SOCIOLINGUISTIC PHENOMENON OF CODE MIXING IN HONG KONG: FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Code mixing is an interesting sociolinguistic phenomenon in Hong Kong, where people integrate English words into their host language (Cantonese) for more effective communication. This paper first reviewed the previous research findings on code mixing and then discussed the results of a recent study on the usage of code mixing between English and Cantonese in Hong Kong particularly from the perspective of the marketing communications. The research results revealed various reasons of applying code mixing in marketing communications, including awareness, impression, referential usage, pun/joke, original quotation, emphasis, convenience, euphemism, and cyberspace convention. At the end of the paper, sociolinguistic implications are discussed

Psychosocial risk factors associated with falls among Chinese community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong

This study examined the relationship between psychosocial factors and falls among community-dwelling older adults in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. The study included 1573 adults aged 60 or above who lived at home and who were applying for long-term care services. These participants were part of a large cross-sectional survey carried out between 2003 and 2004 in which they completed the Hong Kong Chinese version of the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC) assessment. Of those persons who were surveyed, 516 (32.8%, 95% CI 30.5% to 35.2%) had fallen in the previous 90 days. Bivariate analyses showed that five psychosocial factors (depressive symptoms, fear of falling, a decline in social activities, the number of hours of informal care support during weekdays and living alone) were significantly associated with falls (. P <. 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed living alone (odds ratio (OR) = 0.62; 95% CI 0.44 to 0.86) was the only psychosocial factor significantly associated with falls, after adjusting for the known significant factors related to falls. It was also found that more elders who lived with others had environmental hazards than those who lived alone (71.0% vs 29.0%, 2 = 4.80, . P = 0.028). These findings suggested that living with others may not be as safe as we assume. Interventions to increase awareness of home safety and to seek co-operation with family members in falls prevention are recommended. Fall preventive strategies should be educated to family members who are living with frail older adults. On the other hand, Chinese older adults who live alone often receive support from relatives or friends. Social support seems to be crucial to prevent them from falls and this measure is recommended to be continued in the community. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.postprin

Accretion-induced Collapse of Dark Matter-admixed Rotating White Dwarfs: Dynamics and Gravitational-wave Signals

We present two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of rotating white dwarfs admixed with an extended component of dark matter (DM) comprising of sub-GeV degenerate fermionic DM particles. We find that the DM component would follow the collapse of the normal matter (NM) component to become a bound DM core. Thus, we demonstrate how a DM-admixed neutron star could form through DM-admixed AIC (DMAIC) for the first time, with the dynamics of DM taken into account. The gravitational-wave (GW) signature from the DMAIC shows distinctive features. In the diffusive DM limit, the DM admixture indirectly suppresses the post-bounce spectral peak of the NM GWs. In the compact DM limit, the collapse dynamics of the DM in a Milky Way event generate GWs that are strong enough to be detectable by Advanced LIGO as continuous low-frequency ($< 1000$ Hz) signals after the NM core bounce. Our study not only is the first-ever computation of GW from a collapsing DM object but also provides the key features to identify DM in AIC events through future GW detections.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure

Development and validation of Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To develop and to test the psychometric properties of the Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes. BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes encounter many challenges when making health decisions in their daily lives, as they have access to many different kinds of health information. Health literacy issues are new topics in Chinese society. Without a valid and reliable instrument in Chinese, it is difficult to measure the level of health literacy and promote the concept of health literacy in Chinese societies. DESIGN: A methodological study with a sample of 137 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 65 years or older. METHOD: Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes was developed with reference to the revised Bloom's taxonomy model. Psychometric tests (content validity, item analysis, construct validity, discriminative ability and test-retest reliability) were conducted. Correlations between Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes and four relevant measures were tested. Cronbach's alpha and alpha if item deleted were calculated to assess internal consistency. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes and its four subscales (remembering, understanding, applying and analysing) were 0.884, 0.885, 0.667, 0.654 and 0.717, respectively. The Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes was significantly correlated with the Diabetic Knowledge Scale (r = 0.398, p < 0.001), the Diabetic Management Self-Efficacy Scale (r = 0.257, p < 0.001), the Preschool and Primary Chinese Literacy Scale (r = 0.822, p < 0.001) and the Chinese Value of Learning Scale (r = 0.303, p < 0.001). It took an average of seven minutes to complete this 34-item instrument. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support the Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Diabetes as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the health literacy of Chinese patients with diabetes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: We recommend that clinicians use this tool to assess patients' health literacy before conducting any kind of health promotion.postprin

Polarimetric signatures of a canopy of dielectric cylinders based on first and second order vector radiative transfer theory

Complete polarimetric signatures of a canopy of dielectric cylinders overlying a homogeneous half space are studied with the first and second order solutions of the vector radiative transfer theory. The vector radiative transfer equations contain a general nondiagonal extinction matrix and a phase matrix. The energy conservation issue is addressed by calculating the elements of the extinction matrix and the elements of the phase matrix in a manner that is consistent with energy conservation. Two methods are used. In the first method, the surface fields and the internal fields of the dielectric cylinder are calculated by using the fields of an infinite cylinder. The phase matrix is calculated and the extinction matrix is calculated by summing the absorption and scattering to ensure energy conservation. In the second method, the method of moments is used to calculate the elements of the extinction and phase matrices. The Mueller matrix based on the first order and second order multiple scattering solutions of the vector radiative transfer equation are calculated. Results from the two methods are compared. The vector radiative transfer equations, combined with the solution based on method of moments, obey both energy conservation and reciprocity. The polarimetric signatures, copolarized and depolarized return, degree of polarization, and phase differences are studied as a function of the orientation, sizes, and dielectric properties of the cylinders. It is shown that second order scattering is generally important for vegetation canopy at C band and can be important at L band for some cases

