08-01

The impact of employment laws pertaining to individuals with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK were investigated via the extant research literature. Currently, there is very little research in this area despite Canada and the UK having laws in effect for decades. Surprisingly, their laws have been revamped despite an absence of data that measures impact and effectiveness. This finding is not unlike the Americans with Disabilities Act, reauthorized as the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments in 2008, without substantive research to guide legal policies and practices going forward. Investigation in this area is needed to seek the positive and negative effects of legislation on those with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK, a high incidence population that finds most employment opportunities in competitive employment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An ecological study of prostate cancer mortality in the USA and UK, 1975-2004: are divergent trends a consequence of treatment, screening or artefact?

PubMed Central

Collin, Simon M; Martin, Richard M; Metcalfe, Chris; Gunnell, David; Albertsen, Peter; Neal, David; Hamdy, Freddie; Stephens, Peter; Lane, J Athene; Moore, Rollo; Donovan, Jenny

2009-01-01

Background There is no conclusive evidence that screening based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests reduces prostate cancer mortality. In the USA uptake of PSA testing has been rapid, but is much less common in the UK. Purpose To investigate trends in prostate cancer mortality and incidence in the USA and UK from 1975-2004, contrasting these with trends in screening and treatment. Methods Joinpoint regression analysis of cancer mortality statistics from Cancer Research UK and the USA National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program was used to estimate the annual percentage change in prostate cancer mortality in each country and the points in time when trends changed. Results Age-specific and age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality peaked in the early 1990s at almost identical rates in both countries, but age-adjusted mortality in the USA subsequently declined by 4.2% (95% CI 4.0-4.3%) per annum, four times the rate of decline in the UK (1.1%; 0.8-1.4%). The mortality decline in the USA was greatest and most sustained in those ≥75 years, whereas death rates had plateaued in this age group in the UK by 2000. Conclusion The striking decline in prostate cancer mortality in the USA compared with the UK between 1994-2004 coincided with much higher uptake of PSA screening in the USA. Explanations for the different trends in mortality include the possibility of an early impact of initial screening rounds on men with more aggressive asymptomatic disease in the USA, different approaches to treatment in the two countries, and bias related to the misattribution of cause of death. Speculation over the role of screening will continue until evidence from randomised controlled trials is published. PMID:18424233

Intranasal influenza vaccine: Why does Canada have different recommendations from the USA on its use?

PubMed

Tam, Theresa W S

2018-02-01

Canada and the USA differ in their recommendations for the use of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV). The Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) continues to recommend LAIV as one of the influenza vaccines available for use in children 2 to 17 years of age. The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made an interim recommendation against the use of LAIV for the 2016 to 2017 influenza season in response to low LAIV effectiveness observed in the USA during the 2013 to 2014 to 2015 to 2016 seasons. The recommendation has been continued for the 2017 to 2018 season. In response, NACI undertook a review of available LAIV effectiveness data in children and adolescents from Canada, the USA and a number of European countries. This commentary by Canada's Chief Public Health Officer summarizes the findings of that review and provides the rationale for Canada's current continued recommendation for LAIV use.

Comparative genetic diversity in a sample of pony breeds from the U.K. and North America: a case study in the conservation of global genetic resources.

PubMed

Winton, Clare L; Plante, Yves; Hind, Pamela; McMahon, Robert; Hegarty, Matthew J; McEwan, Neil R; Davies-Morel, Mina C G; Morgan, Charly M; Powell, Wayne; Nash, Deborah M

2015-08-01

Most species exist as subdivided ex situ daughter population(s) derived from a single original group of individuals. Such subdivision occurs for many reasons both natural and manmade. Traditional British and Irish pony breeds were introduced to North America (U.S.A. and Canada) within the last 150 years, and subsequently equivalent breed societies were established. We have analyzed selected U.K. and North American equivalent pony populations as a case study for understanding the relationship between putative source and derived subpopulations. Diversity was measured using mitochondrial DNA and a panel of microsatellite markers. Genetic signatures differed between the North American subpopulations according to historical management processes. Founder effect and stochastic drift was apparent, particularly pronounced in some breeds, with evidence of admixture of imported mares of different North American breeds. This demonstrates the importance of analysis of subpopulations to facilitate understanding the genetic effects of past management practices and to lead to informed future conservation strategies.

Assessing the potential clinical impact of reciprocal drug approval legislation on access to novel therapeutics in the USA: a cohort study

PubMed Central

Larochelle, Matthieu; Downing, Nicholas S; Ross, Joseph S; David, Frank S

2017-01-01

Objective To quantify the potential effect of reciprocal approval legislation on access to clinically impactful therapeutics in the USA. Design A cohort study. Setting New therapeutics approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and/or Health Canada between 2000 and 2010. Main outcome measures Characteristics of new therapeutics approved by the EMA and/or Health Canada before the FDA, including mechanistic novelty, likely clinical impact, size of the affected population and FDA review outcome. Results From 2001 to 2010, 282 drugs were approved in the USA, Europe or Canada, including 172 (61%) first approved in the USA, 24 (9%) never approved in the USA, and 86 (30%) approved in the USA after Europe and/or Canada. Of the 110 new drugs approved in Europe and/or Canada before the USA, 37 (34%) had a novel mechanisms of action compared with drugs already approved by the FDA, but only 10 (9%) were for conditions lacking alternate available therapies in the USA at the time of ex-US approval—of which the majority (9/10; 90%) were indicated for rare diseases. 12 of the 37 agents with novel mechanisms of action approved first in Europe and/or Canada (32%) had their initial FDA submissions rejected for safety reasons—including 2 drugs that were ultimately withdrawn from the market in Europe due to safety concerns. Conclusions If enacted, reciprocal approval legislation would most likely benefit only a small number of US patients receiving treatment for rare diseases, and the benefit may be somewhat mitigated by an increased exposure to harms. PMID:28179418

Assessing the potential clinical impact of reciprocal drug approval legislation on access to novel therapeutics in the USA: a cohort study.

PubMed

Larochelle, Matthieu; Downing, Nicholas S; Ross, Joseph S; David, Frank S

2017-02-08

To quantify the potential effect of reciprocal approval legislation on access to clinically impactful therapeutics in the USA. A cohort study. New therapeutics approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and/or Health Canada between 2000 and 2010. Characteristics of new therapeutics approved by the EMA and/or Health Canada before the FDA, including mechanistic novelty, likely clinical impact, size of the affected population and FDA review outcome. From 2001 to 2010, 282 drugs were approved in the USA, Europe or Canada, including 172 (61%) first approved in the USA, 24 (9%) never approved in the USA, and 86 (30%) approved in the USA after Europe and/or Canada. Of the 110 new drugs approved in Europe and/or Canada before the USA, 37 (34%) had a novel mechanisms of action compared with drugs already approved by the FDA, but only 10 (9%) were for conditions lacking alternate available therapies in the USA at the time of ex-US approval-of which the majority (9/10; 90%) were indicated for rare diseases. 12 of the 37 agents with novel mechanisms of action approved first in Europe and/or Canada (32%) had their initial FDA submissions rejected for safety reasons-including 2 drugs that were ultimately withdrawn from the market in Europe due to safety concerns. If enacted, reciprocal approval legislation would most likely benefit only a small number of US patients receiving treatment for rare diseases, and the benefit may be somewhat mitigated by an increased exposure to harms. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Children and young adults with CF in the USA have better lung function compared with the UK.

PubMed

Goss, Christopher H; MacNeill, Stephanie J; Quinton, Hebe B; Marshall, Bruce C; Elbert, Alexander; Knapp, Emily A; Petren, Kristofer; Gunn, Elaine; Osmond, Joanne; Bilton, Diana

2015-03-01

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are managed differently in the USA and UK providing an opportunity to learn from differences in practice patterns. To compare cross-sectional demographics, practice patterns and clinical outcomes between US and UK CF patients. This was a cross-sectional study using 2010 data from patients in the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the UK Cystic Fibrosis patient registries. The a priori outcome measures of interest were lung function and nutritional status. Descriptive statistics and two sample comparisons were performed. Stratification and multivariable linear regression were used to adjust for confounding. The study cohort included 13 777 children and 11 058 adults from the USA and 3968 children and 3965 adults from the UK. In children, mean body mass index centiles were similar. Lung function (FEV1 and FVC% predicted) was significantly higher in US patients ages 6-25 years of age. In a regression model adjusted for only age, FEV1% predicted was on average 3.31% of predicted (95% CI 2.65 to 3.96) higher in the USA compared with the UK. When adjusted for age, age at diagnosis, gender, pancreatic insufficiency and genotype, FEV1% predicted was on average 3.03% of predicted (95% CI 2.37 to 3.69) higher in the USA compared with the UK These differences persisted despite adjustment for possible confounders. Hypertonic saline and dornase alfa were much more commonly prescribed in US children. Children and young adults with CF have better lung function in the USA compared with the UK despite similar nutritional status. 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.

Breast feeding initiation rate across Western countries: does religion matter? An ecological study

PubMed Central

Cohen, Emmanuel; Kramer, Michael S

2016-01-01

Background Breast feeding initiation rates remain below 80% in some Western countries. Many individual-level determinants are known; however, less is known regarding cultural and societal determinants, such as religion, that could explain population-level variations. We examined the correlations of the proportions of Catholics and Protestants with the breast feeding initiation rates across and within Western countries. Methods Using publicly available data, we carried out an ecological study comparing the proportions of Catholics and Protestants with the rates of breast feeding initiation. We correlated data at the country level, and additionally explored within-country data in five Western countries: France (Departments), Ireland (counties), the UK (countries), Canada (provinces) and the USA (states). Our analyses accounted for human development index, gross domestic product and population density. Results We observed a negative correlation (r=−0.30) between the proportion of Catholics and the rate of breast feeding initiation in Western countries. This correlation was consistent when using within-country data in France (r=−0.27), Ireland (r=−0.23), the UK (r=−0.79) and Canada (r=−0.62). In the USA, the positive correlation (r=0.26) between a state's proportion of Catholics and its breast feeding initiation rate was confounded by race, education and socioeconomic status (SES). After controlling for education and SES, the state proportion of non-Hispanic white Catholics was negatively correlated (r=−0.29) with the rate of breast feeding initiation. Conclusions In this ecological study, we found consistent negative correlations between Catholicism and breast feeding initiation rates. Qualitative and quantitative studies at the individual level are needed to confirm and explain our findings. Our results suggest that women living in a country or region where Catholicism has historically dominated are less likely to initiate breast feeding, and that breast feeding promotion policies should be adapted to better fit populations' cultural and religious norms. PMID:28588983

Breast feeding initiation rate across Western countries: does religion matter? An ecological study.

PubMed

Bernard, Jonathan Y; Cohen, Emmanuel; Kramer, Michael S

2016-01-01

Breast feeding initiation rates remain below 80% in some Western countries. Many individual-level determinants are known; however, less is known regarding cultural and societal determinants, such as religion, that could explain population-level variations. We examined the correlations of the proportions of Catholics and Protestants with the breast feeding initiation rates across and within Western countries. Using publicly available data, we carried out an ecological study comparing the proportions of Catholics and Protestants with the rates of breast feeding initiation. We correlated data at the country level, and additionally explored within-country data in five Western countries: France (Departments), Ireland (counties), the UK (countries), Canada (provinces) and the USA (states). Our analyses accounted for human development index, gross domestic product and population density. We observed a negative correlation (r=-0.30) between the proportion of Catholics and the rate of breast feeding initiation in Western countries. This correlation was consistent when using within-country data in France (r=-0.27), Ireland (r=-0.23), the UK (r=-0.79) and Canada (r=-0.62). In the USA, the positive correlation (r=0.26) between a state's proportion of Catholics and its breast feeding initiation rate was confounded by race, education and socioeconomic status (SES). After controlling for education and SES, the state proportion of non-Hispanic white Catholics was negatively correlated (r=-0.29) with the rate of breast feeding initiation. In this ecological study, we found consistent negative correlations between Catholicism and breast feeding initiation rates. Qualitative and quantitative studies at the individual level are needed to confirm and explain our findings. Our results suggest that women living in a country or region where Catholicism has historically dominated are less likely to initiate breast feeding, and that breast feeding promotion policies should be adapted to better fit populations' cultural and religious norms.

Is there a right to donate blood? Patient rights; donor responsibilities.

PubMed

Franklin, Ian M

2007-06-01

The objective of this study was to analyse and assess critically whether there is a right to donate blood in the UK. The aim was to provide a basis for blood services, in particular within the UK and European Union (EU), to address claims from deferred donors that there is a right to donate. Recent and ongoing campaigns to change the current life-long deferral from blood donation in the UK, Canada and USA of men who have/have had sex with men (MSM) have highlighted issues over whether individuals have a right to donate blood. The issue is complicated by allegations of discriminatory behaviour, and in some countries politicians have contributed to the argument. As anti-discrimination and equality legislation is strengthened in the UK, other groups in addition to MSM may wish to claim a right to donate blood. The methods adopted included discussions with colleagues in UK and European blood services and a review of the medical literature and wider sources using Internet search engines. No clear right to donate blood is apparent, although it is recommended that donor deferral criteria should have a sound basis of evidence. Potential donors have a right to expect a clear explanation of the reason(s) for refusing a donation. Legal safeguards for recipients to receive safe blood transfusions exist. It is concluded that blood recipients in the EU have a right to receive safe blood, and that this should be viewed as the overriding responsibility of blood services.

Cost-effectiveness evaluation of quadrivalent influenza vaccines for seasonal influenza prevention: a dynamic modeling study of Canada and the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Thommes, Edward W; Ismaila, Afisi; Chit, Ayman; Meier, Genevieve; Bauch, Christopher T

2015-10-27

The adoption of quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV) to replace trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in immunization programs is growing worldwide, thus helping to address the problem of influenza B lineage mismatch. However, the price per dose of QIV is higher than that of TIV. In such circumstances, cost-effectiveness analyses provide important and relevant information to inform national health recommendations and implementation decisions. This analysis assessed potential vaccine impacts and cost-effectiveness of a country-wide switch from TIV to QIV, in Canada and the UK, from a third-party payer perspective. An age-stratified, dynamic four-strain transmission model which incorporates strain interaction, transmission-rate seasonality and age-specific mixing in the population was used. Model input data were obtained from published literature and online databases. In Canada, we evaluated a switch from TIV to QIV in the entire population. For the UK, we considered two strategies: Children aged 2-17 years who receive the live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) switch to the quadrivalent formulation (QLAIV), while individuals aged > 18 years switch from TIV to QIV. Two different vaccination uptake scenarios in children (UK1 and UK2, which differ in the vaccine uptake level) were considered. Health and cost outcomes for both vaccination strategies, and the cost-effectiveness of switching from TIV/LAIV to QIV/QLAIV, were estimated from the payer perspective. For Canada and the UK, cost and outcomes were discounted using 5 % and 3.5 % per year, respectively. Overall, in an average influenza season, our model predicts that a nationwide switch from TIV to QIV would prevent 4.6 % influenza cases, 4.9 % general practitioner (GP) visits, 5.7 % each of emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations, and 6.8 % deaths in Canada. In the UK (UK1/UK2), implementing QIV would prevent 1.4 %/1.8 % of influenza cases, 1.6 %/2.0 % each of GP and ER visits, 1.5 %/1.9 % of hospitalizations and 4.3 %/4.9 % of deaths. Discounted incremental cost-utility ratios of $7,961 and £7,989/£7,234 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained are estimated for Canada and the UK (UK1/UK2), both of which are well within their respective cost-effectiveness threshold values. Switching from TIV to QIV is expected to be a cost-effective strategy to further reduce the burden of influenza in both countries.

Report of the FAA International Conference on Airplane Ground Deicing Held in Reston, Virginia on May 28-29, 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-29

Port of Seattle 10455 Metropolitan Blvd. P.O. Box 1209 PETER AMISH Montreal, PQ HIB -IAI Seattle, WA 98111 Northwest Airlines CANADA USA 5101 Northwest...PQ HIB lAI 703/689-4333 USA CANADA 214/988-3188x238 514/640-6400 MARC BRADELL Continental Airlines ALAN J. BILANIN JAMES E. BORSARI 8250 E. Smith Rd...20007-5201 CANADA 901/797-4159 USA 514/744-1511-1246 202/625-3500) STEVEN R. ERICKSON GEORGE H. EICHNER Air Transport Association PAUL DYKEMANN

Lidar Remote Sensing for Characterizing Forest Vegetation - Special Issue. Foreword

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Popescu, Sorin C.; Nelson, Ross F.

2011-01-01

The Silvilaser 2009 conference held in College Station, Texas, USA, was the ninth conference in the Silvilaser series, which started in 2002 with the international workshop on using lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) for analyzing forest structure, held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Following the Canadian workshop, subsequent forestry-lidar conferences took place in Australia, Sweden, Germany, USA, Japan, Finland, and the United Kingdom (UK). By the time this Silvilaser 2009 special issue of PE&RS is published, the 10th international conference will have been held in Freiburg, Germany, and planning will be ongoing for the 11th meeting to take place in Tasmania, Australia, in October 2011. Papers presented at the 2005 conference held in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, were assembled in a special issue of PE&RS published in December 2006. Other special issues resulting from previous conferences were published in journals such as the Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing (2003), the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research (2004), and Japan s Journal of Forest Planning (2008). Given the conference history and the much longer record of publications on lidar applications for estimating forest biophysical parameters, which dates back to the early 1980s, we may consider lidar an established remote sensing technology for characterizing forest canopy structure and estimating forest biophysical parameters. Randy Wynne, a professor at Virginia Tech and the final keynote speaker at Silvilaser 2009, made the case that it was time to push 30 years of research into operations, along the lines of what has already been done to good effect in the Scandinavian countries. In Randy s words, it s time to "Just do it!" This special issue includes a selection of papers presented during the 2009 Silvilaser conference, which consisted of eight sections as follows: (1) biomass and carbon stock estimates, (2) tree species and forest type classification, (3) data fusion and integration, (4, 5, and 6) forest inventory, (7) silvicultural and ecological applications, and (8) terrestrial lidar applications. Within the constraint limiting the number of papers that could be fitted into the special issue we attempted to select those papers that best represented these conference topics and sections, giving special consideration to studies using forestry lidar data collected from each of the three platforms -- terrestrial, airborne, and spaceborne. Reflecting the international participation and reach of the conference, the studies presented here took place in the USA, Canada, Taiwan, the UK, and China.

Intercomparison of Operational Ocean Forecasting Systems in the framework of GODAE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, F.

2009-04-01

One of the main benefits of the GODAE 10-year activity is the implementation of ocean forecasting systems in several countries. In 2008, several systems are operated routinely, at global or basin scale. Among them, the BLUElink (Australia), HYCOM (USA), MOVE/MRI.COM (Japan), Mercator (France), FOAM (United Kingdom), TOPAZ (Norway) and C-NOOFS (Canada) systems offered to demonstrate their operational feasibility by performing an intercomparison exercise during a three months period (February to April 2008). The objectives were: a) to show that operational ocean forecasting systems are operated routinely in different countries, and that they can interact; b) to perform in a similar way a scientific validation aimed to assess the quality of the ocean estimates, the performance, and forecasting capabilities of each system; and c) to learn from this intercomparison exercise to increase inter-operability and collaboration in real time. The intercomparison relies on the assessment strategy developed for the EU MERSEA project, where diagnostics over the global ocean have been revisited by the GODAE contributors. This approach, based on metrics, allow for each system: a) to verify if ocean estimates are consistent with the current general knowledge of the dynamics; and b) to evaluate the accuracy of delivered products, compared to space and in-situ observations. Using the same diagnostics also allows one to intercompare the results from each system consistently. Water masses and general circulation description by the different systems are consistent with WOA05 Levitus climatology. The large scale dynamics (tropical, subtropical and subpolar gyres ) are also correctly reproduced. At short scales, benefit of high resolution systems can be evidenced on the turbulent eddy field, in particular when compared to eddy kinetic energy deduced from satellite altimetry of drifter observations. Comparisons to high resolution SST products show some discrepancies on ocean surface representation, either due to model and forcing fields errors, or assimilation scheme efficiency. Comparisons to sea-ice satellite products also evidence discrepancies linked to model, forcing and assimilation strategies of each forecasting system. Key words: Intercomparison, ocean analysis, operational oceanography, system assessment, metrics, validation GODAE Intercomparison Team: L. Bertino (NERSC/Norway), G. Brassington (BMRC/Australia), E. Chassignet (FSU/USA), J. Cummings (NRL/USA), F. Davidson (DFO/Canda), M. Drévillon (CERFACS/France), P. Hacker (IPRC/USA), M. Kamachi (MRI/Japan), J.-M. Lellouche (CERFACS/France), K. A. Lisæter (NERSC/Norway), R. Mahdon (UKMO/UK), M. Martin (UKMO/UK), A. Ratsimandresy (DFO/Canada), and C. Regnier (Mercator Ocean/France)

Poverty and child (0-14 years) mortality in the USA and other Western countries as an indicator of "how well a country meets the needs of its children" (UNICEF).

PubMed

Pritchard, Colin; Williams, Richard

2011-01-01

Children's (0-14 years) mortality rates in the USA and 19 Western countries (WCs) were examined in the context of a nation-specific measure of relative poverty and the Gross Domestic Product Health Expenditure (GDPHE) of countries to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of health care systems "to meet the needs of its children" (UNICEF). World Health Organisation child mortality rates per million were analysed for 1979-1981 and 2003-2005 to determine any significant differences between the USA and the other WCs over these periods. Child mortality rates are correlated with all countries GDPHE and 'relative poverty', defined by 'Income Inequalities', i.e., the gap between top and bottom 20% of incomes. Outputs: The mortality rate of every country fell substantially ranging from falls of 46% in the USA to 78% in Portugal. The highest current mortality rates are: USA, 2436 per million (pm), New Zealand 2105 pm, Portugal 1929 pm, Canada 1877 pm and the UK 1834 pm; the lowest are: Japan 1073 pm and Sweden 1075 pm, Finland 1193 pm and Norway 1200 pm. A total of 16 countries rates fell significantly more than the USA over these periods. Inputs: The USA had the greatest GDPHE and widest Income Inequality gap. There was no significant correlation between GDPHE and mortality but highly significant correlations with children's deaths and income inequalities. The five widest income inequality countries had the six worst rates, the narrowest four had the lowest. Despite major improvements in every WC, based upon financial inputs and child mortality outputs, the USA health care system appears the least efficient and effective in "meeting the needs of its children".

The application of piaget's theory to physiotherapy.

PubMed

Sheppard, J L

1977-12-01

Jean Piaget is a Swiss psychologist who has presented an extensive theory of the growth of the human intellect from birth to maturity. For more than fifty years he has been producing books and articles on human development, conducting research studies on thousands of children, especially those in the schools of Geneva. He is recognized as the world's foremost authority on cognitive development, and his work has led to the publishing of thousands of studies by other research workers around the world, particularly in the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Australia, France and Scandinavia. He was 80 years of age in 1976, and in retirement has been producing publications at a consistently high rate. Copyright © 1977 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by . All rights reserved.

PREFACE: 8th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry (IC3DDose)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsson, Lars E.; Bäck, S.; Ceberg, Sofie

2015-01-01

IC3DDose 2014, the 8th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry was held in Ystad, Sweden, from 4-7 September 2014. This grew out of the DosGel series, which began as DosGel99, the 1st International Workshop on Radiation Therapy Gel Dosimetry in Lexington, Kentucky. Since 1999 subsequent DoSGel conferences were held in Brisbane, Australia (2001), Ghent, Belgium (2004), Sherbrooke, Canada (2006) and Crete, Greece (2008). In 2010 the conference was held on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and underwent a name-change to IC3DDose. The 7th and last meeting was held in Sydney, Australia from 4-8 November 2012. It is worth remembering that the conference series started at the very beginning of the intensity modulated radiotherapy era and that the dosimeters being developed then were, to some extent, ahead of the clinical need of radiotherapy. However, since then the technical developments in radiation therapy have been dramatic, with dynamic treatments, including tracking, gating and volumetric modulated arc therapy, widely introduced in the clinic with the need for 3D dosimetry thus endless. This was also reflected by the contributions at the meeting in Ystad. Accordingly the scope of the meeting has also broadened to IC3DDOSE - I See Three-Dimensional Dose. A multitude of dosimetry techniques and radiation detectors are now represented, all with the common denominator: three-dimensional or 3D. Additionally, quality assurance (QA) procedures and other aspects of clinical dosimetry are represented. The implementation of new dosimetric techniques in radiotherapy is a process that needs every kind of caution, carefulness and thorough validation. Therefore, the clinical needs, reformulated as the aims for IC3DDOSE - I See Three-Dimensional Dose, are: • Enhance the quality and accuracy of radiation therapy treatments through improved clinical dosimetry. • Investigate and understand the dosimetric challenges of modern radiation treatment techniques. • Provide a forum to discuss the latest research and developments in 3D and advanced radiation dosimetry. • Energize and diversify dosimetry research and clinical practice by encouraging interaction and synergy between advanced, 3D, and semi-3D dosimetry techniques. We commend these IC3Dose 2014 conference proceedings to you and strongly believe they include significant contributions to scientific progress in this field. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everybody involved in making the conference possible, the Scientific committee for their work on the general planning, paper review and program formulation, the distinguished invited speakers for their contributions and the local organizing committee members for all their hard work on the practical preparation for the meeting. Lars E. Olsson, Sven Bäck and Sofie Ceberg Lund University and Skåne University Hospital, Sweden International Scientific Committee Sven Bäck, Sweden (chair) Clive Baldock, Australia Sam Beddar, USA Crister Ceberg, Sweden Yves de Deene, Belgium/Australia Simon Doran, UK Geoffrey Ibbott, USA Andrew Jirasek, Canada Kevin Jordan, Canada Martin Lepage, Canada Daniel Low, USA Mark Oldham, USA Tony Popescu, Canada John Schreiner, Canada Cheng-Shie Wuu, USA David Thwaites, Australia Local Organizing Committee Sofie Ceberg (chair) Lars E. Olsson (conference chair) Fredrik Nordstrom Anneli Edvardsson Anna Karlsson Hauer Anna Bäck

Intravenous Lipid Emulsion as an Antidote for the Treatment of Acute Poisoning: A Bibliometric Analysis of Human and Animal Studies.

PubMed

Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Waring, W Stephen; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sweileh, Waleed M; Rahhal, Belal; Awang, Rahmat

2016-11-01

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the role of intravenous lipid formulations as potential antidotes in patients with severe cardiotoxicity caused by drug toxicity. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of all human and animal studies featuring lipid emulsion as an antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning. The Scopus database search was performed on 5 February 2016 to analyse the research output related to intravenous lipid emulsion as an antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning. Research indicators used for analysis included total number of articles, date (year) of publication, total citations, value of the h-index, document types, countries of publication, journal names, collaboration patterns and institutions. A total of 594 articles were retrieved from Scopus database for the period of 1955-2015. The percentage share of global intravenous lipid emulsion research output showed that research output was 85.86% in 2006-2015 with yearly average growth in this field of 51 articles per year. The USA, United Kingdom (UK), France, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, China, Turkey and Japan accounted for 449 (75.6%) of all the publications. The total number of citations for all documents was 9,333, with an average of 15.7 citations per document. The h-index of the retrieved documents for lipid emulsion research as antidote for the treatment of acute poisoning was 49. The USA and the UK achieved the highest h-indices, 34 and 14, respectively. New Zealand produced the greatest number of documents with international collaboration (51.9%) followed by Australia (50%) and Canada (41.4%) out of the total number of publications for each country. In summary, we found an increase in the number of publications in the field of lipid emulsion after 2006. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of publications in the field of lipid emulsion were published by high-income countries. Researchers from institutions in the USA led scientific production on lipid emulsion research. There is an obvious need to promote a deeper engagement through international collaborative research projects and funding mechanisms. © 2016 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).

Mind the gap: TB trends in the USA and the UK, 2000-2011.

PubMed

Nnadi, Chimeremma D; Anderson, Laura F; Armstrong, Lori R; Stagg, Helen R; Pedrazzoli, Debora; Pratt, Robert; Heilig, Charles M; Abubakar, Ibrahim; Moonan, Patrick K

2016-04-01

TB remains a major public health concern, even in low-incidence countries like the USA and the UK. Over the last two decades, cases of TB reported in the USA have declined, while they have increased substantially in the UK. We examined factors associated with this divergence in TB trends between the two countries. We analysed all cases of TB reported to the US and UK national TB surveillance systems from 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2011. Negative binominal regression was used to assess potential demographic, clinical and risk factor variables associated with differences in observed trends. A total of 259,609 cases were reported. From 2000 to 2011, annual TB incidence rates declined from 5.8 to 3.4 cases per 100,000 in the USA, whereas in the UK, TB incidence increased from 11.4 to 14.4 cases per 100,000. The majority of cases in both the USA (56%) and the UK (64%) were among foreign-born persons. The number of foreign-born cases reported in the USA declined by 15% (7731 in 2000 to 6564 in 2011) while native-born cases fell by 54% (8442 in 2000 to 3883 in 2011). In contrast, the number of foreign-born cases reported in the UK increased by 80% (3380 in 2000 to 6088 in 2011), while the number of native-born cases remained largely unchanged (2158 in 2000 to 2137 in 2011). In an adjusted negative binomial regression model, significant differences in trend were associated with sex, age, race/ethnicity, site of disease, HIV status and previous history of TB (p<0.01). Among the foreign-born, significant differences in trend were also associated with time since UK or US entry (p<0.01). To achieve TB elimination in the UK, a re-evaluation of current TB control policies and practices with a focus on foreign-born are needed. In the USA, maintaining and strengthening control practices are necessary to sustain the progress made over the last 20 years. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Female Graduate Student in the US and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehta, Clare Marie; Keener, Emily; Shrier, Lydia

2013-01-01

We build on Diana Leonard's work on gender and graduate education by qualitatively investigating the perceived advantages and disadvantages of being a female graduate student in the USA and the UK. We interviewed six female students (ages 22-30) pursuing master's degrees in psychology or social sciences in the USA and the UK. Students from both…

Index of International Publications in Aerospace Medicine

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

to Medical Human Factors. Ottawa, Canada: Canada Communication Group, 1993. Jones DR, Marsh RW. Flight Surgeon Support to United States Air Force...Washington, DC, USA: Government Printing Office, 1996. Coombs CI. Survival in the Sky. New York, NY, USA: William Morrow and Co., 1956. Cushing S. Fatal...Words: Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press, 1997. Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Aviation

High Rates of Staphylococcus aureus USA400 Infection, Northern Canada

PubMed Central

Golding, George R.; Levett, Paul N.; McDonald, Ryan R.; Irvine, James; Quinn, Brian; Nsungu, Mandiangu; Woods, Shirley; Khan, Mohammad; Ofner-Agostini, Marianna

2011-01-01

Surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus infections in 3 northern remote communities of Saskatchewan was undertaken. Rates of methicillin-resistant infections were extremely high (146–482/10,000 population), and most (98.2%) were caused by USA400 strains. Although USA400 prevalence has diminished in the United States, this strain is continuing to predominate throughout many northern communities in Canada. PMID:21470471

Persistent Gender Inequities in Mathematics Achievement and Expectations in Australia, Canada and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forgasz, Helen J.; Leder, Gilah C.

2017-01-01

We report the general public's perceptions and those of 15-year-old school students, about aspects of mathematics learning. For the adult sample, survey data were gathered from pedestrians and Facebook users in Australia, Canada and the UK-countries in which English is the dominant language spoken. Participants responded to items about the…

Individual efforts to reduce salt intake in China, Japan, UK, USA: what did people achieve? The INTERMAP Population Study.

PubMed

Okuda, Nagako; Stamler, Jeremiah; Brown, Ian J; Ueshima, Hirotsugu; Miura, Katsuyuki; Okayama, Akira; Saitoh, Shigeyuki; Nakagawa, Hideaki; Sakata, Kiyomi; Yoshita, Katsushi; Zhao, Liancheng; Elliott, Paul

2014-12-01

Habitual high-salt intake raises blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular diseases. To prevent/control these risks, reduced salt diet (RSD) is recommended in many countries and some people report practicing it; however, little is known about actual achievement. This population-based study assessed level of 24-h dietary sodium intake of participants reporting RSD and others. Participants were 4680 men and women ages 40-59 years randomly selected from 17 populations in People's Republic of China (PRC), Japan, UK and USA, for an observational study on diet and blood pressure (INTERMAP). Daily sodium intake was determined by two timed 24-h urine collections. Antihypertensive treatment status and RSD were ascertained by questionnaire. Participants reporting RSD were few; 3.1% (Japan), 1.3% (PRC), 2.5% (UK), 7.2% (USA); 15.1, 7.9, 16.7 and 16.8% of people with treated hypertension. For those reporting RSD, 24-h urinary sodium excretion was significantly, but only modestly lower than for others, by 17.9 mmol/day (Japan), 56.7 (PRC) and 14.7 (USA), but higher by 10.5 in UK. Sodium intakes for participants reporting RSD remained higher than recommended; 181.0 mmol/day (Japan), 171.5 (PRC), 155.2 (UK) and 148.9 (USA). For these people, as for others, main sources of salt were processed foods in Japan, UK and USA; in PRC, salt added in preparation at home. Enhanced sustained efforts are needed to raise general awareness of the harmful effects of salt on health and the benefits of salt reduction. Population approaches are needed to reduce salt content of processed foods and restaurant meals.

The postgraduate medical education pathway: an international comparison.

PubMed

Weggemans, Margot M; van Dijk, Bruce; van Dooijeweert, Birgit; Veenendaal, Anne G; Ten Cate, Olle

2017-01-01

An at first sight seemingly coherent, global medical workforce, with clearly recognizable specialities, subspecialties and primary care doctors, appears at a closer look quite variable. Even within the most progressive countries as to the development of medical education, with educators who regularly meet at conferences and share major journals about medical education, the differences in structures and regulations are big. This contribution focuses on the preparation, admission policy, duration, examinations, and national competency frameworks in postgraduate speciality training in Germany, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. While general objectives for postgraduate training programs have not been very clear, only recently competency-frameworks, created in a limited number of countries, serve harmonize objectives. This process appears to be a challenge and the recent creation of milestones for the reporting on progress of individual trainees (in the US and in Canada in different ways) and the adoption of entrustable professional activities, a most recent concept that is quickly spreading internationally as a framework for teaching and assessing in the clinical workplace is an interesting and hopeful development, but time will tell whether true harmonization across countries will happen.

Geographic trends of scientific output and citation practices in psychiatry.

PubMed

Igoumenou, Artemis; Ebmeier, Klaus; Roberts, Nia; Fazel, Seena

2014-12-06

Measures of research productivity are increasingly used to determine how research should be evaluated and funding decisions made. In psychiatry, citation patterns within and between countries are not known, and whether these differ by choice of citation metric. In this study, we examined publication characteristics and citation practices in articles published in 50 Web of Science indexed psychiatric and relevant clinical neurosciences journals, between January 2004 and December 2009 comprising 51,072 records that produced 375,962 citations. We compared citation patterns, including self-citations, between countries using standard x(2) tests. We found that most publications came from the USA, with Germany being second and UK third in productivity. USA articles received most citations and the highest citation rate with an average 11.5 citations per article. The UK received the second highest absolute number of citations, but came fourth by citation rate (9.7 citations/article), after the Netherlands (11.4 citations/article) and Canada (9.8 citations/article). Within the USA, Harvard University published most articles and these articles were the most cited, on average 20.0 citations per paper. In Europe, UK institutions published and were cited most often. The Institute of Psychiatry/Kings College London was the leading institution in terms of number of published records and overall citations, while Oxford University had the highest citation rate (18.5 citations/record). There were no differences between the self-citation practices of American and European researchers. Articles that examined some aspect of treatment in psychiatry were the most published. In terms of diagnosis, papers about schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were the most published and the most cited. We found large differences between and within countries in terms of their research productivity in psychiatry and clinical neuroscience. In addition, the ranking of countries and institutions differed widely by whether productivity was assessed by total research records published, overall citations these received, or citations per paper. The choice of measures of scientific output could be important in determining how research output translates into decisions about resource allocation.

What do preservice teachers from the USA and the UK know about dyslexia?

PubMed

Washburn, Erin K; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S; Joshi, R Malatesha

2014-02-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the knowledge base of preservice teachers from the USA and the UK of dyslexia as a language-based learning disability. A survey (both US and UK versions) was constructed using current research-based understandings of dyslexia as a language-based learning disability. One hundred and one preservice teachers from the USA and 70 preservice teachers from the UK were administered the survey. Results indicated that participants in the two groups demonstrated some similar accurate knowledge about dyslexia as well as displaying some common misunderstandings about dyslexia. Recommendations concerning preservice teacher preparation and professional development for in-service teachers about dyslexia as well as future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Health Care Accreditation Mod-els.

PubMed

Tabrizi, Jafar S; Gharibi, Farid; Wilson, Andrew J

2011-01-01

This systematic review seeks to define the general advantages and disadvan-tages of accreditation programs to assist in choosing the most appropriate approach. Systematic search of SID, Ovid Medline & PubMed databases was conducted by the keywords of accreditation, hospital, medical practice, clinic, accreditation models, health care and Persian meanings. From 2379 initial articles, 83 articles met the full inclusion criteria. From initial analysis, 23 attributes were identified which appeared to define advantages and disadvantages of different accreditation approaches and the available systems were compared on these. Six systems were identified in the international literature including the JCAHO from USA, the Canadian program of CCHSA, and the accreditation programs of UK, Australia, New Zealand and France. The main distinguishing attributes among them were: quality improve-ment, patient and staff safety, improving health services integration, public's confi-dence, effectiveness and efficiency of health services, innovation, influence global standards, information management, breadth of activity, history, effective relationship with stakeholders, agreement with AGIL attributes and independence from government. Based on 23 attributes of comprehensive accreditation systems we have defined from a systematic review, the JCAHO accreditation program of USA and then CCHSA of Can-ada offered the most comprehensive systems with the least disadvantages. Other programs such as the ACHS of Australia, ANAES of France, QHNZ of New Zealand and UK accredita-tion programs were fairly comparable according to these criteria. However the decision for any country or health system should be based on an assessment weighing up their specific objec-tives and needs.

Nutritional quality of food items on fast-food 'kids' menus': comparisons across countries and companies.

PubMed

Hobin, Erin; White, Christine; Li, Ye; Chiu, Maria; O'Brien, Mary Fodor; Hammond, David

2014-10-01

To compare energy (calories), total and saturated fats, and Na levels for 'kids' menu' food items offered by four leading multinational fast-food chains across five countries. A content analysis was used to create a profile of the nutritional content of food items on kids' menus available for lunch and dinner in four leading fast-food chains in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Food items from kids' menus were included from four fast-food companies: Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), McDonald's and Subway. These fast-food chains were selected because they are among the top ten largest multinational fast-food chains for sales in 2010, operate in high-income English-speaking countries, and have a specific section of their restaurant menus labelled 'kids' menus'. The results by country indicate that kids' menu foods contain less energy (fewer calories) in restaurants in the USA and lower Na in restaurants in the UK. The results across companies suggest that kids' menu foods offered at Subway restaurants are lower in total fat than food items offered at Burger King and KFC, and food items offered at KFC are lower in saturated fat than items offered at Burger King. Although the reasons for the variation in the nutritional quality of foods on kids' menus are not clear, it is likely that fast-food companies could substantially improve the nutritional quality of their kids' menu food products, translating to large gains for population health.

Letters to the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1995-05-01

Stirling 1994Lis Unsworth and Alexander BellSCOTVEC External Verifiers in Physical Sciences, Edinburgh, UK An elephant in the back seatJ M HathawayRetired Head of Physics, King Edward VI College, Nuneaton, UK Graphical construction of the tangent law of refractionA TanDepartment of Physics, Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA Measuring up to rainJim FawcettKing's School, Worcester, UK No flies on trainsCyril IsenbergUniversity of Kent at Canterbury, UK More on flies and trainsAlvin H BachmanThe City College/CUNY, NEW York, USA

PREFACE: The International Conference on Highly Frustrated Magnetism HFM2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eremin, Ilya; Brenig, Wolfram; Kremer, Reinhard; Litterst, Jochen

2009-01-01

The International Conference on Highly Frustrated Magnetism 2008 (HFM2008) took place on 7-12 September 2008 at the Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Germany. This conference was the fourth event in a series of meetings, which started in Waterloo, Canada (HFM 2000), followed by the second one in Grenoble, France (HFM 2003), and the third meeting in Osaka, Japan (HFM 2006). HFM2008 attracted more than 220 participants from all over the world. The number of participants of the HFM conference series has been increasing steadily, from about 80 participants at HFM 2000, to 120 participants at HFM 2003, and 190 participants at HFM 2006, demonstrating that highly frustrated magnetism remains a rapidly growing area of research in condensed matter physics. At the end of HFM2008 it was decided that the next International Conference on Highly Frustrated Magnetism will be held in Baltimore, USA in 2010. HFM2008 saw four plenary talks by R Moessner, S Nakatsuji, S-W Cheong, and S Sachdev, 18 invited presentations, 30 contributed talks and about 160 poster presentations from all areas of frustrated magnetism. The subjects covered by the conference included: Kagome systems Itinerant frustrated systems Spinels and pyrochlore materials Triangular systems Unconventional order and spin liquids Chain systems Chain systems Novel frustrated systems This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series contains the proceedings of HFM2008 with 83 papers that provide a scientific record of the scientific topics covered by the conference. All articles have been refereed by experts in the field. It is our hope that the reader will enjoy and profit from the HFM2008 Proceedings. Ilya Eremin Proceedings Editor Wolfram Brenig, Reinhard Kremer, and Jochen Litterst Co-Editors International Advisory Board L Balents (USA) F Becca (Italy) S Bramwell (UK) P Fulde (Germany) B D Gaulin (Canada) J E Greedan (Canada) A Harrison (France) Z Hiroi (Japan) H Kawamura (Japan) A Keren (Israel) C Lacroix (France) C Lhuillier (France) A Loidl (Germany) G Misguich (France) J Richter (Germany) A M Olés (Poland) P Schiffer (USA) R Stern (Estonia) O Tchernyshyov (USA) M R. Valenti (Germany) G Zwicknagl (Germany) International Program Committee W Brenig (Germany) C Broholm (USA) M Gingras (Canada) K Ueda (Japan) P Mendels (France) F Mila (Switzerland) R Moessner (Germany) Conference photograph On behalf of the HFM2008 Organizing Committee, I wish to express my sincere thanks to everyone who supported us in organizing and setting up HFM2008. Especially, I would like to thank the European Science Foundation and the Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung for the generous financial support, the Technische Universität Braunschweig and the City of Braunschweig for hosting the conference, all colleagues who served on the Advisory and Program Board, the Referees, and last but not least, the staff members from Stuttgart and Braunschweig, Mrs Gisela Siegle, Mrs Regine Noack and Mrs Katharina Schnettler, for their helpful and invaluable assistance. Reinhard Kremer

Open Science Strategies in Research Policies: A Comparative Exploration of Canada, the US and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasthiotakis, Helen; Kretz, Andrew; Sá, Creso

2015-01-01

Several movements have emerged related to the general idea of promoting "openness" in science. Research councils are key institutions in bringing about changes proposed by these movements, as sponsors and facilitators of research. In this paper we identify the approaches used in Canada, the US and the UK to advance open science, as a…

Bread in the Economy of Qualities: The Creative Reconstitution of the Canada-UK Commodity Chain for Wheat

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magnan, Andre

2011-01-01

This article traces the creative reconstitution of the Canada-UK wheat-bread commodity chain since the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and a British bakery, Warburtons, pioneered an innovative identity-preserved sourcing relationship that ties contracted prairie wheat growers to consumers of premium bread in the United…

Innovating Our Higher Education Models Based on Experience in UK and USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jun; Chen, Haifeng

2008-01-01

Our higher education need to innovate education models and actively connect every member in big social system, for example, enterprises, society and environment. This paper shows some new ideas on innovating educational development based on author's studying experience in UK and in USA.

The nutritional content of supermarket beverages: a cross-sectional analysis of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK.

PubMed

Chepulis, Lynne; Mearns, Gael; Hill, Shaunie; Wu, Jason Hy; Crino, Michelle; Alderton, Sarah; Jenner, Katharine

2018-02-07

To compare the nutritional content, serving size and taxation potential of supermarket beverages from four different Western countries. Cross-sectional analysis. Multivariate regression analysis and χ 2 comparisons were used to detect differences between countries. Supermarkets in New Zealand (NZ), Australia, Canada and the UK. Supermarket beverages in the following categories: fruit juices, fruit-based drinks, carbonated soda, waters and sports/energy drinks. A total of 4157 products were analysed, including 749 from NZ, 1738 from Australia, 740 from Canada and 930 from the UK. NZ had the highest percentage of beverages with sugar added to them (52 %), while the UK had the lowest (9 %, P8 % sugar) categories. There is substantial difference between countries in the mean energy, serving size and proportion of products eligible for fiscal sugar taxation. Current self-regulatory approaches used in these countries may not be effective to reduce the availability, marketing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and subsequent intake of free sugars.

Exposure to smoking in movies among British adolescents 2001-2006.

PubMed

Anderson, Stacey J; Millett, Christopher; Polansky, Jonathan R; Glantz, Stanton A

2010-06-01

To estimate youth exposure to smoking in movies in the UK and compare the likely effect with the USA. We collected tobacco occurrences data for 572 top-grossing films in the UK screened from 2001 to 2006 and estimated the number of on-screen tobacco impressions delivered to British youths in this time period. 91% of films in our sample that contained smoking were youth-rated films (British Board of Film Classification rating '15' and lower), delivering at least 1.10 billion tobacco impressions to British youths during theatrical release. British youths were exposed to 28% more smoking impressions in UK youth-rated movies than American youth-rated movies, because 79% of movies rated for adults in the USA ('R') are classified as suitable for youths in the UK ('15' or '12A'). Because there is a dose-response relation between the amount of on-screen exposure to smoking and the likelihood that adolescents will begin smoking, the fact that there is substantially higher exposure to smoking in youth-rated films in the UK than in the USA suggests that the fraction of all youth smoking because of films in the UK is probably larger than in the USA. Other countries with ratings systems that are less conservative (in terms of language and sexuality) than the USA will also be likely to deliver more on-screen tobacco impressions to youths. Assigning an '18' classification to movies that contain smoking would substantially reduce youth exposure to on-screen smoking and, hence, smoking initiation among British youths.

Mapping cross-border collaboration and communication in cardiovascular research from 1992 to 2012

PubMed Central

Gal, Diane; Glänzel, Wolfgang; Sipido, Karin R.

2017-01-01

Aims The growing burden of cardiovascular disease requires growth in research and innovation. We examine world-wide participation and citation impact across the cardiovascular research landscape from 1992 to 2012; we investigate cross-fertilization between countries and examine whether cross-border collaboration affects impact. Methods and Results State-of-the-art bibliometric methods and indicators are used to identify cardiovascular publications from the Web of Science, and to map trends over time in output, citation impact, and collaboration. The publication output in cardiovascular research has grown steadily from 1992 to 2012 with increased participation worldwide. China has the highest growth as relative share. The USA share initially predominated yet has reduced steadily. Over time, the EU-27 supra-national region has increased its participation above the USA, though on average it has not had greater citation impact than the USA. However, a number of European countries, as well as Australia and Canada, have improved their absolute and relative citation impact above that of the USA by 2006–2012. Europe is a hub of cross-fertilization with strengthening collaborations and strong citation links; the UK, Germany, and France remain central in this network. The USA has the highest number of strong citation links with other countries. All countries, but especially smaller, highly collaborative countries, have higher citation impact for their internationally collaborative research when compared with their domestic publications. Conclusion Participation in cardiovascular research is growing but growth and impact show wide variability between countries. Cross-border collaboration is increasing, in particular within the EU, and is associated with greater citation impact. PMID:27997881

Preservice Teacher Knowledge of Basic Language Constructs in Canada, England, New Zealand, and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, Erin K.; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S.; Joshi, R. Malatesha; Martin-Chang, Sandra; Arrow, Alison

2016-01-01

The present study examined preservice teachers' (PSTs) knowledge of basic language constructs across four different English-speaking teacher preparations programs. A standardized survey was administered to participants from Canada (n = 80), England (n = 55), New Zealand (n = 26), and the USA (n = 118). All participants were enrolled in…

Technology as a Bridge: Developing Intercultural Understanding through a Counselling Student Videoconference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meekums, Bonnie; Wathen, Cristen C.; Koltz, Rebecca L.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore the experience and implementation of a cross-cultural (UK/USA) student videoconference. Participating students were video recorded while participating in a videoconference between a USA University's class Counselling Theories II and a UK University's class, Becoming a Reflective Practitioner 2A. Students…

The Global Research Collaboration of Network Meta-Analysis: A Social Network Analysis

PubMed Central

Li, Lun; Catalá-López, Ferrán; Alonso-Arroyo, Adolfo; Tian, Jinhui; Aleixandre-Benavent, Rafael; Pieper, Dawid; Ge, Long; Yao, Liang; Wang, Quan; Yang, Kehu

2016-01-01

Background and Objective Research collaborations in biomedical research have evolved over time. No studies have addressed research collaboration in network meta-analysis (NMA). In this study, we used social network analysis methods to characterize global collaboration patterns of published NMAs over the past decades. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched (at 9th July, 2015) to include systematic reviews incorporating NMA. Two reviewers independently selected studies and cross-checked the standardized data. Data was analyzed using Ucinet 6.0 and SPSS 17.0. NetDraw software was used to draw social networks. Results 771 NMAs published in 336 journals from 3459 authors and 1258 institutions in 49 countries through the period 1997–2015 were included. More than three-quarters (n = 625; 81.06%) of the NMAs were published in the last 5-years. The BMJ (4.93%), Current Medical Research and Opinion (4.67%) and PLOS One (4.02%) were the journals that published the greatest number of NMAs. The UK and the USA (followed by Canada, China, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany) headed the absolute global productivity ranking in number of NMAs. The top 20 authors and institutions with the highest publication rates were identified. Overall, 43 clusters of authors (four major groups: one with 37 members, one with 12 members, one with 11 members and one with 10 members) and 21 clusters of institutions (two major groups: one with 62 members and one with 20 members) were identified. The most prolific authors were affiliated with academic institutions and private consulting firms. 181 consulting firms and pharmaceutical industries (14.39% of institutions) were involved in 199 NMAs (25.81% of total publications). Although there were increases in international and inter-institution collaborations, the research collaboration by authors, institutions and countries were still weak and most collaboration groups were small sizes. Conclusion Scientific production on NMA is increasing worldwide with research leadership of Western countries (most notably, the UK, the USA and Canada). More authors, institutions and nations are becoming involved in research collaborations, but frequently with limited international collaborations. PMID:27685998

The Novel Phages phiCD5763 and phiCD2955 Represent Two Groups of Big Plasmidial Siphoviridae Phages of Clostridium difficile.

PubMed

Ramírez-Vargas, Gabriel; Goh, Shan; Rodríguez, César

2018-01-01

Until recently, Clostridium difficile phages were limited to Myoviruses and Siphoviruses of medium genome length (32-57 kb). Here we report the finding of phiCD5763, a Siphovirus with a large extrachromosomal circular genome (132.5 kb, 172 ORFs) and a large capsid (205.6 ± 25.6 nm in diameter) infecting MLST Clade 1 strains of C. difficile . Two subgroups of big phage genomes similar to phiCD5763 were identified in 32 NAP CR1 /RT012/ST-54 C. difficile isolates from Costa Rica and in whole genome sequences (WGS) of 41 C. difficile isolates of Clades 1, 2, 3, and 4 from Canada, USA, UK, Belgium, Iraq, and China. Through comparative genomics we discovered another putative big phage genome in a non-NAP CR1 isolate from Costa Rica, phiCD2955, which represents other big phage genomes found in 130 WGS of MLST Clade 1 and 2 isolates from Canada, USA, Hungary, France, Austria, and UK. phiCD2955 (131.6 kb, 172 ORFs) is related to a previously reported C. difficile phage genome, phiCD211/phiCDIF1296T. Detailed genome analyses of phiCD5763, phiCD2955, phiCD211/phiCDIF1296T, and seven other putative C. difficile big phage genome sequences of 131-136 kb reconstructed from publicly available WGS revealed a modular gene organization and high levels of sequence heterogeneity at several hotspots, suggesting that these genomes correspond to biological entities undergoing recombination. Compared to other C. difficile phages, these big phages have unique predicted terminase, capsid, portal, neck and tail proteins, receptor binding proteins (RBPs), recombinases, resolvases, primases, helicases, ligases, and hypothetical proteins. Moreover, their predicted gene load suggests a complex regulation of both phage and host functions. Overall, our results indicate that the prevalence of C. difficile big bacteriophages is more widespread than realized and open new avenues of research aiming to decipher how these viral elements influence the biology of this emerging pathogen.

Empirically evaluating the WHO global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel's impact on four high-income countries four years after adoption.

PubMed

Tam, Vivian; Edge, Jennifer S; Hoffman, Steven J

2016-10-12

Shortages of health workers in low-income countries are exacerbated by the international migration of health workers to more affluent countries. This problem is compounded by the active recruitment of health workers by destination countries, particularly Australia, Canada, UK and USA. The World Health Organization (WHO) adopted a voluntary Code of Practice in May 2010 to mitigate tensions between health workers' right to migrate and the shortage of health workers in source countries. The first empirical impact evaluation of this Code was conducted 11-months after its adoption and demonstrated a lack of impact on health workforce recruitment policy and practice in the short-term. This second empirical impact evaluation was conducted 4-years post-adoption using the same methodology to determine whether there have been any changes in the perceived utility, applicability, and implementation of the Code in the medium-term. Forty-four respondents representing government, civil society and the private sector from Australia, Canada, UK and USA completed an email-based survey evaluating their awareness of the Code, perceived impact, changes to policy or recruitment practices resulting from the Code, and the effectiveness of non-binding Codes generally. The same survey instrument from the original study was used to facilitate direct comparability of responses. Key lessons were identified through thematic analysis. The main findings between the initial impact evaluation and the current one are unchanged. Both sets of key informants reported no significant policy or regulatory changes to health worker recruitment in their countries as a direct result of the Code due to its lack of incentives, institutional mechanisms and interest mobilizers. Participants emphasized the existence of previous bilateral and regional Codes, the WHO Code's non-binding nature, and the primacy of competing domestic healthcare priorities in explaining this perceived lack of impact. The Code has probably still not produced the tangible improvements in health worker flows it aspired to achieve. Several actions, including a focus on developing bilateral codes, linking the Code to topical global priorities, and reframing the Code's purpose to emphasize health system sustainability, are proposed to improve the Code's uptake and impact.

Letters to the Editor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1993-01-01

Elementary particles and philosophy of scienceEric ScerriDepartment of History and Philosophy of Science, King's College, London, UK Muscle forces and Newton's third lawA H BachmanPhysics Department, City College of New York, NY 10031, USA Science for the year 2000Martin Brown122 Bryansburn Road, Bangor, County Down BT20 3RG, UK More examples of the harmonic meanA TanDepartment of Physics, Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL 35762, USA Science SATsD L Richards16 Purcell Crescent, London SW6 7PB, UK

Cladotanytarsus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae): several distinctive species reviewed on the basis of records from Canada and USA.

PubMed

Puchalski, Mateusz; Giłka, Wojciech

2017-03-10

Two species of the genus Cladotanytarsus Kieffer, 1921 are described as adult males, both peculiar in having distinctively elongated hypopygial anal points. The male of Cladotanytarsus bilyji Giłka et Puchalski, sp. nov. (Canada, Manitoba; USA, Ohio) is presumed to be a close relative of C. nigrovittatus (Goetghebuer, 1922). Another unknown Cladotanytarsus species (USA, Illinois and Louisiana) keys with the European C. donmcbeani Langton et McBean, 2010. The intraspecific variability of the male C. acornutus Jacobsen et Bilyj, 2007 is also presented on the basis of new records (Canada, Ontario; USA, South Carolina). Cladotanytarsus males with similarly structured elongate anal points are reviewed, including C. tobaquardecimus Kikuchi et Sasa, 1990, considered a junior synonym (syn. nov.) of C. conversus (Johannsen, 1932). As a compilation of this study, a key to the identification of the adult males of 14 Cladotanytarsus species is provided.

Exposure to smoking in movies among British adolescents 2001–2006

PubMed Central

Anderson, Stacey J; Millett, Christopher; Polansky, Jonathan R

2010-01-01

Objective To estimate youth exposure to smoking in movies in the UK and compare the likely effect with the USA. Methods We collected tobacco occurrences data for 572 top-grossing films in the UK screened from 2001 to 2006 and estimated the number of on-screen tobacco impressions delivered to British youths in this time period. Results 91% of films in our sample that contained smoking were youth-rated films (British Board of Film Classification rating ‘15’ and lower), delivering at least 1.10 billion tobacco impressions to British youths during theatrical release. British youths were exposed to 28% more smoking impressions in UK youth-rated movies than American youth-rated movies, because 79% of movies rated for adults in the USA (‘R’) are classified as suitable for youths in the UK (‘15’ or ‘12A’). Conclusion Because there is a dose-response relation between the amount of on-screen exposure to smoking and the likelihood that adolescents will begin smoking, the fact that there is substantially higher exposure to smoking in youth-rated films in the UK than in the USA suggests that the fraction of all youth smoking because of films in the UK is probably larger than in the USA. Other countries with ratings systems that are less conservative (in terms of language and sexuality) than the USA will also be likely to deliver more on-screen tobacco impressions to youths. Assigning an ‘18’ classification to movies that contain smoking would substantially reduce youth exposure to on-screen smoking and, hence, smoking initiation among British youths. PMID:20197360

The Characteristics of the Systems of Continuing Pedagogical Education in Great Britain, Canada and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Myskiv, Iryna; Kravets, Svitlana

2016-01-01

In the article the systems of continuing pedagogical education in Great Britain, Canada and the USA have been characterized. The main objectives are defined as the theoretical analysis of scientific-pedagogical literature, which highlights different aspects of the problem under research; identification of the common and distinctive features of the…

Class Matters: Inequality, SES, Education and Childhood in the USA and Canada Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnen, Russell F.

2007-01-01

This article examines recent trends in childhood and youth policy, political socialization, and civic education in the USA and Canada since 2000. It examines some of the current trends (such as political socialization and education research findings on children and youth) as well as policy initiatives (such as the landmark federal legislation…

76 FR 33400 - Aviation Proceedings, Agreements Filed the Week Ending May 7, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-08

... International Air Transport Association. Subject: TC31 South West Pacific--TC1 (except Canada, USA). Composite.... Composite Resolutions e-Tariffs, 4-22 April 2011 (Memo 1620). Intended Effective Date: 1 July 2011. Docket... Association.Subject: Mail Vote 634, TC31 South Pacific South West Pacific--TC1, (except Canada, USA) Composite...

Review of invertebrate biological control agent regulation in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA: recommendations for a harmonized European system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Europe lags far behind Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA in terms of implementing regulatory procedures for the import and release of invertebrate biological control agents (IBCAs). A number of standards, documents and guidelines have been produced over recent years in an attempt to harmon...

Methodology of Comparative Analysis of Public School Teachers' Continuing Professional Development in Great Britain, Canada and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Kravets, Svitlana

2015-01-01

In the article the methodology of comparative analysis of public school teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) in Great Britain, Canada and the USA has been presented. The main objectives are defined as theoretical analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, which highlights different aspects of the problem under research;…

Translators and Interpreters Certification in Australia, Canada, the USA and Ukraine: Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skyba, Kateryna

2014-01-01

The article presents an overview of the certification process by which potential translators and interpreters demonstrate minimum standards of performance to warrant official or professional recognition of their ability to translate or interpret and to practice professionally in Australia, Canada, the USA and Ukraine. The aim of the study is to…

Institutional Research: What Problems Are We Trying to Solve?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longden, Bernard; Yorke, Mantz

2009-01-01

Institutional research in UK higher education is rarely consolidated into a central office function. This is in marked comparison to the position of IR in the USA where most universities accord it a high status which is absent from the UK context. The collection, analysis and interpretation of data in the USA appears, on the whole, more systematic…

Student Disability Claims in the UK and USA: Does the Jurisprudence Converge?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Mark; Lee, Barbara A.

2008-01-01

Laws in the UK and the USA protect college students with disabilities from discrimination. The laws of both nations are complex and require institutions of higher education to accommodate qualified students. This article examines the requirements of both nations' laws with respect to the kinds of inquiries that may be made of students with…

National citation patterns of NEJM, The Lancet, JAMA and The BMJ in the lay press: a quantitative content analysis

PubMed Central

Rius, Roser

2017-01-01

Objectives To analyse the total number of newspaper articles citing the four leading general medical journals and to describe national citation patterns. Design Quantitative content analysis. Setting/sample Full text of 22 general newspapers in 14 countries over the period 2008–2015, collected from LexisNexis. The 14 countries have been categorised into four regions: the USA, the UK, Western World (European countries other than the UK, and Australia, New Zealand and Canada) and Rest of the World (other countries). Main outcome measure Press citations of four medical journals (two American: NEJM and JAMA; and two British: The Lancet and The BMJ) in 22 newspapers. Results British and American newspapers cited some of the four analysed medical journals about three times a week in 2008–2015 (weekly mean 3.2 and 2.7 citations, respectively); the newspapers from other Western countries did so about once a week (weekly mean 1.1), and those from the Rest of the World cited them about once a month (monthly mean 1.1). The New York Times cited above all other newspapers (weekly mean 4.7). The analysis showed the existence of three national citation patterns in the daily press: American newspapers cited mostly American journals (70.0% of citations), British newspapers cited mostly British journals (86.5%) and the rest of the analysed press cited more British journals than American ones. The Lancet was the most cited journal in the press of almost all Western countries outside the USA and the UK. Multivariate correspondence analysis confirmed the national patterns and showed that over 85% of the citation data variability is retained in just one single new variable: the national dimension. Conclusion British and American newspapers are the ones that cite the four analysed medical journals more often, showing a domestic preference for their respective national journals; non-British and non-American newspapers show a common international citation pattern. PMID:29133334

GIS Based Application of Advanced Traveler Information System in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, P.; Singh, V.

2012-02-01

Developed countries like USA, Canada, Japan, UK, Australia and Germany have adopted advanced traveler information technologies expeditiously in comparison to developing countries. But, unlike developed countries, developing countries face considerable financial and framework constraints. Moreover local traffic, roadway, signalization, demographic, topological and social conditions in developing countries are quite different from those in developed countries. In this paper, a comprehensive framework comprising of system architecture, development methodology and salient features of a developed Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) for metropolitan cities in developing countries has been discussed. Development of proposed system is based on integration of two well known information technologies viz. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and World Wide Web (WWW). Combination of these technologies can be utilized to develop an integrated ATIS that targets different types of travelers like private vehicle owners, transit users and casual outside visitors.

