Self-Care—New Challenge to Individual Health

Abstract

We are beginning to recognize that further improvements in health care are best achieved through the development of the lay resource in health in contrast to the professional resource. Recent research has shown that the vast proportion of health care still remains in the hands of lay people, and that efforts aimed at improving this resource can have a powerful effect on health and the health care industry. It is important now that health professionals recognize a new public interest in demystifying medicine and deprofessionalizing health care.

With this increased recognition we can begin the road back to establishing a health competent society, less dependent on unnecessary professional intrusion. We can also look forward to a broader-based perspective on health and health care, which may very well involve new concepts of health that are at variance with present professional views and practices. We can also expect to achieve a new level of equity in responsibility for the production of health care as well as its consumption.     

Optimal Detection of a Change Point in a Poisson Process for Different Observation Schemes

Abstract.  Change point problems are considered where at some unobservable time the intensity of a point process ( T_n ), n ∈  N , has a jump. For a given reward functional we detect the change point optimally for different information schemes. These schemes differ in the available information. We consider three information levels, namely sequential observation of ( T_n ), ex post decision after observing the point process up to a fixed time t * and a combination of both observation schemes. In all of these cases the detection problem is viewed as an optimal stopping problem which can be solved by deriving a semimartingale representation of the gain process and applying tools from filtering theory.     

Exploring structural habitat heterogeneity in sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) for urban biodiversity support

Implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) as part of cities’ transition towards climate resilience encompasses unique opportunities to enhance urban nature qualities. SUDS include individual elements integrated in the urban landscape, e.g. rain gardens or wet basins, which are usually constructed with low structural heterogeneity. Structural heterogeneity of habitats is, however, associated with a high degree of biodiversity. This study explored potentials of habitat heterogeneity enhancement in SUDS using structural heterogeneity as a proxy for biodiversity potential. In an interdisciplinary workshop, landscape architects and urban ecologists designed individual SUDS elements with enhanced structural habitat heterogeneity, hereafter bio-SUDS. The redesigned SUDS elements were infiltration trench, curb extension, rain garden, swale, wet basin, and dry basin. To evaluate the bio-SUDS designs, we developed an index of habitat heterogeneity in SUDS based on registration of 45 structurally important components. The conversion from standard SUDS to bio-SUDS entailed substantial increases in structural heterogeneity ranging from 4 to 18 additional components within elements. Larger bio-SUDS elements returned higher index scores, but the relative score increases were substantial for all bio-SUDS and in the range of a factor of 2–5.5. Increased terrain differences, meandering edges, stones, gravel, boulders, deadwood, and brown roof-like vegetation were the components most often employed in the bio-SUDS designs. In conclusion, implementation of bio-SUDS has potential to increase structural habitat heterogeneity thereby providing habitat for biodiversity in urban green areas. The developed bio-SUDS index can assist in future assessments of ecological qualities in designs and real-world SUDS elements.     

Inequality,happiness and relative concerns: What actually is their relationship?

This paper briefly and informally surveys different theoretical models of relative concerns and their relation to inequality. Models of inequity aversion in common use in experimental economics imply a negative relation between inequality and happiness. In contrast, empirical studies on happiness typically employ models of relative concerns that assume that increases in others’ income always have a negative effect on own happiness. However, in these latter models, the relation between inequality and happiness can be positive. One possible solution is a rivalry model where a distinction is made between endowment and reward inequality which have respectively a negative and positive effect on happiness. These different models and their contrasting results may clarify why the empirical relationship between inequality and happiness has been difficult to establish. I would like to thank Ravi Kanbur, Tatiana Kornienko and, especially, Andrew Oswald for very helpful comments. Any errors are mine.     

The Consequences of Perceived Age Discrimination Amongst Older Police Officers: Is Social Support a Buffer?*

This paper considers the psychological consequences of perceived age discrimination, and the buffering effect of social support. Findings suggest that age discrimination acts as a stressor, with negative effects on job and life satisfaction, perceived power and prestige of the job, and affective and normative commitment, along with positive effects on withdrawal cognitions and continuance commitment. For work‐based social support, there were positive main effects on job and life satisfaction, power and prestige of the job, and affective and normative commitment, and a negative main effect on withdrawal cognitions. However, there were no significant moderating effects for work‐based social support, and we found the anticipated buffering effect for non‐work‐based social support only for life satisfaction, with reverse buffering for job satisfaction and normative commitment     

世界公关交通简讯

<正>瑞士苏黎世决定在北面的机场地区建造一个新的轻轨交通系统,总长12.7km,设20座车站,其服务范围包括工业区和正在迅速发展的郊区。该项目由私营公司承担,计划一期工程在2005年建成,二期工程在2008年建成,总投资5.4亿瑞士法郎。新的轻轨系统与苏黎世交通公司VBZ的有轨电车和公共汽车相互衔接,并且与公营的VBZ形成竞争。苏黎世的中央车站是欧洲最繁忙的交通枢纽之一,四通八达,有13条轨道交通线和瑞士联邦铁路都可在这里     

The fertility impact of alternative family planning distribution channels in Indonesia

Clinic-based distribution of contraceptive commodities is expensive per unit distributed. This situation has fueled the search for alternative means of delivery. Comparing the performance of alternatives is straightforward if the output measure is a count of commodities distributed, but comparing actual fertility impacts is another matter. I use data from the 1991 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey to assess the extent of difference among the eventual fertility outcomes of users supplied with similar commodities through varying sources. When the “modern” methods of pill, IUD, and injection are grouped together, the fertility of users supplied with these commodities differs markedly according to their source of supply. I find little evidence for self-selecting of users into supply channels. This result implies that fertility differentials by source are likely due to characteristics of the distribution channels.     

Carbon Labelling and Low‐income Country Exports: A Review of the Development Issues

This article discusses the carbon accounting and carbon‐labelling schemes being developed to address growing concerns over climate change. Its particular concern is their impact on small stakeholders, especially low‐income countries. The popular belief that trade is by definition problematic is not true; carbon efficiencies elsewhere in the supply chain may more than offset emissions from transportation. Indeed, low‐income countries may offer important opportunities for carbon emission reductions because of their favourable climatic conditions and use of low energy‐intensive production techniques. However, their effective inclusion in labelling schemes will require innovative solutions to provide low‐cost data collection and certification.     

Habitat use in basking Northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes in urban New Jersey

The habitat use of basking northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes was examined along the Raritan Canal, an urbanized area of central New Jersey. There were significant differences between the two species with respect to cloud cover, canopy cover, and the distance to the path and the water, but not with respect to percent of the body exposed to the sun, and percent of the snake that was visible. Water snakes were more likely to bask on bushes, branches and logs than were garter snakes. Garter snakes basked when both the air and water temperature were lower than did water snakes. The lack of basking sites in the water suggests that those along shore are important, including the low hanging branches used by the watersnakes.