Effective sanction avoidance in drug trafficking: The construction and validation of the restrictive deterrence utility scale using a sample of female drug offenders.

Drug traffickers perform many crime strategies to avoid legal sanctions. The use of any crime strategy is mainly for reducing the risk of arrest, which has been the focus of research on restrictive deterrence. This study aims to develop a Restrictive Deterrence Utility Scale (RDUS) to measure the effectiveness of crime strategies used in drug trafficking.

Triad influence on the detection of crime in Hong Kong.

We use bootstrap data envelopment analysis, adjusting for endogeneity, to examine police efficiency in detecting crime in Hong Kong. We address the following: (i) is there a correlation between the detection of crime and triad influence? (ii) does the level of triad influence affect the efficiency in translating inputs (police strength) into outputs (crime detection)? and (iii) how can the allocation of policing resources be adjusted to improve crime detection? We find that nighty-eight percent of Hong Kong police districts in our sample were found to be inefficient in the detection of crime. Variation was found across districts regarding the detection of violent, property and other crimes.

Probing the physiological role of the plastid outer-envelope membrane using the oemiR plasmid collection.

Plastids are the site of complex biochemical pathways, most prominently photosynthesis. The organelle evolved through endosymbiosis with a cyanobacterium, which is exemplified by the outer envelope membrane that harbors more than 40 proteins in Arabidopsis. Their evolutionary conservation indicates high significance for plant cell function.

Understanding the life experiences of elderly in social isolation from the social systems perspective: using Hong Kong as an illustrating example.

Aim: The elderly in social isolation often referred to as older people who experience social alienation with little social support from their family, peers, and community suffer from a poor quality of life and well-being. Since their life experiences are affected by a range of factors from different levels, this study seeks to investigate their current life situations and experiences from a social systems perspective.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted to enrich the understanding of their current life situations and experiences and to generate corresponding practice implications.

Young people's perceptions of the challenges and opportunities during the Mainland China-Hong Kong convergence.

Since the handover of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, convergence between Mainland China and Hong Kong has gradually emerged. During this process, young people have engaged in demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with government policies and limited socio-economic progression. However, the underlying reasons for their dissatisfaction have not been fully investigated.

Use of theatresports to promote positive education among youth participants.

Background: Due to the scarcity of research on the benefits of theatresports for youth, this study examined the outcomes of theatresports as a means to implement positive education in youth work settings.

Methods: To this end, qualitative research was conducted with 92 participants in a theatresports program. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the participants' experiences of the program, using the framework of positive education.

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer surgery in Queensland.

Background: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to global healthcare. The contemporary influence of COVID-19 on the delivery of lung cancer surgery has not been examined in Queensland.

Methods: We performed a retrospective registry analysis of the Queensland Cardiac Outcomes Registry (QCOR), thoracic database examining all adult lung cancer resections across Queensland from 1/1/2016 to 30/4/2022.

Development and validation of the caregiver needs and resources assessment.

Introduction: Existing caregiver assessment tools were long criticized for focusing on the needs and burden while neglecting the importance of the resources. The current study aimed to develop a multidimensional and time-effective assessment tool that measures both needs and resources of non-paid family caregivers of older adults for screening and service-matching purposes.

Methods: Items of the Caregiver Needs and Resources Assessment (CNRA) were developed from extensive literature reviews and focus group interviews of family caregivers and social workers in the field.

Thoracic Surgery and the Elderly; Is Lobectomy Safe in Octogenarians?

Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common malignancy of the elderly, with 5-year survival estimates of 16.8%. The prognostic benefit of surgical resection for early lung cancer is irrefutable and maintained irrespective of age, even in patients over 75 years.

Proactive Criminal Thinking and Restrictive Deterrence: A Pathway to Future Offending and Sanction Avoidance.

Perceived crime benefit and criminal thinking are essential factors in predicting future offending. However, less is known about how the interaction of the two influences individuals' perception and cognition of crime. This study explores whether proactive criminal thinking mediates the effect of perceived crime benefit, and tests whether restrictive deterrence influences these pathways.

