Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Several Other Countries (several + other_country)
Selected AbstractsThe Economics of Landmine Clearance in AfghanistanDISASTERS, Issue 1 2002Geoff Harris This paper presents an economic evaluation of landmine clearance in Afghanistan. The main benefits comprise increased agricultural output, saved transport time and running costs, saved human casualties and the saved costs of supporting refugees and displaced persons. An investment of US$100 million between 1988 and 1998 is estimated to provide annual benefits of $50.3 million per annum between 1999 and 2008. This translates into net present values of between $935 and $1,744 million, depending on the rate of discount used. This contrasts with the negative NPVs estimated for several other countries. [source] Cannabis condemned: the proscription of Indian hempADDICTION, Issue 2 2003Robert Kendell ABSTRACT Aims To find out how cannabis came to be subject to international narcotics legislation. Method Examination of the records of the 1925 League of Nations' Second Opium Conference, of the 1894 Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission and other contemporary documents. Findings Although cannabis (Indian hemp) was not on the agenda of the Second Opium Conference, a claim by the Egyptian delegation that it was as dangerous as opium, and should therefore be subject to the same international controls, was supported by several other countries. No formal evidence was produced and conference delegates had not been briefed about cannabis. The only objections came from Britain and other colonial powers. They did not dispute the claim that cannabis was comparable to opium, but they did want to avoid a commitment to eliminating its use in their Asian and African territories. [source] Epidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in the Asia,Pacific regionJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 2000Chien-Jen Chen There is a wide variation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the Asia,Pacific region. The prevalence of chronic HBV infection is lowest (< 1%) in North America, Australia and New Zealand, 2,4% in Japan, 5,18% in China and highest (15,20%) in Taiwan as well as several other countries in South East Asia. Perinatal transmission is common in HBV-hyperendemic areas. Geographical clusters of horizontal HBV infection have been reported in both high- and low-risk countries. Common sources of infection, including iatrogenic and sexual transmission, have been implicated. Migrant studies indicate the importance of childhood environments in the determination of HBV infection. Rural,urban and ethnic differences in the prevalence of HBV infection have also been reported. There has been a decrease in the prevalence of HBV infection after mass HBV vaccination programmes in some Asia, Pacific countries, which may be due to the intervention of possible transmission routes through the use of disposable syringes and needles, screening of HBV infection markers in blood banks, and prevention of high-risk tattooing, acupuncture, ear-piercing and sexual contact. A striking decrease in the incidence of HBV infection and hepatocellular carcinoma has been observed among children in Taiwan and other areas where mass vaccination programmes have been implemented. [source] Grid-connected photovoltaic systems: the Brazilian experience and the performance of an installationPROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS, Issue 5 2001Sérgio Henrique Ferreira de Oliveira Just as in several other countries, the Brazilian experience of installing in place solar photovoltaic technology was first aimed at meeting the needs of rural areas. More recently, the effects of the international trend towards grid-connected photovoltaic systems are beginning to be felt in Brazil. In less than five years, the first four grid-connected photovoltaic systems have been installed, and other projects are in progress. This work presents the overall characteristics of the first four systems and the technical performance achieved by one of them, with an annual production in the range of 1500,kW,h/kWp. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparative Effectiveness Research and Evidence-Based Health Policy: Experience from Four CountriesTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2009KALIPSO CHALKIDOU Context: The discussion about improving the efficiency, quality, and long-term sustainability of the U.S. health care system is increasingly focusing on the need to provide better evidence for decision making through comparative effectiveness research (CER). In recent years, several other countries have established agencies to evaluate health technologies and broader management strategies to inform health care policy decisions. This article reviews experiences from Britain, France, Australia, and Germany. Methods: This article draws on the experience of senior technical and administrative staff in setting up and running the CER entities studied. Besides reviewing the agencies' websites, legal framework documents, and informal interviews with key stakeholders, this analysis was informed by a workshop bringing together U.S. and international experts. Findings: This article builds a matrix of features identified from the international models studied that offer insights into near-term decisions about the location, design, and function of a U.S.-based CER entity. While each country has developed a CER capacity unique to its health system, elements such as the inclusiveness of relevant stakeholders, transparency in operation, independence of the central government and other interests, and adaptability to a changing environment are prerequisites for these entities' successful operation. Conclusions: While the CER entities evolved separately and have different responsibilities, they have adopted a set of core structural, technical, and procedural principles, including mechanisms for engaging with stakeholders, governance and oversight arrangements, and explicit methodologies for analyzing evidence, to ensure a high-quality product that is relevant to their system. [source] Overview: End-Stage Renal Disease in the Developing WorldARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 9 2002Rashad S. Barsoum Abstract: Although the vast majority of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide live in what is called the developing world, little is known about its epidemiology and management. With the current paucity of credible and adequately representative registries, it is justified to resort to innovative means of obtaining information. In this attempt, world-renowned leading nephrologists in 10 developing countries collaborated in filling a 103-item questionnaire addressing epidemiology, etiology, and management of ESRD in their respective countries on the basis of integrating available data from different sources. Through this joint effort, it was possible to identify a number of important trends. These include the expected high prevalence of ESRD, despite the limited access to renal replacement therapy, and the dependence of prevalence on wealth. Glomerulonephritis, rather than diabetes, remains as the main cause of ESRD with significant geographical variations in the prevailing histopathological types. The implementation of different modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT) is inhibited by the lack of funding, although governments, insurance companies, and donations usually constitute the major sponsors. Hemodialysis is the preferred modality in most countries with the exception of Mexico where chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) takes the lead. In several other countries, dialysis is available only for those on the transplant waiting list. Dialysis is associated with a high frequency of complications particularly HBV and HCV infections. Data on HIV are lacking. Aluminum intoxication remains as a major problem in a number of countries. Treatment withdrawal is common for socioeconomic reasons. Transplantation is offered to an average of 4 per million population (pmp). Recipient exclusion criteria are minimal. Donor selection criteria are generally loose regarding tissue typing, remote viral infection, and, in some countries, blood-relation to the recipient in live-donor transplants. Cadaver donors are accepted in many countries participating in this survey. Treatment outcomes with different RRT modalities are, on the average, inferior to the internationally acknowledged standards largely due to infective and cardiovascular complications. [source] Absence of significant dissent should be sufficient for deceased donor organ procurement in New ZealandAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 5 2009Thomas M. Douglas Abstract Objective: New Zealand's organ donation rates are among the lowest in the OECD. In a bid to increase organ availability, the New Zealand Human Tissue Act 2008 introduces new consent arrangements for deceased donor organ procurement. This article assesses these new arrangements and presents the case for further reform. Approach: Our assessment and arguments are based on philosophical analysis informed by empirical data on the effectiveness of alternative consent systems. We: 1) Identify widely held ethical judgments about policies and practices relevant to organ donation (e.g. those relating to coronial post-mortems), 2) Assess the implications of these judgments for the Human Tissue Act and the assumptions that underpin it, and 3) Derive policy recommendations that are consistent with the judgments. Conclusion: The Human Tissue Act 2008 retains a strong consent requirement for organ procurement: organs may not be transplanted unless either the deceased or the family consents. We argue that organ availability could and should be increased by shifting from a model that requires consent to one that requires the absence of significant dissent. Implications: We recommend that New Zealand adopt either 1) an organ donation system similar to the existing system for ordering coronial post-mortems, or 2) a variant of the ,opt-out' system already in place in several other countries. [source] | ||||||||||