The study examines the influences of the Qianmen urban renewal project on its original residents, which is one of a few demonstration projects under the new policy orientation of urban renewal practices in Beijing, China, entering the new century. It employs "residential satisfaction" as an evaluative indicator to understand the residents' experiences before and after urban renewal. Seventy-two residents were interviewed. Among them, 25 remained in Qianmen; 20 relocated to Hongshan, a neighborhood in the central city area; 21 moved to Longyue, a neighborhood in one of the suburban areas; and 6 residents relocated to other locations. The study found that the participants' level of residential satisfaction was skewed toward dissatisfaction before the urban renewal, whereas participants showed a much higher satisfaction level after the urban renewal, which means that overall the Qianmen urban renewal project had positive impacts on the residents' residential environment. However, among the three neighborhoods, there are no statistically significant differences. The policy arrangements of the Qianmen urban renewal project contribute to the results. Under the new policy orientation, the policy arrangements of the Qianmen urban renewal project featured a government-led approach with a large amount of public investment, which formed a good basis to provide better compensation to the residents, in particular to provide extra aid to low income residents. Therefore, the residents got their housing conditions improved to a large extent contributing to their higher level of residential satisfaction after the project was implemented. Because of the extra aid, the low income residents were even more satisfied than the middle-high income residents. On the other hand, the policy arrangements took into account the opinions of the original residents, in other words, most residents made their own decision about where to live after the urban renewal. In this circumstance, they actually saw the urban renewal as an opportunity to improve their residential environment, in spite of the fact that the urban renewal project was initiated by the municipal government. Therefore residents stayed or relocated voluntarily, which significantly predicts the resulting higher level of residential satisfaction. The findings in the Qianmen case remind us that we do need a more open, balanced perspective for analysis of urban renewal processes and outcomes, rather than a predominantly negative displacement view embedded in a gentrification discourse; and that policy arrangements toward more redistribution and social equity are more likely to achieve positive outcomes for disadvantaged people. However, the improvements in unit size and housing quality are the main achievements of the urban renewal. Many residents still face the shortage of community facilities in the short run, and in the long run they might continue to suffer from poorer accessibility to public facilities and other resources. Furthermore, the urban renewal inevitably caused social disturbances for many residents, in particular for disadvantaged people (low income residents, and the elderly, etc), although the negative impacts of relocation on social networks were mitigated by the benefits of escaping the social conflicts and annoyance in the original neighborhood, and were compensated by the improved housing conditions. Generally, the key argument of this study is that policy makers need to pay more attention to the disadvantaged class; in other words, the government needs to assume its role more actively in redistribution and social equity.

This diploma thesis deals with different aspects of international and domestic double taxation. Within international double taxation short treatise about national legislation related to double taxation is followed by the longer part dedicated on the tax conventions on income and capital which are the most effective instrument in the field of double taxation elimination. Then the negotiation process and their place in czech domestic legislation is described. One part focuses on the role played by European union in direct tax adjustment. Part about residence determinig (both individuals and companies) in case of existence of the tax convention and in case of its absence follows. Unilateral, multilateral and bilateral measures especially are desribed. As the example to illustrate the impact of different methods used to eliminate double taxation on tax is given practical calculation. Double taxation elimination procedure is explained on the concrete kind of income (dividends) at the end of the international double taxation charter. Within domestic double taxation its causes and kinds are desribed. Finally, last part looks at current and forthcoming czech legislation related to economical domestic double taxation.

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of the extent to which the child's will is given in Swedish courts' overall assessments of the best interests of the child in disputes on custody, resident and visitation (VBU). 18 District Court judgments have been collected from the database Zeteo via court judgments from Sweden's six Courts of Appeal. Based on a qualitative research effort, a content analysis was conducted on the judgments. The content analysis resulted in the following three categories being identified: The court judges according to the expressed will of the child, The court judges against the expressed will of the child, and The will of the child was omitted in the district court's assessment. The results were mainly analyzed based on childhood sociological perspectives, Hart’s ladder of participation and family law regulations. The theoretical framework was used to illustrate how the child was presented and socially constructed, and what impact this had on the space the child's will was given in the court's assessments of the best interests of the child. This was then reflected in the prevailing laws. The results of the study showed that the child's will appeared in about half of the cases, and that the court judged according to the will of the child in less than one third of them. The study also showed that the court tended to question the authenticity of the will of the children whose wishes did not comply with what the court considered to be the best interests of the child. In the majority of the cases where the children’s will were not given any room in the judgment, the court generally gave no reasons why the will was not reported.