Ageing populations: the challenges ahead

PubMed Central

Christensen, Kaare; Doblhammer, Gabriele; Rau, Roland; Vaupel, James W

2009-01-01

If the pace of increase in life expectancy in developed countries over the past two centuries continues through the 21st century, most babies born since 2000 in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan, and other countries with long life expectancies will celebrate their 100th birthdays. Although trends differ between countries, populations of nearly all such countries are ageing as a result of low fertility, low immigration, and long lives. A key question is: are increases in life expectancy accompanied by a concurrent postponement of functional limitations and disability? The answer is still open, but research suggests that ageing processes are modifiable and that people are living longer without severe disability. This finding, together with technological and medical development and redistribution of work, will be important for our chances to meet the challenges of ageing populations. PMID:19801098

Hydrogeology Journal in 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olcott, Perry; Schneider, Robert; Voss, Clifford

2003-01-01

Hydrogeology Journal appeared in six issues containing a total of 674 pages and 47 major articles, including 22 Papers and 24 Reports, as well as Technical Notes and Book Reviews. The final issue of 2002 also contained the annual volume index. Hydrogeology Journal (HJ) is an international forum for hydrogeology and related disciplines. Authors in 2002 were from about 30 countries. Articles advanced hydrogeologic science and described hydrogeologic systems in many regions worldwide. These articles focused on 22 countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Qatar, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, UK, and the USA. The Guest Editors of the 2002 HJ theme issue on "Groundwater Recharge", Bridget R. Scanlon and Peter G. Cook, assembled a highly relevant and sought-after collection of papers from eminent authors on wide-ranging aspects of the subject.

Infant birthweight and risk of childhood cancer: international population-based case control studies of 40 000 cases.

PubMed

O'Neill, Kate A; Murphy, Michael Fg; Bunch, Kathryn J; Puumala, Susan E; Carozza, Susan E; Chow, Eric J; Mueller, Beth A; McLaughlin, Colleen C; Reynolds, Peggy; Vincent, Tim J; Von Behren, Julie; Spector, Logan G

2015-02-01

High birthweight is an established risk factor for childhood leukaemia. Its association with other childhood cancers is less clear, with studies hampered by low case numbers. We used two large independent datasets to explore risk associations between birthweight and all subtypes of childhood cancer. Data for 16 554 cases and 53 716 controls were obtained by linkage of birth to cancer registration records across five US states, and 23 772 cases and 33 206 controls were obtained from the UK National Registry of Childhood Tumours. US, but not UK, data were adjusted for gestational age, birth order, plurality, and maternal age and race/ethnicity. Risk associations were found between birthweight and several childhood cancers, with strikingly similar results between datasets. Total cancer risk increased linearly with each 0.5 kg increase in birthweight in both the US [odds ratio 1.06 (95% confidence interval 1.04, 1.08)] and UK [1.06 (1.05, 1.08)] datasets. Risk was strongest for leukaemia [USA: 1.10 (1.06, 1.13), UK: 1.07 (1.04, 1.10)], tumours of the central nervous system [USA: 1.05 (1.01, 1.08), UK: 1.07 (1.04, 1.10)], renal tumours [USA: 1.17 (1.10, 1.24), UK: 1.12 (1.06, 1.19)] and soft tissue sarcomas [USA: 1.12 (1.05, 1.20), UK: 1.07 (1.00, 1.13)]. In contrast, increasing birthweight decreased the risk of hepatic tumours [USA: 0.77 (0.69, 0.85), UK: 0.79 (0.71, 0.89) per 0.5 kg increase]. Associations were also observed between high birthweight and risk of neuroblastoma, lymphomas, germ cell tumours and malignant melanomas. For some cancer subtypes, risk associations with birthweight were non-linear. We observed no association between birthweight and risk of retinoblastoma or bone tumours. Approximately half of all childhood cancers exhibit associations with birthweight. The apparent independence from other factors indicates the importance of intrauterine growth regulation in the aetiology of these diseases. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Calendar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-04-01

MAY 2004 GARP's 3rd Credit & Counterparty Risk Summit, London, UK 21-23 May 2004 Andreas Simou (andreas.simou@garp.com), +44 (0)20 7626 9301, www.garp.com/events/3rdcred IMA Workshop 9: Financial Data Analysis and Applications, University of Minnesota, MN, USA 24-28 May 2004 www.ima.umn.edu/complex/spring/c9.html Global Derivatives & Risk Management 2004, NH Eurobuilding, Madrid, Spain 25-28 May 2004 Aden Watkins, ICBI (awatkins@iirltd.co.uk), +44 (0)20 7915 5198, www.icbi-uk.com/globalderivatives/ WEHIA'04 9th Workshop on Economics and Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, Kyodai-Kaikan, Kyoto, Japan 27-29 May 2004 www.nda.ac.jp/cs/AI/wehia04/ JUNE 2004 Semimartingale Theory and Practice in Finance, Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada 5-10 June 2004 www.pims.math.ca/birs/workshops/2004/04w5032/ MC2QMC 2004 International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods, Juan-les-Pins, Côte d'Azur, France 7-10 June 2004 Monique Simonetti (Monique.Simonetti@sophia.inria.fr), +33 4 92 38 78 64, www-sop.inria.fr/omega/MC2QMC2004/ GAIM'04 10th Annual Global Alternative Investment Management Forum, The Beaulieu Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland 8-11 June 2004 +44 (0)20 7915 5103, www.icbi-uk.com/gaim/ 3rd Annual Conference Ri$k Management 2004, Fairmont Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 12-15 June 2004 www.iirme.com/risk/ 10th Annual Risk USA Congress, Boston, MA, USA 21-24 June 2004 Aristotle Liu (aliu@riskwaters.com), +44 (0)207 484 9700, www.riskusa.com Mannheim Empirical Research Summer School, Mannheim University, Germany 22 June-2 July 2004 oliver@kirchkamp.de, www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/merss 9th Annual Conference on Econometric Modelling for Africa, Cape Town, South Africa 30 June-2 July 2004 aesinfo@commerce.uct.ac.za, www.commerce.uct.ac.za/economics/AES2004Conference/ 4th Congress of Nonlinear Analysts. Special Session on Mathematical Methods in Theoretical Finance, Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort, Orlando, FL, USA 30 June-7 July 2004 dkermani@fit.edu, +1 321 674 7412, http://kermani.math.fit.edu/ JULY 2004 2nd World Congress of the Game Theory Society, Faculty of Luminy, Marseille, France 5-9 July 2004 Europa Organisation (europa@europa-organisation.com), +33 5 34 45 26 45, www.gts2004.org Budapest Workshop on Behavioral Economics, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary 5-10 July 2004 Eva Dotzi (behavecon@ceu.hu), www.iza.org/en/calls_conferences/CallCEU_04.pdf FDA'04 1st IFAC Workshop on Fractional Differentiation and its Applications, Bordeaux, France 19-20 July 2004 IFAC secretariat (fda04@lap.u-bordeaux1.fr), www.lap.u-bordeaux.fr/fda04/ Bachelier Finance Society Third World Congress, InterContinental Hotel, Chicago, IL, USA 21-24 July 2004 bfs2004@uic.edu, www.uic.edu/orgs/bachelier/ BS/IMS 2004 6th World Congress of the Bernoulli Society for Mathematical Statistics and Probability, Barcelona, Spain 26-31 July 2004 wc2004@pacifico-meetings.com, +34 93 402 13 85, www.imub.ub.es/events/wc2004 AUGUST 2004 Summer School in Econometrics. The Cointegrated VAR Model: Econometric Methodology and Macroeconomic Applications, Institute of Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 2-22 August 2004 Summerschool@econ.ku.dk, www.econ.ku.dk/summerschool SEPTEMBER 2004 First Bonzenfreies Colloquium on Market Dynamics and Quantitative Economics, Alessandria, Palazzo Borsalino, Italy 9-10 September 2004 colloquium@unipmn.it, www.mfn.unipmn.it/~colloqui/ Risk Analysis 2004. 4th International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, Aldemar Paradise Royal Mare Hotel, Rhodes, Greece 27-29 September 2004 enquiries@wessex.ac.uk, +44 (0)238 029 3223, www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2004/risk04/ OCTOBER 2004 IRC Hedge 2004, InterContinental Hotel, London, UK 10, 11 October 2004 enquiries@irc-conferences.com, www.irc-conferences.com/show_conference.php?id=10 NOVEMBER 2004 IRC DICE 2004, InterContinental Hotel, London, UK 22, 23 November 2004 enquiries@irc-conferences.com, www.irc-conferences.com/show_conference.php?id=13 DECEMBER 2004 Quantitative Methods in Finance 2004, Sydney, Australia 15-18 December 2004 Andrea Schnaufer (qmf@uts.edu.au), +61 2 9514 7737, www.business.uts.edu.au/finance/resources/qmf2004/

Constructivist Approach in a Paradigm of Public School Teachers' Professional Development in Great Britain, Canada, the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Fuchyla, Olena; Ihnatiuk, Halyna

2017-01-01

The article dwells on professional development of public school teachers as an inevitable constituent of education systems in the 21st century. In such economically developed countries as Great Britain, Canada and the USA, the problem of preparing teachers to a difficult and responsible task of upbringing and educating future citizens always…

The Analysis of Content and Operational Components of Public School Teachers' Continuing Professional Development in Great Britain, Canada and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Kravets, Svitlana; Khamulyak, Nataliya

2016-01-01

In the article the content and operational components of continuing professional development of public school teachers in Great Britain, Canada, the USA have been characterized. The main objectives are defined as the theoretical analysis of scientific-pedagogical literature, which highlights different aspects of the problem under research;…

The Model of Unification and the Model of Diversification of Public School Teachers' Continuing Professional Development in Great Britain, Canada and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukan, Nataliya; Myskiv, Iryna; Kravets, Svitlana

2016-01-01

In the article the theoretical framework of public school teachers' continuing professional development (CPD) in Great Britain, Canada and the USA has been presented. The main objectives have been defined as theoretical analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature, which highlights different aspects of the problem under research; presentation…

The International Mycological Association: its history in brief with summaries of its International Mycological Congresses and diverse international relationships.

PubMed

Simmons, Emory G

2010-06-01

This history presents a review of International Mycological Association activities, its international congresses, and its relationships with regional mycological associations as well as with international organizations of other scientific disciplines. The IMA was organized in 1971 during the First Mycological Congress (IMC-1) convened at Exeter, U.K. In the period 1971 to 2010, nine international congresses have been held, each with its own organizational structure but under the guidance of one of the successive inter-Congress management groups of IMA officers and executive committee members. The congress list includes Exeter, U.K.; Tampa, U.S.A.; Tokyo, Japan; Regensburg, Germany; Vancouver, Canada; Jerusalem, Israel; Oslo, Norway; Cairns, Australia; and Edinburgh, Scotland. Inter-congress activities of each IMA executive group are summarized. The characteristics of each congress are surveyed as to organization, programming, attendance numbers, finances, and satellite meetings.The IMA has sponsored the establishment of Regional Mycological Associations beginning in 1977 and has lent operational funding. Regional associations currently are functional and hold their own regional congresses in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Latin America. The relationships of the IMA with other organizations recognized within the supra-national International Council of Scientific Unions are discussed.

Fighting discrimination.

PubMed

Wientjens, Wim; Cairns, Douglas

2012-10-01

In the fight against discrimination, the IDF launched the first ever International Charter of Rights and Responsibilities of People with Diabetes in 2011: a balance between rights and duties to optimize health and quality of life, to enable as normal a life as possible and to reduce/eliminate the barriers which deny realization of full potential as members of society. It is extremely frustrating to suffer blanket bans and many examples exist, including insurance, driving licenses, getting a job, keeping a job and family affairs. In this article, an example is given of how pilots with insulin treated diabetes are allowed to fly by taking the responsibility of using special blood glucose monitoring protocols. At this time the systems in the countries allowing flying for pilots with insulin treated diabetes are applauded, particularly the USA for private flying, and Canada for commercial flying. Encouraging developments may be underway in the UK for commercial flying and, if this materializes, could be used as an example for other aviation authorities to help adopt similar protocols. However, new restrictions implemented by the new European Aviation Authority take existing privileges away for National Private Pilot Licence holders with insulin treated diabetes in the UK. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Erratum: Erratum to: The Quadrennial Ozone Symposium 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godin-Beekmann, Sophie; Petropavlovskikh, Irina; Reis, Stefan; Newman, Paul; Steinbrecht, Wolfgang; Rex, Markus; Santee, Michelle L.; Eckman, Richard S.; Zheng, Xiangdong; Tully, Matthew B.; Stevenson, David S.; Young, Paul; Pyle, John; Weber, Mark; Tamminen, Johanna; Mills, Gina; Bais, Alkiviadis F.; Heaviside, Clare; Zerefos, Christos

2018-03-01

The Quadrennial Ozone Symposium 2016 Sophie GODIN-BEEKMANN*1, Irina PETROPAVLOVSKIKH2, Stefan REIS3,20, Paul NEWMAN4, Wolfgang STEINBRECHT5, Markus REX6, Michelle L. SANTEE7, Richard S. ECKMAN8, Xiangdong ZHENG9, Matthew B. TULLY10, David S. STEVENSON11, Paul YOUNG12, John PYLE13, Mark WEBER14, Johanna TAMMINEN15, Gina MILLS16, Alkiviadis F. BAIS17, Clare HEAVISIDE18, and Christos ZEREFOS19 1 Observatoire de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, CNRS, 78280 Guyancourt, France 2 CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA 3 NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK 4 Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA 5 Hohenpeissenberg Meteorological Observatory, Deutscher Wetterdienst, 82383 Hohenpeissenberg, Germany 6 Alfred Wegener Institute, 14401 Potsdam, Germany 7 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, CA 91109, USA 8 NASA Headquarters, Earth Science Division, Washington, DC, USA 9 Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China 10 Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia 11 University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK 12 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK 13 University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK 14 University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics, 28359 Bremen, Germany 15 Finnish Meteorological Institute, Earth Observation, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland 16 NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, Wales, UK 17 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece 18 Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, London, UK 19 Research Center for Atmospheric Physics & Climatology, Academy of Athens, Athens 10680, Greece 20 University of Exeter Medical School, Truro TR1 3HD, UK

The Impediments to the Change to UK University Accounting Education, a Comparison to the USA Pathways Commission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellington, Peter

2017-01-01

There is much debate in the literature concerning the changes necessary for university accounting education to meet the needs of the business environment and broader society. In the USA the Pathways Commission has responded by implementing a programme of evaluation and improvement. In the UK there is no formal agenda for change. This paper…

Shortage or Surplus? A Long-Term Perspective on the Supply of Scientists and Engineers in the USA and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Emma

2017-01-01

A "crisis account" of shortages of well-qualified scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technologists has shaped education policy in the UK and the USA for decades. The apparent poor quality of school science education along with insufficient numbers of well-qualified teachers have been linked to skills shortages by government and…

Favoured Free-Time: Comparing Children's Activity Preferences in the UK and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Merris

2011-01-01

This study presents a comparative study of the free-time activity preferences of 9- to 11-year-old children in the UK and USA, as drawn by them in art workshops. Six themes emerged relating to sport, outdoor play, family/peers, media, special occasions and other (indefinable) activities. The children's talk about their drawings revealed additional…

Intercultural Competence of English Language Teachers in International Baccalaureate World Schools in Turkey and Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demircioglu, Serife; Çakir, Cemal

2015-01-01

The study explores the opinions and attitudes of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) English language teachers from Turkey, the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Spain on intercultural language teaching. 16 teachers from Turkey, 15 teachers from the USA, 11 teachers from the UK, 10 teachers from New Zealand and 8 teachers from Spain,…

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995–2009: analysis of individual data for 25 676 887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

PubMed Central

Allemani, Claudia; Weir, Hannah K; Carreira, Helena; Harewood, Rhea; Spika, Devon; Wang, Xiao-Si; Bannon, Finian; Ahn, Jane V; Johnson, Christopher J; Bonaventure, Audrey; Marcos-Gragera, Rafael; Stiller, Charles; Silva, Gulnar Azevedo e; Chen, Wan-Qing; Ogunbiyi, Olufemi J; Rachet, Bernard; Soeberg, Matthew J; You, Hui; Matsuda, Tomohiro; Bielska-Lasota, Magdalena; Storm, Hans; Tucker, Thomas C; Coleman, Michel P

2015-01-01

Summary Background Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. Methods Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15–99 years) and 75 000 children (age 0–14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995–2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. Findings 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005–09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15–19% in North America, and as low as 7–9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10–20% between 1995–99 and 2005–09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995–99 and 2005–09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005–09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005–09 was high (54–58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18–23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. Interpretation International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems. Funding Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (Toronto, Canada), Cancer Focus Northern Ireland (Belfast, UK), Cancer Institute New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), Cancer Research UK (London, UK), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA), Swiss Re (London, UK), Swiss Cancer Research foundation (Bern, Switzerland), Swiss Cancer League (Bern, Switzerland), and University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY, USA). PMID:25467588

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2).

PubMed

Allemani, Claudia; Weir, Hannah K; Carreira, Helena; Harewood, Rhea; Spika, Devon; Wang, Xiao-Si; Bannon, Finian; Ahn, Jane V; Johnson, Christopher J; Bonaventure, Audrey; Marcos-Gragera, Rafael; Stiller, Charles; Azevedo e Silva, Gulnar; Chen, Wan-Qing; Ogunbiyi, Olufemi J; Rachet, Bernard; Soeberg, Matthew J; You, Hui; Matsuda, Tomohiro; Bielska-Lasota, Magdalena; Storm, Hans; Tucker, Thomas C; Coleman, Michel P

2015-03-14

Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems. Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (Toronto, Canada), Cancer Focus Northern Ireland (Belfast, UK), Cancer Institute New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), Cancer Research UK (London, UK), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA), Swiss Re (London, UK), Swiss Cancer Research foundation (Bern, Switzerland), Swiss Cancer League (Bern, Switzerland), and University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY, USA). Copyright © 2015 Allemani et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping cross-border collaboration and communication in cardiovascular research from 1992 to 2012.

PubMed

Gal, Diane; Glänzel, Wolfgang; Sipido, Karin R

2017-04-21

The growing burden of cardiovascular disease requires growth in research and innovation. We examine world-wide participation and citation impact across the cardiovascular research landscape from 1992 to 2012; we investigate cross-fertilization between countries and examine whether cross-border collaboration affects impact. State-of-the-art bibliometric methods and indicators are used to identify cardiovascular publications from the Web of Science, and to map trends over time in output, citation impact, and collaboration. The publication output in cardiovascular research has grown steadily from 1992 to 2012 with increased participation worldwide. China has the highest growth as relative share. The USA share initially predominated yet has reduced steadily. Over time, the EU-27 supra-national region has increased its participation above the USA, though on average it has not had greater citation impact than the USA. However, a number of European countries, as well as Australia and Canada, have improved their absolute and relative citation impact above that of the USA by 2006-2012. Europe is a hub of cross-fertilization with strengthening collaborations and strong citation links; the UK, Germany, and France remain central in this network. The USA has the highest number of strong citation links with other countries. All countries, but especially smaller, highly collaborative countries, have higher citation impact for their internationally collaborative research when compared with their domestic publications. Participation in cardiovascular research is growing but growth and impact show wide variability between countries. Cross-border collaboration is increasing, in particular within the EU, and is associated with greater citation impact. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

Prevalence, symptoms and management of uterine fibroids: an international internet-based survey of 21,746 women

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In 2009 the Uterine Bleeding and Pain Women's Research Study (UBP-WRS) was conducted interviewing 21,479 women across 8 countries in order to gain patient-based prevalence data on uterine pain and bleeding indications and investigate uterine symptoms and women's treatment experiences. This article shows relevant results of the study for the indication uterine fibroids providing data on self-reported prevalence, symptomatology and management of uterine fibroids. Methods 2,500 women (USA: 4,500 women) in each country (Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, the UK, the USA) completed an online survey. Women included were in their reproductive age (age group 15-49 years; USA: 18-49 years) and had ever experienced menstrual bleedings. Quotas were applied for age, region, level of education and household income of respondents. Variables have been analyzed descriptively and exploratory statistical tests have been performed. Results The self-reported prevalence of uterine fibroids ranged from 4.5% (UK) to 9.8% (Italy), reaching 9.4% (UK) to 17.8% (Italy) in the age group of 40-49 years. Women with a diagnosis of uterine fibroids reported significantly more often about bleeding symptoms than women without a diagnosis: heavy bleedings (59.8% vs. 37.4%), prolonged bleedings (37.3% vs. 15.6%), bleeding between periods (33.3% vs. 13.5%), frequent periods (28.4% vs. 15.2%), irregular and predictable periods (36.3% vs. 23.9%). Furthermore women with diagnosed uterine fibroids reported significantly more often about the following pain symptoms: pressure on the bladder (32.6% vs. 15.0%), chronic pelvic pain (14.5% vs. 2.9%), painful sexual intercourse (23.5% vs. 9.1%) and pain occurring mid-cycle, after and during menstrual bleeding (31.3%, 16.7%, 59.7%, vs. 17.1%, 6.4%, 52.0%). 53.7% of women reported that their symptoms had a negative impact on their life in the last 12 month, influencing their sexual life (42.9%), performance at work (27.7%) and relationship & family (27.2%). Conclusions Uterine fibroid is a common concern in women at fertile age causing multiple bleeding and pain symptoms which can have a negative impact on different aspects in women's life. PMID:22448610

TIPTOPbase: the Iron Project and the Opacity Project Atomic Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Claudio; Nahar, Sultana; Pradhan, Anil; Seaton, Micheal; Zeippen, Claude

2001-05-01

The Opacity Project, the IRON Project, and the RmaX Network (The Opacity Project Team, Vol.1,2), IOPP, Bristol (1995,1996); Hummer et al., Astron. Astrophys. 279, 298 (1993) are international computational efforts concerned with the production of high quality atomic data for astrophysical applications. Research groups from Canada, France, Germany, UK, USA and Venezuela are involved. Extensive data sets containing accurate energy levels, f-values, A-values, photoionisation cross sections, collision strengths, recombination rates, and opacitites have been computed for cosmically abundant elements using state-of-the-art atomic physics codes. Their volume, completeness and overall accuracy are presently unmatched in the field of laboratory astrophysics. Some of the data sets have been available since 1993 from a public on-line database service referred to as TOPbase (Cunto et al Astron. Astrophys. 275), L5 (1993), ( http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/OP.html at CDS France, and http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/topbase, at NSAS USA). We are currently involved in a major effort to scale the existing database services to develop a robust platform for the high-profile dissemination of atomic data to the scientific community within the next 12 months. (Partial support from the NSF and NASA is acknowledged.)

How popular is waterpipe tobacco smoking? Findings from internet search queries

PubMed Central

Salloum, Ramzi G; Osman, Amira; Maziak, Wasim; Thrasher, James F

2015-01-01

Objectives Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), a traditional tobacco consumption practice in the Middle East, is gaining popularity worldwide. Estimates of population-level interest in WTS over time are not documented. We assessed the popularity of WTS using World Wide Web search query results across four English-speaking countries. Methods We analysed trends in Google search queries related to WTS, comparing these trends with those for electronic cigarettes between 2004 and 2013 in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. Weekly search volumes were reported as percentages relative to the week with the highest volume of searches. Results Web-based searches for WTS have increased steadily since 2004 in all four countries. Search volume for WTS was higher than for e-cigarettes in three of the four nations, with the highest volume in the USA. Online searches were primarily targeted at WTS products for home use, followed by searches for WTS cafés/lounges. Conclusions Online demand for information on WTS-related products and venues is large and increasing. Given the rise in WTS popularity, increasing evidence of exposure-related harms, and relatively lax government regulation, WTS is a serious public health concern and could reach epidemic levels in Western societies. PMID:25052859

Health and economic impact of PHiD-CV in Canada and the UK: a Markov modelling exercise.

PubMed

Knerer, Gerhart; Ismaila, Afisi; Pearce, David

2012-01-01

The spectrum of diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) represents a large burden on healthcare systems around the world. Meningitis, bacteraemia, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), and acute otitis media (AOM) are vaccine-preventable infectious diseases that can have severe consequences. The health economic model presented here is intended to estimate the clinical and economic impact of vaccinating birth cohorts in Canada and the UK with the 10-valent, pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) compared with the newly licensed 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13). The model described herein is a Markov cohort model built to simulate the epidemiological burden of pneumococcal- and NTHi-related diseases within birth cohorts in the UK and Canada. Base-case assumptions include estimates of vaccine efficacy and NTHi infection rates that are based on published literature. The model predicts that the two vaccines will provide a broadly similar impact on all-cause invasive disease and CAP under base-case assumptions. However, PHiD-CV is expected to provide a substantially greater reduction in AOM compared with PCV-13, offering additional savings of Canadian $9.0 million and £4.9 million in discounted direct medical costs in Canada and the UK, respectively. The main limitations of the study are the difficulties in modelling indirect vaccine effects (herd effect and serotype replacement), the absence of PHiD-CV- and PCV-13-specific efficacy data and a lack of comprehensive NTHi surveillance data. Additional limitations relate to the fact that the transmission dynamics of pneumococcal serotypes have not been modelled, nor has antibiotic resistance been accounted for in this paper. This cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that, in Canada and the UK, PHiD-CV's potential to protect against NTHi infections could provide a greater impact on overall disease burden than the additional serotypes contained in PCV-13.

Assessment Procedures of Norwegian PhD Theses as Viewed by Examiners from the USA, the UK and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyvik, Svein

2014-01-01

This article focuses on the assessment procedures of Norwegian PhD theses as viewed by external members of evaluation committees from three countries with different examination systems; the USA, the UK and Sweden. Their viewpoints give useful information not only on the pros and cons with the Norwegian system, but also on the strengths and…

Trends In Geoscience Professional Ethics Indicated By National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG®) Surveys of The Practicing Profession

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, J. W.; Warner, J. L.

2016-12-01

ASBOG® was founded in 1988 to facilitate cooperation and coordination among states with licensing of practicing professional geologists-currently 29 states and Puerto Rico. ASBOG® creates national exams which are used by all of the states granting licensure. Periodic surveys of the practicing profession every 5 years are used to determine the skills and knowledge needed for professional practice and are used to generate the exam blueprints. Currently questions on professional ethics are included on the national licensing exams. Thirteen professional ethics issues in the geosciences were included on the Task Analysis Surveys (TAS) in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Professional geologists rate the seriousness of and the frequency of contact with these ethics issues. Topics include such items as gift-giving, whistleblowing, plagiarism, etc. The respondents are grouped into one of three categories: practicing licensed geologists in the United States, practicing licensed geologists in Canada, and geologists employed in the academic sector. Regardless of the employment sector, the responses to the professional ethics questions were statistically very similar (r values - Seriousness - USA vs. Academic +0.81, USA vs. Canada +0.94, Academic vs. Canada +0.86: Frequency - USA vs. Academic +0.71, USA vs. Canada +0.85, Academic vs. Canada +0.72). Some differences were detected. For example, plagiarism is regarded by practitioners in the academic sector as more important than this issue among licensed practicing geologists in the United States and Canada. The professional ethics issues asked on the 2010 and 2015 surveys are identical to facilitate detection of any temporal changes in response patterns. Statistically, the responses from practicing geologists in the USA in the 2010 and 2015 surveys are nearly identical, indicating that the profession has maintained virtually the same attitudes with regard to professional ethics (Seriousness r = +0.99, Frequency r = +0.99).

Didactic or Dialogical? The Shifting Nature of INGO Development Education Programming in England and Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Nadya

2017-01-01

This paper looks at the changing nature of international development nongovernmental organizations' development education programming in England and Canada. A documentary analysis of the changes in Save the Children Canada and Save the Children UK's development education materials illuminates the shift in international development agencies'…

Cigarette tax avoidance and evasion: findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Project.

PubMed

Guindon, G Emmanuel; Driezen, Pete; Chaloupka, Frank J; Fong, Geoffrey T

2014-03-01

Decades of research have produced overwhelming evidence that tobacco taxes reduce tobacco use and increase government tax revenue. The magnitude and effectiveness of taxes in reducing tobacco use provide an incentive for tobacco users, manufacturers and others, most notably criminal networks, to devise ways to avoid or evade tobacco taxes. Consequently, tobacco tax avoidance and tax evasion can reduce the public health and fiscal benefit of tobacco taxes. First, this study aims to document, using data from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC), levels and trends in cigarette users' tax avoidance and tax evasion behaviour in a sample of 16 low-, middle- and high-income countries. Second, this study explores factors associated with cigarette tax avoidance and evasion. We used data from ITC surveys conducted in 16 countries to estimate the extent and type of cigarette tax avoidance/evasion between countries and across time. We used self-reported information about the source of a smoker's last purchase of cigarettes or self-reported packaging information, or similar information gathered by the interviewers during face-to-face interviews to measure tax avoidance/evasion behaviours. We used generalised estimating equations to explore individual-level factors that may affect the likelihood of cigarette tax avoidance or evasion in Canada, the USA, the UK and France. We found prevalence estimates of cigarette tax avoidance/evasion vary substantially between countries and across time. In Canada, France and the UK, more than 10% of smokers reported last purchasing cigarettes from low or untaxed sources, while in Malaysia some prevalence estimates suggested substantial cigarette tax avoidance/evasion. We also found important associations between household income and education and the likelihood to engage in tax avoidance/evasion. These associations, however, varied both in direction and magnitude across countries.

Further contributions to the staphylinid fauna of New Brunswick, Canada, and the USA, with descriptions of two new Proteinus species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae).

PubMed

Webster, Reginald P; Davies, Anthony E; Klimaszewski, Jan; Bourdon, Caroline

2016-01-01

This paper treats the discovery of new species and new records of Staphylinidae from the subfamilies Omaliinae, Proteininae, Tachyporinae, Oxytelinae, Scydmaeninae, Steninae, Euaesthetinae, Pseudopsinae, Paederinae, and Staphylininae for the province of New Brunswick and other provinces of Canada, and the USA. We report here two species new to science, three new North American records, nine new Canadian records, two new USA records, and 50 new provincial records. The following are the species new to science: Proteinus hughesi Webster & Davies, sp. n. and Proteinus sweeneyi Webster & Klimaszewski, sp. n. (Proteininae). Sepedophilus immaculatus (Stephens) and Carpelimus erichsoni (Sharp), Carpelimus mundus (Sharp) are newly recorded from North America. New Canadian records are as follows: Carpelimus difficilis (Casey), Carpelimus gracilis (Mannerheim), Carpelimus lacustris (Notman), Carpelimus probus (Casey), Carpelimus pusillus (Gravenhorst), Carpelimus rivularis (Motschulsky), Carpelimus spretus (Casey), Carpelimus weissi (Notman) (Oxytelinae), and Edaphus lederi Eppelsheim (Euaesthetinae). This is the first record of the genus Edaphus for Canada. Bledius basalis LeConte and Carpelimus obesus (Kiesenwetter) (Oxytelinae) are removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick. Proteinus acadiensis Klimaszewski and Proteinus pseudothomasi Klimaszewski are newly recorded from the USA and several provinces of Canada. Habitat data from New Brunswick are provided for most of the species treated in this contribution.

Further contributions to the staphylinid fauna of New Brunswick, Canada, and the USA, with descriptions of two new Proteinus species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)

PubMed Central

Webster, Reginald P.; Davies, Anthony E.; Klimaszewski, Jan; Bourdon, Caroline

2016-01-01

Abstract This paper treats the discovery of new species and new records of Staphylinidae from the subfamilies Omaliinae, Proteininae, Tachyporinae, Oxytelinae, Scydmaeninae, Steninae, Euaesthetinae, Pseudopsinae, Paederinae, and Staphylininae for the province of New Brunswick and other provinces of Canada, and the USA. We report here two species new to science, three new North American records, nine new Canadian records, two new USA records, and 50 new provincial records. The following are the species new to science: Proteinus hughesi Webster & Davies, sp. n. and Proteinus sweeneyi Webster & Klimaszewski, sp. n. (Proteininae). Sepedophilus immaculatus (Stephens) and Carpelimus erichsoni (Sharp), Carpelimus mundus (Sharp) are newly recorded from North America. New Canadian records are as follows: Carpelimus difficilis (Casey), Carpelimus gracilis (Mannerheim), Carpelimus lacustris (Notman), Carpelimus probus (Casey), Carpelimus pusillus (Gravenhorst), Carpelimus rivularis (Motschulsky), Carpelimus spretus (Casey), Carpelimus weissi (Notman) (Oxytelinae), and Edaphus lederi Eppelsheim (Euaesthetinae). This is the first record of the genus Edaphus for Canada. Bledius basalis LeConte and Carpelimus obesus (Kiesenwetter) (Oxytelinae) are removed from the faunal list of New Brunswick. Proteinus acadiensis Klimaszewski and Proteinus pseudothomasi Klimaszewski are newly recorded from the USA and several provinces of Canada. Habitat data from New Brunswick are provided for most of the species treated in this contribution. PMID:27110167

Echinococcus granulosus in gray wolves and ungulates in Idaho and Montana, USA.

PubMed

Foreyt, William J; Drew, Mark L; Atkinson, Mark; McCauley, Deborah

2009-10-01

We evaluated the small intestines of 123 gray wolves (Canis lupus) that were collected from Idaho, USA (n=63), and Montana, USA (n=60), between 2006 and 2008 for the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. The tapeworm was detected in 39 of 63 wolves (62%) in Idaho, USA, and 38 of 60 wolves (63%) in Montana, USA. The detection of thousands of tapeworms per wolf was a common finding. In Idaho, USA, hydatid cysts, the intermediate form of E. granulosus, were detected in elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus). In Montana, USA, hydatid cysts were detected in elk. To our knowledge, this is the first report of adult E. granulosus in Idaho, USA, or Montana, USA. It is unknown whether the parasite was introduced into Idaho, USA, and southwestern Montana, USA, with the importation of wolves from Alberta, Canada, or British Columbia, Canada, into Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, and central Idaho, USA, in 1995 and 1996, or whether the parasite has always been present in other carnivore hosts, and wolves became a new definitive host. Based on our results, the parasite is now well established in wolves in these states and is documented in elk, mule deer, and a mountain goat as intermediate hosts.

The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased

PubMed Central

Barclay, Alan W.; Brand-Miller, Jennie

2011-01-01

Ecological research from the USA has demonstrated a positive relationship between sugars consumption and prevalence of obesity; however, the relationship in other nations is not well described. The aim of this study was to analyze the trends in obesity and sugar consumption in Australia over the past 30 years and to compare and contrast obesity trends and sugar consumption patterns in Australia with the UK and USA. Data on consumption of sugar in Australia, the UK and USA were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization for the years 1980-2003. The prevalence of obesity has increased 3 fold in Australians since 1980. In Australia, the UK and USA, per capita consumption of refined sucrose decreased by 23%, 10% and 20% respectively from 1980 to 2003. When all sources of nutritive sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrups, were considered, per capita consumption decreased in Australia (−16%) and the UK (−5%), but increased in the USA (+23%). In Australia, there was a reduction in sales of nutritively sweetened beverages by 64 million liters from 2002 to 2006 and a reduction in percentage of children consuming sugar-sweetened beverages between 1995 and 2007. The findings confirm an “Australian Paradox”-a substantial decline in refined sugars intake over the same timeframe that obesity has increased. The implication is that efforts to reduce sugar intake may reduce consumption but may not reduce the prevalence of obesity. PMID:22254107

Information use skills in the engineering programme accreditation criteria of four countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Cara

2014-01-01

The need for twenty-first century information skills in engineering practice, combined with the importance for engineering programmes to meet accreditation requirements, suggests that it may be worthwhile to explore the potential for closer alignment between librarians and their work with information literacy competencies to assist in meeting accreditation standards and graduating students with high-level information skills. This article explores whether and how information use skills are reflected in engineering programme accreditation standards of four countries: Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. Results indicate that there is significant overlap between the information use skills required of students by engineering accreditation processes and librarians' efforts to develop information literacy competencies in students, despite differences in terms used to describe these skills. Increased collaboration between engineering faculty and librarians has the potential to raise student information literacy levels and fulfil the information use-related requirements of accreditation processes.

Design of the Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Acute Stroke (IMAGES) trial.

PubMed

Bradford, Andrew; Lees, Kennedy

2000-01-01

The Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Acute Stroke (IMAGES) trial is a multicentre,randomised, placebo-controlled trial of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) funded by the UK Medical Research Council. When complete, it will be the largest single neuroprotective study undertaken to date. Conscious patients presenting within 12 h of acute stroke with limb weakness are eligible. The primary outcome measure is combined death and disability as measured using the Barthel Index at 90-day follow up. By randomizing 2700 patients, the study will have 84% power to detect a 5.5% absolute reduction in the primary end-point. By April 2000, 86 centres were participating, with representation in Canada, USA, Europe, South America, Singapore and Australia. So far, 1206 patients have been randomised, of whom 37% were treated within 6 h. Overall 3-month mortality was 20% and the primary outcome event rate was 43%. The study is ongoing and centres worldwide are encouraged to participate.

The effects of smoking norms and attitudes on quitting intentions in Malaysia, Thailand and four Western nations: a cross-cultural comparison.

PubMed

Hosking, Warwick; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Fong, Geoffrey; Zanna, Mark; Laux, Fritz; Thrasher, James; Lee, Wonkyong Beth; Sirirassamee, Buppha; Omar, Maizurah

2009-01-01

This research investigated the influence of smoking attitudes and norms on quitting intentions in two predominantly collectivistic countries (Malaysia and Thailand) and four predominantly individualistic Western countries (Canada, USA, UK and Australia). Data from the International Tobacco Control Project (N = 13,062) revealed that higher odds of intending to quit were associated with negative personal attitudes in Thailand and the Western countries, but not in Malaysia; with norms against smoking from significant others in Malaysia and the Western countries, but not in Thailand; and with societal norms against smoking in all countries. Our findings indicate that normative factors are important determinants of intentions, but they play a different role in different cultural and/or tobacco control contexts. Interventions may be more effective if they are designed with these different patterns of social influence in mind.

The effects of smoking norms and attitudes on quitting intentions in Malaysia, Thailand, and four Western nations: A cross-cultural comparison

PubMed Central

Hosking, Warwick; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Fong, Geoffrey; Zanna, Mark; Laux, Fritz; Thrasher, James; Lee, Wonkyong; Sirirassamee, Buppha; Omar, Maizurah

2015-01-01

This research investigated the influence of smoking attitudes and norms on quitting intentions in two predominantly collectivistic countries (Malaysia and Thailand) and four predominantly individualistic Western countries (Canada, USA, UK, and Australia). Data from the International Tobacco Control Project (N = 13,062) revealed that higher odds of intending to quit were associated with negative personal attitudes in Thailand and the Western countries, but not in Malaysia; with norms against smoking from significant others in Malaysia and the Western countries, but not in Thailand; and with societal norms against smoking in all countries. Our findings indicate that normative factors are important determinants of intentions, but they play a different role in different cultural and/or tobacco control contexts. Interventions may be more effective if they are designed with these different patterns of social influence in mind. PMID:20186642

A Delphi developed syllabus for the medical specialty of sport and exercise medicine.

PubMed

Humphries, David; Jaques, Rod; Dijkstra, Hendrik Paulus

2018-04-01

Training in the medical specialty of sport and exercise medicine is now available in many, but not all countries. Lack of resources may be a barrier to the development of this important specialty field and the International Syllabus in Sport and Exercise Medicine Group was convened to reduce one potential barrier, the need to develop a syllabus. The group is composed of 17 sport and exercise medicine specialists residing in 12 countries (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and USA). This paper presents the first phase of this project covering the domains and general learning areas of a specialist training syllabus in sport and exercise medicine. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Hyperactive Around the World? The History of ADHD in Global Perspective

PubMed Central

Smith, Matthew

2017-01-01

Summary A recent study has claimed that the global rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is 5.29%. Any variation in such rates in specific studies, argue the authors, was due to methodological problems, rather than differences in the actual distribution of ADHD. Such reports strengthen the flawed notion that ADHD is a universal and essential disorder, found in all human populations across time and place. While it is true that the concept of ADHD has spread from the USA, where it emerged during the late 1950s, to most corners of the globe, such superficial pronouncements mask profound differences in how ADHD has been interpreted in different countries and regions. In this paper, I compare ADHD's emergence in Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, China and India, arguing that, while ADHD can be considered a global phenomenon, behavioural and educational imperfections remain very much a product of local historical, cultural and political factors. PMID:29670320

Sexual orientation disparities in eating disorder symptoms among adolescent boys and girls in the UK.

PubMed

Calzo, Jerel P; Austin, S Bryn; Micali, Nadia

2018-03-17

Much of the research on sexual orientation disparities in eating disorder behaviors has been conducted in the USA, Canada, and Australia. Data on the associations of sexual orientation and eating disorder symptoms among adolescents in the UK are lacking. Participants were children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a youth cohort born 1991-1992 (n = 5048; 53% female; 12% sexual minority). Sexual orientation was assessed at 16 years. Eating disorder symptoms were assessed at 14 and 16 years. Multivariable regression models (adjusting for BMI, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) examined associations between sexual orientation and (1) odds of past-year purging and binge eating, and (2) mean differences in body dissatisfaction, pressure to increase muscularity (boys only), and Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire subscales. At age 14, gay and bisexual boys and mostly heterosexual girls reported greater body dissatisfaction than their same-gender heterosexual peers. All sexual minority boys and mostly heterosexual girls reported greater mean dysfunctional eating behaviors than their same-gender heterosexual peers. At age 16, gay and bisexual boys had 12.5 times the odds of heterosexual boys of binge eating; mostly heterosexual boys had over three times the odds of reporting binge eating. Sexual minority girls had over twice the odds of heterosexual girls of purging and binge eating. By mid-adolescence, sexual minority youth in the UK had elevated risk for eating disorder symptoms, suggesting the need for early prevention efforts.

Estimating detection probability for Canada lynx Lynx canadensis using snow-track surveys in the northern Rocky Mountains, Montana, USA

Treesearch

John R. Squires; Lucretia E. Olson; David L. Turner; Nicholas J. DeCesare; Jay A. Kolbe

2012-01-01

We used snow-tracking surveys to determine the probability of detecting Canada lynx Lynx canadensis in known areas of lynx presence in the northern Rocky Mountains, Montana, USA during the winters of 2006 and 2007. We used this information to determine the minimum number of survey replicates necessary to infer the presence and absence of lynx in areas of similar lynx...

Free-living Canada geese and antimicrobial resistance.

PubMed

Cole, Dana; Drum, David J V; Stalknecht, David E; White, David G; Lee, Margie D; Ayers, Sherry; Sobsey, Mark; Maurer, John J

2005-06-01

We describe antimicrobial resistance among Escherichia coli isolated from free-living Canada Geese in Georgia and North Carolina (USA). Resistance patterns are compared to those reported by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. Canada Geese may be vectors of antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes in agricultural environments.

Host and geographic range extensions of the North American strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hedrick, R.P.; Batts, W.N.; Yun, S.; Traxler, G.S.; Kaufman, J.; Winton, J.R.

2003-01-01

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) was isolated from populations of Pacific sardine Sardinops sagaxfrom the coastal waters of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and central and southern California, USA. The virus was also isolated from Pacific mackerel Scomber japonicus in southern California, from eulachon or smeltThaleichthys pacificus, and surf smelt Hypomesus pretiosus pretiosus from Oregon, USA. Mortality and skin lesions typical of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in other marine fish species were observed among sardine in Canada and in a few surf smelt from Oregon, but the remaining isolates of VHSV were obtained from healthy appearing fish. The prevalence of VHSV among groups of apparently healthy sardine, mackerel and smelt ranged from 4 to 8% in California and Oregon. A greater prevalence of infection (58%) occurred in groups of sardine sampled in Canada that sustained a naturally occurring epidemic during 1998-99. A captive group of surf smelt in Oregon exhibited an 81% prevalence of infection with clinical signs in only a few fish. The new isolates were confirmed as North American VHSV and were closely related based on comparisons of the partial nucleotide sequence of the glycoprotein (G) gene. The VHSV isolates from sardine in Canada and California were the most closely related, differing from isolates obtained from other marine fish species and salmonids in British Columbia, Canada, Alaska and Washington, USA. These new virus isolations extend both the known hosts (sardine, mackerel and 2 species of smelt) and geographic range (Oregon and California, USA) of VHSV.

Metastasis Research Society VII International Congress (Part II). 7-10 October 1998, San Diego, CA, USA.

PubMed

Chambers, A F

1999-02-01

The Metastasis Research Society (MRS) has held its International Congress every two years since 1986, and alternates between European and North American meeting venues. The next MRS International Congress will be held in London, UK in the year 2000, and will be hosted by the current MRS President, Dr. Suzanne Eccles (Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK). Dr. Eccles took over from the out-going President, Dr. William Stetler-Stevenson (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA), at the San Diego meeting. Information on joining the Metastasis Research Society, which includes a subscription to the Society's journal, Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, can be obtained from Dr. Eccles (suzan@icr.ac.uk) or from the newly-elected Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Danny Welch (Hershey, PA, USA; drw9@psu.edu). The meeting was organized by Darwin Medical Communications Ltd (Gill Heaton, Oxford, UK), who have placed the full program on the meeting web site (http:@www.sparks.co.uk/mrs). It is envisaged that full abstracts of all the presentations will be placed on the Metastasis Research Society web site, which is currently under construction. Corporate sponsors for the San Diego meeting included Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Becton Dickinson & Co, Zeneca Pharma SA, Schering AG, AntiCancer Inc, Oncogene Research Products, Daiichi Seiyaku Co Ltd and Novartis Pharma AG.

Risks of fracture of Björk-Shiley 60 degree convexo-concave prosthetic heart valves: long-term cohort follow up in the UK, Netherlands and USA.

PubMed

Blot, W J; Omar, R Z; Kallewaard, M; Morton, L S; Fryzek, J P; Ibrahim, M A; Acheson, D; Taylor, K M; van der Graaf, Y

2001-03-01

Approximately 82,000 Björk-Shiley convexo-concave (BSCC) 60 degree prosthetic heart valves were implanted in patients worldwide between 1979 and 1986. Outlet strut fractures (OSF) of some of the valves were first reported shortly after their introduction. Here, the determinants of OSF are examined, and the between-country variation and long-term risk are assessed. Cohorts of patients in the UK, Netherlands and USA with 15,770 BSCC 60 degree heart valves were followed up to 18 years for the occurrence of OSF. Crude rates of OSF were highest in the UK (0.18% per year), intermediate in the Netherlands (0.13%), and lowest in the USA (0.06%), although risk factor adjustment reduced the inter-country differences. Furthermore, in the UK and Netherlands, OSF rates (particularly for mitral valves) declined with time since implantation, and between-country differences were considerably diminished 10 or more years post implantation. The risk of OSF decreased steadily with advancing patient age. Fracture rates were lower among women than men, and also varied significantly with valve size and position and OSF status of other valves in the same shoporder. This long-term follow up of BSCC 60 degree heart valve patients indicates that risk factors for valve fracture are generally similar in the UK, Netherlands and USA. It also identifies a strong association between fracture risk and age, newly reveals gender-related differences, and shows that the risk of valve fracture persisted, albeit at a reduced rate, into the 1990s.

Breast cancer survival in Canada and the USA: meta-analytic evidence of a Canadian advantage in low-income areas.

PubMed

Gorey, Kevin M

2009-12-01

This study tested the hypothesis that relatively poor Canadian women with breast cancer have a survival advantage over their counterparts in the USA. Seventy-eight independent retrospective cohort (incidence between 1984 and 2000, followed until 2006) outcomes were synthesized. Fixed effects meta-regression models compared women with breast cancer in low-income areas of Canada and the USA. Low-income Canadian women were advantaged on survival [rate ratio (RR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-1.15] and their advantage was even larger among women <65 years of age who are not yet eligible for Medicare coverage in the USA (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.18-1.24). Canadian advantages were also larger for node positive breast cancer, which may present with greater clinical and managerial discretion (RR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.30-1.50), and smaller when Hawaii, the state providing the most Canadian-like access, was the US comparator (RR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.20). More inclusive health care insurance coverage in Canada vs the USA, particularly among each country's relatively poor people, seems the most plausible explanation for such Canadian advantages. Provision of health care for all Americans would likely prevent countless early deaths, particularly among the relatively poor.

The perceived impact of location privacy: A web-based survey of public health perspectives and requirements in the UK and Canada

PubMed Central

AbdelMalik, Philip; Boulos, Maged N Kamel; Jones, Ray

2008-01-01

Background The "place-consciousness" of public health professionals is on the rise as spatial analyses and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are rapidly becoming key components of their toolbox. However, "place" is most useful at its most precise, granular scale – which increases identification risks, thereby clashing with privacy issues. This paper describes the views and requirements of public health professionals in Canada and the UK on privacy issues and spatial data, as collected through a web-based survey. Methods Perceptions on the impact of privacy were collected through a web-based survey administered between November 2006 and January 2007. The survey targeted government, non-government and academic GIS labs and research groups involved in public health, as well as public health units (Canada), ministries, and observatories (UK). Potential participants were invited to participate through personally addressed, standardised emails. Results Of 112 invitees in Canada and 75 in the UK, 66 and 28 participated in the survey, respectively. The completion proportion for Canada was 91%, and 86% for the UK. No response differences were observed between the two countries. Ninety three percent of participants indicated a requirement for personally identifiable data (PID) in their public health activities, including geographic information. Privacy was identified as an obstacle to public health practice by 71% of respondents. The overall self-rated median score for knowledge of privacy legislation and policies was 7 out of 10. Those who rated their knowledge of privacy as high (at the median or above) also rated it significantly more severe as an obstacle to research (P < 0.001). The most critical cause cited by participants in both countries was bureaucracy. Conclusion The clash between PID requirements – including granular geography – and limitations imposed by privacy and its associated bureaucracy require immediate attention and solutions, particularly given the increasing utilisation of GIS in public health. Solutions include harmonization of privacy legislation with public health requirements, bureaucratic simplification, increased multidisciplinary discourse, education, and development of toolsets, algorithms and guidelines for using and reporting on disaggregate data. PMID:18471295

The perceived impact of location privacy: a web-based survey of public health perspectives and requirements in the UK and Canada.

PubMed

AbdelMalik, Philip; Boulos, Maged N Kamel; Jones, Ray

2008-05-09

The "place-consciousness" of public health professionals is on the rise as spatial analyses and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are rapidly becoming key components of their toolbox. However, "place" is most useful at its most precise, granular scale - which increases identification risks, thereby clashing with privacy issues. This paper describes the views and requirements of public health professionals in Canada and the UK on privacy issues and spatial data, as collected through a web-based survey. Perceptions on the impact of privacy were collected through a web-based survey administered between November 2006 and January 2007. The survey targeted government, non-government and academic GIS labs and research groups involved in public health, as well as public health units (Canada), ministries, and observatories (UK). Potential participants were invited to participate through personally addressed, standardised emails. Of 112 invitees in Canada and 75 in the UK, 66 and 28 participated in the survey, respectively. The completion proportion for Canada was 91%, and 86% for the UK. No response differences were observed between the two countries. Ninety three percent of participants indicated a requirement for personally identifiable data (PID) in their public health activities, including geographic information. Privacy was identified as an obstacle to public health practice by 71% of respondents. The overall self-rated median score for knowledge of privacy legislation and policies was 7 out of 10. Those who rated their knowledge of privacy as high (at the median or above) also rated it significantly more severe as an obstacle to research (P < 0.001). The most critical cause cited by participants in both countries was bureaucracy. The clash between PID requirements - including granular geography - and limitations imposed by privacy and its associated bureaucracy require immediate attention and solutions, particularly given the increasing utilisation of GIS in public health. Solutions include harmonization of privacy legislation with public health requirements, bureaucratic simplification, increased multidisciplinary discourse, education, and development of toolsets, algorithms and guidelines for using and reporting on disaggregate data.

ADS-33C related handling qualities research performed using the NRC Bell 205 airborne simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, J. Murray; Baillie, Stewart W.

1993-01-01

Over 10 years ago a project was initiated by the U.S. Army AVSCOM to update the military helicopter flying qualities specification MIL-8501-A. While not yet complete, the project reached a major milestone in 1989 with the publication of an Airworthiness Design Standard, ADS-33C. The 8501 update project initially set out to identify critical gaps in the requisite data base and then proceeded to fill them using a variety of directed research studies. The magnitude of the task required that it become an international effort: appropriate research studies were conducted in Germany, the UK and Canada as well as in the USA. Canadian participation was supported by the Department of National Defence (DND) through the Chief of Research and Development. Both ground based and in-flight simulation were used to study the defined areas and the Canadian Bell 205-A1 variable stability helicopter was used extensively as one of the primary research tools available for this effort. This paper reviews the involvement of the Flight Research Laboratory of the National Research Council of Canada in the update project, it describes the various experiments conducted on the Airborne Simulator, it notes significant results obtained and describes ongoing research associated with the project.

Understanding the psychosocial experiences of adults with mild-moderate hearing loss: An application of Leventhal’s self-regulatory model

PubMed Central

Heffernan, Eithne; Coulson, Neil S.; Henshaw, Helen; Barry, Johanna G.; Ferguson, Melanie A

2017-01-01

Objective This study explored the psychosocial experiences of adults with hearing loss using the self-regulatory model as a theoretical framework. The primary components of the model, namely cognitive representations, emotional representations, and coping responses, were examined. Design Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed using an established thematic analysis procedure. Study sample Twenty-five adults with mild-moderate hearing loss from the UK and nine hearing healthcare professionals from the UK, USA, and Canada were recruited via maximum variation sampling. Results Cognitive representations: Most participants described their hearing loss as having negative connotations and consequences, although they were not particularly concerned about the progression or controllability/curability of the condition. Opinions differed regarding the benefits of understanding the causes of one’s hearing loss in detail. Emotional representations: negative emotions dominated, although some experienced positive emotions or muted emotions. Coping responses: engaged coping (e.g. hearing aids, communication tactics) and disengaged coping (e.g. withdrawal from situations, withdrawal within situations): both had perceived advantages and disadvantages. Conclusions This novel application of the self-regulatory model demonstrates that it can be used to capture the key psychosocial experiences (i.e. perceptions, emotions, and coping responses) of adults with mild-moderate hearing loss within a single, unifying framework. PMID:26754550

What Will Be the Benefits of Biotech Wheat for European Agriculture?

PubMed

Ricroch, Agnès E

2017-01-01

In European countries, wheat occupies the largest crop area with high yielding production. France, a major producer and exporter in Europe, ranks the fifth producer worldwide. Biotic stresses are European farmers' major challenges (fungal and viral diseases, and insect pests) followed by abiotic ones such as drought and grain protein composition. During the last 40 years, 1136 scientific articles on biotech wheat were published by USA followed by China, Australia, Canada, and European Union with the UK. European research focuses on pests and diseases resistances using widely marker-assisted selection (MAS). Transgenesis is used in basic research to develop resistance against some fungi (Fusarium head blight) while RNA interference (RNAi) silencing is used against some fungi and virus. Transgenic plants were also transformed with genes from various species for drought tolerance. The UK (mostly with transgenesis and site-specific nucleases) and France (with no transgenic tools but with MAS and site-specific nucleases) are the main countries carrying out research programs for both biotic stress and drought tolerance. Thus, few European countries used transgenesis for gluten protein composition and RNAi-mediated silencing in celiac disease. Because of vandalism field trials of transgenics dropped since 2000. No transgenic wheat is cultivated in Europe for political reasons.

External quality assurance as a revalidation method for pathologists in pediatric histopathology: Comparison of four international programs

PubMed Central

Sergi, Consolato; Mikuz, Gregor

2008-01-01

Aim External quality assurance (EQA) is an extremely valuable resource for clinical pathologists to maintain high standards, improve diagnostic skills, and possibly revalidate medical license. The aim of this study was to participate in and compare four international slide survey programs (UK, IAP-Germany, USA-Canada, Australasia) in pediatric histopathology for clinical pathologists with the aim to use it as a revalidation method. Methods The following parameters were evaluated: number of circulations per year, number of slides, membership requirement, proof of significant pediatric pathology work, open to overseas participants, laboratory accreditation, issue of continuing professional development certificates and credits, slides discussion meeting, use of digital images, substandard performance letter, and anonymity of responses. Results The UK scheme, which has sampling procedure over several time frames (2 circulations/year, 30 slides), partial confidentiality, and multiple sources of data and assessors, can be used as a model for revalidation. The US-Canadian and Australasian schemes only partially fulfill the revalidation requirements. The IAP scheme appears to be essentially an educational program and may be unsuitable for revalidation. Conclusion The purposes and programs of EQA schemes vary worldwide. In order for it to be used for revalidation, it is advisable that EQA schemes are immediately unified. PMID:19014480

The Process of Choosing a Management Career: Evaluation of Gender and Contextual Dynamics in a Comparative Study of Six Countries--Hungary, Israel, North Cyprus, Turkey, UK and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanova, Cem; Karatas-Ozkan, Mine; Inal, Gozde

2008-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this article is to identify the reasons MBA students have for their career choices, and to explore the contextual and gender-related aspects of career choice and development, based on a comparative study carried out with participants in six countries, i.e. Hungary, Israel, North Cyprus, Turkey, the UK and the USA. The paper…

Management of shoulder pain by UK general practitioners (GPs): a national survey

PubMed Central

Artus, Majid; van der Windt, Danielle A; Afolabi, Ebenezer K; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Chesterton, Linda S; Hall, Alison; Roddy, Edward; Foster, Nadine E

2017-01-01

Objectives Studies in Canada, the USA and Australia suggested low confidence among general practitioners (GPs) in diagnosing and managing shoulder pain, with frequent use of investigations. There are no comparable studies in the UK; our objective was to describe the diagnosis and management of shoulder pain by GPs in the UK. Methods A national survey of a random sample of 5000 UK GPs collected data on shoulder pain diagnosis and management using two clinical vignettes that described primary care presentations with rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) and adhesive capsulitis (AdhC). Results Seven hundred and fourteen (14.7%) responses were received. 56% and 83% of GPs were confident in their diagnosis of RCT and AdhC, respectively, and a wide range of investigations and management options were reported. For the RCT presentation, plain radiographs of the shoulder were most common (60%), followed by blood tests (42%) and ultrasound scans (USS) (38%). 19% of those who recommended a radiograph and 76% of those who recommended a USS did so ‘to confirm the diagnosis’. For the AdhC presentation, the most common investigations were blood tests (60%), plain shoulder radiographs (58%) and USS (31%). More than two-thirds of those recommending a USS did so ‘to confirm the diagnosis’. The most commonly recommended treatment for both presentations was physiotherapy (RCT 77%, AdhC 71%) followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (RCT 58%, AdhC 74%). 17% opted to refer the RCT to secondary care (most often musculoskeletal interface service), compared with 31% for the AdhC. Conclusions This survey of GPs in the UK highlights reliance on radiographs and blood tests in the management of common shoulder pain presentations. GPs report referring more than 7 out of 10 patients with RCT and AdhC to physiotherapists. These findings need to be viewed in the context of low response to the survey and, therefore, potential non-response bias. PMID:28637737

Continuous decline in mortality from coronary heart disease in Japan despite a continuous and marked rise in total cholesterol: Japanese experience after the Seven Countries Study.

PubMed

Sekikawa, Akira; Miyamoto, Yoshihiro; Miura, Katsuyuki; Nishimura, Kunihiro; Willcox, Bradley J; Masaki, Kamal H; Rodriguez, Beatriz; Tracy, Russell P; Okamura, Tomonori; Kuller, Lewis H

2015-10-01

The Seven Countries Study in the 1960s showed very low mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in Japan, which was attributed to very low levels of total cholesterol. Studies of migrant Japanese to the USA in the 1970s documented increase in CHD rates, thus CHD mortality in Japan was expected to increase as their lifestyle became Westernized, yet CHD mortality has continued to decline since 1970. This study describes trends in CHD mortality and its risk factors since 1980 in Japan, contrasting those in other selected developed countries. We selected Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. CHD mortality between 1980 and 2007 was obtained from WHO Statistical Information System. National data on traditional risk factors during the same period were obtained from literature and national surveys. Age-adjusted CHD mortality continuously declined between 1980 and 2007 in all these countries. The decline was accompanied by a constant fall in total cholesterol except Japan where total cholesterol continuously rose. In the birth cohort of individuals currently aged 50-69 years, levels of total cholesterol have been higher in Japan than in the USA, yet CHD mortality in Japan remained the lowest: >67% lower in men and > 75% lower in women compared with the USA. The direction and magnitude of changes in other risk factors were generally similar between Japan and the other countries. Decline in CHD mortality despite a continuous rise in total cholesterol is unique. The observation may suggest some protective factors unique to Japanese. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Pest status of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stal) in the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since its initial discovery in Allentown, PA, USA, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), has now officially been detected in 37 states and the District of Columbia in the USA. Isolated populations also exist in Switzerland and Canada. This Asian spec...

National citation patterns of NEJM, The Lancet, JAMA and The BMJ in the lay press: a quantitative content analysis.

PubMed

Casino, Gonzalo; Rius, Roser; Cobo, Erik

2017-11-12

To analyse the total number of newspaper articles citing the four leading general medical journals and to describe national citation patterns. Quantitative content analysis. Full text of 22 general newspapers in 14 countries over the period 2008-2015, collected from LexisNexis. The 14 countries have been categorised into four regions: the USA, the UK, Western World (European countries other than the UK, and Australia, New Zealand and Canada) and Rest of the World (other countries). Press citations of four medical journals (two American: NEJM and JAMA ; and two British: The Lancet and The BMJ ) in 22 newspapers. British and American newspapers cited some of the four analysed medical journals about three times a week in 2008-2015 (weekly mean 3.2 and 2.7 citations, respectively); the newspapers from other Western countries did so about once a week (weekly mean 1.1), and those from the Rest of the World cited them about once a month (monthly mean 1.1). The New York Times cited above all other newspapers (weekly mean 4.7). The analysis showed the existence of three national citation patterns in the daily press: American newspapers cited mostly American journals (70.0% of citations), British newspapers cited mostly British journals (86.5%) and the rest of the analysed press cited more British journals than American ones. The Lancet was the most cited journal in the press of almost all Western countries outside the USA and the UK. Multivariate correspondence analysis confirmed the national patterns and showed that over 85% of the citation data variability is retained in just one single new variable: the national dimension. British and American newspapers are the ones that cite the four analysed medical journals more often, showing a domestic preference for their respective national journals; non-British and non-American newspapers show a common international citation pattern. © 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.

