From transfer to social service: a new emphasis on social policies for the aged in Japan

The Gold Plan, the central government's attempt to build a nationwide network of care service provision for the aged, seems partly because of its patchwork character and partly because of its stress on the low-cost strategy to be running into two problems: (1) It is adding new institutional ambiguities and functional confusion to the old fragmentation, instead of producing a well-integrated system; and (2) the response to the central policy varies much across the municipalities (its carriers) so a disparity among them in the level of service provided is emerging. A "public care service insurance" scheme, in the planning stages since April 1994, will offer a solution to the first problem. However, it will leave the second problem unsolved and may introduce a market factor into the field of social service. As it is, the service provision itself is overwhelmingly entrusted to private organizations.     

A protocol for evaluating the accuracy of 3D body scanners

Scan-derived landmarks locations and surface shapes are more and more used, but there is no commonly accepted protocol for evaluating the accuracy of these measurements. Therefore we propose a protocol for evaluating the accuracy of surface shape and the repeatability of scan-derived landmark locations. According to existing Japanese and German domestic standards, we propose to use an artefact (e.g. sphere with diameter of about 120 mm) calibrated very accurately for evaluating the accuracy of scanner-systems. For evaluating the repeatability of landmark locations, we propose to use an anthropomorphic dummy with landmark locations premarked. These test objects are measured by a 3D body scanner to be evaluated. Evaluation parameters such as trueness, precision, and repeatability are calculated from the measured data. A round-robin test was conducted in six different institutes using 17 body/head/foot scanners produced by eight companies. The purposes of the roundrobin test were to evaluate the availability of test objects to different body scanners, and to examine the measurement locations of test objects and quality parameters to be reported. As a result, the proposed test objects could be measured and the data exported by all scanner systems except one, which could not export the ball measurement. For a comparative purpose, a figure of measured surface might be useful.     

池田大作培育“地球市民”的教育观探析

池田大作“地球市民”必须具有三个要素：“智慧之人”、“勇敢之人”、“慈悲之人”。“地球市民”的教育,一是要有“相信人的潜在的可能性”的慈爱,二是要督促“自己自觉无可替换的使命感”,三是要以身试教。     

Eldercare in a Filipino Community: Older Women's Attitudes toward Caregiving and Service Use

Focus group research on elderly Filipino women living in the United States yields preliminary findings regarding their attitudes toward caregiving and formal service use. Filipino cultural values and the economic challenges attributed to their immigration status were perceived to be the greatest strengths and challenges in caring for the aged. Results identify generally positive attitudes toward formal service use and governmental assistance. Together, these findings shed light on Filipinos' acceptance and use of formal services. Further research to confirm and explore these findings can guide the design of the nation's practice and policy interventions for an increasingly ethnic and cultural diverse older population.     

Female size and age-specific fecundity in the small white butterfly,Pieris rapae crucivora Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

Summary Individual differences in several reproductive parameters of femalePieris rapae were investigated in a controlled laboratory condition. Lifetime and age-specific fecundity showed considerable variability between individuals. Larger females began oviposition at an earlier age than smaller ones, and larger females were more fecund than smaller ones. Larger females laid a larger proportion of their eggs in the early stages of their reproductive lifetime, whilst smaller females laid the larger proportion of their eggs later in their reproductive lifetime. The significance of the variance in age-specific fecundity associated with female size is discussed with respect to the seasonal change in size and habitat utilization of this species.