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Lately lawyers and medical professionals pay more attention too the process of minor patient healthcare. The research shall address the issues of legal relationship between minor patients and medical professionals, consent to treatment of minor patients and communication problems including the scope of information which the doctor can provide to the minor patient’s relatives to protect themselves and patients. Legislation prescribes that the information provided by the medical professional to the minor patient must be not only easy-to-understand, but also be consistent with the patient’s age maturity. However, in Latvia, for example, there are no guidelines that specify how medical professionals can determine the patient’s maturity. In the course of provision of medical services to the minor persons legal disputes involving communiucation failures between the minor patients, their relatives, legal representatives and the doctors arise increasingly frequently. The research will look into issue of communication problems in healthcare. The aim of the research is to provide insight into challenges of legal relations betweem minor patients and medical professionals and communication problems in healthcare.

Background: The Rhode Island State Legislature passed the Uniform Controlled Substances Act in 2016 to limit opioid prescriptions. We aimed to objectively evaluate its effect on opioid prescribing for hand surgery patients and also identify risk factors for prolonged opioid use. Methods: A 6-month period (January-June 2016) prior to passage of the law was compared with a period following its implementation (July-December 2017). Thumb carpometacarpal arthroplasty and distal radius fracture fixation were classified as “major surgery” and carpal tunnel and trigger finger release as “minor surgery.” Prescription Drug Monitoring Database was used to review controlled substances filled during the study periods. Results: A total of 1380 patients met our inclusion criteria, with 644 prelaw and 736 postlaw patients. Patients undergoing “major surgery” saw a significant decrease in the number of pills issued in the first postoperative prescription (41.1 vs 21.0) and a corresponding decrease in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) (318.6 vs 159.2 MMEs) after implementation. A 30% decrease in MMEs was also seen in those undergoing “major surgery” in the first 30 days postoperatively (544.7 vs 381.7 MMEs). Risk factors for prolonged opioid use included male sex and preoperative opioid use. Conclusions: In Rhode Island, opioid-limiting legislation resulted in a significant decrease in the number of pills and MMEs of the initial prescription and a 30% decrease in total MMEs in the 30-day postoperative period after “major hand surgery.” Additional research is needed to explore the association between legislation and clinical outcomes.

This paper deals with the discussions on accounting criteria taken place at the Board of Directors of the Bank of Spain short after its establishment. Shareholders pretended that Public Debt and real property should appear on the Balance sheet at market price values and some members of the Board of Directors shared this opinion. This was against the accounting principle of purchase price, which was the generally accepted at that time. Another burning matter discussed was the convenience of a wider disclosure of financial issues. The way to implement an accrual basis accounting was also a discussion subject as well as even the model that the published Balance sheet had to adopt. These discussions were so harsh that even the Governor, that is, the highest responsible of the institution, began to think to resign, although his appointment was made by the Government and not by the shareholders. Another questions regarding accounting were also the object of bitter criticism that caused the corresponding retorts on the part of the Bank in defence of its actuation and reputation. It seems that nowadays many of the arguments used to defend some accounting principles or to reject others are overcome. Nevertheless, it has to be concluded that the same reasons put forward in those times have been recently heard on the occasion of the acceptance of International Accounting Standard (IAS) in Europe. About 150 years later, in some way, the wax continues burning in the oil-lamp of the controversies. In order to insert the subject matter within its context, the paper begins with an explanation of the background of the Bank of Spain's establishment in 1856. For this purpose, it departs from its predecessor, the Spanish Bank of San Fernando, which in its turn was successor of the Bank of San Carlos, founded in 1782. The banking changes began at that time as a consequence of a new normative framework. Its configuration constitutes the starting point of the current Spanish banking system. The economic environment was stimulated by legislation on several more favourable fronts, which facilitated the entry of foreign investments as an economic path to develop the country. Under the new order, the Bank of Spain did not enjoy the traditional supremacy of its predecessors and experienced the pressure from the competitors, i.e., the Credit Societies, which under this denomination were authentic private banks. On the other hand, the Bank had to learn to assume some opposition to their management, administration and accounting criteria in the shareholders' meetings. This opposition constitutes properly the subject of the paper as seen above.

Occupational safety and health situations are poorer in India than the world standard resulting in a proportionately higher number of hazards. 16.4% of global occupational hazards are faced by the workers in Indian construction sector that constitutes only 7.5% of world labor force. This paper deals with a review of occupational safety of construction workers in India. The study identifies major challenges and issues and discusses possible solutions. The findings through review of literature has been substantiated by primary data collected through a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that lack of proper communication, non-use of personal protective equipment, wrong postures of work and work activities, lack of training, psychological factors such as stress and burnout, lack of safety orientation and culture, and issues lying in compliance of appropriate legislation are major challenges for safety. The study discusses frequent awareness and training, focusing on workplace ergonomics, facilitating flow of information and monitoring at worksite, developing safety thinking in management, enhancing workplace support practices and workplace spirituality as possible solutions to these challenges. The findings will guide the government agencies as well as organizational authorities and supervisors of construction sites to improve occupational safety.

School managers, teachers, students, as well as their parents are faced with increasingly frequent attempts to integrate the diversity of pupils as a result of integration policies at national and European level. Educational needs of impaired persons require special attention. Is necessary to make steps should be taken to ensure access to education for each category of disabled person as part of the education system. Legislative framework in the field of special education Romania takes into account the legislation created by the international bodies on the education of persons with special educational needs, to which Romania has adhered. This paper presents aspects regarding the organization of educational support services dedicated to children, students and young people with special educational needs in mainstream schools in accordance with Romanian law; it also underlines the international legal framework of reference.This paper is part of a wider project that focuses on teacher training to optimize the integration of SEN pupils into the mainstream school; we used data collection methods, such as social document study and focus-group. An integrated and tailored approach is needed for children with SEN (special educational needs); focus-groups organized with primary school and gymnasium children, as well as with support teachers, revealed a number of adaptation issues from both sides (pupils with SEN and students with no problems). On the other hand, the itinerant teachers are assaulted by a series organization problems and it becomes impossible to provide support and assistance to children with special needs who are growing in numbers.Training of teachers is one of the most important pillars in the integration of all those involved in education, it is the way to optimize service organizations. Teacher training must respond to the real and complex needs of the beneficiaries, based on exploratory learning.In the final, will be presented and analyzed the main important problems faced by both teachers and pupils in the current educational context. Keywords: special education, educational needs, integration policies, children, teachers

This paper presents existing linkages within the spheres of government on plant health institutional and legislative framework and further identifies the existing limitations and risks on the current existing framework on the plant health system. A survey was conducted in South Africa with the relevant scientists from the National Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) formerly known as the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) formerly known as Department of Environmental Affair (DEA) as well as extensionist and agricultural advisors from 7 Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs). The sample size of the study was 60 government officials from both the national and provincial departments of agriculture. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were analysed statistically using the one-way frequency and Spearman’s Rank correlation coefficients. This paper revealed that there were no formal linkages between the relevant national government and PDAs in terms of legislative and policy prescripts on plant health issues. The study further revealed that there is a need to establish a plant health unit to coordinate plant health matters from the National Plant Protection Organisation of South Africa. On the aspect of biosecurity legislative framework affecting food production and security as well as trade, the study found that there is no cross-referencing amongst relevant legislation; therefore, there is a need for harmonisation of relevant legislation.

