Suchergebnisse

In this article we discuss the steps taken by the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) to meet the health care needs of children with rare diseases and suggest possible directions for future endeavors for further improvement. We reviewed 23 reports and nine legislative documents related to pediatric rare diseases and public policy. We assessed the outcome measures of access and satisfaction with medical services by utilizing the surveys done by the European Organization for Rare Diseases -Eurordis (n = 5,963). Comparable surveys were not available in the US. Our analyses of the existing policies and surveys indicate multiple differences between the US and EU. While the US policies seem to be aimed at disease diagnosis and neonatal screening, EU legislators appear to be focusing on access to existing specialized care. However, both systems have struggled with effectively promoting new treatments. Also, while Eurordis surveys have evaluated areas such as the access to medical services, access to social services and satisfaction with the services received in Europe, there are no comparable surveys in the United States. We conclude that better tools are needed to measure the quality of care, needs-assessment and outcome of pediatric rare diseases in both the EU and US. We suggest a better assessment of areas such as access to primary and specialty care, legal advocacy, comfort-care, end-of-life care, social and financial services, psychological support and quality outcome-measures.

In this article, which is written in a polemical tone, the author is making an effort to problematize a point of view from which the ideology of Croatian nationalism, the Ustasha movement and the Independent State of Croatia are even today being obsereved by a part of historiography. According to the author, the ideology of Croatian nationalism has not suffered much vital modification since the mid-19th century until the end od the Second World War, rather it has kept itself occupied with justifying the right of Croats as a multiconfessional European nation to establish an independent state. Not just political manifestations, but also literary and cultural achievements of the nationalist ideology protagonists clearly speak in that direction. The geopolitical position of Croatian lands, as well as the influence of foreign powers have not made the achievement of such a right of Croatian people and the evolution of Croatian nationalist ideology possible. As a result, that same nationalist ideology sometimes takes on foreign ideological and political influences which are visible only on its surface and purely out of tactial reasons. The Ustasha movement, being one of the manifestations of Croatian nationalism, is also characterized by ideological eclecticism. Thus, different and sometimes contrastive statements made by the leading persona of Ustasha movement regarding their attitude towards the ideologies dominating Europe in the time after the First World War are therefore understandable.

The role of business clusters in building competitive advantage of national economies is a subject of numerous discussions. It is rather quite commonly agreed that well developed business clusters are supposed to be drivers of innovation and competitiveness of economy in multifold dimensions. In the article a hypothesis, which states that occurrence of numerous and strong clusters in a country is positively related to competitiveness of its economy is being tested. Using a dataset on cluster mapping in Europe from the European Cluster Observatory and results of the country competitiveness rankings published by the World Economic Forum in the Global Competitiveness Reports as well as data on the levels of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from World Bank we have looked for a relationship between occurrence and relative strength of clusters in the EU-27 countries and the measures of competiveness such as the competitive potential and productivity of the EU national economies. It appeared from the analysis that those countries differ in terms of both occurrence and relative strength of business clusters as well as levels measures of their competitiveness such GDP per capita and the competitive potential. Nevertheless, statistical evidence for relationships between variables under consideration was not found what leads to some suggestions regarding cluster mapping methodology and further studies in this area, which could result in formulating useful recommendations for public policies aimed at development of clusters.

Daylighting" waterways (also known as stream restoring) is a concept that has been gaining popularity in the United States and Europe over the last three decades but in Latin America less so. There is significant evidence of daylighting projects of creeks within cities, which have represented important contributions to the improvement of environmental quality of life in their urban surroundings. Santa Elena Creek has an important historical value for Medellín's community that is not recognised by younger generations who do not even know of its existence. Santa Elena Creek runs under La Playa Avenue, one of the most traditional avenues in the historical center of Medellín. In the 1930s, with the growth of the city and rapid population increase, a process of covering the creek with paving began, in order to remove the creek from the core of the city. It was considered an obstacle in the urban development of Medellín. Today the creek remains buried under La Playa Avenue, representing a lost sense of cultural and historical identity. Addressing daylighting urban creek projects presents technical, legal and economic challenges. This project is based on a theoretical framework, as well as on case studies provided in relevant literature sources, most of them research reports from governmental organisations. A design approach is developed based on the results of the analysis and the theoretical approach taken from foreign experiences and adapted to the Latin American urban context.

