Showing papers by "The Chinese University of Hong Kong published in 1997"

Pancultural explanations for life satisfaction: adding relationship harmony to self-esteem.

Abstract: The first part of the study confirmed an additive effect of the newly proposed construct of relationship harmony to self-esteem in predicting life satisfaction across student samples from the United States and Hong Kong. As predicted from the dynamics of cultural collectivism, the relative importance of relationship harmony to self-esteem was greater in Hong Kong than in the United States. In the second part of the study, the independent and interdependent self-construals (H. R. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991) and the 5 factors of personality (P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) were advanced to be the culture-general determinants of life satisfaction, acting through the mediating variables of self-esteem and relationship harmony. Both self-construals and the 5 factors of personality were shown to influence life satisfaction through the mediating agency of self-esteem and relationship harmony in equivalent ways across these 2 cultural groups.

The assessment of optimistic self-beliefs : Comparison of the German, Spanish, and Chinese versions of the general self-efficacy scale

Abstract: L'auto-efficacite generale est mesuree grâce a une courte echelle composee de dix items. Son usage est tres repandu et elle a ete adaptee a plusieurs cultures. Cet article compare des versions qui ont ete proposees a des etudiants: 430 Allemands, 952 Costariciens et 293 Chinois. lies validites internes sont respectivement de.84,.81 et.91. L'unidimensionnalite de l'echelle est reapparue dans tous les echantillons. L'equivalence items-modele interlinguistique ne fut que moderement approuve par des analyses factorielles de confirmation. On a trouve des differences au niveau des moyennes des scores totaux entre les langues. De plus, une interaction entre sexe et langue s'est manifestee. Des correlations avec la depression, l'anxiete' et l'optimisme ont fourni des elements complementaires en faveur de la validite de construction. General self-efficacy is measured by a widely used parsimonious ten-item scale that was developed for use in several cultures. The present paper compares the verions that were examined in samples of 430 German, 959 Costa Rican, and 293 Chinese university students. The internal consistencies were.84,.81, and.91, respectively. The unidimensional nature of the scale was replicated in all samples. Multilingual item-pattern equivalence was only moderately supported by confirmatory factor analyses. Mean differences of sum scores between languages were found. Moreover, an interaction between gender and language emerged. Correlations with depression, anxiety, and optimism provided some further evidence for construct validity.

Worldwide variations in prevalence of symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in children: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)

Abstract: Background: As part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), prevalence surveys were conducted among representative samples of school children from locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, North and South America Subjects: 257,800 children aged 6-7 years from 91 centres in 38 countries, and 463,801 children aged 13-14 years from 155 centres in 56 countries Methods: Written symptom questionnaires were translated from English into the local language for self-completion by the 13-14-year-olds and completion by the parents of the 6-7-year-olds Rhinitis was described as a problem with sneezing, or a runny, or blocked nose when you (your child) DID NOT have a cold or the flu Additional questions were asked about rhinitis associated with itchy-watery eyes, interference with activities and a history of hay fever ever Results: The prevalence of rhinitis with itchy-watery eyes (“rhinoconjunctivitis”) in the past year varied across centres from 08%(to 149% in the 6-7-year-olds and from 14% to 397% in the 13-14-year-olds Within each age group, the global pattem was broadly consistent across each of the symptom categories In centres of higher prevalence there was great variability in the proportion of rhinoconjunctivitis labelled as hay fever The lowest prevalences of rhinoconjunctivitis were found in parts of eastern Europe south and central Asia High prevalences were reported from centres in several regions Conclusion: These results suggest substantial worldwide variations in the prevalence and labelling of symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis which require further study These differences, if real, may offer important clues to environmental influences on allergy

Systems with finite communication bandwidth constraints. I. State estimation problems

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate a state estimation problem involving finite communication capacity constraints. Unlike classical estimation problems where the observation is a continuous process corrupted by additive noises, there is a constraint that the observations must be coded and transmitted over a digital communication channel with finite capacity. This problem is formulated mathematically, and some convergence properties are defined. Moreover, the concept of a finitely recursive coder-estimator sequence is introduced. A new upper bound for the average estimation error is derived for a large class of random variables. Convergence properties of some coder-estimator algorithms are analyzed. Various conditions connecting the communication data rate with the rate of change of the underlying dynamics are established for the existence of stable and asymptotically convergent coder-estimator schemes.