Institutional framework for integrated Pharmaceutical Benefits Management: results from a systematic review

PubMed Central

Hermanowski, Tomasz Roman; Drozdowska, Aleksandra Krystyna; Kowalczyk, Marta

2015-01-01

Objectives In this paper, we emphasised that effective management of health plans beneficiaries access to reimbursed medicines requires proper institutional set-up. The main objective was to identify and recommend an institutional framework of integrated pharmaceutical care providing effective, safe and equitable access to medicines. Method The institutional framework of drug policy was derived on the basis of publications obtained by systematic reviews. A comparative analysis concerning adaptation of coordinated pharmaceutical care services in the USA, the UK, Poland, Italy, Denmark and Germany was performed. Results While most European Union Member States promote the implementation of selected e-Health tools, like e-Prescribing, these efforts do not necessarily implement an integrated package. There is no single agent who would manage an insured patients’ access to medicines and health care in a coordinated manner, thereby increasing the efficiency and safety of drug policy. More attention should be paid by European Union Member States as to how to integrate various e-Health tools to enhance benefits to both individuals and societies. One solution could be to implement an integrated “pharmacy benefit management” model, which is well established in the USA and Canada and provides an integrated package of cost-containment methods, implemented within a transparent institutional framework and powered by strong motivation of the agent. PMID:26528099

Urgent challenges in implementing live attenuated influenza vaccine.

PubMed

Singanayagam, Anika; Zambon, Maria; Lalvani, Ajit; Barclay, Wendy

2018-01-01

Conflicting reports have emerged about the effectiveness of the live attenuated influenza vaccine. The live attenuated influenza vaccine appears to protect particularly poorly against currently circulating H1N1 viruses that are derived from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 viruses. During the 2015-16 influenza season, when pandemic H1N1 was the predominant virus, studies from the USA reported a complete lack of effectiveness of the live vaccine in children. This finding led to a crucial decision in the USA to recommend that the live vaccine not be used in 2016-17 and to switch to the inactivated influenza vaccine. Other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Finland, however, have continued to recommend the use of the live vaccine. This policy divergence and uncertainty has far reaching implications for the entire global community, given the importance of the production capabilities of the live attenuated influenza vaccine for pandemic preparedness. In this Personal View, we discuss possible explanations for the observed reduced effectiveness of the live attenuated influenza vaccine and highlight the underpinning scientific questions. Further research to understand the reasons for these observations is essential to enable informed public health policy and commercial decisions about vaccine production and development in coming years. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implications of shale gas exploitation for UK climate change targets under a production-based accounting system.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turk, J.; Reay, D.; Haszeldine, S.

2017-12-01

The shale gas boom in the USA has seemingly decreased the greenhouse gas intensity of electricity generation in the USA over the last decade. The United Kingdom is supporting its own shale gas industry to increase its own domestic energy supply. The UK's climate change policy is underpinned by defined national carbon budgets periods. The UK has met Carbon Budget 1 (2008 - 2012) and is likely to meet the second and third carbon budgets (2013 - 2022). There is a projected shortcoming in the fourth carbon budget (2023 - 2027). This shortfall may be increased as the UK pursues a domestic shale gas industry. Under the current production-based GHG accounting system, the UK is incentivized to import natural gas rather than produce it domestically. If the projected gas supply were to be met by UK shale gas, we project additional greenhouse gas emissions which would need to be accommodated during Carbon Budget periods 3 - 6. Additionally, natural gas electricity generation will contribute to sustaining grid electricity emissions during the same time period within the traded European Union emissions cap.

The hospital microbiome project: meeting report for the UK science and innovation network UK-USA workshop ‘beating the superbugs: hospital microbiome studies for tackling antimicrobial resistance’, October 14th 2013

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The UK Science and Innovation Network UK-USA workshop ‘Beating the Superbugs: Hospital Microbiome Studies for tackling Antimicrobial Resistance’ was held on October 14th 2013 at the UK Department of Health, London. The workshop was designed to promote US-UK collaboration on hospital microbiome studies to add a new facet to our collective understanding of antimicrobial resistance. The assembled researchers debated the importance of the hospital microbial community in transmission of disease and as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes, and discussed methodologies, hypotheses, and priorities. A number of complementary approaches were explored, although the importance of the built environment microbiome in disease transmission was not universally accepted. Current whole genome epidemiological methods are being pioneered in the UK and the benefits of moving to community analysis are not necessarily obvious to the pioneers; however, rapid progress in other areas of microbiology suggest to some researchers that hospital microbiome studies will be exceptionally fruitful even in the short term. Collaborative studies will recombine different strengths to tackle the international problems of antimicrobial resistance and hospital and healthcare associated infections.

Renewable energy consumption and economic growth in nine OECD countries: bounds test approach and causality analysis.

PubMed

Hung-Pin, Lin

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the short-run and long-run causality between renewable energy (RE) consumption and economic growth (EG) in nine OECD countries from the period between 1982 and 2011. To examine the linkage, this paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach of cointegration test and vector error-correction models to test the causal relationship between variables. The co-integration and causal relationships are found in five countries-United States of America (USA), Japan, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom (UK). The overall results indicate that (1) a short-run unidirectional causality runs from EG to RE in Italy and UK; (2) long-run unidirectional causalities run from RE to EG for Germany, Italy, and UK; (3) a long-run unidirectional causality runs from EG to RE in USA, and Japan; (4) both long-run and strong unidirectional causalities run from RE to EG for Germany and UK; and (5) Finally, both long-run and strong unidirectional causalities run from EG to RE in only USA. Further evidence reveals that policies for renewable energy conservation may have no impact on economic growth in France, Denmark, Portugal, and Spain.

Renewable Energy Consumption and Economic Growth in Nine OECD Countries: Bounds Test Approach and Causality Analysis

PubMed Central

Hung-Pin, Lin

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the short-run and long-run causality between renewable energy (RE) consumption and economic growth (EG) in nine OECD countries from the period between 1982 and 2011. To examine the linkage, this paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach of cointegration test and vector error-correction models to test the causal relationship between variables. The co-integration and causal relationships are found in five countries—United States of America (USA), Japan, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom (UK). The overall results indicate that (1) a short-run unidirectional causality runs from EG to RE in Italy and UK; (2) long-run unidirectional causalities run from RE to EG for Germany, Italy, and UK; (3) a long-run unidirectional causality runs from EG to RE in USA, and Japan; (4) both long-run and strong unidirectional causalities run from RE to EG for Germany and UK; and (5) Finally, both long-run and strong unidirectional causalities run from EG to RE in only USA. Further evidence reveals that policies for renewable energy conservation may have no impact on economic growth in France, Denmark, Portugal, and Spain. PMID:24558343

Patterns and durations of journeys by horses transported from the USA to Canada for slaughter

PubMed Central

Roy, R. Cyril; Cockram, Michael S.

2015-01-01

Concern has been expressed over the welfare of horses transported from the USA for slaughter in Canada. United States Department of Agriculture owner/shipper certificates for the year 2009 were analyzed to provide quantitative information on the patterns and durations of these journeys. In 2009, horses from 16 states in the northern USA were transported to 6 equine slaughter plants in Canada. Thirty-two percent of loads were from auction centers, 33% from feedlots, and 35% from horse collection centers. The median duration of the journey was 19 h. Thirty-six percent of horses were transported for < 6 h, 11% for 6 to 18 h, 13% for 18 to 24 h, 25% for 24 to 36 h, 9% for 36 to 48 h, and apparently 6% > 48 h. Some journeys exceeded those specified in regulations and, based on other research, would put these horses at risk of negative welfare outcomes, such as dehydration, injury, and fatigue. PMID:26028678

Public Acceptability in the UK and USA of Nudging to Reduce Obesity: The Example of Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Consumption.

PubMed

Petrescu, Dragos C; Hollands, Gareth J; Couturier, Dominique-Laurent; Ng, Yin-Lam; Marteau, Theresa M

2016-01-01

"Nudging"-modifying environments to change people's behavior, often without their conscious awareness-can improve health, but public acceptability of nudging is largely unknown. We compared acceptability, in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), of government interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Three nudge interventions were assessed: i. reducing portion Size, ii. changing the Shape of the drink containers, iii. changing their shelf Location; alongside two traditional interventions: iv. Taxation and v. Education. We also tested the hypothesis that describing interventions as working through non-conscious processes decreases their acceptability. Predictors of acceptability, including perceived intervention effectiveness, were also assessed. Participants (n = 1093 UK and n = 1082 USA) received a description of each of the five interventions which varied, by randomisation, in how the interventions were said to affect behaviour: (a) via conscious processes; (b) via non-conscious processes; or (c) no process stated. Acceptability was derived from responses to three items. Levels of acceptability for four of the five interventions did not differ significantly between the UK and US samples; reducing portion size was less accepted by the US sample. Within each country, Education was rated as most acceptable and Taxation the least, with the three nudge-type interventions rated between these. There was no evidence to support the study hypothesis: i.e. stating that interventions worked via non-conscious processes did not decrease their acceptability in either the UK or US samples. Perceived effectiveness was the strongest predictor of acceptability for all interventions across the two samples. In conclusion, nudge interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages seem similarly acceptable in the UK and USA, being more acceptable than taxation, but less acceptable than education. Contrary to prediction, we found no evidence that highlighting the non-conscious processes by which nudge interventions may work decreases their acceptability. However, highlighting the effectiveness of all interventions has the potential to increase their acceptability.

Efficacy of the nurse ethicist in reducing moral distress: what can the NHS learn from the USA? Part 2.

PubMed

Morley, Georgina

In the second of two interrelated articles exploring the concept of moral distress, this article will discuss the efficacy of the nurse ethicist in reducing moral distress. The author will draw on the current literature and on her experiences while in the USA to discuss the ways in which moral distress is being addressed at the team/unit and institutional/organisational levels. It is argued that the nature of moral distress in the UK should be explored further, and that many of the tools used to mitigate moral distress in the USA, such as clinical ethics committees and healthcare ethics consultants, could be adopted more widely in the UK, both to reduce moral distress and to foster more ethical healthcare institutions. The role of the nurse ethicist could be pivotal in bridging the gap between organisational ethics and the individual moral values of bedside nurses. Ultimately, this article argues, the role of the nurse ethicist is worthy of replication in a UK context.

Understanding Food Insecurity in the USA and Canada: Potential Insights for Europe.

PubMed

Gundersen, Craig

2016-01-01

Food insecurity is a leading nutrition-related health care issue in the USA due to the magnitude of the problem (almost 50 million Americans are food insecure) and its association with a wide array of negative health and other outcomes. Alongside this interest in the USA, there has also been growing interest in Canada. In contrast, food insecurity has received less attention in Europe. Nevertheless, there is both direct and indirect evidence that food insecurity and its attendant consequences are present in Europe. Given the similarities between the USA, Canada, and Europe, previous research can offer numerous insights into the causes and consequences of food insecurity in Europe and possible directions to address these through measurement and public policies. I first cover the methods used to measure food insecurity in the USA and Canada. In both countries, a series of 18 questions in the Core Food Security Module are used to identify whether a household is food insecure. I then briefly cover the current extent of food insecurity in each country along with some discussion of the recent history of food insecurity. A central advantage to using the Core Food Security Module in Europe is that the measure has been proven useful in other high-income countries, and using a standardized measure would allow for cross-country comparisons. I next cover two large-scale food assistance programs from the USA, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) and the National School Lunch Program. For each, I summarize how the program is structured, how eligibility is established, and how participation proceeds. Europe has generally used income-based assistance programs to improve the well-being of low-income households; I consider a couple of reasons for why food assistance programs may also be worth considering. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

ORGANIC POLLUTANT DEPOSITION TO THE SIERRA NEVADA (CALIFORNIA, USA) SNOWPACK AND ASSOCIATED LAKE AND STREAM ECOSYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

High elevation ecosystems in the western USA and Canada are receiving deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that presumably originate in the USA as well as outside its borders. In April 1992 we obtained paired snowpack samples from each of two watersheds located in t...

Impact of the removal of misleading terms on cigarette pack on smokers’ beliefs about Light/Mild cigarettes: Cross-country comparisons

PubMed Central

Yong, Hua-Hie; Borland, Ron; Cummings, K. Michael; Hammond, David; O’Connor, Richard J.; Hastings, Gerard; King, Bill

2011-01-01

Aim This paper examines how smokers’ beliefs about “light/ mild” cigarettes in Australia, Canada and the UK were affected by the removal of misleading “light/mild” terms from packs. Design, setting and participants The data come from the first 7 waves (2002–2009) of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Four-Country Survey, an annual cohort telephone survey of adult smokers in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia (21,613 individual cases). “Light” and “mild” descriptors were removed in 2003 in the UK, in 2006 in Australia, and in 2007 in Canada. We compare beliefs about “light” cigarettes both before and after the bans, with those of smokers in the US serving as the control condition. Findings The proportions of respondents reporting misperceptions about light cigarettes declined between 2002 and 2009 in all four countries. There were marked temporary reductions in reported misperceptions in the UK and Australia but not in Canada following the removal of “light/mild” descriptors. Conclusions Removal of “light/mild” descriptors and tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yield information from cigarette packs is insufficient to effectively eliminate false beliefs. The combination of alternative descriptors and design features that produce differences in taste strength and harshness, independent of actual intakes, are sufficient to produce or sustain the same misbeliefs. PMID:21658140

The Longitudinal Properties of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Investigated Using Modern Solar Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-10

and white light) and the longitudinal extent of the SEP event in the heliosphere. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION...The STEREO SECCHI data are pro- duced by a consortium of RAL (UK), NRL (USA), LMSAL (USA), GSFC (USA), MPS (Germany), CSL (Belgium), IOTA (France

Round-robin pretest analyses of a 1:6-scale reinforced concrete containment model subject to static internal pressurization

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

Clauss, D.B.

Analyses of a 1:6-scale reinforced concrete containment model that will be tested to failure at Sandia National Laboratories in the spring of 1987 were conducted by the following organizations in the United States and Europe: Sandia National Laboratories (USA), Argonne National Laboratory (USA), Electric Power Research Institute (USA), Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (France), HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (UK), Comitato Nazionale per la ricerca e per lo sviluppo dell'Energia Nucleare e delle Energie Alternative (Italy), UK Atomic Energy Authority, Safety and Reliability Directorate (UK), Gesellschaft fuer Reaktorsicherheit (FRG), Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA), and Central Electricity Generating Board (UK). Each organization wasmore » supplied with a standard information package, which included construction drawings and actual material properties for most of the materials used in the model. Each organization worked independently using their own analytical methods. This report includes descriptions of the various analytical approaches and pretest predictions submitted by each organization. Significant milestones that occur with increasing pressure, such as damage to the concrete (cracking and crushing) and yielding of the steel components, and the failure pressure (capacity) and failure mechanism are described. Analytical predictions for pressure histories of strain in the liner and rebar and displacements are compared at locations where experimental results will be available after the test. Thus, these predictions can be compared to one another and to experimental results after the test.« less

Types of Weapon Programs and Their Implications for NATO Standardization or Interoperability

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-01

mines , etc.). 3. Enemy Counter-measures. Lack of standardisation or Interoperability complicates Warsaw Pact problem by forcing them to counter...Licensed Production U.K. Sikorsky S-5F helicopter (U.S.) (Westland, "Hessex") Canada Canadair CC-106 transport (derivative of the Bristol Britannia ...U.K.) Canadair CP-107 Argus maritime reconnaissance aircraft (modification of the Bristol Britannia , U.K.) Federal Republic of Germany Air-Fouga

Orthopedics research output from China, USA, UK, Japan, Germany and France: A 10-year survey of the literature.

PubMed

Xin, Z; Jin, C; Zhengrong, G; Liehu, C; Weizong, W; Quan, L; Xiao, C; Jiacan, S

2016-11-01

In the past decade, researchers have made great progress in the field of Orthopedics. However, the research status of different countries is unclear. To summarize the number of published articles, we assessed the cumulative impact factors in top orthopedic journals. The aims of the study were to measure: 1) the quality and quantity of publications in orthopedics-related journals from China and other five counties, 2) the trend of the number of publications in orthopedics-related journals. The related journals were selected based on the 2014 scientific citation index (SCI) and articles were searched based on the PubMed database. To assess the quantity and quality of research output, the number of publications including clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, case reports, reviews, citations, impact factors, number of articles in the top 10 journals and most popular journals were recorded. A total of 143,138 orthopedics articles were published from 2005 to 2014. The USA accounts for 24.9% (35,763/143,138) of the publications, followed by UK (7878/143,138 (5.5%)), Japan (7133/143,138 (5.0%)), Germany (5942/143,138 (4.2%)), China (4143/143,138 (2.9%)) and France (2748/143,138 (1.9%)). The ranking for accumulated impact factors as follows: USA, UK, Japan, Germany, France and China. The mean impact factor's order is USA, China, Germany, Japan, France, UK, and interestingly the mean impact factors in Japan is similar to the Germany in 2005-2014. The USA had the highest percentage of articles in the top 10 journals, while China owns the least. The USA had the highest number of average citations, while Japan had lowest number of average citations. According to this study, we can conclude that the USA has had been leading the orthopedics research in the past 10 years. Although China still falls behind, it has made considerable progress in the orthopedics research, not only in quantity but also quality. IV. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

PREFACE: XXXVI Symposium on Nuclear Physics (Cocoyoc 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrón-Palos, Libertad; Morales-Agiss, Irving; Martínez-Quiroz, Enrique

2014-03-01

logo The XXXVI Symposium on Nuclear Physics, organized by the Division of Nuclear Physics of the Mexican Physical Society, took place from 7-10 January, 2013. As it is customary, the Symposium was held at the Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc, in the state of Morelos, Mexico. Conference photograph This international venue with many years of tradition was attended by outstanding physicists, some of them already regulars to this meeting and others who joined us for the first time; a total of 45 attendees from different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the United States). A variety of topics related to nuclear physics (nuclear reactions, radioactive beams, nuclear structure, fundamental neutron physics, sub-nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics, among others) were presented in 26 invited talks and 10 contributed posters. Local Organizing Committee Libertad Barrón-Palos (IF-UNAM)) Enrique Martínez-Quíroz (ININ)) Irving Morales-Agiss (ICN-UNAM)) International Advisory Committee Osvaldo Civitarese (UNLP, Argentina) Jerry P Draayer (LSU, USA)) Alfredo Galindo-Uribarri (ORNL, USA)) Paulo Gomes (UFF, Brazil)) Piet Van Isacker (GANIL, France)) James J Kolata (UND, USA)) Reiner Krücken (TRIUMF, Canada)) Jorge López (UTEP, USA)) Stuart Pittel (UD, USA)) W Michael Snow (IU, USA)) Adam Szczepaniak (IU, USA)) Michael Wiescher (UND, USA)) A list of participants is available in the PDF

Foreword

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benisty, Henri; Kawakami, Shojiro; Norris, David J.; Soukoulis, Costas M.

2004-10-01

The Fifth International Symposium on Photonic and Electromagnetic Crystal Structures (PECS-V) was held in Kyoto, Japan (2004). The Symposium followed the format of previous international meetings held at Laguna Beach, USA (1999), Sendai, Japan (2000), St. Andrews, UK (2001) and Los Angeles, USA (2002).

PREFACE: International Workshop on Discovery Physics at the LHC (Kruger2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cleymans, Jean

2015-06-01

The third biannual conference on 'Discovery Physics at the LHC' was held on December 1-6 2014 at the Kruger Gate Hotel in South Africa. Over 100 participants attended from Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. The latest results from the Large Hadron Collider as well the latest theoretical insights were presented. With the majestic Kruger National Park in the background this led to a very stimulating conference with many exchanges taking place. The proceedings reflect the high level of the conference. The financial contributions from the SA-CERN programme, the UCT-CERN Research Centre, the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand and iThemba L.A.B.S. are gratefully acknowledged. Local Organizing Committee: Z. Buthelezi J. Cleymans (chair) S. H. Connell A. S. Cornell T. Dietel S. Förtsch N. Haasbroek A. Hamilton W. A. Horowitz B. Mellado Z. Z. Vilakazi S. Yacoob

Sex differences and sexual orientation differences in personality: findings from the BBC Internet survey.

PubMed

Lippa, Richard A

2008-02-01

Analyzing a large international data set generated by a BBC Internet survey, I examined sex differences and sexual orientation differences in six personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, disagreeable assertiveness, masculine versus feminine occupational preferences (MF-Occ), and self-ascribed masculinity-femininity (Self-MF). Consistent with previous research, sex differences and sexual orientation differences were largest for MF-Occ and for Self-MF. In general, heterosexual-homosexual differences mirrored sex differences in personality, with gay men shifted in female-typical and lesbians in male-typical directions. Bisexual men scored intermediate between heterosexual and gay men on MF-Occ; however, they were slightly more feminine than gay men on Self-MF. Bisexual women scored intermediate between heterosexual women and lesbians on both MF-Occ and Self-MF. Sex differences and sexual orientation differences in MF-Occ, Self-MF, and other personality traits were consistent across five nations/world regions (the UK, USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and Western Europe), thereby suggesting a biological component to these differences.

Strengthening human genetics research in Africa: report of the 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics in Dakar in May 2016.

PubMed

Ndiaye Diallo, R; Gadji, M; Hennig, B J; Guèye, M V; Gaye, A; Diop, J P D; Sylla Niang, M; Lopez Sall, P; Guèye, P M; Dem, A; Faye, O; Dieye, A; Cisse, A; Sembene, M; Ka, S; Diop, N; Williams, S M; Matovu, E; Ramesar, R S; Wonkam, A; Newport, M; Rotimi, C; Ramsay, M

2017-01-01

The 9th meeting of the African Society of Human Genetics, in partnership with the Senegalese Cancer Research and Study Group and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, was held in Dakar, Senegal. The theme was Strengthening Human Genetics Research in Africa. The 210 delegates came from 21 African countries and from France, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada and the USA. The goal was to highlight genetic and genomic science across the African continent with the ultimate goal of improving the health of Africans and those across the globe, and to promote the careers of young African scientists in the field. A session on the sustainability of genomic research in Africa brought to light innovative and practical approaches to supporting research in resource-limited settings and the importance of promoting genetics in academic, research funding, governmental and private sectors. This meeting led to the formation of the Senegalese Society for Human Genetics.

Evolution of the scientific literature on drug delivery: A 1974-2015 bibliometric study.

PubMed

Robert, C; Wilson, C S; Venuta, A; Ferrari, M; Arreto, C-D

2017-08-28

This study charts the growth of the drug delivery literature published during 1974-2015 from journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded database. The growth of publications on drug delivery paralleled the total scientific publications for three decades (1974-2003); however, from 2004 to 2015 it exploded fourfold, while the total increased only 1.75 fold. Industrialized countries (USA, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Canada) were the most prolific during the first decades, but in 2014-2015 China, India and South Korea ranked 1st, 3rd and 4th respectively among the productive countries. The number of participating countries increased fivefold (from 19 to 96). During the last 15years, the journals targeted by drug delivery research increased nearly 2.4 fold (416 to 1001) and three journals (Journal of Controlled Release, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, and International Journal of Pharmaceutics) published nearly one-fifth of the drug delivery research in 2014-2015. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Web-based medical facilitators in medical tourism: the third party in decision-making.

PubMed

Wagle, Suchitra

2013-01-01

The emergence of web-based medical tourism facilitators (MTFs) has added a new dimension to the phenomenon of cross-border travel. These facilitators are crucial connectors between foreign patients and host countries. They help patients navigate countries, doctors and specialties. However, little attention has been paid to the authenticity of information displayed on the facilitators' web portals, and whether they follow ethical guidelines and standards. This paper analyses the available information on MTF portals from an ethics perspective. It compares 208 facilitators across 47 countries for the services offered. Data were collected from the databases of the Medical Tourism Association and World Medical Resources. India was the most common destination country linked to 81 facilitators. The five countries with the maximum number of facilitators were the USA, the UK, India, Canada and Poland. This paper identifies concerns regarding the information displayed about patients' safety, and the maintenance of confidentiality. There is a need to develop ethical standards for this field.

Nursing shortages and international nurse migration.

PubMed

Ross, S J; Polsky, D; Sochalski, J

2005-12-01

The United Kingdom and the United States are among several developed countries currently experiencing nursing shortages. While the USA has not yet implemented policies to encourage nurse immigration, nursing shortages will likely result in the growth of foreign nurse immigration to the USA. Understanding the factors that drive the migration of nurses is critical as the USA exerts more pull on the foreign nurse workforce. To predict the international migration of nurses to the UK using widely available data on country characteristics. The Nursing and Midwifery Council serves as the source of data on foreign nurse registrations in the UK between 1998 and 2002. We develop and test a regression model that predicts the number of foreign nurse registrants in the UK based on source country characteristics. We collect country-level data from sources such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. The shortage of nurses in the UK has been accompanied by massive and disproportionate growth in the number of foreign nurses from poor countries. Low-income, English-speaking countries that engage in high levels of bilateral trade experience greater losses of nurses to the UK. Poor countries seeking economic growth through international trade expose themselves to the emigration of skilled labour. This tendency is currently exacerbated by nursing shortages in developed countries. Countries at risk for nurse emigration should adjust health sector planning to account for expected losses in personnel. Moreover, policy makers in host countries should address the impact of recruitment on source country health service delivery.

Agreement of label information of cardiovascular drugs in pregnancy among Korea, the USA, the UK, and Japan.

PubMed

Lee, Shin Haeng; Shin, Ju-Young; Park, Mi-Ju; Park, Byung-Joo

2014-04-01

Drug label is a common source of information; however, the content varies widely. This study aims to evaluate label information on cardiovascular drugs regarding pregnancy for their similarities in Korea, USA, UK, and Japan. Study drugs were selected as following (1) cardiovascular drugs according to the WHO ATC code (C01-C09) and (2) drugs currently marketed in all four countries were included. Evidence level was classified into five categories ('Definite', 'Probable', 'Possible', 'Unlikely', and 'Unclassified') and recommendation level was classified into four categories ('Contraindicated', 'Cautious', 'Compatible', and 'Unclassified'). Frequency and proportion were presented. Percent agreement and kappa coefficient with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using SAS ver. 9.3. Total of 50 cardiovascular drugs were included. 'Unclassified' was represented the most in Korea, followed by Japan and UK (58%, 54%, and 46%, p<0.05). For recommendation level, the majority of drugs in all four countries were classified as 'contraindicated' or 'cautious'. Japanese labels had the largest proportion of 'contraindicated' level (62%), and Korea and UK followed (58%, 44%, p<0.05). Only in the USA, 10.0% of the drugs were 'compatible' whereas, there were none in Korea, UK, and Japan (p<0.01). Korea and Japan showed a substantial agreement in evidence and recommendation level (kappa=0.69, 0.67). Labels of cardiovascular drugs in pregnancy differed widely. Reliable safety information in pregnancy should be provided through regular updates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hematology research output from Chinese authors and other countries: a 10-year survey of the literature.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Ye, Xin; Sun, Yi; Deng, An-mei; Qian, Bao-hua

2015-02-06

Hematologic disease affects people of all ages worldwide. In the past decade, researchers have made great progress in the field of hematology. In the present study we compared the hematology research output from China and other countries (USA, Germany, UK, Japan and South Korea) over the past 10 years and 5 years. The related articles were extracted based on the PubMed database. We recorded the number of publications, clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, case reports, reviews, citations, impact factors, articles in the top 10 journals and most published journals to assess the quantity and quality of research output in each region. A total of 120,641 hematology-related articles were published from 2004 to 2013. The USA accounted for 27.13% (32,732/120,641) of the publications, followed by Germany (7,479/120,641; 6.20%), Japan (6,347/120,641; 5.26%), the UK (5,453/120,641; 4.52%), China (2,924/120,641; 2.42%) and South Korea (1,413/120,641; 1.17%). The ranking for cumulative impact factors was as follows: USA; Germany; UK; Japan; China and South Korea. The median impact factors in the UK, USA, and Germany were higher than Japan, South Korea, and China. Interestingly, the median impact factors in the three Asia countries were similar both in 2004-2013 and 2009-2013. The UK had the highest percentage of publications in the top 25% of journals, while China lagged behind and ranked last. When comparing the number of articles in the top 10 journals, the results were similar to the IF findings. Germany had the highest number of average citations, while China had the lowest number of average citation. The status of hematology research output from the 6 countries in 2009-2013 had little difference from 2004-2013. Thus, the USA has had a dominant role in hematologic research in the past 10 years. Overall, the quality of publications in European countries was better than Asia countries. Although China has made considerable progress in hematology research, the quality of research needs improvement.

Perceptions of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in Canadian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Saira

2017-01-01

This article presents the results of the first Canada-wide survey on how university admissions personnel view the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) in relation to other curricula. The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to move beyond anecdote and discover how Canada compares with universities in the UK and Australia/NZ, and…

Internationally educated nurses: profiling workforce diversity.

PubMed

Blythe, Jennifer; Baumann, Andrea

2009-06-01

Nurses with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds are likely to adapt differently to new workforces. The aim of this study was to provide a profile of nurses educated in different countries who are employed in a major settlement jurisdiction. Despite difficulties in measuring its magnitude, it is evident that nurse migration has increased as a result of globalization. Major destinations for internationally educated nurses (IENs) include the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and the Gulf States. Chief donor countries include the Philippines, India and other South Asian countries. Half of all IENs registered in Canada work in the province of Ontario. Published literature and secondary data were used to profile cohorts of nurses educated in different countries who are employed in the Ontario workforce. Statistics available on IENs in Ontario reveal a largely urban settlement pattern. There are major differences among IEN cohorts in terms of age, gender, work status, and type and place of employment. Although IENs resident in Ontario could not be quantified, a relatively detailed description of IENs in the workforce was possible. Comparison of nurse cohorts indicated that generalizations about IENs should be made with caution. Changes in regulatory conditions have a significant effect on IEN employment. Difficulties associated with international educational and regulatory differences illustrate the need to create global nursing standards. Further investigation of differences in workforce profiles should provide insights leading to improved utilization of IENs.

Quality and accuracy of publicly accessible cancer-related physical activity information on the Internet: a cross-sectional assessment.

PubMed

Buote, R D; Malone, S D; Bélanger, L J; McGowan, E L

2016-09-01

In this study, we assessed the quality of publicly available cancer-related physical activity (PA) information appearing on reputable sites from Canada and other English-speaking countries. A cross-sectional Internet search was conducted on select countries (Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK) using Google to generate top 50 results per country for the keywords "'physical activity' AND 'cancer'". Top results were assessed for quality of PA information based on a coding frame. Additional searches were performed for Canadian-based sites to produce an exhaustive list. Results found that many sites offered cancer-related PA information (94.5%), but rarely defined PA (25.2%). Top 50 results from each country did not differ on any indicator examined. The exhaustive list of Canadian sites found that many sites gave information about PA for survivorship (78.3%) and prevention (70.0%), but rarely defined (6.7%) or referenced PA guidelines (28.3%). Cancer-related PA information is plentiful on the Internet but the quality needs improvement. Sites should do more than mention PA; they should provide definitions, examples and guidelines. With improvements, these websites would enable healthcare providers to effectively educate their patients about PA, and serve as a valuable resource to the general public who may be seeking cancer-related PA information. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dana Cole, Georgia Division of Public Health, Notifiable Disease Section, Department of Human Resources, 2 Peachtree Free-living Canada Geese and Antimicrobial Resistance

PubMed Central

Cole, Dana; Drum, David J.V.; Stallknecht, David E.; White, David G.; Lee, Margie D.; Ayers, Sherry; Sobsey, Mark; Maurer, John J.

2005-01-01

We describe antimicrobial resistance among Escherichia coli isolated from free-living Canada Geese in Georgia and North Carolina (USA). Resistance patterns are compared to those reported by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. Canada Geese may be vectors of antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes in agricultural environments. PMID:15963291

Cancer incidence in indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA: a comparative population-based study.

PubMed

Moore, Suzanne P; Antoni, Sébastien; Colquhoun, Amy; Healy, Bonnie; Ellison-Loschmann, Lis; Potter, John D; Garvey, Gail; Bray, Freddie

2015-11-01

Indigenous people have disproportionally worse health and lower life expectancy than their non-indigenous counterparts in high-income countries. Cancer data for indigenous people are scarce and incidence has not previously been collectively reported in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. We aimed to investigate and compare, for the first time, the cancer burden in indigenous populations in these countries. We derived incidence data from population-based cancer registries in three states of Australia (Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory), New Zealand, the province of Alberta in Canada, and the Contract Health Service Delivery Areas of the USA. Summary rates for First Nations and Inuit in Alberta, Canada, were provided directly by Alberta Health Services. We compared age-standardised rates by registry, sex, cancer site, and ethnicity for all incident cancer cases, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, diagnosed between 2002 and 2006. Standardised rate ratios (SRRs) and 95% CIs were computed to compare the indigenous and non-indigenous populations of each jurisdiction, except for the Alaska Native population, which was compared with the white population from the USA. We included 24 815 cases of cancer in indigenous people and 5 685 264 in non-indigenous people from all jurisdictions, not including Alberta, Canada. The overall cancer burden in indigenous populations was substantially lower in the USA except in Alaska, similar or slightly lower in Australia and Canada, and higher in New Zealand compared with their non-indigenous counterparts. Among the most commonly occurring cancers in indigenous men were lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer. In most jurisdictions, breast cancer was the most common cancer in women followed by lung and colorectal cancer. The incidence of lung cancer was higher in indigenous men in all Australian regions, in Alberta, and in US Alaska Natives than in their non-indigenous counterparts. For breast cancer, rates in women were lower in all indigenous populations except in New Zealand (SRR 1·23, CI 95% 1·16-1·32) and Alaska (1·14, 1·01-1·30). Incidence of cervical cancer was higher in indigenous women than in non-indigenous women in most jurisdictions, although the difference was not always statistically significant. There are clear differences in the scale and profile of cancer in indigenous and non-indigenous populations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. Our findings highlight the need for much-improved, targeted programmes of screening, vaccination, and smoking cessation, among other prevention strategies. Governments and researchers need to work in partnership with indigenous communities to improve cancer surveillance in all jurisdictions and facilitate access to cancer data. International Agency for Research on Cancer-Australia Fellowship. Copyright © 2015 International Agency for Research on Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd/Inc/BV. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The endoscopy Global Rating Scale – Canada: Development and implementation of a quality improvement tool

PubMed Central

MacIntosh, Donald; Dubé, Catherine; Hollingworth, Roger; van Zanten, Sander Veldhuyzen; Daniels, Sandra; Ghattas, George

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Increasing use of gastrointestinal endoscopy, particularly for colorectal cancer screening, and increasing emphasis on health care quality highlight the need for endoscopy facilities to review the quality of the service they offer. OBJECTIVE: To adapt the United Kingdom Global Rating Scale (UK-GRS) to develop a web-based and patient-centred tool to assess and improve the quality of endoscopy services provided. METHODS: Based on feedback from 22 sites across Canada that completed the UK endoscopy GRS, and integrating results of the Canadian consensus on safety and quality indicators in endoscopy and other Canadian consensus reports, a working group of endoscopists experienced with the GRS developed the GRS-Canada (GRS-C). RESULTS: The GRS-C mirrors the two dimensions (clinical quality and quality of the patient experience) and 12 patient-centred items of the UK-GRS, but was modified to apply to Canadian health care infrastructure, language and current practice. Each item is assessed by a yes/no response to eight to 12 statements that are divided into levels graded D (basic) through A (advanced). A core team consisting of a booking clerk, charge nurse and the physician responsible for the unit is recommended to complete the GRS-C twice yearly. CONCLUSION: The GRS-C is intended to improve endoscopic services in Canada by providing endoscopy units with a straightforward process to review the quality of the service they provide. PMID:23472242

Broken Voices or a Broken Curriculum? The Impact of Research on UK School Choral Practice with Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashley, Martin R.

2013-01-01

Work such as that of John Cooksey on boys' changing voices has influenced choral practice in the USA and in certain UK youth choirs, but has hitherto had little impact in UK schools where many teachers continue to believe that boys' voices "break". Different practices are found across the independent and maintained sectors of secondary…

Highlights from SelectBio 2015: Academic Drug Discovery Conference, Cambridge, UK, 19-20 May 2015.

PubMed

Spencer, John; Coaker, Hannah

2015-01-01

The SelectBio 2015: Academic Drug Discovery Conference was held in Cambridge, UK, on 19-20 May 2015. Building on the success of academic drug discovery events in the USA, this conference aimed to showcase the exciting new research emerging from academic drug discovery and to help bridge the gap between basic research and commercial application. At the event the authors heard from a number of speakers on a broad array of topics, from partnering models for academia and industry to novel drug discovery approaches across various therapeutic areas, with a few talks, such as those by Susanne Muller-Knapp (Structure Genomics Consortium, Oxford University, Oxford, UK) and Julian Blagg (Institute of Cancer Research, UK), covering both remits, by highlighting a number of such partnerships and then delving into some case studies. The conference concluded with a heated debate on whether phenotypic discovery should be favored over targeted discovery in academia and pharma, in a panel discussion chaired by Roland Wolkowicz (San Diego State University, USA).

Public Acceptability in the UK and USA of Nudging to Reduce Obesity: The Example of Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Consumption

PubMed Central

Petrescu, Dragos C.; Hollands, Gareth J.; Couturier, Dominique-Laurent; Ng, Yin-Lam; Marteau, Theresa M.

2016-01-01

Background “Nudging”—modifying environments to change people’s behavior, often without their conscious awareness—can improve health, but public acceptability of nudging is largely unknown. Methods We compared acceptability, in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), of government interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Three nudge interventions were assessed: i. reducing portion Size, ii. changing the Shape of the drink containers, iii. changing their shelf Location; alongside two traditional interventions: iv. Taxation and v. Education. We also tested the hypothesis that describing interventions as working through non-conscious processes decreases their acceptability. Predictors of acceptability, including perceived intervention effectiveness, were also assessed. Participants (n = 1093 UK and n = 1082 USA) received a description of each of the five interventions which varied, by randomisation, in how the interventions were said to affect behaviour: (a) via conscious processes; (b) via non-conscious processes; or (c) no process stated. Acceptability was derived from responses to three items. Results Levels of acceptability for four of the five interventions did not differ significantly between the UK and US samples; reducing portion size was less accepted by the US sample. Within each country, Education was rated as most acceptable and Taxation the least, with the three nudge-type interventions rated between these. There was no evidence to support the study hypothesis: i.e. stating that interventions worked via non-conscious processes did not decrease their acceptability in either the UK or US samples. Perceived effectiveness was the strongest predictor of acceptability for all interventions across the two samples. Conclusion In conclusion, nudge interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages seem similarly acceptable in the UK and USA, being more acceptable than taxation, but less acceptable than education. Contrary to prediction, we found no evidence that highlighting the non-conscious processes by which nudge interventions may work decreases their acceptability. However, highlighting the effectiveness of all interventions has the potential to increase their acceptability. PMID:27276222

Clinical experience with the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero(®): Prospects for reducing the burden of meningococcal serogroup B disease.

PubMed

Watson, Philip S; Turner, David P J

2016-02-10

Although rare, invasive meningococcal disease remains an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children and young adults. Vaccines have been successfully introduced to help protect against meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, W and Y, but until recently, a vaccine for serogroup B (MenB) was not available. In many industrialised countries, MenB causes the majority of meningococcal disease. Moreover, MenB outbreaks occur unpredictably, particularly in high-risk populations, such as university students. In 2013, Bexsero(®) became the first broad-coverage vaccine to be licensed for active immunisation against MenB disease. Bexsero is now licensed in more than 35 countries worldwide for varying age groups, including the EU, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the USA. Clinical recommendations for the use of Bexsero have been published in several countries. Recommendations include use in high-risk groups, outbreak control and routine infant immunisation. Since initial licensure, considerable clinical experience has been gained. In Canada, 43,740 individuals received Bexsero during a vaccination programme in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, where local disease incidence was high. In the USA, Bexsero was administered to >15,000 individuals during two college outbreaks prior to licensure, under an Investigational New Drug protocol. In the UK, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended the inclusion of Bexsero in the routine immunisation schedule for infants. Publically funded vaccination programmes have been initiated in Italy, and there has been widespread use of the vaccine outside of publically reimbursed programmes. Overall, >1,000,000 doses of Bexsero have been distributed in 19 countries worldwide since 2013. The emerging clinical experience with Bexsero is consistent with findings from pre-licensure clinical studies, and no new safety concerns have been identified. Additional data on length of protection, potential impact on meningococcal carriage and transmission and strain coverage have also been published and will be reviewed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From Social Media to Mainstream News: The Information Flow of the Vaccine-Autism Controversy in the US, Canada, and the UK.

PubMed

Jang, S Mo; Mckeever, Brooke W; Mckeever, Robert; Kim, Joon Kyoung

2017-10-13

Despite increasing warnings about inaccurate information online, little is known about how social media contribute to the widespread diffusion of unverified health information. This study addresses this issue by examining the vaccine-autism controversy. By looking into a large dataset of Twitter, Reddit posts, and online news over 20 months in the US, Canada, and the UK, our time-series analysis shows that Twitter drives news agendas, and Reddit follows news agendas regarding the vaccine-autism debate. Additionally, the results show that both Twitter and Reddit are more likely to discuss the vaccine-autism link compared to online news content.

How popular is waterpipe tobacco smoking? Findings from internet search queries.

PubMed

Salloum, Ramzi G; Osman, Amira; Maziak, Wasim; Thrasher, James F

2015-09-01

Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), a traditional tobacco consumption practice in the Middle East, is gaining popularity worldwide. Estimates of population-level interest in WTS over time are not documented. We assessed the popularity of WTS using World Wide Web search query results across four English-speaking countries. We analysed trends in Google search queries related to WTS, comparing these trends with those for electronic cigarettes between 2004 and 2013 in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. Weekly search volumes were reported as percentages relative to the week with the highest volume of searches. Web-based searches for WTS have increased steadily since 2004 in all four countries. Search volume for WTS was higher than for e-cigarettes in three of the four nations, with the highest volume in the USA. Online searches were primarily targeted at WTS products for home use, followed by searches for WTS cafés/lounges. Online demand for information on WTS-related products and venues is large and increasing. Given the rise in WTS popularity, increasing evidence of exposure-related harms, and relatively lax government regulation, WTS is a serious public health concern and could reach epidemic levels in Western societies. 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 risk of introduction of equine infectious anemia virus into USA via cloned horse embryos imported from Canada.

PubMed

Asseged, B D; Habtemariam, T; Tameru, B; Nganwa, D

2012-01-15

Deriving horse oocytes in the USA is hampered by the lack of abattoirs processing horse carcasses which could provide abundant quantities of ovaries from slaughtered mares. Therefore, several cloning industries in the USA are attempting to import cloned horse embryos from Canada. Like any agricultural commodity, cloned embryos pose a risk of introduction of exotic animal diseases into the importing country. Under such circumstances, risk assessment could provide an objective, transparent, and internationally accepted means for evaluating the risk. This quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was initiated to determine the risk of introduction of Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) into the USA via cloned horse embryos imported from Canada. In assessing the risk, a structured knowledge base regarding cloning in relation to Equine infectious anemia (EIA) was first developed. Based on the knowledge base, a scenario tree was developed to determine conditions (with mathematical probabilities) that could lead to the introduction and maintenance of EIAV along the cloning pathway. Parameters for the occurrence of the event at each node were estimated using published literature. Using @Risk software and setting Monte Carlo simulation at 50,000 iterations, the probability of importing an EIAV-infected cloned horse embryo was 1.8 × 10(-9) (R = 1.5 × 10(-12) to 2.9 × 10(-8)). Taking into account the current protocol for equine cloning and assuming the yield of 5 to 30 clones per year, the possible number of EIAV-infected cloned horse embryos ranged from 2.0 × 10(-10) to 9.1 × 10(-5) (Mean = 1.4×10(-6)) per year. Consequently, it would take up to 1.5 × 10(7) (R = 1.6 × 10(4) to 5.1 × 10(10)) years for EIAV to be introduced into the USA. Based on the knowledge base and our critical pathway analysis, the biological plausibility of introducing EIAV into USA via cloned horse embryos imported from Canada is extremely low. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geographic variability in the association between socioeconomic status and BMI in the USA and Canada.

PubMed

Lebel, Alexandre; Kestens, Yan; Clary, Christelle; Bisset, Sherri; Subramanian, S V

2014-01-01

Reported associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity are inconsistent depending on gender and geographic location. Globally, these inconsistent observations may hide a variation in the contextual effect on individuals' risk of obesity for subgroups of the population. This study explored the regional variability in the association between SES and BMI in the USA and in Canada, and describes the geographical variance patterns by SES category. The 2009-2010 samples of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were used for this comparison study. Three-level random intercept and differential variance multilevel models were built separately for women and men to assess region-specific BMI by SES category and their variance bounds. Associations between individual SES and BMI differed importantly by gender and countries. At the regional-level, the mean BMI variation was significantly different between SES categories in the USA, but not in Canada. In the USA, whereas the county-specific mean BMI of higher SES individuals remained close to the mean, its variation grown as SES decreased. At the county level, variation of mean BMI around the regional mean was 5 kg/m2 in the high SES group, and reached 8.8 kg/m2 in the low SES group. This study underlines how BMI varies by country, region, gender and SES. Lower socioeconomic groups within some regions show a much higher variation in BMI than in other regions. Above the BMI regional mean, important variation patterns of BMI by SES and place of residence were found in the USA. No such pattern was found in Canada. This study suggests that a change in the mean does not necessarily reflect the change in the variance. Analyzing the variance by SES may be a good way to detect subtle influences of social forces underlying social inequalities.

Green crab Carcinus maenas symbiont profiles along a North Atlantic invasion route.

PubMed

Bojko, Jamie; Stebbing, Paul D; Dunn, Alison M; Bateman, Kelly S; Clark, Fraser; Kerr, Rose C; Stewart-Clark, Sarah; Johannesen, Ása; Stentiford, Grant D

2018-05-07

The green crab Carcinus maenas is an invader on the Atlantic coast of Canada and the USA. In these locations, crab populations have facilitated the development of a legal fishery in which C. maenas is caught and sold, mainly for use as bait to capture economically important crustaceans such as American lobster Homarus americanus. The paucity of knowledge on the symbionts of invasive C. maenas in Canada and their potential for transfer to lobsters poses a potential risk of unintended transmission. We carried out a histological survey for symbionts of C. maenas from their native range in Northern Europe (in the UK and Faroe Islands), and invasive range in Atlantic Canada. In total, 19 separate symbiotic associations were identified from C. maenas collected from 27 sites. These included metazoan parasites (nematodes, Profilicollis botulus, Sacculina carcini, Microphallidae, ectoparasitic crustaceans), microbial eukaryotes (ciliates, Hematodinium sp., Haplosporidium littoralis, Ameson pulvis, Parahepatospora carcini, gregarines, amoebae), bacteria (Rickettsia-like organism, milky disease), and viral pathogens (parvo-like virus, herpes-like virus, iridovirus, Carcinus maenas bacilliform virus and a haemocyte-infecting rod-shaped virus). Hematodinium sp. were not observed in the Canadian population; however, parasites such as Trematoda and Acanthocephala were present in all countries despite their complex, multi-species lifecycles. Some pathogens may pose a risk of transmission to other decapods and native fauna via the use of this host in the bait industry, such as the discovery of a virus resembling the previously described white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), B-virus and 'rod-shaped virus' (RV-CM) and amoebae, which have previously been found to cause disease in aquaculture (e.g. Salmo salar) and fisheries species (e.g. H. americanus).

Quality of Working Life in the Automobile Industry: A Canada-UK Comparative Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewchuk, Wayne; Stewart, Paul; Yates, Charlotte

2001-01-01

Surveys in five automobile plants in Canada and the United Kingdom (n=2,600+) indicated that implementation of lean production methods has been uneven across companies and countries and is not associated with greater employee involvement or control. Variations may reflect company-specific responses to the pressures of international competition.…

Restricted Creativity: Advertising Agency Work Practices in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Douglas

1993-01-01

The extent to which relationships and work practices within advertising agencies differ in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and degree of similarity to practices of artists were examined. Responses from Senior Creative Directors at 303 agencies suggested that work practices did not differ significantly but were limited in efforts…

Macromolecule Mass Spectrometry: Citation Mining of User Documents

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-11-14

MCLUCKEY SA PURDUE UNIV USA 541 MANN M UNIV SO DENMARK DENMARK 450 BIEMANN K MIT USA 343 CHOWDHURY SK SANOFI WINTHROP INC USA 302 COVEY TR SCIEX LTD CANADA...glycopeptid 0.7, residu 0.7) (36) Cluster 8 (proteom 10.8, technolog 5.8, protein 5.7, genom 5.5, function 2.7, advanc 1.5, vaccin 1.2, new 1.1, biolog 1.1

Actors involved in the regulation of clinical research: comparison of Finland to England, Canada, and the USA.

PubMed

Hemminki, Elina

2015-04-07

The relevance and quantity of clinical research has caused concern and regulation is claimed to hinder clinical research. This paper compares clinical research regulations in Finland to those of England, Canada, and the USA around 2010-2011. Several approaches and data sources were used, including semi- or unstructured interviews of experts. For the analysis, a theoretical framework was made, data from various sources was synthesized, and features of the systems were simplified and classified. The various specific names and terms used in the data were changed into general ones. Common structures for the regulation existed in all four countries, but the details and scope varied. The research regulated within the main system was determined by research type (Finland), the financer of the health system (England), or research site (Canada, USA). Only Finland had specific legislation on medical research. The overriding impression of the regulatory systems was one of complexity. All countries had extra regulation for drug research. The types of drug research covered varied from trials with unlicensed (new) products or new indications (USA and Canada), to all types of interventional drug research (England), where 'interventional' was interpreted broadly (Finland). The complexity of regulations had led to the creation of various big and small businesses to help researchers and sponsors. There was notable variation in the role played by the public research funder. The role played by health care was difficult to study and seemed to involve varying interests as researchers were also health care employees. Research ethics committees were important and their tasks also included aspects other than ethics. This study revealed that a comparison between countries can provide useful insights into the distinctive aspects of each country's system, as well as identifying common features that require international action.

The choice of discount brand cigarettes: a comparative analysis of International Tobacco Control surveys in Canada and the USA (2002-2005).

PubMed

Nargis, Nigar; Fong, Geoffrey T; Chaloupka, Frank J; Li, Qiang

2014-03-01

Increasing tobacco taxes to increase price is a proven tobacco control measure. This article investigates how smokers respond to tax and price increases in their choice of discount brand cigarettes versus premium brands. To estimate how increase in the tax rate can affect smokers' choice of discount brands versus premium brands. Using data from International Tobacco Control surveys in Canada and the USA, a logit model was constructed to estimate the probability of choosing discount brand cigarettes in response to its price changes relative to premium brands, controlling for individual-specific demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and regional effects. The self-reported price of an individual smoker is used in a random-effects regression model to impute price and to construct the price ratio for discount and premium brands for each smoker, which is used in the logit model. An increase in the ratio of price of discount brand cigarettes to the price of premium brands by 0.1 is associated with a decrease in the probability of choosing discount brands by 0.08 in Canada. No significant effect is observed in case of the USA. The results of the model explain two phenomena: (1) the widened price differential between premium and discount brand cigarettes contributed to the increased share of discount brand cigarettes in Canada in contrast to a relatively steady share in the USA during 2002-2005 and (2) increasing the price ratio of discount brands to premium brands-which occurs with an increase in specific excise tax-may lead to upward shifting from discount to premium brands rather than to downward shifting. These results underscore the significance of studying the effectiveness of tax increases in reducing overall tobacco consumption, particularly for specific excise taxes.

Teaching Global Engineering in Canada, Learning Informality of the Global South

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gopakumar, Govind

2014-01-01

Globalisation has inspired a wide assortment of curricular initiatives within engineering education in the USA and Europe. This interest could be categorised in multiple directions--international exposure, service learning, or critical understanding and praxis. In Canada, however, there has been far less consideration for integrating globalisation…

Comparing human papillomavirus vaccine concerns on Twitter: a cross-sectional study of users in Australia, Canada and the UK

PubMed Central

Shapiro, Gilla K; Surian, Didi; Dunn, Adam G; Perry, Ryan; Kelaher, Margaret

2017-01-01

Objective Opposition to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is common on social media and has the potential to impact vaccine coverage. This study aims to conduct an international comparison of the proportions of tweets about HPV vaccines that express concerns, the types of concerns expressed and the social connections among users posting about HPV vaccines in Australia, Canada and the UK. Design Using a cross-sectional design, an international comparison of English language tweets about HPV vaccines and social connections among Twitter users posting about HPV vaccines between January 2014 and April 2016 was conducted. The Health Belief Model, one of the most widely used theories in health psychology, was used as the basis for coding the types of HPV vaccine concerns expressed on Twitter. Setting The content of tweets and the social connections between users who posted tweets about HPV vaccines from Australia, Canada and the UK. Population 16 789 Twitter users who posted 43 852 tweets about HPV vaccines. Main outcome measures The proportions of tweets expressing concern, the type of concern expressed and the proportions of local and international social connections between users. Results Tweets expressing concerns about HPV vaccines made up 14.9% of tweets in Canada, 19.4% in Australia and 22.6% in the UK. The types of concerns expressed were similar across the three countries, with concerns related to ‘perceived barriers’ being the most common. Users expressing concerns about HPV vaccines in each of the three countries had a relatively high proportion of international followers also expressing concerns. Conclusions The proportions and types of HPV vaccine concerns expressed on Twitter were similar across the three countries. Twitter users who mostly expressed concerns about HPV vaccines were better connected to international users who shared their concerns compared with users who did not express concerns about HPV vaccines. PMID:28982821

Comparing human papillomavirus vaccine concerns on Twitter: a cross-sectional study of users in Australia, Canada and the UK.

PubMed

Shapiro, Gilla K; Surian, Didi; Dunn, Adam G; Perry, Ryan; Kelaher, Margaret

2017-10-05

Opposition to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is common on social media and has the potential to impact vaccine coverage. This study aims to conduct an international comparison of the proportions of tweets about HPV vaccines that express concerns, the types of concerns expressed and the social connections among users posting about HPV vaccines in Australia, Canada and the UK. Using a cross-sectional design, an international comparison of English language tweets about HPV vaccines and social connections among Twitter users posting about HPV vaccines between January 2014 and April 2016 was conducted. The Health Belief Model, one of the most widely used theories in health psychology, was used as the basis for coding the types of HPV vaccine concerns expressed on Twitter. The content of tweets and the social connections between users who posted tweets about HPV vaccines from Australia, Canada and the UK. 16 789 Twitter users who posted 43 852 tweets about HPV vaccines. The proportions of tweets expressing concern, the type of concern expressed and the proportions of local and international social connections between users. Tweets expressing concerns about HPV vaccines made up 14.9% of tweets in Canada, 19.4% in Australia and 22.6% in the UK. The types of concerns expressed were similar across the three countries, with concerns related to 'perceived barriers' being the most common. Users expressing concerns about HPV vaccines in each of the three countries had a relatively high proportion of international followers also expressing concerns. The proportions and types of HPV vaccine concerns expressed on Twitter were similar across the three countries. Twitter users who mostly expressed concerns about HPV vaccines were better connected to international users who shared their concerns compared with users who did not express concerns about HPV vaccines. © 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.

Geographical variations in the prevalence and management of cardiovascular risk factors in outpatients with CAD: Data from the contemporary CLARIFY registry.

PubMed

Ferrari, Roberto; Ford, Ian; Greenlaw, Nicola; Tardif, Jean-Claude; Tendera, Michal; Abergel, Hélène; Fox, Kim; Hu, Dayi; Shalnova, Svetlana; Steg, Ph Gabriel

2015-08-01

To determine the current prevalence and control of major cardiovascular risk factors in stable CAD outpatients worldwide. We analysed variations in cardiovascular risk factors in stable CAD outpatients from CLARIFY, a 5-year observational longitudinal cohort study, in seven geographical zones (Western/Central Europe; Canada/South Africa/Australia/UK; Eastern Europe; Central/South America; Middle East; East Asia; and India). Patient presentation (N=32,954, mean age 64.2 years, 78% male) varied between zones, as did prevalence of risk factors (all p < 0.0001). Obesity ranged from 20% (East Asia) to 42% (Middle East), raised blood pressure from 28% (Central/South America and East Asia) to 48% (Eastern Europe), raised LDL cholesterol from 24% (Canada/South Africa/Australia/UK) to 65% (Eastern Europe), elevated heart rate (≥70 bpm) from 38% (Western/Central Europe) to 78% (India), diabetes from 17% (Eastern Europe) to 60% (Middle East), and smoking from 6% (Central/South America) to 19% (Eastern Europe). Aspirin and lipid-lowering drugs were widely used everywhere (≥84% and ≥88%, respectively). Rates of risk factor control varied geographically (all p < 0.0001). Rate of controlled blood pressure in hypertension varied from 47% (Eastern Europe) to 66% (Central/South America), glucose control in diabetes from 23% (India) to 51% (Western/Central Europe and East Asia), controlled LDL cholesterol and dyslipidaemia from 32% (Eastern Europe) to 75% (Canada/South Africa/Australia/UK), heart rate <70 bpm from 22% (India) to 62% (Western/Central Europe), and heart rate ≤60 bpm in angina patients from 2% (India) to 29% (Canada/South Africa/Australia/UK and Central/South America). Prevalence and control of major cardiovascular risk factors in stable CAD vary markedly worldwide. Many stable CAD outpatients are being treated suboptimally. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Committees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2012-11-01

Leadership Team of the IAHR Committee for Hydraulic Machinery and Systems Eduard EGUSQUIZA, UPC Barcelona, Spain, Chair François AVELLAN, EPFL-LMH, Switzerland, Past Chair Richard K FISHER, Voith Hydro Inc., USA, Past Chair Fidel ARZOLA, Edelca, Venezuela Michel COUSTON, Alstom Hydro, France Niklas DAHLBÄCKCK, Vatenfall, Sweden Normand DESY, Andritz VA TECH Hydro Ltd., Canada Chisachi KATO, University of Tokyo, Japan Andrei LIPEJ, Turboinstitut, Slovenija Torbjørn NIELSEN, NTNU, Norway Romeo SUSAN-RESIGA, 'Politehnica' University Timisoara, Romania Stefan RIEDELBAUCH, Stuggart University, Germany Albert RUPRECHT, Stuttgart University, Germany Qing-Hua SHI, Dong Fang Electrical Machinery Co., China Geraldo TIAGO, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Brazil International Advisory Committee Shouqi YUAN (principal) Jiangsu University China QingHua SHI (principal) Dong Fang Electrical Machinery Co. China Fidel ARZOLA EDELCA Venezuela Thomas ASCHENBRENNER Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG Germany Anton BERGANT Litostroj Power doo Slovenia B C BHAOYAL Research & Technology Centre India Hermod BREKKE NTNU Norway Stuart COULSON Voith Hydro Inc. USA Paul COOPER Fluid Machinery Research Inc USA V A DEMIANOV Power Machines OJSC Russia Bart van ESCH Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Netherland Arno GEHRER Andritz Hydro Graz Austria Akira GOTO Ebara Corporation Japan Adiel GUINZBURG The Boeing Company USA D-H HELLMANN KSB AG Germany Ashvin HOSANGADI Combustion Research and Flow Technology USA Byung-Sun HWANG Korea Institute of Material Science Korea Toshiaki KANEMOTO Kyushu Institute of Technology Japan Mann-Eung KIM Korean Register of Shipping Korea Jiri KOUTNIK Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG Germany Jinkook LEE Eaton Corporation USA Young-Ho LEE Korea Maritime University Korea Woo-Seop LIM Hyosung Goodsprings Inc Korea Jun MATSUI Yokohama National University Japan Kazuyoshi Mitsubishi H I Ltd, Japan MIYAGAWA Christophe NICOLET Power Vision Engineering Srl Switzerland Maryse PAGE Hydro Quebec IREQ, Varennes Canada Etienne PARKINSON Andritz Hydro Ltd. Switzerland B V S S S PRASAD Indian Institute of Technology Madras India Stefan RIEDELBAUCH Stuttgart University Germany Michel SABOURIN Alstom Hydro Canada Inc Canada Bruno SCHIAVELLO Flowserve Corporation USA Katsumasa SHIMMEI Hitachi Ltd Japan Christoph SINGRTüN VDMA Germany Ale? SKOTAK CKD Blansko Engineering, a s Czech Republic Toshiaki SUZUKI Toshiba Corporation Japan Andy C C TAN Queensland University of Technology Australia Geraldo TIAGO FILHO Universidade Federal de Itajuba Brazi Thi C VU Andritz Hydro Ltd Canada Satoshi WATANABE Kyushu University Japan S H WINOTO National University of Singapore Singapore Woo-Seong WOO STX Institute of Technology Korea International Technical Committee François AVELLAN (principal) EPFL-LMH Switzerland Xingqi LUO (principal) Xi'an University of Technology China Martin BÖHLE Kaiserslautern University Germany Gerard BOIS ENSAM France Young-Seok CHOI KITECH Korea Luca d'AGOSTINO University of Pisa Italy Eduard EGUSQUIZA Polytechnical University Catalonia Spain Arpad FAY University of Miskolcz Hungary Richard FISHER Voith Hydro Inc USA Regiane FORTES-PATELLA Institute Polytechnique de Grenoble France Aleksandar GAJIC University of Belgrade Serbia José GONZÁLEZ Universidad de Oviedo Spain François GUIBAULT Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal Canada Toshiaki IKOHAGI Tohoku University Japan Chisachi KATO University of Tokyo Japan Kwang-Yong KIM Inha University Korea Youn-Jea KIM Sungkyunkwan University Korea Smaine KOUIDRI Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) France Shengcai LI Warwick University UK Adrian LUNGU Dunarea de Jos University of Galati Romania Torbjøm K NIELSEN NTNU Norway Michihiro NISHI Tsinghua University China Peter PELZ Darmstadt University Germany Frantisek POCHYLY Brno University Czech Republic Albert RUPRECHT University of Stuttgart Germany Rudolf SCHILLING Technische University München Germany Wei SHYY HKUST Hong Kong,China Romeo SUSAN-RESIGA Politehnica University of Timisoara Romania Kazuhiro TANAKA Kyushu Institute of Technology Japan Yoshinobu TSUJIMOTO Osaka University Japan Local Organizing Committee Chairman Yulin WU Tsinghua University Beijing Executive Chairman Zhengwei WANG Tsinghua University Beijing Members Shuliang CAO Tsinghua University Beijing Cichang CHEN South West University of Petroleum Chengdu Hongxun CHEN Shanghai University Shanghai Jiang DAI China Sanxia General Co Yichang Huashu DOU National University of Singapore Singapore Fengqin HAN Huanan University of Sci & Tech Guangzhou Kun LI Hefei Inst of General Machinery Hefei Rennian LI Lanzhou University of Sci & Tech Lanzhou Wanhong LI National Natural Science Foundation of China Beijing Chao LIU Yangzhou University Yangzhou Li LU China Inst of Water Resources and Hydropower Research Beijing Xingqi LUO Xi'an University of Tech Xi'an Zhenyue MA Dalian University of Sci & Tech Dalian Jiegang MU Zhejiang University of Tech Hangzhou Daqing QIN Harbin Electric Machinery Group Harbin Fujun WANG China Agriculture University Beijing Guoyu WANG Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) Beijing Leqin WANG Zhejiang University Hangzhou Yuzhen WU NERCSPV Beijing Hongyuan XU Tsinghua University Beijing Jiandong YANG Wuhan University Wuhan Minguan YANG Jiangsu University Zhenjiang Shouqi YUAN Jiangsu University Zhenjiang Lefu ZHANG Harbin Electric Machinery Group Harbin Lixiang ZHANG Yunnan University of Sci & Tech Kunming Shengchang ZHANG Zhejiang University of Tech Hangzhou Kun ZHAO China Water & Electric Consulting Corp Beijing Yuan ZHENG Hehai University Nanjing Jianzhong ZHOU Huazhong University of Sci & Tech Wuhan Lingjiu ZHOU China Agriculture University Beijing Hongwu ZHU China Petroleum University Beijing Zuchao ZHU Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Hangzhou Secretaries Shuhong LIU (Academic), liushuhong@tsinghua.edu.cn Xianwu LUO (Registration), luoxw@tsinghua.edu.cn Baoshan ZHU (Finance), bszhu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

PREFACE: International & Interdisciplinary Workshop on Novel Phenomena in Integrated Complex Sciences: from Non-living to Living Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimura, Kazuyoshi; Ohta, Hiroto; Murase, Masatoshi; Nishimura, Kazuo

2012-03-01

In this workshop recent advancements in experiments and theories were discussed on magnetism and superconductivity, emergent phenomena in biological material, chemical properties and economic problems of non-living and living systems. The aim of the workshop was to discuss old, but also new problems from a multidisciplinary perspective, and to understand the general features behind diversity in condensed matter physics, experimental chemistry and physics in biology and economic science. The workshop was broadly based, and was titled 'International & Interdisciplinary Workshop on Novel Phenomena in Integrated Complex Sciences from Non-living to Living Systems'. However, the primary focus was on magnetism and superconductivity, and NMR research into strongly correlated electrons. The meeting was held as an ICAM workshop, upon official approval in January 2010. Both young scientists and graduate students were invited. We hope that these young scientists had the chance to talk with invited speakers and organizers on their own interests. We thank the participants who contributed through their presentations, discussions and these papers to the advancement of the subject and our understanding. The proceedings are published here in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series (UK). We thank the International Advisory Committee for their advice and guidance: Evgeny Antipov Moscow State University, Russia Nicholas Curro University of California, Davis, USA Minghu Fang Zhejiang University, China Jurgen Haase University of Leipzig, Germany Takashi Imai McMaster University, Canada Peter Lemmens TU Braunschweig, Germany Herwig Michor Vienna TU, Austria Takamasa Momose University of British Columbia, Canada Raivo Stern NICPB, Estonia Louis Taillefer University of Sherbrooke, Canada Masashi Takigawa University of Tokyo, Japan This workshop was mainly organized by the International Research Unit of Integrated Complex System Science, Kyoto University, and was supported by ICAM (Institute for Complex and Adaptive Matter, USA), Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics (Kyoto University), Institute of Economic Research (Kyoto University) and Kyoto University GCOEs (Global Centers Of Excellence: Physics, Chemistry, and Economics). The workshop was also supported by Niki Glass Company Ltd., THAMWAY Corp., TAIYO NIPPON SANSO, and Quantum Design Japan. The Editors and the Organizing Committee, Masatoshi Murase Kyoto University, Japan Kazuo Nishimura Kyoto University, Japan Kazuyoshi Yoshimura Kyoto University, Japan: Conference Chairman and Chief Editor Hiroto Ohta Kyoto University, Tokyo University of A&T, Japan: Conference Secretary Conference Photograph, 14 October 2010 Conference Photograph Conference Poster Conference Poster

International Workshop on Methane Hydrate Research and Development (4th) Held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on May 9-11, 2005

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-27

Research at the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; the Marine Biogeochemistry Section at the Naval Research Laboratory...was organized by the Centre for Earth and Ocean Research at the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; the Marine ...Richard Coffin, Marine Biogeochemistry Section, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC, USA, rcoffin@ccs.nrl.navy.mil Dr. Bjørn Kvamme

Genetics Home Reference: Laing distal myopathy

MedlinePlus

... Muscular Dystrophy Association: Facts About Rare Muscular Dystrophies (PDF) Muscular Dystrophy Canada Muscular Dystrophy UK National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): Distal Myopathy Resource list ...