Increasing demand for sustainable foods can be a driver for environmental improvements along the food-supply chain as a whole. Research in Western Europe has confirmed the importance of distribution channels in supplying sustainable food and particularly in how they are able to combine consumer concerns with the specific presentation of sustainability in the shop. In the urban areas of Thailand only some distribution channels for sustainable food are available, such as supermarkets and specialized shops (including specialized restaurants). Supermarkets mostly offer sustainable products, but the range of sustainable products depends on the location of supermarket. Specialized shops focused on organic products, healthy food, or special dietary needs. This paper reviews sustainable food providers i.e. supermarkets and specialized shops in Bangkok and combines literature review and empirical fieldwork. The focus was on the shop as the location where providers encounter consumers. Sustainability was observed at three levels; the general level, the shop level, and the product level. In particular communication, information, and other trust-building mechanisms at shop level were explored. The paper concludes by confirming the central role of specialized shops and supermarkets in transition processes towards more sustainable food provision. Their engagement creates a pressure on other actors in the food supply chain such as producers, government agencies, and consumers to also shift their practices. Different strategies can be identified as ways to increase sustainability in food provision.

Il n'existe pas pour le moment de réelle industrie du démantèlement nucléaire, et les expériences de grande ampleur manquent. Elles ont jusqu'à présent permis de développer un savoir essentiellement technique. D'importants choix politiques en Europe et au Japon viennent rappeler que le démantèlement va constituer, dans les années à venir, un dé pour l'ensemble de la filière nucléaire. Depuis 2010, le CRC est engagé dans une étude à la centrale Phénix, à Marcoule, qui a cessé de fonctionner en 2009 et est entrée dans sa phase de démantèlement. L'objectif est de mettre en perspective le changement d'organisation de la centrale en prévision du démantèlement et son impact sur la maîtrise de la sécurité et de la sûreté de l'installation. Cette étude, financée par le CEA, se compose de deux phases distinctes. La première, à travers des entretiens individuels et de l'observation, évaluait l'écart entre l'organisation prescrite, voulue, et les relations effectivement nouées dans la centrale entre les acteurs, ainsi que le sens donné à ces relations. Plusieurs thèmes ont émergé. Ils ont servi de base à la seconde phase dont l'objectif est la réappropriation de ces thèmes par les acteurs de Phénix eux-mêmes. Dans le cadre d'un Groupe de Travail animé par le CRC, cette seconde phase permet l'expression de solutions résolument opérationnelles pour une meilleure maîtrise des interactions entre organisation, communication et décision dans le contexte du démantèlement.

CARIM-East: Creating an Observatory of Migration East of Europe ; Version in other language: Migration Policy Centre ; CARIM-East Research Report ; 2013/11 ; The present work of research reveals that despite an economic revival, the labour market infrastructure in Georgia and the cost of labour force do not contribute to any reduction in labour emigration. Therefore, great emphasis is placed on the facilitation of return migration back to the homeland and the socio-economic efficiency of this process. The results of the sampling survey of return migrants in the capital of Georgia and two large industrial cities – Kutaisi and Rustavi – show that social and economic reintegration is shot through with contradictions, which in turn determine the low efficiency of reintegration. Significant numbers of return migrants are unemployed or work in discriminatory labour conditions, which do not correspond to their education and work experience. A significant share of these will be forced to migrate in the near future. Many subjective factors prevent return migrants from implementing their business projects. They accumulate savings, which they brought for this purpose, and target these savings. Research has established that it is necessary to enforce state support for return migrants by introducing institutional changes. This should increase the efficiency of investment activity on the basis of migrants' remittances and this should create new jobs. ; CARIM-East is co-financed by the European University Institute and the European Union.

Europe is facing a paradox: while governments try to curb public spending, the demands on our healthcare systems continue to rise. The use of smart technologies and innovation can help to address the challenges faced by healthcare systems today, such as an ageing population, a shortage of healthcare professionals and restrictions on financial resources. But despite increasing evidence of the benefits technology can bring, the healthcare sector has been slow to embrace the digital revolution, and has stuck to more traditional methods and models. This book presents selected contributions to the symposium on Personal Health Monitoring (PHM) and Ethics and future areas of PHM, which took place in advance of the 11th World Congress of Bioethics, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in June 2012. Most of the papers present the outcomes of the European PHM-Ethics project, which conducted interdisciplinary analyses of emerging PHM applications. Additional invited contributions deal with important issues related to the project's primary objectives and outcomes. The project is strongly associated with the new e-Health Action Plan, launched by the European Commission in December 2012, which is designed to bring the benefits of digital solutions into healthcare systems. The book covers a broad spectrum, ranging from the technical setup of PHM systems to ethical issues raised by PHM applications, and will be of interest to all those concerned with improving the provision of healthcare worldwide. ; PMID: 23920461 ; Personalized Health Monitoring Ethics

