Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Illegal Wildlife Trade: Through The Eyes Of A One-Year-Old Pangolin (Manis Javanica), Lelia Bridgeland-Stephens

Animal Studies Journal

This paper explores the literature on the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) by following the journey of a single imagined Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) through the entire trading process. Literature on IWT frequently refers to non-human animals in terms of collectives, species, or body parts, for example ‘tons of pangolin scales’, rather than as subjective individuals. In contrast, this paper centralizes the experiences of an individual pangolin by using a cross- disciplinary methodology, combining fact with a fictional narrative of subjective pangolin experience, in an empathetic and egomorphic process. The paper draws together known legislation, trade practices, and pangolin biology, structured …

The Dynamic Topography Of Eastern China Since The Latest Jurassic Period, Xianzhi Cao, Nicolas Flament, R. Dietmar Muller, Sanzhong Li

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Some changes in the topography of eastern China since Late Jurassic times cannot be well explained by lithospheric deformation. Here we analyze global mantle flow models to investigate how mantle‐driven long‐wavelength topography may have contributed to shaping the surface topography of eastern China. Paleodrainage directions suggest that a southward tilted topography once existed in eastern North China in the latest Jurassic Period, which is different from that at present day (southeastward tilting). Our model dynamic topography reveals a southward tilting topography between 160 and 150 Ma, followed by southeastward tilting and rapid subsidence, which is compatible with paleodrainage directions and …

A Randomized Controlled Trial To Evaluate The Impact Of A Geo-Specific Poster Compared To A General Poster For Effecting Change In Perceived Threat And Intention To Avoid Drowning 'Hotspots' Among Children Of Migrant Workers: Evidence From Ningbo, China, Yinchao Zhu, Xiaoqi Feng, Hui Li, Yaqin Huang, Jieping Chen, Guozhang Xu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Drowning among children of migrant workers is a major, though neglected public health issue in China.

Methods

A randomised controlled trial was used to examine the potential impact of viewing a preventive health poster with/without geo-located drowning events on perceptions of drowning risk among Chinese migrant children. A total of 752 children from three schools in Jiangbei district were selected by multi-stage sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 380) or control (n = 372). Multilevel models were used to analyse changes in responses to the following questions after viewing the assigned poster for 10 …

Spatiotemporal Variations In Lung Cancer Mortality In China Between 2006 And 2012: A Multilevel Analysis, Yunning Liu, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, Jiangmei Liu, Peng Yin, Xiaoqi Feng, Jinling You, Andrew Page, Maigeng Zhou, Lijun Wang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We investigated temporal trends and geographical variations in lung cancer mortality in China from 2006 to 2012. Lung cancer mortality counts for people aged over 40 years were extracted from the China Mortality Surveillance System for 161 disease surveillance points. Negative binomial regression was used to investigate potential spatiotemporal variation and correlations with age, gender, urbanization, and region. Lung cancer mortality increased in China over the study period from 78.77 to 85.63 (1/100,000), with higher mortality rates evident in men compared to women. Median rate ratios (MRRs) indicated important geographical variation in lung cancer mortality between provinces (MRR = 1.622) …

Analysis Of Health Service Amenable And Non-Amenable Mortality Before And Since China's Expansion Of Health Coverage In 2009, Xiaoqi Feng, Yunning Liu, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, Peng Yin, Andrew Page, Shiwei Liu, Jiangmei Liu, Lijun Wang, Maigeng Zhou

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To explore early impacts of China's health reforms in 2009 on mortality. Methods Annual mortality counts were obtained from 161 counties across all 31 provinces of mainland China between 2006 and 2012. We examined time-series of health service amenable mortality counts, including separate analyses for deaths from stroke and ischaemic heart diseases (IHD). Non-amenable mortality counts, including separate models for oesophageal and pancreatic cancers, were also analysed as part of a negative-outcome strategy to provide stronger foundations for falsification. Deaths due to amenable causes were hypothesised to decrease, whereas non-amenable causes of mortality would remain uninfluenced. All analyses were …

