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International Organizations (international + organization)
Selected AbstractsHearing loss in Fabry disease: data from the Fabry Outcome SurveyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 9 2006S. Hegemann Abstract Background, Hearing loss is a common symptom in Fabry disease, but neither its natural course nor its aetiology has been defined precisely. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed epidemiological description of hearing impairment in patients in the Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS), which is the largest available database of Fabry patients. Materials and methods, Questionnaires were completed by 566 Fabry patients, of whom 316 reported ear-related symptoms. Pure-tone audiograms from 86 patients, performed before starting enzyme replacement therapy, were analysed and compared with age- and sex-specific normal values (International Organization for Standardization, ISO 7029). Results, When compared to an age-matched population (ISO 7029), 74% of patients had a threshold elevated above the 95th centile in at least one tested frequency. All frequencies were affected to a similar degree. However, only 14 patients (16%) were clinically affected by hearing impairment according to the age-independent World Health Organization (WHO) classification (mean threshold at 0·5, 1 and 2 kHz worse than 25 dB). Hearing loss was sensorineural in 63 patients (73%) of whom 7 patients (8%) had also a conductive component. One patient had a purely conductive hearing loss. Episodes of sudden hearing loss seemed to occur more frequently than in the general population. Men were affected earlier and more severely than women. Conclusions, Hearing in Fabry disease is significantly worse than in an age-matched general population but leads to clinically relevant hearing impairment in only 16% of cases. It resembles accelerated presbycusis with an additional Fabry-specific strial-type hearing loss. [source] Guidelines for LC,MS identifications of flavouring substances in nature, made by the Working Group on Methods of Analysis of the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI)FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010IOFI Working Group on Methods of Analysis No abstract is available for this article. [source] Setting the rules: private power, political underpinnings, and legitimacy in global monetary and financial governanceINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008GEOFFREY R. D. UNDERHILL The role of private market agents in global monetary and financial governance has increased as globalization has proceeded. This shift in both markets and patterns of governance has often been encouraged by states themselves in pursuit of liberalization policies. Much of the literature views these developments in a positive light, yet there are other aspects of these developments that also merit attention. This article supports its central propositions with two cases of emerging global financial governance processes: the Basel II capital adequacy standards for international banking supervision and the International Organization of Securities Commissions-based transnational regulatory processes underpinning the functioning of cross-border securities markets. Based on the case findings, the article argues first that private sector self-regulation and/or public-private partnership in governance processes can leave public authorities vulnerable to dependence on the information and expertise provided by private agents in a fast-moving market environment. Policy in the vital domain of financial regulation has been increasingly aligned to private sector preferences to a degree that should raise fears of bureaucratic capture. Second, the article contends that the overall outcome in terms of global financial system efficiency and stability has been mixed, bringing a range of important benefits but also instability and crisis for many societies to a degree that has led to challenges to global governance itself. The case material indicates that the input, output and accountability phases of legitimacy in global monetary and financial governance are highly problematic, and much of the problem relates to the way in which private market agents are integrated into the decision-making process. Third, the article posits that a better consideration of these three ,phases' of legitimacy and their interrelationships is likely to enhance the political underpinnings and legitimacy of global financial and monetary order. [source] Biopolitical Management, Economic Calculation and "Trafficked Women"INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 4 2010Jacqueline Berman PhD Narratives surrounding human trafficking, especially trafficking in women for sex work, employ gendered and racialized tropes that have among their effects, a shrouding of women's economic decision-making and state collusion in benefiting from their labour. This paper explores the operation of these narratives in order to understand the ways in which they mask the economics of trafficking by sensationalizing the sexual and criminal aspects of it, which in turn allows the state to pursue political projects under the guise of a benevolent concern for trafficked women and/or protection of its own citizens. This paper will explore one national example: Article 18 of Italian Law 40 (1998). I argue that its passage has led to an increase in cooperation with criminal prosecution of traffickers largely because it approaches trafficked women as capable of making decisions about how and what they themselves want to do. This paper will also consider a more global approach to trafficking embedded in the concept of "migration management", an International Organization for Migration (IOM) framework that is now shaping EU, US and other national immigration laws and policies that impact trafficking. It