Prenatal Sex Determination and Sex‐Selective Abortion in Rural Central China

This study analyzes the practice of prenatal sex selection in rural central China. It examines the prevalence and determinants of prenatal sex determination by ultrasound scanning and subsequent sex‐selective abortion. The data are derived from a survey of 820 married women aged 20–44 and from in‐depth interviews with rural women and men, village leaders, family planning managers, and health providers, conducted by the author in one county in central China in 2000. Prenatal sex determination was a widespread practice, especially for second and higher‐order pregnancies. Sex‐selective abortion was prevalent and order of pregnancy, sex of fetus, and sex of previous children were major determinants of the practice. A female fetus representing a high‐order pregnancy in a family with one or more daughters was the most likely to be aborted. Awareness among rural families that in the population at large a future marriage squeeze was likely did not diminish the demand for sex‐selective abortion.     

Ecosystem resilience, specialized adaptation and population decline: A modern Malthusian theory

The purpose of this article is to construct a theoretical framework characterizing the interactions among economic development, ecosystem equilibrium and possible population decline, and to discuss the population dynamics in the very long run. In our framework, economic activities bridge population and environment. On the one hand, human beings reform the environment through economic activities; on the other hand, economic activities decrease environmental resilience and increase the possibility of an environmental change in a discontinuous and irreversible pattern, as described in Arrow et al. (1995). Furthermore, a highly developed economy also causes over-specialization of human adaptation, which tends to exaggerate the impact of an environmental change on human population size. Received: 19 January 1999/Accepted: 3 July 1999     

Internet risks and expert views: a case study of the insider perspectives of youth workers in Hong Kong

This study collects and analyses the viewpoints of front-line youth workers regarding the notion of ‘Internet risks’. Previous studies have examined and discussed various dangers of the Internet. Parental, school, and governmental interventions are often called for by those concerned. The implicit assumption is that these are the people who possess the expertise to tackle the problems at hand. Through participation in three forums focusing on ‘Internet risks’, and in-depth interviews with 10 such ‘experts’ in Hong Kong, the study examines if this is a valid assumption. It finds that experts perceive Internet risks rather differently. In addition to the more conventional views about content, contact and conduct risks, our interviewees are aware that a new order is quickly emerging in the new media environment. Despite being considered as ‘experts’, they do not necessarily know how to tackle the so-called ‘youth-at-risk’. Rather, they are exploring how they would capitalize on the opportunities offered by the developments. The key findings highlight the need to critically review the notion of ‘Internet risks’. As with other risk frameworks, the ultimate aim is to develop intervention programmes. In this regard, risks are often treated as concrete problems that can be solved. Youth experts, however, find that the changing scope, speed and persistence of communication in today's information society present the biggest challenge in youth work. The existing framework of risks was unable to describe and account for such risks. In response, Internet risk has to be reconceptualized so that more updated, relevant and imaginative intervention can be introduced.     

论新公共服务与新公共管理的同异性

20世纪末叶,西方世界出现了一些改革传统行政管理思想的新理论、新流派,其中堪称典范、影响深远的有两大理论流派:新公共管理和新公共服务.这两个流派在理论上体现着公共行政学研究的新成果,在实践上指导着西方国家的公共部门改革,因此被学术界称为公共行政理论发展的新范式.通过对这两种新范式异同的分析,既可以把握新公共服务与新公共管理的相通性,又可以了解新公共服务相对于新公共管理的理论创新,从而有助于我国借鉴其思想精华,丰富具有中国特色的服务型政府建设理论.     