Clustering Of Cardiovascular Behavioral Risk Factors And Blood Pressure Among People Diagnosed With Hypertension: A Nationally Representative Survey In China, Yichong Li, Xiaoqi Feng, Mei Zhang, Maigeng Zhou, Ning Wang, Limin Wang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aimed to examine association between the number of behavioral risk factors and blood pressure (BP) level among a nationally representative sample of Chinese people diagnosed with hypertension. A total of 31,694 respondents aged 18+ years with diagnosed hypertension were extracted from the 2013-2014 China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance. BP of each respondent was classified into six levels according to criteria in 2007 Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension. Information for smoking, alcohol drinking, fruit and vegetables consumption, physical inactivity, and overweight and obesity were obtained. The average number of risk factors was determined by BP …

Geographical Variation And Correlates Of Tobacco Smoking, Second-Hand Smoke Exposure, Workplace Tobacco Prohibition, And Pro-Tobacco And Counter-Tobacco Advertising In Mainland China: A Cross-Sectional Study Of 98 058 Participants, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, Mei Zhang, Xiaoqi Feng, Limin Wang, Yichong Li, Andrew Page, Maigeng Zhou, Linhong Wang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The Lancet-CAMS Health Summit, 30-31 October 2015, Beijing, China

Spatiotemporal Variation In Diabetes Mortality In China: Multilevel Evidence From 2006 And 2012, Maigeng Zhou, Thomas Astell-Burt, Peng Yin, Xiaoqi Feng, Andrew Page, Yunning Liu, Jiangmei Liu, Yichong Li, Shiwei Liu, Limin Wang, Lijun Wang, Linhong Wang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Despite previous studies reporting spatial in equality in diabetes prevalence across China, potential geographic variations in diabetes mortality have not been explored. Methods: Age and gender stratified annual diabetes mortality counts for 161 counties were extracted from the China Mortality Surveillance System and interrogated using multilevel negative binomial regression. Random slopes were used to investigate spatiotemporal variation and the proportion of variance explained was used to assess the relative importance of geographical region, urbanization, mean temperature, local diabetes prevalence, behavioral risk factors and relevant biomarkers. Results: Diabetes mortality tended to reduce between 2006 and 2012, though there appeared to …

Propensity Score Weighting For Addressing Under-Reporting In Mortality Surveillance: A Proof-Of-Concept Study Using The Nationally Representative Mortality Data In China, Kang Guo, Peng Yin, Lijun Wang, Yibing Ji, Qingfeng Li, David Bishai, Shiwei Liu, Yunning Liu, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Jinling You, Jiangmei Liu, Maigeng Zhou

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: National mortality data are obtained routinely by the Disease Surveillance Points system (DSPs) in China and under-reporting is a big challenge in mortality surveillance. Methods: We carried out an under-reporting field survey in all 161 DSP sites to collect death cases during 2009 - 2011, using a multi-stage stratified sampling. To identify under-reporting, death data were matched between field survey system and the routine online surveillance system by an automatic computer checking followed by a thorough manual verification. We used a propensity score (PS) weighting method based on a logistic regression to calculate the under-reporting rate in different groups …

A Preliminary Multiple Case Report Of Neurocognitive Training For Children With Ad/Hd In China, Han Jiang, Stuart J. Johnstone

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This preliminary multiple case study examined the behavioral outcomes of neurocognitive training on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in China, as well as parent acceptance of the treatment. The training approach targeted working memory, impulse control, and attention/relaxation (via brain electrical activity). Outcome measures included overt behavior as rated by parents and teachers, AD/HD symptom frequency, and parent opinion/feedback. Training was completed by five individuals and delivered via a themed computer game with electroencephalogram (EEG) input via a wireless, single-channel, dry-sensor, portable measurement device. The objective (i.e., training outcomes and EEG) and subjective (i.e., parent ratings/feedback and teacher ratings) data …

Health Reform And Mortality In China: Multilevel Time-Series Analysis Of Regional And Socioeconomic Inequities In A Sample Of 73 Million, Thomas Astell-Burt, Yunning Liu, Xiaoqi Feng, Peng Yin, Andrew Page, Shiwei Liu, Jiangmei Liu, Lijun Wang, Maigeng Zhou

