A spatio-temporal analysis of academic performance at the Basic Education Certificate Examination in Ghana

Over the last decade, Ghana has more than tripled investment in its basic education system. Consequently, the country has made huge educational gains, primarily in providing universal access to basic education. However, many stakeholders are worried that academic performance is lagging because of disproportional attention to accessing basic education. Discussion of these concerns is hampered by ongoing disagreement about the true trajectory of academic performance at the basic education level and the widespread nature of students' lagging academic performance. In part, this disagreement stems from the failure of empirical studies to comprehensively examine trends in academic performance standards at the basic education level by concurrently considering a geographical and longitudinal perspective. Thus, this study examines the spatio-temporal trends of academic performance at the junior high school level since 2009 by using multilevel growth curve modeling, spatial statistics, and district-level longitudinal data. Results reveal 3 statistically distinct trajectories of academic performance: erratic, accelerating, and decelerating changes. Results also show that rural–urban gaps explain 31% of the performance trajectories, a trend which is expected to persist in the long term. In addition, we find extreme variations in academic performance within rural areas. Given the varying trajectories and geographical variability in academic performance, we suggest a localized approach to addressing challenges of low academic achievement at the basic education level in Ghana.     

Using multilevel modeling and geographically weighted regression to identify spatial variations in the relationship between place-level disadvantages and obesity in Taiwan

Objectives

We examined whether and to what extent the relationship between township disadvantages and obesity varied across geographical areas.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample of Taiwanese adults (N = 25,985) from the 2005 Social Development Trend Survey on Health and Safety was performed. Multilevel models integrated with geographically weighted regressions were employed to analyze the spatially varying association between area disadvantages and obesity. The dependent variable was body mass index calculated from respondents’ self-reported weight and height. The key explanatory variable was a township disadvantage index made of poverty level, minority composition, and social disorder. Other individual socio-demographic characteristics were included to account for the compositional effect.

Results

The association between township disadvantages and elevated obesity risk in Taiwan was found to be area-specific. In contrast to results from the commonly used global regression, geographically weighted regression model showed that township disadvantages elevated obesity level only in certain areas.

Conclusions

We found heterogeneity of place-level determinants of obesity across geographical areas. Adoption of population approach to curb obesity would require area-specific strategies for most needed areas.     

一种基于改进SIFT算法的遥感影像配准方法

本文首先分析了传统SIFT算法在遥感影像配准应用中存在的不足,从特征点匹配精度上进行了改进。通过分析SIFT特征点匹配的主要误差来源,逐步消除可能误差,提取尽可能多且精准的匹配点对。接下来利用该匹配点对作为配准用控制点对,分别对不同时相、不同分辨率遥感影像进行仿射变换和小面元微分纠正配准。最后与传统SIFT算法进行比较,试验结果表明本文算法具有更高的匹配精度。     

On the existence of atmospheric attractors

In this paper, we consider the long-time dynamics for the primitive equations of large-scale dry at- mosphere. First, by energy methods, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of global strong solu- tions of the problem. Second, by studying the long-time behavior of strong solutions, we construct a global attractor which captures all the trajectories.     

二维全球气候模式的发展——由对流层向平流层的扩展

采用Arakawa的σ-p混合坐标，将李维亮等人发展的一个二维全球原始方程模式由对流层扩展到平流层中层(10 hPa)。垂直分层采用等lnp方案。发展后的模式不仅在计算上具有很好的稳定性，而且能较好地模拟平均温度场、平均纬向风场和平均经向风场及其季节性变化。同时，在模式对流层之上加上平流层后改善了对流层上层环流的模拟。     

“一带一路”战略下中国与周边国家经济联动关系研究

基于"一带一路"战略背景,分析中国与周边国家的经济联动关系,运用Multilevel P2模型分析国家之间的经济互动,从组织结构层次和个体层次探讨国家间经济联系形成的机制。研究发现:稳定的政治环境是促进经济联动的基础,区域内部的贸易与投资等能够加速国家之间的经济联系;资本存量、产业结构等因素具有提供者效应,劳动力、基础设施等因素具有接受者效应,都能够增加国家之间的经济联动性。     

The research on the remote sensing''s information tree model of the Nansha coral islets and reef''s spatial structure

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Unpacking multilevel adaptation to climate change in the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

Multilevel governance is regarded as a promising approach to deal with the multidimensional nature of climate change adaptation. However, the policy context in which it is implemented is very often complex and fragmented, characterised by interacting climate and non-climate strategies. An understanding of multilevel decision-making and governance is particularly important, if desired adaptation outcomes are to be achieved. This paper examines how climate change adaptation takes place in a complex multilevel system of governance, in the context of Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. It examines over one hundred adaptation strategies at federal, state, regional and local levels in terms of type, manifestation, purposefulness, drivers and triggers, and geographic and temporal scope. Interactions between strategies are investigated both at the same level of governance and across governance levels. This study demonstrates that multilevel approach is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition in responding to complex multiscale and multisector issues, such as climate change adaptation. Short-term adaptation measures; a predominant incremental, sectoral, top-down approach to adaptation; and the lack of a framework for managing interactions are major threats to effective climate adaptation in the GBR region. Coping with such threats will require long-term transformative action, establishing enabling conditions to support local adaptation, and, most important, creating and maintaining strategic interactions among adaptation strategies. Coordinating and integrating climate and non-climate strategies across jurisdictions and policy sectors are the most significant and challenging tasks for multilevel governance in the GBR region and elsewhere.     

贵州关岭大寨崩滑碎屑流灾害初步研究

2010年6月28日,贵州省关岭县岗乌镇大寨村发生特大型崩滑碎屑(石)流灾害,造成99人死亡或失踪。通过现场考察崩滑区的地质环境与斜坡岩体结构,认为斜坡体由似"干砌块石结构"的裂隙化岩体组成是发生崩溃式破坏的主要内在原因。超常暴雨(过程雨量237mm)条件下斜坡岩体后缘裂缝充水形成持续的"水楔作用"是斜坡岩体松动、倾倒垮塌的主要外部引发因素。碎屑(石)流块度的空间分布具有从源头向沟口逐次减小,碎屑(石)流运动冲击高度逐步降低,冲击速度逐步减小,并显示4个能级4个冲程的特点。根据动势能守恒定律,计算了每个冲程的最大速度,得出第1冲程为高速崩滑,其它冲程属于碎屑(石)流动冲击。未发现区域天然地震、光照水库诱发地震与外围历史采矿活动与本次事件相关的直接证据。由于滑坡后缘仍存在不稳定岩体,碎屑(石)流堆积体上多处分布直径3～5m的堰塞塘,说明碎屑(石)空隙的排泄能力不足,在未来暴雨条件下引发新的崩滑或形成沟谷型泥石流的可能性是存在的。     

马尔柯夫场在影像纹理模拟中的应用

本文介绍了马尔柯夫随机场（简称ＭＲＦ）模拟影像纹理的原理和算法，用本文提出的算法，作了模拟分形纹理的许多实验：模拟纹理的自相似性试验；ＭＲＦ模型参数对影像纹理的控制作用等试验。试验结果表明算法正确，ＭＲＦ是模拟影像纹理的一个好模型。