The Rigour of IFRS Education in the USA: Analysis, Reflection and Innovativeness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Aldys; Chatterjee, Bikram; Bolt, Susan

2014-01-01

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are accepted throughout the world, particularly in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Emerging economies are also are aligning their practices with IFRS. Historically, the USA has been cautious about accepting IFRS. However, following acceptance of IFRS worldwide, the US…

Dormancy and germination of Chenopodium album seeds from different latitudes in Europe and the USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Twelve seed lots of Chenopodium album agg. from Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the USA were characterized for responses to chilling, light, potassium nitrate and temperature. The research is part of a multi-location experiment per...

PREFACE: Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Qingming; Wang, Lihong V.; Tuchin, Valery V.

2011-02-01

The 9th International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine (PIBM 2010), combined with the 3rd Photonics and Optoelectronics Meetings (POEM 2010), was held from November 2-5, 2010, at Wuhan Science & Technology Convention & Exhibition Center, Wuhan, PR China. The present volume contains papers from a selection from the invited, oral, and poster presentations. PIBM is the largest international biomedical photonics conference series in Asia. It was initially held at HUST bi-yearly from 1999. After being held three times in Wuhan (1999, 2001 and 2003), it was hosted once in Tianjin (2005), before returning to Wuhan every year since 2006. PIBM is designed to bring together scientists, engineers and clinical researchers from a variety of disciplines engaged in applying optical science, photonics and imaging technologies to problems in biology and medicine. The scope of this conference ranges from basic research to instrumentation engineering, and biological and clinical studies. It is recognized as one of the largest and most comprehensive international conferences in China, and represents the highest level of worldwide research in this field. In the past ten years, 7 volumes of proceedings with a total of 672 papers were published by SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering), and a volume with 75 papers was published by World Scientific Publishing Co. in 2007. Proceedings of PIBM 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 were indexed by EI Compendex, while proceedings of PIBM 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007 were indexed by SCI. Some excellent papers were recommended for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences (JIOHS). An increasing number of young researchers present and exchange their innovative ideas on this friendly and professional platform, which has made PIBM an unforgettable annual meeting in Wuhan. This year PIBM attracted distinguished scholars in the field of biomedical photonics and imaging from all over the world, including the United States, Russia, Australia, Canada, Israel, France, Ireland, Japan, Korea and China. The major topics covered at the conference and presented in this volume include: Photonic Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Instrumentations; Tissue Optics and Laser Tissue Interaction; Biomedical Spectroscopy and Microscopy; Multimodal and Hybrid Biomedical Imaging; and Optical Molecular Imaging. The conference voted for the three best student papers; awards were presented to the participant students whose posters were recognized as excellent and who took part in the oral presentation competition. The conference received 133 submitted abstracts, and this volume of the Journal of Physics: Conference Series includes a selection of 53 excellent submissions. The Conference Secretariat and Local Organizing Committee deserve recognition for planning a smoothly run and productive conference with comprehensive, instructive lectures and innovative work displayed in poster presentations. The faculties and students from Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics were dedicated to their work in reception and service during the conference. It is a pleasure to thank all of them for their efficient and hard work. We are also grateful for the financial support from 111 Project (B07038), and the assistance in organization and coordination from Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Finally, we would like to thank all the authors for their contributions to PIBM 2010 and all the members of the Committees for their cooperation and time spent reviewing submissions. Special thanks are due to the Advisory Committee members Shu Chien, Aaron Ciechanover, Steve Dahms, Da Hsuan Feng, Steven R Goodman, Brian Salzberg, Fujia Yang, Jianquan Yao, Baoyong Zheng and Olivia Ho Cheng for their participation on-site, and their significant contributions to the conference. Wuhan, PR ChinaDecember, 2010 Qingming LuoLihong V WangValery V TuchinConference Chairs 9th International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine (PIBM 2010)2-5 November 2010Wuhan, China EditorsQingming Luo, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Lihong V Wang , Washington University in St. Louis (USA)Valery V Tuchin, Saratov State University (Russia) Sponsored and Organized byHuazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (China)Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics (China) Technical Co-sponsored byIBOS-International Biomedical Optics SocietyThe Chinese Optical SocietyThe Biophysical Society of China Co-organized byKey Laboratory of Biomedical Photonics, Ministry of Education (China)Virtual Research Center of Biomedical Photonics, Ministry of Education (China)Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory (China) CONFERENCE COMMITTEES Honorary ChairsBritton Chance, University of Pennsylvania (USA)Bingkun Zhou, Tsinghua University (China) Conference ChairsQingming Luo, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Lihong V Wang , Washington University in St. Louis (USA)Valery V Tuchin, Saratov State University (Russia) Advisory CommitteeSydney Brenner, The Salk Institute in La Jolla, California (USA)Howard Chen, K&L Gates (USA)Jing Cheng, Tsinghua University (China)Shu Chien, University of California, San Diego (USA)Paul Ching-Wu Chu, University of Houston (USA)Aaron Ciechanover, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel)A Stephen Dahms, Alfred E Mann Foundation for Biomedical Engineering (USA)Da Hsuan Feng, National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan, China)Steven R Goodman, SUNY Upstate Medical University (USA)Barry Halliwell, National University of Singapore (Singapore)John Hart, The University of Texas at Dallas (USA)George Radda, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Singapore)Zihe Rao, Nankai University (China)Brian M Salzberg, University of Pennsylvania (USA)Ruey-Jen Sung, Stanford University (USA)A Dean Sherry, The University of Texas at Dallas (USA)Bruce Tromberg, University of California/Irvine (USA)Fujia Yang, Nottingham University (UK)Jianquan Yao, Tianjin University (China)Yixin Zeng, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (China)Baoyong Zheng, Hua Wei Technologies Corporation, Inc (China) Program CommitteeWei R Chen, University of Central Oklahoma (USA)Zhongping Chen, University of California/Irvine (USA)Arthur Chiou, National Yang-Ming University (Taiwan, China)Frank Y S Chuang, University of California, Davis (USA)Zhihua Ding, Zhejiang University (China)Congwu Du, Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA)Stefan Haacke, Strasbourg University - IPCMS-DON (France)Weiping Han, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Singapore)Zheng Huang, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (USA)Zhiwei Huang, National University of Singapore (Singapore)Steven L Jacques, Oregon Health & Science University (USA)Fu-Jen Kao, National Yang-Ming University (Taiwan, China)Hideaki Koizumi, Hitachi, Ltd (Japan)Xingde Li, Johns Hopkins University (USA)Yong-qing Li, East Carolina University (USA)Chengyi Liu, South China Normal University (China)Hong Liu, University of Oklahoma (USA)Zuhong Lu, Southeast University (China)Dennis L Matthews, University of California/Davis (USA)Avraham Mayevsky, Bar Ilan University (Israel)Stephen P Morgan, University of Nottingham (UK)Shoko Nioka, University of Pennsylvania (USA)Yingtian Pan, State University of New York at Stony Brook (USA)Alexander V Priezzhev, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia)Jianan Y Qu, The Hongkong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong, China)Colin J R Sheppard, National University of Singapore (Singapore)Mamoru Tamura, Tsinghua University (China)Sergey Ulyanov, Saratov State University (Russia)Ruikang K Wang, Oregon Health & Science University (USA)Xunbin Wei, Fudan University (China)Da Xing, South China Normal University (China)Haishan Zeng, BC Cancer Research Centre (Canada)Gang Zheng, University of Toronto (Canada)Dongping Zhong, The Ohio State University (USA) Organizing CommitteeLing Fu (Chair), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Yuandi Zhao (Chair), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Hui Gong, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Pengcheng Li, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Bifeng Liu, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Qian Liu, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Shaoqun Zeng, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Zhihong Zhang, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)Dan Zhu, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) Local SecretariatHua Shi, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China)

A Tale from Three Countries: The Classroom Management Practices of Pre-Service Teachers from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodcock, Stuart; Reupert, Andrea

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to (i) identify Australian, Canadian and United Kingdom (UK) pre-service teachers' use, confidence and success of various classroom management strategies and (ii) to ascertain any significant differences between the three cohorts. Significant differences were found amongst the cohort with the UK pre-service…

Gender and Publishing in Nursing: a secondary analysis of h-index ranking tables.

PubMed

Porter, Sam

2018-05-24

To analyse published ranking tables on academics' h-index scores to establish whether male nursing academics are disproportionately represented in these tables compared with their representation across the whole profession. Previous studies have identified a disproportionate representation of UK male nursing academics in publishing in comparison to their US counterparts. Secondary statistical analysis, which involved comparative correlation of proportions. Four papers from the UK, Canada and Australia containing h-index ranking tables and published between 2010-2017, were re-analysed in June 2017 to identify authors' sex. Pearson's chi-squared test was applied to ascertain whether the number of men included in the tables was statistically proportionate to the number of men on the pertinent national professional register. There was a disproportionate number of men with high h-index scores in the UK and Canadian data sets, compared with the proportion of men on the pertinent national registers. The number of men in the Australian data set was proportionate with the number of men on the nursing register. There was a disproportionate number of male professors in UK universities. The influence of men over nursing publishing in the UK and Canada outweighs their representation across the whole profession. Similarly, in the UK, men's representation in the professoriate is disproportionately great. However, the Australian results suggest that gender inequality is not inevitable and that it is possible to create more egalitarian nursing cultures. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PREFACE: ARENA 2006—Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino detection Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Lee

2007-06-01

The International Conference on Acoustic and Radio EeV Neutrino Activities, ARENA 2006 was jointly hosted by the Universities of Northumbria and Sheffield at the City of Newcastle Campus of the University of Northumbria in June 2006. ARENA 2006 was the latest in a series of meetings which have addressed, either separately or jointly, the use of radio and acoustic sensors for the detection of highly relativistic particles. Previous successful meetings have taken place in Los Angeles (RADHEP, 2000), Stanford (2003) and DESY Zeuthen (ARENA 2005). A total of 50 scientists from across Europe, the US and Japan attended the conference presenting status reports and results from a number of projects and initiatives spread as far afield as the Sweden and the South Pole. The talks presented at the meeting and the proceedings contained herein represent a `snapshot' of the status of the fields of acoustic and radio detection at the time of the conference. The three day meeting also included two invited talks by Dr Paula Chadwick and Dr Johannes Knapp who gave excellent summaries of the related astroparticle physics fields of high energy gamma ray detection and high energy cosmic ray detection respectively. As well as a full academic agenda there were social events including a Medieval themed conference banquet at Lumley Castle and a civic reception kindly provided by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle and hosted at the Mansion House. Thanks must go to the International Advisory Board members for their input and guidance, the Local Organising Committee for their hard work in bringing everything together and finally the delegates for the stimulating, enthusiastic and enjoyable spirit in which ARENA 2006 took place. Lee Thompson

International Advisory Board

Local Organizing Committee

Participants

From sacred cows to sacrificial lambs: implementing agricultural phosphorus science and management to combat eutrophication

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Experience with implementing agricultural phosphorus (P) strategies highlights successes and uncertainty over outcomes. We examine case studies from the USA, UK, and Sweden to examine P management under voluntary, litigated and regulatory settings. In the USA, voluntary strategies to curtail P loadi...

Advances in genome studies in plants and animals.

PubMed

Appels, R; Nystrom-Persson, J; Keeble-Gagnere, G

2014-03-01

The area of plant and animal genomics covers the entire suite of issues in biology because it aims to determine the structure and function of genetic material. Although specific issues define research advances at an organism level, it is evident that many of the fundamental features of genome structure and the translation of encoded information to function share common ground. The Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) conference held in San Diego (California), in January each year provides an overview across all organisms at the genome level, and often it is evident that investments in the human area provide leadership, applications, and discoveries for researchers studying other organisms. This mini-review utilizes the plenary lectures as a basis for summarizing the trends in the genome-level studies of organisms, and the lectures include presentations by Ewan Birney (EBI, UK), Eric Green (NIH, USA), John Butler (NIST, USA), Elaine Mardis (Washington, USA), Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre, UK), Trudy Mackay (NC State University, USA), Sue Wessler (UC Riverside, USA), and Patrick Wincker (Genoscope, France). The work reviewed is based on published papers. Where unpublished information is cited, permission to include the information in this manuscript was obtained from the presenters.

Discursive Space(s) in Science Curriculum Materials in Canada, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ninnes, Peter

2002-01-01

I examine how science curricula are complicit in maintaining the dominance of knowledge production by major powers, particularly the USA, through their efforts to tell the "truth" about certain topics, and whether resistant counter-discourses are being mounted, especially in "peripheral" states such as Canada, Australia, and…

Successful control of nosocomial transmission of the USA300 clone of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a UK paediatric burns centre.

PubMed

Patel, M; Thomas, H C; Room, J; Wilson, Y; Kearns, A; Gray, J

2013-08-01

An outbreak of the PVL-positive USA300 clone of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) occurred in a UK paediatric burns centre from January to February 2010. Four patients, two staff members and one family member of a patient were affected. The outbreak strain had similar antibiotic susceptibilities to other MRSA seen in the hospital, and was only identified when a patient and a staff member presented simultaneously with skin infections. Infection control measures included screening and decolonization of staff and patients, environmental sampling and enhanced cleaning. Isolation of the outbreak strain from an asymptomatic staff member and the environment demonstrates the potential for CA-MRSA to survive and become endemic in UK hospitals. Copyright © 2013 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Equine uveitis: a UK perspective.

PubMed

Lowe, R C

2010-03-01

Uveitis in the equine population of the UK does not appear to be as prevalent or disastrous as seen across regions of Europe and the USA. Some cases perceived to be recurrent uveitis may be poorly resolved single episodes of uveitis and care should be taken not to make the diagnosis of recurrence without ensuring effective control of the initial episode. Leptospira spp. appear to play only a minor role ERU in the UK which is probably the main reason for the prevalence of the disease being much lower compared to the USA and mainland Europe. Actual data are relatively few on the ground as far as disease surveillance in concerned. This has 2 implications. Firstly unless we are able to effectively monitor the levels of uveitic disease, it will be difficult to pick up early changes in the trend which may allow quicker intervention. Secondly, it is difficult to secure funding for further research if the prevalence of the problem is poorly defined. This may leave the UK equine population at risk should the disease profile suddenly alter for the worse.

Media Hyping and the “Herceptin Access Story”: An Analysis of Canadian and UK Newspaper Coverage

PubMed Central

Abelson, Julia; Collins, Patricia A.

2009-01-01

In May 2005, preliminary trial results pronouncing the effectiveness of Herceptin (trastuzumab) for treatment of early-stage breast cancer were disseminated at a high-profile scientific meeting. Herceptin was subsequently approved for use in the public healthcare systems of Canada and the United Kingdom, although the differences between the two decision timelines were stark. The authors compared UK and Canadian newspaper coverage of the Herceptin story to assess how it may have been “hyped” in each country. They analyzed a diverse sample of newspapers and coded clippings for reporters' framing of the drug's efficacy, costs and funding approval process. Canadian news coverage preceded formal publication of the trial results, while UK coverage mirrored major national events. Reporters in both countries used predominantly individualistic perspectives and framed Herceptin's efficacy in salutary terms. Framing of costs was more neutral in Canadian than in UK newspapers. Funding approval framing focused on inequitable access in the UK and timeliness in Canada. News coverage of drug access stories varies across jurisdictions in terms of intensity and some aspects of framing. Such variations likely reflect different journalistic practices and dominant political rhetoric. Greater attention should be given to the role that news coverage of drug access plays in shaping public opinion and policy action, especially when this coverage precedes scientific debate. PMID:19377347

Media Hyping and the "Herceptin Access Story": An Analysis of Canadian and UK Newspaper Coverage.

PubMed

Abelson, Julia; Collins, Patricia A

2009-02-01

In May 2005, preliminary trial results pronouncing the effectiveness of Herceptin (trastuzumab) for treatment of early-stage breast cancer were disseminated at a high-profile scientific meeting. Herceptin was subsequently approved for use in the public healthcare systems of Canada and the United Kingdom, although the differences between the two decision timelines were stark. The authors compared UK and Canadian newspaper coverage of the Herceptin story to assess how it may have been "hyped" in each country. They analyzed a diverse sample of newspapers and coded clippings for reporters' framing of the drug's efficacy, costs and funding approval process. Canadian news coverage preceded formal publication of the trial results, while UK coverage mirrored major national events. Reporters in both countries used predominantly individualistic perspectives and framed Herceptin's efficacy in salutary terms. Framing of costs was more neutral in Canadian than in UK newspapers. Funding approval framing focused on inequitable access in the UK and timeliness in Canada. News coverage of drug access stories varies across jurisdictions in terms of intensity and some aspects of framing. Such variations likely reflect different journalistic practices and dominant political rhetoric. Greater attention should be given to the role that news coverage of drug access plays in shaping public opinion and policy action, especially when this coverage precedes scientific debate. Copyright © 2009 Longwoods Publishing.

Motivation and Engagement in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and China: Testing a Multi-Dimensional Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.; Yu, Kai; Papworth, Brad; Ginns, Paul; Collie, Rebecca J.

2015-01-01

This study explored motivation and engagement among North American (the United States and Canada; n = 1,540), U.K. (n = 1,558), Australian (n = 2,283), and Chinese (n = 3,753) secondary school students. Motivation and engagement were assessed via students' responses to the Motivation and Engagement Scale-High School (MES-HS). Confirmatory factor…

An Internet snapshot study to compare the international availability of the novel psychoactive substance methiopropamine.

PubMed

Vermette-Marcotte, A-E; Dargan, P I; Archer, J R H; Gosselin, S; Wood, D M

2014-08-01

With the increased use of novel psychoactive substances, there is an increasing availability of these substances from Internet-based suppliers. Methiopropamine, first reported in 2011, is a recreational drug available over the Internet. The aim of this study was to investigate availability and cost of methiopropamine in three different countries: the UK, France, and Canada. Using the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction Internet snapshot methodology, this study, conducted in June 2013, was undertaken in two different languages: in English (the UK and Canada) and in French (France and Canada), using three Internet searching engines: " google.co.uk ", " google.fr " and " google.ca ". A total of 62 sites were found, most of them were found from the English searches. 45% of the suppliers seemed to originate from the UK. The prices of methiopropamine were comparable between suppliers, no matter which search engine or language was used. The cost of a unit of methiopropamine was inversely related to the purchased quantity, going from 19.49 ± 0.15 GBP per gram for a purchase amount of 500 mg to 3.54 ± 0.13 GBP per gram for a purchase amount of 1 kg. The results of the present study demonstrate that the sale of methiopropamine has the potential to reach users across the world. It also appears to support that snapshot studies could be used for toxicovigilance across different countries, by studying the Internet market of novel psychoactive substances. To date, snapshot studies, used to monitor the Internet novel psychoactive substances market, have only been undertaken in Europe. We have shown that the flexibility of this methodology enables comparison of the online activity of drug sellers between different countries and continents and that, at least for methiopropamine, the UK is the predominant source for Internet supply.

IGARSS 1989: Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing (12th) (Symposium Canadien sur la Teledetection): Quantitative Remote Sensing: An Economic Tool for the Nineties Held in Vancouver, Canada on 10-14 July 1989. Volume 4. Thursday, July 13

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-14

Ahern, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Canada Kohel Arai, National Space Development Agency of Japan, Japan F. Bonn, Universitie de Sherbrooke...Catholilque de Louvain, Belgium D.C. Hogg, University of Colorado, USA R. Humphreys, MacDonald Dettwiler Associates, Canada E. Jull, University of...to quantitative 1990 assessment of landslide damage ,4 ( C V ’ ) C.H. Trotter, P.R. Stephens, N.R. Trustrum, M.J. Page, K.S. Carr, R.C. de Rose

First record of Thecturota tenuissima Casey from Canada (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae).

PubMed

Klimaszewski, Jan; Struyve, Tim; Bourdon, Caroline; Dorval, Julie-Anne

2017-01-01

Thecturota tenuissima Casey, is reported for the first time from Canada, based on records from Ontario and Quebec. It was originally described from Rhode Island, USA, and no other records of this species in North America were published since that time. The specimens from Canada were captured by car netting. We provide here a redescription of this species and never before published images of habitus, tergite, and sternite VIII of both sexes, median lobe of aedeagus and spermatheca. The features distinguishing T. tenuissima from T. capito Casey (= pusio (Casey)), the only other species reported in Canada, are provided and illustrated.

Infrared emission of young HII regions: a Herschel/Hi-GAL study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cesaroni, R.; Pestalozzi, M.; Beltrán, M. T.; Hoare, M. G.; Molinari, S.; Olmi, L.; Smith, M. D.; Stringfellow, G. S.; Testi, L.; Thompson, M. A.

2015-07-01

Context. Investigating the relationship between radio and infrared emission of Hii regions may help shed light on the nature of the ionizing stars and the formation mechanism of early-type stars in general. Aims: We have taken advantage of recent unbiased surveys of the Galactic plane such as Herschel/Hi-GAL and VLA/CORNISH to study a bona fide sample of young Hii regions located in the Galactic longitude range 10°-65° by comparing the mid- and far-IR continuum emission to the radio free-free emission at 5 GHz. Methods: We have identified the Hi-GAL counterparts of 230 CORNISH Hii regions and reconstructed the spectral energy distributions of 204 of these by complementing the Hi-GAL fluxes with ancillary data at longer and shorter wavelengths. Using literature data, we obtained a kinematical distance estimate for 200 Hii regions with Hi-GAL counterparts and determined their luminosities by integrating the emission of the corresponding spectral energy distributions. We have also estimated the mass of the associated molecular clumps from the (sub)millimeter flux densities. Results: Our main finding is that for ~1/3 of the Hii regions the Lyman continuum luminosity appears to be greater than the value expected for a zero-age main-sequence star with the same bolometric luminosity. This result indicates that a considerable fraction of young, embedded early-type stars presents a "Lyman excess" possibly due to UV photons emitted from shocked material infalling onto the star itself and/or a circumstellar disk. Finally, by comparing the bolometric and Lyman continuum luminosities with the mass of the associated clump, we derive a star formation efficiency of 5%. Conclusions: The results obtained suggest that accretion may still be present during the early stages of the evolution of Hii regions, with important effects on the production of ionizing photons and thus on the circumstellar environment. More reliable numerical models describing the accretion process onto massive stars are required to shed light on the origin of the observed Lyman excess. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. PACS has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by MPE (Germany) and including UVIE (Austria); KUL, CSL, IMEC (Belgium); CEA, OAM P (France); MPIA (Germany); IAPS, OAP/OAT, OAA/CAISMI, LENS, SISSA (Italy); IAC (Spain). This development has been supported by the funding agencies BMVIT (Austria), ESA-PRODEX (Belgium), CEA/CNES (France), DLR (Germany), ASI (Italy), and CICYT/MCYT (Spain). SPIRE has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by Cardiff Univ. (UK) and including Univ. Lethbridge (Canada); NAOC (China); CEA , LAM (France); IAPS, Univ. Padua (Italy); IAC (Spain); Stockholm Observatory (Sweden); Imperial College London, RAL, UCL-MSSL, UKATC, Univ. Sussex (UK); Caltech, JPL, NHSC, Univ. Colorado (USA). This development has been supported by national funding agencies: CSA (Canada); NA OC (China); CEA, CNES, CNRS (France); ASI (Italy); MCINN (Spain); Stockholm Observatory (Sweden); STFC (UK); and NASA (USA).Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Fearing Prying U.S. Eyes, Canada's Colleges Crack Down On Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnevale, Dan

2007-01-01

The USA Patriot Act is having far-reaching effects on the kinds of data that wind up on some academics' computers in Canada. Canadian colleges, responding to provincial laws passed in reaction to the Patriot Act, are preventing professors from entering the United States with students' private data on their laptops and limiting the locations of…

Hierarchical den selection of Canada lynx in western Montana

Treesearch

John R. Squires; Nicholas J. Decesare; Jay A. Kolbe; Leonard F. Ruggiero

2008-01-01

We studied den selection of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis; hereafter lynx) at multiple ecological scales based on 57 dens from 19 females located in western Montana, USA, between 1999 and 2006. We considered 3 spatial scales in this analysis, including den site (11-m-radius circle surrounding dens), den area (100-m-radius circle), and den environ (1-...

Alouette-ISIS program summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, John E.

1986-01-01

The Alouette-ISIS program was a joint undertaking between Canada and the United States. Canada provided the Alouette and ISIS spacecraft, data acquisition, and satellite control. The USA provided launch capability, satellite tracking, and data acquisition. Brief descriptions of the six spacecraft and of the investigations on each spacecraft are given. The Alouette-ISIS bibliography, order alphabetically by first author's name, is contained.

Use of cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitors (COX-2) and prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in UK and USA populations. Implications for COX-2 cardiovascular profile.

PubMed

Arellano, Félix M; Yood, Marianne Ulcickas; Wentworth, Charles E; Oliveria, Susan A; Rivero, Elena; Verma, Anila; Rothman, Kenneth J

2006-12-01

COX-2 and NSAIDS differ in their gastrointestinal (GI) and cardiovascular (CV) toxicity from pharmacological, clinical and epidemiologic point of views. Describe the patterns of use of NSAIDS and COX-2 in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database in UK and the PharMetrics database in USA. We examined the experience of 10 distinct cohorts of new users of diclofenac, naproxen, ibuprofen, piroxicam, other NSAIDS, meloxicam, celecoxib, etoricoxib, rofecoxib and valdecoxib. The study period was 1 January 1995 through 2004 (31 March in UK and 28 February in USA). We collected information on covariates including history of upper GI disease, CV disease, hepatic disease, dosage, concomitant medication, and visits to a rheumatologist. We identified 486 076 unique patient-drug pairs in UK and 1 533 239 in USA. In UK population 78 201 (16%) were COX-2 users and in PharMetrics 324 206 (21%) were COX-2 users. Diclofenac and ibuprofen (NSAIDS), and celecoxib and rofecoxib (COX-2) were the agents prescribed most frequently. The duration of therapy was longer among celecoxib and rofecoxib users than among other users. More COX-2 users than NSAIDS users received concomitant gastroprotective agents (GPA), corticosteroids and anti-platelet therapy, and had a history of thromboembolic events and hypertension. PharMetrics patients were prescribed higher doses of NSAIDS and COX-2. The use of any single agent for more than 90 days was uncommon, but more frequent in PharMetrics. Switching was uncommon and was generally to a NSAID. Our results confirm some previous findings from other authors such as the presence of both GI and CV channelling to COX-2 agents but refute others, such as the frequency of drug switching between these agents. The typical use of COX-2 agents in practice is for shorter duration, and at lower doses, than was employed in randomized clinical trials. This difference may help clarify the apparent discrepancy with respect to CV toxicity between the results from clinical trials, which showed a higher CV risk with these drugs, and non-experimental epidemiologic studies, which showed lower or no increase in risk.

Nursing role in well-child care: Systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Turley, Jolanda; Vanek, Jaclyn; Johnston, Sharon; Archibald, Doug

2018-04-01

To describe and compare well-child care (WCC) in Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK), focusing on the role of nurses and their interactions with other primary care providers in order to derive relevant lessons for Canada's interprofessional primary care teams. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched broadly using the search terms well child care, nursing role, and delivery of care and other synonymous terms. In addition, Google Scholar was used to search for gray literature, and reference mining revealed a few other relevant articles. The original search identified 929 articles. The inclusion criteria were the following: relevant to WCC delivery; focuses on Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, Australia, or an international comparison; describes care of healthy term infants; describes care provided in the community; and describes the role of the nurse in WCC delivery. An abstract review followed by full-text review condensed the search to 25 selected articles. Selected articles varied in method and scope; thus, a narrative synthesis was generated using thematic analysis. In Australia, the Netherlands, and the UK, many WCC tasks are performed by trained public health nurses in a separate but parallel system to family medicine, with interaction between nurses and FPs varying greatly among countries. In general, nurses' roles in WCC remained in the preventive care and screening domains, including monitoring development, providing health education, and supporting parents. The 3 overarching themes that were identified were around professional development and education, integration of care and interprofessional collaboration, and the nurses' role in an evolving health system. International examples, given Canada's primary care reforms, suggest it is time to examine greater role sharing in WCC between nurses and FPs in interdisciplinary primary care teams. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Does comparative effectiveness research promote rationing of cancer care?

PubMed

Peppercorn, Jeffrey; Zafar, S Yousuf; Houck, Kevin; Ubel, Peter; Meropol, Neal J

2014-03-01

Comparative effectiveness research aims to inform health-care decisions by patients, clinicians, and policy makers. However, questions related to what information is relevant, and how to view the relative attributes of alternative interventions have political, social, and medical considerations. In particular, questions about whether cost is a relevant factor, and whether cost-effectiveness is a desirable or necessary component of such research, have become increasingly controversial as the area has gained prominence. Debate has emerged about whether comparative effectiveness research promotes rationing of cancer care. At the heart of this debate are questions related to the role and limits of patient autonomy, physician discretion in health-care decision making, and the nature of scientific knowledge as an objective good. In this article, we examine the role of comparative effectiveness research in the USA, UK, Canada, and other health-care systems, and the relation between research and policy. As we show, all health systems struggle to balance access to cancer care and control of costs; comparative effectiveness data can clarify choices, but does not itself determine policy or promote rationing of care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEY COMPARISON: Final report on CCEM key comparison CCEM.RF-K10.CL (GT-RF/99-2) 'Power in 50 Ω coaxial lines, frequency: 50 MHz to 26 GHz' measurement techniques and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janik, Dieter; Inoue, T.; Michaud, A.

2006-01-01

This report summarizes the results and the measuring methods of an international key comparison between twelve national metrology institutes (NMIs) and is concerning the calibration factor of RF power sensors in the coaxial 3.5 mm line for frequencies up to 26 GHz. Two RF power travelling standards fitted with male PC 3.5 mm connectors were measured at seven frequencies. The following NMIs participated: NMIJ (Japan), NRC (Canada), NIST (USA), METAS (Switzerland), CSIR-NML (South Africa), NMIA (Australia), NPL (UK), SiQ (Slovenia), IEN (Italy), VNIIFTRI (Russian Federation), SPRING (Singapore) and PTB (Germany), as the pilot laboratory. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCEM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

Many roads may lead to Rome: Selected features of quality control within environmental assessment systems in the US, NL, CA, and UK

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

Günther, Markus, E-mail: markus.guenther@tu-berlin.de; Geißler, Gesa; Köppel, Johann

As there is no one-and-only concept on how to precisely define and establish quality control (QC) or quality assurance (QA) in the making of environmental assessments (EA), this paper presents selected features of international approaches that address quality in EA systems in the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Based on explanative case studies, we highlight the embedding of specific quality control features within the EA systems, the objectives and processes, and relevant transparency challenges. Such features of QC/QA approaches can be considered in cases where substantial quality control and assurance efforts are still missing. Yet further researchmore » needs to be conducted on the efficacy of these approaches, which remains beyond the scope of this study. - Highlights: • We present four tools for quality control and assurance from different EA systems. • Approaches vary in institutional setting, objectives, procedures, and transparency. • Highlighted features might provide guidance in cases where QC/QA is still lacking.« less

Internet search query analysis can be used to demonstrate the rapidly increasing public awareness of palliative care in the USA.

PubMed

McLean, Sarah; Lennon, Paul; Glare, Paul

2017-01-27

A lack of public awareness of palliative care (PC) has been identified as one of the main barriers to appropriate PC access. Internet search query analysis is a novel methodology, which has been effectively used in surveillance of infectious diseases, and can be used to monitor public awareness of health-related topics. We aimed to demonstrate the utility of internet search query analysis to evaluate changes in public awareness of PC in the USA between 2005 and 2015. Google Trends provides a referenced score for the popularity of a search term, for defined regions over defined time periods. The popularity of the search term 'palliative care' was measured monthly between 1/1/2005 and 31/12/2015 in the USA and in the UK. Results were analysed using independent t-tests and joinpoint analysis. The mean monthly popularity of the search term increased between 2008-2009 (p<0.001), 2011-2012 (p<0.001), 2013-2014 (p=0.004) and 2014-2015 (p=0.002) in the USA. Joinpoint analysis was used to evaluate the monthly percentage change (MPC) in the popularity of the search term. In the USA, the MPC increase was 0.6%/month (p<0.05); in the UK the MPC of 0.05% was non-significant. Although internet search query surveillance is a novel methodology, it is freely accessible and has significant potential to monitor health-seeking behaviour among the public. PC is rapidly growing in the USA, and the rapidly increasing public awareness of PC as demonstrated in this study, in comparison with the UK, where PC is relatively well established is encouraging in increasingly ensuring appropriate PC access for all. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

COMPARISON OF POPULATIONS OF MOULD SPECIES IN HOMES IN THE UK AND US USING MOLD-SPECIFIC QUANTITATIVE PCR (MSQPCR)

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this research was to compare the populations of 81 mold species in homes in USA and UK using mould specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MSQPCR) technology. Dust samples were obtained from randomly selected homes in Great Britain (n=11). The mould populat...

Subharmonic-Aided Pressure Estimation for Monitoring Interstitial Fluid Pressure in Tumors: Calibration and Treatment with Paclitaxel in Breast Cancer Xenografts.

PubMed

Halldorsdottir, Valgerdur G; Dave, Jaydev K; Marshall, Andrew; Forsberg, Anya I; Fox, Traci B; Eisenbrey, John R; Machado, Priscilla; Liu, Ji-Bin; Merton, Daniel A; Forsberg, Flemming

2017-07-01

Interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in rats with breast cancer xenografts was non-invasively estimated using subharmonic-aided pressure estimation (SHAPE) versus an invasive pressure monitor. Moreover, monitoring of IFP changes after chemotherapy was assessed. Eighty-nine rats (calibration n = 25, treatment n = 64) were injected with 5 × 10 6 breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). Radiofrequency signals were acquired (39 rats successfully imaged) with a Sonix RP scanner (BK Ultrasound, Richmond, BC, Canada) using a linear array (L9-4, transmit/receive: 8/4 MHz) after administration of Definity (Lantheus Medical Imaging, North Billerica, MA, USA; 180 μL/kg) and compared with readings from an invasive pressure monitor (Stryker, Berkshire, UK). An inverse linear relationship was established between tumor IFP and SHAPE (y = -1.06x + 28.27, r = -0.69, p = 0.01) in the calibration group. Use of this relationship in the treatment group resulted in r = 0.74 (p < 0.05) between measured (pressure monitor) and SHAPE-estimated IFP (average error: 6.24 mmHg). No significant before/after differences were observed with respect to paclitaxel treatment (5 mg/kg, Mayne Pharma, Paramus, NJ, USA) with either method (p ≥ 0.15). Copyright © 2017 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis on development situation and tendency of international Qinghai-Tibet Plateau studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.

2015-12-01

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the hotspots of the international earth science studies. The relative research papers have proliferated especially since 21st century. By using the the latest bibliometric indicators, the statistical analysis of the quantities and qualities was carried out for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau literature indexed by SCIE during 1900 and 2012. It focused on the published years, journals, countries, cities, research institutes, international cooperation, and subjects. Some statistical results were displayed and deeply analyzed by using the tools of mapping knowledge domain (MKD) and geographic information system (GIS). The results of the Bibliometric analysis indicate that the publication and citation of QTP researches have a jump after entering the 21st century. China, USA, India, Canada and France are the main coutries engaged in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau studies. Knowledge mapping results show that USA, UK and France have longer academic influential power of QTP researches, which indicates that these countries begin to study QTP early and the papers have longer permanent impacts. On the other hand, China, India and Japan have higher academic influential power in recent years, which indicate that these countries have more publications and higher impacts recently. The disciplines of QTP researches mainly focus on the geology, geochemistry &geophysics, environmental sciences &ecology, and so on. The spatial analysis indicates that the differences of the disciplines are emphasized by different countries. The above analysis results is hoped to integrate the new knowledge and reveal the development tendency of the QTP researches.

An observational study of the timing of surgery, use of laparoscopy and outcomes for acute cholecystitis in the USA and UK.

PubMed

Murray, A C; Markar, S; Mackenzie, H; Baser, O; Wiggins, T; Askari, A; Hanna, G; Faiz, O; Mayer, E; Bicknell, C; Darzi, A; Kiran, R P

2018-01-08

Evidence supports early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Differences in treatment patterns between the USA and UK, associated outcomes and resource utilization are not well understood. In this retrospective, observational study using national administrative data, emergency patients admitted with acute cholecystitis were identified in England (Hospital Episode Statistics 1998-2012) and USA (National Inpatient Sample 1998-2011). Proportions of patients who underwent emergency cholecystectomy, utilization of laparoscopy and associated outcomes including length of stay (LOS) and complications were compared. The effect of delayed treatment on subsequent readmissions was evaluated for England. Patients with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis totaled 1,191,331 in the USA vs. 288 907 in England. Emergency cholecystectomy was performed in 628,395 (52.7% USA) and 45,299 (15.7% England) over the time period. Laparoscopy was more common in the USA (82.8 vs. 37.9%; p < 0.001). Pre-treatment (1 vs. 2 days; p < 0.001) and total ( 4 vs. 7 days; p < 0.001) LOS was lower in the USA. Overall incidence of bile duct injury was higher in England than the USA (0.83 vs. 0.43%; p < 0.001), but was no different following laparoscopic surgery (0.1%). In England, 40.5% of patients without an immediate cholecystectomy were subsequently readmitted with cholecystitis. An additional 14.5% were admitted for other biliary complications, amounting to 2.7 readmissions per patient in the year following primary admission. This study highlights management practices for acute cholecystitis in the USA and England. Despite best evidence, index admission laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed less in England, which significantly impacts subsequent healthcare utilization.

Use of vitamin D supplements during infancy in an international feeding trial.

PubMed

Lehtonen, Eveliina; Ormisson, Anne; Nucci, Anita; Cuthbertson, David; Sorkio, Susa; Hyytinen, Mila; Alahuhta, Kirsi; Berseth, Carol; Salonen, Marja; Taback, Shayne; Franciscus, Margaret; González-Frutos, Teba; Korhonen, Tuuli E; Lawson, Margaret L; Becker, Dorothy J; Krischer, Jeffrey P; Knip, Mikael; Virtanen, Suvi M

2014-04-01

To examine the use of vitamin D supplements during infancy among the participants in an international infant feeding trial. Longitudinal study. Information about vitamin D supplementation was collected through a validated FFQ at the age of 2 weeks and monthly between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Infants (n 2159) with a biological family member affected by type 1 diabetes and with increased human leucocyte antigen-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes from twelve European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia. Daily use of vitamin D supplements was common during the first 6 months of life in Northern and Central Europe (>80% of the infants), with somewhat lower rates observed in Southern Europe (> 60%). In Canada, vitamin D supplementation was more common among exclusively breast-fed than other infants (e.g., 71% v. 44% at 6 months of age). Less than 2% of infants in the U.S.A. and Australia received any vitamin D supplementation. Higher gestational age, older maternal age and longer maternal education were study-wide associated with greater use of vitamin D supplements. Most of the infants received vitamin D supplements during the first 6 months of life in the European countries, whereas in Canada only half and in the U.S.A. and Australia very few were given supplementation.

The impact of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in North America and Europe: history, biology, ecology, and management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive Pentatomidae introduced to the USA, Canada, and multiple European countries. In 2010, BMSB populations in the mid-Atlantic region USA reached outbreak levels, and subsequent feeding resulted in severe damage to tree fruit a...

Canadian Space Launch: Exploiting Northern Latitudes For Efficient Space Launch

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

9  Peoples’ Republic of China .........................................................................................11  USA Launch... taxation and legislation that make Canada an attractive destination for commercial space companies.3 General Definitions Highly Inclined Orbit...launches from sites north of the 35th parallel.33 USA Launch Facilities There are 3 US based launch facilities that conduct launch operations north

Winter distribution, movements, and annual survival of radiomarked Vancouver Canada geese in southeast Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hupp, Jerry W.; Hodges, John I.; Conant, Bruce P.; Meixell, Brandt W.; Groves, Debbie J.

2010-01-01

Management of Pacific Flyway Canada geese (Branta canadensis) requires information on winter distribution of different populations. Recoveries of tarsus bands from Vancouver Canada geese (B. canadensis fulva) marked in southeast Alaska, USA, ≥4 decades ago suggested that ≥83% of the population was non-migratory and that annual adult survival was high (Ŝ = 0.836). However, recovery distribution of tarsus bands was potentially biased due to geographic differences in harvest intensity in the Pacific Flyway. Also, winter distribution of Vancouver Canada geese could have shifted since the 1960s, as has occurred for some other populations of Canada geese. Because winter distribution and annual survival of this population had not recently been evaluated, we surgically implanted very high frequency radiotransmitters in 166 adult female Canada geese in southeast Alaska. We captured Vancouver Canada geese during molt at 2 sites where adults with goslings were present (breeding areas) and 2 sites where we observed nonbreeding birds only. During winter radiotracking flights in southeast Alaska, we detected 98% of 85 females marked at breeding areas and 83% of 70 females marked at nonbreeding sites, excluding 11 females that died prior to the onset of winter radiotracking. We detected no radiomarked females in coastal British Columbia, or western Washington and Oregon, USA. Most (70%) females moved ≤30 km between November and March. Our model-averaged estimate of annual survival (Ŝ = 0.844, SE = 0.050) was similar to the estimate of annual survival of geese marked from 1956 to 1960. Likely <2% of Vancouver Canada geese that nest in southeast Alaska migrate to winter areas in Oregon or Washington where they could intermix with Canada geese from other populations in the Pacific Flyway. Because annual survival of adult Vancouver Canada geese was high and showed evidence of long-term consistency, managers should examine how reproductive success and recruitment may affect the population.

Hematologic parameters and hemoparasites of nonmigratory Canada geese (Branta canadensis) from Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

PubMed

Charles-Smith, Lauren E; Rutledge, M Elizabeth; Meek, Caroline J; Baine, Katherine; Massey, Elizabeth; Ellsaesser, Laura N; DePerno, Christopher S; Moorman, Christopher E; Degernes, Laurel A

2014-03-01

Large flocks of wild, nonmigratory Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have established permanent residence throughout the eastern United States and have become a public concern. Few studies have assessed the hematologic parameters for these populations, which could provide useful information for monitoring individual and population health of Canada geese. This study measured the hematologic parameters and detected the presence of hemoparasites from 146 wild, nonmigratory Canada geese in central North Carolina, USA, during their annual molt. The age class, sex, and weight of each bird were recorded at capture. Values for packed cell volume (PCV), estimated white blood cell count, white blood cell differentials, and heterophil: lymphocyte ratios were calculated for each bird. Adults and female geese had higher estimated white blood cell counts compared with juveniles and males, respectively. The PCV increased with weight and age class. Adult geese had higher percentages of heterophils and heterophil: lymphocyte ratios, whereas juvenile geese had higher percentages of lymphocytes. Relative eosinophil counts in adults increased with decreasing bird weight, and relative monocyte counts in juveniles increased with increasing weight. Three percent of geese were infected with species of Hemoproteus blood parasites. Atypical lymphocyte morphology, including pseudopods, split nuclei, and cytoplasmic granules, was observed in 5% of the birds. The hematologic values reported for adult and juvenile nonmigratory Canada geese in this study may serve as reference intervals for ecological studies and veterinary care of wild and captive Canada geese.

Is Canadian Healthcare Affordable? A Comparative Analysis of the Canadian Healthcare System from 2004 to 2014.

PubMed

Soril, Lesley J J; Adams, Ted; Phipps-Taylor, Madeleine; Winblad, Ulrika; Clement, Fiona

2017-08-01

To compare cost-related non-adherence (CRNA), serious problems paying medical bills and average annual out-of-pocket cost over time in five countries. Repeated cross-sectional analysis of the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy survey from 2004 to 2014. Responses were compared between Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US. Compared to the UK, respondents in Canada, Australia and New Zealand were two to three times and respondents in the US were eight times more likely to experience CRNA; these odds remained stable over time. From 2004 to 2014, Canadian respondents paid US $852-1,767 out-of-pocket for care. The US reported the largest risks of serious problems paying for care (13-18.5%), highest out-of-pocket costs (US $2,060-3,319) and greatest rise in expenditures. Over the 10-year period, financial barriers to care were identified in Canada and internationally. Such persistent challenges are of great concern to countries striving for equitable access to healthcare. Copyright © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

Recent field experiences with Bacillus thuringiensis in Canada and research needs

Treesearch

Oswald N. Morris

1985-01-01

The CANUSA working group on the use of B.t. against the spruce budworm has prepared a document entitled "Guidelines for the operational use of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) against the spruce budworm" following six years of extensive cooperative field trials in Canada and the U.S.A. (Morris et al 1984). The document summarized below (Table...

Seasonal resource selection of Canada lynx in managed forests of the northern Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

John R. Squires; Nicholas J. DeCesare; Jay A. Kolbe; Leonard F. Ruggiero

2010-01-01

We investigated seasonal patterns in resource selection of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in the northern Rockies (western MT, USA) from 1998 to 2002 based on backtracking in winter (577 km; 10 M, 7 F) and radiotelemetry (630 locations; 16 M, 11 F) in summer. During winter, lynx preferentially foraged in mature, multilayer forests with Engelmann spruce (Picea...

Winter prey selection of Canada lynx in northwestern Montana

Treesearch

John R. Squires; Leonard F. Ruggiero

2007-01-01

The roles that diet and prey abundance play in habitat selection of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) in the contiguous United States is poorly understood. From 1998-2002, we back-tracked radiocollared lynx (6 F, 9 M) for a distance of 582 km and we located 86 kills in northwestern Montana, USA. Lynx preyed on 7 species that included blue grouse (Dendragapus...

Forecasting the burden of future postmenopausal hip fractures.

PubMed

Omsland, T K; Magnus, J H

2014-10-01

A growing elderly population is expected worldwide, and the rate of hip fractures is decisive for the future fracture burden. Significant declines in hip fracture rates in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK are required to counteract the impact of the ageing effects. This study aims to evaluate the consequences of the expected growth of the elderly population worldwide on the hip fracture burden using Norway as an example. Furthermore, we wanted to estimate the decline in hip fracture rates required to counteract the anticipated increase in the burden of hip fracture for Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. The burden of future postmenopausal hip fractures in Norway were estimated given (1) constant age-specific rates, (2) continued decline, and (3) different cohort scenarios. Based on population projection estimates and population age-specific hip fracture rates in women 65 years and older, we calculated the required declines in hip fracture rates needed to counteract the growing elderly populations in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. The level of age-specific hip fracture rates had a huge impact on the future hip fracture burden in Norway. Even if the hip fracture rates decline at the same speed, a 22 % increase in the burden of hip fractures can be expected by 2040. An annual decline in hip fracture rates of 1.1-2.2 % until 2040 is required to counteract the effects of the growing elderly population on the future burden of hip fractures in Norway, the USA, France, Germany, and the UK. Hip fracture rates have a great impact on the burden of hip fractures. The rates will have to decline significantly to counteract the impact of a growing elderly population. A change in preventive strategies and further studies are warranted to identify the complex causes associated to hip fractures.

Breast cancer survival and stage at diagnosis in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK, 2000-2007: a population-based study

PubMed Central

Walters, S; Maringe, C; Butler, J; Rachet, B; Barrett-Lee, P; Bergh, J; Boyages, J; Christiansen, P; Lee, M; Wärnberg, F; Allemani, C; Engholm, G; Fornander, T; Gjerstorff, M L; Johannesen, T B; Lawrence, G; McGahan, C E; Middleton, R; Steward, J; Tracey, E; Turner, D; Richards, M A; Coleman, M P

2013-01-01

Background: We investigate whether differences in breast cancer survival in six high-income countries can be explained by differences in stage at diagnosis using routine data from population-based cancer registries. Methods: We analysed the data on 257 362 women diagnosed with breast cancer during 2000–7 and registered in 13 population-based cancer registries in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Flexible parametric hazard models were used to estimate net survival and the excess hazard of dying from breast cancer up to 3 years after diagnosis. Results: Age-standardised 3-year net survival was 87–89% in the UK and Denmark, and 91–94% in the other four countries. Stage at diagnosis was relatively advanced in Denmark: only 30% of women had Tumour, Nodes, Metastasis (TNM) stage I disease, compared with 42–45% elsewhere. Women in the UK had low survival for TNM stage III–IV disease compared with other countries. Conclusion: International differences in breast cancer survival are partly explained by differences in stage at diagnosis, and partly by differences in stage-specific survival. Low overall survival arises if the stage distribution is adverse (e.g. Denmark) but stage-specific survival is normal; or if the stage distribution is typical but stage-specific survival is low (e.g. UK). International differences in staging diagnostics and stage-specific cancer therapies should be investigated. PMID:23449362

A tale of two countries: all-cause mortality among people living with HIV and receiving combination antiretroviral therapy in the UK and Canada.

PubMed

Patterson, S; Jose, S; Samji, H; Cescon, A; Ding, E; Zhu, J; Anderson, J; Burchell, A N; Cooper, C; Hill, T; Hull, M; Klein, M B; Loutfy, M; Martin, F; Machouf, N; Montaner, Jsg; Nelson, M; Raboud, J; Rourke, S B; Tsoukas, C; Hogg, R S; Sabin, C

2017-10-01

We sought to compare all-cause mortality of people living with HIV and accessing care in Canada and the UK. Individuals from the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) collaboration and UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) study who were aged ≥ 18 years, had initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between 2000 and 2012 and who had acquired HIV through sexual transmission were included in the analysis. Cox regression was used to investigate the difference in mortality risk between the two cohort collaborations, accounting for loss to follow-up as a competing risk. A total of 19 960 participants were included in the analysis (CANOC, 4137; UK CHIC, 15 823). CANOC participants were more likely to be older [median age 39 years (interquartile range (IQR): 33, 46 years) vs. 36 years (IQR: 31, 43 years) for UK CHIC participants], to be male (86 vs. 73%, respectively), and to report men who have sex with men (MSM) sexual transmission risk (72 vs. 56%, respectively) (all P < 0.001). Overall, 762 deaths occurred during 98 798 person-years (PY) of follow-up, giving a crude mortality rate of 7.7 per 1000 PY [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1, 8.3 per 1000 PY]. The crude mortality rates were 8.6 (95% CI: 7.4, 10.0) and 7.5 (95% CI: 6.9, 8.1) per 1000 PY among CANOC and UK CHIC study participants, respectively. No statistically significant difference in mortality risk was observed between the cohort collaborations in Cox regression accounting for loss to follow-up as a competing risk (adjusted hazard ratio 0.86; 95% CI: 0.72-1.03). Despite differences in national HIV care provision and treatment guidelines, mortality risk did not differ between CANOC and UK CHIC study participants who acquired HIV through sexual transmission. © 2017 The Authors. HIV Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British HIV Association.

Securing World-Class Research in UK Universities: Exploring the Impact of Block Grant Funding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2009

2009-01-01

The UK research base is world class. It is second only to the USA on leading scientific indicators and crucially, during the current economic climate, ranks first on publication productivity and citations in relation to research and development public spend. Commonly known as quality-related (QR) funding because it is allocated selectively on the…

US line-ups outperform UK line-ups

PubMed Central

Seale-Carlisle, Travis M.

2016-01-01

In the USA and the UK, many thousands of police suspects are identified by eyewitnesses every year. Unfortunately, many of those suspects are innocent, which becomes evident when they are exonerated by DNA testing, often after having been imprisoned for years. It is, therefore, imperative to use identification procedures that best enable eyewitnesses to discriminate innocent from guilty suspects. Although police investigators in both countries often administer line-up procedures, the details of how line-ups are presented are quite different and an important direct comparison has yet to be conducted. We investigated whether these two line-up procedures differ in terms of (i) discriminability (using receiver operating characteristic analysis) and (ii) reliability (using confidence–accuracy characteristic analysis). A total of 2249 participants watched a video of a crime and were later tested using either a six-person simultaneous photo line-up procedure (USA) or a nine-person sequential video line-up procedure (UK). US line-up procedure yielded significantly higher discriminability and significantly higher reliability. The results do not pinpoint the reason for the observed difference between the two procedures, but they do suggest that there is much room for improvement with the UK line-up. PMID:27703695

COMMITTEES: Proceedings of the 13th Gravitational Waves Data Analysis Workshop (GWDAW13), San Juan, Puerto Rico, 19-22 January 2009 Proceedings of the 13th Gravitational Waves Data Analysis Workshop (GWDAW13), San Juan, Puerto Rico, 19-22 January 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-10-01

Science Organising Committee (SOC) Bruce Allen, AEI, Germany Patrick Brady, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, USA Deepto Chakrabarty, MIT, USA Eugenio Coccia, INFN, Gran Sasso, Italy James Cordes, Cornell University, USA Mario Díaz (Chair), University of Texas Brownsville, USA Sam Finn, Penn State, USA Neil Gehrels, NASA GSFC, USA Fredrick A Jenet, University of Texas Brownsville, USA Nobuyuki Kanda, Osaka City University, Japan Erik Katsavounides, MIT, USA Dick Manchester, ATNF, Australia Soumya Mohanty, University of Texas Brownsville, USA Benoit Mours, LAPP-Annecy, France Maria Alessandra Papa, AEI, Germany Kate Scholberg, Duke University, USA Susan Scott, The Australian National University Alberto Vecchio, University of Birmingham, UK Andrea Vicere, INFN - Sezione di Firenze, Italy Stan Whitcomb, LIGO CALTECH, USA Local Organising Committee (LOC) Paulo Freire (Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico) Murray Lewis (Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico) Wanda Wiley (University of Texas Brownsville, USA)

Did intense adverse media publicity impact on prescribing of paroxetine and the notification of suspected adverse drug reactions? Analysis of routine databases, 2001-2004.

PubMed

Martin, Richard M; May, Margaret; Gunnell, David

2006-02-01

To document the impact on clinical practice in England of media attention around possible adverse effects of paroxetine. Analysis of national selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescribing trends and yellow-card adverse drug reaction reports, 2001-2004. From a steady state in 2001, paroxetine prescribing declined sharply from April 2002, coinciding with a USA regulatory action; the subsequent decline in paroxetine prescribing was 1.87% per month (95% confidence interval - 2.06, -1.68). Other SSRI prescribing increased by 1% per month until a major UK review of SSRIs in children in December 2003, after which prescribing plateaued. Media publicity was associated with short-term peaks in yellow-card reports related to paroxetine. Falls in paroxetine and other SSRI prescribing in the UK coincided, respectively, with regulatory communications from the USA and the UK, but associations may have noncausal or other explanations. Reports of adverse reactions to paroxetine appeared to increase after adverse media publicity about the drug.

User experience with on-road electric vehicles in the U.S.A. and Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandberg, J. J.; Leschly, K.

1978-01-01

Approximately 3000 on-road electric passenger cars and delivery vans are now in use in the U.S.A. and Canada. The owners and operators of almost one-third of these vehicles have been surveyed directly in an attempt to determine the suitability of commercially sold electric vehicles for real on-road jobs. This paper is primarily concerned with the analysis of the engineering aspects of the user experience with electric vehicles, i.e., mileage and application, failure modes and rates, energy economy, maintenance requirements, life cycle costs, and vehicle performance characteristics. It is concluded that existing electric vehicles can perform satisfactorily in applications that have limited performance requirements, particularly in terms of range.

The Canadian seasonal forecast and the APCC exchange.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archambault, B.; Fontecilla, J.; Kharin, V.; Bourgouin, P.; Ashok, K.; Lee, D.

2009-05-01

In this talk, we will first describe the Canadian seasonal forecast system. This system uses a 4 model ensemble approach with each of these models generating a 10 members ensemble. Multi-model issues related to this system will be describes. Secondly, we will describe an international multi-system initiative. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries or regions including Canada. The APEC Climate Center (APCC) provides seasonal forecasts to their regional climate centers with a Multi Model Ensemble (MME) approach. The APCC MME is based on 13 ensemble prediction systems from different institutions including MSC(Canada), NCEP(USA), COLA(USA), KMA(Korea), JMA(Japan), BOM(Australia) and others. In this presentation, we will describe the basics of this international cooperation.

The Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team Program as a Model for Assisting the Development of an Effective Afghan National Army

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-12

care has been taken to ensure the ANA is comprised of soldiers from all of Afghanistan’s major ethnic groups - Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek , Hazara, Turkmen...Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland , Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and United States have contributed full OMLTs/ETTs...embedded training teams) while Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland , Portugal, Romania, Slovenia

Quantifying Collaboration Using Himmelman's Strategies for Working Together: Findings from the Tennessee Coordinated School Health Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Megan A; Southerland, Jodi L.; Richards, Kasie; Slawson, Deborah L; Behringer, Bruce; Johns-Womack, Rebecca; Smith, Sara

2016-01-01

Purpose: Coordinated school health programs (CSHPs), a type of health promoting school (HPS) program adopted by Canada and the USA, were developed to provide a comprehensive approach to school health in the USA. Community partnerships are central to CSHP and HPS efforts, yet the quality of collaboration efforts is rarely assessed. The purpose of…

A cooperative study of gate entry designs: Welbeck Colliery (UK) and Jim Walter Resources (USA)

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

Hendon, G.; Carr, F.; Lewis, A.

