Loss and grief: The experience of transition to residential aged care

There is growing recognition of the experience of non-death-related loss and grief. One unexplored area of non-death-related loss and grief is associated with older people’s transition from home to residential aged care (RAC). This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that explored the experiences of people living in RAC, carer-relatives of people living in RAC and RAC staff. Using theories of loss and grief, the paper identifies features of the transition to RAC that are associated with unresolved loss and maladaptation to changed circumstances, and the types of support that would mitigate these. Using a series of focus groups with both residents and carer-relatives, as well as staff, the study found that residents and their families need more support to negotiate the multiple, often necessarily hasty decisions and bureaucratic requirements associated with transitioning to RAC, while simultaneously experiencing loss and grief. The types of support that families would welcome from service providers include facilitating shared decision making, valuing family and community carer expertise and providing practical information and assistance to fulfil administrative obligations.     

A new financial stress index model based on support vector regression and control chart

Financial stress index (FSI) is considered to be an important risk management tool to quantify financial vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a new framework based on a hybrid classifier model that integrates rough set theory (RST), FSI, support vector regression (SVR) and a control chart to identify stressed periods. First, the RST method is applied to select variables. The outputs are used as input data for FSI–SVR computation. Empirical analysis is conducted based on monthly FSI of the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis from January 1992 to June 2011. A comparison study is performed between FSI based on the principal component analysis and FSI–SVR. A control chart based on FSI–SVR and extreme value theory is proposed to identify the extremely stressed periods. Our approach identified different stressed periods including internet bubble, subprime crisis and actual financial stress episodes, along with the calmest periods, agreeing with those given by Federal Reserve System reports.     

“省直管县”改革能否提升县级财力水平?

将“省直管县”财政体制改革作为拟自然实验，基于全国县级面板数据，利用可有效校正选择偏差问题的 PSM-DID 方法构造“反事实”状态，估计改革对县级财力水平的平均处理效应。结果显示: 改革增加了人均本级财政收入，却减少了人均转移支付水平，且下降幅度较大，致使人均财政总收入减少，表明“省直管县”改革不但无法提升，甚至会在一定程度上恶化县级财政状况。东、中部地区的平均处理效应与全国类似，上述结论具有比较好的稳健性。此外，还进行了影响机制检验，地级市与县、县与县之间的财政竞争以及省对各市、县的协调机制会在一定程度上影响财政体制改革的效果。     

社会转型与观念变迁--以“道德缺失”为中心的考察

尽管“道德缺失”是转型期中国一个不容忽视的社会问题，但当代的“道德缺失”现象并非严重到了危机阶段，中国古代也不是“道德天堂”。今天的道德困境可以归因于社会环境的巨大变化。这种问题的解决，需依靠有效的维护机制作为保障。落实到根本，还是要大力发展经济，建设市民社会。     

政治关联如何影响社会组织有效性？——组织自主性的中介作用和制度支持的调节作用

社会组织领域的政治关联现象日益显著，但政治关联究竟如何影响社会组织有效性，其隐藏的作用机制又是什么？这是学术界尚未明晰的重要课题。针对254家社会组织的问卷调查发现，社会组织政治关联会正向影响组织有效性，这一关系受到组织自主性的中介作用影响。更进一步的研究显示，制度支持能调节上述中介关系。具体而言，当制度支持水平较高时，这一效应将会增强；当制度支持水平较低时，政治关联通过组织自主性间接影响组织有效性的效应就会减弱。这一发现，一方面增进了我们对社会组织政治关联的理解，另一方面也为提升社会组织有效性的理论和实践提供了重要启示。     

娄底市实现农业和农村可持续发展的探索

可持续农业和农村发展”(SARD)是联合国粮农组织倡导的世界未来农业和农村发展的大趋向。本文探究了可持续农业和农村发展的内涵及来源 ;立足娄底地情 ,分析了其农业和农村可持续发展中存在的问题 ;提出了实现娄底可持续农业和农村发展的目标和对策     

Urban cultivation in Accra: an examination of the nature, practices, problems, potentials and urban planning implications

The literature on urban farming in Sub-Saharan African cities reveals that most studies have been conducted in Eastern, Southern and Central African cities. A few have focused on West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and Cameroon. In Ghana there is a paucity of information on urban farming. The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of urban cultivation in Accra, Ghana's capital, reviewing existing research, and to present new empirical findings on urban cultivation emphasizing on its history, nature, practices, problems, potentials and urban planning implications.     

三国时期西部农业开发述论

三国时期 ,曹魏控制西北 ,蜀汉占据西南 ,两国主要在西部地区争战 ,粮草供给成为决定胜负的关键因素 ,为此双方都采取了恢复和发展粮食生产的措施。曹魏在西部一些适宜农业的战略要地大兴屯田 ,开发关陇、稳定河西 ,每年收获大量谷物供给军粮 ,以守为攻 ,迎战蜀军 ;蜀汉占据西南之后 ,诸葛亮注意处理好民族关系 ,发挥当地的农业资源优势 ,劝农积谷。为了解决北伐运粮的困难 ,还在汉中及渭水南岸一些地区设置少量屯田。不同的农业开发措施与双方的治乱胜败有很大关系。     

农业高科技企业成长机会价值量化模型构建及其应用

农业高科技企业成长机会包括农业高新技术研发和市场推广,是一个系列递进买方期权。其价值是农业高科技企业价值的核心部分。本文利用二项式分布模型构建了时间和概率因素下成长机会的期权形式价值量化模型,总结了农业高科技企业的期权性质及其特点,并以此为基础,进一步讨论了成长机会价值量化模型在农业高科技企业价值评估中的应用。     

缩小城乡差距统筹城乡发展问题研究

笔者系统总结了我国城乡差距、城乡关系失调的具体表现,并进一步分析了城乡发展差距过大对国民经济和社会发展的影响以及统筹城乡发展的现实意义,继而从改革城乡分治的管理体制,加快城镇化进程,推动城乡联动的工业化路线等方面提出了统筹城乡发展的对策建议。