International Cooperation

Recognizing the imperiled status of biodiversity and its benefit to human well-being, the world's governments committed in 2010 to take effective and urgent action to halt biodiversity loss through the Convention on Biological Diversity's "Aichi Targets". These targets, and many conservation programs, require monitoring to assess progress toward specific goals. However, comprehensive and easily understood information on biodiversity trends at appropriate spatial scales is often not available to the policy makers, managers, and scientists who require it. We surveyed conservation stakeholders in three geographically diverse regions of critical biodiversity concern (the Tropical Andes, the African Great Lakes, and the Greater Mekong) and found high demand for biodiversity indicator information but uneven availability. To begin to address this need, we present a biodiversity "dashboard"--a visualization of biodiversity indicators designed to enable tracking o...

The use of sonar by military vessels during military exercises may produce acoustic pollution of the marine environment. States have an obligation under international law to reduce and control this form of pollution. Regulation of the use of sonar is rendered more complex by the specific regime applicable to warships, i.e. sovereign immunity. Immunity however does not prevent in all cases action by States other than the flag State, notwithstanding the limitations imposed by Art. 236 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. More importantly, immunity does not prevent the flag State from taking measures to reduce pollution caused by its own warships. Under some environmental treaties, flag States not only may, but have the obligation to adopt measures.

The application of chemical-specific toxicokinetic or toxicodynamic data to address interspecies differences and human variability in the quantification of hazard has potential to reduce uncertainty and better characterize variability compared with the use of traditional default or categorically-based uncertainty factors. The present review summarizes the state-of-the-science since the introduction of the World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety (WHO/IPCS) guidance on chemical-specific adjustment factors (CSAF) in 2005 and the availability of recent applicable guidance including the WHO/IPCS guidance on physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling in 2010 as well as the U.S. EPA guidance on data-derived extrapolation factors in 2014. A summary of lessons learned from an analysis of more than 100 case studies from global regulators or published literature illustrates the utility and evolution of CSAF in regulatory decisions. Challenges in CSAF dev...

L'Istituto ha lo scopo di: a) Studiare e dibattere, collaborando anche con altri Enti ed Istituti Internazionali, la soluzione dei problemi che interessano la legislazione di tutti i popoli, in un piano mondiale, attraverso l'organizzazione di convegni, conferenze e manifestazioni culturali al fine superiore della elaborazione dei principi fondamentali comuni. Tale attività si esplica anche a mezzo di pubblicazioni, di raccolte bibliografiche e di informazioni. b) Favorire gli studi di diritto comparato, facilitando le relazioni e gli scambi fra gli studiosi di diritto del mondo intero, docenti universitari, magistrati e avvocati. c) Realizzare programmi e corsi di formazione, autonomamente o d'intesa con altri Enti ed Istituzioni pubbliche e private. d) Effettuare ricerche e studi sulla cooperazione giuridica europea ed internazionale. e) Curare la pubblicazione della Rivista della Cooperazione Giuridica Internazionale. f) Pubblicare i risultati di ricerche ed attività svolte dall'Istituto in singoli volumi o periodici similari. Sommario: 1. Introduzione.-2. Il potenziamento della normativa di contrasto alla pirateria nell'Unione Europea: il Parere del Comitato Economico e Sociale Europeo e le attività del Consiglio dell'Unione Europea.-3. Il sistema italiano antipirateria alla luce delle recenti sentenze della Cassazione nel caso Montecristo: verso un pieno riconoscimento della complessità dell'actus reus?-4. Il processo di adattamento della disciplina francese antipirateria al diritto internazionale.-4.1. Segue. Gli illeciti penali «lesivi della libertà delle persone» sui mezzi di trasporto: profili di comparazione del Code pénal français con la disciplina italiana.-4.2. Segue. L'adozione di uno strumento normativo specifico per la lotta alla pirateria: loi n. 2011-13 du 5 janvier 2011.-5. La tutela della navigazione marittima nell'ordinamento tedesco: l'elemento psicologico della leichtfertigkeit nei casi di attacco in mare aggravato dall'omicidio.-6. Il sistema normativo spagnolo di contrasto alla pirateria alla luce della Ley Orgánica 5/2010: la pirateria marittima come «delito complejo».-7. Il contrasto alla pirateria nei sistemi africani: dall'influenza del diritto coloniale all'effettività della disciplina internazionale.-7.1. Segue. La disciplina somala antipirateria tra diritto coloniale italiano e principi della Sharī'a.-7.2. Segue. La realizzazione della disciplina antipirateria internazionale in materia concorsuale nel Somaliland.-7.3. Segue. La repressione della pirateria in Kenya: dall'esperienza coloniale britannica all'attuazione della politica onu.-8. La pirateria marittima nei sistemi asiatici: il ruolo centrale degli ordinamenti statali nella Strait of Malacca Formula.-8.1. Segue. Le problematiche del ricorso alla pena corporale ed alla death penalty per gli atti di pirateria nell'ordinamento di Singapore.-8.2. Segue. La tripartizione della pirateria in base al locus commissi delicti nel codice penale indonesiano. La nuova petro-piracy nel sud-est asiatico: le oil/fuel siphoning operations.-9. Conclusioni.