Background A scientific framework on exposure science will boost the multiuse of exposure knowledge across EU chemicals-related policies and improve risk assessment, risk management and communication across EU safety, security and sustainability domains. Objective To stimulate public and private actors to align and strengthen the cross-policy adoption of exposure assessment data, methods and tools across EU legislation. Methods By mapping and analysing the EU regulatory landscape making use of exposure information, policy and research challenges and key areas of action are identified and translated into opportunities enhancing policy and scientific efficiency. Results Identified key areas of actions are to develop a common scientific exposure assessment framework, supported by baseline acceptance criteria and a shared knowledge base enhancing exchangeability and acceptability of exposure knowledge within and across EU chemicals-related policies. Furthermore, such framework will improve communication and management across EU chemical safety, security and sustainability policies comprising sourcing, manufacturing and global trade of goods and waste management. In support of building such a common framework and its effective use in policy and industry, exposure science innovation needs to be better embedded along the whole policymaking cycle, and be integrated into companies’ safety and sustainability management systems. This will help to systemically improve regulatory risk management practices. Significance This paper constitutes an important step towards the implementation of the EU Green Deal and its underlying policy strategies, such as the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

Introduction While evaluations of indoor smoke-free legislation have demonstrated major public health benefits among adults, their impact on the smoking behavior of young people remains unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the association between smoke-free legislation in hospitality venues and smoking behavior of young people. Aims and Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase in June 2020. We searched for studies that assessed the association of any form of smoke-free legislation in any hospitality venue (eg, bar and restaurant) with a smoking behavior outcome (eg, initiation and current smoking) among young people (aged 10–24 years). . Results Our search yielded 572 articles of which 31 were screened based on full-text and 9 were included in the analysis. All studies were published between 2005 and 2016. The majority of studies used a quasi-experimental design. Four studies evaluated smoke-free legislation in hospitality venues specifically. Two studies reported that comprehensive, but not weaker, smoke-free legislation decreases progression to established smoking. Two other studies provided mixed results on which level of comprehensiveness of legislation would be effective, and which smoking outcomes would be affected. Five studies evaluated legislation that also included other workplaces. Out of these five studies, three studies found significant decreases in current smoking, smoking frequency, and/or smoking quantity, whereas two other studies did not. Conclusions Most of the studies found that smoke-free legislation in hospitality venues is associated with a decrease in smoking behavior among young people. Their results indicate the need for comprehensive smoke-free legislation without exemptions. Implications This is the first systematic review to provide insight into the relationship between smoke-free legislation in hospitality venues and smoking behavior of young people. Our findings show that there is a need for comprehensive smoke-free legislation without exemptions (such as designated smoking areas).

Problem Courts make complex decisions daily regarding removal of infants from birth parents and placement in out-of-home care. Nurses and other health professionals often take part in such processes, either as court informants, witnesses, or via their role delivering healthcare to infants and/or birth parents involved. To date there has been very little research exploring how health information impacts upon decision-making about infant removal. Aim To explore how health information impacts court decisions about removing infants from birth parents. Methods Using Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage method for scoping reviews as a guide, eight electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies published in peer reviewed journals between 1990 and 2020. After initial screening, 154 articles were assessed for eligibility, resulting in 10 relevant studies. Findings Three overarching themes emerged: (1) Communication between courts and health professionals; (2) Professional bias; (3) Infant attachment and reunification. Discussion In many jurisdictions, children's courts operate as closed courts making scrutiny of decisions difficult. Across jurisdictions there is also a widespread lack of recognition in legislation of infancy as a unique developmental stage. Clarity of communication and understanding between health professionals and courts is needed for health information to be applied in consistent ways in court decision making. Conclusion The role of health information in court decision-making is unclear and heterogeneous. More research is needed if nurses and other healthcare professionals are to have clarity regarding best practice provision of information, to assist courts with decisions about infant removal.

This article considers Section 17 ‘child in need’ provision under the Children Act 1989, the main legislation governing Children's Services in England. Arguably, Section 17 has never been given the same priority as other statutory requirements under the Act. The intention was to create a broad umbrella provision for children living with their families, but children assessed as ‘in need’ are not entitled to receive such services unless they are disabled. This exploration is timely given the current Independent Review of Children's Social Care in England, ongoing austerity measures, high rates of child poverty and COVID‐19. Consideration is given to the development of Section 17 and what the future may hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Children & Society is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This section briefly describes the significant political initiatives and acts of legislation in the environmental field adopted in the period from May 2021 until February 2022.

Scope of practice decisions, such as granting pharmacists independent prescriptive authority, are governed at the state level and are often contentious debates. Five states – Florida (FL), New Mexico (NM), Colorado (CO), Idaho (ID), and Oregon (OR) -- have created structures that can theoretically expand independent prescriptive authority through decentralized approaches rather than needing the legislature to approve each drug that pharmacists may prescribe. These approaches have the potential advantage of allowing the states to expand independent pharmacist prescriptive authority to address public health needs more quickly. Four distinct models have been identified from most to least restrictive in practice: 1) medical veto; 2) interdisciplinary committee; 3) board of pharmacy; and 4) pharmacist-determined. These models have generally focused on postdiagnostic and preventive care by pharmacists. In terms of enabling broad pharmacist prescribing, only two of these models have demonstrated success: board of pharmacy and pharmacist-determined. Pharmacy and public health stakeholders considering similar legislation in their own states should consider the success of these decentralized models prior to enacting legislation.

Digital Pathology (DP) is a platform which has the potential to develop a truly integrated and global pathology community. The generation of DP data at scale creates novel challenges for the histopathology community in managing, processing, and governing the use of these data. The current understanding of, and confidence in, the legal and ethical aspects of DP by pathologists is unknown. We developed an electronic survey (e‐survey) comprising of 22 questions, which was developed with input from the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) Digital Pathology Working Group. The e‐survey was circulated via e‐mail and social media (Twitter) through the RCPath Digital Pathology Working Group network, RCPath Trainee Committee network, the Pathology image data Lake for Analytics, Knowledge and Education (PathLAKE) digital pathology consortium, National Pathology Imaging Co‐operative (NPIC), local contacts, and to the membership of both The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Division of the International Academy of Pathology (BDIAP). Between 14 July 2020 and 6 September 2020, we collected 198 responses representing a cross section of histopathologists, including individuals with experience of DP research. We ascertained that in the UK, DP is being used for diagnosis, research, and teaching, and that the platform is enabling data sharing. Our survey demonstrated that there is often a lack of confidence and understanding of the key issues of consent, legislation, and ethical guidelines. Of 198 respondents, 82 (41%) did not know when the use of digital scanned slide images would fall under the relevant legislation and 93 (47%) were ‘Not confident at all’ in their interpretation of consent for scanned slide images in research. With increasing uptake of DP, a working knowledge of these areas is essential but histopathologists often express a lack of confidence in these topics. The need for specific training in these areas is highlighted by the findings of this study.

Introduction: Many individuals who experience an injury go on to have subsequent injuries. This study examined the views of health professionals about potential opportunities to prevent subsequent injuries. Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were held with a range of health professionals involved in treating injuries. Interviews examined opportunities for the prevention of subsequent injuries, particularly opportunities that may be implemented by health professionals. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Results: Thirteen health professionals were interviewed, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and emergency department staff. Opportunities to prevent subsequent injuries aligned with the Dahlgren-Whitehead model of health determinants, representing opportunities to focus on demographic factors (e.g. older adults), individual lifestyle factors (e.g. alcohol consumption), social and community networks (e.g. social isolation), living and working conditions (e.g. access to preventive healthcare), and general socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental conditions (e.g. changes in legislation). Conclusions: Health professionals identified a number of opportunities for subsequent injury prevention, ranging from individually oriented interventions to broader societal interventions. Within their roles, health professionals highlighted potential opportunities to provide education, modify attitudes, engage in multi-disciplinary teamwork, and serve as advocates. Use of these strategies could help to reduce the disability burden presented by subsequent injuries.

Objectives Organ donation is the driving force for transplant. Awareness about donation and transplant is invaluable for improved transplant services in any country. Our objective was to assess the knowledge and attitude toward organ donation and transplant among medically educated adult Iraqis versus adult Iraqis who were not medically educated, in Baghdad, Iraq. Materials and methods For this study, we recruited 400 Iraqi residents of Baghdad city from December 1, 2018, to March 1, 2019. We used an interviewer-adm-inistered questionnaire to survey 200 health care professionals and 200 adults who lacked medical education, and then we analyzed the responses from the 2 groups. Results The study included 165 males and 235 females (mean age 33.73 ± 10.38 years). Most participants (60%) were aware of organ donation, and a health care provider was the main source of their knowledge. Only 11.25% were aware of Iraqi legislation that permits donation after brain death. Nearly 50% of the participants volunteered to be living donors, and 229/400 (57.25%%) volunteered to donate after death. About 50% accepted the idea of organ donation as an act to save life, whomever the donor. The most important barrier was the fear of future risks to health after living donation and body disfigurement after death. There was a statistically significant difference in the knowledge and attitude scores between the 2 groups. From the study sample, 46.5% accepted the concept of incenting living donors or families of deceased donors. Conclusions Iraqi people are moderately informed about organ donation and transplant. Medically educated people demonstrated an attitude of greater acceptance. Religion and social beliefs were not barriers to organ donation in the study sample. Regulated governmental application of incentive programs may be a useful strategy at present.