Résumé Le système de soins de santé en vigueur aux États-Unis suscite de nombreuses interrogations en Europe. Il est le plus cher et le plus complexe de tous les pays de l'OCDE sans être pour autant l'un des plus performants, ni en termes de santé publique, ni en termes de qualité des soins ou d'accessibilité. L'élection présidentielle américaine du 6 novembre 2012 a attiré l'attention des Européens sur les réformes introduites par Barack Obama lors de son premier mandat, et que souhaitait abroger le Parti républicain représenté par Mitt Romney. La victoire démocrate assure le maintien de la loi du 23 mars 2010, surnommée Obamacare, qui oblige la plupart des Américains à s'assurer avant 2014. Pour atteindre cet objectif, des subventions sont accordées aux citoyens à bas revenus et les compagnies d'assurance ne peuvent plus refuser de couvrir une personne en raison de ses antécédents médicaux. La réforme devrait coûter 940 milliards de dollars sur dix ans. Après avoir présenté le système de soins de santé américain et ses réformes en cours, ce Courrier hebdomadaire analyse les implications politiques, sociales, fiscales, budgétaires et culturelles de la réforme menée par Barack Obama, non seulement pour les États-Unis mais également pour la planète entière. Outre ses effets en politique intérieure, l'Obamacare aura des répercussions internationales en raison du leadership scientifique et technologique des États-Unis dans le domaine médical.

In this essay, Figueira discusses how the Aryan past can be studied as a myth, meaning a form of discourse that can be employed in the construction or the deconstruction of society. In particular, this examination focuses on the discourse concerning the Aryan race as a shared myth in nineteenth-century India and in Germany. Myths concerning the Aryans gave historical value to ancient Indian history, contributing to the ideological concerns of India during the colonial and nationalist periods. They also served the political and ideological interests of Europe: The history of India could be appropriated as a means of expressing nineteenth-century European concern with origins. An examination of the Aryan myth thus addresses a fundamental concern of postcolonial criticism, namely that the West needed to constitute the Orient as its Other in order to constitute itself and its own subjective position. Finally, Figueira examines how analogous notions regarding identity resurface in modern critical theories of ideal readers and spokespersonship. A comparative analysis of representations of the Aryan in India and in the West can shed light on how South Asia is constructed today in global academe. The conclusion, therefore, investigates how Indian racial ideology continues to resonate in current-day identity politics. Understanding such an ideology necessitates a comparative literary evaluation, particularly if such an analysis can unmask the repetition of hegemonic race relations in current "liberatory" theories and pedagogies.

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the role of local recruitment agencies in facilitating post‐accession east European migration to the UK. Although it is widely acknowledged that transnational labour market intermediaries are contributing to all three stages of labour migration involving the recruitment of workers, their movement across borders and their placement in employment, less attention has focused on the role of local or national agencies that, it is argued, exert considerable leverage on migration flows. Drawing on case study research undertaken with east European migrants in a small underperforming local labour market, the paper explores the ways in which local or lone recruitment agents have become embedded as key institutional actors in transnational networks and examines their role as migration mediators. The expansion of flexible, deregulated labour markets and the coincident growth in temporary agency work have created a regulatory context whereby the 'management' of east European migration to the UK through the Worker Registration Scheme actually contributed to the growth in local agency employment by enabling migrants to fulfil their immigration requirements. It is argued that once embedded within migrant networks and ethically segregated labour markets, agencies have played a key role in facilitating further migration from Eastern Europe. The discursive construction of migrants as 'temporary workers' coupled with the association of precarious agency employment with 'migrant work' has further cemented this relationship. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Zusammenfassung
Frühe Neuzeit
Martin Guddat, Handbuch zur preußischen Militärgeschichte 1688–1786 (Carmen Winkel)
Andree Brumshagen, Das Bremer Stadtmilitär im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert (Carmen Winkel)
The Fiscal-Military State in Eighteenth-Century Europe. Essays in honour of P.G.M. Dickson. Ed. by Christopher Storrs (Martin Meier)
Nie war es herrlicher zu leben. Das geheime Tagebuch des Herzogs von Croÿ 1718–1784. Übers. und hrsg. von Hans Pleschinski (Michael Epkenhans)
Unter Canadiensern, Irokesen und Rebellen. Das Tagebuch des Hessen-Hanauer Jägers Philipp Jakob Hildebrandt aus den Jahren 1777–1781. Für den Hanauer Geschichtsverein 1844 e.V. und das Hessische Landesamt für geschichtliche Landeskunde hrsg. von Holger Th. Gräf und Lena Haunert unter Mitarb. von Stefanie Funck (Carmen Winkel)
Allergnädigster Vater. Dokumente aus der Jugendzeit Friedrichs II. [Hrsg., mit einem Vorw. und mit Einf. zu den Kapiteln vers. von Frank Schumann]
Kriegsgericht in Köpenick! Anno 1730: Kronprinz - Katte - Königswort. Bearb. von Jürgen Kloosterhuis und Lothar Lambacher
Uwe A. Oster, Sein Leben war das traurigste der Welt. Friedrich II. und der Kampf mit seinem Vater
Wolfgang Burgdorf, Friedrich der Große. Ein biografisches Porträt
Karin Feuerstein-Praßer, »Ich bleibe zurück wie eine Gefangene«. Elisabeth Christine und Friedrich der Große
Tillmann Bendikowski, Friedrich der Große
Jürgen Luh, Der Große. Friedrich II. von Preußen Jacob Burckhardt, Das Zeitalter Friedrichs des Großen. Aus dem Nachlaß unter Mitw. von Bernd Klesmann und Philipp Müller erstmals ediert und bearb. von Ernst Ziegler. Mit einem Essay von Hans Pleschinski (Carmen Winkel)
Daniel Hohrath, Friedrich der Große und die Uniformierung der preußischen Armee von 1740 bis 1786 (Carmen Winkel)
1789–1870
Dominic Lieven, Russland gegen Napoleon. Die Schlacht um Europa (Alexander Querengässer)
Wolfgang Gülich, Die Sächsische Armee zur Zeit des Deutschen Bundes 1815–1867 (Michael Vollert)
Hans-Joachim Bartmuß und Josef Ulfkotte, Nach dem Turnverbot. »Turnvater« Jahn zwischen 1819 und 1852 (Heinz Stübig)
Ernst Rainer Gramm, Karl Mack von Leiberich. Ein General gegen Napoleon (Heinz Stübig)
Orlando Figes, Krimkrieg. Der letzte Kreuzzug (Klaus-Jürgen Bremm)

