Evaluation of the "Lose Your Excuse" public service advertising campaign for tweens to save energy

This study evaluates the 2008-2009 "Lose your Excuse" public service advertising (PSA) campaign on energy efficiency targeting 8- to 12-year-olds, intended to increase knowledge, foster proactive attitudes, and change energy usage behaviors. Baseline and two follow-up surveys were conducted with online samples representative of the national population of households with kids with online access. Almost half (47%) of the tweens recognized at least one ad from the campaign. Ad recognition was positively associated with knowledge, proactive attitudes, and energy-saving behavior. Propensity score analysis confirmed a small but measurable and statistically significant effect on energy-saving behavior. The discussion section compares these results to public health campaigns in terms of ghost awareness, reach, and effect size.     

Reciprocal relationships between attitudes about gender and social contexts during young adulthood

Using data from a 31-year panel study, we investigate reciprocal relationships between individuals’ attitudes about gender and their experience with a range of social settings commonly associated with the transition to adulthood. These settings include school, the labor market, independent living arrangements, cohabitation, marriage, and parenthood. We consider the extent to which gender and age moderate the relationships between attitudes about gender and exposure to these social contexts. Ordinary least squares regression and hazard models demonstrate that support for egalitarian roles for women and men in families is positively linked to subsequent school enrollment, women’s full-time employment, and independent living, but negatively associated with the subsequent timing of entry into marriage and marital parenthood. Accumulated schooling, independent living, and full-time employment are associated with changes in individuals’ attitudes about gender. Despite careful attention to gender differences, we find surprisingly little evidence that the causes and consequences of attitudes about gender differ for women and men, with the primary exception being the positive association of employment and egalitarian gender attitudes for women but not for men.     

The grandmother role as experienced by lesbian women

This study explores the grandmother role as experienced by a nonrandom sample of nine lesbian women. It examines how they define the grandmother role, and the behaviors and actions through which they enact the role. During individual interviews each woman was asked to talk about what makes a woman a good grandmother, memories of her own grandmothers, and the relationship she has with one or more of her grandchildren. The effect of her sexual orientation on the relationship was not explored. These women define the grandmother role as providing emotional support to their grandchildren, providing varied experiences for their grandchildren, and providing support for the parents of their grandchildren.     

Predictors of short-term reunification in South Australian substitute care

This study examines the factors that contribute to short-term reunification for 235 children placed in South Australian substitute care from 1998 to 1999. Proportional hazard analyses showed that non-Aboriginal children and those placed because of parental incapacity were significantly more likely to go home, whereas neglected and Aboriginal children were significantly less likely to go home. A detailed profile analysis highlighted the specific case characteristics or changes thought to have contributed to reunification in each case.     

浅析转型期公共风险的内在规定性

当前,我国正处于经济转轨和社会转型时期,社会的经济结构、政治环境、思想文化仍处于激烈的变动之中,而各种不确定因素的相互作用,必然会引发许多潜在的或现实的矛盾和冲突,给国家和地方政府带来种种不确定的公共风险,本文根据相关理论自定义"公共风险",并研究它的内涵及特性。同时指出地方政府进行公共风险防控的重要性,为地方政府预防和控制公共风险的分析研究提供重要的理论依据。     

论理性系统的层次结构和复杂性

不同哲学家分别从理性的不同层次对理性进行解读。这种单向度的理论,虽不能反映出理性的整体性,但表明人类理性具有一定层次性。不同层次理性对材料进行加工和创造依赖于主体各自的价值标准和选择意向;不同层次的价值标准和选择意向的冲突表明不同理性层次之间具有复杂性;理性的复杂性产生于理性系统跨越层次的相干关系。揭示理性系统层次结构和复杂性,对于理清技术（工具）理性与交往理性等价值理性的关系脉络,把握整体性的理性思想和学科之间的关系,挖掘新的认识具有重大意义。     

Flexible reasoning using sensible agent-based systems: A case study in job flow scheduling

Planning and control systems for highly dynamic and uncertain manufacturing environments require adaptive flexibility and decision-making capabilities. Modern distributed manufacturing systems assess the utility of planning and executing solutions for both system goals (e.g. minimize manufacturing production time for all parts or minimize WIP) and local goals (e.g. expedite part A production schedule or maximize machine X utilization). Sensible Agents have the ability to alter their autonomy levels to choose among a set of decision models in order to handle the differences between local and system goals. In this paper, Sensible Agents are applied to a production planning and control problem in the context of job shop scheduling and decision model theory. Sensible Agents provide for trade-off reasoning mechanisms among system and local utilities that are flexible and responsive to an agent's abilities, situational context and position in the organizational structure of the system.     

在当前英国，我们反对制定成文宪法

自1998年《人权法案》实施以来,英国宪法面临着来自国内和欧盟的双重挑战。在国内,法院获得了对议会主要立法作"不一致宣告"的权力,由于议会尊重法院的宣告,往往对不符合欧盟法的主要立法进行修改,司法权因此而发展,甚至已经形成了挑战议会主权的态势。这引发了废止《人权法案》与限缩法官权力的改革呼声。另一方面,议员任期、下议院对战争的表决权、上议院终身制改革等议题也成为宪法改革的助推力。欧盟方面,欧盟法常常与英国议会立法不一致,欧盟法院的判决在英国国内的效力也总引起争议。鉴于此,有学者提出了制定成文宪法的改革方案。该文对此进行了反思,认为制定成文宪法将零散的改革事项捆绑在一起,很难证成其合理性;同时,某些宪法惯例无法成文法化,即便写入宪法也很难实施,而不能实施的宪法不具有可适用性。而不成文宪法具有模糊性优点,可以调整王室和首相、首相与阁员间的关系,搁置欧洲议会和英国议会间的效力高低之争,使任何一方都能在现行宪制框架下和平共存,这无疑是一种成功的宪制安排。当下的英国,旧的宪政秩序正逐步瓦解,新的宪政秩序尚未建立,制定成文宪法风险极大,其必要性也存在疑问。故反对制定一部成文宪法。