We present an architecture and software framework for semantic allies: Semantic systems that complement existing software applications with semantic services and interactions based on a background ontology. On the one hand, our Semantic Alliance framework follows an invasive approach: Users can profit from semantic technology without having to leave their accustomed workflows and tools. On the ...

379 1Project Manager, Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. 2Technical Officer (Legal), WHO Framework Convention Tobacco Control Secretariat, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. 3Regional Adviser, Tobacco Free Initiative, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, World Health Organization, Regional Offic...

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been under negotiation in Geneva for more than two years now. When in force, it will be the first convention ever negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. It constitutes a unique and innovative public health instrument that aims at curbing the escalation of smoking and other forms of tobacco use in order to prevent to...

In this paper, I provide a logical framework for defining conventions, elaborating on the game-theoretic model proposed by David Lewis. The philosophical analysis of some of the key concepts in Lewis’s model reveals that a modal logic formalization may be a natural one. The paper will develop on the analysis and critique of such concepts as those of common knowledge, indication, and the distinc...

BACKGROUND Zimbabwe is the largest tobacco producer in Africa. Despite expressing opposition in the past, Zimbabwe recently acceded to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). We explored why Zimbabwe acceded to the FCTC and the potential implications for tobacco control within Zimbabwe and globally. METHODS We conducted a qualitative archival case study...

This study aimed to develop indicators for evaluating the implementation of The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Iran. We used the “grounded theory” framework. Totally, 265 policy-makers, stakeholders, and community members were recruited by purposeful sampling in 2008. After analyzing the gathered data, 251 indicators, including 82 indicators as “applied indicators”, were deri...

1 Tuomilehto J, Lindström J, Eriksson JG, et al, for the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study Group. Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med 2001; 344: 1343–50. 2 Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med 2002...

The article comprises a conceptual framework to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a global health convention. The analyses are inspired by Lawrence Gostin's suggested Framework Convention on Global Health. The analytical model takes a starting-point in events tentatively following a logic sequence: Input (global health funding), Processes (coordination, cooperation, accountability, alloca...