A detailed rock density model of the Hong Kong territories

We used the geological map and published rock density measurements to compile the digital rock density model for the Hong Kong territories.We then estimated the average density for the whole territory.According to our result,the rock density values in Hong Kong vary from 2101 to 2681 kg·m^(-3).These density values are typically smaller than the average density of 2670 kg·m^(-3),often adopted to represent the average density of the upper continental crust in physical geodesy and gravimetric geophysics applications.This finding reflects that the geological configuration in Hong Kong is mainly formed by light volcanic formations and lava flows with overlying sedimentary deposits at many locations,while the percentage of heavier metamorphic rocks is very low(less than 1%).This product will improve the accuracy of a detailed geoid model and orthometric heights.

A Comparative Study of the L2 Pragmatic Competence of University Students in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland:The Contributions of Sociocultural Context and Linguistic Proficiency

This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into those who had spent time abroad in an English-speaking country(CM A)and those who had not(CM NA),and 97 Hong Kong students,divided into those from an English-medium secondary school(Hong Kong EMI)and those from a Chinese-medium school(Hong Kong CMI).Linguistic proficiency was measured by a C-test,and pragmatic competence by a Metapragmatic Knowledge Test,an Irony Test and a Monologic Role Play.Group scores were compared using ANCOVAs to control for differences in proficiency.The results point to a continuum of pragmatic competence—EMI>CMI>CM A>CM NA—reflecting the groups’access to English in real-life contexts.The differences between the Hong Kong groups and the Chinese mainland groups were clearest in those tests measuring processing capacity(i.e.,Irony Response Time and the Monologic Role Play).CM A,but not CM NA,performed as well as the Hong Kong groups on measures of metapragmatic awareness.The results are discussed in terms of Bialystok’s(1993)distinction between analyzed representation and control of processing.

Using Five Music Instructional Methods to Illustrate the Social Constructive Music Teaching Framework in Hong Kong Primary Level Music Education

Music education under the frame name of arts education has been integrated into the primary and secondary education curriculums in Hong Kong for more than 20 years,starting from 2001,the year of launching the Learning to Learn curriculum for the reconstruction of the education system for the younger generation.Music education,embedded into the arts education,was therefore regarded as one of the key subjects to cultivate and uplift student holistic development,focusing on aesthetic skill training and moral growth development.This research was an exploration study of music teaching practices from two private international and two general public school music teachers at the primary school level.The value of this study rested on borrowing the idea of Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge(PCK)principle to create a social constructivist music teaching framework from five commonly-used instructional methods,namely,Orff,Kodaly,Dalcrozes,Suzuki,and Gordon’s approaches.Based on the evaluations of these four case studies,hypotheses on the differences in the PCK were tested with the types of schools and found to be no difference.The preliminary results suggested that music teachers in private international schools had similar pedagogical approaches to music instruction to teachers in aided-public schools.Additionally,the modeling,guiding,and training approach was identified as a grounded teaching method for music education at the primary school level regardless of different types of schools.Other implications like the further development of the framework were discussed.

Research on the Integration of Lingnan Culture into“Four Histories”Education for Hong Kong Youth

This study focuses on Hong Kong youth,recognizing them as a vital subject within the context of“four histories”education.From the perspective of the integration of Lingnan culture,it explores the rich resources of Lingnan culture,innovates the narrative system,and explores the path of positive guidance in history education.Responding to the demands of the times,it seeks to alleviate the pressing concerns of Hong Kong society,help Hong Kong youth break down prejudices,gain a comprehensive understanding of China,grasp the development context of modern China,recognize historical trends,undertake national responsibilities,and take on the mission of the times.

Predicting Carpark Prices Indices in Hong Kong Using AutoML

The aims of this study were threefold:1)study the research gap in carpark and price index via big data and natural language processing,2)examine the research gap of carpark indices,and 3)construct carpark price indices via repeat sales methods and predict carpark indices via the AutoML.By researching the keyword“carpark”in Google Scholar,the largest electronic academic database that coversWeb of Science and Scopus indexed articles,this study obtained 999 articles and book chapters from 1910 to 2019.It confirmed that most carpark research threw light on multi-storey carparks,management and ventilation systems,and reinforced concrete carparks.The most common research method was case studies.Regarding price index research,many previous studies focused on consumer,stock,press and futures,with many keywords being related to finance and economics.These indicated that there is no research predicting carpark price indices based on an AutoML approach.This study constructed repeat sales indices for 18 districts in Hong Kong by using 34,562 carpark transaction records from December 2009 to June 2019.Wanchai’s carpark price was about four times that of Yuen Long’s carpark price,indicating the considerable carpark price differences inHong Kong.This research evidenced the features that affected the carpark price indices models most:gold price ranked the first in all 19 models;oil price or Link stock price ranked second depending on the district,and carpark affordability ranked third.