Hyperhomocyst(e)inemia Is a Risk Factor for Arterial Endothelial Dysfunction in Humans

Abstract: Background Hyperhomocyst(e)inemia is associated with premature peripheral vascular, cerebrovascular, and coronary artery disease. Because homocysteine has been found to be damaging to endothelial cells in animal and cell culture studies, we evaluated the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and arterial endothelial dysfunction (a marker of early atherosclerosis) in asymptomatic adult subjects. Methods and Results Using high-resolution ultrasound, we measured endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (EDD) and endothelium-independent nitroglycerin-induced dilation (GTN) of the brachial artery in 14 prospectively defined hyperhomocysteinemic (mean plasma homocysteine, 34.8±8.5 μmol/L), nonsmoking, healthy subjects aged 53±9 years and 14 control subjects with low plasma homocysteine levels (9.9±3.2 μmol/L). The two groups were well matched for age; sex; body mass index; blood pressure, blood cholesterol, folate, and vitamin B12 levels; and vessel diameter. EDD was significantly lower in hyperhomocyste...

Stability of green tea catechins.

Abstract: Green tea catechins (GTCs), which include (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), possess a variety of biological activities. We have previously studied the effect of dietary GTCs as a mixture on membrane oxidation of red blood cells and found that GTCs were partially absorbed and detected in the blood of rats given an oral ingestion of 100 mg of GTCs. To explain the partial absorption of GTCs and their varying free-radical scavenging capacity at different pH, the present paper was to study further the pH stability of these GTC isomers because there is a sharp increase in pH from the acidic stomach to the slightly alkaline intestine. Longjing GTCs as a mixture in alkaline solutions (pH > 8) were extremely unstable and degraded almost completely in a few minutes, whereas in acidic solutions (pH < 4) they were very stable. For the pH between 4 and 8, the stability of GTCs was pH-dependent, i.e., the lower the pH, the greater th...

Hong Kong: Culture and the Politics of Disappearance

Abstract: Culture in a space of disappearance the new Hong Kong cinema and the D?j? Disparu Wong Kar wai - Hong Kong film maker building on disappearance - Hong Kong architecture and colonial space photographing disappearance writing Hong Kong coda - hyphenation and postculture.

A Generalized Utility Model of Disappointment and Regret Effects on Post-Choice Valuation

