Scaling-up Sustainable Land Management Practices through the Concept of the Rural Resource Centre: Reconciling Farmers' Interests with Research Agendas

Abstract

Purpose: Formal agricultural research has generated vast amount of knowledge and fundamental insights on land management, but their low adoption has been attributed to the use of public extension approach. This research aims to address whether and how full participation of farmers through the concept of Rural Resource Centre (RRC) provides new insights for the development of alternative and farmers-based extension methods.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Using the Concept of RRC, this research assesses the role of farmers in on-farm demonstrations and scaling-up of land management practices, and investigates effective ways to enhance beneficial interactions between researchers, extension workers and farmers in view of improving adoption.

Findings: The findings suggest that farmers can effectively participate in demonstrations and scaling-up of agricultural practices. This participation is enhanced by judicious incentives such as higher crop yields that motivate farmers and influence adoption. The current success of the approach stems from the fact that farmers, extension workers and researchers jointly implement the activities and their different aims were achieved simultaneously: scientific results for researchers, better agricultural practices for extension workers, and economic success and free choice for farmers.

Practical implications: This research concludes that farmers have the capacities to play an innermost role in demonstrations and scaling-up of agricultural practices. However, there is a need to build and strengthen their capacities to facilitate their participation and contribution.

Originality/Value: The article demonstrates the value of the preponderant role of farmers in on-farm demonstrations and scaling-up practices by exhibiting the beneficial interactions between researchers, extension workers and farmers.     

“以苏为鉴”：毛泽东探索中国社会主义建设道路的思想方法

毛泽东提出的“以苏为鉴”是贯穿中国社会主义建设探索过程始终的思想方法。“以苏为鉴”关键在于摒弃苏联模式的弊端,重点在于有选择地学习苏联等国的先进经验,主线是探索符合中国国情的社会主义建设道路。毛泽东探索社会主义建设的成果对中国特色社会主义建设道路的开拓、中国特色社会主义理论体系的形成和中国特色社会主义制度的建立都产生了深远的影响。     

The uses and abuses of power: teaching school leadership through children's literature

There are relatively few studies of how representations of teachers, schools and educational administrators in popular films and television might be, and are, used in leadership preparation. This paper seeks to add to this small body of work; it reports on an exploratory study of the representation of headteachers in contemporary children's fiction. Thirty-one texts are analysed to ascertain key themes and the major characterisations. The paper draws on children's literature scholars to argue that both the historical school story and its contemporary counterpart focus heavily on the power of the head to control the micro-world of the school. Because these fictional accounts deal with issues of power and justice more openly than many mainstream educational administration texts, this makes them particularly useful in the preparation of potential school leaders.     

Do instant messaging interruptions help or hinder knowledge workers’ task performance?

The modern workplace environment is filled with interruptions due to the necessity of coworkers to communicate with each other. Studies have revealed that interruptions can impact task performance (TP). Communication interruptions are due, in part, to the unavoidable side-effect of using technology to facilitate these interactions. This experimental case study reports about an investigation we conducted on the role of instant messaging interruptions (IMI) and its implications on knowledge workers’ TP in a workplace environment. We have gathered data from knowledge workers engaged in an e-learning activity. The case study included a total of 60 experimental observations and analysis of the 120 records revealed that the time to complete a task (TPtct) for certain types of tasks, was significantly affected by IMI. This case study addressed gaps in IM interruption research and practical knowledge about the role of instant messages in the organization. Previous research has been conducted in a laboratory environment with interruptions generated by means other than actual IM. This case study used IMI with participants working in their normal workplace. Findings were used to provide a set of lessons learned recommendations for managers when it comes to the use of IM in the workplace.     

西安市基础教育与社会经济协调发展的实证研究

基础教育的发展和社会经济的发展是一个动态演进的过程。以西安市2001-2011年统计年鉴和教育统计公报的数据为基础,构建基础教育与社会经济交互作用下的两个子系统,运用线性加权和法确定两个子系统的综合发展水平,构建协调发展度模型,进而评价基础教育与社会经济发展的协调状况。结果表明：（1）2001-2011年期间,基础教育发展指数平均每年上升0.08个点,社会经济发展指数平均每年上升0.03个点;（2）研究期末协调度为0.993、协调发展度为0.902,协调发展类型为优质协调发展类经济滞后型。西安市在未来的发展中,要加快经济转型升级,大力发展创新型经济,实现西安由教育大市向教育强市的根本性转变,以期达到社会经济和基础教育之间的平衡。     

