The Impact of the Digital Economy on Rural Residents’Working Hours:Mechanisms and Empirical Evidence

The rapid development of the digital economy has provided a new impetus for rural residents to extend their working hours.Based on the data collected by the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey(CLDS)in 2014,2016,and 2018,this paper measured the development level of the digital economy in China from the perspectives of internet development and digital financial inclusion,and tested the mechanisms of how the digital economy affected rural residents’working hours.The results showed that the digital economy extended rural residents’working hours by expanding information channels and enhancing human capital,and this mechanism was affected by heterogeneity in rural residents’educational background,age,and social capital.Building on these findings,this paper holds that to increase rural residents’income by extending their working hours and achieving common prosperity for all,it is necessary to expand the opportunities for rural residents to participate in skills training and promote their accumulation of human capital.

Temperature Trends and Accumulation of Chill Hours, Chill Units, and Chill Portions in South Carolina

There is considerable concern about the potential impact of climate change on agriculture, such as the accumulation of chilling hours needed to break the dormancy of many perennial plants, like fruit trees. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if there had been a significant change in air temperatures and chill hours, chill units, and chill portion accumulation in South Carolina over the last two decades. Two decades of daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) air temperature records were obtained from weather stations in thirty-one counties in South Carolina. Hourly temperature data, reconstructed from the daily data, were used to calculate the daily and annual chill hours, chill units, and chill portions accumulation using four different chill models for each location and year. The chill models included the T(t) °C model, the 0°C °C model, the Utah model, and the Dynamic model. For each county, regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the historical trends. Despite year-to-year variability, the tendency was a statistically significant (α = 0.05) increase in air temperature, averaging 0.089°C per year for 20 out of 31 counties in South Carolina. The other 11 counties had no significant change in temperature. The average temperature increase in the 31 counties was 0.072°C per year. The temperature increase resulted in a decrease in annual chill accumulation during the fall to spring, averaging 17.7 chill hours, 8.6 chill hours, 17.0 chill units, and 0.40 chill portions per year calculated with the T(t) °C, 0°C °C, Utah, and Dynamic models, respectively. However, whether this decrease in chill values was statistically significant or not depended on the chill model used. This study did not investigate the cause of the observed historical trends in temperature and chill accumulation. Still, if the trends continue, they could significantly impact the future of the temperate fruit tree industry in the state.

Estimating the Monetary Value of Hours Lost to the Nigerian Public Healthcare System When Full-Time Government Employee Doctors Engage in Dual Practice

Background: Dual Practice (DP) allows full-time public sector doctors to concurrently offer the same clinical services in the private sector. The debate against this practice seems to be largely influenced by its potential to reduce the contracted hours in the public sector and shift attention to private work. Purpose: The purpose of this secondary research is to estimate the monetary value of hours lost to the Nigerian public healthcare system when full-time government employee doctors are engaged in private practice. It attempts to quantify the amount of resource outflow from the public system due to absences and lateness arising from competition for time between the public system’s contracted hours and private practice. Methods: Sensitivity analysis in Excel 2010 was used to calculate doctors’ hourly pay in the public sector using the 2015 Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental officers in Nigeria’s federal public service. The parameters used for the calculation were the official 40-hour working week and the average monthly gross pay of doctors on different grade levels. Hypothetical scenarios of hours lost due to absences associated with DP were created. The value of different hypothetical hour losses by the percentage of doctors assumed to engage in dual practice across all doctor grade levels was then computed. Results: The estimated annual value of hours lost from dual practice to a single public tertiary care hospital was N4,851,754 or 15,855 USD (best case scenario) and N19,407,017 or 63,422 USD (worst case scenario) for the normal routine work and N1,800,133 or 5883 USD (best case scenario) and N3,600,266 or 11,766 USD (worst case scenario) for the on-call duty. Conclusion: The government may have been paying salaries for large volumes of work not rendered in the public sector. The overall financial impact of dual practice in the Nigerian public system might be negative.