1995-11-01

Longwall developments in the UK have historically consisted of single entry gate roads. Adjacent developments were separated from existing pales by large barrier pillars (designed of sufficient width to get away from the longwall abutments of the previous panel) or by small barriers driven in the shadow, or de-stressed zone, of the previous panel. Some 2nd panel tailgates were also driven skin to skin leaving no coal barrier between the newly driven entry and the heavily supported existing gateroad. With the development and wide acceptance of fully bolted entries and the pressure to reduce production costs, alternatives to single entrymore » drivage, particularly yield pillar developments, were examined. Through the Rock Mechanics Branch of british Coal, a cooperative study was begun with Jim Walter Resources, Inc., USA, (JWR) to look at the yield pillar alternative in detail. This study was to determine the feasibility of utilizing yield pillars in the UK and to determine, through monitoring, the possibility of reducing stable pillar widths at JWR. The study has included extensive monitoring of the yield-stable-yield pillar system at JWR No. 7 Mine and an underground trial of a two entry yield pillar test area at Welbeck Colliery in the UK. This paper describes results from the JWR study and the subsequent results of the first advancing yield pillar development in the UK at Welbeck Colliery.« less

The Impact of Religion on the Educational Achievement of Black Boys: A UK and USA Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byfield, Cheron

2008-01-01

Black boys in the United Kingdom and the USA have almost become synonymous with the concept of "underachievement". However, many Black boys are achieving against the odds. Whilst the possession of a high degree of dominant cultural capital is widely recognised as a key contributory factor to academic achievement, the contributory role of…

Measuring Student Choice Criteria Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour: The Case of Taiwan, Australia, UK, and USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gatfield, Terry; Chen, Ching-huei

2006-01-01

The international marketing of higher education is a global phenomenon in which more than 50 countries compete. USA enjoys the largest market share. However, the market place is highly competitive with many players seeking a place in the international club. Increasing competitive practices calls for increasing market research especially in the…

PREFACE: First Mediterranean Conference on Classical and Quantum Gravity (MCCQG 2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basilakos, Spyros; Cadoni, Mariano; Cavaglia, Marco; Christodoulakis, Theodosios; Vagenas, Elias C.

2010-04-01

The year 2009 signals the birth of a new conference series under the name of Mediterranean Conference on Classical and Quantum Gravity (MCCQG). The main purpose of this new series is to bring together physicists working on General Relativity, Field Theory, and related areas to discuss the present status and latest developments in the classical and quantum treatment of gravitational systems, as well as to support and strengthen the scientific communication between the physicists of the wide Mediterranean region, working in the field of Classical and Quantum Gravity. For the latter reason, we plan to organize all future conferences of this series in the Mediterranean region. The First Mediterranean Conference on Classical and Quantum Gravity took place at the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) in Kolymbari (Crete, Greece) from 14-18 September 2009. Physicists from countries all around the world travelled to Kolymbari to discuss hot topics in the classical and quantum treatment of gravitational systems such as string theory and branes, classical gravity and alternative theories, gravitational waves and experiments, quantum gravity, cosmology, and black holes. The program consisted of invited plenary talks and contributed talks in parallel sessions. We were able to give full financial support for accommodation to all invited speakers and partial support to younger people at the beginning of their scientific careers. In particular, help was provided to students and scientists from non-EU countries. The financial support was provided by the Academy of Athens and the Tomalla Foundation. During the MCCQG two social events were organized. The first one was a half-day guided bus excursion to Knossos and the surrounding area which took place on 16 September. The second one was the conference dinner on 18 September at the OAC. Traditional Cretan dishes were served and dancers performing in traditional costumes entertained the participants. These events contributed to create a quite fruitful, enjoyable 'Mediterranean' atmosphere for the exchange of ideas and discussion. It is a pleasure to thank our administrative and technical staff Georgia Angelopoulou, Athina Pouri, Mando Zambeli and Manolis Zoulias for their untiring assistance. We also thank the staff of the OAC for the enthusiastic support and their hospitality. We are grateful to the Academy of Athens and the Tomalla Foundation for their generous financial support which made MCCQG possible. Finally, our gratitude goes to all the participants and especially the many experienced scientists. Their contributions highlighted the meeting. The success of the MCCQG is due to them and to the enthusiasm of the younger participants. The Editors March 2010 COMMITTEES Organising Committee Spyros Basilakos (RCAAM, Academy of Athens, Greece) Mariano Cadoni (University and INFN Cagliari, Italy) Marco Cavaglià (University of Mississippi, USA) Theodosios Christodoulakis (University of Athens, Greece) Elias Vagenas (RCAAM, Academy of Athens, Greece) Advisory Committee Ignatios Antoniadis (CERN, Switzerland) Orfeu Bertolami (IST, Lisbon, Portugal) Loriano Bonora (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) George Contopoulos (Academy of Athens, Greece) Ruth Durrer (Geneva University, Switzerland) Enrique Gaztanaga (IEEC, Barcelona, Spain) Gabriela Gonzalez (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA) Marc Henneaux (Brussels University, Belgium) Roman Jackiw (MIT, USA) Claus Kiefer (Cologne University, Germany) Stefano Liberati (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) Ofer Lahav (University College London, UK) Roy Maartens (University of Portsmouth, UK) Don Marolf (UC Santa Barbara, USA) Hermann Nicolai (AEI, Potsdam, Germany) Augusto Sagnotti (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy) Mairi Sakellariadou (King's College London, UK) Jorge Zanelli (CECS, Valdivia, Chile) SPONSORS Academy of Athens The Tomalla Foundation Università di Cagliari University of Mississippi University of Athens LIST OF PARTICIPANTS Abdalla, Elcio (Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brasil) Antoniadis, Ignatios (CERN, Geneva, Switzerland) Arminjon, Mayeul (CNRS, Section of Theoretical Physics, France) Banados, Max (University of Oxford, UK) Basilakos, Spyros (RCAAM, Academy of Athens, Greece) Bastos, Catarina (IST, Departamento de Física, Portugal) Bertolami, Orfeu (IST, Departamento de Física, Portugal) Bevilaqua, Leandro Ibiapina (Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil) Bezerra De Mello, Eugenio (Dept. de Física, CCEN Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Brazil) Blake, Russ (Readify Pty Ltd, Australia) Bogdanos, Charalampos (LPT-Orsay, France) Burinskii, Alexander (Gravity Research Group NSI, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia) Cadonati, Laura (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA) Cadoni, Mariano (Università di Cagliari, Italy) Capone, Monica (University of Turin, Italy) Cavaglià, Marco (University of Mississippi, USA) Chirco, Goffredo (SISSA-International School for Advanced Studies, Italy) Christodoulakis, Theodosios (University of Athens, Greece) Domingues Zarro, Carlos Augusto ((IST, Departamento de Física, Portugal) Durrer, Ruth (Université de Genève, Département de Physique Théorique, Switzerland) Fagnocchi, Serena (SISSA-International School for Advanced Studies, Italy) Finazzi, Stefano (SISSA-International School for Advanced Studies, Italy) Francia, Dario (University Paris 7 - APC, France) Ghosh, Subir (Indian Statistical Institute, India) Gomberoff, Andres (Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile) Grumiller, Daniel (Institute for Theoretical Physics Vienna University of Technology, Austria) Herrera-Aguilar, Alfredo (IFM, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Mexico) Hsu, Steve (University of Oregon, USA) Ichinose, Shoichi (University of Shizuoka, SFNS, Japan) Kiefer, Claus (Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, Germany) Kokkotas, Kostas (Theoretical Astrophysics, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany) Kothawala, Dawood (IUCAA, Pune, India) Liberati, Stefano (SISSA, Trieste, Italy) Lopez-Villarejo, Juan Jose (Dep. de Física Teorica, Univ. Autonoma de Madrid, Spain) Louko, Jorma (University of Nottingham, UK) Lusanna, Luca (Sezione INFN di Firenze, Italy) Majumdar, Archan S (S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, India) Melis, Maurizio (Università di Cagliari and INFN, Italy) Menotti, Pietro (Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Italy) Mignemi, Salvatore (Università di Cagliari, Italy) Monni, Cristina (Università di Cagliari and INFN, Italy) Pani, Paolo (Università di Cagliari and INFN, Italy) Papazoglou, Antonios (ICG, University of Portsmouth, UK) Páramos, Jorge (Instituto de Plasmas e Fusāo Nuclear, IST, Portugal) Pavsic, Matej (Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia) Perivolaropoulos, Leandros (University of Ioannina, Greece) Plionis, Manolis (Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics, National Observatory of Athens, Greece) Pons, Josep (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain) Pouri, Athina (University of Athens, Greece) Radicella, Ninfa (Polytechnic of Turin, Italy) Rocha, Jorge (IST, Portugal) Russo, Jorge (ICREA, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain) Sakai, Norisuke (Department of Mathematics, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Japan) Sakellariadou, Mairi (Department of Physics, King's College University of London, UK) Salisbury, Donald (Austin College, USA and MPI for the History of Science, Germany) Shnir, Yakov (National University of Ireland, Maynooth and DIAS, Ireland) Skenderis, Kostas (Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands) Sotiriou, Thomas (DAMTP, Cambridge, UK) Sundermeyer, Kurt (Free University Berlin Institute for Theoretical Physics, Germany) Tartaglia, Angelo (DIFIS, Politecnico and INFN, Torino, Italy) Vagenas, Elias (RCAAM, Academy of Athens, Greece) Wallden, Petros (Raman Research Institute, India) Wang, Bin (Fudan University, China) Weinfurtner, Silke (University of British Columbia, Canada) Zampeli, Mando (National Technical University of Athens, Greece) Zanelli, Jorge (Centro de Estudios Científicos CECS-Valdivia, Chile)

Correlation dimensions of climate subsystems and their geographic variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Thian Yew; Wang, Qiang; Seneka, Michael

2002-12-01

The correlation dimension D2 of precipitation (Canada and Africa), air temperature (Canada, New Zealand, and Southern Hemisphere), geo-potential height (Canada), and unregulated streamflow (Canada, USA, and Africa) were estimated using the Hill procedure of Mikosch and Wang [1995] and the bias correction of Wang and Gan [1998]. After bias correction, it seems that D2 is distinct between climate subsystems, such that for precipitation, it is between 8 and 9, for streamflow, it is between 7 and 9, for temperature, it is between 10 and 11, and for geo-potential heights, it is between 12 and 14. The results seem to suggest that climate might be viewed as a loosely coupled set of fairly high-dimensional subsystems and that different climate variables can yield different D2 values. Further, results also suggest that the D2 values of the climate subsystems studied, generally, have low geographic variability, as found between the precipitation data of Western Canada and Uganda, between the streamflow data of basins representing wide range climate and scales from Canada, USA, and Africa, and among the temperature data of Western Canada, New Zealand, and the southern hemisphere, and that the original D2 values analyzed from Canadian geo-potential heights are similar to that of Western Europe, eastern North America, and Germany. There is at most a weak relationship among basin physical characteristics, location, basin scale, and streamflow D2, while climatic influence is more obvious, as shown by drier basins having slightly higher D2 values than basins of wetter climate, basins from temperate climate having higher D2 values than those from cold or hot climates, and comparable D2 values between precipitation and streamflow data.

The cost of health professionals' brain drain in Kenya.

PubMed

Kirigia, Joses Muthuri; Gbary, Akpa Raphael; Muthuri, Lenity Kainyu; Nyoni, Jennifer; Seddoh, Anthony

2006-07-17

Past attempts to estimate the cost of migration were limited to education costs only and did not include the lost returns from investment. The objectives of this study were: (i) to estimate the financial cost of emigration of Kenyan doctors to the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA); (ii) to estimate the financial cost of emigration of nurses to seven OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, UK, USA); and (iii) to describe other losses from brain drain. The costs of primary, secondary, medical and nursing schools were estimated in 2005. The cost information used in this study was obtained from one non-profit primary and secondary school and one public university in Kenya. The cost estimates represent unsubsidized cost. The loss incurred by Kenya through emigration was obtained by compounding the cost of educating a medical doctor and a nurse over the period between the average age of emigration (30 years) and the age of retirement (62 years) in recipient countries. The total cost of educating a single medical doctor from primary school to university is 65,997 US dollars; and for every doctor who emigrates, a country loses about 517,931 US dollars worth of returns from investment. The total cost of educating one nurse from primary school to college of health sciences is 43,180 US dollars; and for every nurse that emigrates, a country loses about 338,868 US dollars worth of returns from investment. Developed countries continue to deprive Kenya of millions of dollars worth of investments embodied in her human resources for health. If the current trend of poaching of scarce human resources for health (and other professionals) from Kenya is not curtailed, the chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals would remain bleak. Such continued plunder of investments embodied in human resources contributes to further underdevelopment of Kenya and to keeping a majority of her people in the vicious circle of ill-health and poverty. Therefore, both developed and developing countries need to urgently develop and implement strategies for addressing the health human resource crisis.

The cost of health professionals' brain drain in Kenya

PubMed Central

Kirigia, Joses Muthuri; Gbary, Akpa Raphael; Muthuri, Lenity Kainyu; Nyoni, Jennifer; Seddoh, Anthony

2006-01-01

Background Past attempts to estimate the cost of migration were limited to education costs only and did not include the lost returns from investment. The objectives of this study were: (i) to estimate the financial cost of emigration of Kenyan doctors to the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA); (ii) to estimate the financial cost of emigration of nurses to seven OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, UK, USA); and (iii) to describe other losses from brain drain. Methods The costs of primary, secondary, medical and nursing schools were estimated in 2005. The cost information used in this study was obtained from one non-profit primary and secondary school and one public university in Kenya. The cost estimates represent unsubsidized cost. The loss incurred by Kenya through emigration was obtained by compounding the cost of educating a medical doctor and a nurse over the period between the average age of emigration (30 years) and the age of retirement (62 years) in recipient countries. Results The total cost of educating a single medical doctor from primary school to university is US$ 65,997; and for every doctor who emigrates, a country loses about US$ 517,931 worth of returns from investment. The total cost of educating one nurse from primary school to college of health sciences is US$ 43,180; and for every nurse that emigrates, a country loses about US$ 338,868 worth of returns from investment. Conclusion Developed countries continue to deprive Kenya of millions of dollars worth of investments embodied in her human resources for health. If the current trend of poaching of scarce human resources for health (and other professionals) from Kenya is not curtailed, the chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals would remain bleak. Such continued plunder of investments embodied in human resources contributes to further underdevelopment of Kenya and to keeping a majority of her people in the vicious circle of ill-health and poverty. Therefore, both developed and developing countries need to urgently develop and implement strategies for addressing the health human resource crisis. PMID:16846492

Are Emissions of Restricted Halocarbons in the USA and Canada Still Globally Significant?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurst, D. F.; Romashkin, P. A.; Hall, B. D.; Elkins, J. W.; Lin, J. C.; Gerbig, C.; Daube, B. C.; Wofsy, S. C.

2004-12-01

The global manufacture of halocarbons regulated by the Montreal Protocol has dropped substantially in response to the January 1, 1996, production phase-out deadline (1994 for halons) for developed (Article 5) countries like the United States and Canada. Contemporary emissions of these ozone-depleting substances (ODS) emanate from ongoing production in developing countries and releases of banked halocarbons world-wide. ODS emissions in developing nations can be appraised from reported production figures, but not so for developed nations where recent manufacture is negligible. Emissions in the United States and Canada are increasingly difficult to estimate because of limited information about bank sizes and release rates in the post-production era. In addition, regional- or national-scale emission estimates should no longer be derived wholly from localized measurements because of the potentially patchy spatial distributions of modern emissions. We estimate ODS emissions in the USA and Canada from >1000 simultaneous, in situ measurements each of CO and six restricted halocarbons (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and halon-1211) in and above the planetary boundary layer during the 2003 CO2 Budget and Regional Airborne - North America (COBRA-NA 2003) study. The data obtained during 87 flight hours are geographically extensive (>30,000 km) including two 11,000 km flight circuits across both countries. More than 50 pollution "events" with statistically significant ODS:CO emission ratios were sampled, and for each event we have determined a flux footprint using the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model. The model also calculates footprint-weighted average population densities and CO fluxes which we convert to footprint-weighted average ODS fluxes using the measured ODS:CO emission ratios. Statistically robust relationships between footprint-averaged ODS fluxes and population densities for several ODS indicate that population-based extrapolations of these relationships to national levels are warranted. Emission estimates for the USA and Canada in 2003 will be presented and compared to the magnitudes of global emissions.

Knowledge and Innovation: A Comparative Study of the USA, the UK and Japan. Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Helen

2012-01-01

This new book presents case studies from the US, the UK and Japan. Packed full of vignettes from cases studies and subscribing to a socio-cultural approach rather than the often tacit assumption that knowledge and "technology transfer" is a logistical problem, this excellent volume illuminates the often misunderstood process of knowledge…

The Reliability and Validity of the Social Responsiveness Scale in a UK General Child Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigham, Sarah; McConachie, Helen; Tandos, Jonathan; Le Couteur, Ann S.

2012-01-01

This is the first UK study to report the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in a general population sample. Parents of 500 children (aged 5-8 years) in North East England completed the SRS. Profiles of scores were similar to USA norms, and a single factor structure was identified. Good construct…

Ectopic pregnancy: exploration of its global research architecture using density-equalising mapping and socioeconomic benchmarks

PubMed Central

Brüggmann, Dörthe; Kollascheck, Jana; Quarcoo, David; Bendels, Michael H; Klingelhöfer, Doris; Louwen, Frank; Jaque, Jenny M; Groneberg, David A

2017-01-01

Objective About 2% of all pregnancies are complicated by the implantation of the zygote outside the uterine cavity and termed ectopic pregnancy. Whereas a multitude of guidelines exists and related research is constantly growing, no thorough assessment of the global research architecture has been performed yet. Hence, we aim to assess the associated scientific activities in relation to geographical and chronological developments, existing research networks and socioeconomic parameters. Design Retrospective, descriptive study. Setting On the basis of the NewQIS platform, scientometric methods were combined with novel visualising techniques such as density-equalising mapping to assess the scientific output on ectopic pregnancy. Using the Web of Science, we identified all related entries from 1900 to 2012. Results 8040 publications were analysed. The USA and the UK were dominating the field in regard to overall research activity (2612 and 723 publications), overall citation numbers and country-specific H-Indices (US: 80, UK: 42). Comparison to economic power of the most productive countries demonstrated that Israel invested more resources in ectopic pregnancy-related research than other nations (853.41 ectopic pregnancy-specific publications per 1000 billlion US$ gross domestic product (GDP)), followed by the UK (269.97). Relation to the GDP per capita index revealed 49.3 ectopic pregnancy-specific publications per US$1000 GDP per capita for the USA in contrast to 17.31 for the UK. Semiqualitative indices such as country-specific citation rates ranked Switzerland first (24.7 citations per ectopic pregnancy-specific publication), followed by the Scandinavian countries Finland and Sweden. Low-income countries did not exhibit significant research activities. Conclusions This is the first in-depth analysis of global ectopic pregnancy research since 1900. It offers unique insights into the global scientific landscape. Besides the USA and the UK, Scandinavian countries and Switzerland can also be regarded as leading nations with regard to their relative socioeconomic input. PMID:29025848

Trading quality for relevance: non-health decision-makers’ use of evidence on the social determinants of health

PubMed Central

McGill, Elizabeth; Egan, Matt; Petticrew, Mark; Mountford, Lesley; Milton, Sarah; Whitehead, Margaret; Lock, Karen

2015-01-01

Objectives Local government services and policies affect health determinants across many sectors such as planning, transportation, housing and leisure. Researchers and policymakers have argued that decisions affecting wider determinants of health, well-being and inequalities should be informed by evidence. This study explores how information and evidence are defined, assessed and utilised by local professionals situated beyond the health sector, but whose decisions potentially affect health: in this case, practitioners working in design, planning and maintenance of the built environment. Design A qualitative study using three focus groups. A thematic analysis was undertaken. Setting The focus groups were held in UK localities and involved local practitioners working in two UK regions, as well as in Brazil, USA and Canada. Participants UK and international practitioners working in the design and management of the built environment at a local government level. Results Participants described a range of data and information that constitutes evidence, of which academic research is only one part. Built environment decision-makers value empirical evidence, but also emphasise the legitimacy and relevance of less empirical ways of thinking through narratives that associate their work to art and philosophy. Participants prioritised evidence on the acceptability, deliverability and sustainability of interventions over evidence of longer term outcomes (including many health outcomes). Participants generally privileged local information, including personal experiences and local data, but were less willing to accept evidence from contexts perceived to be different from their own. Conclusions Local-level built environment practitioners utilise evidence to make decisions, but their view of ‘best evidence’ appears to prioritise local relevance over academic rigour. Academics can facilitate evidence-informed local decisions affecting social determinants of health by working with relevant practitioners to improve the quality of local data and evaluations, and by advancing approaches to improve the external validity of academic research. PMID:25838508

Attribution of UK Winter Floods to Anthropogenic Forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaller, N.; Alison, K.; Sparrow, S. N.; Otto, F. E. L.; Massey, N.; Vautard, R.; Yiou, P.; van Oldenborgh, G. J.; van Haren, R.; Lamb, R.; Huntingford, C.; Crooks, S.; Legg, T.; Weisheimer, A.; Bowery, A.; Miller, J.; Jones, R.; Stott, P.; Allen, M. R.

2014-12-01

Many regions of southern UK experienced severe flooding during the 2013/2014 winter. Simultaneously, large areas in the USA and Canada were struck by prolonged cold weather. At the time, the media and public asked whether the general rainy conditions over northern Europe and the cold weather over North America were caused by climate change. Providing an answer to this question is not trivial, but recent studies show that probabilistic event attribution is feasible. Using the citizen science project weather@home, we ran over 40'000 perturbed initial condition simulations of the 2013/2014 winter. These simulations fall into two categories: one set aims at simulating the world with climate change using observed sea surface temperatures while the second set is run with sea surface temperatures corresponding to a world that might have been without climate change. The relevant modelled variables are then downscaled by a hydrological model to obtain river flows. First results show that anthropogenic climate change led to a small but significant increase in the fractional attributable risk for 30-days peak flows for the river Thames. A single number can summarize the final result from probabilistic attribution studies indicating, for example, an increase, decrease or no change to the risk of the event occurring. However, communicating this to the public, media and other scientists remains challenging. The assumptions made in the chain of models used need to be explained. In addition, extreme events, like the UK floods of the 2013/2014 winter, are usually caused by a range of factors. While heavy precipitation events can be caused by dynamic and/or thermodynamic processes, floods occur only partly as a response to heavy precipitation. Depending on the catchment, they can be largely due to soil properties and conditions of the previous months. Probabilistic attribution studies are multidisciplinary and therefore all aspects need to be communicated properly.

Available web-based teaching resources for health care professionals on screening for oral cancer

PubMed Central

Varela-Centelles, Pablo; Insua, Angel; Warnakulasuriya, Saman; Rapidis, Alexander; Diz, Pedro; Seoane, Juan

2015-01-01

Objectives: To identify websites with adequate information on oral cancer screening for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and to assess both their quality and contents. Study Design: Websites were identified using Google and HON medical professional search engines using the terms “screening for oral cancer”. The first 100 sites retrieved by each engine were analysed using the DISCERN questionnaire (reliability), the V instrument (contents on oral cancer) and further by the Flesch-Kinkaid Reading Grade Level and the Flesch Reading Ease (readability). Results: The overall rating showed minimal shortcomings in the quality of the information in the websites. The coverage and correctness of information on “visual examination” was rated as fair/good, whereas updating of contents resulted very variable (eg: 81% for visual examination and 18.2% for molecular biomarkers). These results permitted to rank the websites housing relevant information for oral cancer. Top ranking websites were affiliated to the Oral Cancer Foundation (USA), WHO Collaborating Centre for oral cancer (UK) whose webpage is entitled “Oral Cancer Education and Research”, and the Clinical Guidelines maintained by the British Columbia Cancer Agency (Canada) and the British Dental Association (UK) respectively. Conclusions: There are web-based, HCP-addressed, resources on screening for oral cancer housing heterogeneous information both in quality and contents. The use of specific evaluation tools permits the selection of reliable websites on this topic with a potential to improve the existing educational gaps among HCPs. Key words:Oral cancer, early diagnosis, screening, secondary prevention, internet, teaching resources, continuous education. PMID:25475775

Use of folic acid supplements, particularly by low-income and young women: a series of systematic reviews to inform public health policy in the UK.

PubMed

Stockley, Lynn; Lund, Vivien

2008-08-01

To provide a basis for making recommendations on the potential to improve use of folic acid supplements in the UK, particularly among low-income and young women. Systematic reviews of relevant research from 1989 to May 2006 in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Twenty-six systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses were identified from the wider public health literature, and eighteen studies on the effectiveness of preconception interventions were included. Ninety studies were identified which were directly relevant to folic acid supplement intake. There were factors that are particularly associated with lower rates of use of folic acid supplements. One of the most important of these is the link with unintended pregnancy, followed by age, socio-economic and ethnic group. Integrated campaigns can increase the use of folic acid supplements to some extent. Research trials indicated that: (i) printed resources and the mass media used in isolation are not effective in the longer term; and (ii) health-care-based initiatives can be effective and are more likely to be successful if they include making supplements easily available. Campaigns and interventions have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities in folic acid use. One way of addressing this is to include elements that specifically target vulnerable women. To achieve and maintain an effect, they need to be based on good health promotion practice and to be sustained over a long period. However, even high-quality campaigns that increase use result in under half of women in the target group taking supplements.

Establishing national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for computed tomography in Egypt.

PubMed

Salama, Dina Husseiny; Vassileva, Jenia; Mahdaly, Gamal; Shawki, Mona; Salama, Ahmad; Gilley, Debbie; Rehani, Madan Mohan

2017-07-01

To establish national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in Egypt for computed tomography (CT) examinations of adults and identify the potential for optimization. Data from 3762 individual patient's undergoing CT scans of head, chest (high resolution), abdomen, abdomen-pelvis, chest-abdomen-pelvis and CT angiography (aorta and both lower limbs) examinations in 50 CT facilities were collected. This represents 20% of facilities in the country and all of the 27 Governorates. Results were compared with DRLs of UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and France. The Egyptian DRLs for CTDI vol in mGy are for head: 30, chest (high resolution): 22, abdomen (liver metastasis): 31, abdomen-pelvis: 31, chest-abdomen-pelvis: 33 and CT angiography (aorta and lower limbs): 37. The corresponding DRLs for DLP in mGy.cm are 1360, 420, 1425, 1325, 1320 and 1320. For head CT, the Egyptian DRL for CTDI vol is 2-3 times lower than the DRLs from other countries. However, the DRL in terms of DLP is in the same range or higher as compared to others. The Egyptian DRL for chest CT (high resolution) is similar to others for DLP but higher for CTDI vol . For abdomen and abdomen-pelvis DRLs for CTDI vol are higher than others. For DLP, the DRLs for abdomen are higher than DRL in UK and lower than those in Japan, while for abdomen-pelvis they are higher than other countries. Despite lower DRLs for CTDI vol , an important consistent problem appears to be higher scan range as DRLs for DLP are higher. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. All rights reserved.

Factor structure and convergent validity of the Derriford Appearance Scale-24 using standard scoring versus treating ‘not applicable’ responses as missing data: a Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) cohort study

PubMed Central

Merz, Erin L; Kwakkenbos, Linda; Carrier, Marie-Eve; Gholizadeh, Shadi; Mills, Sarah D; Fox, Rina S; Jewett, Lisa R; Williamson, Heidi; Harcourt, Diana; Assassi, Shervin; Furst, Daniel E; Gottesman, Karen; Mayes, Maureen D; Moss, Tim P; Thombs, Brett D; Malcarne, Vanessa L

2018-01-01

Objective Valid measures of appearance concern are needed in systemic sclerosis (SSc), a rare, disfiguring autoimmune disease. The Derriford Appearance Scale-24 (DAS-24) assesses appearance-related distress related to visible differences. There is uncertainty regarding its factor structure, possibly due to its scoring method. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Participants with SSc were recruited from 27 centres in Canada, the USA and the UK. Participants who self-identified as having visible differences were recruited from community and clinical settings in the UK. Participants Two samples were analysed (n=950 participants with SSc; n=1265 participants with visible differences). Primary and secondary outcome measures The DAS-24 factor structure was evaluated using two scoring methods. Convergent validity was evaluated with measures of social interaction anxiety, depression, fear of negative evaluation, social discomfort and dissatisfaction with appearance. Results When items marked by respondents as ‘not applicable’ were scored as 0, per standard DAS-24 scoring, a one-factor model fit poorly; when treated as missing data, the one-factor model fit well. Convergent validity analyses revealed strong correlations that were similar across scoring methods. Conclusions Treating ‘not applicable’ responses as missing improved the measurement model, but did not substantively influence practical inferences that can be drawn from DAS-24 scores. Indications of item redundancy and poorly performing items suggest that the DAS-24 could be improved and potentially shortened. PMID:29511009

Neonatal outcomes of extremely preterm infants from taiwan: comparison with Canada, Japan, and the USA.

PubMed

Su, Bai-Horng; Hsieh, Wu-Shiun; Hsu, Chyong-Hsin; Chang, Jui-Hsing; Lien, Reyin; Lin, Chyi-Her

2015-02-01

This study compared the current trend in survival rates and morbidity for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in five Medical Training Centers of Prematurity for the Premature Baby Foundation of Taiwan (PBFT), with the outcomes from the USA, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (NICHD NRN), the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), and the Neonatal Research Network of Japan (NRNJ). The survival rates of VLBW infants according to gestational age (GA) and major morbidities were compared between networks (Taiwan, USA, Canada, and Japan). Taiwanese data for VLBW infants of GA ≤28 weeks between 2007 and 2012 were obtained from the "PBFT Annual Conferences of Premature Care" reports defining survival rate as neonates that survived to the time of discharge. Major morbidities included severe neurological injury (Grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leukomalacia), bronchopulmonary dysplasia, severe retinopathy of prematurity, necrotizing enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, and patent ductus arteriosus. The survival rates of VLBW infants of GA ≤28 weeks from the PBFT (Taiwan), NICHD NRN (USA), CNN (Canada), and NRNJ (Japan) were 77% (1323/1718), 72% (6859/9575), 82% (2353/2872), and 89% (4489/5069), respectively. The annual survival rates in Taiwan from 2007 to 2012 were 72%, 76%, 76%, 74%, 77%, and 78%, respectively. When GA from ≤23 weeks to 28 weeks was assessed in Taiwan, the survival rates of VLBW infants according to each week were 22%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 88%, and 92%, respectively. The survival rate, especially at lower GAs, was highest in the NRNJ (Japan). The major difference between Taiwan and Japan was attributed to the lower survival rates at lower GA (≤26 weeks) in Taiwan. Japan had the lowest rates of major morbidities among the four countries. The survival rate of VLBW infants has improved over the past 6 years in Taiwan. It is higher than the USA, but lower than Canada and Japan. However, the results from Taiwan are from five Medical Training Centers for the PBFT rather than from a population-based study. It is crucial to have a nationwide neonatal research network to develop new practical approaches for VLBW infants in Taiwan. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

PREFACE: 6th International Conference on Inverse Problems in Engineering: Theory and Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnet, Marc

2008-07-01

The 6th International Conference on Inverse Problems in Engineering: Theory and Practice (ICIPE 2008) belongs to a successful series of conferences held up to now following a three-year cycle. Previous conferences took place in Palm Coast, Florida, USA (1993), Le Croisic, France (1996), Port Ludlow, Washington, USA (1999), Angra dos Reis, Brazil (2002), and Cambridge, UK (2005). The conference has its roots on the informal seminars organized by Professor J V Beck at Michigan State University, which were initiated in 1987. The organization of this Conference, which took place in Dourdan (Paris) France, 15-19 June 2008, was made possible through a joint effort by four research departments from four different universities: LEMTA (Laboratoire de Mécanique Théorique et Appliquée, Nancy-Université) LMS (Laboratoire de Mécanique des Solides, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris) LMAC (Laboratoire de Mathématiques Appliquées, UTC Compiègne) LTN (Laboratoire de Thermocinétique, Université de Nantes) It received support from three organizations: SFT (Société Française de Thermique: French Heat Transfer Association) ACSM (Association Calcul de Structures et Simulation : Computational Structural Mechanics Association) GdR Ondes - CNRS (`Waves' Network, French National Center for Scientific Research) The objective of the conference was to provide the opportunity for interaction and cross-fertilization between designers of inverse methods and practitioners. The delegates came from very different fields, such as applied mathematics, heat transfer, solid mechanics, tomography.... Consequently the sessions were organised along mostly methodological topics in order to facilitate interaction among participants who might not meet otherwise. The present proceedings, published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series, gathers the four plenary invited lectures and the full-length versions of 103 presentations. The latter have been reviewed by the scientific committee (see composition below) and additional reviewers we wish to thank here for their kind help. Among the 194 abstracts initially received, 121 communications have been accepted for presentation, 109 of which having been actually presented (oral or poster form) at the conference, as well as 4 invited plenary lectures. The presentations for each session topic, and the geographic distribution of the delegates, are given in tables below. It is our hope that ICIPE 2008 has contributed to maintaining existing interactions and fostering new ones. We take this opportunity to thank all the authors for their valuable contributions and the excellent atmosphere of the meeting. The next ICIPE conference is planned to take place in the USA in May 2010. It will be organized by Alain J Kassab of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, and will take place on the UCF campus. Further details regarding ICIPE 2010 conference will be made available on the ICIPE 2008 website during the fall of 2008, and will also be disseminated directly to individuals having attended previous ICIPE meetings. The editorial committee of ICIPE 2008, Marc Bonnet - Guest Editor Stéphane André - Associate guest editor Andrei Constantinescu - Associate guest editor Abdellatif El Badia - Associate guest editor Yvon Jarny - Associate guest editor Denis Maillet - Associate guest editor Scientific Committee: ICIPE 2008 ChairmanM. Bonnet (Ecole Polytech., France) SecretariesS. André (Nancy-U., France) A. Constantinescu (Ecole Polytech., France) Honorary membersO. M. Alifanov (Moscow Aviation Institute, Russia) J. V. Beck (Mich. State U., USA) Members G. Alessandrini (U. Trieste, Italy)R. Kress (U. Goettingen, Germany) J. S. Alves (Inst. Sup. Tecnico, Portugal) S. Kubo (Osaka U., Japan) S. Andrieux (EDF, France) K. J. Langenberg (U. Kassel, Germany) S. Arridge (U. College, London, UK) C. Leniliot (U. Provence, France) M. Azaiez (U. Bordeaux, France) D. Lesnic (U. Leeds, UK) J.-C. Batsale (U. Bordeaux, France) W. Lionheart (U. Manchester, UK) M. Bertero (U. Genova, Italy) D. Maillet (Nancy-U., France) J. Blum (U. Nice, France) W. Marquardt (RWTH Aachen, Germany) H. D. Bui (Ecole Polytech., France) P. A. Martin (Col. School of Mines, USA) T. Burczynski (Silesian Tech. U., Gliwice, Poland) A. Michalak (U. of Michigan, USA) G. Dassios (U. Patras, Greece) A. Nenarokomov (Moscow Aviation Inst., Russia) D. Delaunay (U. Nantes, France) D. Murio (U. Cincinnati, USA) H. Dinh Nho (Hanoi Inst. Maths, Vietnam) A. J. Nowak (Silesian Tech. U. Gliwice, Poland) A. El Badia (U. Tech. Compiègne, France) H. R. B. Orlande (Federal U. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) J. Frankel (U. Tennessee, USA) L. Päivärinta (U. Helsinki, Finland) O. Ghattas (Carnegie Mellon U., USA) D. Petit (U. Poitiers, France) B. Guzina (U. Minnesota, USA) L. Pronzato (U. Nice, France) A. Hasanov (Kocaeli U., Turkey) M. Prud'homme (Ecole Polytech. Montréal, Canada) F. Hild (ENS Cachan, France) O. Scherzer (U. Innsbruck, Austria) C.-H. Huang (National Cheng Kung U., Taiwan) V. Shutyaev (Inst. Num. Maths, Russia) M. Ikehata (Gunma U., Japan) A. J. Silva Neto (U. Estado Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) M. Jaoua (Ecole Nat. Ingé. Tunis, Tunisia) V. Steffen Jr (U. Federal Uberlandia, Brazil) Y. Jarny (U. Nantes, France) G. Uhlmann (U. Washington, USA) S. Kabanikhin (Sobolev Inst. Maths., Russia) K. A. Woodbury (U. Alabama, USA) J. Kaipio (U. Kuopio, Finland) A. Yagola (Moscow State U., Russia) Kyung Youn Kim (Cheju National U., South Korea) E. Zuazua (U. Complutense Madrid, Spain) Additional Reviewers H. Ammari (ESPCI and Ecole Polytech., France) Y. Favennec (U. Poitiers, France) S. Avril (Ecole Mines St. Etienne, France) O. Fudym (Ecole Mines Albi, France) G. Bal (U. Columbia, USA) M. Girault (U. Poitiers, France) J.-L. Battaglia (U. Bordeaux, France) F. Hemez (Los Alamos Natl. Lab., USA) F. Bauer (Johannes Kepler U., Linz, Austria) M. Janicki (RICAM, Linz, Austria & T.U. Lodz, Poland) C. Bissieux (U. Reims, France) N. Laraqi (U. Paris X, France) F. Ben Belgacem (U. Tech. Compiègne, France) P. Le Masson (U. Bretagne Sud, Lorient, France) L. Bourgeois (ENSTA, Paris, France) D. Lemonnier (U. Poitiers, France) M. Burger (U. Münster, Germany) A. Louis (U. Saarbrücken, Germany) F. Cakoni (U. Delaware, USA) C. Moyne (Nancy-U., France) S. Chaabane (ENIT, Tunisia) B. Rémy (Nancy-U., France) L. Cordier (U. Poitiers, France) J.-J. Serra (DGA, Odeillo, France) A. Degiovanni (Nancy-U., France) D. Stemmelen (Nancy-U., France)

Establishing hospice care for prison populations: An integrative review assessing the UK and USA perspective.

PubMed

Stone, Katie; Papadopoulos, Irena; Kelly, Daniel

2012-12-01

models of care based on the hospice model have delivered effective support to dying people since their inception. Over the last 20 years this form of care has also been introduced into the prison system (mainly in the United States) to afford terminally ill inmates the right to die with dignity. the aim of this review is to examine the evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom on the promotion of palliative care in the prison sector, summarizing examples of good practice and identifying barriers for the provision of end-of-life care within the prison environment both in the USA and UK. an integrative review design was adopted using the Green et al. model incorporating theoretical and scientific lines of enquiry. literature was sourced from six electronic databases between the years 2000 and 2011; the search rendered both qualitative and quantitative papers, discussion papers, 'grey literature' and other review articles. the results highlight a number of issues surrounding the implementation of palliative care services within the prison setting and emphasize the disparity between the USA model of care (which emphasizes the in-prison hospice) and the UK model of care (which emphasizes palliative care in-reach) for dying prisoners. the provision of palliative care for the increasing prison population remains under-researched globally, with a notable lack of evidence from the United Kingdom.

The feasibility of meeting the WHO guidelines for sodium and potassium: a cross-national comparison study.

PubMed

Drewnowski, Adam; Rehm, Colin D; Maillot, Matthieu; Mendoza, Alfonso; Monsivais, Pablo

2015-03-20

To determine joint compliance with the WHO sodium-potassium goals in four different countries, using data from nationally representative dietary surveys. Compared to national and international recommendations and guidelines, the world's population consumes too much sodium and inadequate amounts of potassium. The WHO recommends consuming less than 2000 mg sodium (86 mmol) and at least 3510 mg potassium (90 mmol) per person per day. Dietary surveillance data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007-2010) for the USA; the Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2012 for Mexico; the Individual and National Study on Food Consumption (INCA2) for France; and the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) for the UK. We estimated the proportion of adults meeting the joint WHO sodium-potassium goals in the USA, the UK, France and Mexico. The upper bounds of joint compliance with the WHO sodium-potassium goals were estimated at 0.3% in the USA, 0.15% in Mexico, 0.5% in France and 0.1% in the UK. Given prevailing food consumption patterns and the current food supply, implementing WHO guidelines will be an enormous challenge for global public health. 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.

Scientific research output in orthopaedics from China and other top-ranking countries: a 10-year survey of the literature.

PubMed

Zou, Yuming; Li, Quan; Xu, Weidong

2016-09-16

Orthopaedics-related diseases and conditions are a significant burden worldwide. In this study, we aimed to compare the quantity and quality of research output in the field of orthopaedics from Mainland China (MC), USA, UK, Japan and Germany. The USA, UK, Japan, Germany and MC. We selected orthopaedics journals from the subject category 'orthopedics' from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). The number of publications, the number of publications in the surveyed publication types, impact factor (IF) and citations from the corresponding country from 2005 to 2014 were collected for quantity and quality comparisons. A total of 128 895 articles were published worldwide in orthopaedics-related journals from 2005 to 2014. The USA contributed the largest proportion (31 190 (24.20%)), followed by the UK (6703 (5.20%)), Japan (5718 (4.41%)), Germany (4701 (3.66%)) and MC (3389 (2.63%)). Publications from MC represented the fewest, but this quantity is rapidly increasing. The quantity of annual publications from MC has exceeded that of Germany since 2012. The USA plays a predominant role in all kinds of publication types under investigation in the study, except in the category of meta-analysis. MC was in the last place for cumulative IFs, and the average IF actually decreased from the beginning of the study. For total and average citations, MC still lags behind the other countries in the study. The USA has occupied the dominant place in orthopaedics-related research for the last 10 years. Although MC has made great progress in the number of published works in the field of orthopaedics over the last 10 years, the quality of these publishing efforts needs further improvement. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society Journal and Newletter, Volume 14 No. 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-03-01

code validation, performance analysis, and input/output standardization; code or technique optimization and error minimization; innovations in...SOUTH AFRICA Alamo, CA, 94507-0516 USA Washington, DC 20330 USA MANAGING EDITOR Kueichien C. Hill Krishna Naishadham Richard W. Adler Wright Laboratory...INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS ALLGON DERA Nasvagen 17 Common Road, Funtington INNOVATIVE DYNAMICS Akersberga, SWEDEN S-18425 Chichester, P018 9PD UK 2560 N. Triphammer

Leading the way in biomedical engineering: an interview with Robert Langer. Interview by Hannah Stanwix, Commissioning Editor.

PubMed

Langer, Robert

2012-10-01

Professor Robert Langer obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University (NY, USA) in 1970. He received his Sc.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA, USA) in 1974. He is currently the David H Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Langer is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences. At the age of 43 he was the youngest person in history to be elected to all three United States National Academies. Throughout his career, Professor Langer has received over 200 awards including, notably, the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers), the 2008 Millennium Prize, the 2006 United States National Medal of Science and the 2012 Priestley Medal. In 1996 he was awarded the Gairdner Foundation International Award (the only engineer ever to have been awarded this accolade). Professor Langer has also been the recipient of the Lemelson-MIT prize, which he was awarded with for being "one of history's most prolific inventors in medicine." Professor Langer was selected by Time Magazine in 2001 as one of the 100 most important people in the USA. He has received honorary degrees from several universities worldwide, including Harvard University (MA, USA), the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (NY, USA), Yale University (CT, USA), the ETH Zurich (Zurich, Switzerland), the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Haifa, Israel), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel), the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY, USA), Willamette University (OR, USA), the University of Liverpool (Liverpool, UK), Bates College (ME, USA), the University of Nottingham (Nottingham, UK), Albany Medical College (NY, USA), Pennsylvania State University (PA, USA), Northwestern University (IL, USA) and Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden), and was awarded with the University of California San Francisco Medal in 2009. Professor Langer has founded over 20 biotechnology companies and authored more than 1175 articles. He has over 800 issued or pending patents. Professor Langer is the most cited engineer in history.

Comparison of ITS sequences from UK and North American sugar-beet powdery mildews and the designation of Erysiphe betae.

PubMed

Francis, Sally A; Roden, Brett C; Adams, Michael J; Weiland, John; Asher, Michael J C

2007-02-01

Powdery mildew of sugar beet, a disease of major economic significance, was first described at the beginning of the 20th century, and since then there has been some confusion over the correct taxonomic identity of the causal agent. In Europe, the fungus was initially classified as the novel species Microsphaera betae, later re-named Erysiphe betae, whilst in America it was identified as E. polygoni, despite sugar-beet isolates from both regions having a host range restricted to Beta species. It is possible that more than one fungus causes the disease, as published descriptions of conidiogenesis have differed. In this study, isolates of the fungus collected from sugar beet in the UK and USA were investigated for polymorphisms in the rDNA ITS region to determine if the same species caused the disease in both countries, whether there was any justification for the retention of the name E. polygoni in the USA, and to search for evidence of a second species infecting sugar beet. From a total of 18 isolates examined, 23 ITS sequences were obtained. Fifteen of these, which included the UK and USA isolates, were identical and the remainder had single-base substitutions, indicating that the fungi were conspecific. Dendrogram analysis of Erysiphales ITS regions revealed that the UK and North American isolates were more closely related to E. heraclei than to E. polygoni. It is proposed that the species name Erysiphe betae be used for the powdery mildew fungus that infects sugar beet. No evidence was found in this study for a second sugar-beet powdery mildew species.

Prediction of River Flooding using Geospatial and Statistical Analysis in New York, USA and Kent, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsellos, A.; Tsakiri, K.; Smith, M.

2014-12-01

Flooding in the rivers normally occurs during periods of excessive precipitation (i.e. New York, USA; Kent, UK) or ice jams during the winter period (New York, USA). For the prediction and mapping of the river flooding, it is necessary to evaluate the spatial distribution of the water (volume) in the river as well as study the interaction between the climatic and hydrological variables. Two study areas have been analyzed; one in Mohawk River, New York and one in Kent, United Kingdom (UK). A high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Mohawk River, New York has been used for a GIS flooding simulation to determine the maximum elevation value of the water that cannot continue to be restricted in the trunk stream and as a result flooding in the river may be triggered. The Flooding Trigger Level (FTL) is determined by incremental volumetric and surface calculations from Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) with the use of GIS software and LiDAR data. The prediction of flooding in the river can also be improved by the statistical analysis of the hydrological and climatic variables in Mohawk River and Kent, UK. A methodology of time series analysis has been applied for the decomposition of the hydrological (water flow and ground water data) and climatic data in both locations. The KZ (Kolmogorov-Zurbenko) filter is used for the decomposition of the time series into the long, seasonal, and short term components. The explanation of the long term component of the water flow using the climatic variables has been improved up to 90% for both locations. Similar analysis has been performed for the prediction of the seasonal and short term component. This methodology can be applied for flooding of the rivers in multiple sites.

Attitudes to smoke-free outdoor regulations in the USA and Canada: a review of 89 surveys.

PubMed

Thomson, George; Wilson, Nick; Collins, Damian; Edwards, Richard

2016-09-01

To review the published survey data on public support for smoke-free outdoor regulations in the USA and Canada (two countries at the forefront of such policies). We searched for English language articles and reports using Medline, Google Scholar and Google for the period to December 2014. We retained population-based surveys of the adult general population in jurisdictions in the USA and Canada, with a minimum survey sample of 500. The analysis focused on assessing levels and trends in public support for different types of places and also explored how support varied between population groups. Relevant data were found from 89 cross-sectional surveys between 1993 and 2014. Support for smoke-free regulations in outdoor places tended to be highest for smoke-free school grounds (range: 57-95%) playgrounds (89-91%), and building entrances (45-89%) and lowest for smoke-free outdoor workplaces (12-46%) and sidewalks (31-49%). Support was lower among smokers, though for some types of places there was majority smoker support (eg, school grounds with at least 77% support in US state surveys after 2004). Trend data involving the same questions and the same surveyed populations suggested increased general public and smoker support for smoke-free regulations over time (eg, from 67% to 78% during 2002-2008 for smoke-free school grounds in the USA). Higher support was typically seen from women and some ethnic groups (eg, African-Americans). Outdoor smoke-free regulations can achieve majority public support, including from smokers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Interventions to improve cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA: a systematic review.

PubMed

Clifford, Anton; McCalman, Janya; Bainbridge, Roxanne; Tsey, Komla

2015-04-01

This article describes the characteristics and reviews the methodological quality of interventions designed to improve cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. A total of 17 electronic databases and 13 websites for the period of 2002-13. Studies were included if they evaluated an intervention strategy designed to improve cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, the USA or Canada. Information on the characteristics and methodological quality of included studies was extracted using standardized assessment tools. Sixteen published evaluations of interventions to improve cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples were identified: 11 for Indigenous peoples of the USA and 5 for Indigenous Australians. The main types of intervention strategies were education and training of the health workforce, culturally specific health programs and recruitment of an Indigenous health workforce. Main positive outcomes reported were improvements in health professionals' confidence, and patients' satisfaction with and access to health care. The methodological quality of evaluations and the reporting of key methodological criteria were variable. Particular problems included weak study designs, low or no reporting of consent rates, confounding and non-validated measurement instruments. There is a lack of evidence from rigorous evaluations on the effectiveness of interventions for improving cultural competency in health care for Indigenous peoples. Future evaluations should employ more rigorous study designs and extend their measurement of outcomes beyond those relating to health professionals, to those relating to the health of Indigenous peoples. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Historical Perspectives and Guidelines for Botulinum Neurotoxin Subtype Nomenclature

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-26

Richmond, California, USA 5Bureau of Microbial Hazards , Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 6Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie...monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay for detecting type B Clostridium botulinum toxin produced in pure culture and an inoculated model cured meat system...A3 Loch Maree duck paste/Scotland, 1922 ACA57525 A4 strain 657 infant botulism/Texas, 1976 ACQ51417 A5 H04402 065 wound botulism (heroin), 2004

Transforming the diagnosis of tuberculosis: an editorial board member's opinion at the 15th year of Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics.

PubMed

Pai, Madhukar; Raison, Claire

2015-03-01

Interview with Professor Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD by Claire Raison (Commissioning Editor). Professor Madhukar Pai did his medical training and community medicine residency in Vellore, India. He completed his PhD in epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley (CA, USA) and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (CA, USA). He is currently an associate professor of epidemiology at McGill University in Montreal (Canada). He serves as the Director of Global Health Programs, and as an Associate Director of the McGill International Tuberculosis Centre. In addition, he serves as a Consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland. His research is focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in high-burden countries such as India and South Africa. His research is supported by grant funding from the Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. He is recipient of the Union Scientific Prize, Chanchlani Global Health Research Award and Stars in Global Health award from Grand Challenges Canada, and is a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

PREFACE: 7th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry (IC3DDose)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thwaites, David; Baldock, Clive

2013-06-01

IC3DDose 2013, the 7th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry held in Sydney, Australia from 4-8 November 2012, grew out of the DosGel series, which began as DosGel99, the 1st International Workshop on Radiation Therapy Gel Dosimetry in Lexington, Kentucky. Since 1999 subsequent DoSGel conferences were held in Brisbane, Australia (2001), Ghent, Belgium (2004), Sherbrooke, Canada (2006) and Crete, Greece (2008). In 2010 the conference was held on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and underwent a name-change to IC3DDose. The aim of the first workshop was to bring together individuals, both researchers and users, with an interest in 3D radiation dosimetry techniques, with a mix of presentations from basic science to clinical applications, which has remained an objective for all of the meetings. One rationale of DosGel99 was stated as supporting the increasing clinical implementation of gel dosimetry, as the technique appeared, at that time, to be leaving the laboratories of gel dosimetry enthusiasts and entering clinical practice. Clearly by labelling the first workshop as the 1st, there was a vision of a continuing series, which has been fulfilled. On the other hand, the expectation of widespread clinical use of gel dosimetry has perhaps not been what was hoped for and anticipated. Nevertheless the rapidly increasing demand for advanced high-precision 3D radiotherapy technology and techniques has continued apace. The need for practical and accurate 3D dosimetry methods for development and quality assurance has only increased. By the 6th meeting, held in South Carolina in 2010, the Conference Scientific Committee recognised the wider developments in 3D systems and methods and decided to widen the scope, whilst keeping the same span from basic science to applications. This was signalled by a change of name from 'Dosgel' to 'IC3DDose', a name that has continued to this latest conference. The conference objectives were: to enhance the quality and accuracy of radiation therapy treatment through improved clinical dosimetry to investigate and understand the dosimetric challenges of modern radiation treatments to provide a forum to discuss the latest research and developments in 3D and advanced radiation dosimetry to energise and diversify dosimetry research and clinical practice by encouraging interaction and synergy between advanced, 3D and semi-3D dosimetry techniques We believe the conference program, with its excellent range of expert and specialist speakers, met these objectives. Thanks are due to all invited speakers for their participation, to the Local Organising Committee members for all their hard work in making the conference happen, particularly the small core administrative support group, and to the range of academic, organisation and commercial sponsors who generously supported the meeting. The Scientific Committee members are also thanked for reviewing the submitted manuscripts and for assisting in the editorial process. Finally, all who travelled to Sydney, Australia for the meeting are acknowledged for choosing to attend and contribute to making this a successful conference. Local Conference Organising Committee David Thwaites (Conference Convener) Clive Baldock Leanne Price Elizabeth Starkey May Whitaker Peter Greer Lois Holloway Phil Vial Robin Hill Conference Scientific Committee Sven Back (Sweden) Clive Baldock (Australia) Cheng-Shie Wuu (USA) Yves de Deene (Belgium) Simon Doran (UK) Geoffrey Ibbott (USA) Andrew Jirasek (Canada) Kevin Jordan (Canada) Martin Lepage (Canada) Mark Oldham (USA) Evangelos Pappas (Greece) John Schreiner (Canada) David Thwaites (Australia) David ThwaitesClive Baldock DirectorExecutive Dean Institute of Medical PhysicsFaculty of Science School of PhysicsMacquarie University University of SydneyNorth Ryde NSW 2006NSW 2109 AustraliaAustralia The PDF also contains the conference program.

The 'gender gap' in authorship in nursing literature.

PubMed

Shields, Linda; Hall, Jenny; Mamun, Abdulla A

2011-11-01

Gender bias has been found in medical literature, with more men than women as first or senior authors of papers, despite about half of doctors being women. Nursing is about 90% female, so we aimed to determine if similar biases exist in nursing literature. Taking the eight non-specialist nursing journals with the highest impact factors for that profession, we counted the numbers of men and women first authors over 30 years. We used nursing journals from around the world which attract the highest impact factors for nursing publication. Eight journals qualified for entry, three from the United Kingdom, four from the United States of America, and one from Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Using Chi-square and Fisher exact tests, we determined differences between the numbers of men and women across all the journals, between countries (USA, UK and Australia), changes over the 30 years, and changes within journals over time. RESULTS Despite the small proportion of men in the nursing workforce, up to 30% of first authors were men. UK journals were more likely to have male authors than USA journals, and this increased over time. USA journals had proportions of male first authors consistent with the male proportion of its nursing workforce. CONCLUSIONS In the UK (though not in the USA) gender bias in nursing publishing exists, even though the nursing workforce is strongly feminized. This warrants further research, but is likely to be due to the same reasons for the gender gap in medical publishing; that is, female nurses take time out to have families, and social and family responsibilities prevent them taking opportunities for career progression, whereas men's careers often are not affected in such ways.

The ‘gender gap’ in authorship in nursing literature

PubMed Central

Shields, Linda; Hall, Jenny; Mamun, Abdulla A

2011-01-01

Objectives Gender bias has been found in medical literature, with more men than women as first or senior authors of papers, despite about half of doctors being women. Nursing is about 90% female, so we aimed to determine if similar biases exist in nursing literature. Design Taking the eight non-specialist nursing journals with the highest impact factors for that profession, we counted the numbers of men and women first authors over 30 years. Setting We used nursing journals from around the world which attract the highest impact factors for nursing publication. Participants Eight journals qualified for entry, three from the United Kingdom, four from the United States of America, and one from Australia. Main outcome measures Using Chi-square and Fisher exact tests, we determined differences between the numbers of men and women across all the journals, between countries (USA, UK and Australia), changes over the 30 years, and changes within journals over time. Results Despite the small proportion of men in the nursing workforce, up to 30% of first authors were men. UK journals were more likely to have male authors than USA journals, and this increased over time. USA journals had proportions of male first authors consistent with the male proportion of its nursing workforce. Conclusions In the UK (though not in the USA) gender bias in nursing publishing exists, even though the nursing workforce is strongly feminized. This warrants further research, but is likely to be due to the same reasons for the gender gap in medical publishing; that is, female nurses take time out to have families, and social and family responsibilities prevent them taking opportunities for career progression, whereas men's careers often are not affected in such ways. PMID:22048677

Neuropathologic assessment of participants in two multi-center longitudinal observational studies: the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN).

PubMed

Cairns, Nigel J; Perrin, Richard J; Franklin, Erin E; Carter, Deborah; Vincent, Benjamin; Xie, Mingqiang; Bateman, Randall J; Benzinger, Tammie; Friedrichsen, Karl; Brooks, William S; Halliday, Glenda M; McLean, Catriona; Ghetti, Bernardino; Morris, John C

2015-08-01

It has been hypothesized that the relatively rare autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD) may be a useful model of the more frequent, sporadic, late-onset AD (LOAD). Individuals with ADAD have a predictable age at onset and the biomarker profile of ADAD participants in the preclinical stage may be used to predict disease progression and clinical onset. However, the extent to which the pathogenesis and neuropathology of ADAD overlaps with that of LOAD is equivocal. To address this uncertainty, two multicenter longitudinal observational studies, the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN), leveraged the expertise and resources of the existing Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, to establish a Neuropathology Core (NPC). The ADNI/DIAN-NPC is systematically examining the brains of all participants who come to autopsy at the 59 ADNI sites in the USA and Canada and the 14 DIAN sites in the USA (eight), Australia (three), UK (one) and Germany (two). By 2014, 41 ADNI and 24 DIAN autopsies (involving nine participants and 15 family members) had been performed. The autopsy rate in the ADNI cohort in the most recent year was 93% (total since NPC inception: 70%). In summary, the ADNI/DIAN NPC has implemented a standard protocol for all sites to solicit permission for brain autopsy and to send brain tissue to the NPC for a standardized, uniform and state-of-the-art neuropathologic assessment. The benefit to ADNI and DIAN of the implementation of the NPC is very clear. The NPC provides final "gold standard" neuropathological diagnoses and data against which the antecedent observations and measurements of ADNI and DIAN can be compared. © 2015 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

Breakfast in Human Nutrition: The International Breakfast Research Initiative

PubMed Central

Bellisle, France; Drewnowski, Adam; Fagt, Sisse; Livingstone, Barbara; Varela Moreiras, Gregorio; Moreno, Luis A.; Smith, Jessica; Vieux, Florent; Thielecke, Frank; Hopkins, Sinead

2018-01-01

Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day and in recent years has been implicated in weight control, cardio-metabolic risk factors and cognitive performance although, at present, the literature remains inconclusive as to the precise health benefits of breakfast. There are extensive reports of breakfast’s contributions to daily food and nutrient intakes, as well as many studies that have compared daily food and nutrient intakes by breakfast consumers and skippers. However, significant variation exists in the definitions of breakfast and breakfast skippers, and in methods used to relate breakfast nutrient intakes to overall diet quality. The present review describes a novel and harmonised approach to the study of the nutritional impact of breakfast through The International Breakfast research Initiative involving national dietary survey data from Canada, Denmark, France, Spain, the UK and the USA. It is anticipated that the analysis of such data along harmonised lines, will allow the project to achieve its primary goal of exploring approaches to defining optimal breakfast food and nutrient intakes. Such data will be of value to public health nutrition policy-makers and food manufacturers and will also allow consistent messaging to help consumers to optimize food choices at breakfast.

Pregnancy in the workplace.

PubMed

Salihu, H M; Myers, J; August, E M

2012-03-01

Women constitute a large percentage of the workforce in industrialized countries. As a result, addressing pregnancy-related health issues in the workplace is important in order to formulate appropriate strategies to promote and protect maternal and infant health. To explore issues affecting pregnant women in the workplace. A systematic literature review was conducted using Boolean combinations of the terms 'pregnant women', 'workplace' and 'employment' for publications from January 1990 to November 2010. Studies that explicitly explored pregnancy in the workplace within the UK, USA, Canada or the European Union were included. Pregnancy discrimination was found to be prevalent and represented a large portion of claims brought against employers by women. The relationship between environmental risks and exposures at work with foetal outcomes was inconclusive. In general, standard working conditions presented little hazard to infant health; however, pregnancy could significantly impact a mother's psychosocial well-being in the workplace. Core recommendations to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and improve workplace conditions for women include: (i) shifting organizational culture to support women in pregnancy; (ii) conducting early screening of occupational risk during the preconception period and (iii) monitoring manual labour conditions, including workplace environment and job duties.

Applying Agnotology-Based Learning in a Mooc to Counter Climate Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, J.

2014-12-01

A key challenge facing educators and climate communicators is the wide array of misconceptions about climate science, often fostered by misinformation. A number of myths interfere with a sound understanding of the science, with key myths moderating public support for mitigation policies. An effective way to reduce the influence of misinformation is through agnotology-based learning. Agnotology is the study of ignorance while agnotology-based learning teaches students through the direct addressing of myths and misconceptions. This approach of "refutational teaching" is being applied in a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) currently being developed by Skeptical Science and The University of Queensland, in collaboration with universities in Canada, USA and the UK. The MOOC will examine the science of climate change denial. Why is the issue so controversial given there is an overwhelming consensus on human-caused global warming? How do climate myths distort the science? What can scientists and laypeople do in response to misinformation? The MOOC will be released on the EdX platform in early 2015. I will summarise the research underpinning agnotology-based learning and present the approach taken in the MOOC to be released in early 2015

Exergames for health and fitness: the roles of GPS and geosocial apps

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Large numbers of children and adolescents in Canada, UK and USA are not getting their recommended daily dose of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and are thus more prone to obesity and its ill health effects. Exergames (video games that require physical activity to play) are rapidly gaining user acceptance, and may have the potential to increase physical activity levels among young people. Mobile exergames for GPS (global positioning system)-enabled smartphones and mini-tablets take players outdoors, in the open air, unlike console exergames, e.g., Xbox 360 Kinect exergames, which limit players to playing indoors in front of a TV set. In this paper and its companion ‘Additional file 1’, we review different examples of GPS exergames and of gamified geosocial apps and gadgets (mobile, location-aware apps and devices with social and gamification features), and briefly discuss some of the issues surrounding their use. Further research is needed to document best practices in this area, quantify the exact health and fitness benefits of GPS exergames and apps (under different settings and scenarios), and find out what is needed to improve them and the best ways to promote their adoption by the public. PMID:23561306

Breakfast in Human Nutrition: The International Breakfast Research Initiative.

