Second home ownership is a new and booming phenomenon in China. Although it has been widely discussed in newspaper, radio and other mass media, it has not raised much academic concern. This study is a preliminary research in this field. <br /><br /> In western counties, second home growth has caused a series of socio-economic impacts to the host community, including housing price inflation, displacement of local people, disruption of local service, etc. These effects identified by western literatures are examined in the context of Haikou, China. <br /><br /> Through applications of interview, on-site observation and secondary research, this study generally confirms the impacts addressed by other second home research. Similar to the western experience, the growth of second homes in Haikou has both positive and negative impacts. On the positive side, the increase of second home purchase contributes to the boom of property-related industry. On the negative side, it causes inflation pressure on housing price and affects the affordability of the housing for local people. The seasonality of second home occupation also leads to a "ghost communit" problem. However, as the development of second homes in Haikou is at an early stage, both their positive and negative impacts are not significant. Some effects such as the displacement of locals, the effects on local retail outlets and services are not detectable. Remarkably, this study addresses two problems that can only be found in China: "college entrance exam immigration" and "illegal sale of <em>hukou</em>". <br /><br /> Based on the major findings, policy recommendations for local government are provided. Implications for conducting research in China, and for future research opportunities are also suggested.

This descriptive study was done 1) to explore and describe the proportional distribution of breast, cervical and colorectal cancers by stage (a proxy measure of availability, access, and utilization of secondary prevention strategies) in northern Saskatchewan First Nations and non-First Nations in comparison to southern Saskatchewan First Nations and non-First Nations; 2) to assess the impact of stage and age on the survival patterns for these cancers in northerners and First Nations whose survival patterns have been shown by previous research to be equal or poorer in comparison to southerners. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were carried out to ascertain the impact of the different proportions of stage for each study group on survival. Stage at time of diagnosis is a proxy assessment of secondary prevention services, which include formal screening programs.<p> Data for this study was obtained from the Saskatchewan Cancer Registry, which has been maintaining cancer data since 1932. Cancer stage at time of diagnosis information is complete in the registry for different years for each cancer site. Hence data for breast cancer was for the years 1970 to 1995; cervical cancer data for the years 1980 to 1995; colorectal cancer data for the years 1990 to 1995. <p> The proportion of cancer cases for each site by TNM stage and age were compared among the four study groups. First Nation and northern populations were found to have a larger proportion of diagnoses at a later stage in comparison to the southern non-First Nation group. <p> Using Cox's proportional hazards model, both stage and age at time of diagnosis were found to be significant predictors of survival for all study groups. Age and stage adjusted relative risks were calculated and found to be significant in comparison to the southern non-First Nation group for cancer of the breast (RR =1.81 P=0.013). For cervical cancer the relative risk of dying of cervical cancer for southern First Nations in comparison to southern non­-First Nations was found to be 1.38 but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.097). For colorectal cancer, the relative risk of dying of colorectal cancer was found to be better for northern First Nations in comparison to southern non-First Nations (RR = 0.59), however this was not statistically significant (p = 0.45).<p> This study showed that despite adjusting for stage and age at time of diagnosis, there were still some unexplained differences in the survival pattern of northern First Nations, northern non-First Nations and southern First Nations in comparison to southern non-First Nations. Hypotheses as to what these unexplained differences are have been offered. These include differences in socio-economic status as well as availability, accessibility, attitudes towards and knowledge of secondary prevention strategies. Further study into these unexplained differences should be carried out.

<p>The sentiment of Justice Ackerman that courts have a particular responsibility and obligation to &ldquo / forge new tools&rdquo / and shape innovative remedies to achieve a goal, is profound and based on a constitution with a transformative nature. The injustice of apartheid brought about unequal resource distribution in South Africa and this is well documented. The need for innovative remedies to address these injustices has been in demand. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa has made available, sufficient remedies for the courts to deal with these concerns. However, the courts need to find a creative way of using and applying these remedies. One such remedy, being promoted by this paper is, structural interdicts with a supervisory jurisdiction. This remedy has a process of meaningful engagement attached to it, to ensure all parties reach practical solutions to ongoing socio-economic rights violations. The ancillary effect of these types of orders will promote future policies to take into consideration socio-economic rights needs of other people in the same position as the applicants. The ongoing supervision of the court will further ensure that government comply with its obligation within reasonable time, and to address ongoing concerns of socio-economic rights violation as and when they arise during the process of engagement.</p>

“Rural electrification” is a key element in the global energy development agenda. While being a developing country, Sri Lanka is enroot to achieve 100% of electrification at present. After the civil war ended in 2009 which lasted for more than 25 years, there has been much focus to fulfill the energy needs of the country. But the studies carried out to assess the impact of electrification are very much limited. This study focuses on meeting the gap of carrying out a scenario analysis of rural electrification and assessing the socio economic impact of electrification. The major focus has been given to see how energy system of a newly electrified village will vary over time. The research intends to identify how far the strategies used to implement a policy is realistic in the real world. Also the research extends to apply the proposed strategies to the energy model and analyze the behavior of the model. During the study a survey was carried out in a rural village in southern part of Sri Lanka and the data obtained were used to model the energy system of the village using a software called - LEAP (Long Range Energy Alternative Planning System). The energy system is simulated under different scenarios to analyze if certain strategies in the policy have been implemented in the village. Two scenarios were energy efficient lighting and energy efficient cooking stoves. A total energy balance has been carried out for the target sample with an analysis of global warming potential of the activities of the target family. The total energy consumption variation with the electrification and the percentage of energy consumed as electricity over time has been analyzed. Further the socio economic impacts of electrification have been studied. The impact of agricultural usage and economic productivity with electricity has been studied. The qualitative measures like attitude changes, modernization &amp; technology adaptation were addressed to the extent possible.