El presente texto analiza el estado de la institucionalización de la CID a nivel mundial, pasando por sus etapas más representativas, para posteriormente ahondar en la participación mexicana en el campo de la CID desde 1940 y el activismo de Alemania en el referido sector de la política internacional. Además de ello, la presente investigació aborda en su último capítulo el origen, la fundamentación, las acciones más representativas y los resultados más relevantes del proyecto de fortalecimiento institucional de la AMEXCID instrumentado por Alemania y México.

El contenido de esta investigación representa un tema de alta relevancia para las Relaciones Internacionales. Ante la presencia de cada vez más adversidades en el sistema internacional de diferente índole, Alemania y México decidieron cerrar filas para contribuir conjuntamente a su combate.

population promotion of sport for health of the general in the protection of the athlete's health and The role of International Sport Federations https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/09/20/bjsports-2013-092999.full.html Updated information and services can be found at: These include: References https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2013/09/20/bjsports-2013-092999.full.html#ref-list-1

To provide an overview of changes in nursing education in the European Union (EU) within the framework of the Bologna Declaration, signed in 1999 by the European ministers of education, and to describe specific efforts and changes in Spain. Organizing Constructs: (a) the Bologna Declaration process, its recent reforms in all disciplines including nursing, and perspectives on future developments; (b) the Tuning Project, designed and carried out by a group of European universities to meet the challenges posed by the Bologna Declaration; and (c) efforts in a group of Spanish universities to promote higher education in nursing. Findings and Conclusions: These changes promote enhanced academic recognition, professionalism in nursing education, and graduates' competencies in practice in most European countries by specifying the undergraduate nursing degree as the minimal entrance level for practice and master's and doctoral programs for further career development.

Health has long been intertwined with the foreign policies of states. In recent years, however, global health issues have risen to the highest levels of international politics and have become accepted as legitimate issues in foreign policy. This elevated political priority is in many ways a welcome development for proponents of global health, and it has resulted in increased funding for and attention to select global health issues. However, there has been less examination of the tensions that characterize the relationship between global health and foreign policy and of the potential effects of linking global health efforts with the foreign-policy interests of states. In this paper, the authors review the relationship between global health and foreign policy by examining the roles of health across 4 major components of foreign policy: aid, trade, diplomacy, and national security. For each of these aspects of foreign policy, the authors review current and historical issues and discuss how foreign-policy interests have aided or impeded global health efforts. The increasing relevance of global health to foreign policy holds both opportunities and dangers for global efforts to improve health.

The constellation of an EU-funded project-consortium is often of very disparate culture, languages, level of knowledge and technology, social competences, experiences, ideals and ambitions that may clash with one another. Hence, coordinating and managing successful European joint projects is not an easy task. This paper addresses the learning experience of managing international research projects and, through the author's own experience and literature review, attempts to exemplify the role of the flow-keeper -a modern project manager whose particular skills are to ensure the success of EU joint projects of considerable complexity. Propositions for developing the management of international joint projects are also provided. spur their developing economies. Furthermore, consortia must include commercial partners prepared to invest in the project and possibly capitalize on the results. This, of course, creates a consortium of very disparate cultures, languages, levels of knowledge and technology, social competences, experiences, ideals and ambitions that may clash with one another. However, the EC is very keen to homogenize, to globalize the European scientific and technological market make-up by offering alluring financial contribution that are very hard to resist.

