Case Study on the Basel II implementation in the United States

published_or_final_versionInternational and Public AffairsMasterMaster of International and Public Affair

Climate change policy distortions in the wood and food market

The widespread shift of Australia’s wood products industry away from native forests to an agricultural regime–wood plantations–has enhanced forestry industry competitiveness. Wood now competes against food for agricultural land, water and other resources (including government support). New plantings have increased substantially since the mid 1990s via plantation managed investment schemes (MIS), arousing protest in the traditional agricultural sector and claims of unfair government policy treatment. This claim is investigated in an analysis that integrates the taxation treatment of plantation MIS with economics and forestry industry knowledge. Three methods are developed, and applied, to estimate the plantation MIS tax-based subsidy. Preliminary estimates indicate a tax-based subsidy to forestry through plantation MIS of between $0.9-1.2 billion over the five years ending 2008. The estimated subsidy is then incorporated in the Productivity Commission’s calculations of the effective rate of assistance (ERA) to industry groups from tariff, budget outlay and tax-based government policy. The ERA to Forestry & logging in 2008 was estimated to be 41.8 per cent: government assistance is equivalent to 42 per cent of Forestry & logging’s unassisted value added. The estimated plantation MIS tax based subsidy accounted for 77 per cent of the assistance. Assistance to Forestry & logging exceeds substantially the assistance (including drought related payments) to food growers: 7.2 per cent to Grain, sheep & beef and 17.3 per cent to Dairy cattle farming (a significant proportion was assistance that ceased in April 2008). A detailed examination of Australia’s proposed climate change policy concerning the land use sector indicates that agricultural resource use distortions created through plantation MIS arrangements are lightly to intensify.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Phenomenology Study : Analysis of Support Group Holistic Needs among Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease and Family at Haemodialysis Unit in Semarang Central Java

Background: The End Stage of Renal Disease (ESRD) or last stage of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) will affect to changes sufferers’ life. The changes experienced will alter their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. In addition, haemodialysis therapy that has been given to patients in their long life will affect to their quality of life. Social support is very essential for CKD patients undergoing haemodialysis. Social support can be given as an emotional support, esteem support, informational support, instrumental support, and companionship support. This support can be facilitated by health care team through Support Groups Holistic Therapy for patients and their family’s. Purpose: This study aims to identify needs of Support Group Holistic Therapy among haemodialysis patients, families, and health care team. Methods: This study was a phenomenology study design and recruited a sample of 12 participants with purposive sampling technique. Participants include of patients, family members, and health care team (nurse and doctor). Interview transcripts were analysis using Colaizzi methods. Result: As a results, this study has produced 7 themes : general patients conditions, patients need’s of support group holistic, family need’s of support group holistic, constraints of families for caring haemodialysis patients, family support that given to patients with haemodialysis, health care services support to haemodialysis patients and families, and need for support group holistic therapy on perspective among health care teams. Conclusion: Patients with haemodialysis and their family had an urgent need of holistic support group therapy because they had a comlplex problems (consist of physical, social, economy, and emotional problems). Health care team also want to develop this therapy because it will be very helpful for patients and families. This support group therapy is able to empower the patients and their families to have higher quality of life. We recommend that this therapy can conduct in the hospital, facilitated by health care providers. The time and materials for discussion should be adjusted to the patients’ haemodialysis schedule and their needs. Keywords: Haemodialysis, Family, Support Groups Holistic, Chronic Kidney Diseas

Factoid Forensics: Have “more than 40” Australian families abandoned their homes because of wind farm noise?

Background Anti wind farm activists repeatedly claim that families said to be adversely affected by noise from wind turbines “abandon” their homes. In Australia, a claim of “more than 40 families” has been made by a prominent anti wind farm activist. Methods Six sources (parliamentary submissions, media reports, an anti wind farm website, wind industry sources, correspondence with known anti wind farm activists, and with three politicians opposed to wind farms) were used to find evidence of home “abandonments”. Results Claims about 12 Australian households permanently (n=10) or periodically (n=2) leaving their homes were found. However, no house appears to have been permanently “abandoned” without sale, as the expression implies. These 12 cases need contextualizing against considerations that several of those involved were either dedicated activists against wind farms from times sometimes pre-dating their construction, were engaged in protracted negotiations for home purchase with wind companies, had pre-existing health problems, grievances with the wind company over employment or had left the area for unrelated reasons of employment elsewhere. Conclusions The statement that “more than 40” houses have been “abandoned” because of wind turbines in Australia is a factoid promoted by wind farm opponents for dramatic, rhetorical impact. Other considerations are often involved in abandonment unrelated to the claims made about wind farm noise

2005-06 UNOPA Annual Report

Inside This Report Elected Officer’s Reports 2-4 Financial Statement 4 Standing Committee Reports 5-2

Factoid Forensics: Have “more than 40” Australian families abandoned their homes because of wind farm noise?

