Shifting from the Hidden Shadow to the Bright Sunshine under the COVID-19 Pandemic

The sudden and unprecedented outbreak of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought along a series of abrupt and sweeping disruptions on almost all learning systems around the world. The pandemic has simultaneously revealed many weaknesses and problems associated with the existing educational model, which serves as a timely reminder that educators should start thinking and doing education in a very different manner. Nonetheless, this does not simply means restoring the long-standing norms, or reorganising and perpetuating existing practices as “back to normal”, but discarding and transforming many obsolete assumptions and conventional operations as “new normal”. As one of the high-performing learning systems around the world throughout the decades, Hong Kong has successfully transitioned from disruptive schooling to “new normal” throughout the pandemic. With the collection of the series of rich experiences and concrete examples emerging and evolving across different layers of Hong Kong’s learning system, this conceptual article aims to shed light on ten key principles in terms of shaping a more responsive, resilient, and sustainable curriculum system for all students to survive or even thrive in the uncertain and unpredictable environment ahead of them

Current knowledge about the connection between health status and gut microbiota from birth to elderly. A narrative review

The human body is colonized from the birth by a large number of microorganisms. This will constitute a real “functional microbial organ” that is fundamental for homeostasis and therefore for health in humans. Those microorganisms. The microbial populations that colonize humans creating a specific ecosystem they have been collectively referred to as “human microbiota” or “human normal microflora”. The microbiota play an important pathophysiological role in the various locations of the human body. This article focuses on one of the most important, that is the enteric microbiota. The composition (quantitative and qualitative) of microbes is analyzed in relation to age and environment during the course of human life. It also highlights eubiosis and dysbiosis as key terms for its role in health and disease. Finally, it analyzes its bi-directional relationship with the microbiota of the lungs, skin and that of the brain, and consequently for the whole central and peripheral nervous system for the maintenance of health in the human body

The development and nature of Chinese communism : the early years, to 1925

The purpose of this thesis is to delineate and analyse the development and nature of Chinese communism from the beginning to the death of Sun Yat-sen. It is divided into two sections. The first section attempts firstly to describe the social milieu in which the founders of Chiiese communism found themselves in at, and just prior to, the time when they embraced communism as their revolutionary praxis. Secondly, this section deals with the reasons for the acceptance of communism as the revolutionary praxis and the resultant actions of this acceptance - the participation in the National Revolution. In the second section, a number of the central issues of Chinese communism pertinent to this period are examined: the communists 1 concept of the collaboration with the Kuomintang, the nature of the national revolution and the role of leadership, and the peasant policies. Finally, as the Chinese leadership embraced communism partly because of their consciousness of the need of a new culture for China, this study concludes with a discussion of the development of the concept of culture by these Chinese communists. While this is not, primarily, ä study of Chinese communist activities nor a comparison between Chinese and Russian communism, a study of the development and nature of Chinese communism cannot exclude discussions in these two aspects. Therefore, to the extent that such discussions will clarify ones perception of Chinese communism, these two aspects are brought into purview

Modeling and model calibration for model predictive occupants comfort control in buildings

Mathematical models are essential in Model-Predictive Control (MPC) for building automation and control (BAC) application, which must be precise and computationally efficient for realtime optimization and control. However, building models are of high complexity because of the nonlinearities of heat and mass transfer processes in buildings and their air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems. This paper proposes a method to develop an integrated linear model for indoor air temperature, humidity and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index suitable for fast real-time multiple objectives optimization. A linear dynamic model is developed using SIMSCAPE language based on the BCA SkyLab test bed facility in Singapore as a case study. Experimental data is used to calibrate the model using trust-region-reflective least squares optimization method. The results show that the mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) of predicted room temperature and humidity ratio are 1.25% and 4.98%, compared to measurement, respectively

Planarian toxicity fluorescent assay: a rapid and cheap pre-screening tool for potential skin irritants