Impact of trading hours extensions on foreign exchange volatility:intraday evidence from the Moscow exchange

Using transaction-level tick-by-tick data of same-and next-day settlement of the Russian Ruble versus the US Dollar exchange rate(RUB/USD)traded on the Moscow Exchange Market during the period 2005–2013,we analyze the impact of trading hours extensions on volatility.During the sample period,the Moscow Exchange extended trading hours three times for the same-day settlement and two times for the next-day settlement of the RUB/USD rate.To analyze the effect of the implementations,various measures of historical and realized volatility are calculated for 5-and 15-min intraday intervals spanning a period of three months both prior to and following trading hours extensions.Besides historical volatility measures,we also examine volume and spread.We apply an autoregressive moving average-autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity(ARMA-GARCH)model utilizing realized volatility and a trade classification rule to estimate the probability of informed trading.The extensions of trading hours cause a significant increase in both volatility and volume for further analyzing the reasons behind volatility changes.Volatility changes mostly occur after the opening of the market.The length of the extension has a significant positive effect on realized volatility.The results indicate that informed trading increased substantially after the opening for the rate of same-day settlement,whereas this is not observed for next-day settlement.Although trading hours extensions raise opportunities for more transactions and liquidity in foreign exchange markets,they may also lead to higher volatility in the market.Furthermore,this distortion is more significant at opening and midday.A potential explanation for the increased volatility mostly at the opening is that the trading hours extension attracts informed traders rather than liquidity providers.

On Answering the Question Related to the Legal Regulation of Working Hours in the New Era:Western Experience and Chinese Approach

The popularity of flexible working hours around the world has slowed down the historical trend of reducing working hours.It even shows signs of regression.Whether and how to guide the cur-rent society with flexible working hours to return to the historical track of reducing working hours,improve the quality of working hours,and promote a smooth transition from the era of traditional standard work-ing hours to the era of flexible working hours has become a question related to the legal regulation of working hours in the new era.In this regard,although Western countries have proposed new regulatory concepts and carried out legislative practices with distinctive charac-teristics,the limitations of legal regulation capabilities have prevented them from proposing a package of institutional solutions.The advan-tage of China in the ability of legal regulation of working hours has been gradually formed in the legislation on working hours unnder the leadership of the CPC in the past century.It enables China to break through the limitations of the West and propose a Chinese approach to answer the question of the legal regulation of working hours in the new era from three aspects:limiting the extension of working hours,improving the quality of flexible working hours,and optimizing the funnctions of the multi-funnctional regulatory system for working hours.

Hourly Wage and the Likelihood of Stealing an Item

Researchers have extensively explored the impact of wages on individuals’ decisions to engage in property crimes. While most of these studies in the past have relied on macro-level data to investigate the relationship between crime rates and hourly wages, this paper takes a novel approach by utilizing micro-level data to examine the influence of hourly wages on the likelihood of stealing an item valued at least $50. The results obtained from the estimations reveal that an increase in hourly wage leads to a decrease in the probability of theft, all other factors being held constant. Further estimation by gender revealed that hourly wages given to both male and female have no bearing on the decision to steal. Additionally, the analysis of the differences in theft probabilities across gender and race demonstrates that males consistently exhibit a higher likelihood of engaging in theft when compared to females across various racial groups.

台湾地区高校Office Hours制度实践及其借鉴

20世纪90年代我国台湾地区高等教育迈入大众化发展阶段,为应对同时出现的教学质量开始下降的趋势,在台湾教育行政部门和教育评鉴机构的推动下,Office Hours制度被普遍应用于台湾地区高校的教学与管理之中。从实践来看,它已成为增进师生良性互动、激发学习动机、强化学习成效、提升教学质量与育人效果的有效机制。文章分析了Office Hours制度的实施背景,介绍了Office Hours制度的具体实践,在总结Office Hours制度特点的同时探讨了其对大陆高校的有益启示。

Office Hours制度探微

Office Hours是北美地区高等学校师生交往互动的主要模式之一,也是教职人员普遍使用的一种教学工具,是师生课外交往以及学生学习经历中不可或缺的重要组成部分。依据不同的标准可以划分为开放和限制、ROH和VOH等类型。Office Hours制度对构建和谐师生关系,提升教学品质与学习成效,创新教育的实施和创新型人才的培养,具有一定借鉴和启示。

