THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE VIEW OF HUMAN IN THE CONFUCIAN PHILOSOPHY IN PRE QIN DYNASTY

Bac Lieu, a coastal province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, faced rapid changes in environmental and socio-economic conditions in the early 1990s when the government started investing in the construction of a series of coastal embankments and sluices along the coast. The purpose of these interventions was to prevent saltwater from entering freshwater rice perimeters and to increase rice production in the area. This chapter synthesizes the data from participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) designed to understand the major factors behind changes in socio-economic conditions in the province, as perceived by farmers. The PRAs were conducted in 2000 and 2007 and were aimed at recording farmers' assessments of resource management and farm-level technological interventions in three different zones that had been impacted by water management and salinity control interventions for a long, an intermediate or a short time: the early intervention zone (EIZ), the recent intervention zone (RIZ) and the marginal intervention zone (MIZ), respectively. Community-identified significant change (CISC), a tool to capture learning on significant community changes, was used to understand the impacts of the government's interventions in these three zones. CISC gave important insights into the changes in community life in the three areas and the main factors leading to these changes according to the farmers' perceptions. These factors were changes in the government water management strategy and new technological interventions at farm level. The introduction of fresh water has supported the diversification of farming systems in the EIZ. The use of brackishwater for shrimp farming in the RIZ and MIZ has increased household income but is risky and poses environmental hazards in the RIZ. New technologies for both rice and fish production have improved household conditions and increased incomes.

Land conversion is the change of the original land function into another function. The conversion of laham affects the socio-economic conditions of farmers, especially in Setia Mulya Village. Socioeconomic conditions are a person's position in a community group that is determined by the type of economic activity, education, and income. The conversion of agricultural land can have an impact on the social and economic conditions of farmers. What is observed in this study is social conditions, economic conditions and their impact on farmers. The purpose of this study is to analyze changes in the socio-economic conditions of farmers due to land conversion and their impact on farmers' lives. The method used was a qualitative method with data sources obtained from observations, interviews, and documentation with farmers as respondents totaling 15 farmers, with sampling techniques using snowball sampling techniques. The results of the study showed changes in the socio-economic conditions of farmers due to land conversion that occurred in Setia Mulya Village. Changes in socio-economic conditions related to the age of farmers, changes in social status, changes in farmers' income, and farmers' household consumption. Farmers in Setia Mulya Village are cultivators so they have to pay rent to the landowner so that farming activities can continue. Although the area of agricultural land in Setia Mulya Village is very large, the high rental prices and the difficulty of irrigation flows make farmers have to look for decent agricultural land that can be used properly.

BackgroundTo evaluate the reliability and predictability of 49 socioeconomic indicators constructed from the annual and multiyear American Community Survey (ACS) data cycles for monitoring injury inequalities across the USA.MethodsCross-sectional analysis...

Characterizing the role of socioeconomic pathways in shaping future urban heat-related challenges

We agree with Mr Loefler (October 2002, JRSM1) that the HIV disaster has special dimensions in Africa. He contends that ‘a change in socioeconomic conditions’ is needed to address the pandemic, and accordingly offers a general prescription for ending the postcolonial status of Africa as an exploited society. The implementation of less philosophical responses by organizations such as Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and AMREF by contrast have already registered substantial accomplishments in curbing this disease. One nevirapine tablet given during labour and delivery (followed by a single dose of nevirapine syrup to baby) reduces vertical HIV transmission by 50%. In Tanzania, for example, other multifaceted prevention and treatment approaches have already shown promise by explicitly addressing gender issues that propel the HIV epidemic. Working to make practical programmes such as these function better and reach more people will add considerably to the fight against HIV in Africa, and elsewhere. When a senior African physician laments ‘I know of no medical school in Africa that teaches medical care appropriate to the circumstances in the country’2, then non-Africans will question why this state prevails there. If it is the case that self-determination has taken African medical schools down a path of medical irrelevancy, then the HIV problem is made needlessly complex. Accordingly, Loefler and other leading African scholars may wish to focus more energy on repairing the local medical education dysfunctions in Africa and on supporting programmes with proven track records in the fight against HIV, rather than on inventing a new world order. Which goals are more likely to be achieved?

