INNOVATION AND HEALTH EXPENDITURES: SOME EMPIRICAL RESULTS FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGY

There is debate on whether the adoption of new medical technologies has been a contributing factor to rising health expenditures. This literature is critically reviewed and another approach is advocated. This alternative approach rests on the distinction between product and process innovations. It is argued that the relationship between innovations and health expenditures can be illuminated, for process innovations, by determining if they are used as substitutes. The empirical results provide no indication that alternative technologies for diagnosing diseases/conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract have been utilised by Australian medical practitioners, operating on a fee-for-service basis, as substitutes. The study provides new empirical support for the view that medical innovations contribute to rising health expenditures.     

Benchmarking the performance of Bhutanese students with the performance of the students from the OECD's PISA countries

Setting international benchmarks for education systems of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is one of the goals of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). However, some countries are not able to participate in PISA, despite their desire to set international benchmarks for their education systems. This article presents a method of setting international benchmarks for a country's school education system, without necessarily participating in PISA, by designing a test using the test items released by PISA for public consumption. The method has been implemented in a study that involved 1,500 Grade 10 students across 60 schools in Bhutan. The students were administered a mathematics test constructed from the PISA Mathematical Literacy test items. The study showed that the performance of Bhutanese students was comparable with the performance of the students from the countries that participated in PISA 2003 and that Bhutan could learn from both high- and low-performing school education systems of those countries.     

中国旅游产业集聚与区域经济增长关系研究

选取区位商指数作为测度指标,对1997—2010年我国31个省市旅游产业、星级饭店和旅行社的集聚水平进行定量分析。运用面板数据协整检验、估计分析与因果检验,考察全国范围内以及东、中、西部旅游产业集聚及其经济增长之间的关系。研究表明,全国大部分地区旅游产业集聚水平呈逐年提升的态势。东部地区旅游产业集聚水平整体上明显高于中、西部。旅游产业集聚对区域经济增长具有显著的促进作用,尤其是对中西部经济欠发达地区的促进作用更为显著。与此同时,由于各地区经济发展水平不同,全国范围内以及东、中、西部旅游产业集聚与经济增长之间存在不同方向的因果关系。     

On Language Tests Construction

Language tests are closely concerned with teaching and learning. There are various ways to test student ’s foreign lan?guage level in light of different aspects. This paper mainly focuses on some key...     

机考背景下低年级学生英语自主学习实证研究

[目的]以北京中医药大学为例研究大学英语机考背景下的一二年级学生英语自主学习的能力。[方法]通过问卷调查的方法了解低年级学生自主学习的能力,通过教学实验研究上述学生在英语机考背景下的两种自主学习方式之下的效果：以教师为主导的自主学习和教师不参与指导的自主学习。[结果]多数一二年级学生自主学习能力低下、以教师为主导的自主学习的效果优于教师不参与指导的自主学习。[结论]研究表明,在自主学习的过程中,需要资源、教师、学生等多方面的协同合作才能达到完美的效果。     

论基于语料库的语法测试的重要性

重视对真实语言事实的研究一直是语言学研究的优良传统。就语法而言，它甚至可能改变我们对语法传统的、基本的看法，从而重新审视我们的语法观。文章通过多年来对四级大学英语试卷的分析，探讨基于语料库的语法测试的重要性。     

高考英语全国卷与各省市自主命题卷阅读理解试题内容效度分析

本文根据效度研究的有关理论,结合《全日制高级中学英语教学大纲(试验修订版)》、《普通高中英语课程标准(实验)》和2004—2006年的高考英语考试大纲,对这三年的高考英语阅读理解试题进行内容效度分析,结果表明:阅读理解的篇章体裁和题材比较多样化,体裁以说明文为主,部分试卷出现了应用文和描写文;题材以社会与文化为主,但其比重有下降趋势,科普类文章随后,比重略有增加;阅读量和生词量与大纲要求基本相符;考查技能中简单推断占的比例最大。分析中也发现部分选材和题项设计存在问题,对此,本文对阅读理解试题的命制和高中英语教学提出了相关建议。     

浅析黑盒测试与白盒测试

黑盒测试和白盒测试都是软件测试的重要方法,黑盒测试的测试人员更偏重于业务方向,白盒测试的测试人员更偏重于实现方式;黑盒测试更注重整体,白盒测试更注重局部;它们是相辅相成的.     

Identifying and Nurturing Gifted Children in Israel

The article describes Israel’s approach to the education of gifted and talented children. It describes the programs for gifted and talented children in Israel and the process for selecting students for these programs. The method of selecting students for programs is consistent with the Ministry of Education’s definition of giftedness, the goals of the giftedness programs, and the characteristics of these programs. The selection method is affected by the standards required of the instruments as well as other constraints, such as the constraints on funding for this purpose.The author of this article is the director of the Szold Institute program for identifying gifted children. The project is funded by the Israeli Ministry of Education