Contact between birth parents and children in kinship care in a sample from Spain

Within the context of kinship care, the main objectives of this work are to study the characteristics of contact between foster children and their birth parents, and their relationship with key variables of fostering, the children and their kinship caregivers. The sample included 189 children from Spain and their kinship families. A semi‐structured placement interview and two scales relating to the child–caregiver relationship and child's psychological adjustment were used with the kinship families. The results revealed a significant percentage of foster children who had no family contact. Various visit types, frequencies and durations were described. Kinship care with contact, compared with placements without contact, was frequently characterized by the absence of professional supervision, and an affectionate child–caregiver relationship; moreover, children with contact were perceived to have fewer serious behaviour and socio‐emotional problems and a greater probability of family reunification. The regression analysis showed that the main predictors for how caregivers assessed contact were the children's emotional reaction during visits and the quality of the relationship between the kinship families and the birth parents. These results suggest the need for further research about contact, which will certainly have a major impact on professional intervention with these families.     

Life pattern of urban trees: A growth-modelling approach

Urban afforestation improves life quality in urban centers providing social and environmental benefits. Understanding growth of urban trees exposed to air pollution will support planning, managing and expanding urban areas. This approach intends to determine growth patterns of urban trees to support future urban planning. Non-destructive samples were collected from trees of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze in Araucaria city, Parana State, Brazil. Growth rings were related to pollutant concentrations and meteorological series. Growth reduction was observed except in the border areas of the city. Trees established during or after the period of industrialization incentives were most affected by air pollution, indicating that immature plants are more vulnerable. Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide significantly affected growth of smaller trees. Those greater than 60 cm dbh did not demonstrate significant correlation with any identified pollutant. As the trees established before accentuated urbanization were less affected by air pollution, it is reinforced the importance of preserving remaining urban trees. We suggest that planning urban afforestation should precede industries placing. When urban planning is impossible, new planted trees should not be expected to grow as in free pollution areas, but they will still present satisfactory diameter increment, contributing to improve local urban environment.     

On algorithmic construction of maximin distance designs

Maximin distance designs are useful for conducting expensive computer experiments. In this article, we compare some global optimization algorithms for constructing such designs. We also introduce several related space-filling designs, including nested maximin distance designs, sliced maximin distance designs, and general maximin distance designs with better projection properties. These designs possess more flexible structures than their analogs in the literature. Examples of these designs constructed by the algorithms are presented.     

Driving Under the Influence of Risky Peers: An Experimental Study of Adolescent Risk Taking

Both passive and active social influences may affect adolescents' dangerous driving. In this study, we used an experimental paradigm to delineate these two influences with actual peers. Adolescents completed a simulated driving task, and we measured risk preferences of each member of the peer group. We used hierarchical linear modeling to partition variance in risky decisions. Adolescents experienced many more crashes when they had “passengers” present who reported a strong preference for risk taking and who actively provided decision‐making guidance. Although youth in the passive peer condition were also influenced by the riskiness of their peers, this relation was less strong relative to the active condition. We discuss the need for interventions focussing on active and passive peer influence.     

固守·承继·创新——汤池试验留给我们的启示

伴随着时代的不断发展,中国正大踏步地迈进世界的大舞台。面对多元文化的冲击,中国传统文化的继承与弘扬正面临着诸多的考验,人们为此做出过许多的探索与努力。汤池的庐江中华文化教育中心也正是其中之一。汤池的试验,对于承继传统文化提供的启示是：坚定弘扬传统文化的信念,注重传统文化对人由外而内的塑造以及实现传统与现代的对接。     

浅论当代中国家庭伦理的构建——基于中西方个人与家庭伦理观的对比

中西方有着迥异不同的家族历史与家庭伦理,这极大地影响了中西方现代人的思维方式与生活方式,尤其对人的个体观念、团体观念产生了一种决定性的作用。文章简略对比中西方家族制的历史、家族伦理的显著差异,以及家族文化对当代中国家庭伦理构建的深刻影响,对我们扬弃中西方的个人、家庭伦理观,处理好个人的自由与对家庭的责任关系有一定的启示意义。     

Integration of time as a factor in ergonomic simulation

The paper describes the application of a simulation based ergonomic evaluation. Within a pilot project, the algorithms of the screening method of the European Assembly Worksheet were transferred into an existing digital human model. Movement data was recorded with an especially developed hybrid Motion Capturing system. A prototype of the system was built and is currently being tested at the Volkswagen Group. First results showed the feasibility of the simulation based ergonomic evaluation with Motion Capturing.     

建国初期的马克思主义理论教育及其启示

建国初期开展马克思主义理论教育,是为了改变党内忽视理论的经验主义的危险倾向,用社会主义思想占领思想战线,为党领导人民完成新的历史任务奠定坚实的思想基础。这次理论教育,在全党以加强党风为目标,在知识分子中以思想改造为目标,在工农大众中以经济社会发展的各项任务为目标。理论教育过程中,党员干部、党内党外分层次,以学习毛泽东思想为重点,取得现实的和历史的深远影响。     

理工高校法律人才培养模式之检讨

通过抽样考察,可窥见我国理工高校法律人才培养模式总体现状欠佳,其主要存在这样几个问题:一是培养模式未彰显特色,培养目标指向趋于同质,定位模糊;二是培养机制缺乏制度化支撑,长久动力不足,人才培养缺乏竞争优势。理工高校应以应用复合型卓越法律人才培养目标的确立,特定法律人才培养机制的建构,特色法律专业课程的设计和教学方法的创新,以及法律人才培养模式的制度化保障等四个方面为进路,尽快改变理工高校法律人才培养的欠佳状况。     

浅谈地方农业院校服务新农村建设

本文分析了服务新农村建设是地方农业院校发展的机遇；阐述了地方农业院校服务新农村建设的意义和优势；提出了地方农业院校服务新农村建设的对策和建议。