will also examine the inherent limitations of both the national and global approach as an occasion to unpack how Article 18 and Migration Management function as forms of biopolitical management that participate in the production of "trafficking victims" into a massified population to be managed, rather than engender a more engaged discussion of what constitutes trafficking and how to redress it. [source] "Where Are They Going?": Immigrant Inclusion in the Czech Republic (A Case Study on Ukrainians, Vietnamese, and Armenians in Prague),INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 2 2007an Drbohlav ABSTRACT This paper is based on research conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office in Prague and the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague in the fall and winter of 2003-2004. Within the questionnaire survey, 126 first-generation immigrants in Prague (51 Ukrainians, 45 Vietnamese, and 30 Armenians) were successfully contacted via a non-probability sampling method. The main goals of the research were to ascertain what mode of inclusion into Czech society the immigrant groups practiced and to determine their satisfaction level with their new lives. Special attention was paid to finding out important factors that stand behind both the common features and particular patterns of behaviour. Our approach is an attempt to analyse the issue via quantitative statistics (Chi-square Test, the AnswerTree Method). Berry's (1992) acculturation strategies model and Portes and Zhou's (e.g. 2000) segmented assimilation model serve as reference points while discussing conceptual matters. The results indicate that the immigrants' inclusion in Czech society in Prague has developed into specific modes: Ukrainians are typical of their specific transnationalization patterns, Vietnamese represent a "well-off" but separated and segregated community, and Armenians practice a clear assimilation strategy, while approaching the mainstream in terms of socio-economic status. Based on various indications, it seems that successful inclusion in Czech society is connected to the assimilation mode. In sum, the immigrants most satisfied with their quality of life are those for whom it is not important to live close to their compatriots and those whose knowledge of the spoken Czech language is above average. The lowest satisfaction score is tied to those immigrants who prefer to live close to their compatriots, those with university education, and those with a low income. Good knowledge of the Czech language seems to be a gateway to immigrants' satisfaction. Cette étude s'appuie sur un travail de recherche mené par le bureau de Prague de l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) et la faculté des sciences de l'Université Charles à Prague, au cours de l'automne et de l'hiver 2003-2004. Dans le cadre de l'enquête-questionnaire, 126 immigrants de la première génération se trouvant à Prague (51 Ukrainiens, 45 Vietnamiens et 30 Arméniens) ont répondu grâce à une méthode procédant par sondage non aléatoire. Les buts principaux de cette recherche consistaient à vérifier à quels moyens avaient eu recours les groupes d'immigrants pour s'insérer dans la société tchèque et à déterminer dans quelle mesure ils s'estimaient satisfaits de leur nouvelle vie. Une attention particulière a été accordée à la recherche des facteurs importants ayant contribuéà fixer à la fois les caractéristiques communes et les particularités en matière de comportement. L'auteur s'est efforcé d'analy-ser la question à l'aide des statistiques quantitatives (test Chi carré, méthode AnswerTree). Le modèle des stratégies d'acculturation de Berry (1992) et le modèle d'assimilation segmentée de Portes et Zhou (par exemple 2000) servent de points de référence dans l'examen de questions conceptuelles. Les résultats montrent que l'incorporation des immigrants dans la société tchèque, a Prague, s'est traduite de différentes façons. Les Ukrainiens correspondent aux schémas spécifiques de transnationalisation qui leur sontpropres; les Vietnamiens constituent une communauté« prospère » mais se tenant à l'écart des autres; et les Arméniens pratiquent une stratégie évidente d'assimilation, tout en se rapprochant du courant central sur le plan du statut socio-économique. Sur la base de différentes indications, il semble que l'incorporation réussie dans la société tchèque soit liée au mode d'assimilation. Pour résumer, les immigrés les plus satisfaits de leur qualité de vie sont ceux pour qui il n'est pas important de vivre auprès de leurs compatriotes et ceux dont les connaissances de la langue tchèque parlée sont audessus de la moyenne. Le niveau de satisfaction le plus bas est celui des immigrés qui préfèrent rester en contact étroit avec leur compatriotes, ceux quijouissent d'une éducation de niveau universitaire et ceux dont le revenu se situe dans une tranche basse. Une bonne connaissance de la langue tchèque semble être la clé de la satisfaction des immigrés. Este artículo se basa en un estudio realizado por la Oficina de la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) en Praga y la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad Charles de Praga, durante el último trimestre de 2003 y el primer trimestre de 2004. Recurriendo al cuestionario y al método de muestreo improbable se encuestó a 126 inmigrantes de primera generación en Praga (51 ucranios, 45 vietnamitas y 30 armenios). Los objetivos principales del estudio fueron determinar los modos de inserción de los grupos de inmigrantes en la sociedad checa y su nivel de satisfacción con relación a sus nuevas vidas. Se concedió particular atención a otros importantes factores subyacentes, a saber, las características comunes y los patrones particulares de comportamiento. En este artículo se analiza la cuestión mediante: estadísticas cuantitativas (la prueba de Chi-square, el método del Árbol de Respuestas); el