Health centre visits among the elderly with chronic ailments: Evidence from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System, 2004, Thailand

This study deployed statistical and spatial (GIS) analyses to test the effects of geographic, demographic and occupational factors in predicting health centre visits among the elderly (≥60 years) with chronic ailments in Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Datasets from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (2004 baseline survey and a 2006 project follow-up) comprised five land-use landscape and occupational strata: urban/semi-urban (industrial), rice field, plantation crop, upland and mixed economy. Travel distance to the nearest health centre was calculated following transportation routes and the GPS coordinates of individual home locations, and the number of healthcare visits under the national free universal coverage (UC) scheme reported for the previous year was used as a dependent variable in regressions. Broadly, the study found that distance was not a significant predictor of the rate of elderly health centres visits for those with co-residing spouses and/or adult children (77% of sample), and for the elderly still working (48% of the sample) who were the least likely to access healthcare. Owning motorised vehicles did not encourage visits, which also varied by land-use and occupational strata.     

Why are cultural policy decisions communicated in cool cash?

In this article, we analyze the role of the economic rationale in modern cultural policy decision communication and ask why it remains such an important factor, even though research has argued against it. Based on Luhmann’s system theory, we show how the economic rationale manifests itself in the cultural political communication as parasitic and complementary couplings, and how different communication forms are in play: the indirect, direct, and the both-and form. The point is to construct communicative positions in cultural policy. The positions involve the economic rationale in their own particular way and each of them offers themselves as a communicative platform which the culture politician can optionally step into and out of. The arts system stands out from other systems by not distinguishing itself in one single distinction and coding. In exactly this issue lies the communicative complexity which the communicating cultural politician faces and must handle. As our analysis shows, this complexity is handled by communicating within the economic rationale and coding, with the result that complexity is reduced.     

Hydrogeology of the Krafla geothermal system,northeast Iceland

The Krafla geothermal system is located in Iceland's northeastern neovolcanic zone, within the Krafla central volcanic complex. Geothermal fluids are superheated steam closest to the magma heat source, two‐phase at higher depths, and sub‐boiling at the shallowest depths. Hydrogen isotope ratios of geothermal fluids range from ?87‰, equivalent to local meteoric water, to ?94‰. These fluids are enriched in ¹⁸O relative to the global meteoric line by +0.5–3.2‰. Calculated vapor fractions of the fluids are 0.0–0.5 wt% (~0–16% by volume) in the northwestern portion of the geothermal system and increase towards the southeast, up to 5.4 wt% (~57% by volume). Hydrothermal epidote sampled from 900 to 2500 m depth has δD values from ?127 to ?108‰, and δ¹⁸O from ?13.0 to ?9.6‰. Fluids in equilibrium with epidote have isotope compositions similar to those calculated for the vapor phase of two‐phase aquifer fluids. We interpret the large range in δD_EPIDOTE and δ¹⁸O_EPIDOTE across the system and within individual wells (up to 7‰ and 3.3‰, respectively) to result from variable mixing of shallow sub‐boiling groundwater with condensates of vapor rising from a deeper two‐phase reservoir. The data suggest that meteoric waters derived from a single source in the northwest are separated into the shallow sub‐boiling reservoir, and deeper two‐phase reservoir. Interaction between these reservoirs occurs by channelized vertical flow of vapor along fractures, and input of magmatic volatiles further alters fluid chemistry in some wells. Isotopic compositions of hydrothermal epidote reflect local equilibrium with fluids formed by mixtures of shallow water, deep vapor condensates, and magmatic volatiles, whose ionic strength is subsequently derived from dissolution of basalt host rock. This study illustrates the benefits of combining phase segregation effects in two‐phase systems during analysis of wellhead fluid data with stable isotope values of hydrous alteration minerals when evaluating the complex hydrogeology of volcano‐hosted geothermal systems.     

论乡村地理学的对象、内容和理论框架

本文从历史、经验和理论三个角度论证了乡村地理学以乡村区域系统为研究对象。在对乡村区域系统特征分析的基础上概括出当代乡村地理学13个方面65个要点的基本研究内容,并偿试性地建构了以结构、进化和与环境关联为主体的乡村区域系统理论框架。     

略议风景植被

文本提出了风景植被的含义,阐述了风景植被的发生是人类文明进化的结果,分析了风景植被的宏观构景和微观信息特征。同时还以西安临潼骊山旅游区为例,介绍了风景植被的分类系统。     

汉文化为中心的唐代文化大融合

唐文化是我国传统文化发展的高峰,也是居于当时世界的领先地位。它有着其独特的色彩和先进性。本文着重从地理环境的高度来分析唐代文化生态及文化融合,分析文化与地理环境内在的机制和规律。从而在面对现代外来文化冲击的情况下,更理性地安排人类文化活动空间,并用以改造环境,丰富本土文化,为文化发展创造一个良好的环境。     

体育服务设施的空间组织优化问题

本文运用中心地方理论,讨论了体育产业化、职业化和体育市场充分发育的背景下,体育服务设施的空间组织的理论化模型。     

左江流域合理农业结构的探讨

农业系统是一个开放的复杂大系统。系统的功能决定于系统的结构,合理的农业结构应该是充分合理利用农业自然资源和社会经济资源,因地制宜发挥地区的优势,使农业生态效益与经济效益相结合,构成良性循环,达到低投入,高效益,持续稳定增产的目的。本文根据农业系统的开放性、复杂性和层次性,利用系统工程中的结构分解--协调法计算出南宁地区左江流域六县(市)最优的农业结构,即合理的农业结构。为该地区制定经济发展规划提供科学依据。     

展望中国人文地理学的发展

中国自改革开放以来,人文地理学得到了复兴,在理论、方法和研究内容方面都有了新的发展,其中尤以经济地理学、城市地理学和旅游地理学的进展较快,原先被视为禁区的政治地理学、文化地理学和社会地理学,也开始出现了一批可喜的成果。目前在中国经济体制转轨的新形势下,中国人文地理学正处于一个重要的转折时期,即面临着严重的挑战,又出现了前所未有的发展机遇。
在迈入21世纪时,作者建议中国人文地理学着重研究以下各课题:
(1)为充实中国人文地理学的基础理论,研究人地关系地域系统;
(2)为配合(中国21世纪议程)的实施,研究全国和各地区社会经济的持续发展;
(3)以土地利用为中心来研究全球变化和人类活动的关系;
(4)从节约利用和保护资源出发,研究地区自然资源系统;
(5)为发扬中国地理学的传统,更认真地为农业服务,研究促进农业和农村的持续发展问题;
(6)从理论和方法上提高区域地理研究的水平、并配合国家任务,开展区域综合发展的研究,包括国家和各省经济建设的重点区、海域、生态脆弱区等。     

人地关系研究范型:地域系统实证

地域系统的人地关系实证研究发展到现在已涉及众多方面,本文按五大论题展开论述:①环境评价与管理;②环境感知与适应;③自然灾害研究;④气候影响评价;⑤区域可持续发展。