A risk analysis approach to critical information infrastructure protection

Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) has become a priority for all levels of management, It is one of the key components of efficient business and business continuity plans. There is a need for a new security methodology to deal with the new and unique attack threats and vulnerabilities associated with the new information technology security paradigm. Critical Information Infrastructure Protection - Risk Analysis Methodology
(ClIP-RAM), is a new security risk analysis method which copes with the shift from computer/information security to critical information infrastructure protection. This type of methodology is the next step toward handling information technology security risk at all levels from upper management information security down to firewall configurations. The paper will present the methodology of the new techniques and their application to critical information infrastructure protection. The associated advantages of this methodology will also be discussed.

Micro finance programs: caring for those missed by formal social protection mechanism

In line with the current global trend of economic and social restructuring, it has become essential to address the issue of poverty and social protection for the poorer segment of the population who are not covered by formal social protection mechanisms. Micro finance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries have been working towards poverty alleviation and enhancing social protection for the last few decades. MFI’s provision of financial assistance to the poor has been instrumental in improving the overall quality of the impoverished. Based on an in-depth qualitative study conducted across three different types of NGOs (Non Governmental Organization) in the Philippines, this study found a relationship between micro finance programs and improved social protection. The study reveals that MFIs have the ability to make a positive impact on areas such as entrepreneurship, education, housing, job security and income generation.

Australian commercial-critical infrastructure management protection

Secure management of Australia's commercial critical infrastructure presents ongoing challenges to owners and the government. Although managed via a high-level information sharing collaboration of government and business, critical infrastructure protection is further complicated by the lack of a lower-level scalable model exhibiting its various levels, sectors and sub-sectors. This research builds on the work of Marasea (2003) to establish a descriptive critical infrastructure model and also considers the influence and proposed modelling of critical infrastructure dependency inter-relationships.

Making a difference in child protection: towards an effective education for teachers

The purpose of this paper is to examine recent research about teachers' participation in the child protection system with a view to developing guidelines for effective child protection training. In relation to the conference themes, this paper offers multiple intersections, whether as an example of policy development impacting on the education of teachers, as one of professional practice which has implications for the ongoing education of the teaching workforce, or as a teacher education initiative, per se.

Critical infrastructure protection, modelling and management: an Australian commercial case study

This research extends upon the previous work of Pye and Warren (2005) and presents a refinement of the previously proposed critical infrastructure model to enhance further our understanding and apprecication of where the likely inter-play and existance of dependency relationships between infrastructures coexist.

These associations are presented as a number of linkages that exist within each sector of Australia'a critical infrastructure, which is then extended further to the modelling of dependency inter-relationships that exist between critical infrastructures itilising Petri Nets.  The recognition and identification of such reliance relationships between critical infrastructures is necessary to allow both infrastructure owners and the government to identify and effectively manage and maintain the security, stability and availability of their particular critical infrastructure against potential scenario driven effects.  These issues are reflected within a case study as modelled using the Petri Net approach to encapsulate the issues of reliance relationships by drawing upon an Australian commercial case study.

Derivative actions as a mechanism for the protection of minority shareholders in China: a result of convergence or divergence

The protection of minority shareholders has become one of the key features of company law reform in many countries in recent years. Various mechanisms have been created to achieve this objective. Australia has introduced the statutory derivative action procedure mainly based on models drawn from Canada and New Zealand; this provision was inserted into the Corporations Act in March 2000. China has also adopted a similar mechanism – known as the shareholder representative action; this scheme was based upon China’s understanding of statutory derivative actions in Western countries. China’s derivative action mechanism is reflected in amendments to the 2005 PRC Company Law and 2005 Securities Law that both were passed on 27 October 2005 and came into effective on 1 January 2006. The development of statutory derivative actions in different countries demonstrates the interaction between forces of convergence and divergence in company law reforms. This article reviews different mechanisms adopted in the Chinese law for the protection of minority shareholders. It especially focuses on an analysis of the nature of the shareholder representative action and the procedures for its utilisation in China – the equivalent to Western countries’ derivative actions. In comparison with statutory derivative actions in Australia, this article argues that the concept of the shareholder representative action in China rests upon a misunderstanding of Western derivative actions; this has involved a compromise between the dire need to protect shareholders and the ambiguities of a weak court system. As a consequence, China’s reforms in this area are largely a tentative gesture and are therefore unlikely to be very effective.