Non-structural measures, including relocation from a hazard zone, land development regulations, and evacuation, are important sediment-related countermeasures. Such measures depend on the behaviour of residents and are affected by socio-economic conditions. In Japan, the declining birth rate and ageing population are expected to result in rapid changes in socio-economic conditions; accordingly, there is a need to evaluate the impact of such changes. However, there is no established methodology for the establishment of non-structural measures that considers the socio-economic conditions of all areas. Therefore, this study analysed the regional characteristics of disaster-affected areas with high numbers of casualties to elucidate the impact of socio-economic conditions. The results imply that severe losses occurred under various topographical and socio-economic conditions, such as in urban areas with high population densities and in mountainous areas with increasing depopulation. More data are needed, especially regarding socio-economic conditions. Importantly, the community-based analytical method used in this study enables a comparative analysis of disasters in different regions at different times.

The modern development of Russian single-industry towns (monotowns) is accompanied by a number of features, such as: structural reorganization of the city-forming industry, growth of anthropogenic load, changes in socio-economic conditions and demographic processes. In these conditions, the rational and efficient use of urban land becomes an important condition for sustainable development, ensuring a balanced placement of development and improving the quality of the urban environment given limited land resources. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to improve the efficiency of land use in the single-industry town of Usolye-Sibirskoye in the context of environmental constraints, structural changes in the urban economy, and population decline. The solution to this problem is associated with the formation of a more balanced planning structure, improving the quality of the urban environment and creating the preconditions for sustainable socio-economic development of the territory. The aim of this study is to improve the efficiency of urban land use in Usolye-Sibirskoye based on a comprehensive analysis of the existing land use system and the development of substantiated proposals for its improvement. To achieve this goal, an analysis of the theoretical and regulatory framework for the rational use of urban lands, and a characterization of natural, socio-economic and urban development conditions of the city, research of the planning structure and actual use of the territories of the main functional zones, assessing the efficiency of land use in terms of compliance with urban development regulations and territorial planning documents, identifying inefficiently used and environmentally problematic areas, and formulating proposals for their transformation. The paper analyzes the lands of the municipal formation "city of Usolye-Sibirskoye", considered as a spatial basis for socio-economic development and placement of capital construction projects. The study uses general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison and systematization, as well as methods used in land management and territorial planning: analysis of regulatory and scientific literature, study of territorial planning and urban zoning materials, statistical and cartographic analysis, calculation and interpretation of urban planning indicators for land use and comparison of actual land use with established types of permitted use and territorial planning documents.

BackgroundMortality exhibits seasonal variations, which to a certain extent can be considered as mid-to long-term influences of meteorological conditions. In addition to atmospheric effects, the seasonal pattern of mortality is shaped by non-atmospheric determinants such as environmental conditions or socioeconomic status. Understanding the influence of season and other factors is essential when seeking to implement effective public health measures. The pressures of climate change make an understanding of the interdependencies between season, climate and health especially important.MethodsThis study investigated daily death counts collected within the Sample Vital Registration System (VSRS) established by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). The sample was stratified by location (urban vs. rural), gender and socioeconomic status. Furthermore, seasonality was analyzed for all-cause mortality, and several cause-specific mortalities. Daily deviation from average mortality was calculated and seasonal fluctuations were elaborated using non parametric spline smoothing. A seasonality index for each year of life was calculated in order to assess the age-dependency of seasonal effects.ResultsWe found distinctive seasonal variations of mortality with generally higher levels during the cold season. To some extent, a rudimentary secondary summer maximum could be observed. The degree and shape of seasonality changed with the cause of death as well as with location, gender, and SES and was strongly age-dependent. Urban areas were seen to be facing an increased summer mortality peak, particularly in terms of cardiovascular mortality. Generally, children and the elderly faced stronger seasonal effects than youths and young adults.ConclusionThis study clearly demonstrated the complex and dynamic nature of seasonal impacts on mortality. The modifying effect of spatial and population characteristics were highlighted. While tropical regions have been, and still are, associated with a marked excess of mortality in summer, only a weakly pronounced secondary summer peak could be observed for Bangladesh, possibly due to the reduced incidence of diarrhoea-related fatalities. These findings suggest that Bangladesh is undergoing an epidemiological transition from summer to winter excess mortality, as a consequence of changes in socioeconomic conditions and health care provision.

