Application of FISK,an Invasiveness Screening Tool for Non‐Native Freshwater Fishes,in the Murray‐Darling Basin (Southeastern Australia)

The Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit (FISK) is currently one of the most popular pre‐screening tools for freshwater fishes. A recent upgrade has ensured its wider climatic relevance to countries with subtropical regions. This enhancement is of particular importance to Australia, which encompasses tropical, arid, and temperate zones, and where the introduction of non‐native fish species poses a significant risk to biodiversity. In this study, 55 fish species previously evaluated in a U.K.‐based calibration of FISK are reassessed for their potential invasiveness in the Murray‐Darling Basin (MDB; southeastern Australia), the continent's largest catchment encompassing arid and temperate climates. Approximately half of the species were classed as “medium risk” and the other half as “high risk,” and the ≥19 threshold previously identified from the calibration study was confirmed. The three highest scoring species (common carp Cyprinus carpio carpio, goldfish Carassius auratus, and eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki) were those already present and invasive in the area, whereas nearly half of the tropical and subtropical species had lower scores compared to U.K. assessments, possibly because of climate change predictions of drier conditions across the MDB. There were some discordances between FISK and two Australian‐based assessment protocols, one of which is qualitative and the other represents a simplified version of FISK. Notably, the Australian origins of FISK should provide for an additional reason for further applications of the tool in other RA areas (i.e., drainage basins) of the continent, ultimately encouraging adoption as the country's reference screening tool for management and conservation purposes.     

The Early Modern Economy of the Yangzi Delta in a New Perspective

China has experienced spectacular economic growth during the past three decades and seen some parts of the country, in particular the Yangzi Delta, swiftly converging with the developed countries in the level of economic development. This unprecedented growth has been seen as the greatest economic miracle in world history. This miracle is based on the economic performance of the Yangzi Delta in the long run of centuries. It is impossible to achieve a better understanding of the economic miracle of the delta without a better understanding of the basis created by the delta’s economy during its long historical development, in particular in the centuries before the modern West arrived in the mid- nineteenth century. To achieve this objective, we must break free of the West-centric straightjacket and study China’s early modern economy from a new perspective, which will be crucial to improve our knowledge of Chinese economic performance prior to the arrival of the West.     

Revisions of the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit (FISK) for its Application in Warmer Climatic Zones,with Particular Reference to Peninsular Florida

The initial version (v1) of the Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit (FISK) was adapted from the Weed Risk Assessment of Pheloung, Williams, and Halloy to assess the potential invasiveness of nonnative freshwater fishes in the United Kingdom. Published applications of FISK v1 have been primarily in temperate‐zone countries (Belgium, Belarus, and Japan), so the specificity of this screening tool to that climatic zone was not noted until attempts were made to apply it in peninsular Florida. To remedy this shortcoming, the questions and guidance notes of FISK v1 were reviewed and revised to improve clarity and extend its applicability to broader climatic regions, resulting in changes to 36 of the 49 questions. In addition, upgrades were made to the software architecture of FISK to improve overall computational speed as well as graphical user interface flexibility and friendliness. We demonstrate the process of screening a fish species using FISK v2 in a realistic management scenario by assessing the Barcoo grunter Scortum barcoo (Terapontidae), a species whose management concerns are related to its potential use for aquaponics in Florida. The FISK v2 screening of Barcoo grunter placed the species into the lower range of medium risk (score = 5), suggesting it is a permissible species for use in Florida under current nonnative species regulations. Screening of the Barcoo grunter illustrates the usefulness of FISK v2 as a proactive tool serving to inform risk management decisions, but the low level of confidence associated with the assessment highlighted a dearth of critical information on this species.     

Understanding Normative Growth and Development in Aging

No abstract available for this article.     

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.     

The classification accuracy of four problem gambling assessment instruments in population research

Improved methodology was used to re-examine the weak correspondence between problem and pathological gamblers identified in population surveys and subsequent classification of these individuals in clinical interviews. The SOGS-R, the CPGI, the NODS and the Problem and Pathological Gambling Measure (PPGM), as well as questions about gambling participation and expenditures, were administered to a total of 7272 adults. Two clinicians then assessed each person's status, based on comprehensive written profiles derived from these questionnaire responses. Instrument classification was then compared to clinical classification. All four instruments correctly classified most non-problem gamblers (i.e. had good to excellent sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive power). However, the PPGM was the only instrument with good classification of problem gamblers (i.e. excellent sensitivity and positive predictive power). The CPGI and SOGS-R had weak positive predictive power and the NODS had only adequate sensitivity and positive predictive power. Improvement in the classification accuracy of the CPGI occurred when a 5+ cut-off was used and when a 4+ cut-off was used with the SOGS. In general, the classification accuracy of the NODS, SOGS and CPGI is better than prior research suggested but overall accuracy is still modest. With adjusted cut-offs, all three instruments are reasonably congruent with clinical ratings.     

Power of Teen Motherhood in Predicting Later Educational Attainment

Abstract

This article investigates the power of teen motherhood in predicting later educational attainment. Data for mothers are extracted from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Findings show that teen motherhood is inversely related to later educational attainment. Poverty, welfare receipt and the number of children have a direct influence on later educational attainment. Employment, the age of the woman at the time of her first marriage, and being married currently, had a direct positive influence on educational attainment. The implications for social work practice are discussed.     

“岂不怀匡济,天运当何如”──论天然禅师的安攘匡济情怀与通脱的应世方式

清初岭南佛门领袖天然禅师,年轻时抱有强烈的报国安民的情怀。虽然在明亡之前即已剃度,但安攘济世之心并未泯灭。甲申、乙酉之后,身为僧人的他,并未真正弃绝世事。他的一些行为仍与变乱的时局密切相关。其后,他在诗歌中不断地抒写着故国丘墟之感。其沧海桑田之作俨然前明遗民。尽管如此,他并没有拒绝与新朝官员的交接。甚至其诗歌中还有一些肯定新朝官员的作品。可以看出天然禅师在应世方式上是相当通脱的。     

大陆会议委员会制度的演变及影响

委员会制度是当代美国国会运作的重要方式之一，起着举足轻重的作用。这种作用在美国早期具有国会性质的大陆会议中已初见端倪。大陆会议时期的委员会制度，在当时解决了早期美国发展过程中的大量国家事务，同时由于它自身存在诸多弊端，无法根本解决大陆会议所面临的很多问题。但是，这一时期委员会制度的形成与演变是一种创新性实践，不但影响了未来邦联国会的运作，更重要的是，它的实践有助于推动行政机构与立法机构的分离，对美国早期政府体制构建起了重要作用。     

汉初皇帝利益追求的策略——在制度的利益分析框架之下的探讨

与秦始皇一样,汉初的皇帝也追求个人利益最大化,但他们追求最大化利益的手段越来越巧妙。汉承秦制,刘氏家族重新确立被放弃的皇帝制度,从制度上保证自己获取最大利益的同时,巧妙运用其他的社会制度,巩固其既得的利益。他们在追求最大利益的同时,也追求最安心、最长久的利益享受。从这个角度看,汉初的皇帝追求个人利益的策略要比秦始皇略高一筹。