Abstract: In this paper we show that performance information about “forgone” alternatives i.e., alternative that were considered but not chosen can have a significant impact on post-choice valuation. Our approach introduces a new and parsimonious way of looking at satisfaction that combines the literature on post-choice valuation with research regarding generalized expected utility theory. While the post-valuation literature focuses on the selected brand as the valuation's basis e.g., Anderson and Sullivan [Anderson, E. W., M. W. Sullivan. 1993. The antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction for firms. Marketing Sci.12Spring 125--143.], Bolton and Drew [Bolton, R., J. Drew. 1991. A multistage model of customers' assessments of service quality and value. J. Consumer Res.17 375--384.], we draw on a stream of research in generalized expected utility theory that considers both chosen and forgone alternatives as the basis for valuation e.g., Bell [Bell, D. 1983. Risk premiums for decision regret. Management Sci.29 1156--1166 and Bell, D. 1985. Disappointment in decision making under uncertainty. Oper. Res.33 1--27.]; Loomes and Sugden [Loomes, G., R. Sugden. 1982. Regret theory: An alternative theory of rational choice under uncertainty. The Econom. J.92 805--824 and Loomes, G., R. Sugden. 1986. Disappointment and dynamic consistency in choice under uncertainty. Rev. Econom. Stud.53 271--282.]. The result is a combined model of post-choice valuation that explicitly incorporates both concepts. Specifically, we extend the existing paradigm of post-choice valuation to include buyers' regret concerning forgone alternatives, proposing a generalized utility theory-based treatment of post-choice product assessment that uses the intuitively appealing concepts of disappointment and regret as the basis. We propose a model for conceptualizing post-choice valuation that is consistent with the existing literature, discuss how this model extends the construct to consider the influence of forgone alternatives, and report results of an empirical test that contrasts our model to important recent work in the area e.g., Boulding et al. [Boulding, W., A. Kalra, R. Staelin, V. A. Zeithaml. 1993. A dynamic process model of service quality: From expectations to behavioral intentions. J. Marketing Res.30February 7--27.]. Our generalized model of post-choice valuation is based on the sum of three components that represent factors that may contribute to consumers' assessment of a chosen product or service. The first component is expected performance. The second component is disappointment, which captures the discrepancy between actual and expected performance much as the disconfirmation construct in traditional satisfaction research. The third component is regret, which captures the difference between the performance of the chosen product/service and the performance of a forgone product/service. This perspective is useful in that risk is captured by the disappointment and regret terms, providing an intuitively appealing decomposition of post-choice valuation and offering several advances over previous representations of disappointment and regret. We test our model via a choice experiment. Participants in the empirical study were asked to make choices between successive lottery pairs. They were then given outcome feedback on the forgone alternative as well as on the chosen alternative in each lottery pair. Immediately following outcome feedback for each choice, subjects were asked to evaluate their decision. Our results clearly suggest an effect of regret on post-choice valuation---information about the forgone alternative influenced subjects' valuation of the chosen alternative. We also find evidence that, as predicted, the effects of disappointment and regret on post-choice valuation are asymmetric. Specifically, the negative effect of disappointment on post-choice valuation was greater than the positive effect of elation. Similarly, the negative effect of regret was greater than the positive impact of rejoicing. Our research offers five contributions to the literature on post-choice valuation. First, our results illustrate the advantage of using generalized utility theory as the basis for conceptualizing and modeling post-choice valuation. We derive a model of post-choice valuation that formally captures the components of disappointment and regret and show that the outcome of both the chosen alternative through disappointment and a forgone alternative through regret can influence the chosen alternative's valuation. Second, we formally integrate the concepts of disappointment and regret, which have been examined separately for many years, into a single model based on a multiattribute preference structure. Third, we argue that the effects of disappointment and regret on post-choice valuation are asymmetric and present empirical evidence in this regard. Fourth, our results suggest that word-of-mouth regarding forgone alternatives may affect post-choice valuation, extending research that has not heretofore considered forgone outcomes' role in this process. Finally, our development provides a preconsumption measure of “potential disappointment and regret” in modeling choice. At the time of choice, consumers may visualize the feelings of disappointment and/or regret that will be derived at consumption, taking into account both the chosen brand and forgone brands. Our generalized utility theory-based approach to the post-choice valuation construct can be useful in examining the role of disappointment and regret as preconsumption constructs.

An exploratory study examining the influence of translation on the validity and reliability of qualitative data in nursing research

Abstract: Although the complexity of undertaking qualitative research with non-English speaking informants has become increasingly recognized, few empirical studies exist which explore the influence of translation on the findings of the study. The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to examine the influence of translation on the reliability and validity of the findings of a qualitative research study. In-depth interviews were undertaken in Cantonese with a convenience sample of six women to explore their perceptions of factors influencing their uptake of Pap smears. Data analysis involved three stages. The first stage involved the translation and transcription of all the interviews into English independently by two translators as well as transcription into Chinese by a third researcher. The second stage involved content analysis of the three data sets to develop categories and themes and the third stage involved a comparison of the categories and themes generated from the Chinese and English data sets. Despite no significant differences in the major categories generated from the Chinese and English data, some minor differences were identified in the themes generated from the data. More significantly the results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis. In addition the findings raise questions about the significance of the conceptual framework of the research design and sampling to the validity of the study. The importance of using only one translator to maximize the reliability of the study was also demonstrated. In addition the author suggests the findings demonstrate particular problems in using translation in phenomenological research designs.

