Grassland Ecology and Population Growth: Striking a Balance

Soil erosion and desertification in China areattributed by many scholars to the degradation offorests and grasslands in western China. It is ofvital importance. therefore to Preserve the environmentand resources of the western region in the course ofeconomic development.Researchers have established causal relationshipsbetween the loss of forests in the west and theoccurrence of serious draughts in recent years. Theprimary reason for the degradation of grasslands isovergrazing. which in turn i…     

The National Work–Life Balance Index©: The European Case

More than 5 years since the outbreak of the global financial crisis, a flurry of evidence is emerging on the effects of the ensuing economic downturn on unemployment and poverty rates in rich countries, but less is known about cross-country differences in subjective assessments of the crisis and whether adults in households with children were affected to a greater extent. This paper investigates differences in the perceived impact of the economic crisis between adults in households with and without children in 17 European countries, using data from the Life in Transition Survey 2010 in a multilevel modelling framework. It also explores differences in the coping strategies that households adopted to deal with the decline in income or economic activity. Everything else being equal, perceptions of the crisis were more widespread in countries with higher rates of child poverty, lower economic growth and lower GDP per capita. Across countries, perceptions of the crisis closely trailed subjective indicators of financial difficulties from other international surveys conducted in 2010. Adults in households with children were more likely to report an impact of the crisis, with larger differences in countries with higher rates of monetary child poverty. Adults in households with children also adopted a greater variety of coping strategies than the rest, prioritizing expenditure on basic necessities, while cutting back on luxuries and holidays. Nevertheless, many still reported reduced consumption of staple foods as a result of economic difficulties.     

Report on the Work of the Government

Following are main excerpts of the Report on the Work of the Government delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the Second Session of the Tenth National People's Congress on March 5, 2004. --Editor I. Review of the Past Year's Work Last year was a significant and unusual year in the course of China's development. We braved difficulties and hardships in an indomitable and innovative spirit and made important advances in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. -- …     

Stress Coping Strategies,Perceived Organizational Support and Marital Status as Predictors of Work–Life Balance among Nigerian Bank Employees

The study examined stress coping strategies, perceived organizational support and marital status as predictors of work–life balance. Two hundred and fifty-four bank workers participated in the study. Results of the regression analyses showed that stress coping strategies was a significant predictor of work–life balance (β = .34, p = .000) and contributed 11 % variance in work–life balance after controlling for the effects of gender, age and education. The result further revealed that perceived organizational support significantly predicted workers’ work–life balance (β = .22, p = .001) and contributed additional 4 % variance in work–life balance after the effects of gender, age, education and coping strategies have been controlled. Marital status was not related to work–life balance. The findings of the study were discussed based on Nigerian socio-economic realities. The implications of the findings to work–life policies and practices were discussed.     

Summary of the Bulletin on the State of the Environment of China in 1993

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China Raised the Basic Standard of the Rehabilitation Hospitals

正Ministry of Public Health issued the "Basic Standard of Rehabilitation Hospitals(2012 Edition)" on April 25,2012.Compared with the version of "Basic standard of Rehabilitation Hospitals",which was released in 1994,the new standard demands higher reqirementsstandard for the first-class and second-class rehabilitation hospitals in such aspects asareas like beds,department setting,personnel,venues,and equipment,etc.     

From the Editor

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The Institutional vs. the Academic Definition of the Quality of Work Life. What is the Focus of the European Commission?

In recent years, we have seen how the quality of work life has been focused and defined by the European Commission (EC). In our study we compare the EC definition with the academic one and try to see how close they are. We also analyse the possibility of applying the institutional definition to the Spanish case through the development of specific indicators. Our main conclusions are that QWL is increasingly important for policy makers. In addition, it is essential to have objective indicators and to conduct surveys in order to reliably measure QWL.     

Report on the Work of the Government （Excerpt）

The following is an excerpt from the REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT delivered at the First Session of the Eleventh National People＇s Congress on March 5^th ,2008, by Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council.     

Superstitions surrounding the choice of wedding date in Italy: What has changed since the beginning of the economic development process to the present?

