How current Tax Laws affect Woodlands Owners, August 1998

This report is on the effects of the tax reforam act of 1986 on timber production activites.

Democratització de l'agricultura ecològica : una proposta d'aproximació al ciutadà

L’agricultura va néixer en el moment en què l’home va passar de recol·lectar aliments acultivar-los, i la durada d’una collita de cereals el va arrelar a un entorn fix, és a dir, el va fer sedentari. Així, es va produir una primera revolució demogràfica; aliments estables i aconseguits regularment, poblats assentats i més o menys segurs. Al principi les terres verges donaven excel·lents produccions, les quals anaven minvant a mesura que es repetien les sembres sense alternances i que el sòl s’esgotava. En molts casos, acabaven canviant de lloc o iniciant la tala d’arbres per reconquistar nous sòls cultivables. No essent suficient això, l’ésser humà va iniciar les grans migracions i l’expansió al llarg del món,retrobant noves terres no castigades.Observant els inicis de l’activitat agrícola, el present treball es realitza amb la intenció d’analitzar l’agricultura ecològica no de forma merament comercial, sinó també aprofundint en la preocupació pel manteniment del medi rural. Així, l’agricultura ecològica es configura com una filosofia de vida per a molts productors i consumidors, i està en auge en la societat actual, sobretot entre la creixent població amb valors postmaterialistes.Aquest tipus d’agricultura utilitza com a model la pròpia natura i la cultura i sapiència populars, tractant de trobar les respostes que ambdues aporten i aplicar aquesta informació mitjançant els coneixements tècnics i científics actuals. Contempla el seguiment de determinats principis i línies d’actuació que garanteixin la protecció del medi ambient, la salut del consumidor i la qualitat del producte. En aquest sentit, doncs, esjustifica la creixent demanda dels consumidors de productes ecològics, donada lapreocupació per la qualitat dels aliments i la tan anomenada seguretat alimentària.Per últim, cal destacar la rellevància social, política i mediàtica que desperten els temes relacionats amb l’ecologia i la preservació del medi ambient, essent un dels elements de debat essencials de la societat del segle XXI. Les raons esmentades són algunes de les principals que han portat a la realització del present treball.Resulta important destacar, abans de procedir, els objectius que es volen assolir al llarg del present estudi. Així, en primer lloc, es determinarà en què consisteix l’activitat que es vol analitzar (en aquest cas l’agricultura ecològica) i saber en quina situació es troba a Catalunya. Seguidament, cal esbrinar quin és el perfil del consumidor d’aquest producte i quines en són les seves motivacions de consum. Un altre objectiu bàsic consisteix en saberquines són les formes de comercialització d’aquest tipus de productes, per a poder realitzar finalment una proposta innovadora en la qual pagesos i consumidors en surtin beneficiats.

Guidleines for Removal of Traffic Control Devices in Rural Areas, October 2005

It is commonly regarded that the overuse of traffic control devices desensitizes drivers and leads to disrespect, especially for low-volume secondary roads with limited enforcement. The maintenance of traffic signs is also a tort liability concern, exacerbated by unnecessary signs. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the Institute of Transportation Engineer’s (ITE) Traffic Control Devices Handbook provide guidance for the implementation of STOP signs based on expected compliance with right-of-way rules, provision of through traffic flow, context (proximity to other controlled intersections), speed, sight distance, and crash history. The approach(es) to stop is left to engineering judgment and is usually dependent on traffic volume or functional class/continuity of system. Although presently being considered by the National Committee on Traffic Control Devices, traffic volume itself is not given as a criterion for implementation in the MUTCD. STOP signs have been installed at many locations for various reasons which no longer (or perhaps never) met engineering needs. If in fact the presence of STOP signs does not increase safety, removal should be considered. To date, however, no guidance exists for the removal of STOP signs at two-way stop-controlled intersections. The scope of this research is ultra-low-volume (< 150 daily entering vehicles) unpaved intersections in rural agricultural areas of Iowa, where each of the 99 counties may have as many as 300 or more STOP sign pairs. Overall safety performance is examined as a function of a county excessive use factor, developed specifically for this study and based on various volume ranges and terrain as a proxy for sight distance. Four conclusions are supported: (1) there is no statistical difference in the safety performance of ultra-low-volume stop-controlled and uncontrolled intersections for all drivers or for younger and older drivers (although interestingly, older drivers are underrepresented at both types of intersections); (2) compliance with stop control (as indicated by crash performance) does not appear to be affected by the use or excessive use of STOP signs, even when adjusted for volume and a sight distance proxy; (3) crash performance does not appear to be improved by the liberal use of stop control; (4) safety performance of uncontrolled intersections appears to decline relative to stop-controlled intersections above about 150 daily entering vehicles. Subject to adequate sight distance, traffic professionals may wish to consider removal of control below this threshold. The report concludes with a section on methods and legal considerations for safe removal of stop control.