Valsartan, losartan, and irbesartan, are widely used in the treatment strategies of cardiovascular medicine diseases, including hypertension and heart failure. Recently, many formulations for the aforementioned diseases contained active pharmaceutical ingredients and had been abruptly recalled from the market due to safety concerns mainly associated with unwanted impurities - nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic substances accidentally produced during manufacturing. Along with cardiovascular medications, formulations containing ranitidine were also recalled from the market. This poses a particular threat to public health due to the non-prescription status of these drugs. Regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency among others, have taken action to minimize patient risk and improve the manufacturing quality as well as re-checking current guidelines and recommendations. While these steps are necessary to avoid further recalls, authorities should remember the growing concerns of patients regarding the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy. Apart from the genuine manufacturing mistakes mentioned above, falsified and counterfeit medications should be at the heart of global attention. The lack of a well-accepted definition of falsified/counterfeit medications has impeded political and scientific efforts to mitigate risk of this phenomenon. Falsified Medicines Directive should be considered the most pivotal legislation recently enacted to harmonize international cooperation. In summary, one should remember that only international and direct collaboration between patients, stakeholders, and authorities be considered a remedy for a pandemic of falsified medicines and plague of unexpected recalls due to safety concerns.

Problem setting. The demographic situation in Ukraine and the nature of social and economic processes, which inextricably are connected with increasing human potential, show that the reproductive health of population is a factor of state importance, national security and development of our state, as well as the success factor of Ukrainian society. The conceptual positions of the authorities on the basic provisions of reproductive health regulation are an important part of the management processes and implementation of state policies in the field of public health and provision of medical services. Recent research and publications analysis. Scientific works of modern foreign and domestic authors, such as: V. Averianov, S. Brauns, D. Puhach, B. Khartman, M. Shchyrban and other authors, who are engaged in scientific substantiation of issues of state regulation in the field of health care, were dedicated to the development of reproductive health issues; as well as practicing lawyers, such as: S. Antonov, O. Babych, V. Zukin and others, who focused their research on the protection of rights of the subjects during application of the assisted reproductive techniques. At the same time, it should be noted that the vast majority of modern research focuses on the legal aspect of administrative and legal regulation of the provision of medical services in the field of assisted reproductive techniques. The scholars have considered only certain legal aspects. Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem: detection and identification of weaknesses and strengths in legal regulation of relations in the process of providing medical services in the field of assisted reproductive techniques, and possible directions for the development of legislation in this area. The purpose of the study is to determine the legal framework for regulating the provision of medical services in the field of assisted reproductive techniques in Ukraine. Paper main body. The purpose of the article is to determine the legal basis for management of processes of provision of medical services in the field of the assisted reproductive techniques in Ukraine. The article analyzes the current regulations of different legal force that constitute the legal basis for management of provision of medical services in the field of the assisted reproductive techniques in Ukraine. The international, national and departmental levels of regulation of medical services in this area have been identified and studied. It has been determined that the state policy in the field of reproductive health protection goes beyond the competence of the health care sector and becomes a priority of the national security policy. On the other hand, the existing legislative and regulatory sphere of Ukraine is favorable for solving the problems of reproductive health and family planning. However, state monitoring of reproductive health and family planning legislation are unfortunately ineffective: insufficient and volatile funding for measures hampers the desired results. It is necessary constantly to supplement and update existing regulations, taking into account international legal instruments and economic, social and sectoral reforms in Ukraine. The article analyzes five legislative drafts that are currently being considered by the Parliament. Based on this, were identified the trends in development of regulations governing the management of provision of medical services in the field of assisted reproductive techniques in Ukraine in the coming years, the main of which is gradual liberalization of the legislation. The main problems are the following: the legal status of surrogate mothers (birth mothers), genetic parents, donors of the reproductive cells. All these shall be regulated by the legislation. Now this issue actually remains in the field of contractual relations. The genetic parents are also at the particular risk. All parties involved in such relationship need the protection. Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. The trend of recent years in legal regulation of the provision of medical services in the field of the assisted reproductive techniques in Ukraine is liberalization of the legislation. Based on the law, the conclusions of experts, it can be noted that the regulation of medical services to ensure the application of ART still has a number of problems, namely: improper implementation of powers and authority regarding regulatory and legal regulation of the state sectoral bodies in the field of health care; insufficient efficiency of functioning of the ART financing mechanism used by the State; shortage and low level of qualification of medical staff; low and inefficient implementation of oversight functions by the authorized public administration bodies in the field of ART, etc. The promising areas of scientific research include such proposals for solving the abovementioned problems as: a continuous analysis of the practice of implementation of legal provisions in the field of health care, in particular the ART; identification and elimination of gaps in legal regulation of medical services in the field of the ART; development of mechanisms of professional liability for medical staff; establishment of guarantees and measures of social support for medical staff; development and implementation of mechanisms for monitoring the activities of all stakeholders during the application of the ART.

Problem statement. Taxes as an economic concept have two meanings. First, they are the financial basis for the existence of the state, the basis for the development of all spheres, and the performance of various functions by the state. Second, the income of legal entities and individuals is redistributed through taxes. Therefore, the use of taxes and their administration affects not only each business entity or individual but also all social groups. Other countries have experience in the formation and implementation of tax policy, which can be implemented in domestic practice to improve relations between the state and business entities in taxation.Recent research and publications analysis. A number of scientists in their works study the foreign experience of the state in the taxation sphere, in particular, they pay attention to the problems of tax harmonization for certain types of taxes. A number of scientists have studied the contradictions and prospects of tax harmonization for certain EU member states. Many pieces of research of domestic scientists are also devoted to the problems of adaptation of tax legislation and tax policy to the requirements of the European Union. The entrepreneurial development contributes to the processes of formation and strengthening of the middle class in the country, which is an imperative of time for Ukraine. Western countries have made an evolutionary way of middle-class formation based on entrepreneurial development. Support of entrepreneurial development is not only an economic but also a social and political task to strengthen the state.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. It is important to consider the processes of the formation and implementation of tax policy in terms of stimulating economic activities of business entities. Such researches and implementation of their results in practice lead to additional impetus in connection with the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. Paper main body. Taking into account the general EU legislation during the formation and implementation of tax policy in Ukraine will help to prepare the country for European integration and increase the effectiveness of cooperation between the state and business entities. Provisions on the state support for entrepreneurial development are provided in particular by Articles 379, 383, and 404 of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, according to which the parties shall cooperate to: promote the development of innovation policy through exchange of information and best practices.Stimulating economic activities of business entities in European countries is multifaceted; considerable attention is paid to the problems of small and medium business development. A key document on EU policy in the area of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is the Small Business Act for Europe, by which EU countries are guided. The implementation of this document is facilitated by the European Small and Medium Business Support Program “Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises” (COSME). Ukraine officially joined this program in 2016. European researchers have found out that SMEs face higher costs than large enterprises. The following recommendations prevail over those developed for the governments of certain EU member states to reduce the total costs for administering corporate taxes (Total Enterprise Tax Compliance Costs): reducing the frequency of changes in the tax legislation, disseminating clearer and more timely tax accounting guidelines, using online platforms for consulting and tax payments, etc.The European Small Business Portal is a positive foreign example of supporting SMEs through information on potential financial opportunities. It provides information on the types and conditions of obtaining financial support for different areas of business activities in the EU as a whole. Similar business activities support systems operate at the level of individual countries. Implementation of the state support policy for producers in the EU is aimed at achieving different goals, including promoting economic growth without distorting significantly the competition. Over the last few years, the EU member states have tended to increase the role of tax support for innovation activities and reduce the role of other types of government assistance for research, development, and innovation. Some EU states supplement the standard list of tax instruments to stimulate innovation activities with additional benefits that can be provided to low-income companies. Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. The analyzed European experience makes it possible to identify certain trends in the formation of tax policy instruments aimed at intensifying the activities of business entities. First, they focus on simplifying the conditions for entrepreneurship, especially SMEs. Second, tax legislation is being harmonized in the EU member states, although the new EU members observe some negative economic consequences of this process. Third, specific recommendations have been developed for a number of countries to improve tax policy, including reducing the variability of tax legislation, disseminating tax accounting guidance, etc. Fourth, preferential taxation is aimed at, first of all, stimulating the innovation activities of business entities.

According to the reports of emergency doctors, the average time spent for one call is rather high: an average of 52–63 minutes. A quantitative analysis of the emergency calls by disease entities, which has been performed for the same reports, enables to make a conclusion that most of the calls are related to diseases of the circulatory system, arterial hypertension with crises, diseases of the respiratory, digestive and nervous system. For clarity, the authors found it necessary to reflect some of the data from the three-year qualification report for the period of 2010–2012. The legislation of Ukraine in the field of health care requires continuous improvement, along with the changes that occur in the life of the state and society, in which it is necessary to take into account the experience of the advanced countries and the accumulated data of the leading international organizations in the industry. Knowledge of the key moments of the current legislation, as well as the main international legal instruments in the field of health care enables physicians to legally protect themselves in conflict situations in their daily work and to justify their actions (or reconsider inaction) when performing job descriptions in the emergency medicine.

