Distributional effects of agricultural cooperatives in China: Exclusion of smallholders and potential gains on participation

This paper examines the treatment effects of the agricultural cooperative and publicly funded extension services on individual household economy, using data collected by the author from watermelon-producing farm households in rural Nanjing. The cooperative addressed in this study restricts the participation of small-scale farmers, implying that selection into the program must be taken into consideration for an accurate assessment of the treatment effect. The econometric analysis revealed that government extension services have a modest effect on farm income. In contrast, the treatment effect of the agricultural cooperative is robust and substantially large, accounting for nearly 70% of the pre-matching difference. This suggests that the agricultural cooperative system is an important avenue for farmers to improve their economic status. The treatment effect of the agricultural cooperative is highly heterogeneous; the economic benefits arising from the cooperative are significant only for small-scale farms. We can argue that a coexistence of smallholder exclusion and the treatment effect in favor of small-scale farms poses serious challenges to pro-poor agricultural growth in China.     

消费者行为与产品再定位关系的研究

消费者行为是企业与消费者建立和长期发展的交换关系,而产品再定位是一种创造性活动,就是把现有产品的款式、质量、包装等进行重新定位。首先阐述消费者行为和产品再定位的涵义,其次用扩散理论对消费者行为与产品再定位的关系进行分析,最后基于消费者行为对产品再定位策略实施提出建议。为企业在进行产品再定位时充分考虑消费者行为因素提供参考作用。     

Health care resource utilization and burden of disease in a U.S. Medicare population with a principal diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee

Abstract

Aims

To assess the prevalence, health care resource utilization (HCRU), and economic burden of disease among Medicare beneficiaries with a principal diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.     

浅谈企业一把手与企业凝聚力

企业一把手和企业凝聚力互为影响,相互制约。本文从一把手的综合素质、完善的人格、群众观点三个方面,论述了和提高企业凝聚力的关系,提出了一把手提高领导艺术、工作方法、人格魅力的方法。     

基于模糊层次分析法的工程项目合作伙伴的选择

工程项目管理中的伙伴关系管理模式是一种适应当今知识经济社会的工程项目管理新模式,合作伙伴的选择又是项目伙伴关系管理模式成功构建与运行的关键。文章将模糊层次分析法和可能度引入到工程项目合作伙伴的优化选择中,提出工程项目合作伙伴选择的新方法,以期推动工程项目的能够成功实施及建筑业的持续发展。     

When will customers care about service failures that happened to strangers? The role of personal similarity and regulatory focus and its implication on service evaluation

This paper examines an interesting research question: how does a service failure that happen to a stranger customer influence an observing customer's service evaluation? Drawing on the defensive attribution theory and regulatory focus theory, we argue that an observing customer will attribute more (vs. less) blame to the company if the customer involved in the undesirable incident is personally similar (vs. not similar) to him/her. These attributions, in turn, will influence the observing customers to form a negative evaluation on service quality of the company. More importantly, a prevention-focused tendency will intensify the negative impact of personal similarity on service evaluation. Results from two experiments confirmed the hypotheses.     

Determinants of Deep Integration: Examining Socio-political Factors

This research has three main aims: firstly, to empirically analyse the determinants of different levels of integration by re-examining the evidence presented by Baier and Bergstrand (Journal of International Economics 64(1):29–63, 2004) in the JIE 64 (1); secondly, to analyse the importance of additional factors, in particular socio-political factors; and thirdly, to analyse the dynamics of the EU integration process. The results show that although economic and geographical factors are the most important explanatory factors for the probability of regional integration agreement formation or enhancement, socio-political variables also contribute to explain the formation of regional integration agreements. Democracies and countries with a higher level of economic freedom are more likely to form or enhance RIAs.     

岳麓山大学城建设资源节约型校园的探讨

建设资源节约型校园是岳麓山大学城建设"两型校园"的重要内容之一.本文在阐述资源节约型校园概念的内涵的基础上,论述了建设岳麓山大学城资源节约型校园的重要性,并从城市规划、经济模式、消费方式、文化观念和法制体系等等多方面提出了建设资源节约型校园的具体措施.     

危险的赵

谈论一个人或一件陌生的作品可能经常要冒着过度阐释的危险,好在"工作坊"这个栏目更多的还是为了呈现一个艺术家阶段性的工作状态。赵赵很少跟人解释自己的作品,我们所了解最多的只是作者对作品制作过程的一般性描述,在另外两篇与秦思源、王兴伟的谈话也能看出来,对于艺术赵赵多半都是隐而不发的,对于生活方面却是津津乐道。或许这正是他的别有用心之     

Healthcare resource utilization among commercially insured patients with cold agglutinin disease in the United States

Abstract

Aims: Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare subtype of autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with increased thromboembolism risk and early mortality. Healthcare resource utilization (HRU) in CAD has not been reported. We aimed to compare HRU of patients with CAD with a matched non-CAD cohort in the United States.

Materials and methods: Patients with CAD were identified from 2006 to 2016 in the Optum-Humedica database using CAD terms in clinical notes and hematologist review. Patients were required to have Integrated Delivery Network records and ≥6 months’ follow-up before and after the first CAD mention date (index date). Patients with CAD were matched to a non-CAD cohort based on demographics. Multivariate analyses assessed inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient visits, emergency room visits, and transfusion use between cohorts 6 months before and 12 months after the index date.

Results: Of 814 patients with CAD, 410 met inclusion criteria and were matched to 3,390 patients without CAD. Mean age of patients with CAD was 68.0 years; approximately 62% were female. In the 12 months after the index date, mean inpatient hospitalizations (0.83 vs. 0.25), outpatient visits (17.26 vs. 6.77), emergency room visits (0.55 vs. 0.32), and transfusion days (1.05 vs. 0.05) were higher for patients with CAD than the matched non-CAD cohort (all p?<?.0001). Similarly, in the 6 months before the index date, patients with CAD had higher HRU than matched patients without CAD for all measures evaluated.

Limitations: Results of this study are based on patient information from the Optum-Humedica database, which is limited to commercially insured patients and may not represent the overall CAD population.

Conclusions: CAD places a substantial burden on patients and healthcare systems. In addition, the high HRU for patients with CAD observed in the 6 months before diagnosis indicates that disease awareness and better diagnostic practices may be needed.