Evidence of method effects in the authoritarianism-conservatism-traditionalism scales

Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) is notoriously complex, multifaceted, and difficult to measure as a psychological construct. Recently, Duckitt et al. developed the ACT scales, offering theoretical refinement of the RWA construct. Although the validity of the ACT scales had been supported by a considerable body of research, shortcomings in previous analyses cannot rule out the existence of possible method effects. In the present research, we sought to test for the presence of such effects in a representative community sample of adults in Singapore (N = 738). We re-evaluated the factor structure of the ACT scales by assessing four separate models using an item-based approach in our confirmatory factor analyses. Results found significant method effects associated with both the pro-trait and con-trait items in the ACT scales. The implications of these results and possible strategies for controlling method effects in the ACT scales are discussed

Accounting for Change in IR

Most theories of International Relations (IR) are cautious, if not pessimistic, about the potential for change in IR. In this regard, the concept of ontological security holds promising yet oft-overlooked prospects. This article argues that applications of ontological security to IR theory thus far have been limited due to the narrow conceptualisations of practices and how they contribute to one’s attempts to preserve their ontological security. As such, this paper seeks to expand the theoretical framework through which ontological security is applied to IR, which involves a more comprehensive conceptualisation of practice that considers reflexivity as key. Accordingly, the theory demonstrates that a state, faced with threats to their sense of Self, can respond either by rigidising or changing their practices rather than being limited to the former. This allows one to account for change—especially big change—in world politics such as the increasingly inward-looking turn of the West

Removal of Zinc by the Moss Calymperes delessertii Besch

Studies were conducted to assess the capability of a moss, Calymperes delessertii Besch, to remove zinc from solutions. In the batch experiments, parameters studied included effect of pH and initial zinc concentration on sorption. A series of fixed bed experiments were performed to study the system under dynamic conditions. The bed depth service time (BDST) model proposedn by Hutchins was successfully applied to the system. The fixed bed experiments were also carried out using waste water from a zinc plating factory and results indicated that moss columns could be used in a clean-up system to remove zinc from electroplating waste water

Occupational and Patient Doses in Interventional Cardiology in Indonesia: A Preliminary Result

Interventional cardiology is a branch of cardiology that manages the catheter based treatment of structural heart illnesses. These minimally invasive procedures involve inserting catheters and other devices through superficial arterial and venous access sites. Due to increased reliability and advancing technology, the number and complexity of interventional cardiology procedures haves increased in recent years. The increasing complexity of the procedures, however, require longer fluoroscopic duration, leading to increased exposure time to ionizing radiation for the patient and also for the medical staff since they need to remain close to the patient throughout the procedure. This study attempts to investigate the occupational and patient doses during the course of several interventional cardiology procedures in Indonesia, i.e. CA, PCI, cathscan, PA, PTCA, TACE, PAC and peripheral vascular. Occupational doses were measured by using individually packed three chips of TLD-100 placed in over- and under-thyroid shield used by medical staff, over- and under-apron in waist position, inside a special ‘eye-D’ holder, and inside a ring holder, while patient doses were estimated by using individually packed three TLD-100 chips attached in the x-ray tube. All TLDs were calibrated in the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) Jakarta. The study was performed in three big hospitals in the cities of Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Semarang. The results show that PCI procedure was the most performed one during the course of this study and gave the highest radiation doses to the staff for all type of doses calculated and measured. The maximum effective doses, eye lens doses, extremity doses, thyroid doses and gonad/ovary doses were 0.098 mSv, 0.1967 mSv, 0.7604 mSv, 0.1760 mSv and 0.0990 mSv, respectively. In the case of patient doses, the mean value of DAP for PTCA procedure of 776.76 Gy cm2 was the highest compared with those for other procedures. The results of measurement for occupational doses were in general similar to those reported by other authors, but not for patient doses that was found to be 4-5 times higher. Due to the involving of various parameters during the course of interventional cardiology procedures, it was difficult to establish a correlation between the doses received by medical staff and by the patients

Differences in the Fine Motor Performance of Children in Hong Kong and the United States on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency

