Empirical Study on Minimum Wage Level in China: the ELES approach

In this paper, an attempt is made to determine the minimum living requirements (or poverty lines) of workers in China by adopting the Extended Linear Expenditure System. Comparison between the actual minimum wage levels implemented by the Chinese government and the estimated minimum living requirements in this paper reveal that, in early 2010, workers in 23 out of 35 sample cities were paid minimum wages below the estimated lowest poverty line. This group of workers is unable to afford minimum payments to meet basic living conditions for survival as their minimum wages were below the estimated survival line. To protect workers, the Chinese government is advised to address employee provisions for basic living needs.     

Psychophysiological Responses of People with Psychopathic Tendencies to the Concealed Information Test

This study was designed to investigate differences in psychophysiological responses among individuals with psychopathic tendencies. A total 40 students were participated and were divided into two groups based on Levenson Self‐Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) scores: a high psychopathic tendency group selected from the top 5% of LSRP scores, and a low psychopathic tendency group selected from the bottom 5% of LSRP scores. All participants were instructed to perform a mock crime and complete the concealed information test (CIT). Results indicate that significant differences between crime‐relevant questions and irrelevant questions were observed for respiration line length and skin conductance response in both groups, but heart rate did not significantly differ between groups. There were no differences in psychophysiological responses between the groups. In conclusion, CIT was found to be an effective method for detecting crime‐relevant information in individuals with psychopathic tendencies.     

Individual and situational determinants of the use of deadly force: A simulation

The study of police use of deadly force is a complicated issue because of the scarcity of observed high-risk encounters in the field. The present research explores police shooting behavior in both life-threatening and non-life-threatening situations in a simulated environment. The results suggest that officers’ characteristics, such as race and gender, are not associated with officer shooting behavior. The one exception is that officers with less police experience show more restraint than veteran officers in responding to non-life threatening situations. Suspect demographics, such as race, gender, and age, show inconsistent relationships with officer shooting behavior. One consistent finding is that officers who show poor judgment, slow response, or poor marksmanship suffer a high casualty rate in reacting to life-threatening situations involving multiple suspects.     

Rapid determination of ketamine in urine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for a high throughput laboratory

In recent years, the abuse of ketamine had gained popularity in rave parties in Hong Kong. The Urinalysis Unit of the Government Laboratory of Hong Kong faced a tremendous increase in workload for ketamine analysis. The number of tests performed rose from 10 in 1999 to 15,000 in 2002. As a fully validated immunoassay test for ketamine was not available in the market, most laboratories analyzed ketamine by chromatographic techniques after liquid-liquid extraction. However, these methods reported in the literature are not suitable for high throughput laboratories. Hence, a rapid screening/confirmation method for ketamine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) with a detection limit of 5 ng/ml was developed. After automated solid-phase extraction (SPE), the urine extract was analyzed for ketamine by a 2.5-min chromatographic run, the estimated recovery was 89% and the precision was 11% R.S.D. at 20 ng/ml. With the aid of an in-house developed computer program, the results were presented in spreadsheet format for easy checking. The method has been applied to our laboratory for routine ketamine analysis and a maximum of 200 samples per day can be achieved.     

STR data for the PowerPlex 16 loci for the Chinese population in Hong Kong

Allele frequencies for the 15 STR loci included in the PowerPlex 16 kit were obtained from a sample of 247 unrelated Chinese in Hong Kong.     

The feasibility of external blind DNA proficiency testing. I. Background and findings

We describe the origins, purposes, and findings of a national study to determine whether a large-scale program of blind proficiency testing in U.S. DNA laboratories is feasible and/or practical. Proficiency testing in clinical laboratories is reviewed, particularly as mandated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Acts and its role in the regulation of those laboratories. Proficiency testing in forensic urine drug testing labs is also briefly reviewed. Studies involving comparisons between open and blind proficiency testing are discussed. The clinical laboratory proficiency testing and regulation landscape provides the background for the DNA Act of 1994, and the congressional mandate to investigate blind proficiency testing in forensic DNA laboratories. Four models of blind proficiency testing are defined and discussed, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each and estimates of the costs of a large-scale program. The purposes of proficiency testing in a quality-assurance context are likewise discussed and related to the models and the arguments generally proffered for and against blind vs. open proficiency testing.     

Parental Cultural Affiliation and Youth Mental Health Service Use

Studies indicate that African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Latino youth have higher rates of unmet mental health needs and lower rates of mental health service utilization compared to non-Hispanic White youth, suggesting that obstacles may exist in the help-seeking and service utilization pathway for minority youth. Parental cultural factors may significantly impact youth service use, and acculturation is one way to measure adherence to culture specific values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. In this study, parental acculturation level, conceptualized as cultural affinity to 1) mainstream American culture and 2) an alternative culture, were examined as potential mediators of the relationship between race/ethnicity and youth service use. The current subsample (n=1364) was drawn from the Patterns of Care study, a larger study of at-risk youth who were active to at least one of five public sectors of care. Our subsample included all youth aged 6–17 who were African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, or Non-Hispanic Whites (66.6% male). The results indicate that parental acculturation level as measured by affinity to an Alternative Culture was a partial mediator in the relationship between race/ethnicity and mental health service use for Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino youth. Doctoral student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 100, San Diego CA, graduate research assistant, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Children’s Hospital, San Diego, 3020 Children’s Way (MC 5033), San Diego, CA 92123 Assistant Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University; Assistant Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, Research Scientist, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, San Diego, 3020 Children’s Way (MC 5033), San Diego, CA 92123 Research Scientist, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Children’s Hospital, San Diego, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of San Diego; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 3020 Children’s Way (MC 5033), San Diego, CA 92123 Research Professor of Psychiatry and Family and Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego; Emeritus Professor of Sociology at San Diego State University; Senior Research Scientist at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Children’s Hospital, San Diego, 3020 Children’s Way (MC 5033), San Diego, CA 92123