Suchergebnisse

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Visa Waiver Program, which enables citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States without first obtaining a visa, has many benefits, yet also presents security, law enforcement, and illegal immigration risks. In August 2007, Congress passed legislation that provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the authority to expand the program to additional countries whose nationals' applications for short-term business and tourism visas were refused between 3 and 10 percent of the time in the prior fiscal year. Countries must also meet certain conditions, and DHS must first complete and certify a number of required actions aimed at enhancing the security of the program. This testimony will focus on one of these required actions--namely, that a system be in place that can verify the departure of 97 percent of foreign nationals who depart through U.S. airports (referred to as an air exit system). Our observations are based on our review of relevant legislation, regulations and agency operating procedures, and prior GAO reports on the Visa Waiver Program and immigrant and visitor entry and exit tracking systems, as well as on discussions with federal agency officials. In commenting on a draft of this statement, DHS emphasized that it had not finalized its plan for certifying the "97 percent" requirement, but that the department believes the current plan would meet the legislative requirement. The Department of State also provided technical comments, which we incorporated, as appropriate."

"Das Gesetz zur Modernisierung der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung hat eine Vielzahl von Auswirkungen auf die Arzneimitteldistribution in Deutschland. Eine grundlegende Neuerung ist die Zulassung des (Internet-)Versandhandels von Arzneimitteln. In Anbetracht der anstehenden strukturellen Veränderungen wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit der Techniker Krankenkasse Ende des Jahres 2003 eine Versichertenbefragung zum Thema Medikamentenversand durchgeführt. Neben soziodemographischen Merkmalen beinhaltete diese Fragen zur Computer- und Internet-Erfahrung, zum Gesundheitszustand und zum bisherigen Nutzerverhalten bezüglich des Versandhandels von Medikamenten. Die Fragestellung, inwieweit der Arzneimittelversand für die verschiedenen Gruppen von Medikamentenkonsumenten sinnvoll oder überhaupt praktisch möglich ist, wurde in der aktuellen politischen Diskussion in den Hintergrund gedrängt. Es herrscht Konsens, dass der neue Distributionskanal im Rahmen der Akutversorgung aufgrund der Lieferfristen keine Alternative zur stationären Apotheke bieten kann. Es kann jedoch auch nicht davon ausgegangen werden, dass im Bereich der Dauermedikation und der Versorgung chronisch Kranker in allen Fällen eine Versorgung über den Versandhandel möglich ist. Bei einer Betrachtung des Arzneimittelverbrauchs bezogen auf das Alter der GKV-Versicherten zeigt sich z.B., dass die höchsten Ausgaben im hohen Alter anfallen. Es ist fraglich, ob diese Patientengruppe in der Lage ist, den Versandhandel zu nutzen. Eine erste Analyse zeigt, dass gerade bezüglich des Internetversands diese Bevölkerungsgruppe aufgrund ihrer mangelnden technischen Erfahrung und Ausstattung ausgeschlossen ist. Im Anbetracht einer möglichen ungleichen Lastenverteilung in der Gesundheitsversorgung sollen diese Ergebnisse zur Diskussion gestellt werden." (Autorenreferat)

Pandemic influenza is an international public health concern. In light of the persistent threat of H5N1 avian influenza and the recent pandemic of A/H1N1swine influenza outbreak, public health agencies around the globe are continuously revising their preparedness plans. The A/H1N1 pandemic of 2009 demonstrated that influenza activity and severity might vary considerably among age groups and locations, and the distribution of an effective influenza vaccine may be significantly delayed and staggered. Thus, pandemic influenza vaccine distribution policies should be tailored to the demographic and spatial structures of communities. Here, we introduce a bi-criteria decision-making framework for vaccine distribution policies that is based on a geospatial and demographically-structured model of pandemic influenza transmission within and between counties of Arizona in the Unites States. Based on data from the 2009–2010 H1N1 pandemic, the policy predicted to reduce overall attack rate most effectively is prioritizing counties expected to experience the latest epidemic waves (a policy that may be politically untenable). However, when we consider reductions in both the attack rate and the waiting period for those seeking vaccines, the widely adopted pro rata policy (distributing according to population size) is also predicted to be an effective strategy.

International audience ; With the new Water Directive the European Union has given a new dimension to environmental monitoring. It is now necessary to follow and account for the ecological and chemical status of aquatic ecosystems. This status should improve with the objective of "good status" in 2015 for all waters of Member States. Such a regulation will lead to an intensification of chemical contaminants control and has important metrological implications. In order to ensure the comparability of data, it appears necessary to develop internationally validated standard methods and to organise intercomparison exercises for analytical laboratories.

International audience ; With the new Water Directive the European Union has given a new dimension to environmental monitoring. It is now necessary to follow and account for the ecological and chemical status of aquatic ecosystems. This status should improve with the objective of "good status" in 2015 for all waters of Member States. Such a regulation will lead to an intensification of chemical contaminants control and has important metrological implications. In order to ensure the comparability of data, it appears necessary to develop internationally validated standard methods and to organise intercomparison exercises for analytical laboratories.

В статті розглядається імітаційна модель планування роботи спеціалізованих виїзних метрологічних груп регіональних метрологічних частин з урахуванням досвіду проведення антитерористичної операції. ; В статье рассматривается имитационная модель планирования специализированных выездных метрологических групп региональных метрологических частей с учётом опыта антитеррористической операции. ; In article it is considered the simulation model of the planning specialized visiting metrological groups of the regional metrological units taking into account experience of the antiterroristic operation.