Drivability of Large Diameter Steel Cylinders During Hammer-Group Vibratory Installation for the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge

The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge(HZMB)involved the installation of 120 mega-cylinders with a diameter of 22 m,weights up to 513 t,and penetration depths up to 33 m using an eight-vibratory hammer group.Due to the lack of engineering experience on the drivability of large-diameter cylinders under multiple vibratory hammers,predicting the penetration rate and time of steel cylinders is an open challenge that has a considerable impact on the construction control of the HZMB.In this study,the vibratory penetration of large-diameter steel cylinders in the HZMB is investigated based on geological surveys,field monitoring,and drivability analysis.The vibratory penetration rate,installation accuracy,and dynamic responses of the steel cylinders at both the eastern and western artificial islands are analyzed.The dynamic soil resistance has a great influence on the cylinder drivability.However,the current design methods for estimating the vibratory driving soil resistance are proven inaccurate without considering the scale effects.Therefore,a modified method with a normalized effective area ratio A_(r,eff)is proposed in this study to calculate the vibratory soil resistance for open-ended thin-wall cylinders under unplugged conditions.Considering the scale effects on the vibratory driving soil resistance,the proposed method leads to closer results to the measured data,providing a reference for future engineering practice.

Investigation on the Integration of “Gao” in Hong Kong Chinese and Mainland Mandarin

From the diachronic dimension,this paper makes a two-way interactive investigation on the integration of Hong Kong Chinese and Mainland Mandarin.“Gao”is a delexical verb in contemporary Chinese.In different words and expressions related to“gao”character,there are mutual absorptions between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong,which is characterized by starting from nothing to something and from less to more.

Present Situation and Thinking of the Evaluation and Management of Biomedical Projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone

Objective To put forward some suggestions for the improvement of the evaluation system of Shenzhen Industrial Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Cooperation Zone by studying the scientific research project evaluation and management system of Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development(AMED).Methods Through literature review,lessons were drawn from the review and management policies and methods of biomedical projects implemented by Japan AMED.Then some reference was provided to the review and management of the projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park.Results and Conclusion A basic review framework has been set up in Shenzhen Industrial Park,which consists of scientific research management institution of Shenzhen Industrial Park,Third-Party Review Institution and Science Committee.However,there are three problems in this system:unclear selection criteria of review experts,insufficient supervision and lack of project evaluation standards.These problems can be solved by establishing an expert think tank,setting up graded project supervisors to have the dynamic monitoring,and developing a general evaluation scale for evaluating scientific research projects in Shenzhen Industrial Park.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Tao Hong Si Wu Tang in mice with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND Lung cancer(LC)combined with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)is a common combination of comorbidities.Anti-inflammation and modulation of oxidative/antioxidative imbalance may prevent COPD-induced LC,and are also crucial to the treatment of LC combined with COPD.Modern studies have shown that Tao Hong Si Wu Tang(THSW)has vasodilatory,anti-inflammatory,anti-fatigue,anti-shock,immunoregulatory,lipid-reducing,micronutrient-supplementing,and anti-allergy effects.AIM To observe the effects of THSW on COPD and LC in mice.METHODS A total of 100 specific pathogen-free C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into five groups:Blank control group(group A),model control group(group B),THSW group(group C),IL-6 group(group D),and THSW+IL-6 group(group E),with 20 mice in each group.A COPD mouse model was established using fumigation plus lipopolysaccharide intra-airway drip,and an LC model was replicated by in situ inoculation using the Lewis cell method.RESULTS The blank control group exhibited a clear alveolar structure.The model control and IL-6 groups had thickened alveolar walls,with smaller alveolar lumens,interstitial edema,and several inflammatory infiltrating cells.Histopathological changes in the lungs of the THSW and THSW+IL-6 groups were less than those of the model control group.The serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels and IL-6R,JAK,p-JAK,STAT1/3,p-STAT1/3,FOXO,p-FOXO,and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues of mice in the rest of the groups were significantly higher than those of the blank control group(P<0.01).Compared with the model control group,the IL-6 group demonstrated significantly higher levels for the abovementioned proteins in the serum and lung tissues(P<0.01),and the THSW group had significantly higher serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues(P<0.01)but significantly decreased IL-6R,JAK,p-JAK,STAT1/3,p-STAT1/3,FOXO,p-FOXO,and IL-7R levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION THSW reduces the serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-αlevels in the mouse model with anti-inflammatory effects.Its antiinflammatory mechanism lies in inhibiting the overactivation of the JAK/STAT1/3 signaling pathway.