Association between serum uric acid and prostate cancer mortality in androgen deprivation therapy: A population‐based cohort study

Objective This population-based study examined the association between baseline uric acid (UA) and prostate cancer (PCa)-related mortality amongst PCa patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Methods Adults with PCa who received ADT in Hong Kong between December 1999 and March 2021 were identified. Patients with missing baseline UA were excluded. Patients were followed up until September 2021. The outcome was PCa-related mortality. Results Altogether, 4126 patients (median follow-up 3.1[interquartile range 1.4–6.0] years) were included. A J-shaped association was observed between baseline UA level and PCa-related mortality risk, with a direct association in those with mean(0.401 mmol/L) or above-mean baseline UA levels (hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation-increase 1.35 [95% confidence interval 1.21,1.51], p < 0.001), and an inverse association in those with below-mean baseline UA levels (HR 0.78[0.67,0.92], p = 0.003). The former remained significant on competing risk regression, but not the latter. Conclusions A J-shaped relationship between baseline UA level and PCa-related mortality risk was identified. This study was mainly limited by potential unmeasured and residual confounders. Further validation studies are warranted

The Belt and Road Initiative\u27s impact on Textile and Clothing Supply Chains in Asia: Views from Hong Kong Industrial Stakeholders

The global supply chains in the Textile and Clothing (T&C) industry have been shaping by various forces, among them economic development policy is one of the strongest. Amid the rollout of the Chinese’s new national development strategy—Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), major T&C companies see both opportunities and challenges in optimizing and restructuring the networks of their production facilities. One notable and growing trend associated with the BRI is the relocation of T&C manufacturing from China to ASEAN countries and establishment of new factories along the Belt and Road (B&R). Much has been examined about the BRI at the national level, yet little is known about how companies in the T&C industry have responded to this grand economic development plan. This study aims to explore from industrial stakeholders’ perspectives, the factors that drive and hinder synergistic, mutually beneficial development of T&C production and trade among the B&R countries. To achieve this aim, it addresses the following questions: what are the challenges and opportunities faced by T&C companies establishing or relocating production to B&R countries, and what tangible actions have been taken by them? In-depth interviews were carried out with ten industry professionals from Hong Kong-based companies and government institutions involved with T&C trade in the Asian B&R countries, such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar. The findings of this study highlight the importance of pursuing sustainable development. On one hand, there is full of potential for T&C companies to achieve cost-effective production along the B&R countries through harnessing economic policy and transport infrastructure that facilitate trade. On the other hand, T&C companies see challenges in managing culturally diversity in the workplace as opportunities for pursuing corporate development in a socially responsible manner. In sum, this study reveals mutual supportiveness of economic and social aspects of T&C production and trade

The Bipolar II depression questionnaire:A self-report Tool for detecting Bipolar II depression

Bipolar II (BP-II) depression is often misdiagnosed as unipolar (UP) depression, resulting in suboptimal treatment. Tools for differentiating between these two types of depression are lacking. This study aimed to develop a simple, self-report screening instrument to help distinguish BP-II depression from UP depressive disorder. A prototype BP-II depression questionnaire (BPIIDQ-P) was constructed following a literature review, panel discussions and a field trial. Consecutively assessed patients with a diagnosis of depressive disorder or BP with depressive episodes completed the BPIIDQ-P at a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Hong Kong between October and December 2013. Data were analyzed using discriminant analysis and logistic regression. Of the 298 subjects recruited, 65 (21.8%) were males and 233 (78.2%) females. There were 112 (37.6%) subjects with BP depression [BP-I = 42 (14.1%), BP-II = 70 (23.5%)] and 182 (62.4%) with UP depression. Based on family history, age at onset, postpartum depression, episodic course, attacks of anxiety, hypersomnia, social phobia and agoraphobia, the 8-item BPIIDQ-8 was constructed. The BPIIDQ-8 differentiated subjects with BP-II from those with UP depression with a sensitivity/specificity of 0.75/0.63 for the whole sample and 0.77/0.72 for a female subgroup with a history of childbirth. The BPIIDQ-8 can differentiate BP-II from UP depression at the secondary care level with satisfactory to good reliability and validity. It has good potential as a screening tool for BP-II depression in primary care settings. Recall bias, the relatively small sample size, and the high proportion of females in the BP-II sample limit the generalization of the results

A review of progress and applications of pulsed doppler wind LiDARs

Doppler wind LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) makes use of the principle of optical Doppler shift between the reference and backscattered radiations to measure radial velocities at distances up to several kilometers above the ground. Such instruments promise some advantages, including its large scan volume, movability and provision of 3-dimensional wind measurements, as well as its relatively higher temporal and spatial resolution comparing with other measurement devices. In recent decades, Doppler LiDARs developed by scientific institutes and commercial companies have been well adopted in several real-life applications. Doppler LiDARs are installed in about a dozen airports to study aircraft-induced vortices and detect wind shears. In the wind energy industry, the Doppler LiDAR technique provides a promising alternative to in-situ techniques in wind energy assessment, turbine wake analysis and turbine control. Doppler LiDARs have also been applied in meteorological studies, such as observing boundary layers and tracking tropical cyclones. These applications demonstrate the capability of Doppler LiDARs for measuring backscatter coefficients and wind profiles. In addition, Doppler LiDAR measurements show considerable potential for validating and improving numerical models. It is expected that future development of the Doppler LiDAR technique and data processing algorithms will provide accurate measurements with high spatial and temporal resolutions under different environmental conditions