冈底斯中段尼木斑岩铜矿田的K-Ar、^40 Ar/^39 Ar年龄：对岩浆-热液系统演化和成矿构造背景的制约

青藏高原冈底斯斑岩成矿带不同于经典的产于岛弧和大陆边缘的斑岩铜矿,而形成于后碰撞挤压向伸展转变期,显示了极好的成矿前景.本文对冈底斯中段尼木矿田白容、厅宫和冲江斑岩铜矿区斑岩体进行了系统研究,确定出斑岩体演化和侵入序列为：似斑状二长花岗岩→成矿二长花岗斑岩→石英闪长玢岩→花岗闪长斑岩.K-Ar和^40 Ar/^39 Ar年代学研究获得白容矿区似斑状二长花岗岩中角闪石的K-Ar年龄为16.9±2.4Ma;石英闪长玢岩中黑云母的K-Ar年龄为12.3±0.2Ma、^40 Ar/^39 Ar坪年龄为12.5±0.2Ma;花岗闪长斑岩中黑云母的K-Ar年龄为11.5±0.2Ma、^40 Ar/^39 Ar坪年龄为12.4±0.2Ma;厅宫矿区石英闪长玢岩中黑云母的K-Ar年龄为13.8±0.2Ma、^40 Ar/^39 Ar坪年龄为14.9±0.2Ma;花岗闪长斑岩中黑云母的K-Ar年龄为13.5±0.3Ma、^40 Ar/^39 Ar坪年龄为14.2±0.2Ma,这些年龄表明：石英闪长玢岩晚于似斑状二长花岗岩,略早于花岗闪长斑岩.成矿与二长花岗斑岩有关,其侵位时间晚于似斑状二长花岗岩,早于石英闪长玢岩和花岗闪长斑岩.尼木癍岩铜矿田这种复式杂岩体较充分的分异演化有利于含矿热液的集中与逐渐富集成矿.白容斑岩铜矿蚀变矿化二长花岗斑岩的蚀变绢云母的K-Ar年龄为11.8±0.2Ma,^40 Ar/^39 Ar坪年龄为12.0±0.1Ma,代表了中低温蚀变和矿化末期的年龄.白容矿区绢云母化带的蚀变年龄与石英闪长玢岩和花岗闪长斑岩的黑云母^40 Ar/^39 Ar年龄基本一致,与厅宫矿区辉钼矿Re-Os年龄及石英闪长玢岩和花岗闪长斑岩的黑云母^40 Ar/^39 Ar年龄同样基本一致,暗示两个矿区石英闪长玢岩和花岗闪长斑岩的岩浆结晶冷却与成矿二长花岗斑岩后期热液成矿时间上有重叠.结合前人年龄数据大致确定出白容矿区岩浆-热液活动时限为0.5～5Ma,厅宫为4Ma,冲江为4.5Ma.尼木矿田成矿斑岩^40 Ar/^39 Ar年龄晚于冈底斯碰撞后第一次快速隆升时间≈21Ma,15Ma冈底斯中段NS向正断层开始活动,表明含矿斑岩体可能侵位于地壳加厚、冈底斯山大规模隆升到一定程度后出现弱伸展环境的构造背景下,即斑岩铜矿形成于从南北向挤压隆升到东西向伸展初始发育的过渡构造背景.     

东准噶尔扎河坝超高压变质成因石英菱镁岩的^40Ar／^39Ar同位素年代学信息及地质意义

在扎河坝．阿尔曼泰蛇绿岩岩块内分布着高压-超高压成因的二辉橄榄岩、石榴辉石岩、石英菱镁岩及榴闪岩。石英菱镁岩内多硅白云母的Si（pfu）值均大于3．35，最高可达3．77，是典型高压-超高压成因的矿物。石英菱镁岩及其围岩蛇纹石化二辉橄榄岩的K2O含量极低，且多硅白云母的Na／（Na＋K）比值小于0．04，这些地球化学特征显示，扎河坝多硅白云母不应含有过剩Ar，是一个理想的^40Ar/^39Ar定年对象。精确的^40Ar/^39Ar年代学研究结果表明，扎河坝石英菱镁岩中多硅白云母的^40Ar/^39Ar同位素年龄为281．6±2．5Ma。而矿物化学特征表明，扎河坝石英菱镁岩中的多硅白云母曾经历了退变质作用的改造，因此，它代表的应该是超高压变质石英菱镁岩的折返年龄。多硅白云母的^40Ar/^39Ar年代学研究结果表明，扎河坝-阿尔曼泰蛇绿混杂岩内超高压石英菱镁岩的折返事件应发生在早二叠世。     

Evaluating R&D investment efficiency in China's high-tech industry

Research and development (R&D) investment activity plays a crucial role in developing high-tech industries. In recent decades, China has made sustained investments in its domestic high-tech industries, with the goal of increasing their productivity. This paper investigates the effect of this investment on relative R&D efficiency across China's high-tech sectors. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to generate quantitative indices for sector comparisons. The analysis of this study indicates that overall R&D investment efficiency did not increase from 1998 to 2009, despite R&D expenditure increasing by 2188%. Over the same period, most sectors suffered from decreasing returns to scale (DRS), presumably also reflecting the inefficient R&D investment. Most of the sectors showed significant fluctuation on R&D investment efficiency. This research result indicates that the problem of China's high-tech industry may be from the inefficiency of its technology commercialization processes, and therefore represents a critical parameter for policy makers and managers.     

教师话语策略在大学英语听力教学中的应用

文章分析了话语策略理论在大学英语听力反馈式教学中的应用,提出了促进学生听力水平的五种教师话语策略,并通过实例具体分析了教师话语策略在大学英语听力课堂的应用,指出话语策略在听力课堂教学的重要性.