A Case for Happiness, Cardinalism, and Interpersonal Comparability

Abstract: Despite economists' preference for the more objective concepts like preference, more emphasis should be given to the more subjective concepts like happiness, as happiness is our ultimate objective and as more money does not buy more happiness much, despite the rate race for material growth due to relative-income effects. Confinement to the more objective concepts, especially reinforced by economists' self denial of cardinal utility and interpersonal comparison, makes economics less relevant and even misleading. Utility is cardinally measurable and interpersonally comparable if appropriate methods are used. However, for many purposes, the willingness to pay may be used to measure the intensity of preference and used in an interpersonally acceptable sense.

How MNCs Choose Entry Modes and Form Alliances: The China Experience

Abstract: This study examine two dimensions of firms' foreign market entry strategy: mode of entry and formation of alliances. Based on the existing literature, we propose a model that describes how host country-, home country- and industry-specific factors affect foreign firms' decisions on how they enter the market and whether they will enter with a partner firm or not. The model also describes how operation-related factors, i.e., the location and the level of local government, affect these decisions. Seven major hypotheses were tested using a longitudinal sample of 2,998 foreign business activities in China between 1979 and 1993. Our sample consists of foreign investing firms from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other Asian countries. By choosing China as a host country, the study offers insights into how firms of different regional groups adapted their strategies to a changing host environment.

An international study of quality improvement approach and firm performance

Abstract: Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific, Europe, and North America. Fifty‐two items that suggest how a firm might improve quality were factor analysed and grouped into 11 factors, each factor a broader approach to quality improvement than any one item. Actual quality was measured eight different ways. Each approach to quality improvement (factor) was correlated to each quality measure, as well as to several financial measures. The results suggest that a company’s approach to quality correlates to actual quality and to a lesser extent to financial performance. The major factors found to influence actual quality were the organization’s knowledge of quality management, its degree of customer focus, and management involvement. When the task was to predict performance outcomes in any region, the specific factors that best predict performance were found to vary from region to region. That is, there were specific models within a region that better predicted performance than the model which predicted performance across all regions.

Beyond body image: the integration of feminist and transcultural theories in the understanding of self starvation.

Abstract: Objective The present study represents an intersection between cross-cultural theorizing and feminist scholarship. It is an attempt to provoke as well as augment prevailing biomedical models that esteem fear of fatness as the primary motivation for voluntary starvation in anorexic women. Method: Recent studies of eating disturbance in both Eastern and Western societies are invoked to demonstrate the ways in which women straddling two worlds, be it generational, work-family, cultural, or traditional and modern, may employ food denial as an instrumental means of negotiating the transition, disconnection, and oppression that they uniformly endure. Results: A feminist/transcultural interpretation of the literature suggests that by construing anorexia nervosa as a body image disorder or Western culture-bound syndrome, extant models miss the broader contexts and varied meanings of food refusal. Discussion: The implications of cross-disciplinary perspectives for theory building and treatment are discussed, acknowledging not only the gendered nature of eating disorders but their embodiment of power differentials as well. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Eat Disord 22:385–394, 1997.

Sampling with Hammersley and Halton points

Abstract: The Hammersley and Halton point sets, two well-known, low discrepancy sequences, have been used for quasi-Monte Carlo integration in previous research. A deterministic formula generates a uniformly distributed and stochasticlooking sampling pattern at low computational cost. The Halton point set is also useful for incremental sampling. In this paper, we discuss detailed implementation issues and our experience of choosing suitable bases for the point sets, not just on the two-dimensional plane but also on a spherical surface. The sampling scheme is also applied to ray tracing, with a significant improvement in error over standard sampling techniques.

Diagnosis of late onset neonatal sepsis with cytokines, adhesion molecule, and C-reactive protein in preterm very low birthweight infants