Kaupungin ja maaseudun vuorovaikutus alueellisessa kehittämispolitiikassa

In Finland, European Union membership and economic globalisation have changed the position of regions from closed territorial systems to nodes of open international networks. The increasing complexity of cities as globalised knowledge centres and functionally specialised and diversified rural areas, and on the other hand growing disparities between prosperous urban cores and lagging peripheral areas are also essential features in contemporary regional development. These trends have produced new needs to promote mutual dialogue between cities and the countryside in western market economies. Urban-rural interaction is an idea which was developed in the late 1990s within regional policy to pull together these new challenges to regional development and handle cities and the countryside as a whole. The aim of my study is to conceptualise the idea of urban-rural interaction, explain the phenomenon theoretically, clarify past and present urban and rural development and analyse regional policies from the interaction angle. The ultimate purpose is to illustrate the existence and nature of particular interaction policy in a globalising society. The general method is discourse analysis, which I use in three cases: Central Finland, South-Ostrobothnia and South-West Finland. Theoretically I have a two-dimensional approach. On the first hand I use World-System theory to explain how the global economy is moulding urban and rural structures at the regional level. On the other hand I use regime theory to explain local political actions and practises between cities and the countryside under the overlapping pressures deriving from reformulated regional structures and policies.

Adaptation to globalisation in Finland has been carried out by strengthening urban centres. The stress in regional policy has been in urban development. The development of the countryside has mostly been implemented by a separate rural policy. At the end of the 1990s and early 2000s Finnish cities have actually shown themselves to be competitive in global markets. The drawbacks of the new growth centre policy have been the sparse network of prosperous cities and their weak spreading effects, which have hindered comprehensive regional development. Tensions between urban and rural areas have also deepened. In this situation the interaction policy is used as a way of balancing development and moderate conflicts within the regions. From this point of view urban-rural interaction can be seen as a way of tackling the challenges of globalisation.

On the other hand the results emphasise that actors involved in regional development still believe, although the hegemonic discourse is on urban policy, that there are opportunities to stimulate progress in the countryside as well. In the situation where regional authorities control development resources, rural development can be successful only if rural actors manage to establish fruitful relationships with their urban partners. This is also the weakness of the programme-based regional policy. If rural municipalities or other actors are for any reason incapable of building development regimes with cities, the offers of interaction policy will be useless.

The problem of the interaction policy is that the focus and methods of it have so far been rather underdeveloped. In order to improve the efficiency of the interaction policy, further research should concentrate on the social processes which define the position of cities and the countryside as partners of interaction, and practises which promote or prohibit the possibilities of developing the interaction policy. The efforts to define different contents of urban-rural interaction or promote interaction projects should not have such an important role in the future as they have had so far. Instead, the focus of interaction policy should be on questions such as how to manage the political tensions between town and country and how to create a positive atmosphere for regional policy where the needs of urban and rural development are promoted equally.

Rural Iowa Waste Management Association, Independent Auditor's Reports, Financial Statement and Required Supplementary Information, Schedule of Findings, June 30, 2005

Other Audit Reports - 28E Organizations

Morbidades e qualidade de vida de idosos com diabetes mellitus residentes nas zonas rural e urbana

Este estudo objetivou descrever as variáveis sociodemográficas e comparar as morbidades e a qualidade de vida (QV) dos idosos com diabetes mellitus (DM) residentes nas zonas urbana e rural. A amostra foi composta de 271 idosos da zona urbana e 104 da rural que autorreferiram DM. Utilizou-se análise descritiva e, na comparação das localidades, realizou-se ajuste para a idade por meio de regressão logística e linear múltipla (p < 0,05). Os idosos da zona rural eram mais jovens, casados e possuíam maior escolaridade e renda em relação àqueles da área urbana. Além disso, apresentaram maior escore de QV nos domínios físico e relações sociais e nas facetas autonomia, atividades passadas, presentes e futuras e intimidade, em relação aos do espaço urbano, nos quais se verificou maior número de comorbidades. Os idosos com DM da zona rural apresentaram, de forma geral, melhores condições de saúde em comparação aos que residiam na área urbana.

