Investigating self-reported food allergy prevalence in Waterloo Region,Canada

While food allergy prevalence has been studied at the national level, we know little of food allergy prevalence or perceptions of prevalence/management at the local level. This paper uses Waterloo Region as a case study to 1) document self-reported individual and household food allergy and sensitivity prevalence at the local level; 2) investigate perceptions of food allergy prevalence; and 3) explore perceived confidence in anaphylaxis management. Survey data were collected from January to March 2019. Respondents (n = 500) self-reported individual and household food allergy and sensitivity, estimated the percentage of Canadians with food allergy, and were queried about their knowledge of food allergy management. Prevalence estimates were weighted to the structure of the 2016 Canadian Census, and univariate and bivariate analysis were conducted. Prevalence of self-reported food allergy was 12.1% (95%CI, 8.8%-15.3%), and prevalence of self-reported food sensitivity was 26.3% (95%CI, 21.9%-30.7%). When asked to estimate the percentage of Canadians with food allergy, the mean perceived percentage was 35.1% (SD = 22.96). Self-reported prevalence of food allergy appears higher in Waterloo Region, and the estimated percentage of Canadians with food allergy is inflated. Understanding prevalence and perceptions at the local level is important for targeted allocation of public health resources to ensure safe spaces for individuals with food allergy.     

The Effectiveness of Voluntary Environmental Programs—A Policy at a Crossroads?

Voluntary environmental programs (VEPs) have been used as a policy tool in the United States since the early 1990s and come in many forms. Early assessments of VEPs targeting changes in production processes showed that industrial participants improved their environmental performance and VEPs were celebrated as a viable alternative to more traditional regulation. Recent analyses using more sophisticated techniques, however, paint a less favorable picture. On the one hand, firms appear willing to sign up to VEPs, and in some cases, participants may be able to create a shield against future losses in shareholder value. On the other hand, these VEPs targeting production processes appear not to generate significant pollution abatement. The latter finding is particularly disturbing and this article discusses various explanations, including institutional failure and participant motivations. Future research needs to focus on understanding the firm motivation to invest in production‐related pollution abatement under a VEP. For policymakers, the research offers a warning on the limited impact to date of VEPs targeting production processes. However, the multitude of other VEPs, such as those which target new product development and changing market demands, merit a closer look to determine the overall potential of VEPs to engender positive environmental change.     

从引文分析看大陆华侨华人研究——基于CSSCI（1998-2005）的研究

以中国社会科学引文索引(CSSCI)为操作平台,以核心作者群的被引论著为样本,对样本篇数、篇次、作者、机构、地域分布、主题分布、年代分布等因素进行了引文分析和量化的描述,并从文献的角度对大陆华侨华人研究现状进行评估。结果表明:大陆华侨华人研究1993—2002年是高峰期,形成了以福建、北京、广东为主的核心作者群,高等院校仍是华侨华人研究的主要机构,研究主题以经济、社会、历史为主,学术论文的利用率不高,高水平的研究成果不多。华侨华人研究在学术界的整体影响力不大,某些不够科学和规范的引证态度和方法亟需改进。     

Performance and visitors’ perception of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism

ABSTRACT

With the increasing commodification of cultural heritage induced by tourism development, the perception of a ‘real’ travel experience often depends on what is defined as authentic, original and local. Visitors are becoming increasingly concerned about the authenticity of eco-cultural tourism practices when they visit culturally and environmentally remote regions. The purpose of this study is to examine the role performance plays in visitors' perception of authenticity of eco-cultural tourism experiences. Various theoretical foundations and aspects of visitors' perceptions of authenticity in cultural heritage tourism are considered. A grounded theory approach based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with several categories of visitors including 25 clients from two eco-tours in South and Central Kazakhstan and 29 Free Independent Travellers (FITs) was adopted to identify visitors' perception of authenticity of various aspects of their tourism experiences and the attributes of the visitors' performative aspects of their travels. Results reveal that the performative aspects contributing to the perceived authenticity of the visitors' eco-cultural experiences are spontaneous, existential and reciprocal relationships with their hosts in intimate tourism encounters. The findings contribute to literature regarding authenticity and cultural heritage tourism by exploring new directions in which to apply the concept of authenticity in eco-cultural tourism experiences and by theorising the link between performance-based touristic space and the perception of authenticity. This space becomes a basis for interaction and social exchange within the host–guest relationship.     