Abstract: AIMS—To evaluate the commonly used markers—namely IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β, C-reactive protein and E-selectin for identification of late onset neonatal sepsis; to define the optimal cutoff value for each marker in preterm neonates; to assess whether these markers could assist in early discontinuation of antibiotics in non-infected cases; and to delineate the profile of these markers during systemic infection and in relation to successful treatment. METHODS—Very low birthweight infants in whom clinical sepsis was suspected when they were >72 hours of age were eligible for study. A full sepsis screen was performed in each episode. Cytokines, C-reactive protein, and E-selectin were serially measured on days 0 (at the time of sepsis evaluation), 1, 2, 4 and 7. The optimal cutoff value for each marker was calculated after minimising the number of misclassified episodes over all possible cutoff values for days 0 and 1. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for each test and combination of tests for predicting systemic infection were also determined. RESULTS—One hundred and one episodes of suspected clinical sepsis were investigated in 68 infants. Forty five episodes were proved to be infections. The optimal cutoff values were IL-6 31 pg/ml, TNFα 17 pg/ml, IL-1β 1 pg/ml, C reactive protein 12 mg/l and E-selectin 174 ng/ml. IL-6 had the highest sensitivity (89%) and negative predictive value (91%) for detecting late onset infection on day 0. However, between 24 and 48 hours of onset, C-reactive protein was the best single marker, with an overall sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 96%, respectively. The use of serial and multiple markers in the first 48 hours further enhanced the sensitivity and specificity of these tests. Performing IL-6 and C-reactive protein on day 0, together with either TNFα on day 1 or C-reactive protein on day 2, showed the best overall sensitivity (98%) and specificity (91%) for the diagnosis of late onset infection. CONCLUSIONS—Optimal cutoff values for these markers in detecting late onset systemic infection in very low birthweight infants have been defined. Withholding antibiotic treatment at the onset of infection could be fatal and is not recommended, but the concomitant use of IL-6 and C-reactive protein or TNFα should allow antimicrobial treatment to be discontinued at 48 hours without waiting for microbiological results, provided that the infants are in good clinical condition. Keywords: C-reactive protein; E-selectin; interleukin 1β; interleukin-6; tumour necrosis factor α; very low birthweight

Lignans and isoflavonoids in plasma and prostatic fluid in men: Samples from Portugal, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom

Abstract: BACKGROUND Chinese men have lower incidences of prostate cancer compared to men from Europe and North America. Asians consume large quantities of soya, a rich source of isoflavanoids phyto-oestrogens and have high plasma and urinary levels of these compounds. The mammalian lignans, enterolactone and enterodiol, are another group of weak plant oestrogens and are derived from seeds, cereals and grains. Vegetarians have high plasma and urinary concentrations of lignans. METHODS The concentrations lignans and isoflavonic phyto-oestrogens were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in plasma and prostatic fluid from Portuguese, Chinese and British men consuming their traditional diets. RESULTS In prostatic fluid the mean concentrations of enterolactone wer 31, 162 and 20.3ng/ml for Hong Kong, Portugal and Britain respectively. Very high levels of enterolactone (〉600ng/ml) were observed in the prostatic fluid of some of the men fromPortugal. High concentrations of equol (3270 ng/ml) and daidzein (532 ng/ml) were found in a sample of prostatic fluid from Hong Kong. Higher mean levels of daidzein were observed in prostatic fluid from Hong Kong at 70ng/ml, compared to 4.6 and 11.3ng/ml in samples from Portugal and Britain respectively. Mean levels of daidzein were higher in the plasma samples from Hong Kong (31.3ng/ml) compared to those from Portugal (1.3ng/ml) and Britain (8.2ng/ml). In general, the mean plasma concentrations of enterolactone from the three centres were similar, at 6.2, 3.9 and 3.9ng/ml in samples from Hong Kong, Portugal and Britain respectively. CONCLUSIONS Higher concentrations of the isoflavanoid phyto-oestrogens, daidzein and equol, were found in the plasma and prostatic fluid of men from Hong Kong, compared to those from Britain and Portugal. However, the levels of the lignan, enterolactone, were very much higher in prostatic fluid of Portuguese men. Isoflavanoids and lignans have many interesting properties and may, in part, be responsible for lower incidences of prostate cancer in men from Asia and also some Mediterranean countries. The isoflavanoids from soya, which are present in high concentrations in the prostatic fluid of Asian men, may be protective against prostate disease. Prostate 32:122–128, 1997. ©1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Clinical evaluation of the partition model for estimating radiation doses from yttrium-90 microspheres in the treatment of hepatic cancer.