Emergy evaluation of the environment and economy of Hong Kong

An environment-economy systems analysis of Hong Kong has been carried out using a newmeasure emergy for evaluating its environmental resource basis and economy as well as its international e-conomic relations for recommending a sustainable development. Emergy is the total energy uf one kind re-quired directly and indirectly to form a resource, product or service. It provides a common basis for mea-surement of the value of environment and economy.A preliminary analysis of emergy contributions supporting the system of Hong Kong is presented inthis paper.

Three New Species of the Genus Caenis from Hong Kong, China (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae)

Three new species of the genus Caenis (Ephemeroptera, Caenidae), Caenis aspera sp nov , Caenis bicornis sp nov and Caenis lubrica sp nov , are described from Hong Kong, China. All type specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, China.

Evaluation of ENVISAT ASAR data for sea surface wind retrieval in Hong Kong coastal waters of China

The C-band wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4, CMOD - IFR2, and CMOD5 were applied to retrieval of sea surface wind speeds from ENVISAT （European environmental satellite） ASAR （advanced synthetic aperture radar） data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong during a period from October 2005 to July 2007. The retrieved wind speeds are evaluated by comparing with buoy measurements and the QuikSCAT （quick scatterometer） wind products. The results show that the CMOD4 model gives the best performance at wind speeds lower than 15 m/s. The correlation coefficients with buoy and QuikSCAT winds are 0.781 and 0.896, respectively. The root mean square errors are the same 1.74 m/s. Namely, the CMOD4 model is the best one for sea surface wind speed retrieval from ASAR data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong.

Transport Accessibility and Spatial Connections of Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Based on geographic information system(GIS) spatial analysis technology, the spatial pattern of raster grid transport accessibility for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area was studied and the states of spatial connectedness were simulated using highway passenger transport, railway passenger transport, port passenger transport and aviation passenger transport data. The result shows that transport accessibility within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area costs ‘one hour’ and the spatial distribution of accessibility in the area presents clear ‘core-periphery’ spatial characteristics, with Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen constituting the core. The transport accessibility of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao is high. Average accessibility of urban nodes as measured by travel time is 0.99 h, and the areas accessible within 1.42 h occupy 79.14% of the total area. Most of the areas with the lowest accessibility are found in the peripheral area, with the worst accessibility being 4.73 h. Compared with the west-side cities, the economically developed east-side cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area have higher connectivity with roads, railways, ports, and aviation transport. Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao are closely linked. The higher the accessibility, the closer the intercity connectedness.

Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer outperforms Hong Kong Liver Cancer staging of hepatocellular carcinoma in multiethnic Asians: Real-world perspective

To compare the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) classification systems when applied to HCC patients from the largest tertiary-level centre in Singapore.METHODSOne thousand two hundred and seventy hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients prospectively enrolled in a tertiary-level centre registry in Singapore since 1988 were studied. Patients were grouped into their respective BCLC and HKLC stages. Data such as demography, aetiology of HCC and type of treatment were collected. Survival data was based on census with the National Registry of Births and Deaths on 31st October 2015. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS version 21 (Chicago, IL, United States). Survival analyses were done by the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in survival rates were compared using the log-rank test.RESULTSThe median age at presentation was 63 years (range 13-94); male 82.4%; Chinese 89.4%, Malay 7.1%, Indian, 2.8%. Hepatitis B was the predominant aetiology (75.0%; Hepatitis C 7.2%, Hepatitis B and C co-infection 3.8%, non-viral 14.0%). Both BCLC and HKLC staging systems showed good separation with overall log rank test confirming significant survival differences between stages in our cohort (P < 0.001). 206 out of the 240 patients (85.8%) assigned for curative treatment by the BCLC treatment algorithm received curative therapy for HCC [Stage 0 93.2% (68/73); Stage A 82.6% (138/167)]. In contrast, only 341/558 (61.1%) patients received curative treatment despite being assigned for curative treatment by the HKLC treatment algorithm [Stage I 72.7% (264/363); Stage II 40.2% (66/164); Stage Va 35.5% (11/31)]. Patients who were assigned to curative treatment by HKLC but did not receive curative treatment had significantly poorer ECOG (P < 0.001), higher Child-Pugh status (P < 0.001) and were older (median age 66 vs 61, P < 0.001) than those who received curative therapy. Median overall survival in patients assigned to curative treatment groups by BCLC and HKLC were 6.1 and 2.6 years respectively (P < 0.001). When only patients receiving curative treatment were analyzed, BCLC still predicted overall median survival better than HKLC (7.1 years vs 5.5 years, P = 0.037).CONCLUSIONBCLC performs better than HKLC in our multiethnic Asian population in allocating patients to curative treatment in a real-life situation as well as in predicting survival.

