The African Evaluation Guidelines: 2002. A checklist to assist in planning evaluations, negotiating clear contracts, reviewing progress and ensuring adequate completion of an evaluation

A review of the US ‘program evaluation standards’ (PES), undertaken in a series of workshops and meetings of networks of evaluators in Africa, resulted in modifications to those standards. The result was presented to a plenary session of the Inaugural Conference of the African Evaluation Association in September 1999, attended by over 300 evaluators from 35 countries. The AfrEA Conference decided that a systematic effort should be made to produce a list of African evaluation guidelines, similar to the PES, and that this checklist should be reviewed by national evaluation associations and networks in Africa and field tested in several countries. Ten national and regional networks and associations suggested modifications to the text and endorsed the final version of the guidelines.     

Issues in applying recent CPMP ‘Points to Consider’ and FDA guidance documents with biostatistical implications

The International Conference on Harmonisation guideline ‘Statistical Principles for Clinical Trials’ was adopted by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) in March 1998, and consequently is operational in Europe. Since then more detailed guidance on selected topics has been issued by the CPMP in the form of ‘Points to Consider’ documents. The intent of these was to give guidance particularly to non‐statistical reviewers within regulatory authorities, although of course they also provide a good source of information for pharmaceutical industry statisticians. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has recently issued a draft guideline on data monitoring committees. In November 2002 a one‐day discussion forum was held in London by Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry (PSI). The aim of the meeting was to discuss how statisticians were responding to some of the issues covered in these new guidelines, and to document consensus views where they existed. The forum was attended by industry, academic and regulatory statisticians. This paper outlines the questions raised, resulting discussions and consensus views reached. It is clear from the guidelines and discussions at the workshop that the statistical analysis strategy must be planned during the design phase of a clinical trial and carefully documented. Once the study is complete the analysis strategy should be thoughtfully executed and the findings reported. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dialogical Research in Supervision: Practical Guidelines from Experienced Supervisors in Family Therapy,Child Protection,and Specialty Mental Health Services

This two‐year qualitative participatory research project examines practical guidelines for supervision. Sixteen experienced supervisors across professional settings of family therapy, child protection, and specialty mental health services in the geographical regions of Northern Norway and Northern Sweden outline four main practical guidelines in supervision based on their supervisory practices: (1) elaborating an agreed‐upon contract; (2) exploring potential formats; (3) exploring contents; (4) acknowledging responsibility for process and dilemmas. Participants summarised how they generated mutual growth in supervisory relationships, while being respectful of the first‐person perspective of supervisees. The study challenges pre‐dominating guidelines about deficit‐ or developmental stage‐oriented supervision. It illustrates reflecting processes and a polyphonic orientation in supervision by welcoming diversity, wondering, and tolerance for the not‐yet‐decided among involved persons in a mutual exploration and calibration of relevant knowledge. It outlines a dialogical research for sharing, exploring, and questioning knowledge as beneficial for whom, told by whom, and evaluated by whom.     

What influences the size of child maintenance payments? A register‐based study of maintenance payments in Finland

The aim of this study was to explore how particular economic and demographic factors contribute to the level of the child maintenance payment (CMP) paid by the non‐resident parent. For this study, we used 5‐year longitudinal panel data from years 2009 to 2013 consisting of over 80,000 non‐resident parents from the Finnish Tax Administration and The Finnish Population Register Centre. Results from regression models indicate that the single biggest factor affecting the size of CMPs is the number of dependent children. We found that the non‐resident parent's higher income is associated with higher CMPs and that non‐resident fathers pay on average larger CMPs than non‐resident mothers, even after accounting for differences in income. Unexpectedly, we found that the age of the dependent child did not predict changes in CMPs. This suggests that once formal CMP‐contracts are determined between the parents, they are seldom changed. Our results suggest that some degree of mandatory periodic review for maintenance contracts is worth considering.     

日语敬语新规文件的趣旨

现代日语敬语是表达敬意的一种语言手段，表现新型上下关系中相互尊重的民主理想。这种新的理念是在绝对敬语向相对敬语转变完成后提出来的，调和了敬意表达和关系认知两种观点的矛盾。日本政府以官方文件形式肯定敬语的五分类，适应了国内外敬语教学新形势的要求。我国的日语敬语教学应积极反映这些变化，在教材和教学法上采取新的对策。     

Community-Based Long Term Care

Through the Living at Home Program (LAHP) 20 communities across the United States have developed cooperative networks involving multiple health and social services providers. The LAHP networks have sought to increase access to care, reduce duplication of services, and identify and fill service gaps. The LAHP national evaluation is examining the inter-organizational linkages that have been implemented by the networks and the characteristics of 1500 clients enrolled for care. Preliminary findings at the midpoint of the evaluation indicate that the networks have moved from a reliance on informal communication and coordination mechanisms at baseline to the use of more formal structural mechanisms over time. Despite the lack of formal targeting criteria, the networks have enrolled a quite frail elderly population. Future analyses will examine variability across the networks in client targeting and service utilization, In order to shed light on the need for utilization review of community based long term care.     

A call for the development of “good research practices” (GRP) guidelines

It is proposed that the scientific community develop and implement “Good Research Practices”; (GRP) guidelines in order to improve the quality of research, reduce the incidence of scientific misconduct, and save large sums of monies from being wasted.     

礼貌原则在公关语言中的运用

语用学和公共关系学是近几十年新发展起来的学科,而礼貌原则是语言运用中要遵循的一项原则,简单介绍语用学和公共关系学的概念之后,阐明礼貌原则的提出和实质内容以及为什么要以利奇所提出的礼貌原则的内容作为理论基础,然后简单介绍公关语言的分类,最后通过实例来详析礼貌原则在公关语言中的遵守与运用。通过分析可以进一步了解到公关语言并不是来适应某项准则,它是为在公关活动中实现某种目的而服务的。     

所有权结构、长期资产减值与盈余管理——来自中国上市公司的经验证据

从代理理论的角度分析了盈余管理产生的原因、上市公司利用资产减值准则寻求盈余管理的逻辑关系,结合我国资本市场特有的所有权结构,分析了国有企业和民营企业执行资产减值准则时的区别所在及其根源,并提出两个假设。H1新准则颁布后,长期资产减值准则的应用仍然受盈余管理动机的影响;H2所有权结构的差异,导致上市公司利用长期资产减值准则时有差异。为检验这两个假设,以沪深A股上市公司2007—2009年数据为样本进行了实证研究。实证结果表明：2007—2009年,我国上市公司仍然存在利用资产减值进行盈余管理,利用计提长期资产减值准备、转销减值长期资产以实现扭亏等盈余管理动机的情况;所有权结构的不同对企业准则的执行也有影响,国有企业利用“转销”减值长期资产进行盈余管理的程度显著低于民营企业。