PubMed

Gibney, Michael J; Barr, Susan I; Bellisle, France; Drewnowski, Adam; Fagt, Sisse; Livingstone, Barbara; Masset, Gabriel; Varela Moreiras, Gregorio; Moreno, Luis A; Smith, Jessica; Vieux, Florent; Thielecke, Frank; Hopkins, Sinead

2018-05-01

Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day and in recent years has been implicated in weight control, cardio-metabolic risk factors and cognitive performance although, at present, the literature remains inconclusive as to the precise health benefits of breakfast. There are extensive reports of breakfast’s contributions to daily food and nutrient intakes, as well as many studies that have compared daily food and nutrient intakes by breakfast consumers and skippers. However, significant variation exists in the definitions of breakfast and breakfast skippers, and in methods used to relate breakfast nutrient intakes to overall diet quality. The present review describes a novel and harmonised approach to the study of the nutritional impact of breakfast through The International Breakfast research Initiative involving national dietary survey data from Canada, Denmark, France, Spain, the UK and the USA. It is anticipated that the analysis of such data along harmonised lines, will allow the project to achieve its primary goal of exploring approaches to defining optimal breakfast food and nutrient intakes. Such data will be of value to public health nutrition policy-makers and food manufacturers and will also allow consistent messaging to help consumers to optimize food choices at breakfast.

Exergames for health and fitness: the roles of GPS and geosocial apps.

PubMed

Boulos, Maged N Kamel; Yang, Stephen P

2013-04-05

Large numbers of children and adolescents in Canada, UK and USA are not getting their recommended daily dose of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and are thus more prone to obesity and its ill health effects. Exergames (video games that require physical activity to play) are rapidly gaining user acceptance, and may have the potential to increase physical activity levels among young people. Mobile exergames for GPS (global positioning system)-enabled smartphones and mini-tablets take players outdoors, in the open air, unlike console exergames, e.g., Xbox 360 Kinect exergames, which limit players to playing indoors in front of a TV set. In this paper and its companion 'Additional file 1', we review different examples of GPS exergames and of gamified geosocial apps and gadgets (mobile, location-aware apps and devices with social and gamification features), and briefly discuss some of the issues surrounding their use. Further research is needed to document best practices in this area, quantify the exact health and fitness benefits of GPS exergames and apps (under different settings and scenarios), and find out what is needed to improve them and the best ways to promote their adoption by the public.

DECOVALEX Project: from 1992 to 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsang, Chin-Fu; Stephansson, Ove; Jing, Lanru; Kautsky, Fritz

2009-05-01

The DECOVALEX project is a unique international research collaboration, initiated in 1992, for advancing the understanding and mathematical modelling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) and thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems—subjects of importance for performance assessment of radioactive waste repositories in geological formations. From 1992 up to 2007, the project has made important progress and played a key role in the development of numerical modelling of coupled processes in fractured rocks and buffer/backfill materials. The project has been conducted by research teams supported by a large number of radioactive-waste-management organizations and regulatory authorities, including those of Canada, China, Finland, France, Japan, Germany, Spain, Sweden, UK, and the USA. Through this project, in-depth knowledge has been gained of coupled THM and THMC processes associated with nuclear waste repositories, as well as numerical simulation models for their quantitative analysis. The knowledge accumulated from this project, in the form of a large number of research reports and international journal and conference papers in the open literature, has been applied effectively in the implementation and review of national radioactive-waste-management programmes in the participating countries. This paper presents an overview of the project.

Surfing the web during pandemic flu: availability of World Health Organization recommendations on prevention

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background People often search for information on influenza A(H1N1)v prevention on the web. The extent to which information found on the Internet is consistent with recommendations issued by the World Health Organization is unknown. Methods We conducted a search for "swine flu" accessing 3 of the most popular search engines through different proxy servers located in 4 English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, UK, USA). We explored each site resulting from the searches, up to 4 clicks starting from the search engine page, analyzing availability of World Health Organization recommendations for swine flu prevention. Results Information on hand cleaning was reported on 79% of the 147 websites analyzed; staying home when sick was reported on 77.5% of the websites; disposing tissues after sneezing on 75.5% of the websites. Availability of other recommendations was lower. The probability of finding preventative recommendations consistent with World Health Organization varied by country, type of website, and search engine. Conclusions Despite media coverage on H1N1 influenza, relevant information for prevention is not easily found on the web. Strategies to improve information delivery to the general public through this channel should be improved. PMID:20854690

Surfing the web during pandemic flu: availability of World Health Organization recommendations on prevention.

PubMed

Gesualdo, Francesco; Romano, Mariateresa; Pandolfi, Elisabetta; Rizzo, Caterina; Ravà, Lucilla; Lucente, Daniela; Tozzi, Alberto E

2010-09-20

People often search for information on influenza A(H1N1)v prevention on the web. The extent to which information found on the Internet is consistent with recommendations issued by the World Health Organization is unknown. We conducted a search for "swine flu" accessing 3 of the most popular search engines through different proxy servers located in 4 English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, UK, USA). We explored each site resulting from the searches, up to 4 clicks starting from the search engine page, analyzing availability of World Health Organization recommendations for swine flu prevention. Information on hand cleaning was reported on 79% of the 147 websites analyzed; staying home when sick was reported on 77.5% of the websites; disposing tissues after sneezing on 75.5% of the websites. Availability of other recommendations was lower. The probability of finding preventative recommendations consistent with World Health Organization varied by country, type of website, and search engine. Despite media coverage on H1N1 influenza, relevant information for prevention is not easily found on the web. Strategies to improve information delivery to the general public through this channel should be improved.

Factors influencing pharmacist performance: a review of the peer-reviewed literature.

PubMed

Schafheutle, Ellen Ingrid; Seston, Elizabeth Mary; Hassell, Karen

2011-10-01

To undertake a review of peer-reviewed literature to explore factors affecting pharmacists' performance. The following databases were searched: Medline, Embase, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge and PsychInfo. Inclusion criteria were: English language only, published between 1990 and 2010 and published in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Europe. The search strategy identified 37 items. The review found that there was some evidence to suggest that pharmacists with certain characteristics (e.g. being male, being of ethnic minority origin, working in community pharmacy and having trained overseas) were more likely to experience performance problems. Factors relating to workload and work environment were associated with performance problems, particularly in relation to errors. There was some limited evidence to suggest that experiencing problems with alcohol or drugs could negatively impact on pharmacists' performance. The findings suggest that pharmacist performance may be affected by multiple factors, including personal characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, place of primary qualification, factors associated with the workplace and mental and physical health problems. The evidence is not unequivocal and gaps in the literature exist, suggesting that pharmacist performance is an under-researched area. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Twitter: a viable medium for daily pain diaries in chronic orofacial pain?

PubMed

Parsons, C F; Breckons, M; Durham, J

2015-07-24

The aim of this study was to find out if Twitter could be used in a research context as a ubiquitous piece of software to record daily pain. This study was a feasibility study conducted electronically. Our research was conducted on Twitter in 2014. Participants were recruited via electronic advertising and consented electronically to participate. At three time-points on two non-sequential days participants were asked to record pain, mood and impact ratings on a numerical scale (0-10). Data were extracted manually. Thirty-five individuals consented to participate. Of the 24 participants providing data, 16 provided enough data to be analysed. The majority of participants were female. The mean age was 44.9 (± 0.78) years and the most common diagnosis for participants was Trigeminal Neuralgia. Participants lived in the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand. An increase in mean pain was reported over consecutive time periods on both days while mood and impact patterns varied between days. Our study highlighted that participants can be recruited solely via social media and has ascertained the ease in which data can be collected without technical expertise. To achieve greater participation, differing advertisement strategies should be explored.

Human Computer Collaboration at the Edge: Enhancing Collective Situation Understanding with Controlled Natural Language

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-06

settled all but question 36 which was: ‘What sport does Capt Falcon play?’ and answers conflicted because some players used the name ‘soccer’ while others...email: PreeceAD@cardiff.ac.uk †Emerging Technology Services, IBM United Kingdom Ltd, Hursley Park, Winchester, UK ‡US Army Research Laboratory, Human... Research and Engineering Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, USA Abstract—Effective coalition operations require support for dynamic information

North America: Chapter 5

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Mark D.; Beaubien, Elisabeth G.; Crimmins, Theresa M.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Edited by Schwartz, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Plant phenological observations and networks in North America have been largely local and regional in extent until recent decades. In the USA, cloned plant monitoring networks were the exception to this pattern, with data collection spanning the late 1950s until approximately the early 1990s. Animal observation networks, especially for birds have been more extensive. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), established in the mid-2000s is a recent effort to operate a comprehensive national-scale network in the United States. In Canada, PlantWatch, as part of Nature Watch, is the current national-scale plant phenology program.

Preservice teacher knowledge of basic language constructs in Canada, England, New Zealand, and the USA.

PubMed

Washburn, Erin K; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S; Joshi, R Malatesha; Martin-Chang, Sandra; Arrow, Alison

2016-04-01

The present study examined preservice teachers' (PSTs) knowledge of basic language constructs across four different English-speaking teacher preparations programs. A standardized survey was administered to participants from Canada (n = 80), England (n = 55), New Zealand (n = 26), and the USA (n = 118). All participants were enrolled in undergraduate university programs that led to teacher certification for general education in the primary grades. Our data reveal that preservice teachers from all four countries show patterns of relative strength in areas that were targeted to be crucial within their national initiatives. Nevertheless, in general, PSTs demonstrated a lack of knowledge of certain constructs needed to teach early reading skills. The results are discussed in relation to research reports and initiatives regarding beginning reading instruction from each of the four countries.

Importance of growth rate on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl bioaccumulation in fish

USGS Publications Warehouse

Li, Jiajia; Haffner, G. Douglas; Patterson, Gordon; Walters, David M.; Burtnyk, Michael D.; Drouillard, Ken G.

2018-01-01

To evaluate the effect of fish growth on mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation, a non–steady‐state toxicokinetic model, combined with a Wisconsin bioenergetics model, was developed to simulate Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). The model was validated by comparing observed with predicted Hg and PCB 180 concentrations across 5 age classes from 5 different waterbodies across North America. The non–steady‐state model generated accurate predictions for Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in 3 of 5 waterbodies: Apsey Lake (ON, Canada), Sharbot Lake (ON, Canada), and Stonelick Lake (OH, USA). The poor performance of the model for the Detroit River (MI, USA/ON, Canada) and Lake Hartwell (GA/SC, USA), which are 2 well‐known contaminated sites with possibly high heterogeneity in spatial contamination, was attributed to changes in feeding behavior and/or prey contamination. Model simulations indicate that growth dilution is a major component of contaminant bioaccumulation patterns in fish, especially during early life stages, and was predicted to be more important for hydrophobic PCBs than for Hg. Simulations that considered tissue‐specific growth provided some improvement in model performance particularly for PCBs in fish populations that exhibited changes in their whole‐body lipid content with age. Higher variation in lipid growth compared with that of lean dry protein was also observed between different bluegill populations, which partially explains the greater variation in PCB bioaccumulation slopes compared with Hg across sampling sites.

International collaboration in medical radiation science.

PubMed

Denham, Gary; Allen, Carla; Platt, Jane

2016-06-01

International collaboration is recognised for enhancing the ability to approach complex problems from a variety of perspectives, increasing development of a wider range of research skills and techniques and improving publication and acceptance rates. The aim of this paper is to describe the current status of international collaboration in medical radiation science and compare this to other allied health occupations. This study utilised a content analysis approach where co-authorship of a journal article was used as a proxy for research collaboration and the papers were assigned to countries based on the corporate address given in the by-line of the publication. A convenience sample method was employed and articles published in the professional medical radiation science journals in the countries represented within our research team - Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) were sampled. Physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and nursing were chosen for comparison. Rates of international collaboration in medical radiation science journals from Australia, the UK and the USA have steadily increased over the 3-year period sampled. Medical radiation science demonstrated lower average rates of international collaboration than the other allied health occupations sampled. The average rate of international collaboration in nursing was far below that of the allied health occupations sampled. Overall, the UK had the highest average rate of international collaboration, followed by Australia and the USA, the lowest. Overall, medical radiation science is lagging in international collaboration in comparison to other allied health fields.

Four new iron meteorite finds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, E. R. D.; Wasson, J. T.; Bild, R. W.

1977-01-01

Four new iron meteorites are described: Buenaventura (IIIB) from Chihuahua, Mexico: mass 114 kg; Denver City (anomalous) from Texas, USA: mass 26.1 kg; Kinsella (IIIB) from Alberta, Canada: mass 3.7 kg; and Tacoma (IA) from Washington, USA: mass 17 g. Denver City is unique - i.e., not related to any other known iron. Tacoma is the smallest iron meteorite recorded. The meteorites were initially discovered in 1969, 1975, 1946, and between 1925 and 1932, respectively.

Pain Assessment: Subjectivity, Objectivity, and the Use of Neurotechnology Part One: Practical and Ethical Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-08

assessment, neurotechnology, biotechnology, neuroethics , medicine Pain Physician 2010; 13:305-315 Ethics Pain Assessment: Subjectivity, Objectivity...Studies, Arlington, VA, USA; Wellcome Centre for Neuroethics , University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 2Institute for BioTechnology Futures, New York, NY, USA...which to guide care. a role for technology? PossIbIlItIes, Problems, and the neuroethIcs of PaIn care Can biotechnology provide the means and tools

Immigrant employment and earnings growth in Canada and the USA: evidence from longitudinal data

PubMed Central

Kaushal, Neeraj; Lu, Yao; Denier, Nicole; Wang, Julia Shu-Huah; Trejo, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

We study the short-term trajectories of employment, hours worked, and real wages of immigrants in Canada and the U.S. using nationally representative longitudinal datasets covering 1996–2008. Models with person fixed effects show that on average immigrant men in Canada do not experience any relative growth in these three outcomes compared to men born in Canada. Immigrant men in the U.S., on the other hand, experience positive annual growth in all three domains relative to U.S. born men. This difference is largely on account of low-educated immigrant men, who experience faster or longer periods of relative growth in employment and wages in the U.S. than in Canada. We further compare longitudinal and cross-sectional trajectories and find that the latter over-estimate wage growth of earlier arrivals, presumably reflecting selective return migration. PMID:28138209

A cross-country comparison of rivaroxaban spontaneous adverse event reports and concomitant medicine use with the potential to increase the risk of harm.

PubMed

McDonald, Cameron J; Kalisch Ellett, Lisa M; Barratt, John D; Caughey, Gillian E

2014-12-01

Concerns with the safety profiles of the newer anticoagulants have been raised because of differences in treatment populations between pre-marketing studies (randomized controlled trials) and clinical practice. Little is known about the potential safety issues and the reporting in spontaneous adverse event databases associated with rivaroxaban. To analyse spontaneous adverse event reports associated with the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban from Australia, Canada and the USA; and to examine concomitant medicine use that may increase the risk of adverse events. Spontaneous adverse event report databases from Australia, Canada and the USA were examined for all reports of adverse events associated with rivaroxaban and concomitant medicines from 1 August 2005 to 31 March 2013. Disproportionality analysis (the proportional reporting ratio [PRR] and reporting odds ratio [ROR]) was conducted for quantitative detection of signals, using the US database. There were 244 spontaneous adverse event reports associated with rivaroxaban from Australia, 536 from Canada and 1,638 from the USA. Reporting of haemorrhage (any type) was common, ranging from 30.7% for Australia to 37.5% for Canada. Gastrointestinal haemorrhage was the most commonly reported haemorrhage, accounting for 13.9% of Australian, 16.4% of Canadian and 11.1% of US adverse event reports. Positive signals were confirmed in the US data (haemorrhage [any type] PRR 11.93, χ (2) 4,414.78 and ROR 13.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 12.13-14.81; gastrointestinal haemorrhage PRR 12.52, χ (2) 2,018.48 and ROR 13.15, 95% CI 11.36-15.21). Reporting of concomitant use of medicines with the potential to increase bleeding risk ranged from 63.7% in Australia to 89.2% in Canada. A large proportion of adverse event reports for rivaroxaban were associated with use of concomitant medicines, which may have increased the risk of adverse events-in particular, haemorrhage. Increased awareness of a patient's comorbidity and associated medicine use is needed when rivaroxaban is used in clinical practice.

Western USA and Canada

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-05-15

... Terrain Elevation Model from the United States Geological Survey. The image area includes much of British Columbia, Alberta and ... MD. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center in Hampton, VA. Image ...

Pediatric Gastroenterology Workforce Survey, 2003-2004.

PubMed

2005-04-01

The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) performed a workforce survey to determine the number, distribution, and work-related activities of pediatric gastroenterologists in the United States of America (USA) and Canada, and compared these findings with the first workforce survey completed in 1996. The survey queried pediatric gastroenterologists in the USA and Canada between November, 2003 and June 2004. To permit the optimal comparison to the 1996 survey data, the original survey was used as a template for development of the current instrument and, when possible, the questions were left unchanged. Additional questions were added to address important contemporary issues not present in the initial survey. Limited income information was also collected. The survey was posted on the NASPGHAN website, and the NASPGHAN membership was notified of the survey by electronic mail via its electronic mail distribution list. This was followed by a three-part postal mail survey to all non-respondents. After the Internet and postal mail requests, all non-respondent physicians were telephoned a minimum of three times. If unsuccessful in contacting the physicians directly, office personnel were queried to facilitate survey completion regarding the provision of pediatric gastroenterology, nutrition or hepatology services in either clinical care or research. The response rate based on the potential contact list for Part I of the survey was 69%. The final phone call or electronic mail contact of an office staff member with questions regarding gender and delivery of pediatric gastroenterology services yielded a total contact rate of 88%. There were 699 pediatric gastroenterologists identified in North America, as compared with 672 in 1996. If known non-respondents are included, there could be as many as 794 pediatric gastroenterologists. Time spent in clinical activities increased from 60% to 66% in the USA and from 43% to 53% in Canada. The use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants has increased considerably over the past 7 years. Fifty-three percent of respondents feel there are too few pediatric gastroenterologists. Fifty percent of section and practice heads report that they are currently recruiting partners. Limited income information is presented. There is currently a self-perceived shortage of pediatric gastroenterologists as compared with 7 years ago, despite a constant proportion of pediatric gastroenterologists per million children. In the USA, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are being increasingly used to fill this need, and physicians in both Canada and the USA have increased the time they spend in clinical care.

Healthcare utilization for arthritis by indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States: A systematic review☆.

PubMed

Loyola-Sanchez, Adalberto; Hurd, Kelle; Barnabe, Cheryl

2017-04-01

Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America (USA) experience a higher prevalence of arthritis conditions. Differences in clinical outcomes and mortality may reflect healthcare service use inequities. The objective of this study was to summarize healthcare service use patterns described in the existing literature in order to identify gaps and inform strategies to limit the pronounced negative impact of arthritis on Indigenous populations. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Indigenous-specific electronic databases (to June 2015) were used to identify cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies describing healthcare service use by Indigenous populations with specified inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatic disease conditions. We extracted information on the study setting and methodology, primary outcome and assessed study quality, and risk of bias. In total, 19 studies were identified describing three types of healthcare service use: physician visits, hospitalizations, and surgeries. In Canada and New Zealand, Indigenous populations had 36-51% fewer visits to specialists than the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous populations in Canada, New Zealand, and the USA had 37-300% more hospitalizations due to arthritis complications than the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous populations in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand had 27-85% fewer arthroplasties for osteoarthritis than the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous populations had higher hospitalization rates but lower use of specialized services for arthritis conditions. Strategies to improve access to specialized arthritis services might reduce health outcome inequities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Risk Associated with Cumulative Oral Glucocorticoid Use in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis in Real-World Databases from the USA and UK.

PubMed

Gale, Sara; Wilson, Jessica C; Chia, Jenny; Trinh, Huong; Tuckwell, Katie; Collinson, Neil; Dimonaco, Sophie; Jick, Susan; Meier, Christoph; Mohan, Shalini V; Sarsour, Khaled

2018-05-11

Treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) involves immediate initiation of high-dose glucocorticoid therapy with slow tapering of the dose over many months. Chronic exposure to glucocorticoids is associated with serious comorbidities. The objective of this analysis was to determine the glucocorticoid exposure and risk of glucocorticoid-related adverse events (AEs) in real-world patients with GCA. Data from the Truven Healthcare MarketScan ® database (from January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2015) and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD; from January 1, 1995, to August 31, 2013) were used to retrospectively analyze patients aged ≥ 50 years with GCA in the USA and UK, respectively. Outcomes included oral glucocorticoid use (cumulative prednisone-equivalent exposure), glucocorticoid-related AEs and the association of AE risk with glucocorticoid exposure over 52 weeks. Of the 4804 patients in the US MarketScan database and 3973 patients in the UK CPRD database included, 71.3 and 74.6% were women and mean age was 73.4 and 73.0 years, respectively. Median starting glucocorticoid dose and cumulative glucocorticoid dose at 52 weeks were 20-50 mg/day and 4000-4800 mg, respectively. The most frequent glucocorticoid-related AEs were hypertension and eye, bone health, and glucose tolerance conditions. In the first year after diagnosis, the likelihood of any glucocorticoid-related AE was significantly increased for each 1 g increase in cumulative glucocorticoid dose in the US and UK cohorts (odds ratio [95% CI], 1.170 [1.063, 1.287] and 1.06 [1.03, 1.09], respectively; P < 0.05 for both). Similar trends were observed for the risk of glucocorticoid-related AEs over full follow-up (mean, USA: 3.9 years, UK: 6.3 years). In real-world patients with GCA, increased cumulative glucocorticoid exposure was associated with an increased risk of glucocorticoid-related AEs. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Plain language summary available for this article.

The association between exposure to point-of-sale anti-smoking warnings and smokers’ interest in quitting and quit attempts: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

Li, Lin; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Hitchman, Sara C.; Wakefield, Melanie A.; Kasza, Karin A.; Fong, Geoffrey T.

2011-01-01

Aims This study aimed to examine the associations between reported exposure to anti-smoking warnings at the point-of-sale (POS) and smokers’ interest in quitting and their subsequent quit attempts by comparing reactions in Australia where warnings are prominent to smokers in other countries. Design A prospective multi-country cohort design was employed. Setting Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Participants 21,613 adult smokers who completed at least one of the seven waves (2002-2008) of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey were included in the analysis. Measurements Reported exposure to POS anti-smoking warnings and smokers’ interest in quitting at the same wave and quit attempts over the following year. Findings Compared to smokers in Canada, the UK and the US, Australian smokers reported higher levels of awareness of POS anti-smoking warnings, and this difference was consistent over the study period. Over waves in Australia (but not in the other three countries) there was a significantly positive association between reported exposure to POS anti-smoking warnings and interest in quitting (adjusted odds ratio = 1.139, 95% CI 1.039~1.249, p<0.01) and prospective quit attempts (adjusted odds ratio = 1.216, 95% CI 1.114~1.327, p<0.001) when controlling for demographics, smoking characteristics, overall salience of anti-smoking information, and awareness of anti-smoking material from channels other than POS. Conclusions Point-of-sale health warnings about tobacco are more prominent in Australia than US, UK or Canada and appear to act as a prompt to quitting. PMID:21954921

Meningococco B: controllo di due focolai epidemici mediante vaccinazione

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Riassunto La problematica di un efficace approccio vaccinale nei confronti del Meningococco B (MenB) è stata superata identificando con la metodica della "reverse vaccinology" alcuni antigeni capaci di indurre una risposta verso la maggior parte dei ceppi di MenB circolanti nel mondo. Il nuovo vaccino MenB a 4 componenti (4CMenB) è stato autorizzato in Europa, Australia e Canada, ed è entrato nei calendari di immunizzazione pediatrica internazionali: Australia, Canada, UK. In Italia, le prime regioni che hanno raccomandato la vaccinazione contro il MenB sono state Basilicata e Puglia. La gestione di epidemie/focolai epidemici richiede la messa in atto di una risposta rapida da parte delle autorità sanitarie nei confronti di una emergenza sanitaria ad elevato impatto, anche emotivo, sulla popolazione, come recentemente dimostrato in due università americane. Alla dichiarazione di focolaio epidemico in atto, in entrambi i contesti si è attivata una procedura per l'uso del vaccino 4CMenB non ancora autorizzato negli USA. È stato così possibile organizzare gli interventi di profilassi attiva nei due campus universitari, adottando il primo impiego su larga scala del nuovo vaccino 4CMenB e conseguendo, in tempi relativamente brevi, elevati tassi di copertura vaccinale. A fronte di circa 14000 studenti immunizzati con almeno una dose, non è stata segnalata alcuna problematica di eventi avversi conseguenti all'immunizzazione; ad oggi non si sono verificati casi nei soggetti che hanno ricevuto il vaccino. Come conseguenza dei due focolai descritti, è oggi in corso la valutazione da parte dell'FDA per l'estensione dell'uso del vaccino 4CMenB negli Stati Uniti negli adolescenti e giovani adulti. PMID:25916017

Empirical impact evaluation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in Australia, Canada, UK and USA

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The active recruitment of health workers from developing countries to developed countries has become a major threat to global health. In an effort to manage this migration, the 63rd World Health Assembly adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in May 2010. While the Code has been lauded as the first globally-applicable regulatory framework for health worker recruitment, its impact has yet to be evaluated. We offer the first empirical evaluation of the Code’s impact on national and sub-national actors in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States of America, which are the English-speaking developed countries with the greatest number of migrant health workers. Methods 42 key informants from across government, civil society and private sectors were surveyed to measure their awareness of the Code, knowledge of specific changes resulting from it, overall opinion on the effectiveness of non-binding codes, and suggestions to improve this Code’s implementation. Results 60% of respondents believed their colleagues were not aware of the Code, and 93% reported that no specific changes had been observed in their work as a result of the Code. 86% reported that the Code has not had any meaningful impact on policies, practices or regulations in their countries. Conclusions This suggests a gap between awareness of the Code among stakeholders at global forums and the awareness and behaviour of national and sub-national actors. Advocacy and technical guidance for implementing the Code are needed to improve its impact on national decision-makers. PMID:24228827

Fixing the broken image of care homes, could a 'care home innovation centre' be the answer?

PubMed

Hockley, Jo; Harrison, Jennifer Kirsty; Watson, Julie; Randall, Marion; Murray, Scott

2017-03-01

The UK has many excellent care homes that provide high-quality care for their residents; however, across the care home sector, there is a significant need for improvement. Even though the majority of care homes receive a rating of 'good' from regulators, still significant numbers are identified as requiring 'improvement' or are 'inadequate'. Such findings resonate with the public perceptions of long-term care as a negative choice, to be avoided wherever possible-as well as impacting on the career choices of health and social care students. Projections of current demographics highlight that, within 10 years, the part of our population that will be growing the fastest will be those people older than 80 years old with the suggestion that spending on long-term care provision needs to rise from 0.6% of our Gross Domestic Product in 2002 to 0.96% by 2031. Teaching/research-based care homes have been developed in the USA, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Australia in response to scandals about care, and the shortage of trained geriatric healthcare staff. There is increasing evidence that such facilities help to reduce inappropriate hospital admissions, increase staff competency and bring increased enthusiasm about working in care homes and improve the quality of care. Is this something that the UK should think of developing? This commentary details the core goals of a Care Home Innovation Centre for training and research as a radical vision to change the culture and image of care homes, and help address this huge public health issue we face. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[The role of science in policy making--EuSANH-ISA project, framework for science advice for health].

PubMed

Cianciara, Dorota; Piotrowicz, Maria; Bielska-Lasota, Magdalena; Wysocki, Mirosław J

2012-01-01

Governments and other authorities (including MPs) should be well informed on issues of science and technology. This is particularly important in the era of evidence-based practice. This implies the need to get expert advice. The process by which scientific knowledge is transmitted, along with proposals how to solve the problem, is called science advice. The main aim of the article is to discuss the issue of science advice--definitions, interaction between science and policymaking, and its position in contemporary policies. The second aim is to present European Science Advisory Network for Health (EuSANH), EuSANH-ISA project, and framework for science advice for health which was developed by participants. Furthermore, the role of civil society in decision-making process and science advice is also discussed. Interaction between scientists and policy-makers are described in terms of science-push approach (technocratic model), policy-pull (decisionistic) and simultaneous push-pull approach (pragmatic). The position of science advice is described in historical perspective from the 50s, especially in the last two decades. Description relies to USA, Canada and UK. Principles of scientific advice to government (Government Office for Science, UK) are quoted. Some important documents related to science advice in EU and UN are mentioned. EuSANH network is described as well as EuSANH-ISA project, with its objectives and outcomes. According to findings of this project, the process of science advice for health should follow some steps: framing the issue to be covered; planning entire process leading to the conclusion; drafting the report; reviewing the report and revision; publishing report and assessing the impact on policy.

Generic oncology drugs: are they all safe?

PubMed

Yang, Y Tony; Nagai, Sumimasa; Chen, Brian K; Qureshi, Zaina P; Lebby, Akida A; Kessler, Samuel; Georgantopoulos, Peter; Raisch, Dennis W; Sartor, Oliver; Hermanson, Terhi; Kane, Robert C; Hrushesky, William J; Riente, Joshua J; Norris, LeAnn B; Bobolts, Laura R; Armitage, James O; Bennett, Charles L

2016-11-01

Although the availability of generic oncology drugs allows access to contemporary care and reduces costs, there is international variability in the safety of this class of drugs. In this Series paper, we review clinical, policy, safety, and regulatory considerations for generic oncology drugs focusing on the USA, Canada, the European Union (EU), Japan, China, and India. Safety information about generic formulations is reviewed from one agent in each class, for heavy metal drugs (cisplatin), targeted agents (imatinib), and cytotoxic agents (docetaxel). We also review regulatory reports from Japan and the USA, countries with the largest pharmaceutical expenditures. Empirical studies did not identify safety concerns in the USA, Canada, the EU, and Japan, where regulations and enforcement are strong. Although manufacturing problems for generic pharmaceuticals exist in India, where 40% of all generic pharmaceuticals used in the USA are manufactured, increased inspections and communication by the US Food and Drug Administration are occurring, facilitating oversight and enforcement. No safety outbreaks among generic oncology drugs were reported in developed countries. For developing countries, oversight is less intensive, and concerns around drug safety still exist. Regulatory agencies should collaboratively develop procedures to monitor the production, shipment, storage, and post-marketing safety of generic oncology drugs. Regulatory agencies for each country should also aim towards identical definitions of bioequivalence, the cornerstone of regulatory approval. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Financial contribution to global surgery: an analysis of 160 international charitable organisations.

PubMed

Gutnik, Lily A; Yamey, Gavin; Dare, Anna J; Ramos, Margarita S; Riviello, Robert; Meara, John G; Shrime, Mark G

2015-04-27

The non-profit and volunteer sector provides substantial contributions to global health. Within the field of surgery, this sector has made notable service contributions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access to surgical care is poor. Little is known about financing and funding flows to surgical care in LMICs from both domestic and international sources. Because an estimated 55% of surgical care delivered in LMICs is via charitable organisations, understanding the financial contributions of this sector could provide valuable insight into estimating funding flows and understanding financing priorities in global surgery. Between June, and September, 2014, we searched public online databases of registered charitable organisations in five high-income nations (the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) to identify organisations committed exclusively to surgical needs. Based on availability, the most current 5 years (2007-13) of financial data per organisation were collected. For each charitable organisation, we identified the type of surgical services provided. We examined revenues and expenditures for each organisation. 160 organisations representing 15 different surgical specialties were included in the analysis. Total aggregated revenue over the years 2008-2013 was US$3·3 billion. Total aggregated expenses for all 160 organisations amounted to US$3·0 billion. 28 ophthalmology organisations accounted for 45% of revenue and 49% of expenses. 15 cleft lip and palate organisations totalled 26% of both revenue and expenses. 19 organisations providing a mix of diverse surgical specialty services amounted to 14% of revenue and 16% of expenses. The remaining 15% of funds represented 12 specialties and 98 organisations. The US accounted for 77·7% of revenue and 80·8% of expenses. The UK accounted for 11·0% of revenue and 11·91% of expenses. Canada accounted for 1·85% of revenue and 2·01% of expenses. Australia and New Zealand accounted for 4·94% of revenue and 5·29% of expenses. Charitable organisations addressing surgical conditions primarily focus on elective surgical care and cover a broad range of subspecialties. The largest funding flows from charitable organisations are directed at ophthalmology, followed by cleft lip and palate surgery. However, there is a clear need for improved, transparent tracking of funds to global surgery via charitable organisations. None. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data harmonization and model performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Joint Committee on Urban Storm Drainage of the International Association for Hydraulic Research (IAHR) and International Association on Water Pollution Research and Control (IAWPRC) was formed in 1982. The current committee members are (no more than two from a country): B. C. Yen, Chairman (USA); P. Harremoes, Vice Chairman (Denmark); R. K. Price, Secretary (UK); P. J. Colyer (UK), M. Desbordes (France), W. C. Huber (USA), K. Krauth (FRG), A. Sjoberg (Sweden), and T. Sueishi (Japan).The IAHR/IAWPRC Joint Committee is forming a Task Group on Data Harmonization and Model Performance. One objective is to promote international urban drainage data harmonization for easy data and information exchange. Another objective is to publicize available models and data internationally. Comments and suggestions concerning the formation and charge of the Task Group are welcome and should be sent to: B. C. Yen, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Illinois, 208 N. Romine St., Urbana, IL 61801.

Trilateral Intercomparison of Photometric Units Maintained at NIST (USA), NPL (UK), and PTB (Germany)

PubMed Central

Ohno, Yoshi; Goodman, Teresa; Sauter, Georg

1999-01-01

A trilateral intercomparison of photometric units between NIST (USA), NPL (UK), and PTB (Germany) has been conducted to update the knowledge of the relationship between the photometric units disseminated in the three countries. The luminous intensity unit (cd), the luminous responsivity scale (A/lx), and the luminous flux unit (lm) maintained at each laboratory were compared by circulating transfer standard lamps and photometers. The results showed that the relative luminous intensity values, with respect to the average, measured by NIST, NPL, and PTB were 1.0014, 1.0021, and 0.9966; the relative inverse values of the luminous responsivity (corresponding to illuminance) were 1.0023, 1.0011, and 0.9965; the relative luminous flux values were 0.9994, 1.0034, and 0.9972, respectively. The results agreed within the stated uncertainties of the units maintained at the three laboratories.

Pesticide Environmental Accounting: a method for assessing the external costs of individual pesticide applications.

PubMed

Leach, A W; Mumford, J D

2008-01-01

The Pesticide Environmental Accounting (PEA) tool provides a monetary estimate of environmental and health impacts per hectare-application for any pesticide. The model combines the Environmental Impact Quotient method and a methodology for absolute estimates of external pesticide costs in UK, USA and Germany. For many countries resources are not available for intensive assessments of external pesticide costs. The model converts external costs of a pesticide in the UK, USA and Germany to Mediterranean countries. Economic and policy applications include estimating impacts of pesticide reduction policies or benefits from technologies replacing pesticides, such as sterile insect technique. The system integrates disparate data and approaches into a single logical method. The assumptions in the system provide transparency and consistency but at the cost of some specificity and precision, a reasonable trade-off for a method that provides both comparative estimates of pesticide impacts and area-based assessments of absolute impacts.

A systematic review of education and evidence-based practice interventions with health professionals and breast feeding counsellors on duration of breast feeding.

PubMed

Spiby, Helen; McCormick, Felicia; Wallace, Louise; Renfrew, Mary J; D'Souza, Lalitha; Dyson, Lisa

2009-02-01

to examine the effects of training, education and practice change interventions with health professionals and lay breast feeding educator/counsellors on duration of breast feeding. this was part of a series of reviews of interventions that affect duration of breast feeding. Full details of methods used, including search strategy, are reported separately. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR INCLUDED STUDIES: randomised controlled trials, non randomised controlled trials with concurrent controls and before after studies (cohort or cross-sectional), undertaken in a developed country, published between 1980 and 2003 in any language. The primary outcome was duration of breast feeding. Secondary and process outcomes, including attitude, knowledge and behaviour change of participants, were included from papers that also reported breast feeding duration outcomes. STUDY-QUALITY ASSESSMENT: inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, data extracted and study quality assessments made by one reviewer and independently checked by another, with a third reviewer to resolve differences, as recommended by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination's guidance for reviews. the search identified nine papers. All were before after studies that included the education of health professionals; no studies were identified that related to breast feeding counsellors. In six of the studies, the participants were working with mothers and babies in hospitals (three in the UK, two in Italy and one in France); in three studies, the participants were working in community settings (Canada, Spain and the USA). Two UK studies and two non-UK studies (Spain and USA) involved mothers living in disadvantaged areas. Most interventions aimed to increase knowledge and change professional practice in support of breast feeding. many of the studies reviewed have methodological limitations. Study settings and contexts vary and lack comparability. Evidence from these studies was insufficient to draw conclusions about overall benefit or harm associated with the interventions. From the studies identified, there seems to be no single way that consistently achieves changes in breast feeding duration. From one of the methodologically more robust studies, it seems that UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFI) training might have the potential to influence breast feeding duration. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: further testing of the BFI initiative within a controlled design. Future research into the education of health-care professionals that relates to the support of breast feeding women should have appropriate theoretical underpinning, describe educational programmes and the context of care delivery comprehensively and use standardised time points in the assessment of the effect of interventions. Intermediate outcomes should also be reported, including those related to the effect on education and practice.

Highlights in bioethics through 40 years: a quantitative analysis of top-cited journal articles.

PubMed

Jin, Pingyue; Hakkarinen, Mark

2017-05-01

The field of bioethics is constantly evolving. To investigate trends in the field of bioethics, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the top-cited articles in bioethical journals over the past 40 years. Retrospective quantitative study of the 20 most cited bioethics articles published each year from 1975 to 2014 were conducted. Article samples were selected from a list of the most relevant 100 journals in the field of bioethics. In total, 800 top-cited articles between 1975 and 2014 in the domain of bioethics were retrieved and analysed. More than half of them were composed by single authors, but multiauthorship became more prevalent with time. The majority (84.5%) of these highly cited articles originated from the USA (65.3%), UK or Canada, though the proportion of other countries increased in recent years. Almost half (44.6%) of the highly cited articles belonged to the subfield of clinical ethics , but other subfields such as research ethics , public health ethics and neuroethics became more prominent. Overall, the distribution of Thesaurus keywords and subfields became more diverse over time, and the number of journals publishing top-cited articles doubled. Furthermore, the empirical ethics approach increased over time in our sample of top-cited articles. In sum, the forefront of bioethics is getting more diversified, collaborative and international. The presumed 'mainstream' becomes less dominant over time, as more highly cited articles come from new subfields, discuss new topics, use more Bioethics Thesaurus keywords, more authors participate and more countries other than the USA contribute to bioethics journals. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

The proceedings of the 1st international workshop on laboratory astrophysics experiments with large lasers

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

Remington, B.A.; Goldstein, W.H.

1996-08-09

The world has stood witness to the development of a number of highly sophisticated and flexible, high power laser facilities (energies up to 50 kJ and powers up to 50 TW), driven largely by the world-wide effort in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The charter of diagnosing implosions with detailed, quantitative measurements has driven the ICF laser facilities to be exceedingly versatile and well equipped with diagnostics. Interestingly, there is considerable overlap in the physics of ICF and astrophysics. Both typically involve compressible radiative hydrodynamics, radiation transport, complex opacities, and equations of state of dense matter. Surprisingly, however, there has beenmore » little communication between these two communities to date. With the recent declassification of ICF in the USA, and the approval to commence with construction of the next generation ``superlasers``, the 2 MJ National Ignition Facility in the US, and its equivalent, the LMJ laser in France, the situation is ripe for change. . Given the physics similarities that exist between ICF and astrophysics, one strongly suspects that there should exist regions of overlap where supporting research on the large lasers could be beneficial to the astrophysics community. As a catalyst for discussions to this end, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory sponsored this workshop. Approximately 100 scientists attended from around the world, representing eight countries: the USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, and Israel. A total of 30 technical papers were presented. The two day workshop was divided into four sessions, focusing on nonlinear hydrodynamics, radiative hydrodynamics, radiation transport, and atomic physics-opacities. Copies of the presentations are contained in these proceedings.« less

Implications for the UK of solar-power satellites /s.p.s/ as an energy source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shelton, R. M.

1980-01-01

The solar power satellite concept which would make the sun's radiation available on earth as a source of energy, is discussed. Attention is given to the concept currently under evaluation in the USA, and also in Europe, though to a lesser extent. The advantages and problems associated with its adoption by the UK as a major source of electrical energy are discussed. The discussion covers topics such as sizing, reference system, and construction, costs, and problem areas.

Canada's contribution to global research in cardiovascular diseases.

PubMed

Nguyen, Hai V; de Oliveira, Claire; Wijeysundera, Harindra C; Wong, William W L; Woo, Gloria; Grootendorst, Paul; Liu, Peter P; Krahn, Murray D

2013-06-01

The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Canada and other developed countries is growing, in part because of the aging of the population and the alarming rise of obesity. Studying Canada's contribution to the global body of CVD research output will shed light on the effectiveness of investments in Canadian CVD research and inform if Canada has been responding to its CVD burden. Search was conducted using the Web-of-Science database for publications during 1981 through 2010 on major areas and specific interventions in CVD. Search was also conducted using Canadian and US online databases for patents issued between 1981 and 2010. Search data were used to estimate the proportions of the world's pool of research publications and of patents conducted by researchers based in Canada. The results indicate that Canada contributed 6% of global research in CVD during 1981 through 2010. Further, Canada's contribution shows a strong upward trend during the period. Based on patent data, Canada's contribution level was similar (5%-7%). Canada's contribution to the global pool of CVD research is on par with France and close to the UK, Japan, and Germany. Canada's contribution in global CVD research is higher than its average contribution in all fields of research (6% vs 3%). As the burden of chronic diseases including CVD rises with Canada's aging population, the increase in Canadian research into CVD is encouraging. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human-induced seismicity and large-scale hydrocarbon production in the USA and Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Baan, Mirko; Calixto, Frank J.

2017-07-01

We compare current and historic seismicity rates in six States in the USA and three Provinces in Canada to past and present hydrocarbon production. All States/Provinces are major hydrocarbon producers. Our analyses span three to five decades depending on data availability. Total hydrocarbon production has significantly increased in the past few years in these regions. Increased production in most areas is due to large-scale hydraulic fracturing and thus underground fluid injection. Furthermore, increased hydrocarbon production generally leads to increased water production, which must be treated, recycled, or disposed of underground. Increased fluid injection enhances the likelihood of fault reactivation, which may affect current seismicity rates. We find that increased seismicity in Oklahoma, likely due to salt-water disposal, has an 85% correlation with oil production. Yet, the other areas do not display State/Province-wide correlations between increased seismicity and production, despite 8-16-fold increases in production in some States. However, in various cases, seismicity has locally increased. Multiple factors play an important role in determining the likelihood of anthropogenic activities influencing earthquake rates, including (i) the near-surface tectonic background rate, (ii) the existence of critically stressed and favorably oriented faults, which must be hydraulically connected to injection wells, (iii) the orientation and magnitudes of the in situ stress field, combined with (iv) the injection volumes and implemented depletion strategies. A comparison with the seismic hazard maps for the USA and Canada shows that induced seismicity is less likely in areas with a lower hazard. The opposite, however, is not necessarily true.

How widespread is human-induced seismicity in the USA and Canada?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van der Baan, M.

2017-12-01

There has been significant public and scientific interest in the observation of changed seismicity rates in North America since 2008, possibly due to human activities. Van der Baan and Calixto (2017) find that the seismicity rate in Oklahoma between 2008 and 2016 is strongly correlated to increased hydrocarbon production. The possibility of systematic correlations between increased hydrocarbon production and seismicity rates is a pertinent question since the USA became the world's largest hydrocarbon producer in 2013, surpassing both Saudi Arabia's oil production and Russia's dry gas production. In most areas increased production is due to systematic hydraulic fracturing which involves high-pressure, underground fluid injection. Increased hydrocarbon production also leads to increased salt-water production which is often disposed of underground. Increased underground fluid injection in general may cause increased seismicity rates due to facilitated slip on pre-existing faults. Contrary to Oklahoma, analysis of oil and gas production versus seismicity rates in six other States in the USA and three provinces in Canada finds no State/Province-wide correlation between increased seismicity and hydrocarbon production, despite 8-16 fold increases in production in some States (Van der Baan and Calixto, 2017). However, in various areas, seismicity rates have increased locally. A comparison with seismic hazard maps shows that human-induced seismicity is less likely in areas that have historically felt fewer earthquakes. The opposite is not necessarily true. ReferencesVan der Baan, M. and Calixto, F. J. (2017), Human-induced seismicity and large-scale hydrocarbon production in the USA and Canada. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 18, doi:10.1002/2017GC006915 AcknowledgmentsThe author thanks Frank Calixto who co-authored the paper on which a large portion of this lecture is based, the sponsors of the Microseismic Industry Consortium for financial support, the SEG for funding and organizing the SEG 2017 Honorary Lecturer tour, North America, and the organizers of this session, sponsored by the AGU Near Surface Geophysics and Seismology Divisions, for inviting him to give this presentation.

Environmental health impacts: occurrence, exposure and significance, Lancaster University, UK, 9-10 September 2003.

PubMed

Martin, Francis L; Semple, Kirk T

2004-09-01

Speakers: John Ashby (Syngenta CTL, UK), Peter A. Behnisch (Eurofins GfA, Germany), Paul L. Carmichael (Unilever Colworth, UK), Curtis C.Harris (National Cancer Institute, USA), Kevin C. Jones (Lancaster University, UK), Andreas Kortenkamp (School of Pharmacy, London, UK), Caroline J. Langdon (Reading University, UK), Anthony M. Lynch (GlaxoSmithKline, UK), Francis L. Martin (Lancaster University, UK), Trevor J. McMillan (Lancaster University, UK), David H. Phillips (Institute of Cancer Research, UK), Huw J. Ricketts (University of Cardiff, UK), Michael N. Routledge (University of Leeds, UK), J. Thomas Sanderson (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Kirk T. Semple (Lancaster University, UK) The effects of many environmental exposures to either single contaminants or to mixtures still remain to be properly assessed in ecotoxicological and human toxicological settings. Such assessments need to be carried out using relevant biological assays. On a mechanistic basis, future studies need to be able to extrapolate exposure to disease risk. It is envisaged that such an approach would lead to the development of appropriate strategies to either reduce exposures or to initiate preventative measures in susceptible individuals or populations. To mark the opening of a new Institute, the Lancaster Environmental Centre, an environmental health workshop was held over 2 days (9-10 September 2003) at Lancaster University, UK. The fate, behaviour and movement of chemicals in the environment, together with environmental exposures and human health, biomarkers of such exposures, hormone-like compounds and appropriate genetic toxicology methodologies, were discussed.

An exploratory survey of Spanish and English nursing students' views on studying or working abroad.

PubMed

Goodman, Benny; Jones, Ray; Sanchón Macias, Marivi

2008-04-01

Student mobility within Europe is encouraged by the EU's 'Bologna process' and financially supported by the Socrates programme. However, relatively few UK nursing students travel to Europe for study. To compare the willingness to study or work abroad and the perceived barriers and benefits of doing so, amongst students in England and Spain. Third year nursing students completed a 15 item questionnaire on work and study abroad. Spanish students were younger than UK students, had fewer family commitments, and better language skills. There was little difference between Spanish and UK students in wanting to study abroad, UK students named English speaking countries as likely destinations. Spanish students named Italy; the UK and USA were also popular. Perceived barriers for UK students were funding, family, and language. Family commitments were not a major problem for Spanish students. Spanish were more likely than English students to see language as a problem. UK and Spanish Nursing students are equally enthusiastic about studying or working abroad but UK students have limited language skills, are less able to access Socrates funding for European destinations, and given their age and family commitments, funding is a barrier for 'non-Socrates' destinations.

Essential and toxic elements in infant foods from Spain, UK, China and USA.

PubMed

Carbonell-Barrachina, Ángel A; Ramírez-Gandolfo, Amanda; Wu, Xiangchun; Norton, Gareth J; Burló, Francisco; Deacon, Claire; Meharg, Andrew A

2012-09-01

Spanish gluten-free rice, cereals with gluten, and pureed baby foods were analysed for essential macro-elements (Ca and Na), essential trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Cr, Co and Ni) and non-essential trace elements (As, Pb, Cd and Hg) using ICP-MS and AAS. Baby cereals were an excellent source of most of the essential elements (Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn). Sodium content was high in pureed foods to improve their flavour; fish products were also rich in Se. USA pure baby rice samples had the highest contents of all studied essential elements, showing a different nutrient pattern compared to those of other countries. Mineral fortification was not always properly stated in the labelling of infant foods. Complementary infant foods may also contain significant amounts of contaminants. The contents of Hg and Cd were low enough to guarantee the safety of these infant foods. However, it will be necessary to identify the source and reduce the levels of Pb, Cr and As in Spanish foods. Pure baby rice samples contained too much: Pb in Spain; As in UK; As, Cr and Ni in USA; and Cr and Cd in China.

Once a physicist: Dave Donaldson

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2017-08-01

Dave Donaldson is a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, who conducts research on topics related to international and inter-regional trade in low-income countries. He grew up in Toronto, Canada and obtained an MPhys degree at the University of Oxford, UK, in 2001

Whole-genome sequencing to determine Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmission: an observational study

PubMed Central

Cole, Kevin; Cole, Michelle J; Cresswell, Fiona; Dean, Gillian; Dave, Jayshree; Thomas, Daniel Rh; Foster, Kirsty; Waldram, Alison; Wilson, Daniel J; Didelot, Xavier; Grad, Yonatan H; Crook, Derrick W; Peto, Tim EA; Walker, A Sarah

2016-01-01

Background New approaches are urgently required to address increasing rates of gonorrhoea and the emergence and global spread of antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) can be applied to study transmission and track resistance. Methods We performed WGS on 1659 isolates from Brighton, UK, and 217 additional isolates from other UK locations. We included WGS data (n=196) from the USA. Estimated mutation rates, plus diversity observed within patients across anatomical sites and probable transmission pairs, were used to fit a coalescent model to determine the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) expected between sequences related by direct/indirect transmission, depending on the time between samples. Findings We detected extensive local transmission. 281/1061(26%) Brighton cases were indistinguishable (0 SNPs) to ≥1 previous case(s), and 786(74%) had evidence of a sampled direct or indirect Brighton source. There was evidence of sustained transmission of some lineages. We observed multiple related samples across geographic locations. Of 1273 infections in Brighton, 225(18%) were linked to another case from elsewhere in the UK, and 115(9%) to a case from the USA. Four lineages initially identified in Brighton could be linked to 70 USA sequences, including 61 from a lineage carrying the mosaic penA XXXIV associated with reduced cefixime susceptibility. Interpretation We present a WGS-based tool for genomic contact tracing of N. gonorrhoeae and demonstrate local, national and international transmission. WGS can be applied across geographical boundaries to investigate gonorrhoea transmission and to track antimicrobial resistance. Funding Oxford NIHR Health Protection Research Unit and Biomedical Research Centre. PMID:27427203

A systematic review of land use regression models for volatile organic compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amini, Heresh; Yunesian, Masud; Hosseini, Vahid; Schindler, Christian; Henderson, Sarah B.; Künzli, Nino

2017-12-01

Various aspects of land use regression (LUR) models for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were systematically reviewed. Sixteen studies were identified published between 2002 and 2017. Of these, six were conducted in Canada, five in the USA, two in Spain, and one each in Germany, Italy, and Iran. They were developed for 14 different individual VOCs or groupings: benzene; toluene; ethylbenzene; m-xylene; p-xylene; (m/p)-xylene; o-xylene; total BTEX; 1,3-butadiene; formaldehyde; n-hexane; total hydro carbons; styrene; and acrolein. The models were based on measurements ranging from 22 sites in El Paso (USA) to 179 sites in Tehran (Iran). Only four studies in Rome (Italy), Sabadell (Spain), Tehran, and Windsor (Canada) met the Cocheo's criterion of having at least one passive sampler per 3.4 km2 of study area. The range of R2 values across all models was from 0.26 for 1,3-butadiene in Dallas (USA) to 0.93 for benzene in El Paso. The average R2 values among two or more studies of the same VOCs were as follows: benzene (0.70); toluene (0.60); ethylbenzene (0.66); (m/p)-xylene (0.65); o-xylene (0.61); total BTEX (0.66); 1,3-butadiene (0.46); and formaldehyde (0.56). The common spatial predictors of studied VOC concentrations were dominated by traffic-related variables, but they also included proximity to ports in the USA, number of chimneys in Canada, altitude in Spain, northern latitudes in Italy, and proximity to sewage treatment plants and to gas filling stores in Iran. For the traffic-related variables, the review suggests that large buffers, up to 5,000 m, should be considered in large cities. Although most studies reported logical directions of association for predictors, some reported inconsistent results. Some studies included log-transformed predictors while others divided one variable by another. Only six studies provided the p-values of predictors. Future work may incorporate chemistry-transport models, satellite observations, meteorological variables, particularly temperature, consider specific sources of aromatic vs aliphatic compounds, or may develop hybrid models. Currently, only one national model has been developed for Canada, and there are no global LUR models for VOCs. Overall, studies from outside North America and Europe are critically needed to describe the wide range of exposures experienced by different populations.

Enablers and barriers to implementing collaborative care for anxiety and depression: a systematic qualitative review.

PubMed

Overbeck, Gritt; Davidsen, Annette Sofie; Kousgaard, Marius Brostrøm

2016-12-28

Collaborative care is an increasingly popular approach for improving quality of care for people with mental health problems through an intensified and structured collaboration between primary care providers and health professionals with specialized psychiatric expertise. Trials have shown significant positive effects for patients suffering from depression, but since collaborative care is a complex intervention, it is important to understand the factors which affect its implementation. We present a qualitative systematic review of the enablers and barriers to implementing collaborative care for patients with anxiety and depression. We developed a comprehensive search strategy in cooperation with a research librarian and performed a search in five databases (EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest, and CINAHL). All authors independently screened titles and abstracts and reviewed full-text articles. Studies were included if they were published in English and based on the original qualitative data on the implementation of a collaborative care intervention targeted at depression or anxiety in an adult patient population in a high-income country. Our subsequent analysis employed the normalization process theory (NPT). We included 17 studies in our review of which 11 were conducted in the USA, five in the UK, and one in Canada. We identified several barriers and enablers within the four major analytical dimensions of NPT. Securing buy-in among primary care providers was found to be critical but sometimes difficult. Enablers included physician champions, reimbursement for extra work, and feedback on the effectiveness of collaborative care. The social and professional skills of the care managers seemed critical for integrating collaborative care in the primary health care clinic. Day-to-day implementation was also found to be facilitated by the care managers being located in the clinic since this supports regular face-to-face interactions between physicians and care managers. The following areas require special attention when planning collaborative care interventions: effective educational programs, especially for care managers; issues of reimbursement in relation to primary care providers; good systems for communication and monitoring; and promoting face-to-face interaction between care managers and physicians, preferably through co-location. There is a need for well-sampled, in-depth qualitative studies on the implementation of collaborative care in settings outside the USA and the UK.

PREFACE: Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Singh, Tejinder

2014-03-01

The International Conferences on Gravitation and Cosmology (ICGCs) are a four yearly conference series organized in India, under the auspices of the Indian Association for General Relativity and Gravitation (IAGRG). The first ever ICGC was organized in December 1987 in Goa, a pretty coastal state located in western India along the Arabian Sea. The 7th Silver Jubilee ICGC returned to its original venue, and was held during 14-19 December, 2011. A unique feature of ICGC-2011 was that it was organized as the conference component of the programme, ''Frontiers of Cosmology and Gravitation'' (FOCG, 1-23 December, 2011). FOCG was a programme of the newly formed International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) of TIFR. Apart from ICGC-2011, it consisted of a School on Cosmology and Gravitational Waves (1st-11th December, held at IUCAA, Pune), and a workshop on Gravitational Wave Astronomy (20-23 December, again held at IUCAA, Pune). The occasion was also utilized to organize the ICTS Public Lectures at TIFR, Mumbai, on 13 December, 2011 by Dick Bond, John Ellis, Jim Peebles, and Kip Thorne. Detailed information about these various activities is available at the conference website http://www.tifr.res.in/~icgc2011 and in the conference brochure. About 250 scientists attended the ICGC-2011, and about 200 presentations were made. These included keynote addresses, plenary lectures, and workshop presentations (oral and poster). In addition, there were three dedicated mini-sessions on Gravity as an Emergent Phenomenon, Dark Energy, and Gravitational Wave Astronomy. The Journal of Physics Conference Series (JPCS) has kindly agreed to publish the proceedings of ICGC-2011, after subjecting the submitted papers to a peer-review process. The publication of these proceedings was made possible by a generous grant from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Allied Trusts, to whom we are grateful. We express our sincere thanks to the Assistant Editor V Chellathurai, who handled the painstaking task of proofreading and copyediting the accepted papers. We also thank the SOC, and the Workshop Chairs for their help in putting together an excellent scientific programme, the LOC for the wonderful organization, and the referees of papers for their help in improving the quality of the papers. Finally, we would like to thank all the authors who have made the publication of these proceedings possible, through their contribution. B S Sathyaprakash and Tejinder P Singh Scientific Organizing Committee Pijushpani Bhattacharjee (SINP, India) J Richard Bond (CITA, Canada) Manuela Campanelli (RIT, USA) Debajyoti Choudhury (Delhi University, India) Richard Ellis (Caltech, USA) Gary Gibbons (DAMTP, UK) Pankaj Joshi (TIFR, India) Romesh Kaul (IMSc, India) Subhabrata Majumdar (TIFR, India) Don Marolf (UCSB, USA) Ramesh Narayan (CfA, Harvard University, USA) Lyman Page (Princeton University, USA) Misao Sasaki (YITP, Japan) B S Sathyaprakash (Cardiff University, UK) Ashoke Sen (HRI, India) Tarun Souradeep (IUCAA, India) [Chair] P S Sreekumar (ISRO, India) Alexei Starobinsky (Landau Institute, Russia) Sumati Surya (RRI, India) C S Unnikrishnan (TIFR, India) Spenta Wadia (TIFR, India) Local Organzing Committee Ghanashyam Date A Gopakumar Subhabrata Majumdar D Narasimha T P Singh (Chair) Supporting Staff V Chellathurai [Scientific Programmes Coordinator] Ashok Deshpande [Accounts Officer] Margaret D'Souza [Secretary] Shobha Jagtap [Secretary] Nishikant Kadam [Secretary] Vijay Kadam [Assistant] A list of participants is available in the PDF

Professional Development for Teachers Working with International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Ly Thi; Pasura, Rinos

2018-01-01

The commercialisation of education and the massive recruitment of international students across different vocational education and training (VET) systems including the US, UK, Canada and Australia have led to significant changes in the VET teaching and learning landscape. This situation compels the VET sector to design and develop new professional…

U.S. - UK - Canada Trilateral Symposium

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-02

e . 4. Procedures for intra-community arms transfers simplified. 5 Retransfer controls disco raged b t m st be. u u u complied with. Li d...IRIS – T • Airbus A310 refueller 10 FUTURE OF TRANSATLANTIC ARMAMENTS COOPERATION 1996 VISION – “I believe that national security – ours and that

Being Wholesaled: An Investigation of Chinese International Students' Higher Education Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Mengwei; Harrison, Laura M.

2016-01-01

Using academic capitalism as a theoretical foundation, this phenomenological study examined the new study abroad experiences of Chinese college students in six popular English-speaking study destination countries--the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore. Qualitative data collected from 20 interviews indicate some…

Evolution of primary care databases in UK: a scientometric analysis of research output.

PubMed

Vezyridis, Paraskevas; Timmons, Stephen

2016-10-11

To identify publication and citation trends, most productive institutions and countries, top journals, most cited articles and authorship networks from articles that used and analysed data from primary care databases (CPRD, THIN, QResearch) of pseudonymised electronic health records (EHRs) in UK. Descriptive statistics and scientometric tools were used to analyse a SCOPUS data set of 1891 articles. Open access software was used to extract networks from the data set (Table2Net), visualise and analyse coauthorship networks of scholars and countries (Gephi) and density maps (VOSviewer) of research topics co-occurrence and journal cocitation. Research output increased overall at a yearly rate of 18.65%. While medicine is the main field of research, studies in more specialised areas include biochemistry and pharmacology. Researchers from UK, USA and Spanish institutions have published the most papers. Most of the journals that publish this type of research and most cited papers come from UK and USA. Authorship varied between 3 and 6 authors. Keyword analyses show that smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mental illnesses, as well as medication that can treat such medical conditions, such as non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents, insulin and antidepressants constitute the main topics of research. Coauthorship network analyses show that lead scientists, directors or founders of these databases are, to various degrees, at the centre of clusters in this scientific community. There is a considerable increase of publications in primary care research from EHRs. The UK has been well placed at the centre of an expanding global scientific community, facilitating international collaborations and bringing together international expertise in medicine, biochemical and pharmaceutical research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Pharmaceutical Pricing and Market Access Outlook Europe 2010-HealthNetwork Communications' fourth annual conference. 24-25 March 2010, London, UK.

PubMed

Ogbighele, Erhimuvi

2010-05-01

The HealthNetwork Communications' Fourth Annual Conference on Pharmaceutical Pricing and Market Access Outlook Europe 2010, held in London, included topics covering the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry, specifically related to pricing and reimbursement, and demonstrating the value of a pharmaceutical. This conference report highlights selected presentations on a global perspective on pricing and reimbursement, with an analysis of the specific, unique challenges in the six major markets, Europe, the US, Canada, Germany, the UK and Japan, and a discussion of the benefits of risk-sharing schemes.

The history of the early years of metamaterials in USA and UK defense agencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derov, John S.; Hammond, Richard; Youngs, Ian J.

2017-08-01

This article discusses the historical events that occurred in the early years of metamaterials leading to the current development of metamaterials in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense, and Ministry of Defence.

Microbiological and ecological responses to global environmental changes in polar regions (MERGE): An IPY core coordinating project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naganuma, Takeshi; Wilmotte, Annick

2009-11-01

An integrated program, “Microbiological and ecological responses to global environmental changes in polar regions” (MERGE), was proposed in the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 and endorsed by the IPY committee as a coordinating proposal. MERGE hosts original proposals to the IPY and facilitates their funding. MERGE selected three key questions to produce scientific achievements. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms in terrestrial, lacustrine, and supraglacial habitats were targeted according to diversity and biogeography; food webs and ecosystem evolution; and linkages between biological, chemical, and physical processes in the supraglacial biome. MERGE hosted 13 original and seven additional proposals, with two full proposals. It respected the priorities and achievements of the individual proposals and aimed to unify their significant results. Ideas and projects followed a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach. We intend to inform the MERGE community of the initial results and encourage ongoing collaboration. Scientists from non-polar regions have also participated and are encouraged to remain involved in MERGE. MERGE is formed by scientists from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, UK, Uruguay, USA, and Vietnam, and associates from Chile, Denmark, Netherlands, and Norway.