ObjectiveCross-cultural differences in motor development is an important issue for occupational therapists to address in the assessment process. The cultural variability of performance in scores interpretation can mislead therapists in their decisions regarding the need for intervention. This study aimed to investigate the differences in fine motor performance on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) between school-aged children of Hong Kong and the United States.MethodsThe four fine motor subtests of the BOTMP were administered to a random sample of 264 Hong Kong children aged 6–10 years. The performance scores of participants were compared with those of the American normative samples.ResultsNo significant difference was found in the scores between the two groups in Upper Limb Coordination and Response Speed subtests. However, the Hong Kong children performed significantly better in the subtests of Visual-Motor Control and Upper Limb Speed and Dexterity. In addition, significant gender difference was also present in all subtest scores except for the subtest of Upper Limb Speed and Dexterity.ConclusionThe results suggest that occupational therapists should be cautious of cross-cultural differences when interpreting fine motor performance scores using the BOTMP for Hong Kong school- aged children

Health beliefs in oral cancer: Malaysian estate Indian scenario

This is a study to describe the health beliefs related to oral cancer (OC) in a high-risk group in Malaysia, a predominantly Indian community living in an agricultural setting called an estate. The study population was a convenient sample of 112 adults, above 20 years of age, attending oral cancer screening in two estates. The subjects consisted of 106 (94.6) Indians and six (5.4) Malays. Using the Health Belief Model, the perceptions of susceptibility to OC, its severity, and the benefits of and barriers to preventive actions, as well as beliefs underlying OC aetiology were investigated. About half of the subjects (n = 57, 50.9) felt susceptible to oral cancer. A majority of subjects (n = 93, 83.0) felt that oral cancer is a severe disease. Thirty four people (30.4) perceived OC as a preventable disease, while 56 (50) did not, and the remaining 22 (19.6) did not know if OC was preventable or not. The majority of subjects (84.8) believed that modifications to the betel quid habit could be beneficial. The information solicited can be used as a starting point to design health-education activities aimed at this group in particular and the population in general. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

On estimation of autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) models based on different error distributions

Autoregressive Conditional Duration (ACD) models playa central role in modelling high frequency financial data. The Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Quasi Maximum Likelihood (QML) methods are widely used in parameter estimation. This paper considers a semi parametric approach based on the theory of Estimating Function (EF) in estimation of A CD models. We use a number of popular distributions with positive supports for errors and estimate the parameter(s) using the both EF and . ML approaches. A simulation study is conducted to compare the performance of the EF and the corresponding ML estimates for ACD(1.1), ACD(l,2) and ACD(2,l) models. It is shown that the EF approach provides comparable estimates with the ML estimates using a shorter computation time. Finally, both methods are applied to model a real financial data set and provide empirical evidence to support the use EF approach in practice

Medical radiation exposures for diagnostic radiology in Malaysia

The medical radiation usage for diagnostic radiology in Malaysia (a Level II country) for 1990-1994 is reported, enabling a comparison to be made for the first time with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation Report. In 1994, the number of physicians, radiologists, x-ray units, and x-ray examinations per 1,000 population was 0.45, 0.005, 0.065, and 183, respectively. (Level I countries had averages of 2.6, 0.072, 0.35, and 860, respectively). In 1994, a total of 3.6 million x-ray examinations were performed; the annual effective dose per capita to the population was 0.05 mSv, and the collective effective dose aas 1,000 person-Sv. Chest examinations contributed 63 of the total. Almost all examinations experienced increasing frequency from 1990 to 1994 except for barium studies, cholecystography, and intravenous urography (-23, -36, -51). These decreases are related to the increasing use of ultrasound and greater availability of fiberoptic endoscopy. Notable increases during the same period were observed in computed tomography (161), cardiac procedures (190), and mammography (240). In order to progress from Level II to Level I status Malaysia needs to expand and upgrade radiological service in tandem with the health care development of the country

A Price Worth Paying: The Case for Controlling Marine Emissions in the Pearl River Delta

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is a region with a single airshed, but different administrative and legal practices for controlling air quality. Under the Regional Cooperation Plan on Building a Quality Living Area (QLA Plan) released in June 2012 the Governments of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau have outlined a strategy to collaborate in reducing emissions from vessels throughout the PRD. This report provides evidence designed to assist policymakers in the region with this objective. It focuses on regulating toxic exhaust emissions from ocean-going vessels (OGVs) -- the most significant contributors of marine emissions. The findings show that marine sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions currently account for 519 premature deaths per annum in the PRD. These deaths could be reduced by 91% should an Emission Control Area (ECA) mandating the use of fuels with lower sulphur content be introduced. The report also demonstrates that three less comprehensive control measures would also reduce OGV emissions and associated public health impacts by 41-62%. Policymakers are encouraged to introduce these measures as stepping-stones on the way to establishment of an ECA for the PRD