Abstract: Radiation doses to the tumour and non-tumorous liver compartments from yttrium-90 microspheres in the treatment of hepatic cancer, as estimated by a partition model, have been verified by correlation with the actual doses measured with a beta probe at open surgery. The validity of the doses to the lungs, the tumour and non-tumorous liver compartment as estimated by the partition model was further evaluated in clinical settings. On the basis of the observation that one of three patients who received more than 30 Gy from a single treatment and one of two patients who received more than 50 Gy from multiple treatments developed radiation pneumonitis, it was deduced that an estimated lung dose 30 Gy as estimated by the partition model and were predicted to develop radiation pneumonitis, did so despite the use of partial hepatic embolization to reduce the degree of lung shunting. Furthermore, a higher radiological response rate and prolonged survival were found in the group of patients who received higher tumour doses, as estimated by the partition model, than in the group with lower estimated tumour doses. Thus the radiation doses estimated by the partition model can be used to predict (a) complication rate, (b) response rate and (c) duration of survival in the same manner as the actual radiation doses measured with a beta probe at open surgery. The partition model has made selective internal radiation therapy using 90Y microspheres safe and repeatable without laparotomy.

Harmony and Patriarchy: The Cultural Basis for 'Paternalistic Headship' Among the Overseas Chinese

Abstract: This paper outlines a model of leadership attuned to the cultural specificities of the Overseas Chinese (OSC) context. The model is developed in a contrast ive mode to U.S. approaches to leadership which are depicted as being cultur ally bounded and non-transferable to the OSC situation. The model is extrapol ated from the persisting cultural values and traditions still prevalent in OSC organizations and management style. The concept of headship is heuristically adopted to demarcate the underlying orientation towards legitimized influen cing of followers by leaders and the structuring of relationships among the OSC. Chinese organizational 'heads' are seen to function on the basis of meet ing the mutually reinforcing dual requirements for legitimized order and com pliance achievement and the maintenance of social harmony. The cultural basis for meeting these requirements is examined in detail. The resulting 'leadership' orientation is depicted as 'paternalistic headship', the behavioural and attitu dinal e...

Learning to Read Chinese Beyond the Logographic Phase

Abstract: This study investigated the role of phonetics for children learning to read Chinese. Participants were 45 Chinese first graders and 45 second graders recruited in Hong Kong. The study revealed that children name phonologically regular Chinese characters more accurately than irregular ones, and phonetic-related errors were the most dominant type in reading Chinese characters and words. There were statistically significant correlations among Chinese pseudocharacter reading, Chinese real character reading, and rhyme detection for the first graders. These findings suggested that Chinese first and second graders do rely on phonetics for sound cues in naming Chinese characters, and phonological awareness seemed to be important in learning these script-sound regularities in Chinese. It therefore appeared that beyond the logographic phase, there was also a phonological phase in learning to read Chinese. ESTE ESTUDIO investigo el rol de la fonetica en ninos que aprenden a leer chino. Los participantes fueron 45 ninos de primer grado y 45 de segundo grado provenientes de Hong Kong. El estudio revelo que los ninos leyeron con mas precision los caracteres chinos fonologicamente regulares que los irregulares y que los errores de tipo fonetico fueron los mas dominantes en la lectura de palabras y caracteres chinos. Hubo correlaciones estadisticamente significativas entre la lectura de pseudo-caracteres chinos, caracteres chinos reales e identificacion de rimas en el grupo de primer grado. Los resultados sugieren que los ninos chinos de primero y segundo grado dependen de la fonetica para obtener pistas sonoras cuando leen caracteres chinos en voz alta y que la conciencia fonologica parece importante para el aprendizaje de estas regularidades escriturasonido en chino. Por lo tanto, pareceria que mas alla de la fase logografica, hay tambien una fase fonologica cuando se aprende a leer chino. DIESE STUDIE erforschte die Bedeutung der Laute fur Kinder, die Chinesisch lesen lernen. Die Teilnehmer waren je 45 chinesische Kinder der ersten und zweiten Schulstufe einer Schule in Hongkong. Die Studie enthullte, das die Kinder die regelmasigen chinesischen Zeichen genauer bezeichnen als die unregelmasigen, und lautbedingte Fehler herrschten beim Lesen von chinesischen Zeichnen und Wortern vor. Es gab bei den Erstklasslern statistisch signifikante Korrelationen zwischen dem Lesen von chinesischen Pseudo-Zeichen, von echten Schriftzeichen und im Erschliesen der Wortbetonung. Diese Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, das chinesische Erst- und Zweitklassler sich auf die Aussprache von Lautbeispielen verlassen, um die chinesischen Schriftzeichen zu benennen, weiters erschien eine phonologische Aufmerksamkeit bedeutsam beim Erlernen dieser Laut-Schrift-Gesetzmasigkeiten im Chinesischen. Daher wurde deutlich, das uber die logographische Phase hinaus es auch eine phonologische Phase beim Lesenlernen von Chinesisch gibt. CETTE ETUDE a porte sur le role de la phonetique chez des enfants apprenant a lire en chinois. Les participants etaient 45 enfants de premiere annee et 45 enfants de seconde annee a Hong Kong. L'etude a revele que les enfants denomment phonologiquement avec plus de precision des caracteres chinois reguliers qu'irreguliers, et que les erreurs liees a la phonetique sont celles qui dominent lors de la lecture de caracteres et de mots. On a obtenu des correlations statistiquement significatives entre la lecture de pseudo-caracteres chinois, la lecture de caracteres chinois, et la detection de rimes chez les enfants de premiere annee. Ces resultats invitent a penser que, en premiere et seconde annee, les enfants chinois s'appuient bien sur la phonetique des indices sonores lors de la denomination de caracteres chinois, et que la conscience phonologique semble importante pour apprendre les correspondances regulieres entre ecrit et oral en chinois. Il apparait donc que, au-dela de la phase logographique, il existe aussi une etape phonologique dans l'apprentissage de la lecture en chinois.