Changes in socioeconomic conditions can affect how people understand themselves. The present analyses tested hypotheses on individuals’ self-construal and insecure attachment variation and co-variation during a period of severe and prolonged economic downturn in Greece, a typically more collectivist culture. Adult attachment and self-construal were surveyed in 15 independent samples of young adults collected consecutively between 2004 and 2016. Significantly lower independence, but not higher interdependence, was observed in recent crisis-stricken years of higher unemployment compared to earlier (pre-crisis) years. Participants also reported higher insecure attachment, particularly higher anxious attachment in recent years. However, it were temporal changes in avoidance that were associated with a greater decline in independent self-construal during the time period studied. Avoidance also preceded temporal variability in independent self-construal during this period. The results highlight links between socioeconomic conditions and individual-level variation in cultural understandings of the self and insecure attachment, and point to socio-cognitive processes that may explain interrelationships between two constructs that partly lie at different levels of understanding the self.

Background: The epidemiology of dermatophytic infection is influenced by the changing patterns of migration, growth in tourism, immunocompetence of the host, pathogenicity of the infectious agents, availability of medical treatment, and changes in socioeconomic conditions. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the epidemiological profile, clinical types, and association between the etiological agent isolated and the clinical type of dermatophytic infections. Methods: An observational prospective study was carried out at large tertiary care hospital in Southern Maharashtra, India. 110 Participants were selected based on Inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data collection was done with help of personal interview and detailed examination by investigator using predesigned, pre-tested, and structured questionnaire. All patients were followed up in dermatology department till complete investigation, treatment, and discharge. Results: Patients belonging to 21−40 year constituted 45% of the study population. Male to female ratio was 3:1. About 51.82% belonged to low socio-economic status and 56.36% were from rural areas. The most common isolate obtained was Trichophyton rubrum (25.45%) followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (7.27%). Out of the 110 samples collected, 66.36% (73 samples) were KOH positive and 35.45% (39 samples) were culture positive. The most common type of mixed dermatophytic infection was Tinea Corporis with Tinea Cruris (38.46%) followed by Tinea Manuum with Tinea Unguium (30.77%). Mixed type was seen more commonly in 21−40 years age group (30.77%). Association of isolate and the clinical type involved among study participants was assessed by applying Chi-square test which showed no statistical significance (p=0.94). Similarly, association of results of KOH mount and culture report to clinical types also showed no statistical significance (p=0.94). However, when association of age and sex with clinical types was assessed, age showed statistically significant association (p=0.004) while sex showed no statistical significance (p=0.32). Conclusions: Incidence of dermatophytosis was maximum in rural areas, low socioeconomic group and in summer. Thus, changing environmental and socio-economic conditions often led to changing epidemiology of dermatophytic infections. Tinea corporis was found to be the commonest clinical type followed by Tinea cruris. T. rubrum was the commonest isolate obtained (25.45%). Fungi were demonstrated by direct microscopy and/or by culture in 73 cases (66.36%) out of 110 cases. Hence, direct microscopy with or without culture is an important diagnostic tool in dermatophytosis. Authors recommend more in-depth study with larger sample size and multicentric based to have clearer picture of dermatophytosis.

Background: The 2008 economic recession has been shown to affect populations’ mental health due to deterioration of socioeconomic and living conditions. Concurrently, mental health problems may have constituted a vulnerability to wider social inequalities during this period.Aims: To explore perceptions and experiences of primary health care users and professionals regarding the relationship between mental health and socioeconomic position during the economic recession in Portugal.Method: Data were collected in three primary health care centres in Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with users and professionals, respectively. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis.Results: Two themes were obtained. The first comprised the relationship between changes in socioeconomic conditions (unemployment, precarious work conditions and financial hardship) and poor mental health. The second involved the consequences of experiencing mental health problems during the recession, namely disability, need of sick leave and early retirement.Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive overview of the bidirectional relationship between socioeconomic conditions and mental health, emphasizing the need to develop policies to address the drivers of poor mental health during times of economic downturn and tackle the barriers faced by people with mental disorders to promote their full social inclusion.