modelo de estrategias de aculturación de Berry (1992); y el modelo de asimilación segmentada de Portes y Zhou (2000) que sirvieron de referencia a la hora de debatir cuestiones conceptuales. Los resultados apuntan a que la inserción de los inmigrantes en la sociedad checa, concretamente en Praga, se ha desarrollado según patrones específicos: los ucranios recurren a patrones típicos de transnacionalización, los vietnamitas son unacomunidad "acomodada" pero que se halla separaday segregada, mientras que los armenios utilizan un patrón claro de inserción, al tiempo que intentan incorporarse a la corriente principal en lo que atañe a su estatus socioeconómico. Sobre la base de diversas indicaciones, parece que una asimilación acertada en la sociedad checa depende del modo de inserción. En otras palabras, los inmigrantes más satisfechos con su calidad de vida son aquellos que no consideran importante vivir cerca de sus compatriotas y cuyos conocimientos del checo hablado superan la media. El índice más bajo de satisfacción se observa en los inmigrantes que prefieren vivir cerca de sus compatriotas, realizaron estudios universitarios y perciben bajos ingresos. Por lo visto, el buen conocimiento del idioma checo es la clave en la satisfacción de los inmigrantes. [source] International Organization: What Do We Know and How Do We Pass on Our Knowledge?INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2003Kent J. Kille First page of article [source] Physical properties and compatibility with dental stones of current alginate impression materialsJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 11 2004H. Murata summary, This study examined physical properties and compatibility with dental stones of two types of alginate impression materials. Five powder-type alginate impression materials (Alginoplast EM, Aroma Fine, Algiace Z, Coe Alginate, Jeltrate Plus) and a paste-type alginate impression material (Tokuso AP-1) were used. The dynamic viscosity immediately after mixing was measured by means of a controlled-stress rheometer. The gelation times were determined according to Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) T6505, and recovery from deformation, strain in compression and compressive strength were determined according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) specification 1563. Detail reproduction and surface roughness of type III dental stones (New Plastone, New Sunstone) and a type IV dental stone (Die Stone) were evaluated using a ruled test block as specified in the ISO specification 1563 and a profilometer, respectively. The alginate impression materials evaluated in this study were all in compliance with the ISO specification 1563 and JIS T6505. The alginate impression materials had similar mechanical properties after gelation, whilst a wide range of dynamic viscosity immediately after being mixed, gelation times and compatibility with dental stones were found among the materials. The paste-type material had a higher dynamic viscosity and a shorter gelation time than the powder-type materials. The best surface quality was obtained with the paste-type material/type III dental stone cast combinations. The materials should be selected in consideration of initial flow, setting characteristics and compatibility with dental stones. The results suggested that a paste-type material would better meet the requirements of an alginate impression material. [source] Curing depth of different shades of a photo-activated prosthetic composite materialJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 7 2001N. Tanoue This study determined the depth of cure of different shades of a prosthetic composite material with the aim of evaluating the influence of shade variation on post-curing material properties. Four light shades having small tabs (A1, B1, C1 and D2) and four dark shades having higher tabs (A4, B4, C4 and D4) of a prosthetic composite (Artglass) for body paste based on the Vita Lumin Shade guide were selected. Specimens of each shade were exposed with the proprietary photo-curing unit (UniXS) for periods 20, 30, 60 and 90 s. The curing depth of the material for each shade was determined with a scraping technique described by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 4049), and average values of groups of five specimens were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Scheffe's S intervals (P < 0·05). The L*a*b* colour parameters of five specimens after 90 s exposure were measured using a small-area dental colorimeter (ShadeEye) in order to determine the colorimetric differences. Three-factor ANOVA revealed that the depth of cure was influenced by shade letter (A, B, C or D) and shade tab (1 and 2, or 4) as well as by the exposure period (P=0·05). Curing depth of the light shades was consistently greater than that of the dark shades. Among the eight shades selected, B1 shade demonstrated the greatest curing depth, while A4 shade exhibited the lowest curing depth. For all shades, longer exposure increased the depth of cure. All of the light shades exhibited higher L* values than any of the four dark shades. Curing depth of the composite material was found to be related to the Vita shade variation and the exposure period. [source] Guidelines for LC-MS identifications of flavoring substances in nature, made by the Working Group on Methods of Analysis of the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI)MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 2 2010Article first published online: 18 DEC 200 Abstract These guidelines are intended to assist authors and reviewers of publications concerning the validity of identifications of flavouring substances in nature using LC-MS. They address the choice of the transition between precursor and product ions (with examples using the "Identification Point" concept), the tolerances for ion-abundance ratios, and the importance of performing