Union Autonomy, a Terminal Case in the UK? A Comparison with the Approach in Other European Countries and the USA

1993 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Fosh ◽  
Huw Morris ◽  
Roderick Martin ◽  
Paul Smith ◽  
Roger Undy
Keyword(s):  
The Usa ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hoare

In many countries, including the UK, proposals are currently being made for the extension of legal deposit to electronic and other non-print material. Some countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands have no national legal deposit legislation, though voluntary deposit works well in the latter. Norway has the most advanced legislation, requiring the deposit of all lands of media. In few countries is any range of material actively handled, and a very few deal with online publications. There is scope for international coordination of proposals through such bodies as CDNL, CENL, IFLA and UNESCO. The aim of totally comprehensive collecting of all published material may be accepted as unrealistic, and some selectively is likely to be necessary. The current situation with regard to deposit of non-print material in 11 west European countries, Australia, Canada and the USA is recounted.


1978 ◽  
Vol 10 (S5) ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Deschamps ◽  
G. Valantin

Pregnancy in adolescence is now a very great concern for doctors, teachers and social workers throughout the world and yet about 95% of the publications on this topic have come from the USA. The remainder are mainly from the UK and Scandinavia. Other countries have produced only a small number of papers, focusing mainly on clinical problems such as the pathological events and complications during pregnancy or delivery. In France, the first paper to appear in a paediatric journal was published in 1977 in the French journal of school health (Martin, 1977). On the other hand, teenage magazines often contain articles about sexual behaviour and pregnancy in adolescence. There is now a great concern in the adolescents' press about the problems of sexuality, contraception, abortion and pregnancy, including advertising for pregnancy tests.


Author(s):  
Stefano De Leo

AbstractAs the number of Covid-19 infections worldwide overtakes 6 millions of Total Confirmed Cases (TCC), the data reveal almost closed outbreaks in many European countries. Using the European data as a basis for our analysis, we study the spreading rate of Covid-19 and model the Daily Confirmed Cases and Deaths per Million (DCCpM and DDpM) curves by using “skew-normal” probability density functions. The use of these asymmetrical distributions allows to get a more realistic prediction of the end of the disease in each country and to evaluate the effectiveness of the local authorities strategies in facing the European outbreak. The initial stage of the Brazilian disease is compared with the early phase of the European one. This is done by using the weekly spreading rate of Covid-19. For Sweden, UK, and USA, we shall give a forecast for the end of pandemic and for Brazil the prediction of the peak of DDpM. We also discuss additional factors that could play an important role in the fight against Covid-19, such as the fast response of the local authorities, the testing strategies, the number of beds in the intensive care units, and, last but not least, the measures of isolation adopted. The Brazilian mitigation measures can be placed between the strict lockdown of many European countries and the Swedish approach, but clearly much comparable to the European ones (in particular to the Netherlands).MethodsFor Brazil, the weekly spreading rates of Covid-19, as more people are getting infected, was used to compare the outbreak in these countries with the ones of the European countries when they were at the same stage of infection. In the early stage of the disease, normal distributions have been used to obtain what we call a dynamic prediction of the peaks. After reaching the peak of daily infections and/or deaths, skew-normal distributions are required to correctly fit the asymmetrical DCCpM and DDpM curves and get a realistic forecast of the pandemic end.FindingsThe European data analysis shows that the spreading rate of Covid-19 increased similarly for all countries in its initial stage, but it changed as the number of TCCpM in each country grew. This was caused by the different timely action of the authorities in adopting isolation measures and/or massive testing strategies. The early stage of the outbreak in the USA and Brazil shows for their α factor (DCCpM) a behaviour similar to Italy and Sweden, respectively. For the β factor (DDpM), the American spreading is similar to the one of Switzerland, whereas the Brazilian factor is greater than the ones of Portugal, Germany, and Austria (which showed, in terms of TDpM, the best results in Europe) but, at the moment, it is lower than the other European countries.InterpretationThe fitting skew parameters used to model the DCCpM and DDpM curves allow a more realistic prediction of the end of the pandemic and give us the possibility to compare the mitigation measures adopted by the local authorities by analysing their respective skew normal parameters (mean, mode, standard deviation, and skewness). In Europe, Sweden and the UK show the greatest asymmetries, a kind of marathon instead of the sprint of other European countries (as observed by Swedish authorities). This also happens for the USA. The Brazilian weekly spreading rate for deaths is lower than most of the European countries at the same stage of the outbreak.FundingIndividual grants by CNPq (2018/303911) and Fapesp (2019/06382–9).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano De Leo

