Governments′ Path Selection of Promoting Rural Information Development——From the Perspective of Social Capital Theory

In introduction of the connoted meaning of rural information and its important role in the development of modern agriculture in our country and the development of urban and rural areas, the paper analyzes the difficulties in information construction: the first is the inadequate attendance of farmers, the low efficiency of information platform use; the second is the backward construction of information sources, which cannot meet the practical needs of information by farmers; the third is the bad situation of information exchanging. From perspective of social capital, it discusses the roles social capital factors playing in the rural information construction, among which, the information relations between farmers and information are the basis; net attendance is the necessary condition of sustainable development of rural information construction; customs afford management resources in rural information construction. Based on the above materials, the paper puts forward that it is the government who must accelerate the construction of rural information: the first is planting technic net in rural credit systems, accelerating the admission and supporting of farmers to information construction; the second is to strengthen the exchanging abilities among information platforms, upgrading the attendance degrees of farmers in rural information construction; the third is to introduce and make use of the management power of rural customs to complete an information management norm.

Exploration of Rural Informatization and Urban-rural Information Fusion

Based on the status quo of rural informatization and information service,this article conducts analysis and discussion of problems in rural informatization and urban-rural information fusion,using statistics. And corresponding countermeasures are put forward as follows: building rural information platform; strengthening information literacy training in rural areas and cultivating new farmers; making information network serve production and operation to increase jobs and income for farmers; developing rural e-commerce; enhancing network information security and prevention.

Rural Logistics System Based on Rural Informatization

Current status of rural informatization construction in China,including the relatively weak rural informatization,asymmetric market information,low level of information sharing,dispersedly allocated resources and no cross point among each other are analyzed.The importance of informatization in rural logistic system is introduced:firstly,decision making of logistics system plan is based on information.Secondly,improvement of the overall efficiency of logistics system is based on information.Thirdly,logistics transmission takes the Internet as the carrier.Necessity of rural logistics system is discussed from five aspects of increasing the employment of farmers,enhancing the income of farmers,reducing the blindness of agricultural production and circulation,sharing the risks of agricultural management,and promoting the rural economic restructuring.According to the above five steps,five countermeasures are posed in order to improve the rural logistics system.The countermeasures cover the aspects of deepening the information awareness of government,establishing a rural informatization system suited to the national condition of China,strengthening the information infrastructure in rural areas,promoting the integration of rural information resources and establishing the training system for agricultural information talents.

Empirical Study of the Usage of Mobile Information Service in Rural Area Base on the UTAUT Model

Based on the UTAUT model,this article introduces three variables including perceived cost,information quality and hedonic motives,and using the level of education as a moderator variable,to build an acceptance model of mobile information service system in rural area.Based on the household survey obtaining firsthand data of 961 farmers in Jiangsu Province,the study tests the improved UTAUT model by using Amos22.0 software.The results show that compared with the original UTAUT model,improved UTAUT model willingness to accept the explanatory power get further increase(from 49.0%to 61.9%).Performance expectations,social impact,information quality have significant positive influence on accepting intend,hedonic motives have a significant negative impact to accept in-tend,convenient conditions directly affect the use of behavior;gender and level of education has a regulating effect to accept intention.Through further grouping path analysis,the result shows that hedonic motives have broader impacts for women farmers accept mobile information services.Compared with other groups,only farmers with primary education are easily afected by others,and farmers with college education or above are more easily afectede by information quality.Finally,this paper explains the results and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions accordingly.

The Rural Information-based Construction under the Perspective of Expanding Agricultural Industrial Chain

On the basis of expounding connotation and significance of expansion of agricultural industrial chain, coupled with the connotation of rural informatization connotation, this article analyses the role of rural informatization in expanding agricultural industrial chain: it can enhance market competitiveness of industry chain, improve the operational efficiency of industry chain, and promote the income and quality of farmers in industry chain. Under the perspective of expanding agricultural industrial chain, this article puts forwards thinking about the construction of rural informatization as follows: first, give full play to the leading role of the government; second, strengthen the construction of information-based network facility; third, integrate information resources in rural areas, and improve the quality of information; fourth, build comprehensive information service platform in rural areas; fifth, improve organizational level of production and management of individual farmers; sixth, strengthen the construction of information-based personnel in rural areas; seventh, strengthen publicity and training, promote overall cultural quality and information awareness of farmers.