Features of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning Cases in Hong Kong 2004-2007

Ohjective To review the clinical features and laboratory investigations of ciguatera patients in Hong Kong between 2004 and 2007 in order to show the timely sampling of implicated fish from ciguatera victims and application of validated mouse bioassay for confirming suspected clinical cases of ciguatera. Methods Diagnosis of the ciguatera victims was based on history of coral fish consumption and clinical presentations stated in official guidelines for clinical diagnosis of ciguatera fish poisoning in Hong Kong. Food remnants of coral fish samples were collected swiftly from ciguatera victims between 2004 and 2007 for ciguatoxins （CTXs） analysis. Results Major clinical symptoms in ciguatera patients included gastrointestinal and neurological effects including limb numbness and diarrhoea, which developed at 0.5 to 15 hours after consumption of fish. In most cases, neurological symptoms were more common than gastrointestinal symptoms. A broad range of attack rate （10%-100%） was observed in each ciguatera outbreak. Validated mouse bioassay on ether extracts of the food remnant samples confirmed that all were CTXs-positive （〈0.5 - 4.3 MU/20 mg ether extract） and directly linked to the corresponding ciguatera cases. Conclusion Consistency between clinical and laboratory analysis for ciguatera poisoning illustrates the application of laboratory mouse bioassay in a timely fashion for confirming ciguatera poisoning cases and implementing effective public health measures. With further improvement in laboratory techniques, features of ciguatera fish poisoning cases can be better defined, Further studies are needed to determine the risk of each class of CTXs （Pacific-, Indian- and Caribbean-CTXs） in Hong Kong.

Long-Term Trends in Extreme Temperatures in Hong Kong and Southern China

The observed long-term trends in extreme temperatures in Hong Kong were studied based on the meteorological data recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters from 1885-2008. Results show that, over the past 124 years, the extreme daily minimum and maximum temperatures, as well as the length of the warm spell in Hong Kong, exhibit statistically significant long-term rising trends, while the length of the cold spell shows a statistically significant decreasing trend. The time-dependent return period analysis also indicated that the return period for daily minimum temperature at 4°C or lower lengthened considerably from 6 years in 1900 to over 150 years in 2000, while the return periods for daily maximum temperature reaching 35°C or above shortened drastically from 32 years in 1900 to 4.5 years in 2000. Past trends in extreme temperatures from selected weather stations in southern China from 1951-2004 were also assessed. Over 70% of the stations studied yielded a statistically significant rising trend in extreme daily minimum temperature, while the trend for extreme maximum temperatures was found to vary, with no significant trend established for the majority of stations.

Lead Concentration in Hong Kong Roadside Dust after Reduction of Lead Level in Petrol

Samples of roadside dust were collected from 30 sites in Hong Kong.The total concentrations of 10 metals in the samples were analyzed,and the correlation coefficients among the metal contents and the annual average daily traffic(AADT)in 1986 were determined.Pb was found to have a significant correlation(P<0.01)with AADT.No correlation was found between Al, Ba,Cd,Cr,Cu,Fe,Mn,Ni,and Zn with respect to AADT.A general decrease in the level of Pb in roadside dust in the past few years has been observed since the reduction in the level of lead in petrol.1989 Academic Press,Inc.