Prevalência e fatores associados ao indicativo de depressão entre idosos residentes na zona rural

O presente estudo objetivou verificar a prevalência de idosos com indicativo de depressão, segundo sexo e faixa etária, e identificar os fatores associados ao indicativo de depressão. Estudo analítico, transversal e observacional, realizado com 850 idosos residentes na zona rural de um município de Minas Gerais. Para a análise dos dados aplicou-se a fórmula de taxa de prevalência e o modelo de regressão logística (p<0,05). O Projeto foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa com Seres Humanos. A prevalência de indicativo de depressão correspondeu a 22%, com maior ocorrência entre o sexo feminino e na faixa etária entre 60├70 anos. O sexo feminino, o maior número de comorbidades e de incapacidade funcional para o desempenho de atividades instrumentais da vida diária permaneceram associados ao indicativo de depressão. Esses resultados reforçam a necessidade de se implementarem ações de promoção de saúde e prevenção de agravos, com enfoque para a depressão.

Social Representations Of Violence Against Rural Women: Unveiling Senses In Multiple Views

We analyze the social representations of violence against women from the perspective of city managers, professionals and health workers in rural settings of the southern half of Rio Grande do Sul. The study has a qualitative approach and adds a theoretical/methodological perspective of social representations. The data were generated by means of the associative method, question-stimulus of words and expressions emergence. The analysis of word association was performed with EVOC software, considering frequency and order of association with inducing terms. Participants recognize violence against women as gender destination that induces consent, resignation, guilt and fear, and results in naturalization and trivialization of this social phenomenon. We highlight the need to produce ruptures in established and traditional forms of health care, in the conservative and stereotypical views of violence, favoring access to friendly service and avoiding the reproduction of gender inequalities.


Study of Iowa's Current Road Use Tax Funds (RUTF) and Future Road Maintenance and Construction Needs, 2006

The 81st General Assembly of the Iowa Legislature, in Section 85 of House File 868, required the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study of current Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF)revenues, and projected roadway construction and maintenance needs.

Study of Iowa’s Current Road Use Tax Funds (RUTF) and Future Road Maintenance and Construction Needs, 2006

The 81st General Assembly of the Iowa legislature, in Section 85 of House File 868, required the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) to conduct a study of current Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) revenues, and projected roadway construction and maintenance needs. With input from Iowa’s cities, counties and other interested groups, the Iowa DOT completed this report for submittal to the legislature.

A Construção Acção Colectiva em Processos de Desenvolvimento Sócio-Territorial

Pretende-se dar um contributo para a compreensão dos processos de construção da acção colectiva em projectos de desenvolvimento sócio-territorial. A partir de um estudo de caso sobre a implementação do Programa Especial de Realojamento (P.E.R.) no concelho de Cascais e das dinâmicas sociais, politicas e territoriais que estiveram presentes, procura-se analisar os elementos desencadeadores e estruturadores da reconstrução dos laços sociais, e da regeneração das dinâmicas locais. Os resultados apontam para a importância que o território assume, enquanto espaço de complexas interacções, na afirmação de múltiplos actores. Actores que ao longo de um processos de desenvolvimento, e das interacções que aí ocorrem, se caracterizam por ser mutantes, constituindo-se, evoluindo e diversificando. Os actuais apelos a novas formas de pensar e agir em sociedade remete para a necessidade de uma acção, que se constrói na complexidade e imponderabilidade dos factores de desenvolvimento, e se legitima num conhecimento e relação de proximidade entre os actores em presença.

Study of Iowa’s Current Road Use Tax Funds (RUTF) and Future Road Maintenance and Construction Needs, 2006

The 81st General Assembly of the Iowa legislature, in Section 85 of House File 868, required the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) to conduct a study of current Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) revenues, and projected roadway construction and maintenance needs.

Empowering a group of seniors in a rural community

OBJECTIVE To describe the stages of the empowerment process of a group of seniors in a rural community. METHOD Convergent care research whose foundation is to use the scope of practice. Conducted with the proposal to change the practice of 21 seniors and nine health professionals, with the aim of health promotion empowerment. Data were collected during 22 meetings, and group interviews at the end of the intervention. RESULTS Showed that despite the initial impact of the change, the group was able to welcome the new change, taking advantage of the space to express anxieties, share joys, and build new knowledge, which led to the incorporation of changes that reflected in the development of healthy habits and improvements in interpersonal relationships. CONCLUSION The convergent care research consisted of strategy that changed the group's lives, empowering them with health promoting actions.