blank experiments. [source] International Organization as a Seal of Approval: European Union Accession and Investor RiskAMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2009Julia Gray Much of the literature on international institutions argues that membership regularizes expectations about members' future behavior. Using the accession of the postcommunist countries as a test case, this article argues that the EU can send strong signals to financial markets about the trajectory of a particular country. Examining spreads on sovereign debt from 1990 to 2006, this article shows that closing negotiation chapters on domestic economic policy,in other words, receiving a seal of approval from Brussels that previously existing policy reform is acceptable to the wider EU,substantially decreases perceptions of default risk in those countries. That decrease operates independently from policy reform that the country has taken and is also distinct from selection processes (modeled here with new variables, including UNESCO World Heritage sites and domestic movie production, that proxy for cultural factors). Thus, this particular international organization has played an important role in coordinating market sentiment on members, conferring confidence that policy reform alone could not accomplish. [source] Outline of the International Organization for Standardization Standard for Circulatory Support Devices (ISO 14708-5)ARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 9 2010Kou Imachi Abstract The rapid progress of artificial heart and circulatory support devices enables us to apply them to severe heart failure patients. Many types of circulatory support devices have been developed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. This situation urged the establishment of an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard for the circulatory support devices. A new work, "Cardiac Ventricular Assist Devices," was proposed to the ISO/TC150/SC6 (TC150: Technical Committee of Implants for Surgery, SC6: Sub-committee of Active Implants) in 2000, and the work was finalized for publication at a 2009 meeting of the ISO/TC150 in Kyoto. In this article, the authors would like to introduce the ISO system and the outline of the ISO Standard for Circulatory Support Devices. [source] The Global Financial Architecture: Twenty-First Century Solutions,AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Jane Diplock AO Twentieth-century global financial architectural solutions are outdated and have been found wanting. They are fundamentally structural solutions and continuing to rely on them would be to run the risk of repeating our mistakes. We must look to twenty-first century solutions. Solutions created post-1945 need replacing with networked solutions, reflecting what we see in the Internet and its development. These are not fanciful notions but concepts that have already been successfully modelled, albeit in a relatively narrow sphere. What we need is a mechanism by which global financial standards can be implemented in every jurisdiction around the world. This paper proceeds from the premise that the nexus between investor confidence and financial market stability is a crucial one, and one that a regulatory approach can impact. It discusses the international regulatory environment and the role of key players in the emerging global financial architecture, in particular the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). It also examines the potential that mutual recognition offers for the trans-Tasman market. [source] An initial investigation on torsional properties of nickel-titanium instruments produced with a new manufacturing methodAUSTRALIAN ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Gianluca Gambarini md Abstract A new manufacturing process involving twisting of a ground blank combined with heat treatment has been recently developed to produce nickel-titanium rotary files for root canal preparation. The aim of this study was to compare torsional resistance of prototype instruments produced using the new manufacturing method versus traditional nickel-titanium instruments produced by the customary grinding process. Twenty prototypes instruments of the same design and dimensions were divided in two groups of 10 each, according to the different manufacturing method. A file-testing apparatus specifically designed to perform torsional testing was used in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization 3630-1. The results indicated that instruments manufactured by the new manufacturing process demonstrated significantly higher average maximum torque levels than those manufactured by the existing grinding process (P < 0.05). Since instruments design and dimensions of the instruments were the same, the different manufacturing process could be the only explanation for this improvement in torsional resistance. [source] Using the Bell Labs security framework to enhance the ISO 17799/27001 information security management systemBELL LABS TECHNICAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007Andrew R. McGee The global information technology (IT) industry recognizes the need for standards to improve the quality and consistency of security for IT products and services. As such, the International Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27000 series is focusing on the requirements, security controls, and implementation guidance for an organization's information security management system (ISMS). This guidance establishes general principles that can be used in various industries and government; however, standardized techniques are also needed to identify, implement, and operate security controls as part of the ISMS life cycle. The Bell Labs Security Framework identifies both the minimal and differentiating security controls by decomposing an IT product or service into a layered hierarchy of equipment and