Data from the 2002 International Social Survey Program: Family and Changing Gender Roles (III) are analyzed for 25,750 married or cohabiting adults from 31 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. We examine the associations between gender role attitudes, household labor, and family satisfaction. In addition, we include a measure of incongruence between ideology and behavior. We estimate individual, couple, and country factors and their association with family satisfaction in regression models, as well as variation within and between countries based on multi-level models. Overall, we find that involvement in housework and childcare is positively associated with family satisfaction. Family satisfaction is higher among those in more traditional relationships (man breadwinner, woman homemaker) relative to other family forms; yet interaction terms indicate that men report higher family satisfaction the more involved they are in housework and childcare, and the more they agree they ought to share housework and childcare. Although those in traditional partnerships report higher family satisfaction, nontraditional partners experience less incongruence between their attitudes regarding the division of labor in the home and actual behavior. Multi-level models indicate that only about 4 percent of the variation in family satisfaction is between countries, and satisfaction is associated with increased country development. Development and family policies that encourage and support father involvement in household responsibilities are likely to increase family satisfaction, even among couples in more traditional family roles; and this relationship appears to be consistent cross-nationally.

PurposeContrary to the view that the subsistence economy is some minor residue persisting in only a few peripheral enclaves of modern economies, the purpose of this paper is to begin to chart the importance and prevalence of subsistence work across the contemporary economic landscape and the reasons underpinning engagement in this form of non‐commodified labour.Design/methodology/approachTo do so, the extent of, and reasons for, subsistence production amongst those living in contemporary Moscow is evaluated using face‐to‐face interviews with 313 households in affluent, mixed and deprived districts.FindingsIt was found that subsistence work is a ubiquitous phenomenon which is relied on heavily by Muscovite households. Until now, those participating in such subsistence work have been portrayed either as rational economic actors, dupes, seekers of self‐identity, or simply doing so out of necessity or choice. Rather than depict one as correct and the others as invalid, this survey inductively generates a theoretically‐integrative approach which differentiates between "willing" (rational economic actors, choice, identity seeking) and "reluctant" (economic and market necessity, dupes) participants in subsistence production.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper examines only one city. Further research is now required into the extent of, and reasons for, subsistence production in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as beyond.Originality/valueThis is one of the first papers to identify and explain the ubiquitous persistence of subsistence work in contemporary economies.

Old industrial landfills are important sources of environmental contamination in Europe, including Finland. In this study, we demonstrated the combination of TRIAD procedure, multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), and statistical Monte Carlo analysis for assessing the risks to terrestrial biota in a former landfill site contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) and metals. First, we generated hazard quotients by dividing the concentrations of metals and PHCs in soil by the corresponding risk‐based ecological benchmarks. Then we conducted ecotoxicity tests using five plant species, earthworms, and potworms, and determined the abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates from additional samples. We aggregated the results in accordance to the methods used in the TRIAD procedure, conducted rating of the assessment methods based on their performance in terms of specific criteria, and weighted the criteria using two alternative weighting techniques to produce performance scores for each method. We faced problems in using the TRIAD procedure, for example, the results from the animal counts had to be excluded from the calculation of integrated risk estimates (IREs) because our reference soil sample showed the lowest biodiversity and abundance of soil animals. In addition, hormesis hampered the use of the results from the ecotoxicity tests. The final probabilistic IREs imply significant risks at all sampling locations. Although linking MCDA with TRIAD provided a useful means to study and consider the performance of the alternative methods in predicting ecological risks, some uncertainties involved still remained outside the quantitative analysis.