Various research sources indicate that effective sensory functioning is critical to the optimal development of a child. However, the influence of problems that are associated with poor socio-economic circumstances, as well as the differences between the genders and groups from different socio-economic backgrounds with regard to sensory functioning and motor development, is not clear. The aim of this study was to determine the possible significant relationship between problems that are associated with poor socio-economic circumstances and the sensory development of five to six year old children from these backgrounds. The study also attempted to compare the sensory development of five to six year old children from poor socio-economic backgrounds on the one side and those from good socio-economic backgrounds on the other. Further aims of this study were to analyse the possible differences between motor and sensory development of five to six year old boys and girls in poor socio-economic circumstances, as well as to determine the possible significant relationship between the general motor and sensory development of five to six year old children in poor socioeconomic circumstances. Fifty families were selected from three hundred families in the Thusano project by making use of a stratified random sampling procedure. All the five to six year old children belonging to these fifty families were selected for the purposes of this study as the QNST test can only be used for analysis on children from the age of five years. The total group that were selected from this poor socio-economic background consisted of twelve girls and eight boys (N= 20). A control group was made up of children from better socio-economic backgrounds and consisted of five girls and six boys between the ages of five and six years (N=11). The children were all evaluated according to the "Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - 2" (PDMS-2) to determine their motor development. The "Sensory Input Systems Screening Test" and the "Quick Neurological Screening Test II" (QNST) were used to evaluate their sensory development. The children with poor socio-economic circumstances were also evaluated by means of a questionnaire to determine aspects related to the birth process, medical history and education of the mother. With regard to aim 1, it is apparent from the results, which were obtained by using 'Statistica', that there are significant differences in the sensory development of children from poor socio-economic circumstances and good socio-economic circumstances when the QNST test was taken into account. The six tests showing the significant differences in the two groups are the two tests for tactile input ('palm shape' and 'hand-cheek'), the tests for auditory input ('sound'), the tests for pro-prioceptive input ('arm-leg extension') and the two tests for vestibular input ('finger-nose' and 'one leg stand'). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the Pyfer test. When focussing on aim 2, the results indicated significant relationships between certain problems that are associated with poor socio-economic circumstances and the sensory development of children. With regard to aim 3, it is apparent from the results of t-testing (p≤ 0.05) that the motor skills of girls are better when compared to boys. Significant differences were found in favour of the girls with regard to the gross-motor percentile, the gross-motor grading, the total quotient and the total motor percentile where the girls did better than the boys. With regard to the sensory development, a t-test showed that the girls performed significantly poorer than the boys in the test for visual tracking, while the boys performed significantly poorer than the girls in the tests for spatial orientation ('finger-nose') and bilateral integration ('repetitive hand movements'). With regard to aim 4, correlation analysis indicated that there was a relationship between sensory, general and fine motor development in the group as a whole, while a discriminant analysis showed that visual perception contributed most to the overall motor developmental levels of the group. No relationship was, however, found between the gross-motor and sensory development of the group. These results substantiate that the motor en sensory development of children living in poor socio-economic conditions are hampered by their environment, and that they should receive additional attention to try to prevent deficiencies in this regard. / Thesis (M.A. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The thesis is a study of illicit drug use and attitudes to drugs education amongst young people from different socio-economic backgrounds. The thesis reviews the existing literature and finds that there may be a link between poverty and drug use that hasn't been fully explored and that there has been a lack of attention to young people's perspectives and views on drug use. The findings are reported of an empirical research project that consisted of quantitative and qualitative research with 206 young people in five different settings: at university, in a youth club, in schools, in a pupil referral unit, and service for young offenders. The data from these different sources are analysed and a conceptual model has been developed, setting out some factors that are indicative of problematic or non-problematic drug use. The model was circulated amongst a small group of professionals in relevant fields for comment. The thesis concludes that young people in university settings reported using illicit drugs recreationally and apparently without problems, while the 'vulnerable' young people reported using more drugs, at an earlier age, and more frequently, and for reasons to do with boredom, depression and anxiety. The author suggests that 'vulnerable' young people are disadvantaged by their circumstances at home, including social deprivation and parental separation, and their lack of engagement with education. It is argued that health promotion models need to recognise the importance of contextual and broader structural factors influencing drug use among young people, and that health promotion efforts need to play a role in tackling inequalities and reducing deprivation, as well as making health promotion messages relevant to their target audience.

<p>The sentiment of Justice Ackerman that courts have a particular responsibility and obligation to &ldquo / forge new tools&rdquo / and shape innovative remedies to achieve a goal, is profound and based on a constitution with a transformative nature. The injustice of apartheid brought about unequal resource distribution in South Africa and this is well documented. The need for innovative remedies to address these injustices has been in demand. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa has made available, sufficient remedies for the courts to deal with these concerns. However, the courts need to find a creative way of using and applying these remedies. One such remedy, being promoted by this paper is, structural interdicts with a supervisory jurisdiction. This remedy has a process of meaningful engagement attached to it, to ensure all parties reach practical solutions to ongoing socio-economic rights violations. The ancillary effect of these types of orders will promote future policies to take into consideration socio-economic rights needs of other people in the same position as the applicants. The ongoing supervision of the court will further ensure that government comply with its obligation within reasonable time, and to address ongoing concerns of socio-economic rights violation as and when they arise during the process of engagement.</p>

Thesis--Wayne State University, Dept. of Education. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 224-234.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Wayne State University, Dept. of Education. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: leaves 224-234.