Rethinking mediated political engagement: social media ambivalence and disconnective practices of politically active youths in Hong Kong

Social media have been widely credited for facilitating young people’s political engagement, most notably by providing a conducive platform for political expression. There has been comparatively little attention, however, to the possible pitfalls for young people when they engage in politics on social media. In this study, we seek to redress the overemphasis on the strengths and connectivity of social media by attending to how young people negotiate their drawbacks and disconnectivity. Through in-depth interviews with young participants of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, we examine the choices and motives regarding mediated (non-)participation among a group of politically active youths. Our findings revealed that these young people’s social media ambivalence emerged from the major participatory experience. Despite their active and open informational sharing and political expression on social media alongside their in-person participation during the eventful protest, many young participants became wary of such expressive use owing to their perceptions of de-energization, disconnectedness, and disembodiment. Instead of completely withdrawing from political activities on social media, these politically inclined and technologically savvy youths embraced “disconnective practices” – passive engagement (lurking), selective expression (moderation and exposure-limitation), and offline participation (embodied collective action) – to avoid the overwhelming, fractious, and inauthentic conditions of mediated participation.     

基本养老保险制度对个人退休行为的激励程度研究

退休制度改革的一个关键问题是基本养老保险制度对个人退休行为的激励程度。作者通过测算九大行业代表性个体在不同退休年龄的养老保险替代率和边际隐性税率,得到以下结论：我国现行基本养老保险制度对个人退休行为存在普遍的负面激励作用,即会增加提前退休行为出现的概率,并且这种负面激励作用存在着很大的行业差异性,低收入行业的职工面临着更严重的负面激励。在这些结论的基础上,作者对弹性退休制度的精算中性原则进行了反思,并建议我国在进行弹性退休制度设计的时候,既要消除养老保险制度的负激励作用,又要注意保护低收入行业职工的权益。     

Evaluations of FDR-controlling procedures in multiple hypothesis testing

Many exploratory experiments such as DNA microarray or brain imaging require simultaneously comparisons of hundreds or thousands of hypotheses. Under such a setting, using the false discovery rate (FDR) as an overall Type I error is recommended (Benjamini and Hochberg in J. R. Stat. Soc. B 57:289–300, 1995). Many FDR controlling procedures have been proposed. However, when evaluating the performance of FDR-controlling procedures, researchers are often focused on the ability of procedures to control the FDR and to achieve high power. Meanwhile, under the multiple hypotheses, it may be also likely to commit a false non-discovery or fail to claim a true non-significance. In addition, various experimental parameters such as the number of hypotheses, the proportion of the number of true null hypotheses to the number of hypotheses, the samples size and the correlation structure may affect the performance of FDR controlling procedures. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the performance of some existing FDR controlling procedures in terms of four indices, i.e., the FDR, the false non-discovery rate, the sensitivity and the specificity. Analytical results of these indices for the FDR controlling procedures are derived. Simulations are also performed to evaluate the performance of controlling procedures in terms of these indices under various experimental parameters. The result can be used to summarize as a guidance for practitioners to properly choose a FDR controlling procedure.     

加强高校青年教师思想政治工作的思考

青年教师是高等院校的未来,青年教师的思想政治状况如何,直接关系到21世纪人才培养的方向和质量。加强高等院校青年教师的思想政治工作,是高等学校的一项既重要又紧迫的战略任务。本文分析探讨了当前高等院校青年教师的思想状况和存在问题,提出了加强高等院校青年教师思想政治工作的途径。     

媒介融合背景下的摄影手机与手机摄影

本文从手机的数据功能出发,分析研讨了摄影手机在手机发展及摄影大众化历程中的诸多话题,并对手机摄影作为一种新的摄影形态进行了相关论证。     

翻译学从属于语言学吗？——析语言学派的翻译学定位

翻译理论研究能走上系统化、科学化和客观化的道路,在很大程度上得益于语言学的发展。不过,语言学派翻译研究者大多把翻译研究纳入语言学或应用语言学的范畴,这一做法不能全面反映翻译学科的根本性质。这种范式体现出单纯精准科学化的片面性,在翻译研究中并不完全适用。把人文科学中并不稳定的客体当作相对稳定的自然科学的客体来看待,在较大程度上抹煞了人文科学与自然科学的差异性,使翻译研究成了一种程式化的规律研究。翻译实践不是一般语言活动,而是双语转换活动,是一种人文性极强的实践活动。研究翻译实践活动的翻译学是一门与语言学、文艺美学、文化研究及信息传播学等学科相平等的独立的人文学科。