The role of the voluntary sector in the provision of rural services — the case of transport

The voluntary sector has become more fully involved in service provision in rural areas over the last 10 years and this paper attempts to assess its impact with respect to one particular group of services, namely transport. The importance of the initiatives which have taken place is outlined in a statement of recent policy changes, including the radical provisions in the 1985 Transport Act, and through a national review of the three principal kinds of voluntary transport services in rural areas — social car schemes, dial-a-ride and community buses. This review is followed by an in-depth analysis of the extent of the voluntary sector involvement in transport provision in Norfolk and Suffolk. Extensive tables are presented and the characteristics of the schemes outlined together with an assessment of the essential ingredients for success or failure.The conclusion reached is that the scope and scale of voluntary sector initiatives in rural areas is small, and they form no alternative to a more general and systematic provision of transport services. Further, voluntary sector activities may even increase the inequalities in service provision. Suggestions are made as to how the scattered developments could be brought together and developed through the parish councils, parish transport groups and the rural transport broker.     

‘Unconventional modes’ of transport in rural Britain: Progress to 1985

‘Unconventional modes’ of public transport have been perceived in some quarters as a valid new policy option for tackling rural accessibility problems in Britain. The nature of unconventional modes (UCMs) and community transport (CT) is explained. Within a changing policy context, the UCM/CT sector has expanded steadily over the last 20 years. It is expedient to review the status of these modes in 1985, immediately prior to the deregulation of the British bus industry. The distribution of the most common modal types is examined more closely. Despite recent expansion and official encouragement, the ability of UCMs to alleviate rural access problems is debateable, and their future role is uncertain.     

Structure-(Dys)function relationships in mitochondrial electron transport chain complex II?

It has been postulated that mitochondrially derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a major causative role in aging processes. The primary sources of these oxidants are believed to be complexes I and III of the electron transport chain, with little evidence supporting oxidant formation at complex II (succinate dehydrogenase). Mutation of a complex II protein has, however, been shown to cause increased oxidative stress and decreased life expectancy in the Caenorhabditis elegans mutant mev-1. A recent study by Yankovskaya and colleagues, in which the structure of Escherichia coli succinate dehydrogenase was determined, provides an explanation for these observations. Furthermore, these results suggest possible mechanisms by which electron leakage might occur at this site in the aged organism.     

The interface between transport policy‐making and science: A ‘two‐person’ model

The paper attempts to build a qualitative ‘two‐person’ model which encapsulates the complex relationship between transport policy‐making and science, by personifying the relationship as a dialogue between ‘the politician’ and ‘the scientist’. The approach is illustrated by making references to the methods and results of the research project OPTIMA, which has attempted to find optimal urban transport policies in a number of European cities. Whilst finding much usefulness in the model, the paper recognizes its limitations and makes recommendations of a number of extensions that could be made.     

General Principles of the Civil Law of the People's Republic of China

In this issue we will introduce readers to the General Principles of the Civil Lave of the People's Republic of China, which was adopted at the Fourth Session of the Sixth National People's Congress, promulgated by order No.37 of the President of the People's Republic of China on April 12, 1986, and effective as of January 1, 1987.This law was formulated according to the constitution and the actual situation in our country, drawing upon our practical experience in civil actirities,for the purpose of protecting the lawful civil rights and interests of citizens and legal persons and correctly adjusting civil relations,so as to meet the needs of the developing socialist modernizationThe Civil Law of the People's Republie of China has 156 articles and 9 chapters. The chapters are:1) Basic Principles;2) Citizen (Natural Person); 3) Legal Persons; 4) Civil Law and Agencies; 5)Civil Rights; 6) Civil Liability; 7) Limitations of Action; 8) Application of Law in Civil Relations with Foreigners; and 9) Supplement     

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors is China's first overall law aimed at guaranteeing minors' rights and interests. We will introduce this law to our readers in this issue.     

The fall and rise of ‘use of self’? An exploration of the positioning of use of self in social work education

‘Use of self’ was a central concept in social work in the middle of the twentieth century. Since then its emphasis in social work education has declined as more managerial, procedural and task-focused approaches have prevailed. A review of the degree and postgraduate diploma in social work in Scotland, initiated in 2014, incorporated a comparative content analysis of past and present UK National Occupational Standards (NOS) for social work. The analysis revealed many shifts in thinking and practice, including increased emphasis on ‘use of self’ in the 2013 Standards. This paper reports on this finding in the context of the fluctuating positioning of use of self in social work education, and the potential impact of these changes on qualified practice. It concludes that the changing standards reflect increasing interest in social workers’ ability to draw reflectively on ‘self’ in their day to day practice. Some of the drivers and challenges for a renewed focus on relationship-based practice and use of self are identified, as well as the opportunities presented by this review of the degree for evaluating the impact of changing educational policy on day to day social work practice.     

Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China

The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China was adopted at the Third Session of the Fifth National People's Congress and promulgated by Order No. 9 of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Nation-     

Home of Female IntellectualsZ——Women's Committee of the Chinese Academy of sciences

THE All-China Women's Federation(ACWF) has established some 60.000 basic units in Party and government organizations above the county level throughout the country. The units include women's committees in 78 ministries and commissions of the State Council Program Director Ms. Zhang Xiaoyuan noted that the ACWF has extended its basic organizations from villages and neighborhoods to tens of millions of women workers and cadres nationwide since 1993. The effort has opened a new network serving urban professional women, and meets the new demands the reform and opening have placed on work for women. The results have thus proved highly beneficial.     