The ongoing outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa is the largest on record; it has undermined already fragile healthcare systems and presented new challenges to contain the spread of the disease. Based on our observations in the field and insights from referenced sources, we aimed to identify key experiences of community engagement and social mobilization efforts in the current Ebola response. We concluded that there is no excuse not to actively involve local people and that the United Nations (UN) agencies and other partners did learn from their earlier mistakes to make a genuine attempt to better engage with communities. However, bottom-up approaches have not been widely implemented during the response and the reasons for not doing so must be further assessed. Health promotion can make an important contribution, because it shows how to enable people to take more control over their lives and health. This commentary can provide a guide to agencies to understand an appropriate w...

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death among African women and children, despite being preventable and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to develop a 'roadmap' of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa. Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected countries to measure disease burden and track progress towards the reduction of mortality by 25% by the year 2025, (2) ensure an adequate supply of high-quality benzathine penicillin for the primary and secondary prevention of ARF/RHD, (3) improve access to reproductive health services for women with RHD and other non-communicable diseas...

It is common for international organizations to provide surgical corrective care to vulnerable populations in developing countries. However, a current worsening of the overall surgical burden of disease in developing countries reflects an increasing lack of sufficient numbers of trained healthcare personnel, and renders outside volunteer assistance more desirable and crucial than ever. Unfortunately, program evaluation and monitoring, including outcome indices and measures of effectiveness, is not measured commonly. In 2005, Operation Smile International implemented an electronic medical record system that helps monitor a number of critical indices during surgical missions that are essential for quality assurance reviews. This record system also provided an opportunity to retrospectively evaluate cases from previous missions. Review of data sets from >8,000 cases in 2005 and 2006 has provided crucial information regarding the priority of surgery, perioperative and operative compl...

However, such differences between countries may be due more to differences in the medical systems rather than differences in the quality of patient care. The United States has a very different medical environment, partly because of the highly litigious nature of US culture. 2 The fear of being sued may reduce the incidence of hindsight bias3 in US studies, since physicians may order more tests than are strictly necessary, which makes it more difficult for researchers such as Baker and associates to second-guess their decisions.

The aim of this study was to explore the nursing role in education and follow-up of patients who were taking oral chemotherapy (CT) and to identify the worldwide gap in patient education about oral CT. Materials and methods Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer members were invited to participate in a survey on oral CT. Nurse coordinators collected data via a 16-item questionnaire. Respondents totaled 1115 oncology nurses from 15 countries. Results Findings showed that about half of subjects work in outpatient/ambulatory clinics and had given at least two or more oral CT drugs. Although 52% had some type of guidelines/protocols, 47% reported not having received any

There is an urgent need for consensus on what defines a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) self-management intervention. We aimed to obtain consensus regarding the conceptual definition of a COPD self-management intervention by engaging an international panel of COPD self-management experts using Delphi technique features and an additional group meeting.In each consensus round the experts were asked to provide feedback on the proposed definition and to score their level of agreement (1=totally disagree; 5=totally agree). The information provided was used to modify the definition for the next consensus round. Thematic analysis was used for free text responses and descriptive statistics were used for agreement scores.In total, 28 experts participated. The consensus round response rate varied randomly over the five rounds (ranging from 48% (n=13) to 85% (n=23)), and mean definition agreement scores increased from 3.8 (round 1) to 4.8 (round 5) with an increasing percentage of...

The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics briefly described below. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is an established hallmark of our aerobic environment and metabolism but RONS also act as messengers via redox regulation of essential cellular processes. The fact that many diseases have been found to be associat...

Over the past decade, national surveys of psychiatric disorders have been carried out in three European countries, the USA and Australia, in probability samples of the general population (1-5). They have shown that mental disorders are frequent and associated with a wide range of

Significant recent attention has been given to quantifying the environmental impacts of international trade. However, the United States, despite being the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and having large recent growth in international trade, has seen little analysis. This work uses a multi-country input-output model of the US and its seven largest trading partners (Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, Germany, the UK, and Korea) to analyze the environmental effects of changes to US trade structure and volume from 1997 to 2004. ...