A Contribution to the Study on Sanguo Yanyi

This is a study of the Sanguo yanyi (hereafter Yanyi), one of the four great literary classics of China, in terms of its political standpoint, character evaluation, and character development. It questions the traditional views related to Yanyi’s stance of revering Liu Bei 劉備 and belittling Cao Cao 曹操. The argument here is that the novel's political standpoint is mainly based on zhongyi 忠義 (loyalty and righteousness), rather than lineage, benevolence, and other factors. Although Yanyi has a clear political position, it is relatively objective and neutral in evaluating historical figures from different camps. The character development of Yanyi is very successful. The character images are round and rich, rather than flat and stereotypical. Both positive and negative characters have their merits and weaknesses.     

比较视野下中国乡村认知的再辨析:当代价值与乡村复兴

本文首先探讨了西方社会对乡村认知转型的基本思潮,其演进脉络经历了生产主义、后生产主义和多功能乡村三个阶段。在此基础上,本文尝试建立了从主体和功能两个维度进行乡村认知的基本框架,并从历史视角对中国乡村的认知变迁进行了回溯。新中国成立以来,对于乡村的认知大致经历了牺牲型乡村和追赶型乡村两个阶段,直至城乡统筹的概念提出,才有一定的改变。本文提出了当前中国乡村的三重价值——乡村的农业价值、乡村的腹地价值和乡村的家园价值。基于这样的多元价值,尝试性地提出了"乡村复兴"的概念框架。     

An uninhabited waste: transforming the Grand Prairie in nineteenth century Illinois, USA

Today the area once known as the Grand Prairie in the American Midwest is best known for its high agricultural productivity and monoculture. Little of the original prairie landscape that gave the region its name remains. Prior to white settlement, the region was perceived as swampy, dangerous, unhealthy and unfit for agriculture. This ‘uninhabited waste’ and ‘giant emporium of malaria’ embodied the type of landscapes settlers initially tried to avoid. Ultimately, perceptions of the Grand Prairie landscape as well as the physical landscape itself were altered by settlement and improving drainage technology. This paper aims to link changes in the way the central Illinois landscape was imagined and perceived, with the subsequent environmental transformation that resulted in the near total elimination of tallgrass prairie and the wholesale alteration of regional hydrology through channelization and agricultural drainage.     

Perceived Risk and Citizen Preferences for Governmental Management of Routine Hazards

Risk perceptions are important to the policy process because they inform individuals’ preferences for government management of hazards that affect personal safety, public health, or ecological conditions. Studies of risk in the policy process have often focused on explicating the determinants of risk perceptions for highly salient, high consequence hazards (e.g., nuclear energy). We argue that it is useful to also study more routinely experienced hazards; doing so shows the relevance of risk perceptions in individuals’ daily lives. Our investigation focuses on the impact perceived risk has on citizens’ preferences over hazard management policies (as distinct from identifying risk perception determinants per se). We use a recursive structural equation model to analyze public opinion data measuring attitudes in three distinct issue domains: air pollution, crime, and hazardous waste storage and disposal. We find that citizens utilize perceived risk rationally: greater perceived risk generally produces support for more proactive government to manage potential hazards. This perceived risk–policy response relationship generally holds even though the policy options respondents were asked to consider entailed nontrivial costs to the public. The exception seems to be when individuals know less about the substantive issue domain.     

响应社会需求的旅游动态课程体系构建研究——以云南民族大学旅游管理专业为例

20多年来,旅游管理课程体系建设取得很大成绩,但依然存在课程老化固化、缺乏对社会需求响应能力等问题。通过往届毕业生、网络、新业态和旅游组织机构等多端口的职业需求信息的监测与评估,在理论和技术上可以构建一个既能响应社会需求,又能满足学生个人兴趣,还能符合国家专业要求的“三位一体”的响应社会需求的旅游动态课程体系。通过该课程体系的建设可以加强现有专业对社会需求的响应能力,减少一些短周期新专业的应急性增设,从而节约教育资源、积累教育资本、避免学生同业竞争、缓解就业压力。基于以上理论和实证研究,云南民族大学旅游管理专业未来至少可以增设美食与营养、旅游技术与工程两门课程以响应社会需求,并形成其核心竞争能力.     

1998-2002年《史学月刊》作者队伍状况分析

从1998—2002年《史学月刊》的发文作者发文量、合作度、地区和机构分布、年龄、职称及他们利用文献状况的统计分析,可以看出《史学月刊》不愧为综合性的史学专业核心期刊,它拥有一支高素质、高水平、高学历、高职称的作者队伍。