Neighbourhood preferences,active travel behaviour,and built environment: An exploratory study

In the current study we investigated the extent to which neighbourhood preferences could be used as a base to group people in order to explore their residential and travel choices. The basic idea of this study was that the preferences people would have for their residential and travel choices might be a robust predictor of their actual travel behaviour, and that the neighbourhood preferences might distinguish people in terms of the characteristics of their living environment. We used a moderation model to test whether the effect of built environment on travel behaviour varied in terms of resident’s type. A total of 3403 inhabitants of the city of Tampere in Finland participated in the study. A web-based public participation GIS survey combining the questionnaires with a map (SoftGIS technique) was used to collect the data. We identified two distinct groups of residents in terms of general neighbourhood preferences. The findings showed that clustering residents based on neighbourhood preferences moderated the association between some features of density measures and travel behaviour. We found significant differences between the two clusters in both the frequencies and the distance of pedestrian and bike travel. The findings revealed that inhabitants of neighbourhoods with a larger percentage of green surroundings had a greater perception of neighbourhood stability than did the residents of neighbourhoods with a smaller percentage of green surroundings.     

The relationship between home environment and early childhood development of left-behind children under 3 years in rural China

BackgroundHome environment provides stimulation and learning opportunities required for children’s early development. However, few studies have focused on the effects of home environment on left-behind children’s development in rural China. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between home environment and early childhood development of left-behind children under 3 years old in rural China.MethodsInformation about sociodemographic characteristics, caregivers’ mental health, home environment and children’s development was collected. Infant/Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory (IT-HOME) was used to assess home environment. Child’s development was evaluated with the Chinese version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire - third edition.ResultsElevated caregivers’ depressive symptoms were associated with a higher risk of total suspected development delay. An increase of one score in the IT-HOME resulted in a 7% decrease in total suspected development delay. Higher scores in the dimensions of involvement and variety were associated with a lower risk of suspected development delay adjusting for covariates.ConclusionsOur results have implications for home-based intervention aiming at promoting nurturing care as well as caregivers’ mental health, which is required for early development of young left-behind children in rural areas of China.     

To Act or Not to Act: Nonconsequentialism in Environmental Decision-Making

Research on environmental-decision making is usually based on utilitarian models, which imply that people's decisions are only influenced by the outcomes. This research provides evidence for values and moral positions that reflect nonconsequentialist rather than consequentialist views. In doing this, this article refers to “sacred values,” which are values that are seen as not-substitutable and nontradable. Two studies were designed to examine evidence for sacred values and their role on act versus omission choices within the environmental domain. The studies revealed that sacred values were closely associated with preferences for actions, trade-off reluctance, deontological focus, and position of moral universalism. The results suggest that it is important to account for sacred values and nonconsequentialist views in environmental decision-making research.     

A Perspective on Ritual

Abstract

Ritual has played an integral role in human development and socialization throughout history. This paper seeks to highlight that role so that the importance of perpetuating ritual becomes obvious and necessary. The purpose of this paper is to re-iterate the significance of ritual in human development, education, and social improvement; discuss the origin and evolution of the term ritual; suggest the elements of an effective ritual and provide a hypothetical pyramid of evolving ritualistic behavior as often experienced in learning environments.     

4～5岁儿童认知发展:适龄入园的积极影响

在全国范围内采取四阶段分层随机抽样,以1391名4岁儿童为被试,采用追踪调查,先后两次(间隔一年)测查儿童的认知能力,建立两水平回归模型考察幼儿园入园年龄与4～5岁儿童认知发展的关系,并进一步探讨家庭学习环境对入园年龄效应的调节作用。结果发现:(1)入园年龄对儿童认知发展的影响是非线性的,且入园年龄效应在儿童5岁时仍然存在;(2)对于家庭学习环境差的儿童,较早入园使得儿童获得认知发展的优势;对于家庭学习环境较好的儿童,则存在一个适中的入园年龄段,能最大程度促进儿童的认知发展。     

早产儿视网膜病变——现阶段难以逾越的鸿沟

早产儿视网膜病变（ROP）纠纷频频,根源在哪里？本文结合案例,回顾历史,就ROP的发病、临床与研究进展,拓展思路,从另一角度,阐述了ROP预防与治疗存在的问题和问题的关键,阐述了ROP发生的根本原因和相关因素,阐述了ROP纠纷的根源和有待解决的问题以及我们应该选择的道路与梦想。     

公民道德建设机制探讨

加强公民道德建设既是贯彻落实“以德治国”的重要思想 ,保证社会主义市场经济健康有序运行的需要 ,也是实现人的全面发展的客观要求。为了使公民道德建设取得实效 ,我们应当建立和完善道德灌输机制、注错习俗机制和道德接受机制。     

Environmental Decline and the Rise of Religion

Abstract. Historically, crises have spawned deliberate, widespread efforts to change a culture's worldviews. Anthropologists have characterized such efforts as “revitalization movements” and speculated that many of the world's religions, including Christianity, arose through revitalization. Some responses to the planet's environmental crisis share the characteristics of both a revitalization movement and an incipient religion. They call for a science‐based cosmology and an encompassing reverence for nature, and thus differ from responses to environmental decline offered by traditional religions. As environmental problems deepen, historical precedent suggests that religious shifts in affected cultures may follow.     

Reflections on Business Decision-Making: Time for a Paradigm Shift?

Over the past few decades the pace of change in the business environment has been rapid, as the effects of electronic innovations and the acceptance of the globalisation mind-set have occurred. Communism has collapsed and the power of corporations has grown in the global community that has developed. It has become imperative that business decision-makers become aware that their decisions may limit the choices of future generations by irretrievably destroying the currently existing physical and social environment. Decision-making in today's business environment will have a profound affect on human well-being in general and specifically on the breadth of options that are provided to the business decision-makers of tomorrow. Against this background it is argued that senior managers should adopt a new paradigm through which to view the world and assess the import of their decisions. Managers need to consider the effects of their decisions not only on the economy but also on the environment and the social world, which the economy is meant to serve. Managers must ensure their ways of doing business are sustainable.