美国高校OfficeHours制度及其启示

OfficeHours是美国高等学校师生交往互动的主要模式之一，是教职人员普遍使用的一种教学工具，也是师生外交往以及学生学习经历中不可或缺的重要组成部分。美国高校OfficeHours制度对我国高等教育的启示：全力为学生发展服务：重视师生课外交往；创造制度化的师生交往空间；形成合力辅导的文化氛围。

大陆高校Office Hours制度:实践、问题与对策——以南昌大学为例

介绍了Office Hours制度的内涵与实践,分析了我国大陆高校实施Office Hours制度的背景及其意义,并以南昌大学为例指出了Office Hours制度运行中存在的主要问题,提出了优化Office Hours制度实施的相关对策。

Prognostic value of C-reactive protein levels within 6 hours after the onset of acute anterior myocardial infarction with primary PCI

Background Increased levels of inflammatory markers have been documented in various settings of coronary artery disease. The vulnerability of coronary lesions in acute myocardial infarction(AMI) at the time of onset may be related to serum levels of C reactive protein(CRP) on admission, before CRP levels are affected by myocardial damage.Objective This study assessed the predictive value of CRP levels within six hours after the onset of acute anterior myocardial infarction with primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Methods The plasma CRP of 76 patients with first acute anterior myocardial infarction was measured within 6 hours after onset. They were divided into 2 groups: group 1( n =20) with elevated CRP( ≥0.3mg/dl ) on admission within 6 hours after onset and group 2( n =56) with normal CRP( <0.3mg/dl ) within 6 hours after onset. All patients were treated by primary PCI. The primary combined end points, including death due to cardiac causes, re MI related to the infarction artery(RIA) and repeat intervention of the RIA, and the restenosis rate were assessed in relation to CRP levels within 6 hours after onset. Left ventricular end diastolic volume index(EDVI),end systolic volume index(ESVI),and ejection fraction(EF) on admission and 6 month after the onset were assessed by left ventriculography. Changes in EDVI(ΔEDVI),ESVI(ΔESVI), and EF(ΔEF) were obtained by subtracting respective on admission values from corresponding 6 month follow up values. Results There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The primary combined end points were significantly more frequent in group 1(20%) than those in group 2( 1.79% , P <0.01 ).In addition, restenosis rates were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2(41.18% vs 16.07%, P<0.05). Group 1 showed greater increases in left ventricular volume and less improvement in EF compared with group 2(ΔEDVI 6.31 ±2.17 vs 3.29 ±9.46ml/m 2 , ΔESVI 5.92 ±2.31 vs 3.86 ±1.08ml/m 2 , ΔEF 1.92 ±0.47 vs 4.79 ±1.73% , P <0.05 , respectively).Conclusions CRP levels within 6 hours after the onset of AMI might predict adverse outcome after primary PCI and progressive ventricular remodeling within 6 month of AMI.

通过“Office Hours”课外辅导制度提升学生体质的实践尝试

该文通过基于"Office Hours"课外辅导制度,体育老师深入各个学系,组织和指导学生开展课余的各项体育活动,促进课外与课内的有效配合,激发学生参加体育运动的积极性,使学生从被动运动向主动运动转变,在校内形成学生乐于参与体育活动的良好氛围,从而真正提升学生体质,激发学生参与体育活动的积极性。

Office Hours制度在国内高校本土化实践探索

Office Hours制度是目前欧美高等院校广泛应用且已规范化的教育教学手段。该制度充分体现了以学生为本的教育理念,是实现国内高校大力提倡开展个性化教育,培养创新型人才的行之有效的方法之一。然而该制度在国内大部分高校,未得到充分的了解和足够的重视。通过介绍Office Hours制度的基本内涵及其优势,分析新时代高等教育对于该制度的迫切需求,对于该制度在国内高校的实践提出了具体的对策,也从学生的角度对如何高效利用Office Hours提出了相应建议。

