Exploring and Conceptualising the Interrelationships between Self and Possessions, through Hong Kong Chinese Consumers' Narratives.

Drawing on literature from the social and cultural psychology of the self and consumer research about possessions and the extended self, this study investigates and conceptualises each informant's pattern of self-configuration in terms of the personal, relational and collective dimensions of the self, and examines each informant's self-possession boundary via their stories about important possessions. Using a method of narrative inquiry, 20 Hong Kong Chinese informants were interviewed. The interviews generated 115 stories about their important possessions and these were used to explore how informants revealed their sense of self and how they constructed the meanings of possessions and the self-possession boundary. Analysis was undertaken in two stages and structured around firstly within-case analysis and secondly cross-case analysis. Based on the empirical findings, five patterns of self-configuration, revolving around the personal, relational and collective dimensions of the self, emerged. They are: the complete relational self-configuration, the relationally-led self-configuration, the personal-relational equilibrium, the personally-led self-configuration and the personal-relational-collective selfconfiguration. The empirical findings show that Hong Kong Chinese informants tend to focus more on the relational dimension of the self (e. g. interpersonal relationships with others) while they place less emphasis on the personal (e. g. personal achievement) and collective (e. g. in-group membership) dimensions of the self in their stories about important possessions. Thus, an extended framework of the continuum of self-configurations is developed and proposed which goes beyond the empirical findings providing a foundation for additional research in the future. In addition, the empirical findings showed that a broader interpretation of the self-possession boundary was found in Chinese consumers' stories about their important possessions. The self-possession boundary is defined as the delineation of the relationship between an individual's sense of self and possessions (i. e. the possessions are "MINE"). Most of the informants' possession stories in this study are in line with the western-based definition of self-possession boundary. However, some of the informants' possession stories did not fit neatly into any western-based description (e. g. informants considered gifts that they had given to close others as still remaining as part of their own important possessions). This is what is identified and termed as informants' "extended possessions" within the self-possession boundary. I extended the concept of possessions and the extended self and built a modified framework as one of my theoretical contributions in order to explain the wider concept of the self-possession boundary that captures the concept of extended possessions within the self-possession boundary in this study

Self-directed disability support: building people’s capacity through peer support and action research

How are people with disability experiencing and managing the transition towards self directed support and preparing for the NDIS? In this project, small groups of people with disability around Australia met over 6 months to talk about their disability support. The peer support groups enabled action research about how they are deciding the practical details about support, such as how, when and by whom it is provided

The Effectiveness of a Pro-Abstinence Sex Education Curriculum in Singapore

In this study, we investigate the impact of the pro-abstinence Sex Education curriculum on youths in Singapore, by examining if there is a relationship between pro-abstinence Sex Education and the rates of Sexually Transmitted diseases (STD)/Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). As the rates of STD/STI transmission have been on the rise, it is crucial that the system be re-evaluated to include a curriculum that educates on protection and contraception. To study this relationship, we compiled secondary data over a course of 20 to 30 years from the Ministry of Health (MOH), as well as past studies of the impact of pro-abstinence Sex Education on youths aged between 16 to 25. Despite no research about the effectiveness of Singapore’s sex education curriculum which was introduced in 2000, with multiple resources and research studies that were conducted in the United States, a comparison between the sex education curriculum in Singapore and reevaluated curriculums overseas can be made to draw a conclusion. Through regression analysis done on two different sets of data, we concluded that there was little to no difference in having a pro-abstinence Sex Education in decreasing the rate of both STI and STD

Examination of the Sampling Origin and the Range Hypothesis of Loss Aversion in 50-50 Gamble Settings

We examined the relative sensitivities toward financial losses and gains in 50-50 gamble decision-makings. People are relatively more sensitive to losses when they actively engage with relatively higher gain values by rejecting/accepting them. However, merely seeing, actively thinking about, or subjectively evaluating them does not influence the loss aversion ratio

Epidemiology of injuries in Hong Kong elite badminton athletes

This study retrospectively reviewed the injury epidemiology on 44 Hong Kong elite badminton players in 2003. Team training records were reviewed to retrieve the training and competition hours, while the medical records from the physiotherapy department were reviewed to obtain information regarding injuries. A total of 253 injuries (128 recurrent and 125 new injuries) were recorded, which accounted for an overall incidence rate of 5.04 per 1,000 player hours. Elite senior athletes had a higher incidence rate of recurrent injuries, while elite junior and potential athletes had a higher incidence rate of new injuries. A total of 1,219 visits (4.82 per athlete) to the physiotherapy department were recorded, which cost HK$487,600 (HK$1,928 per injury). Most new injuries were strain (80 injuries), and the most frequently injured body sites were the back (17 injuries), the shoulder (15 injuries), the thigh (15 injuries), and the knee (15 injuries). One-sided exact test showed that a previous injury experience significantly associated with the occurrence of new injury