Subtle images of antigypsyism: An analysis of the visual perception of “Roma”

ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the powerful stereotypical media discourse that shapes and reproduces a certain racialised and prejudiced perception of people identified as “Roma” in Germany. Using a close analysis of a single picture – appearing as harmless at first glance – and through the reconstruction of its various interpretational contexts and semantics the paper identifies mechanisms used in stereotypical media coverage of “Roma”. This qualitative analysis draws on media analysis of antigypsyism as well as on research of photographic construction of the “gypsy” in order to analyse the contemporary visual regime of “Roma” in Germany. As it portrays “the Roma” as a fundamentally different and socially deviant group, this visual stereotyping is shown to be an integral element of the persistent antigypsyist ideology, deeply embedded in German society.     

Ruins of Yuanmingyuan(Garden of Perfect Splendor)

LOCATED in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, the world-renowned Yuanmingyuan was built as an imperial playground during the flourishing period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Yuanmingyuan included three separate areas: The Garden of Perfect Splendor, The Garden of Everlasting Spring and The Garden of Blossoming Sping (later renamed as the Garden of Ten Thousand Spring Seasons). The three gardens covered an area of nearly     

Guardians of New-Borns

A nurse feeds a premature baby who is too young to suckAbout 5,000 babies are born inthe Beijing Maternity Hospitaleach year.Director of the Nursing Depa rtment Chen Wenshan visits a new mother撇瓢鬓镇面f俘月万左竺鲤言品漏毖醉爵弓几入多献炭姗篷漩缈臂爵馨馨袋翼!摹l{蘸瓣自盆翻目10佃唇物改铆飞自取豆沁W制日峨自城戈曲耽(蛇目}!套口】韵吐目日忍.可吸)戮瞥微簇秘燕脱戮徽 姗﹃﹄篡鬓耀镶攀着鸟潺黔一曝蘸黔撇耀纂侣尾.曲K翻爵日因J自目翻鞭粼瓢誊覆蘸薰黔黔黔淤服端眺瓤巍黝缨橇鬓翡蠕聂瞬嘉蘸馨}纂鬓暴黝蔓馨l…     

Art of Pottery

Lü Pinchang, a young professor of sculpture in the Central Academy of Fine Arts, tries to express traditional themes symbolically and abstractly. In     

Does Frequency of Interruptions Amplify the Effect of Various Types of Interruptions? Experimental Evidence

The aim of this experiment was to determine if the frequency of interruptions during an interaction amplifies the effect of the type of the interruptions on the interruptee (the amplification hypothesis). While interviewing 90 participants, two confederates manipulated four different kinds of interruptions (change-subject, same-subject, disagreement, and supportive interruptions) at two different frequencies (mean rates, 1.58 and 2.94 per minute), in addition to a no-interruption control condition. At the end of the interview, the participants were asked to answer questions about themselves, the interlocutor, and the situation. The results showed that the negative effects of change- and same-subject interruptions were amplified when they were more frequent, as were the positive effects of supportive interruptions. Contrary to expectations, disagreement interruptions were regarded as positive. All the results provide support for the amplification hypothesis.     

Development of an ergonomics device for maintenance of hydraulic generators of Tucuruí hydropower plant

This paper aims to present an ergonomic device to assist in the maintenance of the units of Tucuruí Hydropower Plant. The development of this ergonomic device made possible to reduce maintenance time, reduce losses caused by billing, improve performance and reduce the physical strain for labors during the execution of services.     

The use of bodies. Agamben’s idea of a non-capitalist form of life

Abstract

With the notion of the form-of-life as a counter-figure to the notion of bare life, Agamben seems to invite us to place at the center of a critical theory of capitalism a reflection on bios. To envisage a form of emancipation that unfolds against bare life suggests, at first glance, another relation to the living body. Such a gesture seems to be inspired by the desire to think a natural life that would also be a politically qualified life. The idea with which Agamben closes the Homo Sacer series, namely that of a use of bodies, also gestures in this direction. In this paper I show how the categories of bare life and of the use of bodies fail to live up to their promise, before demonstrating in what sense the idea of a subtraction of law as a political project which subsumes all others ends up weakening the critical potential of the idea of a form-of-life that is to be realised against the force of production of bare lives.     

Envoys of Friendship

DANG Xiaodong, an orphan bornin Henan, has been in the UnitedStates for more than two years.Her new parents love her very much, "Itseems she has been a member of ourfamily all along. She shows greatconsideration to us, loves her elderbrother and gets on well with ourrelatives." When she left China, DangXiaodong was only one year old andwas still not walking properly. After shearrived in the United States, she learnedto dress herself, brush her teeth and eat     

Songs of Friendship

THE sound of the last note died away. There was a moment of silence in the hall. Suddenly, thunderous applause broke out from the audience. The singer bowed again and again. She had just finished singing "I Love You, China," a popular song from the 1980s film, Compatriot Children Abroad. Although the audience was well aware that the young singer on the stage, Okuyama Yumi, was Japanese, they could hardly distinguish her performance of the song from that of Ye Peiying's famous rendition of the song in the film.