Preventive control measures are carried out among civilians and military in the area of local armed conflicts, military operations, in the temporary resettlement of people with the main objective — maintaining health and combat capability, the prevention of outbreaks and the emergence of centers of infectious diseases. Complex socio-economic and military conditions in these administrative areas intensify social and environmental risk factors, influencing the development of the epidemic process, determine the trend of the rapid spread of infections and contribute to the deterioration of the epidemiological situation. In these circumstances, the key role is played by the non-specific measures for the prevention of infectious diseases. Regular sanitization of the population and the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, regular disinfection of the organization of water supply, power supply, waste disposal sites, epidemic safety of medical care, places of residence, as well as the level of hygiene knowledge and skills among the population and the military are of particular importance in ensuring the combat capability of the military and the country’s defense. The structure of infectious diseases among the local population significantly influences its nature in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and vice versa. Therefore, the main task of anti-epidemiological and disinfection work among the population and military is to prevent the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, their drift to the troops and rear areas of the state. Health protection of the population and military is provided by the implementation of a set of preventive measures (medical evacuation, sanitary-hygienic and anti-epidemic measures), which are carried out in the shortest possible time by special, professionally trained civilians and military formations of disinfection services. They involve forces and resources, financial, material and human resources of the structural units of sanitary-epidemiological and disinfection profile, health care facilities, services, disaster medicine, military medical services, civil protection, enterprises of various departmental subordination and all forms of ownership in the local, regional and state levels, as well as the population, the military and refu­gees, according to the sanitary-epidemiological status of the territory and troops. The complex of anti-epidemic preventive disinfection measures is regulated by the current legislation of Ukraine, where the structure of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological and military medical services are identified as the main factors. Service activities at the national and territorial level, as well as military units, while maintaining the tasks in peacetime, are aimed at the implementation of new work, which is caused by additional factors of epidemic risk in the areas of local armed conflicts and military operations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and surrounding areas. The strategic issue of national security, epidemic safety of the population and personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the moment, is the completion of the reform of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, and improving the performance of the military medical service, the scientific substantiation of improving: legislative and regulatory framework, personnel maintenance of anti-epidemic structures with the introduction of structural changes in the law concerning their performance in peacetime, effective work in the area of local armed conflicts and military operations for the prevention of outbreaks and the emergence of centers of infectious diseases.

У статті аналізуються наукова література, міжнародні та вітчизняні нормативно-правові документи, медико-статистичні дані, що визначають актуальність проблеми, медико-соціальні, біоетичні, правові аспекти еутаназії та паліативної і хоспісної допомоги (ПХД) як альтернативи еутаназії. Мета роботи: представити аналіз ситуації в Україні і у світі щодо нормативно-правової оцінки і ставлення суспільства до еутаназії та її альтернативи – ПХД, стратегій та підходів до розвитку служби ПХД в рамках реформування системи охорони громадського здоров’я в Україні. Матеріали дослідження. Матеріалами для дослідження при виконанні представленої роботи були документи ВООЗ та міжнародних організацій, законодавча база України, вітчизняна та закордонна наукова література, міжнародні та вітчизняні нормативно-правові документи, що стосуються еутаназії та ПХД, медико-статистичні дані Держкомітету статистики та звіти МОЗ України. Методи дослідження. Авторами були використані наступні методи: інформаційно-аналітичний, бібліосемантичний, системного підходу, структурно-логічного аналізу та порівняльного контент-аналізу. Результати дослідження та обговорення. Ефективна і доступна система ПХД, застосовуючи мультидисциплінарний та міжсекторальний підхід, може адекватно реагувати та задовольняти потреби паліативних пацієнтів та їхніх рідних, що сприяє забезпеченню належної якості життя і зменшує бажання в інкурабельних хворих щодо застосування еутаназії. Це визначає велике медико-соціальне, економічне та гуманітарне значення ПХД – цього інноваційного напрямку охорони здоров’я і соціального захисту населення, яка є важливою складовою реформування системи охорони здоров’я в Україні. Найбільш важливими є міжнародні нормативно-правові акти, що стверджують невід’ємні права людини, і які, з точки зору більшості юристів, забороняють еутаназію, хоча в деяких країнах має місце легалізація та застосування еутаназії. Законодавство України однозначно забороняє еутаназію. Висновки. 1. Забезпечення максимально досяжного рівня якості життя інкурабельних хворих з обмеженим прогнозом тривалості життя стало в останні десятиліття однією з найважливіших гуманітарних проблем сучасного суспільства, що зумовлено несприятливими медико-демографічними процесами, зокрема постарінням населення і збільшенням смертності від хронічних неінфекційних захворювань. 2. Зазначене потребує оптимальної організації та розвитку сучасної ефективної та доступної системи ПХД, яка є інноваційним медико-соціальним мультидисциплінарним підходом, що найбільш адекватно забезпечує потреби та належну якість життя паліативних пацієнтів та їхніх рідних, сприяє збереженню людської гідності наприкінці біологічного життя. 3. Відповідно до сучасних міжнародних концепцій та стандартів, ПХД має забезпечити 4 обов’язкових складових: медичну, психологічну, соціальну і духовну. 4. Сьогодні найбільш важливими є міжнародні нормативно-правові акти, що стверджують невід’ємні права людини, і які, з точки зору більшості юристів, забороняють еутаназію, хоча в деяких країнах спостерігається тенденція до легалізації та застосування еутаназії. 5. Чинне законодавство України однозначно забороняє еутаназію. 6. Зазначене потребує створення та розвитку в Україні доступної та ефективної системи надання ПХД населенню як альтернативи еутаназії.

Reform of the abortion laws in favour of the well-being of pregnant women is one aspect of the removal of gender discrimination. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP Act) 1971, was a breakthrough legislation in this regard, as it reduced the number of unsafe illegal abortions. With advancements in ultrasonography and genetic technologies, many foetal malformations and genetic disorders were being diagnosed after 20 weeks of gestation. The fact that termination of pregnancy was not legally permitted beyond 20 weeks of gestation caused great distress to such women, and highlighted the need to increase the upper limit of termination of pregnancy. Concurrently, there has been greater awareness around the world on the rights of women to take decisions regarding their own bodies. The MTP Bill, 2020, has come as a breath of fresh air extending the term limit for legal abortions to 24 weeks for certain categories of women, and removing the limit for abortion in the presence of a significant foetal abnormality. The amendments were recently approved by Parliament and the President of India, and have become law as of March 25, 2021. This paper presents the amendments made and their implications for obstetric, ultrasonographic and foetal medical practice. It also presents a critique of the various Acts and suggests further amendments that would enhance the value of the Act.

PurposeAlthough the topic of performance budgeting has received considerable attention in the literature, it is mainly explored in the field of public management and administration, and little research exists in the field of public sector accounting. The purpose of this paper is to provide more insight into how non-performance indicators are integrated in budget documents, thereby bridging the gap between the literature in both fields. Furthermore, the influence of potential drivers of differences in the incorporation of non-financial performance indicators are explored.Design/methodology/approachThis study starts with an overview of historical developments in Dutch local government for a period of 50 years. This is followed by an empirical assessment of the current incorporation of non-financial performance indicators based on a dataset of 107 municipal budget documents for FY2019.FindingsThe authors' historical overview shows that several initiatives were employed to encourage municipalities to integrate non-financial performance indicators in their budget documents. A search to connect policy and means can be observed, which has not developed linearly over time, but mostly in reaction to major changes in national legislation. The authors find a large variation among the municipalities in their current incorporation of non-financial performance indicators. Contrary to theoretical expectations, output indicators (and not outcome indicators) are most frequently incorporated. Furthermore, the authors find that more indicators are incorporated if a municipality is larger, more willing to innovate and if it has less financial resources.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the understanding of how to incorporate non-financial performance indicators in public sector financial statements. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is an area that is not explored before.