This diploma thesis focuses on the application of system thinking and its methods to the issues of decision making within destination management and its organizations. The main aim of the thesis was to create a model to support decision making of destination management organization and to plan sustainable and responsible tourism development in the destination. A partial aim was to create a simplified model in which a simulation of the given system was performed. This aim has been applied to the destination of Cesky Krumlov. The contribution of the work is to find optimal decisions, policies and individual processes in order to assess the subsequent impacts and manage the development of tourism destination towards sustainability.

O paradigma intruso-residente vem sendo intensamente empregado em estudos para avaliar a memória de reconhecimento social em roedores. Tipicamente, ratos adultos, denominados residentes, são expostos a dois encontros sucessivos, de 5 minutos cada, com um mesmo rato juvenil ou com ratos juvenis diferentes, denominados intrusos; o intervalo de tempo entre encontros é 30 minutos. A quantidade de comportamentos sociais do residente (no segundo encontro) em relação a um intruso familiar é substancialmente menor do que o observado no primeiro encontro, o que não ocorre quando o segundo encontro envolve um juvenil novo; esse resultado caracteriza a memoria de reconhecimento social. Se o intervalo de tempo entre os encontros é aumentado para 60 minutos, a redução da investigação social do intruso familiar por parte do residente desaparece, levando à conclusão de que a memória de reconhecimento social seria um mecanismo para retenção temporária de informações. O objetivo central do presente trabalho foi contribuir para o entendimento da memória de reconhecimento social em ratos. Foram realizados três experimentos. No primeiro experimento avaliou-se se a expressão de comportamentos sociais e também da memória de reconhecimento social estão sujeitos à modulação temporal. No segundo experimento avaliou-se em que extensão o aumento do tempo de exposição ao intruso durante o primeiro encontro resulta num aumento da duração da memoria de reconhecimento social. No terceiro experimento avaliou-se se um procedimento de rotina na maioria dos laboratorios, o transporte dos animais da sala de experimentos para o biotério, interfere na memória de reconhecimento social, quando realizado 0,5 ou 6 horas após o primeiro encontro. Os resultados mostraram que (1) a expressão de comportamentos sociais e a memória de reconhecimento social estão sujeitos à modulação temporal, sendo mais intensos quando os testes são realizados na fase inativa (Capítulo 2), de modo que este fator deve ser levado em consideração quando do planejamento de experimentos envolvendo sociabilidade, (2) o aumento da duração do primeiro encontro para 2 horas ou mais revelou uma memória de reconhecimento social que dura pelo menos 24 horas (Capítulo 3), permitindo questionar que se trate de um dispositivo de curta duração, e (3) o transporte dos animais para o biotério 0,5 horas, mas não 6 horas, depois do primeiro encontro, prejudica a memória de reconhecimento social (Capítulo 4), indicando que se deve estar atento às rotinas laboratoriais pois as mesmas podem interferir no desempenho dos animais em testes de memória. Em associação com essas relevantes observações experimentais, foram propostas estratégias de análise dos dados gerados com esse tipo de experimentação e também discussões conceituais sobre a caracterização da memória de reconhecimento social, que contribuem marcadamente para essa área de estudos. / The intruder-resident paradigm has been extensively employed in studies of social recognition memory in rodents. Typically, adult rats, named residents, are exposed to two 5-min successive encounters with the same juvenile intruder or with two different juveniles; the time interval between the encounters is 30 min. The amount of social behaviors exhibited by the resident rats towards the same intruder juvenile in the second encounter is substantially smaller when compared to both that seen in the first encounter and that seen towards a different juvenile; these results characterize social recognition memory. When the time interval between encounters is increased to 60 min, that reduction of the investigation towards the familiar juvenile intruder vanishes, which is seen as evidence that social recognition memory corresponds to a short-term memory mechanism. The aim of this study was to contribute for our understanding of social recognition memory in rats. Three experiments were run. The first experiment evaluated to which extent both social behaviors and social recognition memory are influenced by temporal phase effects. The second experiment evaluated to which extent the increase in the duration of the first encounter renders social recognition memory longer. The third experiment evaluated to which extent the transportation of the resident rats from the experimental room to the animal facilities either 0.5 or 6 hours after the first encounter, interferes with social recognition memory. The results showed that (1) the expression of social behaviors and of the social recognition memory are modulated temporal phase effects, being stronger when animals are tested in their inactive phase (Chapter 2); thus, this aspect has to be considered in studies on sociability, (2) the increase of the first encounter duration for 2 hours or longer renders social recognition memory to last at least 24 hours (Chapter 3); this allows to question that social recognition memory corresponds to a short-term memory mechanism, and (3) transportation of the resident rats to the animal facilities 0.5, but not 6 hours, after the end of the first encounter disrupts social recognition memory (Chapter 4), indicating that one has to be cautious about usual laboratory routines, because they may interfere with performance of the memory tasks when executed a short time after training the animals.Associated with these relevant experimental observations, these studies allowed proposing novel strategies for data analysis and discussing conceptual issues about the characterization of social recognition memory that give a substantial contribution for this area.