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Chinas 2009 expansion of universal health insurance has received global interest, but little empirical investigation. This epidemiological study was a first attempt to assess potential impacts on population health and health equity. Multilevel negative binomial regression was used to analyse all-cause and non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality between 2006 and 2012 from a representative sample including all 31 provinces. The age-standardised ratios (per 100,000) in 2006 were 860.4 and 732.9 for mortality from all-causes and NCDs respectively. These ratios decreased over time to 737.5 (all-causes) and 642.9 (NCD) by 2012. Modelling indicated these trajectories were curvilinear, dipping more rapidly from 2009 …

Body Mass Index And Socio-Economic Circumstances In China: People And Places Matter, Xiaoqi Feng, Yong Jiang, Thomas Astell-Burt, Maigeng Zhou, Limin Wang, Linhong Wang, Andrew Page, Wenhua Zhao

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the Society for Social Medicine 58th Annual Scientific Meeting, 10-12 September 2014, Oxford, United Kingdom

A Cross-Cultural Validation Study Of The Questionnaire Of Educational And Learning Capital (Qelc) In China, Germany And Turkey, Anamaria Vladut, Qian Liu, Marilena Z. Leana-Tascila, Wilma Vialle, Albert Ziegler

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Unlike traditional person-centered models of giftedness, the Actiotope Model of Giftedness focuses on the person-environment interactions. It postulates that successful learning requires necessary resources, termed educational and learning capital, located both in the environment and the individual. The Questionnaire of Educational and Learning Capital (QELC) is introduced. The results of a validation study with students from China, Turkey and Germany is reported which shows that the QELC has satisfactory psychometric properties as well as construct and concurrent validity.

Autonomous Learning In Tertiary University Efl Teaching And Learning Of The People's Republic Of China: Challenges And New Directions, Jinjin Lu, Han Jiang, Paul Throssell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The English language, as a vital foreign language, has received considerable attention in the last 25 years in education in the People's Republic of China. Moreover, with the development of second language acquisition theories in these years, more theories and ideologies have been introduced into China. Autonomous learning is an important case in point. When the idea of "autonomous learning" was brought into EFL teaching and learning at the beginning of the 1990s, some Chinese scholars accepted the concept without any critical thought of its application in a Chinese context, which results in an increasing blurring of its boundaries. This …

Do We Have The Reliable Data? An Exploration Of Data Quality For Aids Information System In China, Hong Chen, Ping Yu, Ning Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A national AIDS program evaluation system has been applied to the ranking of the performance of involved public health organizations in China since 2007. The system provides quantitative performance comparison information based on automatic mining of the data stored in a unified web-based national information system, China AIDS Comprehensive Response Information Management System (the CRIMS). Hence, the quality of the AIDS program evaluation system is directly related to the data quality in the CRIMS. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the AIDS program evaluation system. The research method is qualitative interview of public health practitioners in Jiangxi Province. …

Notes On The Early Devonian Brachiopod Leptaena Ouralensis De Verneuil, 1845, Anthony J. Wright

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

On the basis of the type material, an attempt is made to review the widely reported brachiopod Leptaena ouralensis de Verneuil, 1845, much more commonly known as Megastrophia uralensis (de Verneuil, 1845). Assignment of this species to Megastrophia is still tentative, and many reports of the species, especially those based on crack-out material, must remain doubtful. The species has an established narrow geographic and stratigraphic range to the upper Emsian (upper Lower Devonian) of mostly Siberia, Mongolia and China.

High Incidence Of Nasopharyngeal Cancer: Similarity For 60% Of Mitochondrial Dna Signatures Between The Bidayuhs Of Borneo And The Bai-Yue Of Southern China, Joseph Tien Seng Wee, Tam C. Ha, Susan Loong, Chao-Nan Qian

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Populations in Southern China (Bai-yue) and Borneo (Bidayuh) with high incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer(NPC) share similar mitochondrial DNA signatures, supporting the hypothesis that these two populations may share the same genetic predisposition for NPC, which may have first appeared in a common ancestral reference population before the sea levels rose after the last ice age.