facilities groupings and examining the types of activities that occur at each layer in a standardized manner. Furthermore, the Bell Labs Security Framework security dimensions provide the necessary mechanisms to implement and operate the selected controls. The Bell Labs Security Framework enhances the ISO/IEC 27000 series by providing a comprehensive end-to-end approach to implementing IT security. © 2007 Alcatel-Lucent. [source] Companies' participation in EMAS: The influence of the public regulatorBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2002Matthieu Glachant When adopted in 1993, the European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) was viewed as emblematic of a new policy approach involving more flexible and market-based environmental instruments. A few years after coming into force, EMAS does not appear to be a tremendous success in terms of industrial participation. Apart from in Germany and Austria, participation is insignificant and comparatively very far behind that in ISO 14001, the environmental management standard of the International Organization for Standardization. The paper seeks to explain this modest result. It focuses on the influence of the European and national regulators on industrial participation. Using a comparative analysis of the implementation of EMAS in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, it argues that the most powerful participation leverage has been the granting of regulatory relief for registered companies. This leads one to be pessimistic as to the future of EMAS. The possibility and scope for a lighter regulatory touch are primarily nationally specific since they are related to the national regulatory traditions. Consequently, the systematic and comprehensive use of this leverage is unlikely to generalize. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source] International Organizations in Transfer of Infectious Diseases: Iterative Loops of Adoption, Adaptation, and MarketingGOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2004Gill Walt Over the past few years increasing attention has been given to the role of international organizations in the diffusion of policy ideas and promotion of particular macro-level policies. Much of the attention has been on the ideological driving forces behind such policies, and on the extent to which the policies are externally imposed. There has been limited discussion on the bread-and-butter, technical policies of international organizations, and how they devise, adopt, adapt, and then promote what come to be seen as policies of global "best practice." This paper seeks to redress this gap by looking at the process of transfer of two infectious disease policies between international and national levels. It demonstrates that international organizations play different roles in policy transfer at particular stages in the process. The paper suggests that health policy transfer is a long adaptive process, made up of several iterative loops, as research and clinical practices developed in one or more countries are adopted, adapted, and taken up by international organizations which then mobilize support for particular policies, market, and promote them. Assumptions that new ideas about policies flow "rationally" into existing decision making are challenged by the processes analyzed here. Policy transfer, given the experience of these infectious diseases policies, goes through separate, "bottom-up," research-oriented, and "top-down" marketing-oriented loops. Individuals and different configurations of networks play key roles linking these loops. In the process, complex, context-specific policies are repackaged into simplified guidelines for global best practice, leading to considerable contestation within the policy networks. [source] Tutors and Pupils: International Organizations, Central European Elites, and Western ModelsGOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2001Wade Jacoby In the past decade, political elites in Central and Eastern Europe have often sought to imitate Western organizational and institutional models, while organizations like the EU and NATO have often acted as "institutional tutors" in the region. Using evidence from Hungary and the Czech Republic, this paper demonstrates why imitating Western structures has been both administratively expedient and useful in building political coalitions. It also stresses that the short-term benefits of doing so are followed by longer-term costs. The paper answers four questions: How have certain models been held up to CEE elites? Why might some such models be targets for elites to imitate? How does such imitation occur? And what results from imitation? Contrary to expectations that institutional modeling would be merely technocratic and used only yearly in the transformation, the paper's threefold heuristic of templates, thresholds, and adjustments shows that the process is both politically contentious and sustained. [source] Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury,,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010M. Isabel Lucena Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) susceptibility has a potential genetic basis. We have evaluated possible associations between the risk of developing DILI and common genetic variants of the manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2 Val16Ala) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX1 Pro200Leu) genes, which are involved in mitochondrial oxidative stress management. Genomic DNA from 185 DILI patients assessed by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Science scale and 270 sex- and age-matched controls were analyzed. The SOD2 and GPX1 genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism and TaqMan probed quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The statistical power to detect the effect of variant alleles with the observed odds