Abscondence and duration of treatment of compulsorily committed alcoholics on a locked ward: effects of changes in the treatment program and the law

The study concerns 124 alcoholics compulsorily committed to a locked ward at Runnagården, a coercive treatment setting in mid-Sweden. Three groups are compared: 57 patients were admitted before and 29 were admitted after the implementation of an introductory Alcoholics Anonymous-oriented program on the ward. Another 38 patients were admitted after the changes in legislation, which resulted in a longer duration of compulsory care. The groups were compared as to the number of days spent on the locked unit and the number of times they absconded. With the implementation of the program, a significant reduction was observed in the time needed on the locked ward, while the number of abscondence incidents showed a weaker tendency to decrease. After the legislative changes were made, the same factors increased. Multivariate regression was used to check confounding background factors. In conclusion, the introduction of an Alcoholics Anonymous-oriented program in a coercive treatment setting reduced the time spent on a locked ward without increasing the number of times patients absconded. Increase in length of coercion increased both the time spent at the locked ward and the number of times absconded.     

The duality of world cities and firms: comparing networks,hierarchies, and inequalities in the global economy

Much of the research on globalization conceives of the global economy as structured by networks among places, while separately organizational research has examined the role of networks among firms in structuring competition, collaboration, and cooperation. In both cases, position and centrality within the network confers certain advantages and disadvantages, the distribution of which defines a hierarchy. In this article, I explore the idea of dual networks of world cities and firms, then use Breiger's approach to define two such networks: one among 313 world cities, another among 100 advanced producer service firms. Comparison of the degree of inequality in the hierarchies implied by these networks suggest that world city hierarchies are steeper than firm hierarchies (that is there is greater inequality among cities). Thus, even under conditions of footloose global capitalism, place still matters: where a producer is located has more impact than who provides support services.     

Assimilation and discriminatory perceptions and experiences: The case of Hispanics in the United States

This paper examines the relationship between assimilation and discriminatory practices encountered by Hispanic-Americans. Theories of intergroup relations have typically assumed that as members of minority ethnic groups assimilate to a dominant group, they perceive and experience lower degrees of discrimination directed against them. In reviewing theories of majority–minority relations, we have called this the “assimilationist” model. This view has been opposed by some scholars who argue that as minority ethnics assimilate and become more knowledgeable of the larger society, they perceive and experience higher levels of discrimination against them and their group. We have termed this the “conflict model” of interethnic relations. Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Latinos, conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, we test opposing hypotheses based on these two models. Our findings, while exploratory, largely support the assimilationist model, with a few contradictory results. We discuss these findings and their implications for understanding the current situation of Hispanics in the United States.     

Development and Consideration of Global Policies for Managing the Future Risks of Poliovirus Outbreaks: Insights and Lessons Learned Through Modeling

The success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative promises to bring large benefits, including sustained improvements in quality of life (i.e., cases of paralytic disease and deaths avoided) and costs saved from cessation of vaccination. Obtaining and maintaining these benefits requires that policymakers manage the transition from the current massive use of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) to a world without OPV and free of the risks of potential future reintroductions of live polioviruses. This article describes the analytical journey that began in 2001 with a retrospective case study on polio risk management and led to development of dynamic integrated risk, economic, and decision analysis tools to inform global policies for managing the risks of polio. This analytical journey has provided several key insights and lessons learned that will be useful to future analysts involved in similar complex decision-making processes.     

从带动度系数看信息产业在国民经济中的作用

该文在 1 997年的中国投入产出表的基础上作适当修改 ,编制出信息产业投入产出表 ,据此建立模型并计算出带动度和带动度系数。通过对信息产业进行研究 ,该文认为信息产业已成为国民经济的第二主导产业 ,对国民经济其他各部门总产品变动的影响很大 ,而且还有着很大的发展空间     

Non-monetary accounting: A necessary development for better managerial decisions

This study analyses critically the latest existence of non-monetary accounting: its uses today, its advantages and disadvantages, and the inevitable trends of a move away from total reliance on monetary accounting, especially now with the development of integrated information systems in modern enterprises.     

Improved estimators for the selected location parameters

_i , i = 1, 2, ..., k be k independent exponential populations with different unknown location parameters θ _i , i = 1, 2, ..., k and common known scale parameter σ. Let Y _i denote the smallest observation based on a random sample of size n from the i-th population. Suppose a subset of the given k population is selected using the subset selection procedure according to which the population π _i is selected iff Y _i ≥Y ₍₁₎−d, where Y ₍₁₎ is the largest of the Y _i 's and d is some suitable constant. The estimation of the location parameters associated with the selected populations is considered for the squared error loss. It is observed that the natural estimator dominates the unbiased estimator. It is also shown that the natural estimator itself is inadmissible and a class of improved estimators that dominate the natural estimator is obtained. The improved estimators are consistent and their risks are shown to be O(kn ⁻²). As a special case, we obtain the coresponding results for the estimation of θ₍₁₎, the parameter associated with Y ₍₁₎. Received: January 6, 1998; revised version: July 11, 2000     

先进文化与可持续发展

该文根据先进文化的特征 ,认为可持续发展是精神文明的本质体现 ,是精神文明创新 ;先进文化是可持续发展的灵魂 ,并论述了先进文化与可持续发展的辩证互动关系。同时提出精神文明建设新课题 ,一是要加强关于可持续发展的科学管理、综合决策和法制建设 ;二是要在全社会进行可持续发展价值观的教育 ,让人们牢牢地树立起“可持续发展”观念 ,以改变人们不良的生产方式和生活方式 ;三是要进一步反对利己主义、拜金主义和享乐主义 ,提倡适度消费 ,建立起既符合国情 ,又具有可持续性的生活方式     

森林认证的三大基础活动

该文首次提出制定森林可持续经营的标准和指标、绿色消费运动、标准化及其认证是森林认证的三大基础活动。指出森林可持续经营标准和指标的实施及认证产品市场的形成是森林认证的内部动力和外在驱动 ,国际标准化及认证行动为森林认证的开展提供了丰富的经验。