Parental myopia, near work, hours of sleep and myopia in Chinese children

Background/Aims: Juvenile myopia is a serious problem in China, the prevalence of which stays at a high level and shows an upward trend. The target of this study was to explore the factors associated with myopia in Chinese children. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis in a random sample survey was conducted in Beijing in 2008. The data collected from 15,316 Chinese school students aged 6 to 18 years, randomly selected from 19 schools were evaluated, including noncycloplegic refraction and possible genetic, environmental and behavioral factors, to explore the key risk factors for myopia. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the OR values, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to compare the differences among the areas under the ROC curves using the method of multiple comparison with the best. Results: Myopia was associated with shorter sleep times versus longer sleep times (adjusted OR = 3.37;95%CI 3.07-3.70), and the multivariate OR for two compared with no parents with myopic was 2.83 (95%CI 2.47-3.24) and 1.95 (95%CI 1.69-2.24) for reading or writing distances less than33 cmcompared to distances greater than33 cm. Controlling for other factors, children that slept for shorter periods of time had significantly more myopic refractions (?1.69D vs ?1.29D for children with longer sleeping time per day). Analysis of the areas under the ROC curves showed five variables with predictable values better than chance: age, sleeping time, reading or writing distance, hours of studying, and parental myopia. Conclusion: It was not surprising, as proved by other studies, that parental myopia, reading or writing distances, time spent on studying or other activities by using eyes were dominant risk factors associated with juvenile myopia. Our findings indicated that hours of sleeping were also closely related to juvenile myopia, in which the underlying mechanism should be explored in the future study.

Accumulated chilling hours during endodormancy impact blooming and fruit shape development in peach(Prunus persica L.)

Winter chill is essential for the growth and development of deciduous species. To understand the relationship between accumulated chilling hours during endodormancy and blooming and fruit shape development, we controlled chilling hours and investigated their effects on blooming date and fruit shape of peaches. The results showed that the number of days to full bloom date and the heat requirement for blooming were negatively correlated with accumulated chilling hours. Accumulated chilling hours were significantly negatively correlated with fruit shape index and fruit tip lengths, suggesting that the number of chilling hours affect the fruit shape development. Fewer accumulated chilling hours may be the major reason for longer fruit shape and protruding fruit tips. In conclusion, our results indicate specifically that decreased winter chilling hours can delay the bloom date and may lead to aberrant fruit shape development in peaches. Our study provides preliminary insights into the response of temperate fruit species to global climate change.

Analysis of Climate Characteristics of Sunshine Hours in Dalian City in Recent 59 Years

[Objective] The aim was to analyze the changes characteristics of sunshine hours of Dalian City. [Method] Based on the data of sunshine hours of Dalian City during 1951 to 2009 and by dint of linear estimation and accumulation anomaly, the change characteristics of decade, annual, seasonal, monthly sunshine hours in Dalian City were analyzed. [Result] The change characteristics of decade, annual, seasonal, monthly sunshine hours in Dalian City were in a decrease trend since recent 59 years. The average sunshine hour in 1950s was the maximum one. Since 21st century, the annual sunshine hour was the lowest one. Annual average sunshine hours were the highest in 1978, and lowest in 2003. There were more sunshine hours before 1989 and later less. Among the four seasons, the sunshine hours in autumn decreased fastest and slowest in spring. The monthly average sunshine hours were the most in May and least in December; the sunshine hours in each month decreased fastest in July. It showed increasing tendency only in March. [Conclusion] The study supplied scientific reference for the reasonable utilization of light energy, agricultural production structure and sustainable development of agricultural economy.