ratio (OR) was 98.2% and 99.7% for bilateral association of SOD2 and GPX1, respectively. The SOD2 Ala/Ala genotype was associated with cholestatic/mixed damage (OR = 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-3.8; corrected P [Pc] = 0.0058), whereas the GPX1 Leu/Leu genotype was associated with cholestatic injury (OR = 5.1; 95%CI = 1.6-16.0; Pc = 0.0112). The presence of two or more combined risk alleles (SOD2 Ala and GPX1 Leu) was more frequent in DILI patients (OR = 2.1; 95%CI = 1.4-3.0; Pc = 0.0006). Patients with cholestatic/mixed injury induced by mitochondria hazardous drugs were more prone to have the SOD2 Ala/Ala genotype (OR = 3.6; 95%CI = 1.4-9.3; Pc = 0.02). This genotype was also more frequent in cholestatic/mixed DILI induced by pharmaceuticals producing quinone-like or epoxide metabolites (OR = 3.0; 95%CI = 1.7-5.5; Pc = 0.0008) and S-oxides, diazines, nitroanion radicals, or iminium ions (OR = 16.0; 95%CI = 1.8-146.1; Pc = 0.009). Conclusion: Patients homozygous for the SOD2 Ala allele and the GPX1 Leu allele are at higher risk of developing cholestatic DILI. SOD2 Ala homozygotes may be more prone to suffer DILI from drugs that are mitochondria hazardous or produce reactive intermediates. (HEPATOLOGY 2010) [source] Predictors of the International HIV,AIDS INGO Network Over TimeHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005Michelle Shumate The HIV,AIDS epidemic is one of the most challenging and significant health crises facing the world today. In order to cope with its complexities, the United Nations and World Health Organization have increasingly relied upon the resources offered by networks of HIV,AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The research reported here uses evolutionary theory to predict the patterns of alliances and collaborations within the HIV,AIDS International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGO) network. The hypotheses are tested using 8 years of data from the Yearbook of International Organizations. The results showed that geographic proximity and common ties with intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) predict the pattern of alliances among HIV,AIDS INGOs. The best predictor of such alliances, however, is past relationships among these organizations. [source] Why International Organizations Should Bring Basic Needs Back inINTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2009Nita Rudra An important milestone in the development debate is the recognition of poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon via the capabilities approach. However, a challenge remains in that many governments in less-developed countries continue to avoid prioritizing issues of absolute deprivation. This paper demonstrates how and why existing efforts to operationalize capabilities may distract policy makers from giving sufficient weight to issues of basic survival. We propose that international organizations can address this challenge through a method of triangulation: (1) identify how countries rank on universal goals of human development; (2) identify how countries rank on universal goals of basic needs provision; and (3) promote participatory poverty assessments. This approach ensures that absolute deprivation issues are addressed, and it establishes an acceptable (and necessary) balance between standardization and local complexity. [source] Designing Police: Interpol and the Study of Change in International OrganizationsINTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005Michael Barnett On those rare occasions when scholars of international organizations (IOs) consider the issue of change, they typically highlight the centrality of states. Although states are important for understanding when and why there is a change in the tasks, mandate, and design of IO, IOs themselves can initiate change. Drawing from sociological institutional and resource dependence approaches, in this article we treat IOs as strategic actors that can choose among a set of strategies in order to pursue their goals in response to changing environmental pressures and constraints that potentially threaten their relevance and resource base. We delineate six strategies,acquiescence, compromise, avoidance, defiance, manipulation, and strategic social construction, and suggest that the strategic choice by IOs is contingent on the level of both organizational insecurity and the congruence between the content of environmental pressures and organizational culture. We emphasize how IOs must make a trade-off between acquiring the resources necessary to survive and be secure, on the one hand, and maintaining autonomy, on the other. We apply this framework to the case of Interpol, investigating how different calculations of these trade-offs led Interpol staff to adopt different strategies depending on its willingness to accept, resist, or initiate changes that demand conformity to external pressures. [source] Evaluation of Naranjo Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale in causality assessment of drug-induced liver injuryALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 9 2008M. GARCÍA-CORTÉS Summary Background, Causality assessment in hepatotoxicity is challenging. The current standard liver-specific Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method scale is complex and difficult to implement in daily practice. The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale is a simple and widely used nonspecific scale, which has not been specifically evaluated in drug-induced liver injury. Aim, To compare the Naranjo method with the standard liver-specific Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method scale in evaluating the accuracy and reproducibility of Naranjo Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale in the diagnosis of hepatotoxicity. Methods, Two hundred and twenty-five cases of suspected hepatotoxicity