Background/Aim. Growing waiting lists for cardiac surgery have become a real problem in the Republic of Serbia, imposing serious difficulties in patient-surgeon communication. The aim of the study was to determine the current state of the institutional informed consent policy before elective cardiac surgical procedures in light of actual nation-al legislation. Methods. An anonymous, voluntary survey was conducted among 200 consecutive patients at the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, from September to December 2019, after signing an official institutional consent form. A targeted questionnaire was created to determine the quantity and quality of patients? in-formation about general and the most important aspects of cardiac surgical care. Results. The mean age of respondents was 66.2 years, with male predominance (68.0%), homogenous ethnicity, and low-to-middle (84.0%) education levels. A significant percentage had no information on the type of surgery (16.0%), extracorporeal circulation (46.0%), anaesthesia (56.0%) and transfusion (51.5%). Of those having some information, 7.0?20.0% graded them sufficient. The worst situation was recorded concerning risks of disease and surgical treatment, where 88.0% of patients had no information and almost 90.0% had some information and graded them as non-sufficient. Surprisingly, 81.5% of patients signed the consent form without any prior discussion with the operating surgeon. For 56.0% of patients, the information in the actual consent form was clear and sufficient. While 85.5% of patients claimed the importance, the others (14.5%) were not interested to know the most relevant in-formation about their disease and surgery. Conclusion. The results unambiguously indicate an unacceptably low level of our patients? information about the cardiac surgical procedure, extracorporeal circulation, anesthesia, transfusion, and estimated risk. The majority of them (85.5%) comprehends the importance and expects timely and adequate information. An extremely high percentage (81.5%) of patients had no chance to discuss the procedure with the operating surgeon. Both surgical indifference and insufficient knowledge of professional, ethical, and legal importance are the most important reasons for the actual informed consent policy in cardiac surgery.

Societal Impact Statement The widespread use of patents on plants and plant parts in low‐ and middle‐income countries demonstrates the increasing privatisation of crop genetic resources and potentially limits the use of these resources in farmer breeding, increasing the dependence of smallholder farmers on the private seed sector. Use of genetically modified traits in farmer breeding poses biosafety issues. Adaptation of patent legislation to the benefit of smallholder breeding and development of alternative seed sources from the public breeding sector could contain these negative impacts on farmer‐breeder efforts and ultimately on food and nutrition security. Summary This paper explores the potential impact of increased use of digital sequence information (DSI) through new breeding technologies (NBTs) and its associated patent and biosafety strategies and policies on smallholder agriculture and breeding in low‐ and middle‐income countries. We performed a case study in the southern Philippines, involving multiple field visits and interviews, where smallholder farmers deliberately and successfully incorporated a genetically modified, patent‐protected trait into popular open‐pollinated varieties (OPVs) of both yellow and white maize, resulting in the wide‐spread dissemination of glyphosate‐tolerant open‐pollinated varieties (OPVs) called sige‐sige. The particular case poses a suite of questions regarding farmer producer health, biosafety and access to plant genetic resources protected by patent rights. Considering current trends, it is predicted that the rise of NBTs such as gene editing will lead to more patents on breeding processes and on gene‐edited crop plants, including in low‐ and middle‐income countries and emerging economies. Since in many jurisdictions NBTs may be regulated as genetic engineering processes and products, biosafety regulations and related management requirements need to be considered as well. By recognising and supporting the breeding efforts of farmers, governments can tap into the potential for creating a wider portfolio of varieties that are better adjusted to the needs of smallholder farmers. If the spread of GMOs in smallholder agriculture should be contained, alternative seed sources for farmer‐breeding from the public breeding sector will be highly needed.

In recent years, policymakers have begun to problematize how legislation stands in the way of the digitalization of the public sector. We are witnessing the emergence of a new phenomenon, digital-ready legislation, which implies that, whenever possible, new legislation should build on simple rules and unambiguous terminology to reduce the need for professional (human) discretion and allow for the extended use of automated case processing in public-sector organizations. Digital-ready legislation has potentially wide-ranging consequences because it creates the conditions for how public organizations are digitalized. The processes, practices, choices, and responsibilities for drafting digital-ready legislation, however, are not well-described or debated. Digital-ready legislation is a dormant issue. This paper develops the notion of the “double darkness” of digitalization to account for this. Based on a qualitative study, the paper investigates how digital-ready legislation as a sociotechnical arrangement is shaped by policy tools and by a complex, collaborative process where responsibility for legislation is fragmented. It argues that although the policy tools are aimed at making actors responsible for digitalization and creating clarity about the process, actors seem to be reluctant to take on the responsibility for making political decisions related to digitalization.

Objective To quantify and describe boxing-related deaths in Australia. Design Retrospective analysis of news media reports of all boxing-related fatalities in Australia during 1832 to 2020. Methods Australia and New Zealand Newsstream, Factiva, Informit, Google News, Fairfax Media Archive, and Trove were searched from inception to December 31, 2020. News media articles reporting all-cause boxing-related mortality were included for analysis. Results There were 163 boxing-related fatalities in Australia during 1832 to 2020, including 122 (74.8%) professional and 40 (24.5%) amateur athletes. The most common causes of death were traumatic brain injury (n = 121; 74.2%) and cardiac arrest (n = 11; 6.7%). Boxing-related deaths occurred most frequently during the decades from 1910 to 1930. The fatality rate remained relatively steady from the 1870s through the 1930s, and then declined precipitously until the 1980s. Since legislation to regulate boxing started being introduced in the mid-1970s, there were a total of eleven deaths, of which all but one were caused by traumatic brain injury. Conclusions Participation in boxing is associated with risk of death, in particular death caused by traumatic brain injury. The boxing-related fatality rate declined precipitously prior to government legislation to regulate boxing started being introduced, with no discernible further reduction in fatalities since. Given that a main purpose of government regulation of boxing is to protect the health and safety of athletes, the findings herein suggest that current regulations are either inadequate or not effectively implemented.

Background The opioid epidemic is a health crisis in the United States. Within orthopedic surgery, opioid misuse and incautious prescription remains a concern. In the last several years, there has been a growing interest and public effort toward reducing opioid use in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in response to the opioid epidemic in the United States. We aim to review opioid-limiting practices, policies, and legislations that are implemented at the state level and nationally that are relevant to TJA, as well as evaluate studies that measure the efficacy of these policies in the management of patients undergoing TJA. Methods Two independent reviewers conducted a systematic review of national and state level opioid-limiting policies implemented in the United States and their effects on opioid prescription, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). Results We identified 3 national bills and 9 policies set forth by national organizations that imposed limits on opioid prescription. Opioid-reducing legislation was also identified in 24 states, with the majority specifying a 7-day limit on initial opioid prescription for acute pain management. Six research studies evaluating the impact of opioid-restricting policies on postoperative opioid prescription for TJA patients were found. Three studies assessed legislation at the state level while the others were institution-based guidelines. Overall, these studies demonstrated a significant decrease in mean morphine milligram equivalents of initial opioid prescription after implementing the policies. Conclusion Recent opioid-restricting legislation is effective in decreasing postoperative opioid prescriptions following TJA.

Background There are concerns regarding immunogenicity with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines among persons with prior history of COVID-19 (PHC). This study was to analyze the short-term side effects of mRNA vaccines among healthcare workers (HCWs) with and without PHC. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed using an independent online survey questionnaire that gathered responses from HCWs. Results Among 1475 HCWs, 1268 (85.97%) completed the survey, 102/1268 (44/447 in Moderna group and 58/821 in Pfizer-BioNTech group) reported PHC during pre-vaccination period. Symptoms of flushing/p= 0.05, brain fogging/p= 0.005, vertigo/p= 0.041, numbness/p= 0.023, diarrhea/p= 0.047, hives/p= 0.028, itching/p= 0.028, swelling of lips/mouth/p= 0.001, shortness of breath/p= 0.022, and anxiety/p= 0.048 have greater occurrence among Pfizer-BioNtech group with PHC when compared to Pfizer-BioNtech group with no PHC. Symptoms of chills/p= 0.027, flushing/p= 0.045, tremor/p= 0.05, muscle spasm/p= 0.039, vomiting/p= 0.031, diarrhea/p= 0.015, and cough/p= 0.011 have higher occurrence among Moderna group with PHC when compared to Moderna group with no PHC. Conclusions Few short-term side effects among mRNA vaccine recipients with PHC may have necessitated transient time-off from work. The PHC can be considered as a predictor for severity of side effects. While the vaccination program continues in the United States, a future COVID legislation that mandates vaccination among employees along with paid time off provision may help with higher compliance and acceptance.