After the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, overseas experts and representatives of international organizations visited Japan to provide advice, technical support, and resources. Several international meetings on radiological protection and health issues have since been held in Fukushima to provide further advice. The content discussed has changed alongside local developments in health-related issues from radiation health effects and radiological protection to risk communication and psychological, public health, and social issues. The support of international organizations and experts has been valuable in implementing public health and support programs in Fukushima. The Fukushima accident showed that after a nuclear accident, authorities need to balance the risks of radiation with other health effects and develop programs to mitigate the overall effects on health (whole-health management), but there was little evidence of the importance of this at the time. Future research should examine international collaboration to assess this.

Family, twin, and adoption studies have indicated that human intelligence quotient (IQ) has significant genetic components. We performed a low-density genome-wide association analysis with a family-based association test to identify genetic variants influencing IQ, as measured by Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale full-score IQ (FSIQ). We examined 11,120 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the Affymetrix GeneChips 10K mapping array genotyped in 292 nuclear families from Genetic Analysis Workshop 14, a subset from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). A replication analysis was performed using part of International Multi-Center ADHD Genetics Project (IMAGE) dataset. Twenty-two SNPs were identified as having suggestive associations with IQ (p<10(-3)) in the COGA sample and eleven of the SNPs were located within known genes. In particular, NTM at 11q25 (rs411280, p = 0.000764) and NR3C2 at 4q31.1 (rs3846329, p = 0.000675) were two novel genes which hav...

The Indonesian Government's decision to remove Fly Ash and Bottom Ash (FABA) coal waste from the hazardous and toxic materials (B3) list has generated pros and cons in various circles. The waste that comes from burning coal is known to have harmful side effects for health and damage to the environment and the living biota in it. However, according to the test results of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment, FABA waste does not meet the characteristics of B3, and it has high economic benefits in several countries that have succeeded in managing this type of waste, such as China, Japan, the United States and others. If the Government can create good regulations, this waste will be a vast potential, both environmentally and economically. Learning from European countries that have succeeded in managing this waste by forming a particular association that deals with coal waste, Indonesia needs to apply international standards so that this potential does not impact environmental health through related international cooperation. Using the literature study method, this research will be qualitative, and environmental theory and international cooperation will describe and analyze Indonesia's opportunities in accelerating the use of FABA-type coal waste through international cooperation. The target achievement of this research is a policy recommendation for the Government on issues related to the handling of coal waste types of FABA.

In 2003, an international working group last reported on recommendations for diagnosis, response assessment, and treatment outcomes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Since that time, considerable progress has been made in elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of the disease that has resulted in the identification of new diagnostic and prognostic markers. Furthermore, therapies are now being developed that target disease-associated molecular defects. Recent developments prompted an international expert panel to provide updated evidence- and expert opinion–based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AML, that contain both minimal requirements for general practice as well as standards for clinical trials. A new standardized reporting system for correlation of cytogenetic and molecular genetic data with clinical data is proposed.

Global health systems are shifting toward value-based care in an effort to drive better outcomes in the setting of rising health care costs. This shift requires a common definition of value, starting with the outcomes that matter most to patients. The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), a nonprofit initiative, was formed to define standard sets of outcomes by medical condition. In this article, we report the efforts of ICHOM's working group in colorectal cancer. The working group was composed of multidisciplinary oncology specialists in medicine, surgery, radiation therapy, palliative care, nursing, and pathology, along with patient representatives. Through a modified Delphi process during 8 months (July 8, 2015 to February 29, 2016), ICHOM led the working group to a consensus on a final recommended standard set. The process was supported by a systematic PubMed literature review (1042 randomized clinical trials and guidelines from June 3, 2005, to J...

The objective of this study was to describe the projects, the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) has in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) for the benefit of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide. Setting: International Methods: Collaboration between ISCoS and WHO can be divided into (A) building capacity for better SCI education and prevention programs; (B) improving classification systems for use of data in SCI research, the International Classification of External Cause of Injury (ICECI), the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF); and (C) improving the evidence base for SCI through the report, International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injury (IPSCI). The objectives of the IPSCI report are first to summarize information on SCI, in particular the science and epidemiology, the services, interventions and policies that are relevant and 'the lived experience' of persons with SCI across the full spectrum of life and throughout the world; second, to document all aspects of the science and experience of SCI to identify gaps between what exists and what is required; and third to make recommendations based on this evidence, with a clear perception of feasible goals and targets, that are consistent with the aspirations and goals of inclusion and full participation as expressed in the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Future cooperation: ISCoS and WHO will continue to join forces in areas where they can make the greatest difference, especially in prevention and educational issues worldwide.