submitted to a national registry were evaluated by two independent observers and assessed for between-observer and between-scale differences using percentages of agreement and the weighted kappa (,w) test. Results, A total of 249 ratings were generated. Between-observer agreement was 45% with a ,w value of 0.17 for the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale, while there was a higher agreement when using the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences/Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method scale (72%, ,w: 0.71). Concordance between the two scales was 24% (,w: 0.15). The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reactions Probability Scale had low sensitivity (54%) and poor negative predictive value (29%) and showed a limited capability to distinguish between adjacent categories of probability. Conclusion, The Naranjo scale lacks validity and reproducibility in the attribution of causality in hepatotoxicity. [source] Current usage of nomenclature for parasitic diseases, with special reference to those involving arthropodsMEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2001R. W. Ashford Abstract. Terminological confusion has been aggravated by efforts to develop a standardized nomenclature for parasitic diseases (SNOPAD) arising from the proposal by Kassai et al., 1988) for a standardized nomenclature of animal diseases (SNOAPAD). To restabilize international nomenclature of parasitic diseases it is recommended that, whenever appropriate, names should follow the ,International Nomenclature of Diseases' (IND) compiled by the Council for International Organizations for Medical Sciences (CIOMS/WHO, 1987). For diseases not included in IND, familiarity should guide the choice of name: traditional English language names of diseases should be preferred, e.g. ,malaria', ,scabies' or, for parasitic diseases having no traditional name, the taxonomic name of the causative organism should be applied, e.g. ,Brugia timori microfilaraemia'; ,Plasmodium malariae infection'; ,Simulium allergy' , instead of the generic derivatives proposed by SNOPAD, i.e. brugiosis, plasmodiosis and simuliidosis, respectively. For names of new diseases or those rarely mentioned, the suffix -osis would normally take precedence. Generally, the name of choice for any disease in any language should be the vernacular term, with commonest English usage preferred for international communication, and publications should include synonyms in the list of keywords. [source] RESEARCH ON PRISONERS , A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE IOM COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS (2006) AND EUROPEAN REGULATIONSBIOETHICS, Issue 1 2010BERNICE S. ELGER ABSTRACT The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Ethical Considerations for Revisions to DHHS Regulations for Protection of Prisoners Involved in Research published its report in 2006. It was charged with developing an ethical framework for the conduct of research with prisoners and identifying the safeguards and conditions necessary to ensure that research with prisoners is conducted ethically. The recommendations contained in the IOM report differ from current European regulations in several ways, some being more restrictive and some less so. For example, the IOM report suggests limiting the percentage of prisoners that should be involved in a biomedical study to 50%, a limit that does not exist in Europe. However, the report does not specifically advise against research without a direct benefit to an individual prisoner: the European regulations are more restrictive than the IOM committee recommendations in this respect. The definition of minimal risk varies, as well as the proposed role of the minimal risk requirement and of the principle of subsidiarity (research that can only be done effectively in prisons). The IOM report proposes a number of thoughtful suggestions, which it would be beneficial to implement everywhere, such as registers of research on prisoners. The European regulations offer pragmatic solutions to several thorny issues. In summary, the IOM committee report represents an admirable effort to tackle the present inconsistencies and deficiencies of federal regulations in the US on research on prisoners (45 CFR 46 Subpart C). Nonetheless, before acting on the recommendations, US regulators might consider revisiting international guidelines such as those published by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Science (CIOMS) and the Declaration of Helsinki. [source] Transfer or adapt business practices internationally?GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 3 2010Some answers from Southeast Asia International organizations have long been torn between transferring their existing practices into new locations or adapting to local conditions. A major miscalculation can have extremely negative consequences for companies as they expand internationally. An examination of business practices in the Theravada Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia illustrates how breaking down business practices into their strategic, tactical, and operational levels may provide a useful guide for setting up initial operations in a foreign environment. It is proposed that strategic principles can be transferred but strategic practices should adapt to local conditions; tactical-level business practices will generally need to adapt to the local environment, while it is likely that best practices at the operational level can be transferred across international borders with little need to adapt to local conditions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Notes on the origins of Epilepsia and the International League Against EpilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 3 2009Simon D. Shorvon Summary The recent discovery of archival material has shed interesting light on the origins of