Overexpression of nucleotide metabolic enzyme DUT in hepatocellular carcinoma potentiates a therapeutic opportunity through targeting its dUTPase activity.

Uracil misincorporation during DNA replication is a major cell toxic event, of which cancer cells overcome by activating the dUTPase enzyme. The DUT gene is the only known dUTPase in human. Despite reports on common upregulations in cancers, the role of DUT in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely undetermined.

The Role of the Allergist in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Allergy Safety: A Pilot Study on a "Hub-and-Spoke" Model for Population-Wide Allergy Service.

Background: Hong Kong started its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program in February 2021. A territory-wide Vaccine Allergy Safety (VAS) clinic was set up to assess individuals deemed at "higher risk" of COVID-19 vaccine-associated allergies. A novel "hub-and-spoke" model was piloted to tackle the overwhelming demand of services by allowing nonallergists to conduct assessment.

Prisoners' Perceived Violence and Hair Regulation in Hong Kong Prisons: Gender-Based Differences.

Hair regulation is an essential policy for maintaining hygiene, security, and discipline in correctional institutions. However, the implementation of any hair-regulating policy should include a consideration of gender needs and differences. This study investigated Chinese prisoners' perceived influence of hairstyles on their behavioral responses.

An Innovative Model of Positive Education with Traditional Chinese Moral Values: An Evaluation of Project Bridge.

Project Bridge, as a new, contextualized positive education program, is designed to enhance university students' character strengths and moral development, resulting in the promotion of their psychological wellbeing. Taking into account the differences between Western and Chinese cultures, the project integrated both Western and Asian concepts and values in the delivery of university education that would likely bring about optimal outcomes. In the evaluation, mixed methods were applied to demonstrate the outcomes of this newly developed positive education program.

An Inquiry into the Relationship between Drug Users' Psychological Situations and Their Drug-Taking Behaviour.

In view of the research gap whereby few studies have investigated the inner psychological situations underlying continuous drug use, this study used the Soulmate Scale to investigate the relationship between soulmate experience and drug-taking behaviour. Overall, 276 participants took part in this study. Results showed that soulmate experience was negatively related to drug-taking behaviour, which means that being psychologically attached to drugs and receiving comfort from them encourages dependency and a higher level of difficulty in quitting drugs.

Restrictive Deterrence in Drug Offenses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis of Mixed Studies.

Deterrence by punishment aims to prevent a crime; however, it is not always successful. Restrictive deterrence explains the continuous criminal activities that occur despite deterrence; offenders enact various strategies to avoid detection, which is more typical among drug offenders given that they have a high frequency of offending and exposure to punishment. This systematic review provides an in-depth understanding of restrictive deterrence of drug offenders.

Alcohol drinking, especially light drinking, and depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Background: The association of depressive symptoms with moderate and heavy drinking in adolescents have been reported in many studies, but that with light drinking is unclear.

Methods: In a 2012-13 school-based survey, 20,951 secondary school students (aged 11-20 years, 51.3 % boys) from 44 schools in Hong Kong reported their sociodemographic information, depressive symptoms, drinking patterns and other lifestyle factors.

Predictors of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms in shoulders among nursing assistants working in nursing homes.

Nursing assistants (NAs) working in nursing homes (NHs) are at higher risk for work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WRMSs) than their counterparts working in other health care settings. Worldwide, NAs have ranked shoulders in the top three body parts at risk of WRMSs. However, factors associated with their shoulder WRMSs are currently unknown.

Drugs as Soulmates: The Construction and Validation of a 12-Item Soulmate Scale to Measure Substance Addiction and Loneliness.

Substance users use substances to tackle psychological stress, frustrations, poor social support and poor-quality relationships. Such experience resembles seeking a soulmate for receiving comfort, a sense of security and satisfaction to relieve feelings of loneliness. Against this backdrop, the study aims to develop a Soulmate Scale to measure substance use and loneliness.

A universal method for depositing patterned materials in situ.

Current techniques of patterned material deposition require separate steps for patterning and material deposition. The complexity and harsh working conditions post serious limitations for fabrication. Here, we introduce a single-step and easy-to-adapt method that can deposit materials in-situ.