A hierarchical construct of self‐management leadership and its relationship to quality of work life and perceived work group effectiveness

Abstract: This study validates the self-management leadership theory as operationalized by the Self-Management Leadership Questionnaire (Manz & Sims, 1987) in a large telephone company. The sample for this study is 390 self-managing and 412 traditionally managed employees and 94 external leaders from 58 self-managing and 60 traditionally managed teams. Results support Manz and Sims' 6-factor pattern at the first-order level, and in addition, identify a common second-order factor. The hierarchical factor structure is invariant in employee and leader samples drawn from both self-managing and traditionally managed work teams, suggesting that the construct of self-managing leadership is similar for members and leaders of both types of teams. Respondents perceive slightly more self-management leadership behaviors in the self-managing than the traditional work teams. Respondents evaluate self-managing work teams as more effective than traditional work teams, and this difference is moderate in size. Self-managing leadership behaviors are positively associated with QWL (mainly employee satisfaction) and self-rated effectiveness for both self-managing and traditional teams. In general, self-managing work teams are not that different from traditionally managed groups in the relationship of self-managing leadership to outcomes. We conclude that self-management leadership is a hierarchical concept, constituted of specific strategies as well as a general orientation toward empowering employees. These leadership behaviors are applicable to managing both traditional and self-managing work teams.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage: Which Patients Need Diagnostic Cerebral Angiography? A Prospective Study of 206 Cases and Review of the Literature

Abstract: Background and Purpose In spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the site, age of the patients, and preexisting hypertension are important factors in determining the possibility of finding an underlying vascular abnormality by cerebral angiography. To what extent these three factors affect the indication for angiography remains controversial. A prospective study was carried out to correlate the angiographic findings with these three factors. Methods Two hundred six consecutive spontaneous ICH cases with an age range from 5 to 79 years (median, 45) were investigated with CT and cerebral angiography over a 3-year period (April 1993 through March 1996). Exclusion criteria were (1) poor surgical risk or severely neurologically disabled patients, (2) refusal of angiography, (3) patients in whom severe coagulopathy accounted for the hemorrhage, (4) bleeding into tumor, or (5) subarachnoid hemorrhage–predominant cases. Results Angiographic yield (the frequency of positive angiography in a defined patient gr...