Epilepsia and also the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). The idea of an international journal devoted to epilepsy seems first to have arisen from talks between Dr. L. J. J. Muskens and Dr. W. Aldren Turner in 1905. A protracted series of subsequent letters between Muskens and a Haarlem publisher show how the idea slowly took shape. The committee of patronage, editorial board, and editorial assistants was probably first approached at the First International Congress of Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychology, and Nursing of the Insane, held in Amsterdam in 1907. At this meeting, the concept of an international organization to fight epilepsy (to become the ILAE) was also first proposed in public, again by Muskens. The concept of the ILAE was clearly modeled on another international organization,the International Commission for the Study of the Causes of Mental Diseases and Their Prophylaxis. This Commission had been first publicly proposed in 1906 by Ludwig Frank, at the Second International Congress for the Care and Treatment of the Insane. The proposed Commission and ILAE shared many features, aims, and personnel. Despite an auspicious start, the International Commission was prevented by personal and political differences from ever actually coming into being. However, the first issue of Epilepsia appeared in March 1909 and the ILAE was inaugurated in August 1909; and both have flourished and celebrate their centenaries this year. [source] Mobile locations: construction of home in a group of mobile transnational professionalsGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 1 2007MAGDALENA NOWICKA Abstract How do professionals constitute their homes under conditions of extensive mobility? The study is based on interviews with professionals working for an international organization who are chronically mobile. Despite their high mobility, they describe little difficulty constructing homes. Home can best be understood here not as a fixed location, but as a set of relationships, to both humans and non-humans. There are elements of spatial proximity, but also of distance, and homes may be defined by both objects present and excluded. They may be a focal point, but at the same time part of a heterogeneous network that spans localities as well as binds past and present. Home is therefore territorially defined, but only as an extended network rather than as a bounded location. [source] The European Union as a Protagonist to the United States on Climate ChangeINTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 1 2006JOHN VOGLER The European Union (EU) has established itself as the moving force in the development of the international climate-change regime. By proceeding with the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and building its own carbon emissions trading system, it has directly confronted the United States. Contemporary commentaries on the politics of climate change center upon the conflict between the EU and the U.S., but the precise nature of the EU as a protagonist remains elusive. It is neither a state nor an orthodox international organization but it can be regarded as an actor. This article investigates what it means for the EU to be an actor and develops a conceptualization based upon presence, opportunity, and capability. This is applied to the analysis of how the Union became an actor in climate-change politics, and its special characteristics, strengths, and vulnerabilities. The final part of the article then proceeds to consider the differences between the European actor and the United States over the development of the climate-change regime. [source] The Liberal Moment Fifteen Years On,INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 20082008., 49th Convention of the International Studies Association, March 2, Presidential address, San Francisco Fifteen years ago, Charles Kegley spoke of a neoidealist moment in international relations. This article examines how the number of armed conflicts has declined in the decade and a half since Kegley's presidential address and shows that the severity of war has been declining over a period of over six decades. The number of countries participating in war has increased, but this is in large measure due to coalition-building in several recent wars. Overall, there is a clear decline of war. It seems plausible to attribute this to an increase in the three factors identified by liberal peace theorists: democracy, trade, and international organization. Four alternative interpretations are examined: the temporary peace, the hegemonic peace, the unsustainable peace, and the capitalist peace. The article concludes that the latter, while running close to the liberal peace interpretation, also presents the greatest challenge to it. Indeed, we seem to be living in a commercial liberal period rather than a world of neoidealism. [source] On the Possibility of "International Community"INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 1 2009David C. Ellis The term "international community" has recently become commonplace in leaders' and academics' discourse and the subject of some analysis. While scholars have begun to explore its usage, there has not yet been a modern theoretical evaluation of the prerequisites for creating an international community. This article conducts a theoretical analysis on the types of international communities that can be generated in international politics and the structural factors necessary for their manifestation. It continues by investigating the possibility of forming a unitary actor, called the "International Community," tasked with resolving global commons issues through an international organization, such as the United Nations. The article concludes by arguing that the conditions do not yet exist for a meaningful "International Community." 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