Dependence of Mixed Aerosol Light Scattering Extinction on Relative Humidity in Beijing and Hong Kong

The hygroscopic properties of mixed aerosol particles are crucial for the application of remote sensing products of aerosol optical parameters in the study of air quality and climate at multiple scales. In this study, the authors investigated aerosol optical properties as a func tion of relative humidity （RH） for two representative me tropolises： Beijing and Hong Kong. In addition to the RH data, mass concentrations of PM10 （particulate matter up to 10 utm in diameter） and aerosol scattering extinction coefficient （aext） data were used. The relationship between the mass scattering extinction efficiency （MEE, defined as O＇ext/PMl0） and RH can be expressed by regression func tions asf= 1.52x ＋ 0.29 （re= 0.77）,f= 1.42x ＋ 1.53 （re= 0.58）,f= 1.19x ＋ 0.65 （re= 0.59）, andf= 1.58x ＋ 1.30 （re = 0.61） for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respec tively, in Beijing. Here, f represents MEE, x represents I/（1-RH）, and the coefficients of determination are pre sented in parentheses. Conversely, in Hong Kong, the corresponding functions are f= 1.98x- 1.40 （r^2= 0.55）,f = 1.32x - 0.36 （r^2 = 0.26）,f= 1.87x - 0.65 （r^2 = 0.64）, and f= 2.39x - 1.47 （r^2 = 0.72）, respectively. The MEE values for Hong Kong at high RHs （RH 〉 70%） are higher than those for Beijing, except in summer; this suggests that aerosols in Hong Kong are more hygroscopic than those in Beijing for the other three seasons, but the aerosol hy groscopicity is similarly high in summer over both cities. This study describes the effects of moisture on aerosol scattering extinction coefficients and provides a potential method of studying atmospheric visibility and ground level air quality using some of the optical remote sensing products of satellites.

Application of Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Design Concept in Hong Kong Wetland Park

Wetland park has become an important content of urban landscape design in China, and it is urgent to explore the ways of ensuring scientifi c planning and design and successful implementation of the planning and design in the preparatory stage and the late habitat management and monitoring stage. Taking Hong Kong Wetland Park for example, this paper reviewed the successful design concepts and scientifi c management practices on the basis of sorting out its planning, construction, management and monitoring experience, to provide useful references for the planning, design and management of wetland park in other regions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma staging systems: Hong Kong liver cancer vs Barcelona clinic liver cancer in a Western population

BACKGROUND Despite being the world’s most widely used system for staging and therapeutic guidance in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)treatment,the Barcelona clinic liver cancer(BCLC)system has limitations,especially regarding intermediate-grade(BCLC-B)tumors.The recently proposed Hong Kong liver cancer(HKLC)staging system appears useful but requires validation in Western populations.AIM To evaluate the agreement between BCLC and HKLC staging on the management of HCC in a Western population,estimating the overall patient survival.METHODS This was a retrospective study of HCC patients treated at a university hospital in southern Brazil between 2011 and 2016.Demographic,clinical,and laboratory data were collected.HCC staging was carried out according to the HKLC and BCLC systems to assess treatment agreement.Overall survival was estimated based on the treatment proposed in each system.RESULTS A total of 519 HCC patients were assessed.Of these,178(34.3%)were HKLC-I;95(18.3%)HKLC-IIA;47(9.1%)HKLC-IIB;29(5.6%)HKLC-IIIA;30(5.8%)HKLCIIIB;75(14.4%)HKLC-IV;and 65(12.5%)HKLC-V.According to the BCLC,25(4.9%)were BCLC-0;246(47.4%)BCLC-A;107(20.6%)BCLC-B;76(14.6%)BCLCC;and 65(12.5%)BCLC-D.The general agreement between the two systems was 80.0%-BCLC-0 and HKLC-I(100%);BCLC-A and HKLC-I/HKLC-II(96.7%);BCLC-B and HKLC-III(46.7%);BCLC-C and HKLC-IV(98.7%);BCLC-D and HKLC-V(41.5%).When sub-classifying BCLC-A,HKLC-IIB,HKLC-IIIA and HKLC-IIIB stages according to the up-to-7 in/out criterion,13.4,66.0,100 and 36.7%,respectively,of the cases were classified as up-to-7 out.CONCLUSION In a Western population,the general agreement between the two systems was 80.0%,although in BCLC-B cases the agreement was low,suggesting that some individuals could be candidates for the curative treatment recommended by the HKLC.The authors suggest that the BCLC system should be routinely employed,although for BCLC-B cases it should be associated with the HKLC system.