Layoffs And Urban Poverty In The State-Owned Enterprise Communities In Shaanxi Province, China, Zhiming Cheng

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper applies a mixed methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods to examine urban poverty in China’s state-owned enterprise communities where laid-off workers concentrate. A sequential explanatory model using interviews, Participatory Poverty Assessments and community household survey on textile and military industries in Shaanxi Province of northwestern China shows that low-income households suffered multidimensional disadvantages. Qualitative techniques have helped to reveal the hidden aspects of poverty while statistical tools have captured holistic information on the communities. These approaches together (Q-squared) consider both the outsiders’ and insiders’ views on the laid-off poor and benefit the making of effective anti-poverty …

Do Neighbourhoods Have Effects On Wages? A Study Of Migrant Workers In Urban China, Zhiming Cheng, Haining Wang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Rural-to-urban migrant workers have contributed enormously to the Chinese economy and society in the past three decades. Many of them have concentrated in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and physically and socially suffered from poor residential environment. However it is unclear how the neighbourhoods-as the provision of shelter, social and public service, and community organizing-influence migrant workers' labour market outcomes. To fill this gap, this paper researches the way in which urban neighbourhoods have affected migrant workers' wages. Factors such as housing quality, social interaction and trust, and neighbourhood organization and participation were examined. Results show that five of eight neighbourhood characteristics had …

Media-Induced Voluntourism In Yunnan, China, Jun Shao, Michelle Scarpino, Yoonjung Lee, Ulrike Gretzel

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Media-induced tourism as well as voluntourism are topics increasingly investigated in the tourism literature. However, a discussion of the intersection of these two forms of tourism (i.e., mediainduced voluntourism) is currently missing from the literature. Using the example of two Chinese TV dramas, this article seeks to shed light on motivations and activities of media-induced voluntourists to the Chinese province of Yunnan. Based on a thematic analysis of online postings of the fans of these Chinese TV dramas, the article finds empirical evidence for media-induced voluntourism. The findings reveal that fans travel to Yunnan not only to engage in altruistic …

Delaying Repatriation: Japanese Technicians In Early Post War China, Rowena G. Ward

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Research on the Japanese living in Manchukuo in August 1945 has generally fostered the assumption that all Japanese there wanted to return to Japan as soon as possible. Yet, some made the conscious and voluntary decision to stay, at least for the short to medium term. Among those who chose to delay repatriation were a number of technicians employed by Mantetsu’s (South Manchurian Railroad Company) Ch¯uo Shikenjo. This paper looks at the political and personal realities faced by these technicians when making their decisions as whether to stay or leave in terms of the concepts of voluntary and involuntary repatriation. …

Integrated Coastal Zone Management Research In Australia And China, X H. Wang, X Xu, S G. Pearson, G Xue, Robert J. Morrison, D Liu, P Shi

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

This paper reviews the current Integrated and Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) research in coastal zone science and policy for Australia and China. It seeks to make a coherent contribution to understanding the Chinese and Australian research and management through a brief description of the similarities and differences in an integrated way. The paper draws together the research needs for the ICZM in both countries with the aim of justifying the research investments needed in the future. Based on this review, we recommend five research programs: Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System and its Socio-economic Impact; Review and Utilization of Space-borne …

Venture Capital And Executive Incentives In China, Jerry Cao, Qigui Liu, Gary G. Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the effect that venture capital (VC) has on the pay-performancerelationship in listed Chinese firms. We find that VC has a significantly positive effect onCEO compensation and the pay-performance relationship, such effect particularly stronger infirms needing more managerial efforts and discretions (higher growth opportunity or higherlevels of capital expenditure). In addition, we show that VC-backed firms with moremanagerial discretions are more likely to use stock options. The evidence suggests thatventure capital investors use more sensitive compensation contract for top executives inChinese when the need for managerial discretion is greater. Such compensation schemes byVCs enhance firm performance subsequently.