To date, modern outpatient minimally invasive interventions for varicose veins, such as endovenous laser or radiofrequency ablation, microphlebectomy, sclerotherapy, non-thermal non-tumescent methods (NTNT), are widely introduced into clinical practice in the Russia. In the approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in 2021 clinical guidelines "Varicose veins of the lower extremities" they are recommended as preferred over open surgery. At the same time, there are no federal regulations of preoperative examination of patients before these minimally invasive procedures for varicose veins. That is why the medical community is often forced to prescribe unnecessary diagnostic tests on the "just-in-case" principle, in order to protect itself for cases of complications and subsequent checks. This undoubtedly harms both the patients and the medical service, which has an additional useless and inappropriate burden. The purpose of the round table held on September 28, 2021 under the auspices of the Self-Regulatory Organization “The National College of Phlebology” together with the legal partner “The Faculty of Medical Law LLC” (Moscow), was to review the existing legislation on this issue and then to prepare a resolution regarding the justified preoperative examination of patients before minimally invasive interventions for varicose veins of the lower extremities. The prepared document consists of two parts. The first part presents the legal regulation of the diagnostic tests before interventions in phlebology. The second part contains the opinion of the professional community regarding the appropriateness or inexpediency of different pre-procedural examinations. In addition, based on the conclusions of legal analytics, a form of order of the chief physician has been developed, which regulates the diagnostic tests before the considered phlebological interventions in the clinic.

Policies intended to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions are among the most hotly debated policy problems of our time. Among the concerns raised are that costs will be passed on to consumers and jobs will be lost. A vast economic literature has addressed the pricing of carbon dioxide, at least theoretically, but empirical evidence and observed market behavior following carbon legislation is scant due to the lack of policy implementation. We use the introduction and eventual tightening of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional carbon permit system in the Northeastern United States, to measure labor market responses and dynamics following the implementation of a carbon pricing system. We find that implementation of the RGGI and the subsequent tightening of the emissions cap has had no effect on employment or earnings in the utilities sector but increased the rate at which workers flow in and out of jobs. In particular, within the utilities sector, we observe some job destruction and worker separation combined with increased labor reallocation across establishments. This is complemented with small spillover effects yielding positive increases in hiring, worker reallocation and job creation in industries outside of utilities. Furthermore, when we account for the endogeneity of electricity prices we fi nd increased hiring, job creation and worker reallocation rates and a decline in job destruction rates across industries.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides insight into the designing methods of furnaces in a bid to assist future furnace designers to focus on and achieve the objective, i.e. fuel efficient, low cost design. A new furnace is a major investment, with a typical design life of 20 years and an operating life of probably twice that, so decisions made during the design stage will have implications for the furnace owner(s) for decades. Cost of fuel, amount of capital, and even the region where the furnace will be used are factors to be kept in mind during the designing stage. This chapter limits the discussion to the process design of furnaces and how the furnace is integrated with the rest of the process. Wide ranges of chemical and physical processes are undertaken in furnaces and it is impossible to cover them all. In any case it is important to undertake a thorough analysis of the physical and chemical processes to understand the ideal rates of heating and cooling to achieve the ideal or optimum product. To achieve a cost-effective design process, it is critically important that the conceptual design is undertaken thoroughly. Time, intellectual effort, and especially critical thinking spent on this part of the design process are repaid many times over by cost savings later. In reality, design usually involves a number of iterations where the preliminary design is changed as a consequence of feedback from the results of the preliminary efforts, and/or the designers become aware of other possibilities.

Problem setting. The modern world is characterized by rapid changes towards democracy, which have a positive impact on the humanitarian component of society. Education reforms are affected by many negative factors, including unstable political and economic situation in the country, and 2020 introduced the concept of “pandemic learning” into the educational process, which certainly did not improve the overall situation. However, despite these problems in the field of education, the issue of involvement of children with mental and physical disabilities into the educational environment of Ukraine remains extremely important. This trend of integration of children with mental and physical disabilities into the educational environment is relevant around the world, but in Ukraine attention has been paid and appropriate steps has been taken to improve the critical educational situation for this category of children only in the last few years. Also, the Association Agreement with the EU, which came into force in 2017, prompted the government to take certain steps for political, economic, social and cultural reforming of all spheres of life that affect the quality of provision and receipt of educational services. Recent research and publications analysis. Elaboration of theoretical and methodical basics of inclusive education can be found in the works by: N. Bastun, S. Bohdanova, L. Zdanevych, T. Zubarieva, E. Ketrysh, T. Kozhekina, K. Kolchenko, O. Kuzmina, T. Kuchai, N. Lalak, O. Lesher, O. Martynova, G. Onykovych, M. Semago, N. Semago, I. Smirnova, N. Sofiy, M. Tomchuk, N. Shmatko, O. Yarska-Smirnova, etc.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. Analysis of current legislation and scientific literature allows us to conclude that inclusive education in Ukraine opens up great opportunities for children/people with special educational needs, but is not explored fully. These sources emphasize that creation of optimal conditions for qualitative education for children with mental and physical disabilities has its social, economic and psychological characteristics and problems, which are quite complex and require further research and development. That is why there is a need to work systematically and purposefully on introduction of inclusive process in educational institutions to implement the right to education of every citizen of Ukraine. Paper main body. The article considers specific features of introduction of inclusive education in Ukraine in the context of European integration. Dynamics of implementation of inclusive education in the context of education system reform is analyzed. Components of preparation to implementation of the inclusion process both for teachers and for children with special educational needs and main problems of the educational environment were considered. Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. Analysis of development of inclusive education in Ukraine indicates a positive trend in the number of children with special educational needs enrolled in comprehensive schools, as indicated by the dynamics from 2720 pupils in the 2015 – 2016 school year to 18643 pupils in the 2019 – 2020 school year. Opening of 638 inclusive resource centers is an important step towards introduction of inclusive education not only in big cities but also in the regions. However, existing economic (ensuring architectural accessibility of interiors, accessibility of appropriate transport and transport infrastructure for children/persons with mental and physical disabilities, campuses, sports and cultural facilities, dormitories, etc.) and social (complex process of socialization both for children with special educational needs (as well as their family members) and for relatively healthy children; change of psychological and value attitudes of teachers and increase of their professional competencies in an inclusive form of education, etc.) problems are complicated by partial or complete distance learning during a pandemic, and solving these problems will facilitate the reception of educational services by the specified category of citizens of Ukraine.

The article discusses several new laws in the oil and gas sector of Venezuela, which appeared at the beginning of the 21st century. It also presents the tax regimes in this area of the country and the types of tax and economic burdens that apply to these regimes; highlights the main problematic aspects of changes in tax legislation and the consequences on the activities of foreign companies and the development of the oil and gas sector of the country as a result of such changes. It is concluded that the increase in state revenues not solve the problem of attracting investments in the oil and gas sector of the country, and only scare off a large company in the future (Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips have left the Venezuelan market), resulting in a fall in production at the country, its government revenues, and then slowing down economic growth in the country. As an alternative approach to improving state regulation and the conduct of the oil business in the country, the options for improving this situation are presented: to increase the share of foreign companies in strategic partnerships; review the tax system for oil companies; allow some programs to be implemented directly by foreign companies; and propose new distribution and profitability schemes that will adapt to the current international hydrocarbon market.

The publication raises issues of interaction of rapidly developing areas of bio-medicine and international legal standards, and national legislation of states. Attention is focused on the need for legal guarantees in the field of editing the genome of living organisms, in vitro fertilization, etc. It is proposed to form a uni-form attitude and establish the boundaries of what is permissible in the field of genetic practice so that the situation does not get out of the control of the human mind.

The problem of induced termination of pregnancy has been a burning issue for mankind for centuries. An analysis of doctrine and legislation demonstrates that there is no consensus on this issue. The problem of induced termination of pregnancy is defined by ethical, religious, medical, social and legal aspects, which is also associated with the uncertainty of the legal status of the embryo. The aim of the study is to analyze the legislation of Latin American countries regarding the legal regulation of abortion, in order to verify its compliance with the fundamental rights - the right to life, the right to health and the right to inviolability. Special scientific methods were used in the research: comparative law, legal and technical methods. The relevance of the problem stems from the need to solve the controversial issue of legalization of artificial termination of pregnancy. The existence of disagreement lies in the lack of a unified approach in seeking to resolve this situation.

The article deals with the topical issues of searching and identifying legal indicators of the socio-economic category quality of life. The goals and objectives of social development, respect for and protection of socio-economic rights and freedoms of citizens, improvement of legislation in the study area are specified with the help of theoretical and applied methodological levels of legal analysts. The expediency of formulation and use of the legal criteria for the quality and standard of living is justified; it helps to identify the state as social and law-governed. The author focuses on the need to apply an interdisciplinary approach in the research of the category the quality of life, which is of mutual importance for legal, economic and, in general, socio-humanitarian science.