On the Relation between Agricultural Informationization and Rural Informationization

Through analyzing concept of agriculture and countryside,and overall objective of new socialist countryside construction " developed production,well-off living,civilized village culture,clean village environment,and democratic management",this paper divides the informationization construction for new socialist countryside into agricultural informationization and rural informationization,and presents the new socialist countryside informationization construction system.Then the paper elaborates connotation of agricultural informationization and rural informationization,differentiates and analyzes the relation between the two concepts.Agricultural informationization and rural informationization influence each other,promote each other,and are integrated into new socialist countryside informationization construction.

Benign Interaction Between Rural Information Service and Farmers' Income

Based on the improvement of interactive relationship between rural information service system and farmers＇ income, accompanied by the serious restriction to its mutual promotion caused by such problems as asymmetric information, focusing on introduction of rural information service infrastructure while ignored the application of them, shortage of human resource on information and so on, this paper proposed corresponding measures respectively to promote the benign interaction development between rural information service and farmers＇ income.

Issues concerning Migrant Workers' Participation in the New Rural Cooperative Medical System and Countermeasures——Based on the Survey in Wenjiang District and Jintang County, Chengdu City

We conduct questionnaire survey of migrant workers in Wenjiang District and Jintang County of Chengdu City,respectively,using the method of key-point investigation and the sampling survey. We describe the status quo of the sample migrant workers' participation in the New Rural Cooperative Medical System,analyze the issues concerning migrant workers' participation in the New Rural Cooperative Medical System,and put forward the countermeasures and recommendations as follows: using many types of medical insurance; establishing universal reimbursement points in strange land and premium-paying system for migrant workers; making the proportion of reimbursement open and transparent; establishing and improving medicare security system for migrant workers.

Incentive Mechanism Model Design for Sharing of Information Resources in Rural Areas

In order to solve the issues concerning the cross-unit sharing of information resources in rural areas, we analyze the incentive problem of the sharing of information resources in rural areas using the incentive theory method; establish corresponding incentive mechanism model (It is divided into positive incentive model and negative incentive model, and only when the two models guarantee each other and are used at the same time can they be effective). Based on this, we put forward the institutional design for sharing of information resources in rural areas as follows: firstly, establishing an administrative agency of rural information resources sharing, above the authority of all units, responsible for related work on sharing of information resources in rural areas; secondly, establishing and improving the positive and negative incentive mechanisms, to ensure the realization of sharing of information resources in rural areas.

Solutions to Integration Model of Rural Information Resources

The integration of rural information resources is a key factor restricting rural informationization and effective operation of rural information services. To solve problems of separate rural information resources and departments acting willfully regardless of overall interest,this paper analyzed characteristics and distribution of rural information resources,built a basic framework for integration of rural information resources and a mathematic model of integration,and finally came up with specific solutions to integration of rural information resources.

Perception and Information Seeking Behaviour of Rural Households towards Health Promoting Practices in Maigana District of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Information is valuable, increases understanding and reduces uncertainty. Limited knowledge and access to health promoting and disease prevention programmes are more pronounced in rural than urban areas of Nigeria. Furthermore, the paucity of healthcare services in these rural communities also contributes to the prevalence of health challenges in the rural sector. This study investigated the perception and information seeking behavior of rural households in Maigana District of Kaduna State, Nigeria towards health promoting practices. A random sample of 152 respondents selected from five of eleven wards in the district was interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The results, based on a 4-point Likert type scale and benchmark of 2.5 showed a very poor perception of health promoting practices among the respondents. Also, the information needs of the respondents were shown to be enormous. Three of the six socio-demographic variables regressed were found to significantly influence the information seeking behavior of the respondents regarding health promoting practices. Constraints limiting the embracement of health promoting practices were identified and measures aimed at promoting healthier living standards in rural communities were recommended. The study concludes that vast knowledge gaps do exist coupled with the poor perception of HPPs by the respondents.