Radiation Oncology Safety Information System (ROSIS) -Profiles of participants and the first 1074 incident reports" Radiotheraphy and Oncology 2010 97(3), 601 -607 https://dx.ABSTRACT Background and Purpose: The Radiation Oncology Safety Information System (ROSIS) was established in 2001. The aim of ROSIS is to collate and share information on incidents and near-incidents in radiotherapy, and to learn from these incidents in the context of departmental infrastructure and procedures. Materials and Methods: A voluntary web-based cross-organisational and international reporting and learning system was developed (cf. the www.rosis.info website). Data is collected via online Department Description and Incident Report Forms. A total of 101 departments, and 1074 incident reports are reviewed. Results: The ROSIS departments represent about 150,000 patients, 343 megavoltage (MV) units, and 114 brachytherapy units. On average, there are 437 patients per MV unit, 281 per radiation oncologist, 387 per physicist and 353 per radiation therapy technologist (RT/RTT). Only 14 departments have a completely networked system of electronic data transfer, while 10 departments have no electronic data transfer. On average seven quality assurance (QA) or quality control (QC) methods are used at each department. A total of 1074 ROSIS reports are analysed;

Presentamos un análisis comparativo del desarrollo económico en China e India, teniendo en cuenta los principales factores que han propiciado el crecimiento del PIB real por habitante de ambos países en el período 1991-2005, con especial referencia al análisis de los efectos del capital humano, la industria y el comercio exterior, a través de la estimación de un modelo econométrico.

The continued professionalization of the humanitarian workforce requires sound underpinning by appropriate educational programs. The international disaster medicine and emergency health community requested the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) develop international standards and guidelines for the education and training for disaster medicine. The Working Group of the WADEM Education Committee prepared and circulated an Issues Paper to structure input on this significant international task. Subsequently, the Working Group facilitated an Open International Meeting convened in Brussels, Belgium, 2004. The "Issues Paper" also was used as a framework to structure this International Meeting, which utilized case studies selected to represent the scope of disaster medicine, and prepared a meeting consensus on a framework for disaster health and for related educational programs. The two-day Brussels meeting attracted 51 participants from 19 countries, re...

To allow more rapid and internationally standardized assessment of the spread of noroviruses (previously called Norwalk-like viruses [NLVs]) as important food-borne pathogens, harmonization of methods for their detection is needed. Diagnosis of NLVs in clinical diagnostic laboratories is usually performed by reverse transciptase PCR (RT-PCR) assays. In the present study, the performance of five different RT-PCR assays for the detection of NLVs was evaluated in an international collaborative study by five laboratories in five countries with a coded panel of 91 fecal specimens. The assays were tested for their sensitivity, detection limit, and ease of standardization. In total, NLVs could be detected by at least one RT-PCR assay in 69 (84%) of the samples that originally tested positive. Sensitivity ranged from 52 to 73% overall and from 54 to 100% and 58 to 85% for genogroup I and II viruses, respectively. In all, 64% of the false-negative results were obtained with a set of diluted stools (n ‫؍‬ 20) that may have lost quality upon storage. Sensitivity was improved when these samples were excluded from analysis. No one single assay stood out as the best, although the p1 assay demonstrated the most satisfactory overall performance. To promote comparability of data, this assay will be recommended for newly starting groups in future collaborative studies.

The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) was established to harmonise clinical antimicrobial breakpoints and to define breakpoints for new agents in Europe. Data from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) external quality assessment (EQA) exercises from 2009 to 2012, from the United Kingdom External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) from November 2009 to March 2013 and data collected by EUCAST through a questionnaire in the first quarter of 2013 were analysed to investigate implementation of EUCAST guidelines in Europe. A rapid change to use of EUCAST breakpoints was observed over time. Figures for implementation of EUCAST breakpoints at the end of the studied period were 61.2% from EARSNet data and 73.2% from UK NEQAS data. Responses to the EUCAST questionnaire indicated that EUCAST breakpoints were used by over 50% of laboratories in 18 countries, by 10 to 50% of laboratories in eight countries and by less than 10% ...