BACKGROUND As the number of Covid-19 infections worldwide overtakes 6 millions of Total Confirmed Cases (TCC), the data reveal almost closed outbreaks in many European countries. Using the European data as a basis for our analysis, we study the spreading rate of Covid-19 and model the Daily Confirmed Cases and Deaths per Million (DCCpM and DDpM) curves by using ``skew-normal'' probability density functions. OBJECTIVE The use of these asymmetrical distributions allows to get a more realistic prediction of the end of the disease in each country and to evaluate the effectiveness of the local authorities strategies in facing the European outbreak. The initial stage of the Brazilian disease is compared with the early phase of the European one. This is done by using the weekly spreading rate of Covid-19. For Sweden, UK, and USA, we shall give a forecast for the end of pandemic and for Brazil the prediction of the peak of DDpM. We also discuss additional factors that could play an important role in the fight against Covid-19, such as the fast response of the local authorities, the testing strategies, the number of beds in the intensive care units, and, last but not least, the measures of isolation adopted. The Brazilian mitigation measures can be placed between the strict lockdown of many European countries and the Swedish approach, but clearly much comparable to the European ones (in particular to the Netherlands). METHODS For Brazil, the weekly spreading rates of Covid-19, as more people are getting infected, was used to compare the outbreak in these countries with the ones of the European countries when they were at the same stage of infection. In the early stage of the disease, normal distributions have been used to obtain what we call a dynamic prediction of the peaks. After reaching the peak of daily infections and/or deaths, skew-normal distributions are required to correctly fit the asymmetrical DCCpM and DDpM curves and get a realistic forecast of the pandemic end. RESULTS The European data analysis shows that the spreading rate of Covid-19 increased similarly for all countries in its initial stage, but it changed as the number of TCCpM in each country grew. This was caused by the different timely action of the authorities in adopting isolation measures and/or massive testing strategies. The early stage of the outbreak in the USA and Brazil shows for their $\boldsymbol{\alpha}$ factor (DCCpM) a behaviour similar to Italy and Sweden, respectively. For the $\boldsymbol{\beta}$ factor (DDpM), the American spreading is similar to the one of Switzerland, whereas the Brazilian factor is greater than the ones of Portugal, Germany, and Austria (which showed, in terms of TDpM, the best results in Europe) but, at the moment, it is lower than the other European countries. CONCLUSIONS The fitting skew parameters used to model the DCCpM and DDpM curves allow a more realistic prediction of the end of the pandemic and give us the possibility to compare the mitigation measures adopted by the local authorities by analysing their respective skew normal parameters (mean, mode, standard deviation, and skewness). In Europe, Sweden and the UK show the greatest asymmetries, a kind of marathon instead of the sprint of other European countries (as observed by Swedish authorities). This also happens for the USA. The Brazilian weekly spreading rate for deaths is lower than most of the European countries at the same stage of the outbreak.


Author(s):  
Rakhi Vashishtha ◽  
Amy Pennay ◽  
Paul Dietze ◽  
Melvin Barrientos Marzan ◽  
Robin Room ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evidence suggests adolescent alcohol consumption has declined since the turn of the millennium in almost all high-income countries. However, differences in the timing and magnitude of the decline have not been explored across countries. Methods We examined trends in adolescent past month or monthly alcohol consumption prevalence from cross-national or national survey reports for 39 countries and four US territories. For each country, we calculated the magnitude of the decline in youth drinking as the relative change in prevalence from the peak year to the most recent year available. Heat maps were utilized to present the timing and magnitudes of these declines. Results The timing and extent of youth drinking declines have varied markedly across countries. The decline began in the USA before 1999, followed by Northern European countries in the early 2000s; Western Europe and Australasia in the mid-2000s. The steepest declines were found for Northern Europe and the UK, and the shallowest declines were observed in Eastern and Southern European countries. Conclusions Previous analyses of the decline in adolescent drinking have emphasized the wide reach of the changes and their near-coincidence in time. Our analysis points to the other side of the picture that there were limits to the wide reach, and that there was considerable variation in timing. These findings suggest that as well as broader explanations that stretch across countries, efforts to explain recent trends in adolescent drinking should also consider factors specific to countries and regions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
F R Fritzsche ◽  
B Oelrich ◽  
M Dietel ◽  
K Jung ◽  
G Kristiansen

Aims:To analyse the contributions of the 15 primary member states of the European Union and selected non-European countries to pathological research between 2000 and 2006.Methods:Pathological journals were screened using ISI Web of Knowledge database. The number of publications and related impact factors were determined for each country. Relevant socioeconomic indicators were related to the scientific output. Subsequently, results were compared to publications in 10 of the leading biomedical journals.Results:The research output remained generally stable. In Europe, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain ranked top concerning contributions to publications and impact factors in the pathological and leading general biomedical journals. With regard to socioeconomic data, smaller, mainly northern European countries showed a relatively higher efficiency. Of the lager countries, the UK is the most efficient in that respect. The rising economic powers of China and India were consistently in the rear.Conclusions:Results mirror the leading role of the USA in pathology research but also show the relevance of European scientists. The scientometric approach in this study provides a new fundamental and comparative overview of pathology research in the European Union and the USA which could help to benchmark scientific output among countries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Gary Thomas

‘The curriculum’ argues that the generally accepted feeling is that the curriculum has been the jealously guarded province of teachers and education professionals, never to be penetrated by the common sense of politicians or public. This led to the establishment of the National Curriculum in the UK and a clutch of other European countries in the 1980s. Recent moves in the USA have aimed to introduce similar conformity, including the Common Core State Standards Initiative in 2010. This subject can't ignore the influence of ancient curricula and Jerome Bruner’s spiral model of the curriculum. What are the effects also of the hidden curriculum and the proliferation of tests on the curriculum?