Silage is a source of roughage obtained by anaerobic fermentation of fresh green feeds, certain vegetable products, and agricultural and industrial waste. Silage is widely used to feed animals and is importance for animals, humans, and the environment. This study, it was aimed to examine the production, use, and importance of silage, which is widely used in animal nutrition, in terms of legislation. Therefore, the study analyzed national and European Union legislation on the subject. For this purpose, content analysis was carried out on the relevant Turkey and European Union legislation. The scans determined that seven national and four European Union regulations could be related to issues animal feeding and silage. Therefore, it can be said that the issues related to silage management, including the precautions from production to consumption, should be defined in a way that minimizes the detrimental effects on animal, human and environmental health. Accordingly, specific regulations should be made on silage., Silaj; taze yeşil yemler, diğer bazı bitkisel ürünler ile tarımsal ve endüstriyel artıkların oksijensiz ortamlarda fermantasyonu ile elde edilen kaba yem kaynağıdır. Silaj, hayvan beslemede yaygın olarak kullanılmakta, hayvan, insan ve çevre açısından önem taşımaktadır. Çalışmada hayvan beslemede yaygın olarak kullanılan silajın üretimi, kullanımı ve öneminin mevzuat açısından incelenmesi amaçlandı. Bu amaçla konuyla ilgili Türkiye ve Avrupa Birliği mevzuatına içerik analizi yapıldı. Yapılan taramalarda hayvan besleme ve silaj konusu ile ilgili olabilecek yedi ulusal ve dört Avrupa Birliği düzenlemesi olduğu belirlendi. Üretimden tüketime kadar olan önlemler de dahil olmak üzere silaj yönetimi ile ilgili hususların hayvan, insan ve çevre sağlığı üzerindeki zararlı etkilerini en aza indirecek şekilde tanımlanması ve bu doğrultuda silaj konusunda spesifik düzenlemeler yapılması gerektiği söylenebilir.

The article is devoted to the general analysis of self-regulatory practices of genetic research in Russia (conducted by public research institutions and commercial companies). Selfregulation is a special type of regulation, performed by organizations providing genetic research and their associations as well as by relevant professional and scientific community; it is regulated by local acts, agreements, memoranda, professional standards, codes of ethics, etc. and is aimed at establishing relationships in the field of organization, provision and use of results of genetic studies. Basically, selfregulation is especially critical in various aspects of organization and conducting genetic research in the worldwide perspective. The analysis provided by this article allows concluding that self-regulation practice in Russia is applied in several public research institutions, but rather fragmentarily. Moreover, the development of such form of regulation goes slowly. At the same time non-public genomic institutions are trying to evade any significant self-regulation of their activities; they do not provide for any expanded rules or standards of their practices (or they just confine themselves to references and general provisions which are not in line with the specifics of the mentioned activities). On the other hand, it is important to keep in mind that the current Russian legislation is full of gaps in terms of regulating genetic research process. Analysis of several websites of Russian private companies providing genetic profiling services revealed that those organizations almost never place complex information guides on their information portals; they neither provide the standards for performing genetic research in an intelligible form. The websites do not contain any information on possible risks or threats to health connected with application of medical procedures, while the issue of disclosure the gathered genomic information to third parties (e.g., enforcement agencies) is often ignored. More than that, there are hardly any published standards for conducting genomic research or documents on protecting patients rights, etc. Thus, we are forced to acknowledge that the institute of self-regulation in the field of genetic studies is not developed well enough in Russia. The current fragmented nature of legal regulation and selfregulation concerning genetic research may contribute to violation of rights and legitimate interests of patients in terms of confidentiality and safeguarding genetic information, gathered in the process of research. The state therefore should within the established goals of intensive genetic technological development provide all the necessary conditions (including of legal character). However, it is still not clear how the issues of legal regulation of status of genetic research participants, protection of genetic data, incentives for providing genetic research, etc. should be handled. We assume that one of the possible ways of tackling the aforementioned challenges is developing relevant complex legal regulation (including departmental acts) and/or investing the frontline public research institutions with special functions (i.e., within a special council, commission, or association). Such powers will contribute to regulating certain aspects of administering and conducting genetic research and using its results in the framework of legal regulation, which should be mandatory, including for non-public organizations, offering genetic services in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Every year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is exposed to different natural hazards. However, flash floods have been the most common hazard during the previous few decades. Between 2000 and 2020, over 1,000 people lost their lives from flash floods, resulting in an economic loss amounting to billions of US dollars. By focusing on flash floods, a systematic review of the extracted data was conducted. They were analyzed based on the suitability of their content and data for emergency planning requirements and disaster management challenges in the KSA. A total of 104 articles, papers, and plans were reviewed, of which only 18 complete papers met the inclusion criteria, including one plan and the General Directorate of Civil Defense (GDCD) website. The author has concluded that: 1) the essential requirements for emergency planning in the KSA include: conducting studies that show potential natural hazards, their locations, and their implications, and taking appropriate measures that reduce the possible causes of natural hazards; 2) The challenges facing the disaster management in the KSA are: lack of policies; the ambiguity of legislation and plans; poor coordination between stakeholders; lack of databases. This is the first investigation into emergency planning requirements and challenges of disaster management in the KSA. Furthermore, a scientific consensus predicts an increase in the frequency and magnitude of flash floods in the KSA. Therefore, the gaps need to be addressed in order to reduce the impact on inhabitants and infrastructure.

The article is devoted to the emerging threats to human rights in the context of the development of biomedical technologies, as well as to the identification of social risks requiring legal resolution in this area. It suggests a human rights model for regulating innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of the article is to analyze legislation in the field of modern biomedicine, genetic engineering, and related innovative technologies. A comparative legal study applied in the work made it possible to substantiate a framework model for regulating modern biomedicine. The main task of such a model is to identify risks affecting fundamental human and civil rights and freedoms. With this approach, the details of regulation are the subject of bylaws or the corresponding prescriptions of professional medical organizations. Methods . The basis of this research was formed by such research methods as analysis of legal regulation, formal legal and comparative legal methods. The main results of the study are to determine the legal links between modern biomedical technologies and the concept of personalized medicine. In fact, the lack of interaction of new advances in biomedicine with the basic provisions of medical care has been revealed. The article proves the need to impose restrictions on the alleged popularization of innovative technologies by persons without medical education, using them for dubious social purposes. The risks of developing updated eugenics have been outlined. The tendency of relativism in consolidating the principles of mutual relations between a person, state, and society has been identified. Conclusions. The development of biomedicine requires an adequate response from the Russian legislation, which does not yet take into account most of its achievements. This creates certain risks for human and civil rights and freedoms. The article substantiates the introduction of bans on the most ethically questionable technologies and experiments. It is proposed to expand the powers of professional medical organizations (including the transfer of some of the regulatory powers to them).

Children have the right to grow up free from the hazards associated with tobacco smoking. Tobacco smoke exposure can have detrimental effects on children’s health and development, from before birth and beyond. As a result of effective tobacco control policies, European smoking rates are steadily decreasing among adults, as is the proportion of adolescents taking up smoking. Substantial variation however exists between countries, both in terms of smoking rates and regarding implementation, comprehensiveness and enforcement of policies to address smoking and second-hand smoke exposure. This is important because comprehensive tobacco control policies such as smoke-free legislation and tobacco taxation have extensively been shown to carry clear health benefits for both adults and children. Additional policies such as increasing the legal age to buy tobacco, reducing the number of outlets selling tobacco, banning tobacco display and advertising at the point-of-sale, and introducing plain packaging for tobacco products can help reduce smoking initiation by youth. At societal level, health professionals can play an important role in advocating for stronger policy measures, whereas they also clearly have a duty to address smoking and tobacco smoke exposure at the patient level. This includes providing cessation advise and referring to effective cessation services.Conclusion: Framing of tobacco exposure as a child right’s issue and of comprehensive tobacco control as a tool to work towards the ultimate goal of reaching a tobacco-free generation can help accelerate European progress to curb the tobacco epidemic. What is Known:• Tobacco exposure is associated with a range of adverse health effects among babies and children.• Comprehensive tobacco control policies helped bring down smoking rates in Europe and benefit child health. What is New:• Protecting the rights and health of children provides a strong starting point for tobacco control advocacy.• The tobacco-free generation concept helps policy-makers set clear goals for protecting future generations from tobacco-associated harms.