A Study of New Ways of Professional Development of Rural Teachers Supported by Information Technology

Teacher professional development has been put forward since the 1980s. After nearly 30 years of theoretical research and practical exploration, it has become a common concern of many countries in the world. It is the mainstream discourse of teacher education reform. As a special group of teachers in our country, the professional development of rural teachers is directly related to the improvement of the quality of education in rural schools. In this paper, information technology was briefly analyzed, and the problems in the professional development of teachers in rural schools were discussed;finally, strategies of rural school teachers' professional development supported by information technology were put forward.

Reflections on the Professional Development of Rural Teachers Supported by Information Technology

The rapid development of information technology has brought vitality to rural education, rural teachers should not only seriously deal with it, but also face greater impact and challenges. According to the basic quality structure and main influencing factors of teachers' professional development, questionnaires and interview outlines were designed for 650 rural teachers in ethnic minority areas of Southeast Chongqing to investigate the current situation of rural teachers' professional knowledge and the status of teachers' professional development support system in this study, and then countermeasures were proposed for the current problems, with a view to providing theoretical reference for the development and implementation of modern education.

Understanding information seeking behavior of rural women:Field studies in China

Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information needs and information seeking behavior.Design/methodology/approach:The sample consisted of 27 women from 9 villages in Gansu Province,Anhui Province and Tianjin City,China.Data were collected through in-depth individual interview.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data.Findings:Chinese rural women’s needs are basically tied to agricultural technologies,employment and health information.Social network,rather than the Internet,serves as the most frequently used information channel.Women’s cognitive ability,social role and their living environment are the 3 intervening variables that have an impact on their information needs and their information seeking behavior.Research limitations:This qualitative research is based on a small sample and conducted on specific socio-economic settings in China,which may restrict the generalization and application of relevant findings in other settings and countries.Practical implications:The study results will help librarians and information professionals better understand Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior in an effort to find ways to solve problems they may encounter in their information seeking process.Originality/value:This paper introduced an analysis framework that provides an integrated perspective on understanding information needs and information seeking behavior of Chinese women in rural areas.

Twenty-seven Departments Establish a Joint Inter-ministry Meeting System for Care and Protection of Left-behind Children in Rural Areas

According to a document issued by the website of the Chinese government on April 5,in order to enhance the leadership and coordination of care and protection of left-behind children in rural areas and strengthen collaboration and cooperation between departments,

Cross-efficiency DEA model-based evaluation of allocative efficiency of rural information resources in Jiangsu Province, China

Purpose: This paper aims to compare and rank the allocative efficiency of information resources in rural areas by taking 13 rural areas in Jiangsu Province, China as the research sample.Design/methodology/approach: We designed input and output indicators for allocation of rural information resources and conducted the quantitative evaluation of allocative efficiency of rural information resources based on cross-efficiency model in combination with the classical CCR model in data envelopment analysis(DEA).Findings: Cross-efficiency DEA model can be used for our research with the objective to evaluate quantitatively and objectively whether the allocation of information resources in various rural areas is reasonable and whether the output is commensurate with the input.Research limitations: We have to give up using some indicators because of limited data availability. There is a need to further improve the cross-efficiency DEA model because it cannot identify the specific factors influencing the efficiency of decision-making units(DMUs).Practical implications: The evaluation results will help us understand the present allocative efficiency levels of information resources in various rural areas so as to provide a decisionmaking basis for formulation of the policies aimed at promoting the circulation of information resources in rural areas.Originality/value: Little or no research has been published about the allocative efficiency of rural information resources. The value of this research lies in its focus on studying rural informatization from the perspective of allocative efficiency of rural information resources and in the application of cross-efficiency DEA model to evaluate allocative efficiency of rural information resources as well.