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (5) ◽  
pp. 7-46
Author(s):  
Vasyl NEVIDOMYI ◽  
◽  
Kateryna KANONISHENA-KOVALENKO ◽  

The international experience of performance indicators application by supreme audit institutions of European countries and the USA in their annual reports is investigated. In total, 267 indicators were identified, analyzed and grouped by areas of activity, in particular, audit activity (audit, conclusions and reports), recommendations, other activities, consequences and effects of work, relations with main stakeholders (with parliament, audit objects, other bodies, society, international community), human resources (personnel, training and certification), management and financial support. The areas of interaction with society and publicity of work, personnel management and audit activity are the most characterized by quantitative indicators areas, least of all interaction with audit objects and other activities of the body, except audit. Among the studied countries, fewer quantitative indicators were published in the reports of the Supreme Audit Institutions of Estonia, Slovakia and Croatia (less than 20 indicators), most of the aspects of activity were quantitatively assessed in the reports of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the UK, Czech Republic and Poland (65 – 80 indicators). The Accounting Chamber in 2020 in terms of the number of indicators in this comparative analysis ranked second (published 75 indicators). Over the eight years analyzed, this number increased significantly, but there is still no indicators for some areas of work, such as international activities and interaction with audited entities. It was also determined that the selection of indicators presented in the reports of the Accounting Chamber lacks consistency, the practice of disclosing some important performance indicators has ceased. Based on the analysis of international practice and the experience of the Accounting Chamber, a system of indicators advisable to characterize its work is proposed. Proposed 55 groups of indicators characterize all areas of activity and correspond to the best international practice and approaches of the supreme audit institutions performance measuring framework (SAI PMF), which is used in the strategic planning of the Accounting Chamber.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ffion Lloyd-Williams ◽  
Helen Bromley ◽  
Lois Orton ◽  
Corinna Hawkes ◽  
David Taylor-Robinson ◽  
...  

Background: Countries across Europe have introduced a wide variety of policies to improve nutrition. However, the sheer diversity of interventions is potentially bewildering. We therefore aimed to map existing public health nutrition policies and identify their perceived effectiveness, in order to inform future evidence-based diet strategies. Methods: Mapping exercise: We created a public health nutrition policy database for 30 European countries (EU 27 plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), by summarising policy documents, grey literature, web searches and advice from topic experts. National nutrition policies were then classified using the marketing “4Ps” approach: Product (reformulation, elimination, new healthier products); Price (taxes, subsidies); Promotion (advertising, food labelling and health education) and Place (schools, workplaces, etc.) Policy interviews: We interviewed 71 senior policy-makers, public health nutrition policy experts and academics from 14 of the 30 countries, eliciting their views on diverse current and possible nutrition strategies. Results Product: Voluntary reformulation of foods, (especially salt, sugar and total fat) is widespread but with questionable impact. Denmark, Austria, Iceland and Switzerland have trans fats bans. Twelve countries regulate maximum salt content in specific foods. Price: EU School Fruit Scheme subsidies are almost universal, with variable implementation. Taxes are uncommon. However, Finland, France, Hungary and Latvia have implemented ‘sugar taxes’ on sugary foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Finland, Hungary and Portugal also tax salty products. Promotion: Dialogue, recommendations, nutrition guidelines, information and education campaigns are widespread (all 30 countries). Labelling information is widespread, but variable. Restrictions on marketing to children are widespread but mostly voluntary. Place: Interventions reducing the availability of unhealthy foods were most commonly found in schools and workplace canteens (e.g. vending machines). Comparative effectiveness: Interviewees generally considered mandatory reformulation more effective than voluntary, and regulation and fiscal interventions much more effective than information strategies, but politically much more challenging. Implications: Public health nutrition policies in Europe appear diverse, dynamic, complex and bewildering. However, the “4Ps” framework potentially offers a structured and comprehensive categorisation. Most European countries are active in nutrition policy. However, exemplars are few, including Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal and the UK. Do these offer any useful lessons for US states addressing similar challenges? In conclusion, fiscal and regulatory nutrition policies appear potentially powerful and should be considered across Europe, and perhaps across the US?


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