Brazil has a long tradition of considering its urban bus systems as a public service. Almost a quarter of the Brazilian population rely only on them to perform daily activities. In 2015 urban transport was guaranteed as a fundamental social right in the Federal constitution, putting it in the same level of importance as public health and education. The Brazilian legislation establishes that the concession for private firms to provide public services is subject to competitive bidding criteria and must be regulated by a contract. This paper aims to identify entry barriers that are embedded in the concession contracts from the biggest cities in Brazil. Firstly, a literature review about the main entry barriers in the urban bus section was conducted. Subsequently, the eight most significant Brazilian contracts were compared and discussed vis-a-vis to the review findings. We concluded that all contracts considered in this study had aspects that gave local operators a substantial advantage in the bidding processes. Long term contracts, private depot ownership and tight deadlines to prepare the proposals contributed to driving out newcomers. Future competitive tendering procedures should seek to overcome these shortfalls as a way to reopen the market and promote fair competition among bidders.

Background The European General Food Law (Regulation No 178/2002) declares that risk analysis should be the basis of food legislation to achieve a high level of protection of human health. Concerning meat safety, the food chain information (FCI) set down by Regulation No 853/2004 is a very important tool that is required for animals admitted to slaughter. To properly integrate FCI, harmonised epidemiological indicators (HEIs) have been proposed by EFSA for high priority risks and risks that might emerge in the future. Scope and approach In the pig meat chain, the HEIs within meat inspection cover Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spp., Taenia solium and mycobacteria. Nevertheless, ten years after the HEIs specification were published, only two biological hazards (Trichinella and Salmonella) are included in official control programs in the EU countries. While Trichinella monitoring is mandatory, Salmonella control plans have been implemented by some countries only. Key findings and conclusions In countries where Salmonella in pigs is monitored at farm level, the status of the farm is described in the FCI. This information is crucial for the risk manager to organise slaughter operations and implement hygienic measures, as well as for the competent authorities to properly follow inspection procedures and additional controls according to Regulation No 2019/627. Since FCI needs to enable forward and backward flow of information on animal and public health hazards between all operators involved in pig husbandry and pig meat production, its implementation with HEIs will allow risk-based decision making in food safety.

Introduction Many states have mandated breast density notification and insurance coverage for additional screening; yet, the association between such legislation and stage of diagnosis for breast cancer is unclear. This study investigates this association and examines the differential impacts among different age and race/ethnicity subgroups. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried to identify patients with breast cancer aged 40–74 years diagnosed between 2005 and 2016. Using a difference-in-differences multinomial logistic model, the odds of being diagnosed at different stages of cancer relative to the localized stage depending on legislation and individual characteristics were examined. Analyses were conducted in 2020–2021. Results The study included 689,641 cases. Overall, the impact of notification legislation was not significant, whereas insurance coverage legislation was associated with 6% lower odds (OR=0.94, 95% CI=0.91, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the regional stage. The association between insurance coverage legislation and stage of diagnosis was even stronger among women aged 40–49 years, with 11% lower odds (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.82, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the regional stage and 12% lower odds (OR=0.88, 95% CI=0.81, 0.96) of being diagnosed at the distant stage. Hispanic women benefited from notification laws, with 11% lower odds (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.82, 0.97) of being diagnosed at distant stage. Neither notification nor supplemental screening insurance coverage legislation showed a substantial impact on Black women. Conclusions The findings imply that improving insurance coverage is more important than being notified overall. Raising awareness is important among Hispanic women; improving communication about dense breasts and access to screening might be more important than legislation among Black women.

Recent changes in innovation development are related to the new technological revolution (Industry 4.0), pandemic, economic crises, and new legislation. These trends provide new opportunities for the improvement of production materials, construction, processes, and capacities. Innovative technologies improve the processes of business analyses and forecasting, as well as new product development, order processing, logistics, production automation, quality control, and marketing. Modern technologies are gradually replacing ergonomically demanding and dangerous occupations. Such innovations are particularly necessary for the transformation of problem companies and regions, as they often have a significant impact on economic development. This study is part of our long-term research on the technology innovation of problem companies and regions. Its primary goal is to methodically emphasize the importance and role of technology innovation management, mainly in problem companies, and analytically compare the innovation success of regions and countries from a global perspective. The study was carried out from 2015 to 2021. The time scope of the analyzed data is 2000–2018. The results show a certain Asian dominance in technology innovation management, in terms of the number of technology patents as well as of the growth dynamics and the ability to overcome the pandemic and crises in general.

Effective obesity prevention requires intervening at all levels of society, including the governmental level. Policy interventions at the governmental level are especially promising as they tend to involve minimal individual effort while, at the same time, reach many people. The amount of state-level obesity-related legislation in the United States has increased over the years, and several laws were installed in contexts that reach young people, such as schools. Given this increase in state-level obesity-related legislation targeting youth, we tested whether the quantity of obesity-related legislation in U.S. states was associated with adolescent BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence. Linear and multilevel analyses showed that the quantity of physical activity-related legislation was associated with lower overweight/obesity prevalence yet with very modest effect size (b = -0.002, p = .042). Our results underline the likely importance of obesity-related legislation. In addition, the value of examining both BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence when evaluating interventions is demonstrated.

Telehealth has long held promise as a way to increase access to subspecialty care for children and families, including in developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated rapid uptake of telehealth to continue care delivery that was facilitated by "temporary" policy changes related to the pandemic. As a result, the field of DBP has recognized telehealth as a potential model of care for performing home-based diagnostic assessments, providing medication management follow-up, and delivering therapeutic interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Telehealth has been helpful in mitigating barriers families often face when attending in-person visits (lack of transportation and child care, missed work hours, etc) but has also highlighted additional determinants of health that need to be addressed to provide equitable access to care (broadband connectivity, device access, digital literacy, access to interpretation and sign language services, etc). Anticipating the lifting of pandemic-related emergency declaration and expiration of temporary policies around telehealth, the ability to continue to deliver DBP care by telehealth is uncertain. The purpose of this policy statement is to advocate for legislation and policies that support ongoing, equitable, home-based telehealth care for patients seen by DBP providers while ensuring equitable access to DBP in general. In addition, there is a need to recognize the benefits and challenges of telehealth versus in-person care and to identify clinical scenarios that favor 1 model of care versus the other.

The increased scale of genetic research in the world determines the relevance of legal regulation of relations on the turnover of genetic information. The purpose of this study is to define a new legal institution for the circulation of genetic information and the main directions of development of future legislation. The methodological basis of the study comprises empirical methods of comparison, description, interpretation; theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic; private scientific methods: the method of comparative jurisprudence and the method of interpretation of legal norms. The results of the study allow the authors to state that there is a process of separation of the still few legal norms on the turnover of genetic information into a separate institution in the system of the information law branch.The developing institute should include norms (principles) of turnover and processing of genetic information. These are norms that consolidate the rights and obligations of subjects of information legal relations regarding the turnover of genetic information; norms that establish the legal regime of biological banks and national databases of genetic information; protective norms for state supervision of the activities of subjects in the field of turnover of genetic information; special norms on liability for violations of the requirements of the law.The most effective solution to the problem of legal regulation of relations on the turnover of genetic information in the Russian Federation is the adoption of a special law.The information activities of various entities in this area are often international in nature and are based on the norms established in treaties and national legislation. In this regard, it seems appropriate to launch a broad discussion of the problems of genetic information turnover at the level of the international scientific community. These should include identification of threats; identification of possible risks of using information technologies in medicine; unification of digital identification mechanisms; development of ethical codes of conduct for the scientific community; use of foresight methodology in order to develop common positions.

The article in the context of methodologies of systematic analysis of legal phenomena reveals the content of the principles of legal regulation of the institute of information security. It is noted that information security is defined as the impossibility of causing harm by means of a security object, due to information and information structure. Principles play an important role in the legal provision of information security. The basic principles of legal regulation of the information sphere are enshrined in the Laws "On Information", "On the Basic Principles of Cyber Security of Ukraine", most of which are key to the development of legal regulation of information security processes. In order to improve the information security system from various challenges and threats, it is proposed to enshrine in information legislation the principle of presumption of security of critical information infrastructure, which establishes that critical information infrastructure is considered protected as long as the organizational and legal security of these facilities requirements set forth in regulations in the field of information security. It is stated that a wide range of problems of information security of the individual, society and state, development of cybersecurity culture, ensuring privacy and protection of access rights, protection of information systems, resources and networks, expanding the use of information technology in public administration, other information problems security needs careful study. The principles of legal regulation in the field of information security are revealed through normative detail. It is emphasized that with the development of scientific and technological progress and the latest forms of processing and use of information, the principles of regulation in the field of information security need to be correlated at the level of regulatory support.