Degenerative Joint Disease and Social Status in the Terminal Late Archaic Period (1000–500 b.c.) of Ohio

This research presents an analysis of the inferred Late Archaic social structure in Ohio based on degenerative joint disease (DJD, also known as osteoarthritis) and mortuary practices. We tested the hypothesis that mechanical loading involving physical activities is differentially distributed in a population along levels or types of social stratification. This hypothesis was investigated via statistical treatment of DJD as a skeletal stress marker of activity, its occurrence by age and sex, an association with grave goods, and spatial distribution in terminal Late Archaic cemeteries. The skeletal samples used in this study came from three cemeteries, the Boose, Kirian‐Treglia (KT), and Duff sites, dating to the Ohio terminal Late Archaic period. In general, the high overall prevalence of DJD in these people indicates that this population led a rigorous life. This study hypothesized that the burials in the Late Archaic period in Ohio might be socially patterned as evidenced from the unequal distribution of grave goods and skeletal variability in DJD. Nevertheless, the analyses suggest that there is no statistical association between DJD and mortuary practices including grave goods and burial location in a cemetery. As observed in numerous hunter–gatherer populations, the societies in our sample were also characterized by the absence of a marked social stratification. The results suggest that there were only ‘natural inequalities’ in Late Archaic societies due to biological factors, such as age and sex. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Child and Adolescent Obesity and Employment Sector in Urban China

Despite its importance as a part of the economic reform in China, sectoral employment has been overlooked as a potential determinant of child and adolescent obesity (CAO). Using large-scale longitudinal data from surveys conducted from 1989 to 2006, this paper examines the relationship between the sector in which a parent is employed and CAO, with the sector being based on ownership and categorised as either state or non-state. Analyses of over 1700 children and adolescents show that children and adolescents whose parents work in the state sector are less likely to be obese. Patterns of sectoral employment's effect are robust across time periods, in fixed-effects models, and across multiple measures of obesity. Additionally, the paper shows that socioeconomic characteristics of the parent, such as income, education, and occupation, typically thought to be important predictors of CAO, are not as important when the parental working sector is included in the models.     

日本石油储备的现状、措施及启示

日本是世界第3大石油消费国,而且石油对外依存度高达99％以上,作为确保石油供应安全的重要一环,自20世纪60年代初开始,日本逐步建立起了官民并举的石油储备制度。2006年石油、LPG的储备规模分别为172天和78天。本文首先从基地布局和储备数量两个方面介绍了日本石油及LPG储备的现状,在此基础上,从立法、管理体制和政府扶持3个角度阐述了日本建立石油储备的政策措施,最后在借鉴的基础上提出了完善我国石油储备体系建设的政策建议。     

略论二战以来老挝华人社会地位的变化

华人在老挝一向安居乐业。二战以后 ,老挝华侨华人社会经历了较大的变化。 1 975 -1 986年 ,老挝当局在越南政府排华政策的影响下 ,基本上铲除了华人赖以存在的经贸根基 ,大部分华人离开了老挝。当今的老挝华侨华人社会 ,无论在经济基础和籍贯结构方面 ,基本上都不是历史上华侨社会的延续 ,而是由少数留在本地的华人、 80年代后期回归的华人以及来投资的新华侨重新建构的。当前 ,老挝华侨华人主要从事商贸活动 ,有较高的经济地位和社会地位 ,但尚少有政治诉求。     

读书仕进是提升明清家族社会地位的基本途径——明清福建几部族谱的分析

明清福建经历了迅速中原化的过程,家族发展就是典型的例证。为了壮大家族,发展教育、谋求入仕和仕途升迁成为其不二选择。族谱本身往往就是家族在入仕和仕途晋升中成就的体现。首先,在谋求入仕过程中,经商成为改善家族经济条件、为子弟读书提供物质保证的中间手段。家族教育的兴盛有赖于退职致仕官员、经商致富者及广大族人。其次是通过国家官员考核机制决定升降。在这个阶梯里,再次决定社会地位的高低变化,第一步未能走好,成为下层等级的官员还可以获得再次爬升的机会,而第一步即走入高级统治阶层的人们,也可能在这个阶梯游戏中丧失已有的地位,被贬为下层官员甚至平民。科举选拔机制和官员考核机制的结合,才构成一个普通民众社会地位变迁的全过程。     