Protection for sale in a developing country : democracy vs. dictatorship

For a "genuine" small open economy that has experienced both dictatorship and democracy, we find support for the predictions of the Grossman-Helpman (1994) "Protection for Sale" model. In contrast to previous studies, we use various protection measures (including tariffs, the direct measure of the theoretical model) and perform both single-year and panel regressions. Using Turkish industry-level data, the government's weight on welfare is estimated to be much larger than that on contributions. More importantly, we find that this weight is generally higher for the democratic regime than for dictatorship.

Can we obtain realistic parameter estimates for the 'protection for sale' model?

In the Grossman and Helpman (1994) model of endogenous trade protection, sectoral lobbies try to influence an incumbent government that maximizes a weighted sum of political contributions and aggregate welfare. We empirically investigate this model using U.S. and Turkish data. Our specification is more tightly tied to theory than those in existing studies. Additionally, we assume all specific‐factor owners to be organized into different lobbies. These changes, validated by hypothesis tests, yield more realistic parameter estimates of the government's concern for aggregate welfare and of the fraction of population organized into lobbies.

Australian adolescents' sun protection behavior : who are we kidding?

Purpose
To examine the influence of tan preference and skin type on sun protection behaviors of Australian adolescents.

Methods
The Australian Secondary School Alcohol and Drug Questionnaires were conducted in 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2002 among randomly selected students aged 12–-17. Schools were randomly selected from each education sector in each state. The self-administered questionnaire contained questions about tan preferences, skin type and usual SunSmart behavior (use of sunscreen, hats and covering clothing).

Results
The routine use of SunSmart behavior was low in all survey years. There was a significant decrease over time in the proportion of students who practiced SunSmart behavior, with prevalence rates lower in 2002 than in any other survey year (males: p < 0.01 and females: p < 0.01). As desire for a tan increased, routine practice of SunSmart behaviors decreased. Across the four survey periods, male (p < 0.01) and female (p < 0.01) students who preferred no tan were significantly more likely to practice SunSmart behavior than students who preferred any sort of tan. Across the four survey years, male (p < 0.01) and female (p < 0.01) students with skin that ‘just burns’ were most likely to routinely practice SunSmart behavior.

Conclusions
Sun protection practices among adolescents have continued to decline significantly over time. Future educational programs require an innovative approach to modify adolescent behaviors in relation to sun exposure and sun protection.

Sun exposure and sun protection behaviours among young adult sport competitors

Objective: To explore the relationship between sun protection and physical activity in young adults (18-30 years) involved in four organised sports.

Methods: Participants (n=237) in field hockey, soccer, tennis and surf sports completed a self-administered survey on demographic and sun-protective behaviours while playing sport. Differences in sun-protective behaviour were explored by sport and by gender.

Results: Sunburn during the previous sporting season was high (69%). There were differences between sports for sunburn, sunscreen use and reapplication of sunscreen. Lifesaving had the highest rates compared with the other three sports. Hats and sunglasses worn by participants varied significantly by sports. A greater proportion of soccer and hockey players indicated they were not allowed to wear a hat or sunglasses during competition. For all sports, competition was played mainly in the open with no shade provision for competitors while they were playing. There were some gender differences within each of the sports. Female soccer and tennis players were more likely to wear sunscreen compared with males. Female hockey players were more likely to wear a hat compared with males.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight that there is still room for improvement in sun-protective behaviours among young adult sport competitors. There is a need for a systematic approach to sun protection in the sporting environments of young adults.

Implications: Health promotion efforts to increase physical activity need to be paired with sun protection messages.

The importance of human FcyRI in mediating protection to malaria

The success of passive immunization suggests that antibody-based therapies will be effective at controlling malaria. We describe the development of fully human antibodies specific for Plasmodium falciparum by antibody repertoire cloning from phage display libraries generated from immune Gambian adults. Although these novel reagents bind with strong affinity to malaria parasites, it remains unclear if in vitro assays are predictive of functional immunity in humans, due to the lack of suitable animal models permissive for P. falciparum. A potentially useful solution described herein allows the antimalarial efficacy of human antibodies to be determined using rodent malaria parasites transgenic for P. falciparum antigens in mice also transgenic for human Fc-receptors. These human IgG1s cured animals of an otherwise lethal malaria infection, and protection was crucially dependent on human FcγRI. This important finding documents the capacity of FcγRI to mediate potent antimalaria immunity and supports the development of FcγRI-directed therapy for human malaria.