Background Anti wind farm activists repeatedly claim that families said to be adversely affected by noise from wind turbines “abandon” their homes. In Australia, a claim of “more than 40 families” has been made by a prominent anti wind farm activist. Methods Six sources (parliamentary submissions, media reports, an anti wind farm website, wind industry sources, correspondence with known anti wind farm activists, and with three politicians opposed to wind farms) were used to find evidence of home “abandonments”. Results Claims about 12 Australian households permanently (n=10) or periodically (n=2) leaving their homes were found. However, no house appears to have been permanently “abandoned” without sale, as the expression implies. These 12 cases need contextualizing against considerations that several of those involved were either dedicated activists against wind farms from times sometimes pre-dating their construction, were engaged in protracted negotiations for home purchase with wind companies, had pre-existing health problems, grievances with the wind company over employment or had left the area for unrelated reasons of employment elsewhere. Conclusions The statement that “more than 40” houses have been “abandoned” because of wind turbines in Australia is a factoid promoted by wind farm opponents for dramatic, rhetorical impact. Other considerations are often involved in abandonment unrelated to the claims made about wind farm noise

A Model-Based Approach for the Management of Electronic Invoices

The globalized market pushes companies to expand their business boundaries to a whole new level. In order to efficiently support this environment, business transactions must be executed over the Internet. However, there are several factors complicating this process, such as the current state of electronic invoices. Electronic invoice adoption is not widespread because of the current format fragmentation originated by national regulations. In this paper we present an approach based on Model-Driven Engineering techniques and abstractions for supporting the core functions of invoice management systems. We compare our solution with the traditional implementations and try to analyze the advantages MDE can bring to this specific domain

Functional Outcome, Cognitive and Coping in Stroke Ischemic Survivors after Three Months Onset: Comparison between Post Stroke Depression and Non-Post Stroke Depression Groups

10 Invited Lectures Functional Outcome, Cognitive and Coping in Stroke Ischemic Survivors after Three Months Onset: Comparison between Post Stroke Depression and Non- Post Stroke Depression Groups Fitria Handayani1 Setyowati2 Dwi Pudjonarko3 Dian Ratna Sawitri 4 1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia 2Faculty of Nursing, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia 3Neurology Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia 4Faculty of Psychology, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia Corresponding email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Introduction: The functional outcome, cognitive, and coping were correlated with PSD among stroke survivors after three months onset. Studies comparing cognitive, functional outcome and coping between ischemic survivors after three months onset who are experiencing PSD and who are not were not well established. This study aimed to compare the functional outcome, cognitive, and coping between PSD and Non-PSD in Stroke Ischemic Survivor after three months onset and to demonstrate Odd Ratio Methods: It was cross sectional study, which was conducted in outpatient services. The questionnaires were GRID-HAMD 17 for measuring PSD, Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Barthel-Index (BI) and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ). Statistical analysis was Mann-Whitney U was used to analysis the total score and crosstab was used to demonstrate the odd ratio. The ethical approval was obtained from faculty and hospital ethics committee. Results: We involved 77 stroke ischemic survivors after three months onset. The prevalence of PSD was 58.5. The MMSE (z=-2.37, p=.001), BI (z=-2.39, p=.016), coping confrontation (z=- 2.583, p=.01) and coping acceptance resignation (z=-3.115, p=.002) in PSD and Non-PSD groups were significantly different. Meanwhile, coping avoidance (z=-1.385, p=.165) was not significance. Stroke ischemic survivor with MMSE <27 (p=.19, OR=3.279, 95%CI 1.061 - 10.135), BI ≤60(p=.014, OR=5.333, 95%CI 1.402 – 20.292), high score coping confrontation (p=.17, OR=.3.536 95%CI 1.352 – 9.247) and low score coping acceptance resignation score (p=.006, OR=5.165 95% CI 1.687 – 15.815) was risk for experiencing of PSD. Meanwhile coping avoidance (p=.326, OR=1.759, 95%CI, .704 – 4.384) was not. Conclusion: This study has provided good estimates for the exposure rate of cognitive, functional outcome and coping among stroke ischemic survivors after three months onset with PSD. This study suggests important initial insights for complex nursing interventions