Climatic Change Characteristics of Sunshine Hours and Cause Analysis in Lianyungang City

[Objective]The research aimed to study climatic change characteristics of sunshine hours in Lianyungang and analyze its formation reason. [Method]Based on monthly sunshine hours,precipitation,cloudiness,haze days and vapor pressure from 7 stations of Lianyungang from 1961 to 2010,monthly,seasonal,annual and interdecadal change trends of the sunshine hours were analyzed by using MK test,linear trend analysis and Morlet wavelet. Meanwhile,the cause of change characteristics was analyzed. [Result] Monthly sunshine hours of Lianyungang showed bimodal distribution,and seasonal and annual sunshine hours had decreasing trend at different degrees. The interdecadal change of sunshine hours showed wave characteristics. The annual sunshine hours had multiple temporal-spatial scale features,and there was an obvious mutation in the late 1980s. Sunshine hours in Lianyungang was closely related to visibility,cloudiness,vapor pressure and haze,and they were important factors causing that sunshine hours significantly declined. [Conclusion]The research could provide reference basis for scientifically developing and using solar energy resource and reasonably adjusting industrial and agricultural structures.

Analysis on the Variation Characteristics of Sunshine Hours in Puyang City

[Objective] The research aimed to analyze the variation characteristics of sunshine hours in Puyang City in recent 51 years.[Method] Based on the monthly sunshine hours in five meteorological stations of Puyang City during 1960-2010,the annual,seasonal and monthly variation trends of sunshine hours,mutation time node were analyzed by using the climate trend coefficient,climate tendency rate,sliding average method,SNR and so on.The objective fact and rule of sunshine variation in Puyang in recent 51 years were revealed.[Result] The annual sunshine hours presented the decline trend in Puyang City in recent 51 years,and the decline range was-14.30 h/a.The seasonal sunshine hours presented the decline trend over the years,and the decline range was during-0.66 and-1.89 h/a.The maximum decline range was-1.89 h/a in summer.The monthly sunshine hours presented the decline trend over the years,and the decline range was during-21.51 and-2.13 h/a.The maximum decline range was-21.51 h/a in July.The annual sunshine hours had one mutation in 1983.The sunshine hours was more in the 1960s and 1970s.In the middle and late periods of 1980s,the sunshine hours was relatively less.[Conclusion] The research provided the guidance value for the adjustment of plantation structure and the transformation of agricultural developed manner in Puyang City.

Estimation of Global Solar Radiation for Four Selected Sites in Nepal Using Sunshine Hours, Temperature and Relative Humidity

Rational and accurate solar energy databases, essential for designing, sizing and performing the solar energy systems in any part of the world, are not easily accessible in different localities of Nepal. In this study, daily global solar radiation, sunshine hours and meteorological data for Biratnagar, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Jumla have been used to derive the regression constants. The linear regression technique has been used to develop a model for Biratnagar, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Jumla. The model has calculated the global solar radiation for these locations. The values of global solar radiation estimated by the model are found to be in close agreement with measured values of respective sites. The estimated values were compared with Angstrom-Prescott model and examined using the root mean square error (RMSE), mean bias error (MBE), mean percentage error (MPE), coefficient of regression (R), coefficient of determinant (R2) and correlation coefficient (CC) statistical techniques. Thus, the resultant correlations and linear regression relations may be then used for the locations of similar meteorological/geographical characteristics and also can be used to estimate the missing data of solar radiation for the respective site.

Contributing Factors for Delays during the Morning Commute Hours and the Impact of the Spread of COVID-19 for Metropolitan Train Lines in Japan

The present study aims to conduct 2 types of statistical analysis to reveal the impact of the spread of COVID-19 on train delays by comparing the potential contributing factors before, during and after the outbreak of the virus in the metropolitan train lines in Japan. First of all, the result of the present study clearly revealed the changes in contributing factors for train delays caused by the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, the contributing factors for train delays changed due to the decrease of passengers by the effect of the outbreak of the virus. Additionally, though large terminal stations were considered to be a major contributing factor in causing and increasing train delays in the past, this was not the case after the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, under such conditions, it is more effective to make improvements in small to medium stations and tracks rather than terminal stations. Furthermore, as the decrease in passengers also decreased train delays in commuter lines going to the suburbs due to the spread of COVID-19, the contributing factor for such lines is the excessive number of passengers. Therefore, as for countermeasures for train delays after the effects of COVID-19, it is necessary to disperse passengers in order to avoid passengers concentrating in the same time zones and train lines.