Humane Work Design for Man-Machine Systems - A Challenge to Engineers and Labour Scientists

É consenso na literatura de avaliação educacional que o nível socioeconômico dos alunos é o fator mais importante para explicar, em determinado ponto no tempo, as variações nos resultados escolares dos alunos avaliados pelo Sistema de Avaliação da Educação Básica - Saeb. Não se sabe, porém, em que medida a mudança temporal nas condições socioeconômicas influenciou a mudança na média e na distribuição do desempenho escolar entre os diversos ciclos do Saeb. Para investigar esta questão, utilizamos o método de decomposição contrafactual desenvolvido por Juhn, Murphy e Pierce (1993), que permite isolar a contribuição da variação na composição e retorno do nível socioeconômico sobre a variação na média e distribuição do desempenho escolar. Foram empregados os dados do Saeb de 1997 a 2005, para a coorte de alunos da 4ª série do ensino fundamental avaliados em matemática. Os principais resultados mostram que o aumento na cobertura escolar no final dos anos 1990 reduziu o nível socioeconômico médio dos alunos e colaborou para diminuir a média e elevar a desigualdade entre os resultados escolares (efeito composição). Ao mesmo tempo, houve redução na sensibilidade do desempenho escolar ao nível socioeconômico (efeito retorno). Este achado tem implicações ambíguas: por um lado, contribui para reduzir o aproveitamento escolar médio e, por outro, colabora para equalizar a distribuição dos escores entre 1997 e 2005.

The frailty phenotype for older people is defined as an increased vulnerability to stressors, leading to adverse health outcomes. It is acknowledged as a specific precursor of disability besides chronic diseases that allows for some reversibility in the loss of autonomy. Although the literature on the socio-economic determinants of frailty is emerging in cross-sectional settings, little is known about the dynamics of this relationship over time. This article examines the joint evolution of frailty and change in economic conditions for the 65+ in Europe. Individual and longitudinal data from SHARE (Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) over the period 2004-12 has been used. The sample contains 31044 observations from 12002 respondents aged 65 or more. A fixed effect Poisson model is estimated in order to control for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Three types of explanative economic variables have been considered in turn: income, wealth and a subjective variable of deprivation. Our results indicate that individuals with worsening economic conditions (wealth and subjective deprivation) over time simultaneously experience a rapid increase in the frailty symptoms. Results also show that the nature of economic variable does not affect the frailty process in the same way. Subjective measure of deprivation seems to better evaluate the household's financial difficulties than objective measure. From a public policy perspective, these results show that policies fostering economic conditions of the elderly could have a significant impact on frailty and henceforth, could reduce the risks of disability.

One of the most important conditions for a well-functioning and developing economy is a balanced labour force. The mismatch between the demand for labour and its supply leads to higher unemployment, lower living standards and quality of life, an expanding shadow economy and other negative consequences for the population. At the same time, the shortage of qualified labour affects the efficiency of enterprises. Socio-economic changes and crisis phenomena have a significant impact on the formation of the labour force. In the post-reform period, the quality of labour resources has declined significantly and the link between the vocational education system and production has been severed. To assess the situation on the labour market, a forecast of the labour resources balance is used. According to the methodology approved by the Ministry of Labour of the Russian Federation, labour resource balance forecasts are based on expert estimates and extrapolation of data, which cannot provide the necessary reliability under changing conditions in the economy. Forecasting labour market demand in the short, medium and long term using appropriate economic and mathematical methods and models is becoming relevant. Analysis of existing forecasting models shows that most of them are based on forecasts of demography and agesex structure, extrapolating retrospective data on employment and unemployment in the labour market. At the same time, researchers in this direction pay little attention to the behavioural characteristics of economic agents and structural changes in the labour market that may occur in the digital transformation of the economy. A model based on the agent-based approach, which takes into account scenario options of economic and human resource policies, is proposed for forecasting labour demand. Applying this model, it is possible to forecast labour resources under different impact scenarios, such as demographic conditions, changes in socio-economic conditions, disappearance or emergence of new professions in the labour market and education, obtain a set of prospective strategies of agent behaviour, assess the degree of impact on labour resource formation and choose the most effective scenario of impact.