近十余年来魏晋南北朝女性史研究述评

近十余年来,我国史学界对魏晋南北朝女性史的研究已呈现出可喜的态势。这一时期的婚姻具有明显的政治色彩,但婚姻文化也相对开放、自由;同时,女性诸多方面的社会地位也明显提高,但这在中国历史上也仅仅是个相对的概念,在总体上,这一时期的女性依旧处于社会的从属地位。另外,由于魏晋南北朝时期社会的动乱,儒学的衰微,外来文化的影响,也促进了女性生命意识的复苏,人格的觉醒和理性的重新发现。总体而言,学术界对魏晋南北朝女性的研究是范围广,层次多。角度新,但依旧不够全面,宏观胜于微观。     

矿业城市类型及发展现状比较研究

按照本文确定的矿业城市标准,我国现有矿业城市的数量为129个。本文对按照矿业类型划分的八类矿业城市发展现状进行比较。总体上看,矿业城市的发展状况比非矿业城市差,低于全国城市的平均水平;在矿业城市中,不同类型发展情况不同,石油城市在经济效益、财政收入、基础设施建设、在岗职工工资及利用外资能力等方面都是发展最好的,并且许多方面超过了全国城市的平均水平,其余类型的矿业城市发展较差,但不同类型发展状况不同,即使同一类型的矿业城市发展状况也不一样。矿业城市发展状况的不同为制定矿业城市转型政策提供了基础和依据。     

明清苏州经济中心地位略论

明清时代的苏州,交纳赋税最多,负担最重,是全国最为突出的赋税钱粮重地;丝绸、棉布及加工业和书籍刻印等大宗商品生产极为发达,木器制造加工业独步全国,玉器雕琢、绣作、裱褙作、漆作、乐器、铜铁金银器加工业等极其精巧,是举世闻名的商品生产加工中心;大规模输出当地大宗商品,输入各种原材料,转输全国物资并平衡整合市场,是全国物资的流通转输中心;钱庄、票号等金融机构布设密集,银钱流通量巨大,较早行用洋银,金融结算手段较为先进,吸纳周围城镇的资本,货币周转获利较快,是高度发达的银钱金融中心。从当时苏州的经济总量、商品生产和商品流通来看,其中心都市的地位远在另一工商城市杭州之上。     

Exploiting Sino-US Geostrategic Competition: The View from Seoul and Singapore

The mainstream literature on weak status quo states’ diplomacy tends to identify their regional security roles in terms of dealing with non-traditional security issues. This article argues that such a limited approach is not sufficient to explain the current security dynamics in the Asia-Pacific. This article reviews the literature on weak status quo states’ influence on regional order. It then identifies a security environment in which they are more likely to exert some impact on maintaining and building a regional order. After contextualising these discussions in the Asia-Pacific setting, the article examines the experience of South Korea and Singapore as secondary powers in the East Asian region. Although both countries enjoy high levels of security cooperation with the US, both have also been able to exercise a certain amount of influence in advancing their own geostrategic interests amidst the growing Sino-US geostrategic competition. Yet their exploitation of Sino-US geostrategic competition is neither a simple balancing strategy against China nor a simple bandwagoning with the US, since both South Korea and Singapore have been increasing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with China.     

Prehistoric Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) Mother Lode Near Prince Rupert,British Columbia and Implications for the Manufacture of High-Status Ceremonial Goods

Abundant mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) remains were recovered from two archaeological sites on Kaien Island near Prince Rupert Harbour, British Columbia. No other archaeological sites in North America have anywhere near the abundance of mountain goat remains as were recovered from GbTo 54 (NISP 410, 7.1% of identified mammals) and GbTo 13 (NISP 27, 5.4% of identified mammals). In contrast, at the impressive Boardwalk site on nearby Digby Island (GbTo 31), only 1% of identified mammals were identified as mountain goat, although goat remains from Grassy Bay (GbTn 1), also on Kaien Island, comprised 1.7% of identified mammals. With one exception, other western North American sites, including those in Alaska, recovered only a few pieces of mountain goat each (<0.5% of identified mammals). The dates for GbTo 54 and GbTo 13 span AD 200–AD 1300, with all four directly dated goat bones falling within that period. Most goat bones appeared to come from adult or subadult males and element abundance analysis of GbTo 54 remains indicate that whole animals may have been selectively butchered into transportable units. Other evidence suggests the occupants may have specialized in the procurement of a variety of raw materials (not only mountain goat) used in the manufacture of high-status ceremonial goods.