International Information Sources Research Articles

Prioritization of prevention activities to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in resource constrained settings: a cost-effectiveness analysis from Chad, Central Africa.

In Chad, as in most sub-Saharan Africa countries, HIV/AIDS poses a massive public health threat as well as an economic burden, with prevalence rates estimated at 9% of the adult population. In defining and readjusting the scope and content of the national HIV/AIDS control activities, policy makers sought to identify the most cost-effective options for HIV/AIDS control. The cost-effectiveness analysis reported in this paper uses a mixture of local and international information sources combined with appropriate assumptions to model the cost-effectiveness of feasible HIV prevention options in Chad, with estimates of the budget impact. The most cost-effective options at under US$100 per infection prevented were peer group education of sex workers and screening of blood donors to identify infected blood before transfusion. These options were followed by mass media and peer group education of high risk men and young people, at around US$500 per infection prevented. Anti-retroviral therapy for HIV infected pregnant women and voluntary counselling and testing were in the order of US$1000 per infection prevented. The paper concludes with recommendations for which activities should be given priority in the next phase of the national HIV/AIDS control programme in Chad.

The Information Market

ABSTRACT Creation of a modern information market in India would require a shift from conventional value systems and traditional practices. In the new scenario, India's role should not be limited to consumption alone; but she should grow as an active contributor of products and services to the international market. Indian industry should be encouraged to undertake activities of database development on national and nationally generated information, value-added products, and supplementary inputs to the international ventures. At the same time, it should help Indian users to access international sources of information and foreign users to access Indian sources of information. The market would not be able to organize itself unless a commercial approach is adopted in all the activities of products/services development, distribution, pricing, and promotion. It is also necessary to take cognizance of the fact that in a mature market, STI has to co-exist with business and financial information. Above all, the domi...

The Scholar's Workstation Project

The product of the Scholar's Workstation Project is a single Web site that provides, through a consistent interface, a complete operating environment for the common tasks (information retrieval, communication and personal productivity) of the academic researcher. As well as providing links to a large number of local, national and international information sources (library OPACs, Internet search tools, gateway services, directories, software archives, etc), the site may be configured so that users may launch their own personal desktop applications (word processing, email, etc) or even access local CD‐ROM networks.

The current status of hygiene standard setting for chemical substances in workplaces in China

The hygiene standard setting for occupational hazards was started in the mid 1950s in China. Three documents on exposure limits for chemical substances in the work environment and some other documents related to exposure limits for physical agents have been published since then. The latest documentation on “Hygiene Standards for the Design of Industrial Promises” (Standard TJ 36–79) was promulgated in 1979. It contains a MAC list of 131 toxic agents and dusts which are most frequently used and encountered in China. However, a more sophisticated system of scientific research on hygiene standard setting has been created since the establishment of the National Scientific Commission of Hygiene Standard Setting in 1980. This system emphasizes health as a basic criterion, it strengthens epidemiological study of the human population, it integrates domestic and international information sources and it periodically reappraises the recommended standards. Based on these principles, more than forty new standards have been set for both chemicals and dusts since the founding of the committee. These new MACs are now in the process of being promulgated and are expected to take effect as the additional part of the MAC list published in 1979. In addition, further considerations of hygiene standard setting related to the conceptual renewal, selection of safety factor, legislation and enforcement of the hygiene standard, recommendation of exposure limits for occupational carcinogens, and speeding up the pace of hygiene standard setting are proposed in this paper.

Communications and Urban Systems in Mid-Nineteenth Century Canada

A partir des résultats d'une analyse du contenu économique exogène des principaux quotidiens publiés en Amérique du Nord britannique en 1845 et en 1855, cet article soutient la thèse selon laquelle les communications publiques dans les colonies sont principalement organisées de manière à permettre un accès privilégié aux sources internationales d'information, en provenance surtout de la Grande-Bretagne et des Et as-Unis. Dès 1845, les liens qui unissent les principales villes coloniales aux réseaux internationaux sont bien établis, et leur constitution a en fait précédé l'organisation des communications à l'intérieur même des colonies. En 1855, le télégraphe est devenu un mode de communication répandu et les sources américaines d'information ont gagné de l'importance. A cette date, des indices permettent de conclure qu'au moins dans l'ouest du Canada, les communications et les marchés commencent à mieux s'organiser à l'échelle régionale. L'auteur estime qu'il faut étudier les communications urbaines de l'Amérique britannique au dix-neuvième siècle, dans la perspective de leurs liens avec les réseaux internationaux plutôt qu'exclusivement sous l'angle des réseaux coloniaux ou régionaux.

Sources of Information on Population/Family Planning: A Handbook for Asia.

Profiles of 64 national regional and international information sources on various aspects of population and family planning in Asia and other regions are presented. 6 indexes enable the user to identify sources of information on different subjects and geographical areas and in various formats. Over 400 key subjects are covered in both a Sturctu red Subject Index and an Alphabetical Subject Index. The profile of each information source describes its general activities its information and materials services its resource base and the subject and geographical coverage of its information and material services.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)

The European Connection: international co‐operation in the use of information resources

Some current trends, problems and principles of co‐operation in the use of international information sources as seen from the viewpoint of the European Communities, together with some of the Commission's plans to: set up or improve Community information systems; develop a Community‐wide network for scientific and technical information; advance the technology of information handling.

A Neglected Source of Railroad Profit: Packaged Traffic and How to Transport It Effectively

Georges Hartmann brings together an impressive array of statistical data on current economic fluctuations in the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, England, Switzerland, Japan, and Russia. On the basis of this information, Hartmann concludes that the current recession in the United States, Canada, and three European nations is merely another corrective cyclical adjustment essential to further long-run expansion. Since the author had access to several international sources of information, it is disappointing to see so little use of data on fluctuations of the planned Russian economy. To support his analysis of current world economic events, Hartmann draws on meaningful series of historical data. He even cites the known but little used studies of Jevons, Moore, and Beveridge which revealed a high correlation between such elements as sun spots, weather conditions, and business fluctuations. Several observatories-notably, one at Zurich-have been carefully making these statistical comparisons since the time of Jevons's original study. The principal worth of the text springs from Hartmann's ability to bring together a wide range of significant historical data. An idea of the sweep of his presentation can be gained from the following sample listing: