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Combining Elements (combining + element)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Euroethics,a database network on biomedical ethics

HEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006
Ylva Gavel
Background:,euroethics is a database covering European literature on ethics in medicine. It is produced within Eurethnet, a European information network on ethics in medicine and biotechnology. Objectives:, The aim of Euroethics is to disseminate information on European bioethical literature that may otherwise be difficult to find. Methods:, A collaboration model for pooling data from different centres was developed. The policy was to accomplish data uniformity, while still allowing for local differences in terms of software, indexing practices and resources. Records contributed to the database follow common standards in terms of data fields and indexing terms. The indexing terms derive from two thesauri, Thesaurus Ethics in the Life Sciences (TELS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Combining elements from search tools developed previously, the developers sought to find a technical solution optimized for this data model. An approach relying on a thesaurus database that is loaded along with the bibliographic database is described. Results and conclusions:, The present case study offers examples of possible approaches to several tasks often encountered in database development, such as: merging data from diverse sources, getting the most out of indexing terms used in a database, and handling more than one thesaurus in the same system. [source]

Towards an understanding of the high death rate among young people with diabetes in Ukraine

DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 1 2001
M. Telishevka
SUMMARY Aims Published rates of deaths attributed to diabetes mellitus among those aged under 50 have risen substantially in several former Soviet republics since the late 1980s. The reasons for this increase, and the situation facing patients with diabetes in these countries are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to describe the circumstances leading up to the death of individuals dying under the age of 50 years with mention of diabetes on their death certificate. Methods Interviews with surviving relatives or neighbours, combining elements of verbal autopsy and confidential enquiry. For those who had lived in the city of Lviv a random sample was taken. For those in rural areas a purposive sample was used to ensure coverage of more and less remote areas. Results Key informants were identified and agreed to be interviewed for 64 individuals out of a possible 79 with insulin-treated diabetes identified from their death certificates. The main immediate causes of death were renal failure (69%), ischaemic heart disease (9%), ketoacidosis (6%) and hypoglycaemia (3%). Over a third of men, but no women, were reported to have been heavy drinkers. Informants described many difficulties in obtaining regular supplies of insulin and related supplies since 1990. Although insulin is officially available free of charge, most had retained supplies for use in an emergency. More than half had, at some time, purchased supplies. The large number of deaths from renal failure reflects the effective absence of renal replacement therapy for patients with diabetes. Conclusions Individuals with diabetes in Ukraine face profound challenges involving access to necessary care. Their needs require significantly more attention from policy makers. [source]

Governing long-term social,ecological change: what can the adaptive management and transition management approaches learn from each other?

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009
Timothy J. Foxon
Abstract Maintaining social welfare and opportunity in the face of severe ecological pressures requires frameworks for managing and governing long-term social,ecological change. In this paper we analyse two recent frameworks, adaptive management and transition management, outlining what they could learn from each other. Though usually applied in different domains, the two conceptual frameworks aim to integrate bottom-up and top-down approaches, and share a focus on the ability of systems to learn and develop adaptive capacity whilst facing external shocks and long-term pressures. Both also emphasize learning from experimentation in complex systems, but transition management focuses more on the ability to steer long-term changes in system functions, whilst adaptive management emphasizes the maintenance of system functions in the face of external change. The combination of iterative learning and stakeholder participation from adaptive management has the potential to incorporate vital feedbacks into transition management, which in turn offers a longer-term perspective from which to learn about and manage socio-technical and social,ecological change. It is argued that by combining insights from both frameworks it may be possible to foster more robust and resilient governance of social,ecological systems than could be achieved by either approach alone. The paper concludes by critically reflecting upon the challenges and benefits of combining elements of each approach, as has been attempted in the methodology of a research project investigating social,ecological change in UK uplands. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

The Current Status and Prospects of the ,Strategic Partnership' between the EU and China: Towards the Conclusion of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

EUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 6 2007
Antoine Sautenet
In the absence of a category of ,emerging countries' in international economic law, the Union must adapt its foreign policy with regard to this major economic and commercial power. Relations between the European Community and China are currently governed by a second-generation agreement from 1985. However, a new dynamic has been set in motion since 2003, by the drawing up of preparatory documents by both parties and joint declarations at annual summits bearing on the ,strategic partnership'. Seen in a long-term perspective, this partnership helps provide a measure of predictability in relations between the two partners, through combining elements of ,soft law' and ,hard law'. If the insertion of political dialogue into the strategic partnership seems to alter the coherence of the Union, notably with regard to the difficulties of implementing the dialogue on human rights, the added value of the partnership lies essentially in its economic and commercial aspects, through not only the putting into place of non-binding ,economic dialogues' which cover a large spectrum of the relationship, but also by the multiplication of sector-based accords in numerous areas (maritime transport, customs cooperation, etc.). This constant development has thus allowed parties, at the last annual summit, to envisage the conclusion of a new framework agreement: this is the origin of the mandate given to the Commission in December 2005 to conclude a partnership and cooperation agreement. This article will sketch out a forecast of the legal framework, measured against the yardsticks of Asiatic regional reconfigurations and the law of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The commercial risks of the relationship could imply the integration of the domains known as ,WTO plus' into the future agreement, notably in the field of investments and intellectual property rights, which would introduce a greater variety into the agreement. That being the case, the negotiations risk being equally fragile at the political level, in particular concerning the insertion of a clause of democratic conditionality in the future agreement. Also, any clash between the values and the interests of the EU would be uncomfortably highlighted during negotiations. [source]