An efficient Monte Carlo-based algorithm for scatter correction in keV cone-beam CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poludniowski, G.; Evans, P. M.; Hansen, V. N.; Webb, S.

2009-06-01

A new method is proposed for scatter-correction of cone-beam CT images. A coarse reconstruction is used in initial iteration steps. Modelling of the x-ray tube spectra and detector response are included in the algorithm. Photon diffusion inside the imaging subject is calculated using the Monte Carlo method. Photon scoring at the detector is calculated using forced detection to a fixed set of node points. The scatter profiles are then obtained by linear interpolation. The algorithm is referred to as the coarse reconstruction and fixed detection (CRFD) technique. Scatter predictions are quantitatively validated against a widely used general-purpose Monte Carlo code: BEAMnrc/EGSnrc (NRCC, Canada). Agreement is excellent. The CRFD algorithm was applied to projection data acquired with a Synergy XVI CBCT unit (Elekta Limited, Crawley, UK), using RANDO and Catphan phantoms (The Phantom Laboratory, Salem NY, USA). The algorithm was shown to be effective in removing scatter-induced artefacts from CBCT images, and took as little as 2 min on a desktop PC. Image uniformity was greatly improved as was CT-number accuracy in reconstructions. This latter improvement was less marked where the expected CT-number of a material was very different to the background material in which it was embedded.

Air, rail and road: Medical Guidelines for Employees with a History of Cerebrovascular Disease.

PubMed

Klein, Rebecca; Menon, Bijoy K; Rabi, Doreen; Stell, William; Hill, Michael D

2016-10-01

Background An acute medical condition following a previous stroke among those who operate trains, airplanes, and commercial vehicles can result in serious accidents. There are guidelines in place to assist physicians and employers in assessing the risks of returning to work after stroke but the extent and comprehensiveness across nations and among safety-critical occupations are not widely known. Methods Medical guidelines currently in place to regulate safety critical occupations including railway engineers, pilots and commercial vehicle drivers were systematically reviewed. Electronic and hand literature searches as well as review of grey literature for Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia were conducted. Results There is no consistent set of guidelines that address the risk of a second catastrophic event after an initial cerebrovascular event in those employed in safety critical occupations in the four countries assessed. Some broad principles existed between the different countries and occupations but there was major variation in the approach to cerebrovascular disease and its impact on those working in safety-critical occupations. Conclusions A synthesis of current knowledge would assist in establishing risks of a catastrophic event in those who have already suffered from cerebrovascular illness. This will allow the creation of medical guidelines which could be applied to any safety critical occupation in any nation.

[Molecular-genetic analysis of the genomes of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and porcine circovirus type 2 circulating in the area of Russian Federation].

PubMed

Bulgakov, A D; Grebennikova, T V; Iuzhakov, A G; Aliper, T I; Nepoklonov, E A

2014-01-01

The molecular genetic analysis of the genomes of the virus of porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome (VPRRS) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) circulating in the area of the Russian Federation was discussed. The results of this work showed the circulation of the strains of the European genotype VPRRS similar to those found in France and Denmark from 1998 to 2001. The homology of the fragment of one of the genes between the Russian isolates and the vaccine strain Porcilis PRRS (Intervet) was found. It requires further study. The strains representing the North American genotype VPRRS were not found. The PCV-2 genomes fall into three separate goups. One (genotype 2b) is formed by isolates in Malaysia, Brazil, Switzerland, China, Slovakia, UK, USA, isolated during the period from 2004 to the present time. The second group consists of sequences of the viruses isolated in 2000-2012 in Canada, the U.S., China, and South Korea (genotype 2a). The third group is formed by highly pathogenic isolates in 2013 from China (highly pathogenic genotype 2c). The circulation of all three known genotypes of PCV-2: 2a, 2b, and 2c in Russian Federation was demonstrated.

The fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) tool: development and general psychometric properties†

PubMed Central

Boivin, Jacky; Takefman, Janet; Braverman, Andrea

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND To develop the first international instrument to measure fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) in men and women experiencing fertility problems, to evaluate the preliminary psychometric properties of this new tool and to translate FertiQoL into multiple languages. METHOD We conducted a survey, both online and in fertility clinics in USA, Australia/New Zealand, Canada and UK. A total of 1414 people with fertility problems participated. The main outcome measure was the FertiQoL tool. RESULTS FertiQoL consists of 36 items that assess core (24 items) and treatment-related quality of life (QoL) (10 items) and overall life and physical health (2 items). Cronbach reliability statistics for the Core and Treatment FertiQoL (and subscales) were satisfactory and in the range of 0.72 and 0.92. Sensitivity analyses showed that FertiQoL detected expected relations between QoL and gender, parity and support-seeking. FertiQoL was translated into 20 languages by the same translation team with each translation verified by local bilingual fertility experts. CONCLUSIONS FertiQoL is a reliable measure of the impact of fertility problems and its treatment on QoL. Future research should establish its use in cross-cultural research and clinical work. PMID:21665875

Meaningful lives: Supporting young people with psychosis in education, training and employment: an international consensus statement.

PubMed

2010-11-01

Unemployment is the major disability faced by people with psychotic illness. Unemployment rates of 75–95% are found among those with schizophrenia. Unemployment is associated with poorer social and economic inclusion, greater symptomatology, decreased autonomy and generally poorer life functioning. Unemployment also makes up over half of the total costs associated with psychotic illness. A meeting was convened in London in June 2008. Invitees to this meeting included people from the USA, Canada and the UK interested in vocational intervention in early psychosis from either a research, clinical, economic or policy point of view. From this meeting a larger group–the International First Episode Vocational Recovery (iFEVR) group–has developed an international consensus statement about vocational recovery in first episode psychosis. The document is a basic statement of the rights of young people with psychosis to pursue employment, education and training; the evidence which exists to help them do this; and ways in which individuals, organizations and governments can assist the attainment of these ends. It is hoped that the Meaningful Lives consensus statement will increase the focus on the area of functional recovery and lift it to be seen in parallel with symptomatic recovery in the approach to treating early psychosis.

Male clients' behaviours with and perspectives about their last male escort encounter: comparing repeat versus first-time hires.

PubMed

Wolff, Margaret M; Grov, Christian; Smith, Michael D; Koken, Juline A; Parsons, Jeffrey T

2014-01-01

Research on men who have sex with men suggests that condomless anal intercourse occurs more frequently in established sexual relationships. While comparable data regarding male-for-male escorting is unavailable, research implies that many clients seek emotional as well as physical connections with the men they hire. In 2012, 495 male clients, recruited via daddysreviews.com completed an online survey about their last hiring experience. Most participants were from the USA (85.7%), the UK and Canada (3.2% each). In total, 75% of encounters involved an escort hired for the first time; 25% were with a previously hired escort ('repeat encounter'). The client's age, lifetime number of escorts hired and number hired in the past year were positively associated with the last encounter being a repeat encounter. Cuddling, sharing a meal, drinking alcohol, taking a walk, watching a show and shopping were also positively associated with repeat encounters. Conversely, none of the sexual behaviours were significantly associated with repeat encounters. Repeat encounters were significantly more likely to include non-sexual behaviours alongside sexual activities, but no more likely to involve condomless anal intercourse. Moreover, clients' knowledge of escorts' HIV status was not significantly associated with engaging in condomless anal intercourse with repeat encounters.

Trends in matrix metalloproteinase research from 1986-2007: a bibliometric study.

PubMed

Robert, Claude; Wilson, Concepción S; Gaudy, Jean-François; Hornebeck, William; Arreto, Charles-Daniel

2010-10-01

Using the SCI-expanded database, this study provides a quantitative description of the development of the research involving matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) over a period of 20 years. From 1986 to 2007 the scientific literature related to MMP increased sevenfold (397 papers in 1986-1987 and 2834 in 2006-2007). The number of countries participating in MMP-related research doubled during this period (33 in 1986-1987 to 67 in 2006-2007), and the USA continually remained the leader. Several industrialized nations (Japan, Germany, UK, Canada, and France) also continuously played important roles, with some emerging Asian countries joining the top 10 most productive countries in 2006-2007: China (ranked 5th), South Korea (6th), and Taiwan (10th). The MMP-related literature was distributed among a continuously growing number of journals (188 in 1986-1987, 527 in 1996-1997, and 913 in 2006-2007) and The Journal of Biological Chemistry remained the most prolific throughout the entire period. The development of the research involving MMPs during the past two decades was also characterized by a progressive transfer of interest from basic research to clinical medicine; cell biology and pharmacology were important routes of investigation generally pursued by researchers. Journals dedicated to oncology have progressively risen to the top 8 most prolific journals during the 20 year period analyzed.

The role of unregulated care providers in home care: A scoping review.

PubMed

Saari, Margaret; Xiao, Sarah; Rowe, Alissa; Patterson, Erin; Killackey, Tieghan; Raffaghello, Julia; Tourangeau, Ann E

2018-04-30

Health care needs of individuals living in the community are increasing. To meet the rising need, unregulated care providers are providing more complex patient care. The aim of this review is to articulate the unregulated care provider role by identifying patient care activities offered by unregulated care providers in home care. A scoping review was conducted. One thousand and eleven published manuscripts were identified in CINAHL, Ageline and MEDLINE. Eleven additional manuscripts were identified through hand searching. Manuscripts were screened for relevancy and data were abstracted to address the research question. Twenty-eight studies originating from Canada, Sweden, Belgium, UK, USA and New Zealand were included. Three categories of patient care activities provided by unregulated care providers were found: (1) personal care and core skills; (2) delegated tasks and added skills; and (3) specialty roles. Unregulated care providers predominantly provide assistance with personal care and activities of daily living. However, unregulated care providers also provide care outside their training, including care once provided by nurses. Guidelines clearly articulating responsibilities of nurses transferring care activities to unregulated care providers should be developed. Processes and policies regarding evaluation and supervision of unregulated care providers providing added skills should be developed to ensure appropriate monitoring and support. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cessation assistance reported by smokers in 15 countries participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) policy evaluation surveys

PubMed Central

Borland, Ron; Li, Lin; Driezen, Pete; Wilson, Nick; Hammond, David; Thompson, Mary E.; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Mons, Ute; Willemsen, Marc C.; McNeill, Ann; Thrasher, James F.; Cummings, K. Michael

2011-01-01

Aims To describe some of the variability across the world in levels of quit smoking attempts and use of various forms of cessation support. Design Use of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project surveys of smokers, using the 2007 survey wave (or later, where necessary). Settings Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, UK, Uruguay and USA. Measures Self-report on use of cessation aids and on visits to health professionals and provision of cessation advice during the visits. Findings Prevalence of quit attempts in the last year varied from under 20% to over 50% across countries. Similarly, smokers varied greatly in reporting of visiting health professionals in the last year (< 20% to over 70%), and among those who did, provision of advice to quit also varied greatly. There was also marked variability in the levels and types of help reported. Use of medication was generally more common than use of behavioural support, except where medications are not readily available. Conclusions There is wide variation across countries in rates of attempts to stop smoking and use of assistance with higher overall use of medication than behavioural support. There is also wide variation in the provision of brief advice to stop by health professionals. PMID:21883605

Combining GPS, GIS, and accelerometry to explore the physical activity and environment relationship in children and young people - a review.

PubMed

McCrorie, Paul R W; Fenton, Candida; Ellaway, Anne

2014-09-13

The environment has long been associated with physical activity engagement, and recent developments in technology have resulted in the ability to objectively quantify activity behaviours and activity context. This paper reviews studies that have combined Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and accelerometry to investigate the PA-environment relationship in children and young people (5-18 years old). Literature searches of the following bibliographic databases were undertaken: Sportdiscus, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Psychinfo and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA). Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, and covered topics including greenspace use, general land use, active travel, and the built environment. Studies were largely cross-sectional and took place across developed countries (UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia). Findings suggest that roads and streets, school grounds, and the home location are important locations for total PA, and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). The relationship between greenspace was positive, however, multiple definitions and outcome measures add complexity to the results. MVPA was more likely in those exposed to higher levels of greenspace compared to sedentary individuals. Total MVPA time in greenspace is low, but when framed as a proportion of the total can be quite high. Domestic gardens may be an important area for higher intensity activity.

Adequacy of Online Patient Information Resources on Gout and Potentially Curative Urate-Lowering Treatment.

PubMed

Jimenez-Liñan, L M; Edwards, L; Abhishek, A; Doherty, Michael

2017-05-01

To assess the content and readability of online patient information resources against the current understanding of gout. An online survey was undertaken using Google UK, USA, Australia, and Canada. Information was assessed for content and accuracy on 19 key points regarding core content for gout patient information resources. Readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease score. Fifteen randomly selected websites were reviewed by a blinded second observer. A total of 85 websites were selected. More than 50% of the websites provided no information or had inaccuracies regarding the pathogenesis of gout. Most websites contained information on dietary and lifestyle modifications for treating gout and did not emphasize urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and its potential for cure. Over 75% of the websites had no/inaccurate information on the role of ULT or prophylaxis for preventing gout attacks on starting ULT. The majority of websites were difficult to read, with information in 68% of the websites rated at least fairly difficult. Only a few web-based patient information resources provide accurate and easy-to-read information on gout. This study will help physicians direct patients to currently reliable resources, but there is a need to improve many web-based patient information resources, which at present act as barriers to care. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

International collaborative project to compare and track the nutritional composition of fast foods.

PubMed

2012-07-27

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of premature death and disability in the world with over-nutrition a primary cause of diet-related ill health. Excess quantities of energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt derived from fast foods contribute importantly to this disease burden. Our objective is to collate and compare nutrient composition data for fast foods as a means of supporting improvements in product formulation. Surveys of fast foods will be done in each participating country each year. Information on the nutrient composition for each product will be sought either through direct chemical analysis, from fast food companies, in-store materials or from company websites. Foods will be categorized into major groups for the primary analyses which will compare mean levels of saturated fat, sugar, sodium, energy and serving size at baseline and over time. Countries currently involved include Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, USA, India, Spain, China and Canada, with more anticipated to follow. This collaborative approach to the collation and sharing of data will enable low-cost tracking of fast food composition around the world. This project represents a significant step forward in the objective and transparent monitoring of industry and government commitments to improve the quality of fast foods.

Self-reported medical, medication and laboratory error in eight countries: risk factors for chronically ill adults.

PubMed

Scobie, Andrea

2011-04-01

To identify risk factors associated with self-reported medical, medication and laboratory error in eight countries. The Commonwealth Fund's 2008 International Health Policy Survey of chronically ill patients in eight countries. None. A multi-country telephone survey was conducted between 3 March and 30 May 2008 with patients in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the USA who self-reported being chronically ill. A bivariate analysis was performed to determine significant explanatory variables of medical, medication and laboratory error (P < 0.01) for inclusion in a binary logistic regression model. The final regression model included eight risk factors for self-reported error: age 65 and under, education level of some college or less, presence of two or more chronic conditions, high prescription drug use (four+ drugs), four or more doctors seen within 2 years, a care coordination problem, poor doctor-patient communication and use of an emergency department. Risk factors with the greatest ability to predict experiencing an error encompassed issues with coordination of care and provider knowledge of a patient's medical history. The identification of these risk factors could help policymakers and organizations to proactively reduce the likelihood of error through greater examination of system- and organization-level practices.

Impact assessment: Eroding benefits through streamlining?

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

Bond, Alan, E-mail: alan.bond@uea.ac.uk; School of Geo and Spatial Sciences, North-West University; Pope, Jenny, E-mail: jenny@integral-sustainability.net

This paper argues that Governments have sought to streamline impact assessment in recent years (defined as the last five years) to counter concerns over the costs and potential for delays to economic development. We hypothesise that this has had some adverse consequences on the benefits that subsequently accrue from the assessments. This hypothesis is tested using a framework developed from arguments for the benefits brought by Environmental Impact Assessment made in 1982 in the face of the UK Government opposition to its implementation in a time of economic recession. The particular benefits investigated are ‘consistency and fairness’, ‘early warning’, ‘environmentmore » and development’, and ‘public involvement’. Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Western Australia are the jurisdictions tested using this framework. The conclusions indicate that significant streamlining has been undertaken which has had direct adverse effects on some of the benefits that impact assessment should deliver, particularly in Canada and the UK. The research has not examined whether streamlining has had implications for the effectiveness of impact assessment, but the causal link between streamlining and benefits does sound warning bells that merit further investigation. -- Highlights: • Investigation of the extent to which government has streamlined IA. • Evaluation framework was developed based on benefits of impact assessment. • Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Western Australia were examined. • Trajectory in last five years is attrition of benefits of impact assessment.« less

Senecavirus A.

PubMed

Segalés, J; Barcellos, D; Alfieri, A; Burrough, E; Marthaler, D

2017-01-01

Senecavirus A (SVA) is the only member of the genus Senecavirus within the family Picornaviridae. This virus was discovered as a serendipitous finding in 2002 (and named Seneca Valley virus 001 [SVV-001]) while cultivating viral vectors in cell culture and has been proposed for use as an oncolytic virus to treat different types of human neoplasia. SVA was found in lesions in pigs affected by porcine idiopathic vesicular disease in Canada and the USA in 2008 and 2012, respectively. In 2014 and 2015, SVA infection was associated with outbreaks of vesicular disease in sows as well as neonatal pig mortality in Brazil and the USA. Phylogenetic analysis of the SVA VP1 indicates the existence of 3 clades of the virus. Clade I contains the historical strain SVV-001, clade II contains USA SVA strains identified between 1988 and 1997, and clade III contains global SVA strains from Brazil, Canada, China, and the USA identified between 2001 and 2015. The aim of this review is to draw the attention of veterinarians and researchers to a recently described infectious clinical-pathologic condition caused by a previously known agent (SVA). Apart from the intrinsic interest in a novel virus infecting pigs and causing economic losses, the major current concern is the similarity of the clinical picture to that of other swine diseases, because one of them-foot and mouth disease-is a World Organization for Animal Health-listed disease. Because the potential association of SVA with disease is rather new, there are still many questions to be resolved.

78 FR 77172 - New Postal Product

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-20

... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. CP2014-13; Order No. 1907] New Postal Product AGENCY: Postal Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Commission is noticing a recent Postal Service filing concerning a contract with Canada for the delivery of inbound Expedited Parcels USA and Express...

Postscript: The Spirit of the Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maclure, Stuart

2008-01-01

This contribution provides a brief endpiece to the Special Issue in honour of Harry Judge from the point of view of a journalist active over much of the period discussed. It focuses particularly on two papers concerned with teacher training in the UK and USA.

Trajectories of glycaemia, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion before diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: an analysis from the Whitehall II study.

PubMed

Tabák, Adam G; Jokela, Markus; Akbaraly, Tasnime N; Brunner, Eric J; Kivimäki, Mika; Witte, Daniel R

2009-06-27

Little is known about the timing of changes in glucose metabolism before occurrence of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to characterise trajectories of fasting and postload glucose, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion in individuals who develop type 2 diabetes. We analysed data from our prospective occupational cohort study (Whitehall II study) of 6538 (71% male and 91% white) British civil servants without diabetes mellitus at baseline. During a median follow-up period of 9.7 years, 505 diabetes cases were diagnosed (49.1% on the basis of oral glucose tolerance test). We assessed retrospective trajectories of fasting and 2-h postload glucose, homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA) insulin sensitivity, and HOMA beta-cell function from up to 13 years before diabetes diagnosis (diabetic group) or at the end of follow-up (non-diabetics). Multilevel models adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic origin confirmed that all metabolic measures followed linear trends in the group of non-diabetics (10,989 measurements), except for insulin secretion that did not change during follow-up. In the diabetic group (801 measurements), a linear increase in fasting glucose was followed by a steep quadratic increase (from 5.79 mmol/L to 7.40 mmol/L) starting 3 years before diagnosis of diabetes. 2-h postload glucose showed a rapid increase starting 3 years before diagnosis (from 7.60 mmol/L to 11.90 mmol/L), and HOMA insulin sensitivity decreased steeply during the 5 years before diagnosis (to 86.7%). HOMA beta-cell function increased between years 4 and 3 before diagnosis (from 85.0% to 92.6%) and then decreased until diagnosis (to 62.4%). In this study, we show changes in glucose concentrations, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion as much as 3-6 years before diagnosis of diabetes. The description of biomarker trajectories leading to diabetes diagnosis could contribute to more-accurate risk prediction models that use repeated measures available for patients through regular check-ups. Medical Research Council (UK); Economic and Social Research Council (UK); British Heart Foundation (UK); Health and Safety Executive (UK); Department of Health (UK); National Institute of Health (USA); Agency for Health Care Policy Research (USA); the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation (USA); and Academy of Finland (Finland).

Trends in mortality from coronary heart and cerebrovascular diseases in the Americas: 1970–2000

PubMed Central

Rodríguez, T; Malvezzi, M; Chatenoud, L; Bosetti, C; Levi, F; Negri, E

2006-01-01

Objective To describe trends in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) over the period 1970 to 2000 in the Americas. Methods Age standardised mortality rates were derived from the World Health Organization database and grouped according to the International classification of diseases, ninth revision. Joinpoint analysis was used to identify changes in trends. Results In the USA and Canada, CHD mortality rates declined by about 60% in both sexes. In Latin America, falls in CHD mortality were observed for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. In 2000, mortality rates among men were highest in Venezuela (137.3/100 000) and lowest (apart from Ecuador) in Argentina (63.5/100 000). For women, the rates were highest in Cuba (79.4/100 000) and lowest in Argentina (26.5/100 000). For CVA mortality, a decline by about 60% was observed in the USA and Canada for both sexes. The falls were smaller (about −25% to −40% among men and −20% to −50% among women) in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica and only minor in Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela. Around 2000, CVA mortality in Latin America was highest in Brazil (85.5/100 000 among men and 61.7/100 000 among women) and lowest in Puerto Rico (29.3/100 000 among men and 24.1/100 000 among women). Conclusions Recent falls in CHD and CVA were less favourable in Latin America than in the USA and Canada. This may reflect unfavourable changes in nutrition (including obesity), physical activity, and smoking in most Latin American countries, together with less effective control of hypertension and management of the diseases. PMID:16537758

PREFACE: The 15th International Conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS15)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Z. Y.

2013-04-01

The 15th International Conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS15) was held on 22-28 July 2012 in Beijing, P. R. China. About 340 scientists from 34 countries attended this important international event. Main hall Figure 1. Main hall of XAFS15. The rapidly increasing application of XAFS to the study of a large variety of materials and the operation of the new SR source led to the first meeting of XAFS users in 1981 in England. Following that a further 14 International Conferences have been held. Comparing a breakdown of attendees according to their national origin, it is clear that participation is spreading to include attendees from more and more countries every year. The strategy of development in China of science and education is increasing quickly thanks to the large investment in scientific and technological research and infrastructure. There are three Synchrotron Radiation facilities in mainland China, Hefei Light Source (HLS) in the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSRL), Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF) in the Institute of High Energy Physics, and Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) in the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics. More than 10000 users and over 5000 proposals run at these facilities. Among them, many teams from the USA, Japan, German, Italy, Russia, and other countries. More than 3000 manuscript were published in SCI journals, including (incomplete) Science (7), Nature (10), Nature Series (7), PNAS (3), JACS (12), Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (15), Nano Lett. (2), etc. In XAFS15, the participants contributed 18 plenary invited talks, 16 parallel invited talks, 136 oral presentations, 12 special talks, and 219 poster presentations. Wide communication was promoted in the conference halls, the classical banquet restaurant, and the Great Wall. Parallel hallCommunicationPoster room Figure 2. Parallel hallFigure 3. CommunicationFigure 4. Poster room This volume contains 136 invited and contributed papers, accepted after a rigorous peer review procedure. A group of about 90 outstanding scientists in the field reviewed and suggested revisions of the manuscripts to improve scientific presentation. As a result, we believe the entire volume has reached a high standard. The 19 topics covered are listed as follows: Theory Data analysis New technology and devices of XAFS Applications in Nano science and technology Applications in Life Science Applications in Chemistry Applications in Catalytic Science Applications in Surface and Interface Science Applications in Material Science Applications in Energy and Environmental Science Applications in Magnetic and Related Material Science Applications in Nuclear Science Applications in Disordered Systems Applications in Extreme Conditions Applications for Time-resolved experiments XMCD technology and its applications Advanced methods (e.g., new coherent sources and spectroscopic imaging techniques) XAFS combined with other experimental methods Other related studies We hope this volume will be a useful reference for the ongoing scientific activity in XAFS. We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to the sponsors for their generous support: Chinese Academy of Science, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Center of Advanced Science and Technology World Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Institute of High Energy Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences, and our commercial sponsors (AREVA, Xi'an Action Power Electric Co., Ltd). Finally, we would like to acknowledge the entire local organizing staff (names are given below) and particularly the collaborators and members of the XAS group at the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Institute of High Energy Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences for their efforts to make the XAFS15 conference a success. Ziyu Wu Chair of the Conference and Proceedings Editor Hefei, P. R. China, 28 September 2012 Committees and Staff Chair of the Conference Ziyu Wu International Advisory Committee Adam Hitchcock, Canada Adriano Filipponi, Italy Alain Manceau, France Alexander Soldatov, Russia Andrea Di Cicco, Italy Britt Hedman, USA Bruce Bunker, USA Calogero R. Natoli, Italy Christopher T. Chantler, Australia Frank M. F. De Groot, Netherlands Hiroyuki Oyanagi, Japan Ingolf Lindau, USA J. Mustre de Leon, México James E Penner-Hahn, USA Joaquin Garcia Ruiz, Spain John Evans, UK John J. Rehr, USA Kiyotaka Asakura, Japan Majed Chergui, Switzerland Mark Newton, UK Shiqiang Wei, P. R. China Tsun-Kong Sham, Canada Ziyu Wu, P. R. China International Program Committee Antonio Bianconi, Italy Augusto Marcelli, Italy Emad Flear Aziz, Germany Jinghua Guo, USA Joly Yves, France Masaharu Nomura, Japan Maurizio Benfatto, Italy Pieter Glatzel, France Shiqiang Wei, China Tiandou Hu, China Toshihiko Yokoyama, Japan Way-Faung Pong, Taiwan Xinyi Zhang, China Yi Xie, China Yuying Huang, China Zhonghua Wu, China Ziyu Wu, China Local Organizing Committee Bo He Fengchun Hu Haifeng Zhao Jing Zhang Meijuan Yu Qin Yu Shuo Zhang Wangsheng Chu Wei He Wei Xu Wensheng Yan Xiaomei Gong Xing Chen Yang Zou Yi Xia Zheng Jiang Zhi Xie Zhihu Sun Zhiyun Pan Additional Staff Chengxun Liu

Mechanisms and effects of public reporting of surgeon outcomes: A systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Behrendt, Katja; Groene, Oliver

2016-10-01

Public reporting of surgeon outcomes has become a key strategy in the English NHS to ensure accountability and improve the quality of care. Much of the evidence that supported the design of the strategy originates from the USA. This report aims to assess how the evidence on public reporting could be harnessed for cross-country translation of this health system strategy; in particular, to gauge the expected results of the UK surgeon outcome initiative and to propose criteria that elucidate that prerequisites and factors that are needed to public reporting effective. A systematic search of academic databases was followed by snowballing from the reference lists. Only peer-reviewed articles and primary studies were included. 25 studies from the USA (n=22) and the UK (n=3) were included. Suggestive evidence of a negative effect on access to surgery was found for high-risk patients and non-whites; one survey indicated presence of gaming. There was anecdotal evidence of quality improvement measures adopted by low-rated hospitals in New York. Most studies reported only on the effectiveness of public reporting, rather than addressing how effects accrue. This limits cross-country transferability of policy lessons. Based on our analysis, we propose factors impacting on the transferability of the evidence underlying the public reporting of surgeon outcomes, which may inform the adoption of this strategy in other health systems. There is some evidence that public reporting can be an incentive for low performing surgeons to improve quality. Negative incentive on patient selection as suggested in the USA have not yet been observed in the UK. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Findings from the UK and Canadian Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Experimentation during the Relocation of SKYNET 5A Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ash, A.; Scott, L.; Feline, W.

2016-09-01

This paper describes the planning, execution, analysis and lessons identified from a collaborative Space Situational Awareness (SSA) experiment to observe the SKYNET 5A satellite during a series of orbital maneuvers that occurred in the summer of 2015. In March 2015 Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) announced its intention to relocate the SKYNET 5A satellite from the Atlantic to the Asia Pacific region to increase its global coverage; this provided an opportunity to observe this high value asset to explore the challenges and technical solutions related to deep space SSA. Within the UK the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl, part of the UK Ministry of Defence) were established as the lead agency to plan the observation campaign utilising operational and emerging experimental SSA capabilities. The campaign was then expanded to involve Canada, the United States and Australia under the auspices of the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further explore the coordination of observations between operational systems and potential fusion of data collected using experimental SSA assets. The focus for this paper is the collaborative work between Dstl and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) that featured a period of experimentation to explore methods that enable cross cueing between ground-based and space-based SSA sensors, namely the UK Starbrook facility (located on the island of Cyprus), and NEOSSat/ Sapphire space surveillance satellites located in low-Earth orbit. A number of conclusions and lessons are identified in this paper that seek to inform the wider SSA community on the challenges, potential solutions and benefits of operating a distributed SSA architecture such as the one utilized during this experiment.

Using Hermeneutics as a Qualitative Research Approach in Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paterson, Margo; Higgs, Joy

2005-01-01

This paper is targeted primarily at doctoral students and others considering hermeneutics as a research strategy. Research using hermeneutics was carried out with occupational therapy educators and clinicians in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. A total of 53 participants engaged in focus groups and individual interviews over a one-year.…

Privatising the Public University: The Case of Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Margaret

2011-01-01

"Privatising the Public University: The Case of Law" is the first full-length critical study examining the impact of the dramatic reforms that have swept through universities over the last two decades. Drawing on extensive research and interviews in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, Margaret Thornton considers the impact of the…

Supporting Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Strategies in Grant Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phipps, David; Jensen, Krista E.; Johnny, Michael; Poetz, Anneliese

2016-01-01

Each application to the National Science Foundation (NSF) must contain a Broader Impact (BI) strategy. Similarly, grant applications for most research funders in Canada and the UK require strategies to support the translation of research into impacts on society; however, the guidance provided to researchers is too general to inform the specific…

77 FR 65864 - North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Article 1904 Binational Panel Reviews

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-31

..., respecting Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod from Canada, NAFTA Secretariat File Number USA-CDA-2008... cases. (Dongbu Steel Co. Ltd. v. United States, 635 F3d 1363 (Fed Cir. 2011); and JTEKT Corp. v. United...

Socio-Hydrology Modelling for an Uncertain Future, with Examples from the USA and Canada (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, D. D.; Gober, P.; Sampson, D. A.; Quay, R.; Kirkwood, C.

2013-12-01

Socio-hydrology brings an interest in human values, markets, social organizations and public policy to the traditional emphasis of water science on climate, hydrology, toxicology,and ecology. It also conveys a decision focus in the form of decision support tools, engagement, and new knowledge about the science-policy interface. This paper demonstrates how policy decisions and human behavior can be better integrated into climate and hydrological models to improve their usefulness for support in decision making. Examples from the Southwest USA and Western Canada highlight uncertainties, vulnerabilities, and critical tradeoffs facing water decision makers in the face of rapidly changing environmental and societal conditions. Irreducible uncertainties in downscaled climate and hydrological models limit the usefulness of climate-driven, predict-and-plan methods of water resource planning and management. Thus, it is argued that such methods should be replaced by approaches that use exploratory modelling, scenario planning, and risk assessment in which the emphasis is on managing uncertainty rather than on reducing it.

PREFACE: 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takizuka, Tomonori

2008-07-01

This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series contains papers based on invited talks and contributed posters presented at the 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers. This meeting was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center in Tsukuba, Japan, on 26-28 September 2007, and was organized jointly by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the University of Tsukuba. The previous ten meetings in this series were held in San Diego (USA) 1987, Gut Ising (Germany) 1989, Abingdon (UK) 1991, Naka (Japan) 1993, Princeton (USA) 1995, Kloster Seeon (Germany) 1997, Oxford (UK) 1999, Toki (Japan) 2001, San Diego (USA) 2003, and St Petersburg (Russia) 2005. The purpose of the eleventh meeting was to present and discuss new results on H-mode (edge transport barrier, ETB) and internal transport barrier, ITB, experiments, theory and modeling in magnetic fusion research. It was expected that contributions give new and improved insights into the physics mechanisms behind high confinement modes of H-mode and ITBs. Ultimately, this research should lead to improved projections for ITER. As has been the tradition at the recent meetings of this series, the program was subdivided into six topics. The topics selected for the eleventh meeting were: H-mode transition and the pedestal-width Dynamics in ETB: ELM threshold, non-linear evolution and suppression, etc Transport relations of various quantities including turbulence in plasmas with ITB: rotation physics is especially highlighted Transport barriers in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields Theory and simulation on transport barriers Projections of transport barrier physics to ITER For each topic there was an invited talk presenting an overview of the topic, based on contributions to the meeting and on recently published external results. The six invited talks were: A Leonard (GA, USA): Progress in characterization of the H-mode pedestal and L-H transition N Oyama (JAEA, Japan): Progress and issues in physics understanding of dynamics, mitigation and control of ELMs J Rice (MIT, USA): Spontaneous rotation and momentum transport in tokamak plasmas K Ida (NIFS, Japan): Transport barriers in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields F Jenko (IPP, Germany): Transport barriers: Recent progress in theory and simulation T Hoang (CEA, France): Internal transport barriers: Projection to ITER Every talk satisfied the objective of the meeting. A discussion period followed each invited talk in order to expand physics understandings, projection capabilities, and the direction of research around the topic. Short talks were presented by contributing speakers in addition to questions, answers, comments and discussion among the participants. For each topic there was an associated poster session for contributed papers, and lively discussion took place in front of every poster. Through the meeting six invited papers and 77 contributed papers were presented in total. The final session of the meeting was devoted to summaries; R Groebner, T S Hahm and K Ida of the IAC summarized the fruits of topics 1 and 2, 3 and 5, and 4 and 6, respectively. I would like to thank Dr A Malaquias, the IAEA Scientific Secretary, for his continuous support and useful suggestions on the arrangements of the meeting. I am very grateful to the IAC members for their cooperation in selecting topics and invited speakers, and for their important advices on the meeting strategy and proceedings publication. I also wish to express my gratitude to LOC colleagues for their hard work organizing the meeting. Young students of the University of Tsukuba helped us during the meeting. Financial and personel support from JAEA and the University of Tsukuba were essential. Finally I would like to acknowledge the participants of the meeting and the referees for the present proceedings. All of the above contributions contributed to the success of the meeting. Tomonori Takizuka Editor Group photograph International Advisory Committee T Takizuka (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan: Chair) R J Groebner (General Atomics, USA) T S Hahm (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA) A E Hubbard (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) K Ida (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S V Lebedev (Ioffe Institute, Russia) G Saibene (EFDA CSU Garching, Germany) W Suttrop (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) Additional information about this meeting (H-mode-TM-11) is available in its homepage http://www-jt60.naka.jaea.go.jp/h-mode-tm-11/. List of Participants N Aiba (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) T Akiyama (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) N Asakura (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) L G Askinazi (Ioffe Institute, Russia) M N A Beurskens (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) J D Callen (University of Wisconsin, USA) T Cho (University of Tsukuba, Japan) P C DeVries (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) X T Ding (Southwestern Institute of Physics, China) E J Doyle (University of California, Los Angels, USA) A Fukuyama (Kyoto University, Japan) P Gohil (General Atomics, USA) R J Groebner (General Atomics, USA) T S Hahm (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA) N Hayashi (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) Y Higashiyama (Nagoya University, Japan) Y Higashizono (University of Tsukuba, Japan) M Hirata (University of Tsukuba, Japan) G T Hoang (Association Euratom-CEA sur la Fusion Controle, France) G M D Hogeweij (FOM-Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, The Netherlands) M Honda (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) L D Horton (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) W A Houlberg (ITER Organization) A E Hubbard (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) J W Hughes (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) M Ichimura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Ida (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Ido (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Imai (University of Tsukuba, Japan) F Imbeaux (Association Euratom-CEA sur la Fusion Controle, France) A Itakura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Itoh (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S-I Itoh (Kyushu University, Japan) F Jenko (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) D Kalupin (Institut für Plasmaphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany) Y Kamada (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) N Kasuya (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) I Katanuma (University of Tsukuba, Japan) M Kimura (Kyushu University, Japan) A Kirk (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) S Kitajima (Tohoku University, Japan) S Kobayashi (Kyoto University, Japan) T Kobuchi (Tohoku University, Japan) J Kohagura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) P T Lang (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) S V Lebedev (Ioffe Institute, Russia) A W Leonard (General Atomics, USA) J Q Li (Kyoto University, Japan) A Malaquias (International Atomic Energy Agency) Y R Martin (Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, EPFL, Switzerland) C J McDevitt (University of California, San Diego, USA) D C McDonald (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) H Meyer (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) C A Michael (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) K Miki (Kyushu University, Japan) R Minami (University of Tsukuba, Japan) T Minami (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Miyata (University of Tsukuba, Japan) N Miyato (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) Y Motegi (University of Tsukuba, Japan) V Mukhovatov (ITER Organization) S Murakami (Kyoto University, Japan) Y Nagashima (Kyushu University, Japan) Y Nakashima (University of Tsukuba, Japan) T Numakura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) S Ohshima (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Oishi (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Onjun (Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thailand) T H Osborne (GENERAL Atomics, USA) N Oyama (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) T Ozeki (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) V Parail (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) A Polevoi (ITER Organization, France) J E Rice (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) F Ryter (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) H Saimaru (University of Tsukuba, Japan) R Sakamoto (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Sakamoto (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Sasaki (University of Tokyo, Japan) Y Shi (Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, China) A Shimizu (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Shimozuma (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) P B Snyder (General Atomics, USA) C Suzuki (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) H Takahashi (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Takahashi (Nagoya University, Japan) Y Takeiri (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) H Takenaga (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Takeuchi (Nagoya University, Japan) T Takizuka (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) N Tamura (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) K Tanaka (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S Tokuda (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) S Tokunaga (Kyushu University, Japan) G Turri (Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, EPFL, Switzerland) H Urano (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) H Utoh (Tohok University, Japan) K Uzawa (Kyoto University, Japan) M Valovic (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) L Vermare (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) F Watanabe (Nagoya University, Japan) M Yagi (Kyushu University, Japan) Y Yamaguchi (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Yamazaki (Nagoya University, Japan) M Yokoyama (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) M Yoshida (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Yoshinuma (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan)

Cancer and men from minority ethnic groups: an exploration of the literature.

PubMed

Lees, S; Papadopoulos, I

2000-12-01

The authors reviewed literature which has been published in the last 20 years. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in developed countries and is expected to become a significant cause of death in developing countries. Whilst there are a large number of studies on cancer and men, there is a paucity of data on men from minority ethnic groups. In the USA, African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than any other ethnic group. Although cancer rates amongst minority ethnic groups in the UK are thought to be low, 11% of Indian and African men and 19% of Caribbean men died from cancer during 1979-1983. There is also further evidence in the USA that African American, Filipinos and Native Americans have the lowest cancer survival rates. Service utilization, especially tertiary care, is also thought to be low amongst minority ethnic groups from the USA and the UK. Reasons for these variations include artefactual, cultural, materialist and social selectivist explanations as well as the effects of migration, racism and genetic disposition. This area is under-researched, in particular cultural beliefs about cancer. Further research into this area should apply culturally competent methods to ensure valid data to inform cancer policy, education and practice.

PTSD and Complex PTSD: ICD-11 updates on concept and measurement in the UK, USA, Germany and Lithuania

PubMed Central

Karatzias, Thanos; Cloitre, Marylene; Maercker, Andreas; Kazlauskas, Evaldas; Shevlin, Mark; Hyland, Philip; Bisson, Jonathan I.; Roberts, Neil P.; Brewin, Chris R.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The 11th revision to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) proposes two distinct sibling conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). In this paper, we aim to provide an update on the latest research regarding the conceptual structure and measurement of PTSD and CPTSD using the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) as per ICD-11 proposals in the USA, UK, Germany and Lithuania. Preliminary findings suggest that CPTSD is common in clinical and population samples, although there may be variations across countries in prevalence rates. In clinical samples, preliminary evidence suggests that CPTSD is a more commonly observed condition than PTSD. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the ITQ scores are reliable and valid and can adequately distinguish between PTSD and CPTSD. Further cross-cultural work is proposed to explore differences in PTSD and CPTSD across different countries with regard to prevalence, incidence, and predictors of PTSD and CPTSD. PMID:29372010

PTSD and Complex PTSD: ICD-11 updates on concept and measurement in the UK, USA, Germany and Lithuania.

PubMed

Karatzias, Thanos; Cloitre, Marylene; Maercker, Andreas; Kazlauskas, Evaldas; Shevlin, Mark; Hyland, Philip; Bisson, Jonathan I; Roberts, Neil P; Brewin, Chris R

2017-01-01

The 11th revision to the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) proposes two distinct sibling conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (CPTSD). In this paper, we aim to provide an update on the latest research regarding the conceptual structure and measurement of PTSD and CPTSD using the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) as per ICD-11 proposals in the USA, UK, Germany and Lithuania. Preliminary findings suggest that CPTSD is common in clinical and population samples, although there may be variations across countries in prevalence rates. In clinical samples, preliminary evidence suggests that CPTSD is a more commonly observed condition than PTSD. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the ITQ scores are reliable and valid and can adequately distinguish between PTSD and CPTSD. Further cross-cultural work is proposed to explore differences in PTSD and CPTSD across different countries with regard to prevalence, incidence, and predictors of PTSD and CPTSD.

The 26gAl(p,g)27Si reaction in Novae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, Chris; Parikh, A.; José, J.; Buchmann, L.; Caggiano, J. A.; Chen, A. A.; Clark, J. A.; Crawford, H.; Davids, B.; D'Auria, J. M.; Davis, C.; Deibel, C.; Erikson, L.; Fogarty, L.; Frekers, D.; Greife, U.; Hussein, A.; Hutcheon, D. A.; Huyse, M.; Jewett, C.; Laird, A. M.; Lewis, R.; Mumby-Croft, P.; Olin, A.; Ottewell, D. F.; Ouellet, C. V.; Parker, P.; Pearson, J.; Ruprecht, G.; Trinczek, M.; Vockenhuber, C.; Wrede, C.

The 26gAl(p,γ)27Si Reaction in Novae PoS(NIC-IX)004 1 TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3, Canada 2 Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, Conneticut 06520-8124, USA 3 Dept. de Física í Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain 4 Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Barcelona, Spain 5 McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 481, Canada 6 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada 7 Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA 8 National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland 9 Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Willhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany 10 University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada 11 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium 12 Department of Physics, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom The 184 keV resonance strength in the 26gAl(p,γ)27Si reaction was measured in inverse kinematics using the DRAGON facility at TRIUMF-ISAC. We obtain a value of ωγ=35±7 μeV for the strength and ER=184±1 keV for the resonance energy. These values are consistent with p-wave capture into the 7652(3) keV state in 27Si. We discuss the implications of these results for 26gAl nucleosynthesis in a typical O-Ne white dwarf nova.

Bevacizumab for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Global Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

PubMed

Goldstein, Daniel A; Chen, Qiushi; Ayer, Turgay; Chan, Kelvin K W; Virik, Kiran; Hammerman, Ariel; Brenner, Baruch; Flowers, Christopher R; Hall, Peter S

2017-06-01

In the U.S., the addition of bevacizumab to first-line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has been demonstrated to provide 0.10 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $571,000/QALY. Due to variability in pricing, value for money may be different in other countries. Our objective was to establish the cost-effectiveness of bevacizumab in mCRC in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and Israel. We performed the analysis using a previously established Markov model for mCRC. Input data for efficacy, adverse events, and quality of life were considered to be generalizable and therefore identical for all countries. We used country-specific prices for medications, administration, and other health service costs. All costs were converted from local currency to U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in March 2016. We conducted one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) to assess the model robustness across parameter uncertainties. Base case results demonstrated that the highest ICER was in the U.S. ($571,000/QALY) and the lowest was in Australia ($277,000/QALY). In Canada, the U.K., and Israel, ICERs ranged between $351,000 and $358,000 per QALY. PSA demonstrated 0% likelihood of bevacizumab being cost-effective in any country at a willingness to pay threshold of $150,000 per QALY. The addition of bevacizumab to first-line chemotherapy for mCRC consistently fails to be cost-effective in all five countries. There are large differences in cost-effectiveness between countries. This study provides a framework for analyzing the value of a cancer drug from the perspectives of multiple international payers. The cost-effectiveness of bevacizumab varies significantly between multiple countries. By conventional thresholds, bevacizumab is not cost-effective in metastatic colon cancer in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, and Israel. © AlphaMed Press 2017.

Tracking the rise in popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (electronic cigarettes) using search query surveillance.

PubMed

Ayers, John W; Ribisl, Kurt M; Brownstein, John S

2011-04-01

Public interest in electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is undocumented. By monitoring search queries, ENDS popularity and correlates of their popularity were assessed in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and the U.S. English-language Google searches conducted from January 2008 through September 2010 were compared to snus, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and Chantix® or Champix®. Searches for each week were scaled to the highest weekly search proportion (100), with lower values indicating the relative search proportion compared to the highest-proportion week (e.g., 50=50% of the highest observed proportion). Analyses were performed in 2010. From July 2008 through February 2010, ENDS searches increased in all nations studied except Australia, there an increase occurred more recently. By September 2010, ENDS searches were several-hundred-fold greater than searches for smoking alternatives in the UK and U.S., and were rivaling alternatives in Australia and Canada. Across nations, ENDS searches were highest in the U.S., followed by similar search intensity in Canada and the UK, with Australia having the fewest ENDS searches. Stronger tobacco control, created by clean indoor air laws, cigarette taxes, and anti-smoking populations, were associated with consistently higher levels of ENDS searches. The online popularity of ENDS has surpassed that of snus and NRTs, which have been on the market for far longer, and is quickly outpacing Chantix or Champix. In part, the association between ENDS's popularity and stronger tobacco control suggests ENDS are used to bypass, or quit in response to, smoking restrictions. Search query surveillance is a valuable, real-time, free, and public method to evaluate the diffusion of new health products. This method may be generalized to other behavioral, biological, informational, or psychological outcomes manifested on search engines. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cancer screening behaviours among South Asian immigrants in the UK, US and Canada: a scoping study.

PubMed

Crawford, Joanne; Ahmad, Farah; Beaton, Dorcas; Bierman, Arlene S

2016-03-01

South Asian (SA) immigrants settled in the United Kingdom (UK) and North America [United States (US) and Canada] have low screening rates for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers. Incidence rates of these cancers increase among SA immigrants after migration, becoming similar to rates in non-Asian native populations. However, there are disparities in cancer screening, with low cancer screening uptake in this population. We conducted a scoping study using Arksey & O'Malley's framework to examine cancer screening literature on SA immigrants residing in the UK, US and Canada. Eight electronic databases, key journals and reference lists were searched for English language studies and reports. Of 1465 identified references, 70 studies from 1994 to November 2014 were included: 63% on breast or cervical cancer screening or both; 10% examined colorectal cancer screening only; 16% explored health promotion/service provision; 8% studied breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening; and 3% examined breast and colorectal cancer screening. A thematic analysis uncovered four dominant themes: (i) beliefs and attitudes towards cancer and screening included centrality of family, holistic healthcare, fatalism, screening as unnecessary and emotion-laden perceptions; (ii) lack of knowledge of cancer and screening related to not having heard about cancer and its causes, or lack of awareness of screening, its rationale and/or how to access services; (iii) barriers to access including individual and structural barriers; and (iv) gender differences in screening uptake and their associated factors. Findings offer insights that can be used to develop culturally sensitive interventions to minimise barriers and increase cancer screening uptake in these communities, while recognising the diversity within the SA culture. Further research is required to address the gap in colorectal cancer screening literature to more fully understand SA immigrants' perspectives, as well as research to better understand gender-specific factors that influence screening uptake. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The impact of the United Kingdom's national smoking cessation strategy on quit attempts and use of cessation services: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Gibson, Jack E; Murray, Rachael L; Borland, Ron; Cummings, K Michael; Fong, Geoffrey T; Hammond, David; McNeill, Ann

2010-10-01

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recommends that provision of cessation support should be included in national tobacco control strategies. This study examines the impact of the United Kingdom's national smoking cessation strategy on quit attempts, use of treatment and short-term abstinence, relative to the United States, Canada, and Australia where less support is provided. Data on quitting behavior and use of support were obtained for all smokers enrolled in the International Tobacco Control 4 Country Survey between 2002 and 2005. Generalized estimating equations were used to calculate the relative odds (adjusted by age, sex, and Heaviness of Smoking Index) that smokers in each country made quit attempts, used behavioral or pharmacological support, and to compare rates of short-term (28 days) abstinence between countries and users of different forms of support. U.K. smokers were less likely to have attempted to quit smoking than those in Australia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.12-1.40), Canada (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.34-1.67), and the United States (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.11-1.40) but were more likely to use pharmacotherapy and/or support from a clinic, helpline, or health professional when attempting to quit than smokers in the other countries. U.K. smokers making quit attempts were significantly more likely to achieve 28-day abstinence than those in Australia (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.49-0.71), Canada (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.61-0.87), and the United States (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.42-0.62). U.K. smokers report fewer quit attempts but are more likely to use support when quitting and to achieve short-term abstinence.

Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age after general anaesthesia and awake-regional anaesthesia in infancy (GAS): an international multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Davidson, Andrew J; Disma, Nicola; de Graaff, Jurgen C; Withington, Davinia E; Dorris, Liam; Bell, Graham; Stargatt, Robyn; Bellinger, David C; Schuster, Tibor; Arnup, Sarah J; Hardy, Pollyanna; Hunt, Rodney W; Takagi, Michael J; Giribaldi, Gaia; Hartmann, Penelope L; Salvo, Ida; Morton, Neil S; von Ungern Sternberg, Britta S; Locatelli, Bruno Guido; Wilton, Niall; Lynn, Anne; Thomas, Joss J; Polaner, David; Bagshaw, Oliver; Szmuk, Peter; Absalom, Anthony R; Frawley, Geoff; Berde, Charles; Ormond, Gillian D; Marmor, Jacki; McCann, Mary Ellen

2016-01-16

Preclinical data suggest that general anaesthetics affect brain development. There is mixed evidence from cohort studies that young children exposed to anaesthesia can have an increased risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcome. We aimed to establish whether general anaesthesia in infancy has any effect on neurodevelopmental outcome. Here we report the secondary outcome of neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age in the General Anaesthesia compared to Spinal anaesthesia (GAS) trial. In this international assessor-masked randomised controlled equivalence trial, we recruited infants younger than 60 weeks postmenstrual age, born at greater than 26 weeks' gestation, and who had inguinal herniorrhaphy, from 28 hospitals in Australia, Italy, the USA, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either awake-regional anaesthesia or sevoflurane-based general anaesthesia. Web-based randomisation was done in blocks of two or four and stratified by site and gestational age at birth. Infants were excluded if they had existing risk factors for neurological injury. The primary outcome of the trial will be the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Third Edition (WPPSI-III) Full Scale Intelligence Quotient score at age 5 years. The secondary outcome, reported here, is the composite cognitive score of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III, assessed at 2 years. The analysis was as per protocol adjusted for gestational age at birth. A difference in means of five points (1/3 SD) was predefined as the clinical equivalence margin. This trial is registered with ANZCTR, number ACTRN12606000441516 and ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00756600. Between Feb 9, 2007, and Jan 31, 2013, 363 infants were randomly assigned to receive awake-regional anaesthesia and 359 to general anaesthesia. Outcome data were available for 238 children in the awake-regional group and 294 in the general anaesthesia group. In the as-per-protocol analysis, the cognitive composite score (mean [SD]) was 98.6 (14.2) in the awake-regional group and 98.2 (14.7) in the general anaesthesia group. There was equivalence in mean between groups (awake-regional minus general anaesthesia 0.169, 95% CI -2.30 to 2.64). The median duration of anaesthesia in the general anaesthesia group was 54 min. For this secondary outcome, we found no evidence that just less than 1 h of sevoflurane anaesthesia in infancy increases the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age compared with awake-regional anaesthesia. Australia National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Health Technologies Assessment-National Institute for Health Research UK, National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, Pfizer Canada, Italian Ministry of Heath, Fonds NutsOhra, and UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indigenous Education and Grassroots Language Planning in the USA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarty, Teresa L.; Watahomigie, Lucille J.

1999-01-01

Indigenous literacy affirms indigenous identity; connects native speakers to the culture and each other; and stimulates other, more diffuse forces for language maintenance. Collaborative, grassroots Native language programs in the United States, New Zealand, Hawaii, Canada, and Puerto Rico are described. Immersion and literacy programs include…

Trap designs for monitoring Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, an invasive pest of small and stone fruits, has been recently detected in 33 states of the U.S.A., and in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. This pest attacks ripening fruit causing economic losses including increased management costs and crop rejection. Ongoing research aim...

Effect of nutrient pollution on dinoflagellate cyst assemblages across estuaries of the NW Atlantic

EPA Science Inventory

We analyzed surface sediments from 23 northeast USA estuaries, from Maine to Delaware, and nine estuaries from Prince Edward Island (PEI, Canada), to determine how dinoflagellate cyst assemblages varied with nutrient loading. Overall the abundance of cysts of heterotrophic dinofl...

Impact of Abrostola asclepiadis and plant competition on invasive swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum spp.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pale and black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum and V. nigrum; Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) are perennial vines from Europe that have become invasive in various terrestrial habitats in the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada. A classical weed biological control program has been in...

Emerald ash borer attraction to trap logs of different lengths and species

Treesearch

Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice

2003-01-01

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Buprestidae), a native of Asia, was discovered in the USA and Canada in 2002. In summer 2003, we conducted two studies to evaluate EAB attraction to trap logs that varied in length and species.

Major emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada

PubMed Central

Kulkarni, Manisha A; Berrang-Ford, Lea; Buck, Peter A; Drebot, Michael A; Lindsay, L Robbin; Ogden, Nicholas H

2015-01-01

In Canada, the emergence of vector-borne diseases may occur via international movement and subsequent establishment of vectors and pathogens, or via northward spread from endemic areas in the USA. Re-emergence of endemic vector-borne diseases may occur due to climate-driven changes to their geographic range and ecology. Lyme disease, West Nile virus (WNV), and other vector-borne diseases were identified as priority emerging non-enteric zoonoses in Canada in a prioritization exercise conducted by public health stakeholders in 2013. We review and present the state of knowledge on the public health importance of these high priority emerging vector-borne diseases in Canada. Lyme disease is emerging in Canada due to range expansion of the tick vector, which also signals concern for the emergence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. WNV has been established in Canada since 2001, with epidemics of varying intensity in following years linked to climatic drivers. Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Jamestown Canyon virus, snowshoe hare virus, and Cache Valley virus are other mosquito-borne viruses endemic to Canada with the potential for human health impact. Increased surveillance for emerging pathogens and vectors and coordinated efforts among sectors and jurisdictions will aid in early detection and timely public health response. PMID:26954882

Major emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Manisha A; Berrang-Ford, Lea; Buck, Peter A; Drebot, Michael A; Lindsay, L Robbin; Ogden, Nicholas H

2015-06-10

In Canada, the emergence of vector-borne diseases may occur via international movement and subsequent establishment of vectors and pathogens, or via northward spread from endemic areas in the USA. Re-emergence of endemic vector-borne diseases may occur due to climate-driven changes to their geographic range and ecology. Lyme disease, West Nile virus (WNV), and other vector-borne diseases were identified as priority emerging non-enteric zoonoses in Canada in a prioritization exercise conducted by public health stakeholders in 2013. We review and present the state of knowledge on the public health importance of these high priority emerging vector-borne diseases in Canada. Lyme disease is emerging in Canada due to range expansion of the tick vector, which also signals concern for the emergence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. WNV has been established in Canada since 2001, with epidemics of varying intensity in following years linked to climatic drivers. Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Jamestown Canyon virus, snowshoe hare virus, and Cache Valley virus are other mosquito-borne viruses endemic to Canada with the potential for human health impact. Increased surveillance for emerging pathogens and vectors and coordinated efforts among sectors and jurisdictions will aid in early detection and timely public health response.

UAVs - Current Situation and Considerations for the Way Forward

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

and UGV command and control relay. Examples Altus, Hermes 1500, Heron (EagleStar), I.GNAT, Perseus, Predator, Theseus The arrival of shipborne VTOL...Silver Arrow, Israel), Theseus (Aurora Flight Scien- RPB-35 ces, USA). , - Airspeed Airships, UK AS-A100 & 400 / AS-600 & 800 - Automation Institute

Use of Recombinant Factor VIIA for Control of Combat-Related Haemorrhage

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-25

Pallav Bhatnagar, Henno Schoombee, Brian Burgess Southend University Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, Westcliff -on-Sea, Essex, UK Correspondence to Dr...transfusion requirements, did not result in better survival.11 1San Diego State University , School of Social Work, San Diego, USA 2Health Solutions

Postcode Criminals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiett, Sandra; Kushner, Joann

2013-01-01

Postcode Criminals was the second phase of an international participatory community arts project challenging negative stereotypes of urban youth. Concerned with the impact of zero tolerance community policing strategies in the UK and USA, artists Joann Kushner and Dread Scott developed an art-based project with a social justice agenda. To give…

Projected changes to rain-on-snow events over North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Dae Il; Sushama, Laxmi

2016-04-01

Rain-on-snow (ROS) events have significant impacts on cold region ecosystems and water-related natural hazards, and therefore it is very important to assess how this hydro-meteorological phenomenon will evolve in a changing climate. This study evaluates the changes in ROS characteristics (i.e., frequency, amounts, and runoff) for the future 2041-2070 period with respect to the current 1976-2005 period over North America using six simulations, based on two Canadian RCMs, driven by two driving GCMs for RCP4.5 and 8.5 emission pathways. Projected changes to extreme runoff caused by the changes of the ROS characteristics are also evaluated. All simulations suggest general increases in ROS days in late autumn, winter, and early spring periods for most Canadian regions and northwestern USA for the future period, due to an increase in rain days in a warmer climate. Increases in the future ROS amounts are projected mainly due to an increase in ROS days, although increases in precipitation intensity also contributes to the future increases. Future ROS runoff is expected to increase more than future ROS amounts during snowmelt months as ROS events usually enhance runoff, given the land state and asociated reduced soil infiltration rate and also due to the faster snowmelt rate occuring during these events. The simulations also show that ROS events usually lead to extreme runoff over most of Canada and north-western and -central USA in the January-May snowmelt months for the current period and these show no significant changes in the future climate. However, the future ROS to total runoff ratio will significantly decrease for western and eastern Canada as well as north-western USA for these months, due to an overall increase of the fraction of direct snowmelt and rainfall generated runoff in a warmer climate. These results indicate the difficulties of flood risk and water resource managements in the future, particularly in Canada and north-western and -central USA, requiring more in depth studies for these regions to facilitate appropriate adaptation measures.

PREFACE 11th Europhysical Conference on Defects in Insulating Materials (EURODIM 2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovács, László; Corradi, Gábor

2010-11-01

The Europhysical Conference on Defects in Insulating Materials, organized in the period 12-16 July 2010 in Pécs, Hungary by the Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Budapest and the Institute of Physics of the University of Pécs, was the 11th European conference in the alternate series of EURODIM and ICDIM. The first meeting in Argonne, USA in 1956 was dedicated to the field of color centers in alkali halide crystals. Since then the topic has been gradually extended to the real structure of oxides, halides, nitrides and other more complex insulators, and also to less ordered materials like glasses, ceramics and low-dimensional systems, as well as applications e.g. in radiology, non-linear optics, photonics and electronics. Recently the field covered includes the research and technology of defect-related phenomena in crystalline and amorphous wide band-gap bulk, layered and nano-materials. More than 200 colleagues from 31 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have participated in the conference. The program contained in addition to seven invited and three keynote talks 67 further oral presentations as well as some 200 poster contributions. The city of Pécs, a pearl of the Southern Danubia region, was proud of hosting the conference as one of the 2010 European Capitals of Culture, this status crowning a long urban history dating back to paleochristian times in the Roman province Pannonia. On behalf of the Organizing Committee signature László Kovács Conference Chair Conference Chair László Kovács Crystal Physics Department Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics Budapest, Hungary e-mail: eurodim2010@optics.szfki.kfki.hu Program Committee Gábor Corradi (Hungary) István Földvári (Hungary) Rob A. Jackson (UK) László Kovács (Hungary) Martin Nikl (Czech Republic) Anna Vedda (Italy) Andrea Watterich (Hungary) International Advisory Committee M.G. Blanchin (France)A. Lushchik (Estonia) F. Bridges (USA)R.M. Montereali (Italy) F. Callens (Belgium)M. Moreno (Spain) R. Capelletti (Italy)P.E. Ngoepe (South Africa) A.V. Chadwick (UK)M. Nikl (Czech Republic) J.D. Comins (South Africa)S.V. Nistor (Romania) J. Corish (Ireland)C. Pedrini (France) H.W. den Hartog (Netherlands) A.M. Stoneham (UK) V. Dierolf (USA)M. Suszynska (Poland) S. Feofilov (Russia)I. Tale (Latvia) K. Funke (Germany)M.E.G. Valerio (Brazil) S. Greulich-Weber (Germany)A. Vedda (Italy) R.A. Jackson (UK)R.T. Williams (USA) L. Kovács (Hungary)A. Yoshikawa (Japan) sponsor logo sponsor logo sponsor logo

First results from the International Urban Energy Balance Model Comparison: Model Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackett, M.; Grimmond, S.; Best, M.