Disproportional Ownership Structure And Pay–Performance Relationship: Evidence From China's Listed Firms, Jerry Cao, Xiaofei Pan, Gary Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the impact of ownership structure on executive compensation in China's listed firms. We find that the cash flow rights of ultimate controlling shareholders have a positive effect on the pay–performance relationship, while a divergence between control rights and cash flow rights has a significantly negative effect on the pay–performance relationship. We divide our sample based on ultimate controlling shareholders' type into state owned enterprises (SOE), state assets management bureaus (SAMB), and privately controlled firms. We find that in SOE controlled firms cash flow rights have a significant impact on accounting based pay–performance relationship. In privately controlled firms, …

Isochron Dating Of Sand-Loess-Soil Deposits From The Mu Us Desert Margin, Central China, Bo Li, Sheng-Hua Li, Jimin Sun

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A sand-loess-soil sequence from the margin of the Mu Us Desert was studied using the isochron infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating method utilizing K-feldspar grains extracted from sediments. Although the IRSL ages measured with the conventional method showed underestimation as a result of anomalous fading, the isochron results are broadly consistent with independent ages based on stratigraphic correlation in a glacial/interglacial scale over the last 250 ka. For samples older than 250 ka, the IRSL signals approached in field saturation and the isochron dating gave ambiguous results, suggesting an age limit for the method.

What Did Grinding Stones Grind? New Light On Early Neolithic Subsistence Economy In The Middle Yellow River Valley, China, Li Liu, Judith Field, Richard Fullagar, Sheahan Bestel, Xingcan Chen, Xiaolin Ma

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Grinding stones have provided a convenient proxy for the arrival of agriculture in Neolithic China. Not any more. Thanks to high-precision analyses of use-wear and starch residue, the authors show that early Neolithic people were mainly using these stones to process acorns. This defines a new stage in the long transition of food production from hunter-gatherer to farmer.

Cultural Flows Beneath Death Note: Catching The Wave Of Popular Japanese Culture In China, Peter Goderie, Brian M. Yecies

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

The government of the People’s Republic of China has often been criticized for its policies regarding freedom of expression. Cinema in China has been central to this criticism, particularly with respect to the distribution of foreign films. This article uses a case study of the Japanese film Death Note (Kaneko Shūsuke, 2006) to advance current understanding of Chinese cinema found in important studies such as Chu (2002), Zhang (2004) and Berry and Farquhar (2006). To better understand the controversy surrounding Death Note in the Chinese context, this article explores the historical precursors to the Chinese Communist Party’s ban on horror …

Ohs In China - Work In Progress, Diana J. Kelly, Rowan Cahill

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the barriers and challenges to effective implementation of occupational health and safety regulation (OHS), and occupational exposure limits (OELs) in China in order to identify the lessons for social science scholars and activists. It finds that formal labour legislation, including occupational health and safety legislation is relatively extensive, but rarely effectively realised. This has partly been because of the pace of political and economic transformation in China. As a result, the soft infrastructure of skills and knowledge necessary for an active, effective and genuinely protective OHS system are inchoate, and often, as OHS awareness has grown, firms‟ …

How Does The Separation Of Ownership And Control Affect Corporate Performance: The Impact Of Earnings Management In China, Yuqing Zhu, Gary G. Tian, Shan Zhao

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the impact of disproportional ownership on true firm performance when firm performance is adjusted for the effect of earnings management. Results from regression analysis indicate that the separation between control and cash flow rights of family/or individual-controlled listed firms in China decreases firm performance when firm performance is adjusted for the effect of earnings management than when firm performance is measured as reported performance. The results also show that separation is significantly positively related with true firm performance in firms with low cash flow rights concentration. The main disproportional ownership mechanism, pyramidal structures is also investigated in …

Fair Value Accounting In China: Neoliberalisation And Accounting Change, Ying Zhang, Jane L. Andrew, Kathleen M. Rudkin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the tension between neoliberal theory and practice by using China as an example. This paper investigates the implementation of Fair Value Accounting (FVA) in China and argues that market share prices are not ‘fair values’ of companies’ financial position as theories of FVA assume, rather, they project only the distorted share price movements caused by the strong intervention of the Chinese government with its multiple and often competing agendas. By positioning this regional event in a broad neoliberal context, this paper argues that the accounting term ‘fair value’ is imbued with assumptions about the state and the …