A study of information exchange through social networks in rural China

This research looks at the characteristics of social networks of rural people in different careers and income conditions.The study also investigates information exchange amongst rural people.The aim of this research is to analyze social networks’implication in the information exchange of rural people in China.Design/methodology/approach:The field work investigation of this study is a questionnaire survey of the egocentric social networks of 660 rural people in China.The characteristics of social networks are revealed through social network analysis(SNA).Findings:Analysis of quantitative date indicates that the social networks of Chinese rural people are small sized,filled with very strong ties and characterized by high-homogeneity.These characteristics limit the exchange of useful and new information.Research limitations:This survey was taken on a small scale of respondents.It did not focus on the information poverty issue,though the results indicate that a strong information divide exists amongst rural people.Practical implications:The social networks of rural people are viewed as their main information exchange channel on the one hand;however on the other hand,they does play a negative role in ameliorating information poverty.Through these social networks,rural people with different educational backgrounds and income levels suffer the information divide.Originality/value:This research focuses on the seven kinds of information which are crucial in rural people’s living and productivity.The connection between the characteristics of social networks and information exchange are revealed.

Experimentation with Personal Identifiable Information

In this paper, actual personal identifiable information (PII) texts are analyzed to capture different types of PII sensitivities. The sensitivity of PII is one of the most important factors in determining an individual’s perception of privacy. A “gradation” of sensitivity of PII can be used in many applications, such as deciding the security level that controls access to data and developing a measure of trust when self-disclosing PII. This paper experiments with a theoretical analysis of PII sensitivity, defines its scope, and puts forward possible methodologies of gradation. A technique is proposed that can be used to develop a classification scheme of personal information depending on types of PII. Some PII expresses relationships among persons, some specifies aspects and features of a person, and some describes relationships with nonhuman objects. Results suggest that decomposing PII into privacy-based portions helps in factoring out non-PII information and focusing on a proprietor’s related information. The results also produce a visual map of the privacy sphere that can be used in approximating the sensitivity of different territories of privacy-related text. Such a map uncovers aspects of the proprietor, the proprietor’s relationship to social and physical entities, and the relationships he or she has with others.

Knowledge and Skills for Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections by Rural Medical Practitioners in Bangladesh

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) management is considered rudimentary among rural medical practitioners (RMPs) in Bangladesh. We sought to understand the level of knowledge and skills in STI management and to assess the impact of a two-day training orientation among RMPs in Tangail district. Data were collected through a baseline survey of 225 practicing RMPs in the study area and a three-month follow-up survey of 99 RMPs who participated in a two-day STI/HIV orientation training. The level of formal training among RMPs ranged from none (22.7%), to paramedical training (14.7%) and local medical assistant training (62.6%). The baseline survey revealed a low level of STI/HIV knowledge and misconceptions about the transmission of STI/HIV among RMPs. RMPs mostly prescribed first line antibiotics for treatment of common reproductive tract infections (RTIs) including STIs, but they rarely prescribed the correct dosages according to the national RTI/STI management guidelines. Only 3% of RMPs were able to correctly answer all four HIV transmission (unprotected sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, needle sharing and mother to child transmission) questions at baseline, while 94.9% of RMPs answered all four correctly at three months following the training (p = 0.001). Only 10% of RMPs reported suggesting the recommended drug (azithromycin) and only 2% mentioned about the recommended dosage (2 gm single dose) for the treatment of urethritis/cervicitis;compared to 49.5% suggested azithromycin at follow-up with 39.4% mentioned the recommended 2 gm single dose (p = 0.001). Our study found low level of knowledge and poor practices related RTI/STI management among RMPs. Short orientation training and education intervention shown promise to increase knowledge and management skills for RTIs/STIs.