MARS as an alternative approach of Gaussian graphical model for biochemical networks

The Gaussian graphical model (GGM) is one of the well-known modelling approaches to describe biological networks under the steady-state condition via the precision matrix of data. In literature there are different methods to infer model parameters based on GGM. The neighbourhood selection with the lasso regression and the graphical lasso method are the most common techniques among these alternative estimation methods. But they can be computationally demanding when the system's dimension increases. Here, we suggest a non-parametric statistical approach, called the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) as an alternative of GGM. To compare the performance of both models, we evaluate the findings of normal and non-normal data via the specificity, precision, F-measures and their computational costs. From the outputs, we see that MARS performs well, resulting in, a plausible alternative approach with respect to GGM in the construction of complex biological systems.     

Living “Anyway:” Stories of Access

Elana Dykewomon's 1974 novel, Riverfinger Women, was among the first lesbian books with a “happy ending.” Her seven books of fiction and poetry include the Lambda Award winner Beyond the Pale (now an audio and e-book) and Lambda nominee, Risk. She was an editor of the lesbian-feminist journal, Sinister Wisdom, for eight years. Her literary work foregrounds the lesbian heroic as integral to women's communities. As a social justice activist, she has organized and participated in anti-war, anti-racist, anti-classist, fat and disability rights work since the 1970s. She is now working with Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. She is happy to live embedded in dyke community as a lesbian radical committed to a loving justice. While she suffered psychiatric abuse at 13 (and acknowledges long-term adaptive behavior on that account), she has not experienced disabling mental illness since. Her primary disabilities are mobility impairment through severe, progressive arthritis and constant low-to-powerful pain, sometimes diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Her acute illnesses include pancreatitis and a rare-in-adults kidney disease currently in remission.     

The quality of service: An overall performance assessment for water utilities

Over the last decades, the delivery of water supply services has changed among regions and actors, in order to meet the changing needs. Those services can be balanced based on the relation between the obligations they must fulfill, the quality offered, and the associated price/value for money. Furthermore, due to the water services inherent characteristics, they are prone to poor quality of service (in general terms). Thus, global performance assessments are of paramount relevance under those constraints. In Portugal, the water regulator has developed a system of performance indicators (partial measures of performance) and, therefore, it is not possible to achieve the desired holistic performance evaluation (global measure). To enable such assessment, we propose an application based on the ELECTRE TRI-nC method to define quality of service categories and aggregate performance indicators. To obtain a coherent family of criteria (i.e., exhaustive, cohesive, and non-redundant) we apply an iso-preference logic. The results obtained are presented through a geographical information system allowing for a clearer visualization of the overall performance of water utilities. The method proposed can be considered a suitable decision support system and useful regulatory tool able to provide policy relevant outputs.     

Vocational rehabilitation of disabled people in Germany: a systems-theoretical perspective

Avoiding inequality of opportunities based on individual characteristics such as sex, race or disability is of central concern for social policy. One of the most important aspects of social inclusion is integration into working life. In Germany, a comprehensive system of vocational rehabilitation has been developed aiming to integrate disabled people into the labour market. This paper contributes to a better understanding of exclusion and inclusion mechanisms related to employment participation of disabled people through the application of concepts from systems theory. We identify the societal part systems influencing these mechanisms and structure them using a multi-level approach.     

Stepping through the door – exploring low‐threshold services in Norwegian family centres

Public policies encourage the service system to work in new ways to promote health and increase social equality. This paper presents four categories that show the character of the low‐threshold services in Norwegian family centres from the professionals' and parents' perspectives, focusing on accessibility and participation: easy access, low level of bureaucracy, collaborative competences and inclusive arena. This paper is based on an inductive study in three municipalities that have chosen to establish family centres as interdisciplinary co‐located services that aim to offer low‐threshold services for children and their families. Data were generated through a fieldwork, and participatory observation and interviews were the main source of data. The methodological framework for the analysis was grounded theory, in which the data generation and analysis interchanged throughout the study, and theoretical sampling set the focus for the fieldwork. Exploring the actor's perspective highlighted both strengths and challenges with the low‐threshold services in the family centres. The four elements presented emphasize that the value of these low‐threshold services are not found in one single hallmark; rather, the value depends on an interaction between different elements that must be addressed when establishing, evaluating and developing low‐threshold services in family centres.     