La maladie de Lyme est la maladie à transmission vectorielle la plus répandue de l’hémisphère Nord. La peau est un organe clef dans cette maladie, car c’est à cet endroit qu’interagissent les cellules de l’hôte, le pathogène, le microbiote cutané et le vecteur. Nous avons développé un modèle murin d’infection disséminée de borréliose de Lyme, qui nous a permis de développer une méthode spécifique de détection de protéines de Borreliella dans le tissu cutané murin par SRM-MS, pouvant aboutir à une méthode de diagnostic chez l’homme. Dans un deuxième temps, nous nous sommes intéressés aux relations entre le microbiote cutané, les cellules résidentes de la peau, kératinocytes et fibroblastes, avec Borreliella. Les sécrétomes de trois bactéries commensales, S. epidermidis, P. acnes et C. striatum possèdent un effet synergique sur l’expression de gènes inflammatoires par les kératinocytes et les fibroblastes. Les sécrétomes de P. acnes et de C. striatum se sont également montrés capables d’inhiber une partie de la réponse inflammatoire des kératinocytes, pouvant aider le pathogène lors de la transmission/dissémination précoce. / Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Skin is a key organ in the disease, since it is the key interface where host cells, pathogen, skin microbiota and vector interact early during pathogen transmission. We developed a late lyme borreliosis model on mice. This model allowed us to develop a specific detection method of Borreliella proteins in the mouse skin by SRM-MS that might be used to develop a human diagnosis of disseminated Lyme disease. In a second part, we analysed the relationship between skin microbiota, resident skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts), in the presence or absence of Borreliella. The secretome of three commensals bacteria, S. epidermidis, P. acnes and C. striatum was shown to have a synergistic activity with Borreliella in pro-inflammatory gene expressions by keratinocytes and fibroblasts. P. acnes and C. striatum secretomes were also able to inhibit partially the inflammatory response of keratinocytes that might help the transmission/dissemination of the pathogen.

Resident-centered care has been the standard philosophy in accredited personal care homes (PCHs) across Canada since 1990. Health care aides (HCAs) are the primary health care providers in PCHs and key to residents' quality of care and quality of life. However, studies have not examined HCA work satisfaction in relation to the four elements of resident-centered care: providing flexible scheduling, following residents' preferences, promoting a home-like environment and offering permanent assignment to promote consistency of care. This cross-sectional, ethnographic study was conducted using face-to-face interviews with nine HCAs working in four PCHs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The results indicate that HCAs' work satisfaction was highly related to their caring relationships with residents and their working relationships with other HCAs and staff. The implementation of resident-centered care depended on institutional and managerial support. Lack of this support created stressful situations for HCAs and caused them concern about the quality of care and quality of life of residents. / May 2009

This thesis studies the influence of ethnicity, nationality, and occupation upon military selection of the residents of Ohio during the First World War. This is a quantitative study, based on a data set constructed from samples of the 1910 and 1920 censuses and The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-1918. Chapter I introduces the sources and the methodology. Chapter II examines the ethnicity of conscripts, and whether or not ethnic identities affected draft registration or military selection. Chapter III examines the numerical significance of resident aliens in the military population. Chapter IV examines the influence of social class on conscription: determining whether persons of wealth avoided military service and the influence of occupational deferments on the population at risk. Chapter V concludes the thesis by summarizing the results.

Resident-centered care has been the standard philosophy in accredited personal care homes (PCHs) across Canada since 1990. Health care aides (HCAs) are the primary health care providers in PCHs and key to residents' quality of care and quality of life. However, studies have not examined HCA work satisfaction in relation to the four elements of resident-centered care: providing flexible scheduling, following residents' preferences, promoting a home-like environment and offering permanent assignment to promote consistency of care. This cross-sectional, ethnographic study was conducted using face-to-face interviews with nine HCAs working in four PCHs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The results indicate that HCAs' work satisfaction was highly related to their caring relationships with residents and their working relationships with other HCAs and staff. The implementation of resident-centered care depended on institutional and managerial support. Lack of this support created stressful situations for HCAs and caused them concern about the quality of care and quality of life of residents.