Oral health of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong

Introduction: The world’s population is ageing and the elders are vulnerable to oral health problems. This project aimed to observe the oral health status of community dwelling elders in Hong Kong, investigate the oral health impact on their quality of life and nutritional status, and provide oral health education and preventive service. Methods: Community dwelling elders (65 or above) were recruited from five community centers. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was completed to collect information on their socio-demographic background and oral health perception/practice. Their oral health related quality of life (OHQoL) and nutritional status were measured by using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA), respectively. Their tooth and periodontal status, oral hygiene and soft tissues were examined. Individualized advice, oral health education and scaling were provided. Results: A total of 195 elders participated. Despite their sound knowledge on dental caries, their awareness of the causes and risk factors of periodontal diseases was low. Several misconceptions of oral health were common and their expectation towards oral health was low. Although 81% brush their teeth at least twice a day, over 75% did not perform interdental cleaning mainly due to unawareness of the necessity (32%) and lack of skills (42%). Their dental visits were treatment-driven and mainly for pain-relieving and emergency care. Only 19% were regular dental attendees. The mean (SD) DMFT was 8.9 (7.8). Over 60% had periodontal pockets; 6% were edentulous and 38% had fewer than 20 teeth. The mean (SD) total GOHAI score was 56.4 (8.0); 60% reported negative impact of oral health on their quality of life. The mean (SD) MNA score was 25.2 (2.9); 30% had malnutrition or were at risk. Multivariate analysis showed that tooth loss and untreated decayed teeth (DT) were significant determinants of poor OHQoL; older age, higher education level, and poorer OHQoL were significantly associated with higher risk of malnutrition (all p<0.05). Conclusions: Oral health problems are common among community dwelling elders in Hong Kong. Their oral health awareness and practice are yet to be improved. Tooth loss and unmet treatment need for dental caries significantly compromise elders’ quality of life, which in turn increases their risk for malnutrition. Outreach oral health education and service are well received by the community.published_or_final_versio

Inter-subunit interactions that coordinate Rad51's activities

Rad51 is the central catalyst of homologous recombination in eukaryotes and is thus critical for maintaining genomic integrity. Recent crystal structures of filaments formed by Rad51 and the closely related archeal RadA and eubacterial RecA proteins place the ATPase site at the protomeric interface. To test the relevance of this feature, we mutated conserved residues at this interface and examined their effects on key activities of Rad51: ssDNA-stimulated ATP hydrolysis, DNA binding, polymerization on DNA substrates and catalysis of strand-exchange reactions. Our results show that the interface seen in the crystal structures is very important for nucleoprotein filament formation. H352 and R357 of yeast Rad51 are essential for assembling the catalytically competent form of the enzyme on DNA substrates and coordinating its activities. However, contrary to some previous suggestions, neither of these residues is critical for ATP hydrolysis

Effect of a Perioperative, Cardiac Output-Guided Hemodynamic Therapy Algorithm on Outcomes Following Major Gastrointestinal Surgery A Randomized Clinical Trial and Systematic Review

Importance: small trials suggest that postoperative outcomes may be improved by the use of cardiac output monitoring to guide administration of intravenous fluid and inotropic drugs as part of a hemodynamic therapy algorithm.Objective: to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a perioperative, cardiac output–guided hemodynamic therapy algorithm.Design, setting, and participants: OPTIMISE was a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized, observer-blinded trial of 734 high-risk patients aged 50 years or older undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery at 17 acute care hospitals in the United Kingdom. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis were also conducted including randomized trials published from 1966 to February 2014.Interventions: patients were randomly assigned to a cardiac output–guided hemodynamic therapy algorithm for intravenous fluid and inotrope (dopexamine) infusion during and 6 hours following surgery (n=368) or to usual care (n=366).Main outcomes and measures: the primary outcome was a composite of predefined 30-day moderate or major complications and mortality. Secondary outcomes were morbidity on day 7; infection, critical care–free days, and all-cause mortality at 30 days; all-cause mortality at 180 days; and length of hospital stay.Results: baseline patient characteristics, clinical care, and volumes of intravenous fluid were similar between groups. Care was nonadherent to the allocated treatment for less than 10% of patients in each group. The primary outcome occurred in 36.6% of intervention and 43.4% of usual care participants (relative risk [RR], 0.84 [95% CI, 0.71-1.01]; absolute risk reduction, 6.8% [95% CI, ?0.3% to 13.9%]; P?=?.07). There was no significant difference between groups for any secondary outcomes. Five intervention patients (1.4%) experienced cardiovascular serious adverse events within 24 hours compared with none in the usual care group. Findings of the meta-analysis of 38 trials, including data from this study, suggest that the intervention is associated with fewer complications (intervention, 488/1548 [31.5%] vs control, 614/1476 [41.6%]; RR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.71-0.83]) and a nonsignificant reduction in hospital, 28-day, or 30-day mortality (intervention, 159/3215 deaths [4.9%] vs control, 206/3160 deaths [6.5%]; RR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.67-1.01]) and mortality at longest follow-up (intervention, 267/3215 deaths [8.3%] vs control, 327/3160 deaths [10.3%]; RR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.74-1.00]).Conclusions and relevance: in a randomized trial of high-risk patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, use of a cardiac output–guided hemodynamic therapy algorithm compared with usual care did not reduce a composite outcome of complications and 30-day mortality. However, inclusion of these data in an updated meta-analysis indicates that the intervention was associated with a reduction in complication rate