Incorporating Multicultural Learning in Clinically-Based Education in the United States

This study attempted to explore and clarify the ambiguity surrounding cultural concepts, broaden and deepen the current understanding of cultural competency, and operationalize its core components in multicultural education in the United States. The research findings presented in this study were organized into three overarching themes: Level I: knowledge development; Level II: integrative processes; and Level III: practice evaluation. The findings contributed to the formulation of levels in multicultural learning and to the specification of core cultural components in clinical practice.     

The perceived importance of family‐friendly policies to childbirth decision among Hong Kong women

Wong C‐K, Tang K‐L, Ye S. The perceived importance of family‐friendly policies to childbirth decision among Hong Kong women Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 381–392 © 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Declining fertility is a problem in many advanced industrialised countries, calling for government action. While positive findings have been established between family policies and fertility levels in European countries, empirical studies on family‐friendly policies and their impact on fertility levels have been few and far between in East Asia. Based on a random telephone survey of 645 young women, this study examined the perceived importance of family‐friendly policies to childbirth among Hong Kong women of childbearing age. Also investigated was whether public policies could have an impact on the decision to have a child. The findings give support to both the risk‐society theory and the rationality theory; family‐friendly policies such as tax credits, extended childcare and flexitime enhance the risk management capacity of women and reduce the cost of child rearing. The study also found that demographic factors such as age, education, and having children or not are significant to the intent to bear children.     

Statistical Inference of Type-II Progressively Hybrid Censored Data with Weibull Lifetimes

In this article, we discuss the maximum likelihood estimators and approximate maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters of the Weibull distribution with two different progressively hybrid censoring schemes. We also present the associated expressions of the expected total test time and the expected effective sample size which will be useful for experimental planning purpose. Finally, the efficiency of the point estimation of the parameters based on the two progressive hybrid censoring schemes are compared and the merits of each censoring scheme are discussed.     

澳門環境綠化現狀

澳門1983至2004年,人均國民生產總值(GDP)迅速遞增,但城市綠化覆蓋率連年下降,市民呼吸系統疾病的死亡率激增。以賭博和旅遊業為主的社會經濟發展模式,需要政府更新"處理經濟發展必須兼顧環境保護需要"的陳舊理念,需用政府法律及行為,管理保護和培育綠色植物,創建優質的生存環境。社會弱勢社群不需要以綠化衰退和健康受損害為代價,换取非綠色的國民生產總值的增長。     

Expectation formulas for integer valued multivariate random variables

Nadarajah and Mitov [Communications in Statistics—Theory and Methods, 32, 2003, 47–60] derived an expectation formula for continuous multivariate random variables involving the joint survival function. Their result is extended here for discrete multivariate random variables. Examples proposing new discrete bivariate distributions are given.     

LARS-type algorithm for group lasso

The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) has been widely used in regression analysis. Based on the piecewise linear property of the solution path, least angle regression provides an efficient algorithm for computing the solution paths of lasso. Group lasso is an important generalization of lasso that can be applied to regression with grouped variables. However, the solution path of group lasso is not piecewise linear and hence cannot be obtained by least angle regression. By transforming the problem into a system of differential equations, we develop an algorithm for efficient computation of group lasso solution paths. Simulation studies are conducted for comparing the proposed algorithm to the best existing algorithm: the groupwise-majorization-descent algorithm.     

Integrated production strategy and reuse scenario: A CoFAQ model and case study of mail server system development

One of the core problems in software product family (SPF) is the coordination of product building and core asset development, specifically the integration of production strategy decision and core asset scenario selection. In the current paper, a model of Cost Optimization under Functional And Quality (CoFAQ) goal satisfaction constraints is developed. It provides a systematic mechanism for management to analyze all possible products and evaluate various reuse alternatives at the organizational level. The CoFAQ model facilitates decision-makers to optimize the SPF development process by determining which products are involved in the SPF (i.e. production strategy) and which reuse scenario for each module should be selected to implement the SPF toward minimum total developing cost under the constraints of satisfying functional and quality goals. A two-phase algorithm with heuristic (TPA) is developed to solve the model efficiently. Based on the TPA, the CoFAQ is reduced to a weighted set-covering problem for production strategy decision and a knapsack problem for the reuse scenario selection. An application of the model in mail server domain development is presented to illustrate how it has been used in practice.     

Perpetuating Old Exclusions and Producing New Ones: Digital Exclusion in an Information Society

This article presents a study that measures the degree of digital exclusion—or, conversely, the degree of digital inclusion—in Hong Kong, a developed city in East Asia. Governments in the region are among the most active in the developed world in pushing ahead in developing knowledge economies and information societies. The major concern is to improve/maintain their competitiveness in the new knowledge economy created by the process of globalization and the advancement in information technology. Many countries in the region have established themselves in the top ranks of a number of indexes and measurements comparing digital readiness, digital access, information and communication technology penetration, and others. However, not all the citizens in the region share the benefits and promises of the information society. People who are traditionally disadvantaged, such as the elderly and those on a low income, are further excluded from the information society. Such exclusion affects other social groups as well. This study creates a new digital inclusion index to measures the degree of inclusion of various disadvantaged groups in an information society. Data regarding seven disadvantaged groups were collected through a household survey (N = 2,312). The index captures information about access, knowledge, usage, and affordability ininformation and communication technology of the disadvantaged in comparison with mainstream society (N = 284).     

Housing concerns of elderly homeowners

This article examines the subjective perceptions of low-income elderly homeowners about their housing situation, by using a nonstandardized and unobtrusive interview method and a thematic content analysis. Five housing areas were investigated: shelter quality, neighborhood quality, accessibility and mobility, benefit and burden of homeownership, and social support network. The findings corroborated the study by O'Bryant on the importance of subjective variables in explaining housing satisfaction. Two themes emerged: questionable housing “needs” and ambiguity perceptions.     

A review of private residential care in Hong Kong: implications for policy and practice

Hong Kong government policy encourages and facilitates families to care for their older members as long as possible by providing families and their older relatives with community support services. Residential care for the elderly is viewed as a last resort. Due to the inadequate supply of community support services, the long period of care required, and the gradual breakdown of values of filial support, families may increasingly give up their caring roles and seek residential care for their dependent elderly relatives. A shortfall in subsidized residential care may lead to needy elderly persons' being cared for in private residential facilities. The demand for private residential care is projected to increase, despite criticism about the standard of care provided. Although an Ordinance, a Regulation, and a Code of Practice for residential care homes are in place to control, monitor, and upgrade private residential care in Hong Kong, problems remain that put the elderly at risk of receiving substandard services. These include the existence of substandard private aged care homes operating either with or without a license; the provision of substandard "places" to the elderly under the government's "bought place" scheme and "enhanced bought place" scheme; ineffective inspection; a lack of grading to indicate the quality of private aged care homes; and a general neglect of the quality of care. We provide recommendations to address these concerns. This requires paying attention to both the quality of care, as well as to the physical environment of homes.