发达国家本科招生制度经验借鉴与启示--基于美国、英国和日本的多案例研究

选取在大学本科招生制度领域获得世界普遍认可且各有特色的发达国家作为研究对象，在理论分析的基础上，构建本科招生制度体系，并采用多案例研究的方法，对美国、英国和日本3个样本国家本科招生制度的经验进行分析。研究发现，3个发达国家在本科招生制度方面具有3方面的共同特征：（1）本科招生制度的基础是形式多样化的招生方式；（2）本科招生制度的核心是兼顾办学理念和公平公正的综合、多元化的录取标准；（3）本科招生制度的保障是内部与外部并重的监督机制。在此基础上，结合我国实际情况，提出发达国家经验对我国本科招生制度改革的启示。     

后新公共管理改革的起因研究

目前,世界各国公共行政改革是在各种各样的环境中进行着不同的多样式的变革转型,没有一种普世的适合多国的主流范式,各国政府都在探寻新的改革之路,后新公共管理改革理论呈现多元化。善治、新公共治理、跨国公共治理、多层级治理、数字时代治理、元治理、整体政府、新公共服务、公共价值管理、新韦伯主义国家和发展型国家等新模式如雨后春笋般冒出。后NPM兴起的主要原因:求新癖和超越癖的刺激;新公共管理自身的缺陷,日趋衰落;公共部门碎片化,政治控制弱化;治理、协作、网络、全球化、通信技术等因素影响;韦伯主义的复兴和新官僚制诞生;价值理性的兴起,公共价值、服务、参与和协商等民主思潮的推动。后新公共管理改革的一些要素包括:治理、协作、整体、网络化、多元、开放、伙伴关系、参与、协商、集体偏好、透明、绩效、信任、期望、满意和结果等。     

The Safety First Assessment Intervention: A Whole Family Approach for Young People with High Risk Mental Health Presentations

The following article provides a comprehensive guide to the clinical implementation of the Safety First Assessment Intervention (SFAI). The SFAI is a systemised, whole family approach for young people with high‐risk issues presenting in a mental health crisis. It is underpinned by the Safety First Model (Bickerton et al., 2007 ) and promotes community‐based care. The SFAI operationalises the foundation levels of the Safety First Model (SFM) through a highly structured clinical process. It draws on family systems theory, predominantly the work of Bowen ( 1978 ), to conceptualise distress through a multi‐generational systems lens and to prioritise the young person's natural support system (their family, friends, school and community) as their key resource. The SFAI engages this natural support system and facilitates open communication about symptoms, distress, safety and risk. This promotes a shared understanding of the key issues in a relational context and forms the basis of collaborative risk management. Thus, a system of safety emerges prioritising the family's role in optimising the young person's community‐based recovery. The need for pharmacotherapy and hospitalisation is therefore minimised. The article includes background theory, an outline of the structured assessment intervention and clinical techniques, including strategies for complex family situations. Specific strategies are illustrated with fictional vignettes. The work is based on the authors' accumulated experiences of working with young people and their families and carers in an acute Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for over a decade.     

现代性社会理论视角下井冈山革命社会的成因探析

以现代性社会理论为研究视角,从井冈山革命社会外在自然的物化、井冈山革命社会内在自然的社会化、井冈山革命社会系统外环境的影响等三个层面来分析井冈山根据地的社会调节功用,可知,井冈山革命社会能够顺利运行两年零四个月,是社会系统各因素成功调节的结果。     

高水平研究型大学成长的制度缺失与建构

我国高水平研究型大学与世界一流大学存在很大的差距.究其原因,有利于高水平研究型大学成长的制度缺失是重要因素,包括大学分类评价制度、校长选拔制度、经费投入保障制度的缺失等.在构建我国高水平研究型大学的成长制度中,要遵循"大学自治"的原则来处理好各种关系,减少政府主管部门的直接干预,建立突出以"人"为核心的高水平研究型大学的评价体系,用制度保障高水平研究型大学建设的公平性和效率性.同时引入竞争机制,实行大学校长直选制度、大学委托评价制度、经费投入责任追究制度,从而促进高水平研究型大学建设.