International Spread (international + spread)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Clonal dissemination of epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Belgium and neighboring countries

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 5 2000
A. Deplano
Objectives To determine the diversity of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types among epidemic strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) recovered in Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands over the period 1981,94. Methods MRSA strains collected in a multicenter survey in Belgium (n = 171) and from reference laboratories in neighboring countries (n = 102) were characterized by PFGE analysis using the SmaI enzyme. Results In total, 32 PFGE types were found. Epidemic PFGE type 1, first recognized in 1984, accounted for 82% of Belgian strains (87% of hospitals) and 51% of European MRSA strains. Four other internationally epidemic PFGE types (types 8, 10, 11 and 12) were less widely disseminated and more recently detected (1991,94), each recovered from two or three countries. International spread of two PFGE types was linked to transfer of colonized patients to Dutch hospitals from another country where this type was frequently recovered. Conclusions Genotypic analysis indicated widespread distribution of several outbreak-associated MRSA strains over large European regions, which was in some instances related to interhospital patient transfer. These findings underscore the need for standardized international surveillance and control of MRSA transmission between healthcare institutions across Europe. [source]


International patterns of environmental policy change and convergence

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2005
Per-Olof Busch
Abstract The article gives an empirical overview of the international spread of 22 environmental policy innovations. The policy innovations examined in the article include administrative institutions (e.g. environmental ministries, scientific advisory bodies), laws (e.g. soil protection laws, packaging waste laws), instruments of environmental policy integration (e.g. national environmental policy plans, environmental impact assessment), energy taxes and eco-labels. On this empirical basis, recurring patterns in the global spread of environmental policy innovations are identified and linked to specific causal mechanisms through which this change occurs. In particular, the paper demonstrates how and to what extent non-obligatory diffusion, legal harmonization and coercive imposition matter as mechanisms of global environmental policy convergence. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


Quantitative comparisons of search engine results

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2008
Mike Thelwall
Search engines are normally used to find information or Web sites, but Webometric investigations use them for quantitative data such as the number of pages matching a query and the international spread of those pages. For this type of application, the accuracy of the hit count estimates and range of URLs in the full results are important. Here, we compare the applications programming interfaces of Google, Yahoo!, and Live Search for 1,587 single word searches. The hit count estimates were broadly consistent but with Yahoo! and Google, reporting 5,6 times more hits than Live Search. Yahoo! tended to return slightly more matching URLs than Google, with Live Search returning significantly fewer. Yahoo!'s result URLs included a significantly wider range of domains and sites than the other two, and there was little consistency between the three engines in the number of different domains. In contrast, the three engines were reasonably consistent in the number of different top-level domains represented in the result URLs, although Yahoo! tended to return the most. In conclusion, quantitative results from the three search engines are mostly consistent but with unexpected types of inconsistency that users should be aware of. Google is recommended for hit count estimates but Yahoo! is recommended for all other Webometric purposes. [source]


Overview on SARS in Asia and the World

RESPIROLOGY, Issue 2003
WK LAM
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is the first major novel infectious disease to hit the international community in the 21st century. It originated in southern China in November 2002, reached Hong Kong in February 2003 and spread rapidly thereafter to 29 countries/regions on five continents. At the end of the epidemic, the global cumulative total was 8098 with 774 deaths. Seven Asian countries/regions were among the top ten on the list. Mainland China and Hong Kong, SAR, accounted for 87% of all cases and 84% of all deaths. Severe acute respiratory syndrome is caused by a novel coronavirus. It has alarmed the world with its infectivity and significant morbidity and mortality, its lack of a rapid, reliable diagnostic test and lack of effective specific treatment and vaccination. The adverse impact on travel and business around the world, particularly in Asia, has been enormous. Some lessons learnt from this epidemic included: (1) any outbreak of infectious disease can rapidly spread around the world by air travel; (2) early reporting of the outbreak to neighbouring countries/regions and the World Health Organization is essential to prevent international spread; and (3) infection control, tracing and quarantine of contacts are essential to control the epidemic. Many questions remain unanswered, including the origin and pathogenesis of the novel coronavirus, the natural history and the best specific treatment of the disease. The SARS-CoV has probably jumped from an animal host to humans. There is an urgent need to evaluate the human,animal habitat in southern China and to remove animal reservoirs if found. [source]