2009-04-01

A great variety of urban energy balance models has been developed. These vary in complexity from simple schemes that represent the city as a slab, through those which model various facets (i.e. road, walls and roof) to more complex urban forms (including street canyons with intersections) and features (such as vegetation cover and anthropogenic heat fluxes). Some schemes also incorporate detailed representations of momentum and energy fluxes distributed throughout various layers of the urban canopy layer. The models each differ in the parameters they require to describe the site and the in demands they make on computational processing power. Many of these models have been evaluated using observational datasets but to date, no controlled comparisons have been conducted. Urban surface energy balance models provide a means to predict the energy exchange processes which influence factors such as urban temperature, humidity, atmospheric stability and winds. These all need to be modelled accurately to capture features such as the urban heat island effect and to provide key information for dispersion and air quality modelling. A comparison of the various models available will assist in improving current and future models and will assist in formulating research priorities for future observational campaigns within urban areas. In this presentation we will summarise the initial results of this international urban energy balance model comparison. In particular, the relative performance of the models involved will be compared based on their degree of complexity. These results will inform us on ways in which we can improve the modelling of air quality within, and climate impacts of, global megacities. The methodology employed in conducting this comparison followed that used in PILPS (the Project for Intercomparison of Land-Surface Parameterization Schemes) which is also endorsed by the GEWEX Global Land Atmosphere System Study (GLASS) panel. In all cases, models were run offline to ensure no feedback to larger scale conditions within the modelling domain. Initially, participants were issued with just forcing data from an unknown urban site (termed "Alpha"); in subsequent stages, further details of the site were provided. Results from each stage, for each participating model, were then compared using a variety of statistical and graphical techniques. * The EGU2009-5713 Team: C.S.B. Grimmond1, M. Blackett1, M. Best2 and J. Barlow3and J.-J. Baik4, S. Belcher3, S. Bohnenstengel3, I. Calmet5, F. Chen6, A. Dandou7, K. Fortuniak8, M. Gouvea1, R. Hamdi9, M. Hendry2, H. Kondo10, S. Krayenhoff11, S. H. Lee4, T. Loridan1, A. Martilli12, S. Miao13, K. Oleson6, G. Pigeon14, A. Porson2,3, F. Salamanca12, L. Shashua-Bar15, G.-J. Steeneveld16, M. Tombrou7, J. Voogt17, N. Zhang18. 1King's College London, UK, 2UK Met Office, UK, 3University of Reading, UK, 4Seoul National University, Korea, 5Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France, 6National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA, 7University of Athens, Greece, 8University of Ł ódź , Poland, 9Royal Meteorological Institute, Belgium, 10National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan, 11University of British Columbia, Canada, 12CIEMAT, Spain, 13IUM, CMA, China, 14Meteo France, France, 15Ben Gurion University, Israel, 16Wageningen University, Netherlands, 17University of Western Ontario, Canada, 18Nanjing University, China.

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

Klement, A.W. Jr. ed.

Thirty papers are presented reviewing AEC research projects related to fall-out from weapons tests. Reviews of specific related programs by representatives from Canada and the UK are also included. The scope of the conference includes characteristics of fall-out, atmospheric factors affecting deposition, distribution in the environment, and distribution in the food chain and man. Separate abstracts have been prepared for each paper. (C.H.)

GW-1000. GW Pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Smith, Paul F

2004-07-01

GW Pharmaceuticals is developing GW-1000 (Sativex), a narrow ratio delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol product for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, neurogenic pain and peripheral neuropathy. In March 2003, the company filed for approval for the treatment of MS with the UK Medicines Control Agency, and in May 2004, filed for new drug submission with Health Canada.

Policy Options for Managing International Student Migration: The Sending Country's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gribble, Cate

2008-01-01

A consequence of the dramatic rise in international student mobility is the trend for international students to remain in the country in which they study after graduation. Countries such as Australia, the UK and Canada stand to benefit from international student migration, as they are able to fill skill shortages with locally trained foreign…

"So, is that your 'relative' or mine?" A political-ecological critique of census-based area deprivation indices.

PubMed

Fu, Mengzhu; Exeter, Daniel J; Anderson, Anneka

2015-10-01

Census-based deprivation indices have been widely used in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada and UK to measure area-based socio-economic inequalities. This paper examines the indicators used in census-based area deprivation indices using a political ecology approach. We question whether the current indicators of deprivation derived from census data are meaningful for the all age groups and minority groups in the population, with a particular focus on deprivation indicators used in New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. We comparatively reviewed methodological papers and reports that describe the indicators of deprivation in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada and the UK from 1975 to 2014. We consider the relationship between the notion of standards of living and measurements of deprivation and explore how hegemonic cultural constructs are implicit in measures of deprivation that privilege a Eurocentric, ageist and gender normative construction of statistics. We argue for more political ecological analyses to studying the relationship between social inequalities, geographies, health inequities and political economy to transform structures of oppression and inequality. This requires turning the analytical gaze on the wealthy and privileged instead of defaulting into deficit models to account for inequality. Studies of deprivation and inequality would benefit from understanding the processes and operations of power in the (re)production of socio-economic and health inequities to inform holistic strategies for social justice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Border Lakes land-cover classification

Treesearch

Marvin Bauer; Brian Loeffelholz; Doug Shinneman

2009-01-01

This document contains metadata and description of land-cover classification of approximately 5.1 million acres of land bordering Minnesota, U.S.A. and Ontario, Canada. The classification focused on the separation and identification of specific forest-cover types. Some separation of the nonforest classes also was performed. The classification was derived from multi-...

Impact of Hypena opulenta on invasive swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum spp.) under different light environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pale and black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum and V. nigrum; Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) are European viny milkweeds that have become invasive in many habitats in the northeastern U.S.A. and southeastern Canada. A defoliating moth from the Ukraine, Hypena opulenta (Christoph) (Lepid...

Impact of the defoliating moth Hypena opulenta on invasive swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum species) under different light environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Black and pale swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum and V. rossicum, Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) are twining vines from Europe that have become invasive in the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada. Hypena opulenta (Christoph) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), a defoliating forest moth from the Ukraine, ha...

Sustainable School Capacity Building--One Step Back, Two Steps Forward?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinham, Stephen; Crowther, Frank

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to serve as an introduction to and overview of this special issue of the "Journal of Educational Administration" entitled "Building organisational capacity in school education". The co-editors have solicited contributions from authors in Wales, Australia, Canada, the USA, England, Hong Kong and New…

Asian Longhorned Beetle: Renewed threat to north-eastern USA and implications worldwide

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB; ANOPLOPHORA GLABRIPENNIS Motschulsky) is a serious invasive pest of urban forests in North America and Europe, with infestations in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Toronto, Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy and France. In July 2008 a new ALB infestation was discovere...

The ASCD Healthy School Communities Project: Formative Evaluation Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valois, Robert F.; Lewallen, Theresa C.; Slade, Sean; Tasco, Adriane N.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the formative evaluation results from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Healthy School Communities (HSC) pilot project. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized 11 HSC pilot sites in the USA (eight sites) and Canada (three sites). The evaluation question was…

Powassan virus in mammals, Alaska and New Mexico, USA, and Russia, 2004–2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Deardorff, Eleanor R.; Nofchissey, Robert A.; Cook, Joseph A.; Hope, Andrew G.; Tsvetkova, Albina; Talbot, Sandra L.; Ebel, Gregory D.

2013-01-01

Powassan virus is endemic to the United States, Canada, and the Russian Far East. We report serologic evidence of circulation of this virus in Alaska, New Mexico, and Siberia. These data support further studies of viral ecology in rapidly changing Arctic environments.

Conversations with Professors: An Exploration of Academic Career Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gladwin, Maree; McDonald, Gael; McKay, Jade

2014-01-01

What factors contribute most to career success in academia? Using qualitative methods, the study sought information from eighteen full and chaired professors in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. Reflecting on factors that contributed to academic success, participants identified: an "inherent" attraction to academic work; ability to…

Powassan Virus in Mammals, Alaska and New Mexico, USA, and Russia, 2004–2007

PubMed Central

Nofchissey, Robert A.; Cook, Joseph A.; Hope, Andrew G.; Tsvetkova, Albina; Talbot, Sandra L.; Ebel, Gregory D.

2013-01-01

Powassan virus is endemic to the United States, Canada, and the Russian Far East. We report serologic evidence of circulation of this virus in Alaska, New Mexico, and Siberia. These data support further studies of viral ecology in rapidly changing Arctic environments. PMID:24274336

SeaBASS 2012: A Marine BioAcoustics Summer School

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

accepted from six different countries (USA & Puerto Rico, Italy, United Kingdom, Greece, Canada, and Austria). Advertising for SeaBASS was published...there was so much good and varied information in all the lectures, I would have to give it to Paul for his storytelling . • Paul Nachtigall’s lecture

Propagule pressure, genetic structure, and geographic origins of Chondrilla juncea (Asteraceae): An apomictic invader on three continents

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Assessing the propagule pressure and geographic origins of invasive populations using molecular markers provides insights into the invasion process. Rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea) is an apomictic perennial plant that is invasive in Australia, Argentina, Canada and the USA. Invasive biotypes...

Diapause in Abrostola asclepiadis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) may make for an ineffective weed biological control agent

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pale and black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum and V. nigrum; Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) are perennial vines from Europe that are invasive in various terrestrial habitats in the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada. A classical weed biological control program has been in develop...

DNA markers identify hybrids between butternut (Juglans cinerea L.) and Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifolia Carr.)

Treesearch

Peng ​Zhao; Keith E. Woeste

2011-01-01

Butternut (Juglans cinerea L.) is a temperate deciduous hardwood native to the eastern USA and southern Canada valued for its nuts and wood. Butternut's survival is threatened by butternut canker, a disease caused by the exotic fungus Sirococcus clavigignentijuglandacearum Nair, Kostichka & Kuntz. Field...

Powassan virus in mammals, Alaska and New Mexico, U.S.A., and Russia, 2004-2007.

PubMed

Deardorff, Eleanor R; Nofchissey, Robert A; Cook, Joseph A; Hope, Andrew G; Tsvetkova, Albina; Talbot, Sandra L; Ebel, Gregory D

2013-12-01

Powassan virus is endemic to the United States, Canada, and the Russian Far East. We report serologic evidence of circulation of this virus in Alaska, New Mexico, and Siberia. These data support further studies of viral ecology in rapidly changing Arctic environments.

University Access for Disadvantaged Children: A Comparison across Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerrim, John; Vignoles, Anna

2015-01-01

In this paper, we consider whether certain countries are particularly adept (or particularly poor) at getting children from disadvantaged homes to study for a bachelor's degree. A series of university access models are estimated for four English-speaking countries (England, Canada, Australia and the USA), which include controls for comparable…

Regression Analysis and the Sociological Imagination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Maio, Fernando

2014-01-01

Regression analysis is an important aspect of most introductory statistics courses in sociology but is often presented in contexts divorced from the central concerns that bring students into the discipline. Consequently, we present five lesson ideas that emerge from a regression analysis of income inequality and mortality in the USA and Canada.

Alien To Me? Science in Search for Life Beyond Earth and Perceptions of Alien Life in Popular Culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capova, K. A.

2013-09-01

The paper will introduce an original piece of research that is devoted to the socio-cultural aspects of scientifi c search for life in outer space and it draws from doctoral research in anthropology of science. In this piece of research the extraterrestrial life hypothesis is conceptualized as a significant part of the general world-view, constantly shaped by the work and discoveries of science. The paper presents data from qualitative ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the UK as well as uses quantitative data from public from the USA, UK and other countries.

Non-labile silver species in biosolids remain stable throughout 50 years of weathering and ageing.

EPA Science Inventory

Increasing commercial use of nanosilver has focussed attention on the fate of silver (Ag) in the wastewater release pathway. This paper reports the speciation and lability of Ag in archived, stockpiled, and contemporary biosolids from the UK, USA and Australia, and indicates that...

Patterns and processes of Mycobacterium bovis evolution revealed by phylogenomic analyses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycobacterium bovis is an important animal pathogen worldwide that parasitizes wild and domesticated vertebrate livestock as well as humans. A comparison of the five M. bovis complete genomes from UK, South Korea, Brazil and USA revealed four novel large-scale structural variations of at least 2,000...

Modified UTAUT2 Model for M-Learning among Students in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bharati, V. Jayendra; Srikanth, R.

2018-01-01

Ubiquitous technologies have a great potential to enrich students' academic experience. Students are more interested in using interactive learning techniques apart from the traditional learning techniques. Several research studies for m-learning has been done in the USA, UK concentrating on students undergoing a graduation degree, especially…

Social Entrepreneurship in South Africa: Context, Relevance and Extent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Visser, Kobus

2011-01-01

In its broadest context, "social entrepreneurship" refers to individuals and organizations that engage in entrepreneurial activities with social objectives. Whereas this concept and its constituent elements are well-researched and acknowledged in industrialized countries (such as the USA and UK) (Thompson, Alvy and Lees, 2000, p 328) and…

Locating Post-16 Professionalism: Public Spaces as Dissenting Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Carol Azumah

2015-01-01

Locating post-16 professionalism explores the ways in which teachers in the UK and the USA engaged in digitally mediated communication incidentally narrate their professional selves during extended exchanges about the process of post-qualification registration. Drawing on a theoretical framework derived from participatory democracy, the study is…

Dynamic Assessment of Language Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Deirdre

2015-01-01

The paper reports a study of a narrative-based Dynamic Assessment (DA) procedure developed in the USA that is used in the UK with children with developmental language disabilities. Three monolingual English children with language disabilities are assessed by a speech/language pathologist/therapist who is learning to work with DA in collaboration…

Three-Dimensional Evolution of Erupted Flux Ropes from the Sun (2-20 Solar Radii) to 1 AU

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Preprint, Solar Phys., 2013 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY ...NASA GSFC (USA), RAL and University of Birmingham (UK), MPS(Germany), CSL (Belgium), IOTA and IAS (France). References Brueckner, G.E., Howard, R.A

The Temperature-Dependent Nature of Coronal Dimmings

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

opening-up, of flux and can be observed both off-limb and on-disk. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT...international consortium of the NRL, LMSAL and NASA GSFC (USA), RAL and U. Bham (UK), MPS (Germany), CSL (Belgium), IOTA and IAS (France). This work was

The Gentle Dissenter: Revisiting Annette Patterson's Research in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mellor, Bronwyn

2017-01-01

In this special issue of "English in Australia" dedicated to Annette Patterson, Bronwyn Mellor reflects on this "gentle dissenter". Annette Patterson published articles, book chapters, and school textbooks in Australia, the USA, and the UK. Her incisive intellect and commitment to education probably meant that she was not ever…

Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River and its Tributaries Between Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, and Eagle, Alaska, USA, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halm, Douglas R.; Dornblaser, Mark M.

2007-01-01

The Yukon River basin is the fourth largest watershed in North America at 831,400 square kilometers (km2). Approximately 126,000 people live within the basin and depend on the Yukon River and its tributaries for drinking water, commerce, subsistence, and recreational fish and game resources. Climate warming in the Arctic and Subarctic regions encompassing the Yukon basin has recently become a concern because of possible far-reaching effects on the ecosystem. Large amounts of carbon and nutrients are stored in permafrost and have potential for release in response to this warming. These changes in carbon and nutrient cycling may result in changes in stream chemistry and productivity, including salmon populations, and ultimately changes in the chemistry and productivity of the Bearing Sea. To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a 5-year comprehensive water-quality study of the Yukon River and its major tributaries starting in 2000. The study included frequent water-quality sampling at a fixed site network as well as intensive sampling along the Yukon River and its major tributaries. This report contains observations of water and sediment quantity and quality of the Yukon River and its tributaries in Canada during 2004. Chemical, biological, physical, and discharge data are presented for the reach of river between Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, and Eagle, Alaska, USA.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus antibody reactors among camels in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2005.

PubMed

Alexandersen, S; Kobinger, G P; Soule, G; Wernery, U

2014-04-01

We tested, using a low starting dilution, sequential serum samples from dromedary camels, sheep and horses collected in Dubai from February/April to October of 2005 and from dromedary camels for export/import testing between Canada and USA in 2000-2001. Using a standard Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) neutralization test, serial sera from three sheep and three horses were all negative while sera from 9 of 11 dromedary camels from Dubai were positive for antibodies supported by similar results in a MERS-CoV recombinant partial spike protein antibody ELISA. The two negative Dubai camels were both dromedary calves and remained negative over the 5 months studied. The six dromedary samples from USA and Canada were negative in both tests. These results support the recent findings that infection with MERS-CoV or a closely related virus is not a new occurrence in camels in the Middle East. Therefore, interactions of MERS-CoV at the human-animal interface may have been ongoing for several, perhaps many, years and by inference, a widespread pandemic may be less likely unless significant evolution of the virus allow accelerated infection and spread potential in the human population. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2014 Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food and Minister of Health.

Colon cancer care and survival: income and insurance are more predictive in the USA, community primary care physician supply more so in Canada.

PubMed

Gorey, Kevin M; Kanjeekal, Sindu M; Wright, Frances C; Hamm, Caroline; Luginaah, Isaac N; Bartfay, Emma; Zou, Guangyong; Holowaty, Eric J; Richter, Nancy L

2015-10-29

Our research group advanced a health insurance theory to explain Canada's cancer care advantages over America. The late Barbara Starfield theorized that Canada's greater primary care-orientation also plays a critically protective role. We tested the resultant Starfield-Gorey theory by examining the effects of poverty, health insurance and physician supplies, primary care and specialists, on colon cancer care in Ontario and California. We analyzed registry data for people with non-metastasized colon cancer from Ontario (n = 2,060) and California (n = 4,574) diagnosed between 1996 and 2000 and followed to 2010. We obtained census tract-based socioeconomic data from population censuses and data on county-level physician supplies from national repositories: primary care physicians, gastroenterologists and other specialists. High poverty neighborhoods were oversampled and the criterion was 10 year survival. Hypotheses were explored with standardized rate ratios (RR) and tested with logistic regression models. Significant inverse associations of poverty (RR = 0.79) and inadequate health insurance (RR = 0.80) with survival were observed in the California, while they were non-significant or non-existent in Ontario. The direct associations of primary care physician (RRs of 1.32 versus 1.11) and gastroenterologist (RRs of 1.56 versus 1.15) supplies with survival were both stronger in Ontario than California. The supply of primary care physicians took precedence. Probably mediated through the initial course of treatment, it largely explained the Canadian advantage. Poverty and health insurance were more predictive in the USA, community physician supplies more so in Canada. Canada's primary care protections were greatest among the most socioeconomically vulnerable. The protective effects of Canadian health care prior to enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) clearly suggested the following. Notwithstanding the importance of insuring all, strengthening America's system of primary care will probably be the best way to ensure that the ACA's full benefits are realized. Finally, Canada's strong primary care system ought to be maintained.

UK health performance: findings of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010.

PubMed

Murray, Christopher J L; Richards, Michael A; Newton, John N; Fenton, Kevin A; Anderson, H Ross; Atkinson, Charles; Bennett, Derrick; Bernabé, Eduardo; Blencowe, Hannah; Bourne, Rupert; Braithwaite, Tasanee; Brayne, Carol; Bruce, Nigel G; Brugha, Traolach S; Burney, Peter; Dherani, Mukesh; Dolk, Helen; Edmond, Karen; Ezzati, Majid; Flaxman, Abraham D; Fleming, Tom D; Freedman, Greg; Gunnell, David; Hay, Roderick J; Hutchings, Sally J; Ohno, Summer Lockett; Lozano, Rafael; Lyons, Ronan A; Marcenes, Wagner; Naghavi, Mohsen; Newton, Charles R; Pearce, Neil; Pope, Dan; Rushton, Lesley; Salomon, Joshua A; Shibuya, Kenji; Vos, Theo; Wang, Haidong; Williams, Hywel C; Woolf, Anthony D; Lopez, Alan D; Davis, Adrian

2013-03-23

The UK has had universal free health care and public health programmes for more than six decades. Several policy initiatives and structural reforms of the health system have been undertaken. Health expenditure has increased substantially since 1990, albeit from relatively low levels compared with other countries. We used data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 (GBD 2010) to examine the patterns of health loss in the UK, the leading preventable risks that explain some of these patterns, and how UK outcomes compare with a set of comparable countries in the European Union and elsewhere in 1990 and 2010. We used results of GBD 2010 for 1990 and 2010 for the UK and 18 other comparator nations (the original 15 members of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Norway, and the USA; henceforth EU15+). We present analyses of trends and relative performance for mortality, causes of death, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and healthy life expectancy (HALE). We present results for 259 diseases and injuries and for 67 risk factors or clusters of risk factors relevant to the UK. We assessed the UK's rank for age-standardised YLLs and DALYs for their leading causes compared with EU15+ in 1990 and 2010. We estimated 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for all measures. For both mortality and disability, overall health has improved substantially in absolute terms in the UK from 1990 to 2010. Life expectancy in the UK increased by 4·2 years (95% UI 4·2-4·3) from 1990 to 2010. However, the UK performed significantly worse than the EU15+ for age-standardised death rates, age-standardised YLL rates, and life expectancy in 1990, and its relative position had worsened by 2010. Although in most age groups, there have been reductions in age-specific mortality, for men aged 30-34 years, mortality rates have hardly changed (reduction of 3·7%, 95% UI 2·7-4·9). In terms of premature mortality, worsening ranks are most notable for men and women aged 20-54 years. For all age groups, the contributions of Alzheimer's disease (increase of 137%, 16-277), cirrhosis (65%, ?15 to 107), and drug use disorders (577%, 71-942) to premature mortality rose from 1990 to 2010. In 2010, compared with EU15+, the UK had significantly lower rates of age-standardised YLLs for road injury, diabetes, liver cancer, and chronic kidney disease, but significantly greater rates for ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, breast cancer, other cardiovascular and circulatory disorders, oesophageal cancer, preterm birth complications, congenital anomalies, and aortic aneurysm. Because YLDs per person by age and sex have not changed substantially from 1990 to 2010 but age-specific mortality has been falling, the importance of chronic disability is rising. The major causes of YLDs in 2010 were mental and behavioural disorders (including substance abuse; 21·5% [95 UI 17·2-26·3] of YLDs), and musculoskeletal disorders (30·5% [25·5-35·7]). The leading risk factor in the UK was tobacco (11·8% [10·5-13·3] of DALYs), followed by increased blood pressure (9·0 % [7·5-10·5]), and high body-mass index (8·6% [7·4-9·8]). Diet and physical inactivity accounted for 14·3% (95% UI 12·8-15·9) of UK DALYs in 2010. The performance of the UK in terms of premature mortality is persistently and significantly below the mean of EU15+ and requires additional concerted action. Further progress in premature mortality from several major causes, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, will probably require improved public health, prevention, early intervention, and treatment activities. The growing burden of disability, particularly from mental disorders, substance use, musculoskeletal disorders, and falls deserves an integrated and strategic response. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data from the US and UK cystic fibrosis registries support disease modification by CFTR modulation with ivacaftor.

PubMed

Bessonova, Leona; Volkova, Nataliya; Higgins, Mark; Bengtsson, Leif; Tian, Simon; Simard, Christopher; Konstan, Michael W; Sawicki, Gregory S; Sewall, Ase; Nyangoma, Stephen; Elbert, Alexander; Marshall, Bruce C; Bilton, Diana

2018-05-10

Ivacaftor is the first cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator demonstrating clinical benefit in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). As ivacaftor is intended for chronic, lifelong use, understanding long-term effects is important for patients and healthcare providers. This ongoing, observational, postapproval safety study evaluates clinical outcomes and disease progression in ivacaftor-treated patients using data from the US and the UK CF registries following commercial availability. Annual analyses compare ivacaftor-treated and untreated matched comparator patients for: risks of death, transplantation, hospitalisation, pulmonary exacerbation; prevalence of CF-related complications and microorganisms and lung function changes in a subset of patients who initiated ivacaftor in the first year of commercial availability. Results from the 2014 analyses (2 and 3 years following commercial availability in the UK and USA, respectively) are presented here. Analyses included 1256 ivacaftor-treated and 6200 comparator patients from the USA and 411 ivacaftor-treated and 2069 comparator patients from the UK. No new safety concerns were identified based on the evaluation of clinical outcomes included in the analyses. As part of safety evaluations, ivacaftor-treated US patients were observed to have significantly lower risks of death (0.6% vs 1.6%, p=0.0110), transplantation (0.2% vs 1.1%, p=0.0017), hospitalisation (27.5% vs 43.1%, p<0.0001) and pulmonary exacerbation (27.8% vs 43.3%, p<0.0001) relative to comparators; trends were similar in the UK. In both registries, ivacaftor-treated patients had a lower prevalence of CF-related complications and select microorganisms and had better preserved lung function. While general limitations of observational research apply, analyses revealed favourable results for clinically important outcomes among ivacaftor-treated patients, adding to the growing body of literature supporting disease modification by CFTR modulation with ivacaftor. EUPAS4270. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Data on Income inequality in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, and other affluent nations, 2012.

PubMed

Dorling, Danny

2015-12-01

This data article contains information on the distribution of household incomes in the five most populous European countries as surveyed in 2012, with data released in 2014 and published here aggregated and so further anonymized in 2015. The underlying source data is the already anonymized EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EUSILC) Microdata. The data include the annual household income required in each country to fall within the best-off 1% in that country, median and mean incomes, average (mean) incomes of the best off 1%, 0.1% and estimates for the 0.01%, 0.001% and so on for the UK, and of the 90% and worse-off 10%, the best-off 10% and best-off 1% of households for all countries. Average income from the state is also calculated by these income categories and the number of people working in finance and receiving over €1,000,000 a year in income is reported from other sources (the European Banking Authority). Finally income distribution data is provided from the USA and the rest of Europe in order to allow comparisons to be made. The data revealed the gross household (simple unweighted) median incomes in 2012 to have been (in order from best-off country by median to worse-off): France €39,000, Germany: €33,400, UK: €36,300, Italy €33,400 and Spain €27,000. However the medians, once households are weighted to reflect the nation populations do differ although they are in the same order: France €36,000, Germany: €33,400, UK: €31,300, Italy €31,000 and Spain €23,700. Thus weighting to increase representativeness of the medians reduces each by €3000, €0, €5000, €3300 and €3300 respectively. In short, the middle (weighted median) French household is €4700 a year better off than the middle UK family, and that is before housing costs are considered. This Data in Brief article accompanies Dorling, D. (2015) Income Inequality in the UK: Comparisons with five large Western European countries and the USA [1].

The Wesselhoefts: A medical dynasty from the age of Goethe to the era of nuclear medicine.

PubMed

Davidson, Jonathan Rt

2017-11-01

For six generations, members of the Wesselhoeft family have practiced medicine in Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and/or the USA. In the early decades of the 19th century, two Wesselhoeft brothers left Europe to eventually settle in New England, where they and their progeny gave rise to a regional medical dynasty. The Wesselhoeft doctors became well-known practitioners of homeopathy, hydropathy, conventional medicine and surgery, in academic and general clinical settings. An additional connection was established to the literary worlds of Germany and the USA, either through friendships or as personal physicians.

[Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in Latin American migrants in transit through the México- USA border].

PubMed

Montes-Rincón, Laura Mayela; Galaviz-Silva, Lucio; Molina-Garza, Zinnia Judith

2018-03-15

In recent years, American trypanosomiasis has become an emergent public health problem in countries receiving migrant populations such as México, USA, Canada or those in Europe. To analyze the prevalence of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in Latin American migrants on their way to USA and Canada by means of serological techniques. ELISA and IHA were performed to detect anti-T. cruzi antibodies. Also, each participant filled out a socioeconomic questionnaire to determine the associated factors with seropositive cases, which could facilitate the transmission in the migrants' country of origin. Total seroprevalence among the studied population was 20% (24/120). The highest prevalence was found in migrants from Guatemala with 37.5% (6/16), followed by Honduras (22.6%; 12/53), El Salvador (16%; 4/25), and México (8.7%, 3/23). From the total 120 surveyed migrants, 105 (87.5%) recognized the vector of Chagas' disease, and 62 (59%) assured having been bitten by it. Highly significant statistical associations were found between infection and the construction materials for walls and the presence of pets (dogs) inside houses (p≤0.01), as well as with the building materials for backyards, inadequate basic services, and animal breeding inside corrals built around dwellings (p≤0.05). Non-endemic countries receiving migrants from endemic areas should enhance or develop better health policies to prevent transfusion-transmitted Chagas or congenital parasite transmission.

Survey of international regulatory bioequivalence recommendations for approval of generic topical dermatological drug products.

PubMed

Braddy, April C; Davit, Barbara M; Stier, Ethan M; Conner, Dale P

2015-01-01

The objective of this article is to discuss the similarities and differences in accepted bioequivalence (BE) approaches for generic topical dermatological drug products between international regulatory authorities and organizations. These drug products are locally applied and not intended for systemic absorption. Therefore, the BE approaches which serve as surrogates to establish safety and efficacy for topical dosage forms tend to differ from the traditional solid oral dosage forms. We focused on 15 different international jurisdictions and organizations that currently participate in the International Generic Drug Regulators Pilot Project. These are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, the European Medicines Association (EMA), Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore (a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, the USA and the World Health Organization (WHO). Upon evaluation, we observed that currently only Canada, the EMA, Japan, and the USA have specific guidance documents for topical drug products. Across all jurisdictions and organizations, the three approaches consistently required are (1) BE studies with clinical endpoints for most topical drug products; (2) in vivo pharmacodynamic studies, in particular the vasoconstrictor assay for topical corticosteroids; and (3) waivers from BE study requirements for topical solutions. Japan, South Africa, the USA, and the WHO are also making strides to accept other BE approaches such as in vivo pharmacokinetic studies for BE assessment, in vivo dermatopharmacokinetic studies and/or BE studies with in vitro endpoints.

Advances in the Knowledge of Transboundary Aquifers Shared by Canada and the USA, through the UNESCO's IHP ISARM Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, A.

2015-12-01

Canada's involvement in the UNESCO IHP ISARM initiative prompted an accrued analysis on the knowledge and state of transboundary aquifers located along the Canada-USA border. As a result, 10 Transboundary Aquifer Systems (TAS) were identified and some have been assessed in cooperation with the United States. This study is a review of the current state of the 10 TAS. Documentation of scientifically-based knowledge on TAS is an important step in identifying potential issues in policies that might be adopted to address shared water-resource issues. The newly acquired hydrological insights for this very long international border emphasizes the need for more scientific data, widespread communication and information sharing between Canadian and American organizations, and a more clearly defined governments' role to manage groundwater at the international level. The study reviews the legal frameworks and summarises the current scientific knowledge for the TAS with respect to the hydrologic and geologic framework as well as some of the major drivers for supply and demand. It also describes the links, approach and relevance of studies on the TAS to the UN Law of Transboundary Aquifers and on how these might fit in the ISARM's regional strategy for the assessment and management of the TAS. Clear communication, shared knowledge and common objectives in the management of TAS will prepare the countries for future negotiations and cooperative binational programs. Encouraged by the ISARM approach of the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO, Canada is now looking forward to playing a key regional role in improving water management, facilitating transboundary water sharing, and enhancing water research and data sharing in future relations between these two nations.

Brief history of the Cambridge STEM aberration correction project and its progeny.

PubMed

Brown, L Michael; Batson, Philip E; Dellby, Niklas; Krivanek, Ondrej L

2015-10-01

We provide a brief history of the project to correct the spherical aberration of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that started in Cambridge (UK) and continued in Kirkland (WA, USA), Yorktown Heights (NY, USA), and other places. We describe the project in the full context of other aberration correction research and related work, partly in response to the incomplete context presented in the paper "In quest of perfection in electron optics: A biographical sketch of Harald Rose on the occasion of his 80th birthday", recently published in Ultramicroscopy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cyber resilience: a review of critical national infrastructure and cyber security protection measures applied in the UK and USA.

PubMed

Harrop, Wayne; Matteson, Ashley

This paper presents cyber resilience as key strand of national security. It establishes the importance of critical national infrastructure protection and the growing vicarious nature of remote, well-planned, and well executed cyber attacks on critical infrastructures. Examples of well-known historical cyber attacks are presented, and the emergence of 'internet of things' as a cyber vulnerability issue yet to be tackled is explored. The paper identifies key steps being undertaken by those responsible for detecting, deterring, and disrupting cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure in the United Kingdom and the USA.

Procedural Guide for International Gauging Stations on Boundary Waters Between Canada and the United States of America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huberman, S.; Slater, James; Condes, A.

1985-01-01

INTRODUCTION Since 1909, the United States of America (U.S.A.) and Canada have employed a system of monitoring stream-flow and water levels for shared waters based upon professionalism, trust and goodwill. This document has been prepared in considerable detail for use by managers and field officers at all levels of government in Canada and the United States. Its purpose is to serve as a guide in attaining uniform procedures in the designation and operation of International Gauging Stations. For special situations where these procedures do not apply, specific mention is made in appropriate sections of the guide. This guide supersedes that of November 4, 1969, and the guide entitled 'The Procedural Guide for Operation of International Gauging Stations, St. Mary- Milk Rivers,' dated March 12, 1979.

The Royal College of Radiologists' audit of prostate brachytherapy in the year 2012.

PubMed

Stewart, A J; Drinkwater, K J; Laing, R W; Nobes, J P; Locke, I

2015-06-01

This audit provides a comprehensive overview of UK prostate brachytherapy practice in the year 2012, measured against existing standards, immediately before the introduction of new Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines. This audit allows comparison with European and North American brachytherapy practice and for the impact of the RCR 2012 guidelines to be assessed in the future. A web-based data collection tool was developed by the RCR Clinical Audit Committee and sent to audit leads at all cancer centres in the UK. Standards were developed based on available guidelines in use at the start of 2012 covering case mix and dosimetry. Further questions were included to reflect areas of anticipated change with the implementation of the 2012 guidelines. Audit findings were compared with similar audits of practice in Europe, the USA and Latin America. Forty-nine of 59 cancer centres submitted data. Twenty-nine centres reported carrying out prostate brachytherapy; of these, 25 (86%) provided data regarding the number of implants, staffing, dosimetry, medication and anaesthesia and follow-up. Audit standards achieved excellent compliance in most areas, although were low in post-implant dosimetry and in post-implant scanning at 30 days. This audit provides a comprehensive picture of prostate brachytherapy in the UK in 2012. Patterns of care of prostate brachytherapy are similar to practice in the USA and Europe. The number of prostate brachytherapy implants carried out in the UK has grown significantly since a previous RCR audit in 2005 and it is important that centres maintain minimum numbers of cases to ensure that experience can be maintained and compliance to guidelines achieved. Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The state of primary care in the United States of America and lessons for primary care groups in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Koperski, M

2000-04-01

The health care system of the United States of America (USA) is lavishly funded and those with adequate insurance usually receive excellent attention. However, the system is fragmented and inequitable. Health workers often find it difficult to separate vocational roles from business roles. Care tends to focus on the acute rather than the chronic, on 'episodes of illness' rather than 'person-centred' care, on short-term fixes rather than long-term approaches, on scientific/technical solutions rather than discourse or the 'art of healing', and on individual health rather than population health. The majority of US doctors are trained in the 'hightech' hospital paradigm and there is no equivalent of the United Kingdom (UK) general practitioner (GP), who lies at the hub of a primary health care team (PHCT) and who is charged with taking a long-term view, co-ordinating health care for individual patients, and acting as patient advocate without major conflicting financial incentives. However, primary care groups/trusts (PCGs) could learn from US management and training techniques, case management, NHS Direct equivalents, and the effects of poorly developed PHCTs. PCGs could develop the UK's own version of utilisation management. A cash-limited, unified budget within an underfunded National Health Service poses threats to general practice. In both the USA and the UK, primary care is a prominent tool in new attempts at cost control. PCGs offer the opportunity of better integration with public health and social services, but threaten GPs' role as independent advocates by giving them a rationing role. Managed care has forced a similar role onto our US counterparts with consequent public displeasure and professional disillusion. UK GPs will have to steer a careful course if they are to avoid a similar fate.

National programmes for validating physician competence and fitness for practice: a scoping review.

PubMed

Horsley, Tanya; Lockyer, Jocelyn; Cogo, Elise; Zeiter, Jeanie; Bursey, Ford; Campbell, Craig

2016-04-15

To explore and categorise the state of existing literature for national programmes designed to affirm or establish the continuing competence of physicians. Scoping review. MEDLINE, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, web/grey literature (2000-2014). Included when a record described a (1) national-level physician validation system, (2) recognised as a system for affirming competence and (3) reported relevant data. Using bibliographic software, title and abstracts were reviewed using an assessment matrix to ensure duplicate, paired screening. Dyads included both a methodologist and content expert on each assessment, reflective of evidence-informed best practices to decrease errors. 45 reports were included. Publication dates ranged from 2002 to 2014 with the majority of publications occurring in the previous six years (n=35). Country of origin--defined as that of the primary author--included the USA (N=32), the UK (N=8), Canada (N=3), Kuwait (N=1) and Australia (N=1). Three broad themes emerged from this heterogeneous data set: contemporary national programmes, contextual factors and terminological consistency. Four national physician validation systems emerged from the data: the American Board of Medical Specialties Maintenance of Certification Program, the Federation of State Medical Boards Maintenance of Licensure Program, the Canadian Revalidation Program and the UK Revalidation Program. Three contextual factors emerged as stimuli for the implementation of national validation systems: medical regulation, quality of care and professional competence. Finally, great variation among the definitions of key terms was identified. There is an emerging literature focusing on national physician validation systems. Four major systems have been implemented in recent years and it is anticipated that more will follow. Much of this work is descriptive, and gaps exist for the extent to which systems build on current evidence or theory. Terminology is highly variable across programmes for validating physician competence and fitness for practice. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

What do young people think about their school-based sex and relationship education? A qualitative synthesis of young people's views and experiences

PubMed Central

Pound, Pandora; Langford, Rebecca; Campbell, Rona

2016-01-01

Objectives Although sex and relationship education (SRE) represents a key strand in policies to safeguard young people and improve their sexual health, it currently lacks statutory status, government guidance is outdated and a third of UK schools has poor-quality SRE. We aimed to investigate whether current provision meets young people's needs. Design Synthesis of qualitative studies of young people's views of their school-based SRE. Setting Eligible studies originated from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Iran, Brazil and Sweden. Participants Studies of students aged 4–19 in full-time education, young adults ≤19 (not necessarily in full-time education) or adults ≤25 if recalling their experiences of school-based SRE. Results –69 publications were identified, with 55 remaining after quality appraisal (representing 48 studies). The synthesis found that although sex is a potent and potentially embarrassing topic, schools appear reluctant to acknowledge this and attempt to teach SRE in the same way as other subjects. Young people report feeling vulnerable in SRE, with young men anxious to conceal sexual ignorance and young women risking sexual harassment if they participate. Schools appear to have difficulty accepting that some young people are sexually active, leading to SRE that is out of touch with many young people's lives. Young people report that SRE can be negative, gendered and heterosexist. They expressed dislike of their own teachers delivering SRE due to blurred boundaries, lack of anonymity, embarrassment and poor training. Conclusions SRE should be ‘sex-positive’ and delivered by experts who maintain clear boundaries with students. Schools should acknowledge that sex is a special subject with unique challenges, as well as the fact and range of young people's sexual activity, otherwise young people will continue to disengage from SRE and opportunities for safeguarding and improving their sexual health will be reduced. PMID:27625058

National programmes for validating physician competence and fitness for practice: a scoping review

PubMed Central

Horsley, Tanya; Lockyer, Jocelyn; Cogo, Elise; Zeiter, Jeanie; Bursey, Ford; Campbell, Craig

2016-01-01

Objective To explore and categorise the state of existing literature for national programmes designed to affirm or establish the continuing competence of physicians. Design Scoping review. Data sources MEDLINE, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, web/grey literature (2000–2014). Selection Included when a record described a (1) national-level physician validation system, (2) recognised as a system for affirming competence and (3) reported relevant data. Data extraction Using bibliographic software, title and abstracts were reviewed using an assessment matrix to ensure duplicate, paired screening. Dyads included both a methodologist and content expert on each assessment, reflective of evidence-informed best practices to decrease errors. Results 45 reports were included. Publication dates ranged from 2002 to 2014 with the majority of publications occurring in the previous six years (n=35). Country of origin—defined as that of the primary author—included the USA (N=32), the UK (N=8), Canada (N=3), Kuwait (N=1) and Australia (N=1). Three broad themes emerged from this heterogeneous data set: contemporary national programmes, contextual factors and terminological consistency. Four national physician validation systems emerged from the data: the American Board of Medical Specialties Maintenance of Certification Program, the Federation of State Medical Boards Maintenance of Licensure Program, the Canadian Revalidation Program and the UK Revalidation Program. Three contextual factors emerged as stimuli for the implementation of national validation systems: medical regulation, quality of care and professional competence. Finally, great variation among the definitions of key terms was identified. Conclusions There is an emerging literature focusing on national physician validation systems. Four major systems have been implemented in recent years and it is anticipated that more will follow. Much of this work is descriptive, and gaps exist for the extent to which systems build on current evidence or theory. Terminology is highly variable across programmes for validating physician competence and fitness for practice. PMID:27084276

Ethnographies across Virtual and Physical Spaces: A Reflexive Commentary on a Live Canadian/UK Ethnography of Distributed Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tummons, Jonathan; Macleod, Anna; Kits, Olga

2015-01-01

This article draws on an ongoing ethnography of distributed medical education (DME) provision in Canada in order to explore the methodological choices of the researchers as well as the wider pluralisation of ethnographic frameworks that is reflected within current research literature. The article begins with a consideration of the technologically…

Lifelong Learning as a Chameleonic Concept and Versatile Practice: Y2K Perspectives and Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grace, Andre P.

2004-01-01

This essay focuses on contemporary lifelong-learning discourse as it was reflected in deliberations during three events held in Australia, Canada and the UK during 2000-01. Through the dialogical lenses of these Y2K events that brought together an array of international participants, it examines lifelong learning as a chameleonic concept and…

The Conditions of Movement: A Discussion of Academic Mobility between Two Early Career Scholars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gopaul, Bryan; Pifer, Meghan J.

2016-01-01

Academic mobility is an increasingly crucial topic to the current and future dynamics of doctoral study and the professoriate. Much of the research has focused on US, UK and European contexts. This research explores academic mobility and the manifold issues that arise between the jurisdictions of Canada and the US, in ways that parallel and…

Preparing Sports Coaches for the 21st Century: A Qualitative Case Study of A Graduate Sports Coaching Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kjaer, Jorgen Bagger

2017-01-01

Sports coaching education and research in higher education have received increased attention lately, especially in English-speaking countries such as the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK (Potrac, Gilbert, & Denison, 2013). Although research on sports coaching education is on the rise, very few studies have explored formal…

Examining the social construction of surveillance: A critical issue for health visitors and public health nurses working with mothers and children.

PubMed

Peckover, Sue; Aston, Megan

2018-01-01

To critically examine surveillance practices of health visitors (HV) in the UK and public health nurses (PHNs) in Canada. The practice and meaning of surveillance shifts and changes depending on the context and intent of relationships between mothers and HVs or PHNs. We present the context and practice of HVs in the UK and PHNs in Canada and provide a comprehensive literature review regarding surveillance of mothers within public health systems. We then present our critique of the meaning and practice of surveillance across different settings. Concepts from Foucault and discourse analysis are used to critically examine and discuss the meaning of surveillance. Surveillance is a complex concept that shifts meaning and is socially and institutionally constructed through relations of power. Healthcare providers need to understand the different meanings and practices associated with surveillance to effectively inform practice. Healthcare providers should be aware of how their positions of expert and privilege within healthcare systems affect relationships with mothers. A more comprehensive understanding of personal, social and institutional aspects of surveillance will provide opportunities to reflect upon and change practices that are supportive of mothers and their families. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prices and availability of pharmaceuticals: evidence from nine countries.

PubMed

Danzon, Patricia M; Furukawa, Michael F

2003-01-01

This study compares average price levels for pharmaceuticals in eight countries--Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom--relative to the United States. Our most comprehensive indexes, adjusted for U.S. manufacturer discounts, show Japan's prices to be higher than U.S. prices, and other countries' prices ranging from 6 percent to 33 percent lower than U.S. prices. The decline of the Canadian dollar and rise of the U.K. pound contribute to the finding of lower Canadian prices and higher U.K. prices in 1999 than in 1992. Our findings suggest that U.S.-foreign price differentials are roughly in line with income and smaller for drugs than for other medical services.

Sociocultural Influences on Moral Judgments: East–West, Male–Female, and Young–Old

PubMed Central

Arutyunova, Karina R.; Alexandrov, Yuri I.; Hauser, Marc D.

2016-01-01

Gender, age, and culturally specific beliefs are often considered relevant to observed variation in social interactions. At present, however, the scientific literature is mixed with respect to the significance of these factors in guiding moral judgments. In this study, we explore the role of each of these factors in moral judgment by presenting the results of a web-based study of Eastern (i.e., Russia) and Western (i.e., USA, UK, Canada) subjects, male and female, and young and old. Participants (n = 659) responded to hypothetical moral scenarios describing situations where sacrificing one life resulted in saving five others. Though men and women from both types of cultures judged (1) harms caused by action as less permissible than harms caused by omission, (2) means-based harms as less permissible than side-effects, and (3) harms caused by contact as less permissible than by non-contact, men in both cultures delivered more utilitarian judgments (save the five, sacrifice one) than women. Moreover, men from Western cultures were more utilitarian than Russian men, with no differences observed for women. In both cultures, older participants delivered less utilitarian judgments than younger participants. These results suggest that certain core principles may mediate moral judgments across different societies, implying some degree of universality, while also allowing a limited range of variation due to sociocultural factors. PMID:27656155

Patterns of cognitive dissonance-reducing beliefs among smokers: a longitudinal analysis from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Fotuhi, Omid; Fong, Geoffrey T; Zanna, Mark P; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Cummings, K Michael

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether smokers adjust their beliefs in a pattern that is consistent with Cognitive Dissonance Theory. This is accomplished by examining the longitudinal pattern of belief change among smokers as their smoking behaviours change. A telephone survey was conducted of nationally representative samples of adult smokers from Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey. Smokers were followed across three waves (October 2002 to December 2004), during which they were asked to report on their smoking-related beliefs and their quitting behaviour. Smokers with no history of quitting across the three waves exhibited the highest levels of rationalisations for smoking. When smokers quit smoking, they reported having fewer rationalisations for smoking compared with when they had previously been smoking. However, among those who attempted to quit but then relapsed, there was once again a renewed tendency to rationalise their smoking. This rebound in the use of rationalisations was higher for functional beliefs than for risk-minimising beliefs, as predicted by social psychological theory. Smokers are motivated to rationalise their behaviour through the endorsement of more positive beliefs about smoking, and these beliefs change systematically with changes in smoking status. More work is needed to determine if this cognitive dissonance-reducing function has an inhibiting effect on any subsequent intentions to quit.

Radiological protection in North American naturally occurring radioactive material industries.

PubMed

Chambers, D B

2015-06-01

All soils and rocks contain naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Many ores and raw materials contain relatively high levels of natural radionuclides, and processing such materials can further increase the concentrations of natural radionuclides, sometimes referred to as 'technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material' (TENORM). Examples of NORM minerals include uranium ores, monazite (a source of rare earth minerals), and phosphate rock used to produce phosphate fertiliser. Such activities have the potential to result in above background radiation exposure to workers and the public. The objective of this paper is to review the sources and exposure from NORM in North American industries, and provide a perspective on the potential radiological hazards to workers and the environment. Proper consideration of NORM issues is important and needs to be integrated in the assessment of these projects. Concerns over radioactivity and radiation amongst non-governmental organisations and the local public have resulted in the cancellation of NORM mining and mineral extraction projects, as well as inhibition of the safe use of by-product materials from various NORM industries. This paper also briefly comments on the current regulatory framework for NORM (TENORM) in Canada and the USA, as well as the potential implications of the recent activities of the International Commission on Radiological Protection for NORM industries. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and myofascial pain syndrome.

PubMed

Buskila, D

2001-03-01

The prevalence of chronic widespread pain in the general population in Israel was comparable with reports from the USA, UK, and Canada. Comorbidity with fibromyalgia (FM) resulted in somatic hyperalgesia in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. One sixth of the subjects with chronic widespread pain in the general population were also found to have a mental disorder. Mechanisms involved in referred pain, temporal summation, muscle hyperalgesia, and muscle pain at rest were attenuated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, ketamine, in FM patients. Delayed corticotropin release, after interleukin-6 administration, in FM was shown to be consistent with a defect in hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone neural function. The basal autonomic state of FM patients was characterized by increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic systems tones. The severity of functional impairment as assessed by the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form (SF-36) discriminated between patients with widespread pain alone and FM patients. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) occurred in about 0.42% of a random community-based sample of 28,673 adults in Chicago, Illinois. A significant clinical overlap between CFS and FM was reported. Cytokine dysregulation was not found to be a singular or dominant factor in the pathogenesis of CFS. A favorable outcome of CFS in children was reported; two thirds recovered and resumed normal activities. No major therapeutic trials in FM and CFS were reported over the past year.

Practitioner consensus on the determinants of capacity building practice in high-income countries.

PubMed

Swanepoel, Elizabeth; Fox, Ann; Hughes, Roger

2015-07-01

To assess and develop consensus among experienced public health nutrition practitioners from high-income countries regarding conceptualisation of capacity building in practice, and to test the content validity of a previously published conceptual framework for capacity building in public health nutrition practice. A Delphi study involving three iterations of email-delivered questionnaires testing a range of capacity determinants derived from the literature. Consensus was set at >50% of panellists ranking items as 'very important' on a five-point Likert scale across three survey rounds. Public health nutrition practice in Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA. Public health nutrition practitioners and academics. Result A total of thirty expert panellists (68% of an initial panel of forty-four participants) completed all three rounds of Delphi questionnaires. Consensus identified determinants of capacity building in practice including partnerships, resourcing, community development, leadership, workforce development, intelligence and quality of project management. The findings from the study suggest there is broad agreement among public health nutritionists from high-income countries about how they conceptualise capacity building in public health nutrition practice. This agreement suggests considerable content validity for a capacity building conceptual framework proposed by Baillie et al. (Public Health Nutr 12, 1031-1038). More research is needed to apply the conceptual framework to the implementation and evaluation of strategies that enhance the practice of capacity building approaches by public health nutrition professionals.

Pathways, Networks and Systems Medicine Conferences

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

Nadeau, Joseph H.

The 6th Pathways, Networks and Systems Medicine Conference was held at the Minoa Palace Conference Center, Chania, Crete, Greece (16-21 June 2008). The Organizing Committee was composed of Joe Nadeau (CWRU, Cleveland), Rudi Balling (German Research Centre, Brauschweig), David Galas (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle), Lee Hood (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle), Diane Isonaka (Seattle), Fotis Kafatos (Imperial College, London), John Lambris (Univ. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia),Harris Lewin (Univ. of Indiana, Urbana-Champaign), Edison Liu (Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore), and Shankar Subramaniam (Univ. California, San Diego). A total of 101 individuals from 21 countries participated in the conference: USA (48), Canada (5),more » France (5), Austria (4), Germany (3), Italy (3), UK (3), Greece (2), New Zealand (2), Singapore (2), Argentina (1), Australia (1), Cuba (1), Denmark (1), Japan (1), Mexico (1), Netherlands (1), Spain (1), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1). With respect to speakers, 29 were established faculty members and 13 were graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. With respect to gender representation, among speakers, 13 were female and 28 were male, and among all participants 43 were female and 58 were male. Program these included the following topics: Cancer Pathways and Networks (Day 1), Metabolic Disease Networks (Day 2), Day 3 ? Organs, Pathways and Stem Cells (Day 3), and Day 4 ? Inflammation, Immunity, Microbes and the Environment (Day 4). Proceedings of the Conference were not published.« less

Identifying attributes of food literacy: a scoping review.

PubMed

Azevedo Perry, Elsie; Thomas, Heather; Samra, H Ruby; Edmonstone, Shannon; Davidson, Lyndsay; Faulkner, Amy; Petermann, Lisa; Manafò, Elizabeth; Kirkpatrick, Sharon I

2017-09-01

An absence of food literacy measurement tools makes it challenging for nutrition practitioners to assess the impact of food literacy on healthy diets and to evaluate the outcomes of food literacy interventions. The objective of the present scoping review was to identify the attributes of food literacy. A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted and attributes of food literacy identified. Subjects included in the search were high-risk groups. Eligible articles were limited to research from Canada, USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The search identified nineteen peer-reviewed and thirty grey literature sources. Fifteen identified food literacy attributes were organized into five categories. Food and Nutrition Knowledge informs decisions about intake and distinguishing between 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods. Food Skills focuses on techniques of food purchasing, preparation, handling and storage. Self-Efficacy and Confidence represent one's capacity to perform successfully in specific situations. Ecologic refers to beyond self and the interaction of macro- and microsystems with food decisions and behaviours. Food Decisions reflects the application of knowledge, information and skills to make food choices. These interdependent attributes are depicted in a proposed conceptual model. The lack of evaluated tools inhibits the ability to assess and monitor food literacy; tailor, target and evaluate programmes; identify gaps in programming; engage in advocacy; and allocate resources. The present scoping review provides the foundation for the development of a food literacy measurement tool to address these gaps.

Magnetic Field Measurements of T Tauri Stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hao; Johns-Krull, Christopher M.

2011-03-01

We present an analysis of high-resolution (R ~ 50, 000) infrared K-band echelle spectra of 14 T Tauri stars (TTSs) in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We model Zeeman broadening in three magnetically sensitive Ti I lines near 2.2 μm and consistently detect kilogauss-level magnetic fields in the stellar photospheres. The data are consistent in each case with the entire stellar surface being covered with magnetic fields, suggesting that magnetic pressure likely dominates over gas pressure in the photospheres of these stars. These very strong magnetic fields might themselves be responsible for the underproduction of X-ray emission of TTSs relative to what is expected based on main-sequence star calibrations. We combine these results with previous measurements of 14 stars in Taurus and 5 stars in the TW Hydrae association to study the potential variation of magnetic field properties during the first 10 million years of stellar evolution, finding a steady decline in total magnetic flux with age. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (USA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (Brazil), and SECYT (Argentina).

Facilitators and barriers to adjustment of international nurses: an integrative review.

PubMed

Kawi, J; Xu, Y

2009-06-01

There is a scarcity of research focusing on issues encountered by international nurses (INs) in their adjustment to foreign health-care environments. Increasingly, INs are relied upon to address staffing shortages in many Western countries. As such, it is vital to identify what facilitates and what the barriers are to the successful adjustment in order to assist their integration into new workplace environments. This integrative review identifies facilitators and barriers encountered by INs as they adjust to foreign health-care environments. Based on Cooper's Five Stages of Integrative Research Review, a systematic search of eight electronic databases was conducted, combined with hand and ancestral searches. Two authors independently reviewed each qualified study for relevance and significance. Subsequently, facilitators and barriers were identified and categorized into themes and subthemes. Twenty-nine studies conducted in Australia, Canada, Iceland, UK and the USA were included in this review. Findings indicated that positive work ethic, persistence, psychosocial and logistical support, learning to be assertive and continuous learning facilitated the adjustment of INs to their new workplace environments. In contrast, language and communication difficulties, differences in culture-based lifeways, lack of support, inadequate orientation, differences in nursing practice and inequality were barriers. The review findings provide the basis for the development and testing of an evidence-informed programme to facilitate the successful adjustment of INs to their new work environments.

Does Googling lead to statin intolerance?

PubMed

Khan, Sarah; Holbrook, Anne; Shah, Baiju R

2018-07-01

The nocebo effect, where patients with expectations of adverse effects are more likely to experience them, may contribute to the high rate of statin intolerance found in observational studies. Information that patients read on the internet may be a precipitant of this effect. The objective of the study was to establish whether the number of websites about statin side effects found using Google is associated with the prevalence of statin intolerance. The prevalence of statin intolerance in 13 countries across 5 continents was established in a recent study via a web-based survey of primary care physicians and specialists. Using the Google search engine for each country, the number of websites about statin side effects was determined, and standardized to the number of websites about statins overall. Searches were restricted to pages in the native language, and were conducted after connecting to each country using a virtual private network (VPN). English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, UK, USA) had the highest prevalence of statin intolerance and also had the largest standardized number of websites about statin side effects. The sample Pearson correlation coefficient between these two variables was 0.868. Countries where patients using Google are more likely to find websites about statin side effects have greater levels of statin intolerance. The nocebo effect driven by online information may be contributing to statin intolerance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Becoming a Networked Public: Digital Ethnography, Youth and Global Research Collectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Kathleen; Wessels, Anne; Ntelioglou, Burcu Yaman

2013-01-01

The following article describes a research context that has privileged both virtual and placed-based ethnographic fieldwork, using a hybrid methodology of live and digital communications across school sites in Toronto, Canada; Lucknow, India; Taipei, Taiwan; and Boston, USA. The multi-site ethnographic study is concerned with questions of school…

First record of Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Illinois, U.S.A., and relation to its other Midwestern collection records

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is an Afro-Eurasian lady beetle that was first discovered North America near Montreal, Canada, in 1987. Subsequent records of H. variegata have occurred over a gradually expanding area radiating from the initial detection site and also includ...

Issues of Media Education of the USA and Canada in the Information Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holovchenko, Hlib

2014-01-01

The experience of different countries concerning the formation of preconditions for the development of the information society has been considered. The consequences of "totalitarian" model during the transition to open democratic civil society and the role of education and educators in this process have been defined on the example of…

Equity in Education: Signed Language and the Courts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snoddon, Kristin

2009-01-01

This article examines several legal cases in Canada, the USA, and Australia involving signed language in education for Deaf students. In all three contexts, signed language rights for Deaf students have been viewed from within a disability legislation framework that either does not extend to recognizing language rights in education or that…

New Approaches in International Guidelines for Genetic Toxicology Assays: Latest Updates on OECD Guidelines

EPA Science Inventory

In March 2010, the 22nd meeting of the Working Group of National Coordinators of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme (WNT) approved a project for updating the Test Guidelines on genotoxicity, with Canada, the Netherlands, France and the USA identified as lead countries for this wo...

Bruce Spanworm

Treesearch

Parker Snowden

1984-01-01

In the northern part of the USA and in Canada, the caterpillars of Bruce spanworm, Operophtera bruceata (Hulst), attack a variety of hardwood trees, but sugar maple, aspen, and beech are the favored host trees. In areas where these favored host trees are numerous, moderate to severe defoliation will occur. For the past two years, the insect has caused widespread...

Gender Differences in Student Performance in Large Lecture Classrooms Using Personal Response Systems ("Clickers") with Narrative Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Hosun; Lundeberg, Mary; Wolter, Bjorn; delMas, Robert; Herreid, Clyde F.

2012-01-01

This study investigated gender differences in science learning between two pedagogical approaches: traditional lecture and narrative case studies using personal response systems ("clickers"). Thirteen instructors of introductory biology classes at 12 different institutions across the USA and Canada used two types of pedagogy (Clicker…

International Teaching Assistants at Universities: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorsuch, Greta

2016-01-01

International teaching assistants (ITAs) are Indian, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, etc. international students who have been admitted to graduate study at universities in the U.S.A. and Canada, and are being supported as instructors of undergraduate-level classes and labs in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. For the past 30 years, the number of…

Biliteracy and Trilingual Practices in the Home Context: Case Studies of Chinese-Canadian Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Guofang

2006-01-01

Although Chinese has become the third largest mother tongue in both Canada and the USA, Chinese/English biliteracy development has received little attention in educational research. This article explores three Chinese-Canadian first and second graders' biliteracy (Chinese/English reading and writing) and trilingual (Mandarin, Cantonese, and…

Libraries as iCentres: Helping Schools Face the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hough, Michael

2011-01-01

School librarians need to be proactive in identifying new ways to help students prepare for the world of the future. Students need relevant educational experiences that support emerging demands created by information and service based economies. The economies of Pacific Rim countries such as the USA, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada are…

The Appeal(s) of Character Education in Threatening Times: Caring and Critical Democratic Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winton, Sue

2008-01-01

This article examines the resurgence in popularity of character education in the USA and Canada. It links this renewed interest to insecurities about academic achievement, economic competitiveness, civic engagement, personal safety, moral decline, and the loss of a common culture. Conceptualising policy as rhetoric, the article shows how character…

First report of dodder (Cuscuta pentagona) on chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important rotational and an emerging specialty crop in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, in California, and in the Northern Great Plains of the USA and Canada. Dodders (Cuscuta spp.) are widespread parasitic weeds on many crops worldwide. Several Cusc...

Advances in ice mechanics - 1987

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

Chung, J.S.; Hallam, S.D.; Maatanen, M.

1987-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a symposium on the interaction of icebergs with offshore platforms. Topics considered at the symposium included advances in ice mechanics in the United Kingdom, ice mechanics in Finland, recent advances in ice mechanics in Canada, advances in sea ice mechanics in the USA, foundations, monitoring, hazards, risk assessment, and deformation.

Elaphomyces appalachiensis and E. verruculosus sp. nov. (Ascomycota Eurotiales, Elaphomycetaceae) from eastern North America

Treesearch

Michael A. Castellano; Gonzalo Guevara Guerrero; Jesus Garcia Jimenez; James M. Trappe

2012-01-01

We describe Elaphomyces verruculosus as new species from eastern North America, ranging from Quebec, Canada south along the eastern USA and along the Gulf Coast to northeastern México. E. verruculosus is similar in overall morphology to E. granulatus of Europe. In addition we re-describe E....

Camera/Video Phones in Schools: Law and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parry, Gareth

2005-01-01

The emergence of mobile phones with built-in digital cameras is creating legal and ethical concerns for school systems throughout the world. Users of such phones can instantly email, print or post pictures to other MMS1 phones or websites. Local authorities and schools in Britain, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and elsewhere have introduced…

Science Teacher Preparation in a North American Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Joanne K.; Tippett, Christine D.; Milford, Todd M.; Ohana, Chris; Clough, Michael P.

2015-01-01

This article provides a description of science teacher education policy in Canada and the USA. We focus on qualifications and procedures to obtain an initial teaching license, requirements for license renewal, and trends in our respective countries. In both countries, science teacher education is the responsibility of the province or state, rather…

Language Education Policy and Multilingual Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone

2017-01-01

In this article, we establish direct links between language policy on the one hand and assessment in multilingual contexts on the other hand. We illustrate the bi-directional relationship with the examples of the USA, Canada, and the Basque Country. That comparison is placed in the context of the changing views about the use of languages in…

Teaching Staff Advanced Training in Russia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the USA and Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalchuk, Vasyl

2015-01-01

In the article the peculiarities in organization of postgraduate teacher training in foreign countries have been highlighted; the basic problems and prospects for advanced training which stipulate for reforming the relevant national systems have been revealed; common and distinctive trends in their development have been justified. In Russia there…

Professional Development in Teaching and Learning for Early Career Academic Geographers: Contexts, Practices and Tensions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vajoczki, Susan; Biegas, Tamara C.; Crenshaw, Melody; Healey, Ruth L.; Osayomi, Tolulope; Bradford, Michael; Monk, Janice

2011-01-01

This paper provides a review of the practices and tensions informing approaches to professional development for early career academic geographers who are teaching in higher education. We offer examples from Britain, Canada, Nigeria and the USA. The tensions include: institutional and departmental cultures; models that offer generic and…