Recommendations for and compliance with social restrictions during implementation of school closures in the early phase of the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 outbreak in Melbourne, Australia

Background Localized reactive school and classroom closures were implemented as part of a suite of pandemic containment measures during the initial response to influenza A (H1N1) 2009 in Melbourne, Australia. Infected individuals, and those who had been in close contact with a case, were asked to stay in voluntary home quarantine and refrain from contact with visitors for seven days from the date of symptom onset or exposure to an infected person. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) was available for treatment or prophylaxis. Methods We surveyed affected families through schools involved in the closures. Analyses of responses were descriptive. We characterized recommendations made to case and contact households and quantified adherence to guidelines and antiviral therapy. Results Of the 314 respondent households, 51 contained a confirmed case. The prescribed quarantine period ranged from 1-14 days, reflecting logistic difficulties in reactive implementation relative to the stated guidelines. Household-level compliance with the requirement to stay at home was high (84.5%, 95% CI 79.3,88.5) and contact with children outside the immediate family infrequent. Conclusions Levels of compliance with recommendations in our sample were high compared with other studies, likely due to heightened public awareness of a newly introduced virus of uncertain severity. The variability of reported recommendations highlighted the difficulties inherent in implementing a targeted reactive strategy, such as that employed in Melbourne, on a large scale during a public health emergency. This study emphasizes the need to understand how public health measures are implemented when seeking to evaluate their effectiveness

Does it Matter Whether Market Distortions are Evaluated Using Comparative-statics or Dynamics?

We analyse the welfare outcomes of market distortions using a general-equilibrium model of a small, open economy that captures the trade-theoretic continuum from specific factors to Heckscher-Ohlin. We show the importance of two intrinsically dynamic phenomena on evaluating market distortions: structural change and imperfect factor mobility. We find that when these phenomena are captured in a dynamic framework, market distortions can generate welfare effects that contradict those generated by a comparative-static framework. We also find that the degree of factor mobility is important for accurately estimating the size of welfare effects. Our results suggest that market distortions should be evaluated in a dynamic framework that represents structural change and imperfect factor mobility, and that the degree of factor mobility should be treated as a parameter whose value is uncertain and subjected to sensitivity analysis.market distortions, welfare, comparative-statics versus dynamics, general equilibrium

Συγκριτική αξιολόγηση της επίδοσης Ελληνικών μετοχικών αμοιβαίων κεφαλαίων με την χρήση της περιβάλλουσας ανάλυσης δεδομένων

141 σ.Τα αμοιβαία κεφάλαια αποτελούν εδώ και αρκετά χρόνια μία απο τις πλέον διαδεδομένες μορφές επένδυσης παγκοσμίως. Στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να αξιολογήσει τα Ελληνικά μετοχικά αμοιβαία κεφάλαια της τριετίας 2008-2010 με την χρήση της μη παραμετρικής μεθόδου Data envelopment analysis. Στην συνέχεια υπολογίζεται ο συντελεστής βήτα των αμοιβαίων κεφαλαίων και γίνεται διαχωρισμός σε Low risk και High risk. Τέλος γινεται σύγκριση με ανάλογες έρευνες.The mutual funds constitutes for many years one from the henceforth widespread forms of investment worldwide. Objective of present diplomatic work is it evaluates the Greek mutual funds of three-year period 2008-2010 with the use of non parametrιc method Data envelopment analysis. Then calculated the beta coefficient of mutual funds and becomes segregation in Low risk and High risk. Finally becomes comparison with proportional researches.Δημήτριος-Μαρτίνος Γ. Βερύκιο