Financial access for immigrants: highlights from the national conference

Immigrants

Immigrant financial market participation: defining the research questions

Immigrants ; Population

Enhancing information literacy via MOOC and library’s i-Space

Equating search with research, as reaffirmed by the studies led by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, is a widespread misconception among undergraduates in Hong Kong. Base on real findings of the studies, a self-paced, asynchronous, non-credit bearing online MOOC courseware “InfoLit for U”, has been launched in early 2018. The “InfoLit for U” MOOC courseware was jointly designed by the libraries of all public funded universities in Hong Kong. Its design takes reference from the relational model of information literacy, in particular, the knowledge creation face of informed learning. The focal module, developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, addresses essential concepts and common misconceptions about using information in university learning and career settings, while the eight discipline modules designed by participating libraries focus on discipline-specific information literacy (IL) practices. All modules start with the “IL & Me” series of video sharing by professionals to highlight the personal relevance of information to university learning, research and future career. Animated scenarios, games and exercises help students to adopt appropriate learning-to-learn dispositions and best practices of information literacy. An i-Space has been set up in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library in October 2017 to enrich students’ information experience. It is a technology-rich space furnished with a variety of easy to use digital equipment and facilities for students from all disciplines to experience evolving technologies, to learn, evaluate and create digital content. The Digital Makerspace provides 3D Printers, 3D scanners, laser cutter, VR Experience Zone, IoT (Internet of Things) and Large Format Printing equipment while the Digital Visualisation Room is equipped with a high performance computer and high-resolution Video Wall to facilitate visualisation of data. The Multimedia Commons provides a Digital Studio and a number of multimedia workstations

Validation and reliability of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly in Chinese population

Objectives: Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) is a widely used questionnaire in epidemiological studies for assessing the physical activity level of elderly. This study aims to translate and validate PASE in Chinese population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: Chinese elderly aged 65 or above. Methods: The original English version of PASE was translated into Chinese (PASE-C) following standardized translation procedures. Ninety Chinese elderly aged 65 or above were recruited in the community. Test-retest reliability was determined by comparing the scores obtained from two separate administrations by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Validity was evaluated by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between PASE and Medical Outcome Survey 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), grip strength, single-leg-stance, 5 times sit-to-stand and 10-m walk. Results: PASE-C demonstrated good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient  =0.81). Fair to moderate association were found between PASE-C and most of the subscales of SF-36 (rs=0.285 to 0.578, p<0.01), grip strength (rs=0.405 to 0.426, p<0.001), single-leg-stance (rs =0.470 to 0.548, p<0.001), 5 times sit-to-stand (rs =–0.33, p=0.001) and 10-m walk (rs =–0.281, p=0.007). Conclusion: PASE-C is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the physical activity level of elderly in Chinese population

Cultural threats in culturally mixed encounters hamper creative performance for individuals with lower openness to experience

Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Academic Research Funding Tier

Drug problems among homeless individuals in Toronto, Canada: prevalence, drugs of choice, and relation to health status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Drug use is believed to be an important factor contributing to the poor health and increased mortality risk that has been widely observed among homeless individuals. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of drug use among a representative sample of homeless individuals and to examine the association between drug problems and physical and mental health status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Recruitment of 603 single men, 304 single women, and 284 adults with dependent children occurred at homeless shelters and meal programs in Toronto, Canada. Information was collected on demographic characteristics and patterns of drug use. The Addiction Severity Index was used to assess whether participants suffered from drug problems. Associations of drug problems with physical and mental health status (measured by the SF-12 scale) were examined using regression analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Forty percent of the study sample had drug problems in the last 30 days. These individuals were more likely to be single men and less educated than those without drug problems. They were also more likely to have become homeless at a younger age (mean 24.8 vs. 30.9 years) and for a longer duration (mean 4.8 vs. 2.9 years). Marijuana and cocaine were the most frequently used drugs in the past two years (40% and 27%, respectively). Drug problems within the last 30 days were associated with significantly poorer mental health status (-4.9 points, 95% CI -6.5 to -3.2) but not with poorer physical health status (-0.03 points, 95% CI -1.3 to 1.3)).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Drug use is common among homeless individuals in Toronto. Current drug problems are associated with poorer mental health status but not with poorer physical health status.</p

Meta-analysis Followed by Replication Identifies Loci in or near CDKN1B, TET3, CD80, DRAM1, and ARID5B as Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Asians

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype autoimmune disease with a strong genetic involvement and ethnic differences. Susceptibility genes identified so far only explain a small portion of the genetic heritability of SLE, suggesting that many more loci are yet to be uncovered for this disease. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on SLE in Chinese Han populations and followed up the findings by replication in four additional Asian cohorts with a total of 5,365 cases and 10,054 corresponding controls. We identified genetic variants in or near CDKN1B, TET3, CD80, DRAM1, and ARID5B as associated with the disease. These findings point to potential roles of cell-cycle regulation, autophagy, and DNA demethylation in SLE pathogenesis. For the region involving TET3 and that involving CDKN1B, multiple independent SNPs were identified, highlighting a phenomenon that might partially explain the missing heritability of complex diseases