Population exposure to traffic pollution is a rapidly developing, multi-disciplinary scientific field. While the link between long-term exposure and respiratory issues is well-established, there are probable links to a number of more serious health effects, which are still not fully understood. In the interests of protecting human health, it is prudent that we take a cautionary approach and actively seek to reduce exposure levels, especially in the home environment where people spend a significant portion of their time. In many large cities, a substantial number of homes are situated on land immediately adjacent to busy freeways and other heavily-trafficked roads. Characterising exposures of local residents is incredibly challenging but necessary for advancing epidemiological understandings. While existing studies are plentiful, the results are mixed and generally not transferable to other urban areas due to the localised nature of the built environment and meteorological influences. This thesis aimed to employ a variety of methods to develop a holistic understanding of the influence of traffic emissions on near-highway residents' exposure in two communities of South Auckland, New Zealand, where Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) is as high as 122,000 vehicles. First, ultrafine particles (UFPs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter ≤ 10 μm (PM₁₀) were continuously monitored using a series of fixed stations at different distances from the highways, over several months during the winters of 2010 and 2011. Emissions modelling output (based on traffic composition), was used within a dispersion model to compare modelled concentrations with monitored levels. In addition, community census meshblock units were mapped by level of social deprivation in order to assess potential inequities in highway emissions exposure. The second layer of local air quality investigation involved using a bicycle platform to systematically measure concentrations of UFPs, CO and PM₁₀ using the entire street-grid network throughout each community. This was done forty times - five times at four times of day (07:00, 12:00, 17:00 and 22:00), for each study area, with the aim of mapping the diurnal fluctuation of microspatial variation in concentrations. Using global positioning system (GPS) data and geographical information system (GIS) software, spatially-resolved pollutant levels were pooled by time of day and the median values mapped, providing a visualisation of the spatial extent of the influence of emissions from the highways compared to minor roads. The third layer involved using data from multiple ambient monitors, both within the local areas and around the city, to simulate fifty-four residents' personal exposure for the month of June, 2010. This required collecting timeactivity information which was carried out by door-to-door surveying. The time-activity data were transformed into microenvironment and activity codes reflecting residents movements across a typical week, which were then run through the US-EPA's Air Pollution Exposure Model (APEX). APEX is a probabilistic population exposure model for which the user sets numerous microenvironmental parameters such as Air Exchange Rates (AERs) and infiltration factors, which are used in combination with air pollutant concentrations, meteorological, and geospatial data, to calculate individuals' exposures. Simulated exposure outputs were grouped by residents' occupations and their home addresses were artificially placed at varying distances from the highways. The effects of residential proximity to the highway, occupation, work destination and commute distance were explored using a Generalised Linear Model (GLM). Surveyed residents were also asked a series of Likert-type, ordered response questions relating to their perceptions and understandings of the potential impacts of living near a significant emissions source. Their response scores were explored as a function of proximity to the highway using multivariate linear regression. This formed the final layer of this investigation into air quality throughout these South Auckland communities of Otahuhu and Mangere Bridge. Results show that concentrations of primary traffic pollutants (UFPs, NOx, CO) are elevated by 41 - 64% within the roadside corridor compared to setback distances approximately 150 m away and that the spatial extent of UFPs can reach up to 650 m downwind early in the morning and late in the evening. Further, social deprivation mapping revealed that 100% of all census meshblocks within 150 m either side of both highways are at the extreme end of the deprivation index (NZDep levels 8 - 10). Simulations for residents dispersed across the community of Otahuhu estimated daily NOx and CO exposure would increase by 32 and 37% (p<0.001) if they lived immediately downwind of the highway. If they were to shift 100 m further downwind, daily exposure would decline by 56 - 70% (p<0.001). The difference in individuals' exposure levels by occupation varied across the same distance by a factor of eight (p<0.05), with unemployed or retired persons the most exposed due to having more free time to spend outdoors at home (recreation, gardening, etc.). Those working in ventilated offices were the least exposed, even though ambient concentrations - likely due to a strong urban street canyon effect - were higher than the nearest highway monitor (5 m downwind) by 25 - 30% for NOx and CO, respectively. Inverse linear relationships were identified for distance from highway and measures of concern for health impacts, as well as for noise (p<0.05). Positive linear relationships were identified for distance from highway and ratings of both outdoor and indoor air quality (p<0.05). Measures of level of income had no conclusive statistically significant effect on perceptions (p>0.05). The main findings within this thesis demonstrate that those living within the highway corridor are disproportionately exposed to elevated long-term average concentrations of toxic air pollutants which may impact on physical health. While the socioeconomic characteristics could also heighten susceptibility to potential health impacts in these areas, certain activity patterns can help mitigate exposure. This thesis has also shown that there may be quantifiable psychological benefits of a separation buffer of at least 100 m alongside major highways. These results enhance a very limited knowledge base on the impacts of near-roadway pollution in New Zealand. Furthermore, the results lend additional support to the international literature which is working to reduce residential exposures and population exposure disparities through better policies and improved environmental planning. Where possible, the placement of sensitive population groups within highway corridors, e.g. retirement homes, social housing complexes, schools and childcare centres, should be avoided.