Search

Studies have documented that health and income are important variables affecting the quality of life in old age. However, there is little knowledge about whether perceived financial sufficiency affects the health of elderly persons. Recent research has documented that in addition to material and behavioural determinants, psychosocial pathways also have an influence on health inequalities. This is the first paper to examine the relation between self-rated economic condition (measured with a single item question) and reported health conditions (i.e., somatic complaints, diagnosed physical diseases, functional health (Activities of Daily Living), self-rated health, and mental health status (General Health Questionnaire-30 [GHQ-30]) among elderly persons in Hong Kong. The respondents of the study were persons aged 65 and over residing in public housing estates in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. Four hundred and fifty respondents were interviewed in 1995 by means of a structured questionnaire. The study found that although it did not record the actual income levels of the respondents, the subjective measure vividly demonstrated the health differentials among the elderly respondents. Multiple regression analyses suggested that self-rated economic condition was a significant predictor of the number of somatic complaints and physical illnesses reported, as well as of functional health, self-rated health, and mental health status (controlling for socio-demographic variables). However, the measure explained a higher proportion of variance in models related to psychological health than those related to physical health. The findings substantiated the role of psychosocial processes in understanding perceived health and illness and health inequalities in particular. Keywords: Hong Kong; Elderly; Self-rated economic condition; Self-rated health; Economic status

Research describing the structure of (Ti,Al)N films is presented. In particular Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction techniques are analysed for the filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposited films.

In this paper, an attempt is made to explore how people respond to injuries at work among a group of hand-injured workers in the context of contemporary Hong Kong society. Qualitative research methods were adopted. A 'focused interview' by means of open-ended questions was employed to investigate those workers who have suffered from work-related injury for over 10 years. Concerning the perceived cause of the injury, the industrial production process such as machine defects, piecework, limited working experience, and lack of supervision triggered the onset of the injuries which resulted in permanent disability. At the same time, respondents tellingly explained their injury in terms of magical-religious forces such as fate and luck. This kind of understanding is embraced in cultural beliefs that are commonly found among Chinese. Such understandings appear fatalistic but allow the individual to actively cope with such misfortune. The emphasis on harmony and stability among Chinese also affected what action they took against the employer for negligence. It was shown that in general many respondents were bound by kuan-hsi (personal relationship) and tended to preserve the harmony between themselves and their employer. In modern societies like Hong Kong, traditional values and modern practices are complementary to each other in coping with life stresses such as disablement. Modernity does not provide a solid means for people to have more control over their lives. Many people still stick to their habituated lifestyle as a guiding light in day-to-day matters. Concerning risk assessment in relation to work safety, workers' value systems and practices on the shopfloor should be taken into consideration. Key words - disablement, work injuries, hand injuries, risk, fate, Chinese, Hong Kong

An in-circuit emulator (ICE) is a piece of indispensable equipment in developing a microprocessor-based system. Digital signal processor (DSP) chips like the TMS320 family are VLSI processors with superior 16-bit microcomputer internal architecture, and are designed to support a wide range of computation-intensive and high-speed applications. Development tools, such as full-speed emulators and software simulators for DSP chips, are either too expensive or too complicated to be used in laboratory classes for teaching purposes. This paper describes the design and implementation of a low-cost in-circuit emulator for the TMS320C25 that has all the necessary facilities for debugging hardware and software. A window-based user interface has been incorporated to allow maximum user friendliness. The emulator is now widely used by engineering students in the Chinese University of Hong Kong for experimental work and project development employing TMS320C25 DSP chips in digital filtering, speech analysis, image compression, and other applications.