The Best and Worst Times of Life: Narratives and Assessments of Subjective Well-Being by Anamnestic Comparative Self Assessment (ACSA) in the Eastern Cape,South Africa

The Anamnestic Comparative Self Assessment (ACSA) measure of subjective well-being (SWB) aims to reduce the problems of cultural bias and relativity to external standards by allowing people to define the endpoints or ‘anchors’ of the measurement scale. In medical terminology anamnestic denotes ‘based on memory’. The ACSA uses subjects’ memories of the best and worst periods in their lives to define the anchors of the scale. They then assess their current quality of life relative to these personal anchors. The South African pilot study tested the match between self-assessment of SWB with ACSA and the conventional single-item measures of life satisfaction and happiness used in the South African Quality of Life Trends Study and analysed the narratives of the best and worst times of life. The quota sample of 46 consisted of 26 residents of Makana district in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, and 20 patients undergoing treatment in the local TB hospital. Mean SWB ratings with all three measures of life satisfaction, happiness and ACSA were between 5 and 6 on a 0–10-point scale. Ratings on all three scales were positively correlated. However, on ACSA the TB patients rated their current SWB 1.84 points lower than the community respondents, suggesting a greater sensitivity of this measure. It was observed that the starting points of the life stories produced by respondents to define the anchor periods for ACSA were related to their current assessment of SWB. A typology was developed that combined the starting point of the life stories with current SWB. The majority of community respondents matched the ‘Achiever’ type who scored positively on ACSA (i.e., above the mid-point of the scale) and whose life stories started with the worst period of their lives and proceeded to the best period. The TB patients were the only respondents to represent the ‘Survivor’ type whose morale had recovered after misfortune in life. ‘Survivors’ started their narratives with the best period in their lives, then moved to the worst (often health-related) one, and gave positive ACSA ratings. Based on the qualitative analysis of narratives, it is concluded that ACSA is a sensitive measurement instrument and therefore particularly useful for monitoring the effects of treatments and social interventions in longitudinal studies. However, further research is required to verify its cross-cultural validity.

Challenge of multi-level governance in developing countries and possible GIS applications

Of the three most prominent issues in governance discourse—the horizontal coordination of markets, government hierarchies and networks, global governance and multi-level governance—this paper argues that the last, developing and sustaining structures of multi-level governance, constitutes the most profound governance challenge for most developing countries.The paper identifies the major forces promoting change in favor of multi-level governance in developing countries. Using the growing literature and comparative national experiences (illustrated with the examples of India, the Philippines, Colombia and Nigeria), it highlights the key achievements of democratic decentralization as well as its nagging problems in these countries. Finally, the paper demonstrates the significance of these developments for democracy and development in these countries and shows some of the ways by which external partners—especially experts associated with the Geographic Information Systems for Developing Countries can assist and possibly benefit from this process.     

GPS接收机P(Y)直捕方法研究

GPS接收机P(Y)直捕算法是基于存储的滑动相关搜索,并利用FFT将时频二维联合搜索变成时域一维搜索。同时,考虑位同步点已知的条件,接收资源池只需存储一段接收序列,缩短了捕获时间且利于硬件实现。仿真结果表明,多普勒频移为±5kHz时,所带来的峰值衰减为2dB左右,本地信号与接收信号对齐时出现明显的相关峰,很好地实现了捕获功能;提出了用重叠分段补零FFT操作实现并行相关,成倍降低了捕获时间;提出了利用位同步信息,避免了码极性翻转可能引起的信噪比损耗;针对码相位漂移,提出了优化捕获策略,可在短时间内完成重捕。     

外贸英文函电翻译的特点

外贸英文信函翻译是实现涉外贸易的重要环节,也是外贸函电课程的主要内容之一。本文分析了外贸函电翻译的主要特点以及现阶段外贸函电教学中存在的问题和误区,并提出了相应的解决方法。     

我国中小商业银行风险管理策略研究

本文针对中小商业银行风险管理这一热点，对其风险特征和风险来源进行了探析，并在此基础上对我国中小商业银行风险管理提出了综合性的指导性建议，构建了中小商业银行整体风险管理的框架，并研究了商业银行操作风险的标准计量方法。     

《汉语大字典》书证疏误举例

《汉语大字典》在义项的书证方面存在一些疏误,内容涉及书证欠妥、书证有误、引文失误、一例两用等问题。     

从张爱玲的音乐与色彩描写论其苍凉艺术

“苍凉”是张爱玲小说创作的主体风格。张爱玲以她对音乐与色彩的独特理解和完美运用，使其成为一种意象，是表现人物心理、暗示情节以及揭示人物命运、感悟人生、反映社会的重要手段，从而更深刻地表达了她的“苍凉美学”。     

浅析高校普通话水平测试工作的科学化管理

高校普通话水平测试（PSC）工作的科学化管理能够保证测试质量、完成高水平测试工作，同时可以营造良好的学校语言文字氛围和推广及普及普通话。针对目前高校在PSC管理方面存在的问题，本文提出了制定健全的管理制度、实现普通话测试管理的科学化与信息化、积极探索现代化的普通话测试手段、加强对普通话测试员队伍的综合管理以及普通话测试的检查督导工作等措施。通过这几方面的措施确保PSC工作走向制度化、规范化、科学化。     

清末商事立法评述

清末统治者为了摆脱困境、挽救危机,使其统治获得一个稳固有力的经济基础,在商业领域,改变了传统的重农抑商政策,进行了一系列商事立法.实际上较多地仿效了日本1899年的商法模式。其唯一的政治目的就是力求度过危机,重固统治。清末的商事立法与西方资本主义商法貌合神离,它根本不可能冲破封建的羁绊,将中国引上资本主义轨道。     

农村居民看病难、看病贵原因实证分析

利用扩展的线性支出系统模型(ELES),采用最小二乘法估计计算了我国农村居民的短期医疗服务需求价格弹性。研究结果表明:农村居民的短期医疗服务需求价格缺乏弹性。由于农村居民的短期医疗服务需求价格缺乏弹性,加上我国目前医疗体制存在的以药养医和医疗机构的逐利行为以及医疗市场缺乏有效的监管等问题,导致农村居民看病难、看病贵。解决这个问题,需要国家增加对卫生领域的投入,降低农民看病时自费的比例,增强卫生市场的竞争性,适当使医疗卫生资源向农村地区倾斜,并逐渐把医疗机构办成非盈利机构。