Toward an assessment of the social role of rural midwives and its implication for the family planning program: an Iranian case study

An axiom of family planning programming is the importance of culturally-appropriate communicators and motivators. Traditional midwives seem ideal for this task but few studies have been done to verify this assumption by analyzing the midwife's social role as perceived by the community. 325 married women and 81 unmarried girls from a "model village" near Shiraz were interviewed by female undergraduates. 82.5% of the women are of childbearing age; 66% married before 14 years; 33% use contraception, mostly the pill, but most want large families because they expect high child mortality rates. Most of the older women are able to assist in childbirth but none, except the village's one recognized midwife, who is considered to have divine backing, will do so except in an emergency. The midwife's activities cause her to be held in low esteem by the community because 1) she has contact with a woman's sexual parts and this fact is public; 2) she has contact with vaginal excretia which are, in Islam, polluting; and 3) she is paid for her services, which labels her as a woman "without shame". The midwife is, however, widely used since women and their husbands fear the trip to the hospital and treatment by a male doctor much more than a midwife-supervised birth. The midwife in the study village had been there only 2 years and feels that she is not fully trusted. She is not consulted on birth control at all, because women expect the pill to be dispensed by doctors and consider other methods as a matter strictly between husband and wife. The midwife's role seems to complement that of the government health authorities rather than compete. The midwife's low status and circumscribed sphere of activity, the weak respect in which her advice is held and the pattern of having only 1 recognized midwife in a village at a time make the midwife a poor agent for family planning services. Her effectiveness as an agent of social change could be improved by training her in hygienic practices of childbirth and by redefining her role-relationship with the community. Studies should be done to identify the areas where traditional birth attendants are the best family planning communicators and those where that role is best left to others.     

黑龙江省培养选拔少数民族干部情况的调研报告

少数民族干部是党和国家的宝贵财富,是联系党和政府与少数民族群众的重要纽带,是推进全面建设小康社会、特别是民族地区经济社会发展的重要力量.本文对黑龙江省少数民族干部培养选拔工作进行了总结,对现状进行了分析,针对存在的问题提出了对策建议.     

创新和加强社会管理努力做好新时期民族、宗教工作

本文论述了民族、宗教工作的重要性、存在的重要问题及创新工作、提升社会管理水平等问题.     

教师素质对学生心理的影响

教师素质的本质特点是指教师自身的质量 ,即教师身心发展的总水平。教师的机体素质、文化知识素质、道德素质、心理素质都对学生心理产生影响     

黑龙江省人口较少民族发展状况的调查与思考

本文以黑龙江省人口较少民族相对聚居的16个行政村为调研对象,系统介绍黑龙江省人口较少民族发展状况,全面总结全省扶持人口较少民族发展和实施<规划>的主要经验,剖析影响黑龙江省人口较少民族更好更快发展的制约因素,探索性地提出构建民族文化生态区等促进黑龙江省人口较少民族全面协调可持续发展的新思路、新模式.     

《护理学基础》实验教学的改革与实践

《护理学基础》是护理学专业理论与实验并重的重要基础课程,是培养高等护理人才实践能力的重要教学环节。作者通过对《护理学基础》实验教学中存在的问题进行分析和探讨,从加强实验教学与临床联系、实验教学形式多样化、改善实验教学条件、开放实验室和优化实验考核体系等方面入手,进行了教学改革,构建出全新的实验教学模式,取得了一定的成效,促进了学生综合素质的提高。     

高等教育国际化背景中推进上海大学国际化办学的对策与思考

随着经济全球一体化的加速和网络信息的高速发展,教育国际化成为势不可挡的潮流,为我校开展国际化办学带来了可贵的机遇。从国家层面论述国际化办学的基础与模式,从学校层面阐明上海大学开展国际化办学的必要性、办学基础、可借鉴的几种模式以及国际化办学目标和对策。     

A Comparison of Some Tests for Determining the Number of Nonzero Canonical Correlations

When considering the relationships between two sets of variates, the number of nonzero population canonical correlations may be called the dimensionality. In the literature, several tests for dimensionality in the canonical correlation analysis are known. A comparison of seven sequential test procedures is presented, using results from some simulation study. The tests are compared with regard to the relative frequencies of underestimation, correct estimation, and overestimation of the true dimensionality. Some conclusions from the simulation results are drawn.     

Racial Disparities in Access to Mortgage Credit: Does Governance Matter?*

Objectives. This article examines the effect of community organizing on the likelihood that minority borrowers pursue home mortgage credit from regulated lenders. Methods. Governance perspectives suggest that community organizations exert significant influence on policy outcomes. We use logistic regression with interaction terms to test the effect of community organizing on the lending outcomes of minority borrowers. We use a matched control sample of cities, drawing on 2004 loan data from two midwestern cities similar in racial and economic composition but with different histories of organizing around the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Results. We find differential effects based on an applicant's race or ethnicity. Overall, African‐American applicants are less likely to pursue mortgage credit for home ownership from regulated lenders than their white, non‐Hispanic counterparts. However, African Americans seeking mortgage credit in a city with a history of CRA organizing are more likely to apply to regulated lenders than their racial counterparts in a city without CRA organizing. However, while organizing reduces the disparities between white and African‐American applicants, a gap still remains. Conclusion. African‐American borrowers living in cities with a history of community organizing around CRA appear more likely to pursue mortgage credit from traditional, regulated lenders, suggesting that governance matters.     

发掘少数民族文化资源 为龙江文化大发展大繁荣增添动力

本文认为,要充分发掘内容丰富、特点鲜明的少数民族文化,为黑龙江文化大发展大繁荣提供宝贵资源;深刻领会精神实质,充分认识少数民族文化对推动黑龙江文化大发展大繁荣的重要作用;贯彻落实黑龙江省委十届十八次全会精神,全力推进黑龙江省少数民族文化大繁荣大发展。