In Italy, it is believed that Tuesdays and Fridays are particularly unlucky days for weddings as well as the 17th day of each month. Previous studies realized in the aftermath of the Second World War have shown the strong influence that these superstitions had in determining the wedding dates in the entire country. We have used exhaustive data collection of all marriages celebrated in Italy in the years 2007–2009 to investigate whether superstitions are still able to influence the choices of spouses. We find that this influence is still present after the great economic, social and demographic transformation of Italian society. We also show that a wife’s education reduces the influence of superstition on the choice of the date of marriage while those who opt for a religious rite are also those who are more careful in avoiding inauspicious days.     

Community-Run Fisheries: Avoiding the “Tragedy of the Commons”

This paper discusses how fishing communities around the world avoid destructive overfishing through local and largely informal self-management. The paper offers many examples that undermine the widespread assumption that the tragedy of the commons is inevitable without government regulation.     

Understanding the ''''One-Child'''' Policy

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Statistics about the West

Province: Shaanxi. Sichuan, Ningxia, Guizhou, Yunnan, Gansu,Qinghai, Xinjiang and TibetArea: 5.4 million square kilometers, 56% of China's total.Population: 285 million, 23% of the country's total.GDP (1998): 14% of the country's total, 51 percentage points lessthan the eastern region.Per capita GDP (1998): 4,051 RMB (US$488), 63% of thenational average.Per capita income of rural residents (1998): 900 RMB(US$108), one-fourth of that in east China.Economic growth (1979-1995): 8.7%. …     

Can the Web-Form WHOQOL-BREF be an Alternative to the Paper-Form?

The purpose of this study was to test whether the web version is an alternative to the paper version of the short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF). Two studies were conducted. Study 1 used crossover self-controlled trials with 80 participants to compare the web and paper versions and to determine the test–retest reliability of the web version. Study 2 used data from 1,016 web participants to analyze the internal consistency and concurrent and construct validity of the web version. The correlations of domain scores between the web and paper versions ranged from 0.71 to 0.85. Dependent t tests showed no significant differences in domain scores between these two versions. The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for test–retest reliability of web version ranged from 0.79 to 0.91. The Cronbach’s α for internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.60 to 0.83. Multiple regression models indicated that the web version has good concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the second-order hierarchical factor model also supported the construct validity of the web version. The web version of the WHOQOL-BREF can be the alternative to the paper version for health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) evaluation.     

Projection of Change in the Age Structure of the World Population

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Tackling the Unemployment Challenge

As the world抯largest economy in transition, China faces a severe unemployment challenge. With a working population of 751 million, China抯unemployment rate stands at more than 10% in urban areas; including rural surplus laborers, it is a staggering 20%. Since assuming office in March 2003, the new administration has made increased employment a top priority. In fact, economic growth has been redefined with employment being a basic goal of growth. To help readers better understand China抯empl…     

A Comparison of the Percentages of the"Old-old" and the"Young-old" Elderly in Selected Countries

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Segregation Through the Lens of Housing Unit Transition: What Roles Do the Prior Residents, the Local Micro-Neighborhood, and the Broader Neighborhood Play?

This study focuses on segregation as it plays out at the micro-level of housing unit transition. Employing a unique sample that places housing units into micro-neighborhoods and census tracts, this study tests whether the characteristics of the previous residents of the unit, the local micro-neighborhood, or the broader tract best explain the race/ethnicity of the new residents in a housing unit. The results show that the racial/ethnic composition of the local micro-neighborhood has even stronger effects on the race/ethnicity of the new residents than does the racial/ethnic composition of the broader census tract. The results also reveal that even when the racial/ethnic composition of these two contexts are accounted for, the race/ethnicity of the prior residents has a very strong effect on the race/ethnicity of the new residents. I consider possible explanations for this household-level effect. One new theoretical explanation I put forward is that prospective residents use the race/ethnicity of the prior residents as a signal regarding the neighborhood??s appropriateness for them; I test and find that this hypothesized signaling effect is even stronger in certain micro-neighborhood, neighborhood, and county contexts.