Here we report a new planarian (Dugesia lugubris) fluorescent assay as a rapid and cheap pre-screening tool to predict strong skin irritants. Our aim was to provide a simple and cost-effective in vivo method that avoided use of higher vertebrates. Adapting previously reported methods for planaria mobility alongside an acute toxicity assay, different irritants at five concentrations (0.1%, 0.05%, 0.025%, 0.01% and 0.005% w/v) were tested but both methods failed to discriminate the irritation potential of the test compounds. Therefore, a new alternative fluorescence assay was developed, hypothesising that increasing damage from the irritant to the planarian outer protective membrane will increase accumulation of sodium fluorescein in the flatworm. Fourteen test chemicals were selected representing strong, moderate, mild and non-irritants. In general, results showed increasing sodium fluorescein accumulation within planaria following acute exposure to increasingly strong skin irritants; on exposure to the strong irritants, benzalkonium chloride, citronellal, methyl palmitate, 1-bromohexane and carvacrol, fluorescence within the planaria was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the negative controls and the common non-irritants PEG-400, dipropylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol; fluorescence values of planaria tested with negative controls and non-irritants were not significantly different. For all test compounds, Fluorescence Intensity of the planaria was compared with literature Primary Irritation Index data and generated a statistically significant (P < 0.005) Pearson correlation (r) of 0.87. Thus, the planarian fluorescent assay is a promising tool for rapid early testing of potential strong skin irritants, and non-irritants, and avoids use of higher vertebrate models

Essential Oils as Alternatives for Root-Canal Treatment and Infection Control Against Enterococcus faecalis—A Preliminary Study

Since natural alternatives are needed in dentistry for the treatment of root canal, where the standard irrigant is NaOCl with significant toxicity, the aim of the study was to assess the antibacterial properties of non-chemical root-canal irrigants (aqueous extracts of oregano, thyme, lemongrass, melaleuca and clove essential oils) against Enterococcus faecalis. For this, aqueous extracts of each essential oil (AqEO) were prepared. A solution of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) was used as a positive standard against which the antimicrobial effects of AqEO could be reported. The root canals of seven teeth were inoculated with 20 µL of Enterococcus faecalis ATCC29212 inoculum and incubated overnight at 37 °C. All the teeth canals were instrumented and were irrigated with the corresponding AqEO, NaOCl and saline solution, then rinsed with saline. Bacteriological samples for each canal post-instrumentation were collected with sterile paper points which were inoculated on culture media. A second processing followed the same methodology but involved only irrigation and no instrumentation. Using instrumentation, thyme and clove completely inhibited Enterococcus faecalis growth. Without instrumentation, clove and oregano AqEOs completely reduced the bacterial load as seen in direct inoculation, but bacterial growth was observed in all the samples after enrichment, except for NaOCl. Nevertheless, the turbidity of the enrichment media was lower for the samples irrigated with AqEOs than for control. In conclusion, AqEOs of thyme, oregano and clove showed a promising antibacterial effect, especially when teeth instrumentation was performed

Marine Low Cloud Sensitivity to An Idealized Climate Change: The CGILS LES Intercomparison

Subtropical marine low cloud sensitivity to an idealized climate change is compared in six large-eddy simulation (LES) models as part of CGILS. July cloud cover is simulated at three locations over the subtropical northeast Pacific Ocean, which are typified by cold sea surface temperatures (SSTs) under well-mixed stratocumulus, cool SSTs under decoupled stratocumulus, and shallow cumulus clouds overlying warmer SSTs. The idealized climate change includes a uniform 2 K SST increase with corresponding moist-adiabatic warming aloft and subsidence changes, but no change in free-tropospheric relative humidity, surface wind speed, or CO2. For each case, realistic advective forcings and boundary conditions are generated for the control and perturbed states which each LES runs for 10 days into a quasi-steady state. For the control climate, the LESs correctly produce the expected cloud type at all three locations. With the perturbed forcings, all models simulate boundary-layer deepening due to reduced subsidence in the warmer climate, with less deepening at the warm-SST location due to regulation by precipitation. The models do not show a consistent response of liquid water path and albedo in the perturbed climate, though the majority predict cloud thickening (negative cloud feedback) at the cold-SST location and slight cloud thinning (positive cloud feedback) at the cool-SST and warm-SST locations. In perturbed climate simulations at the cold-SST location without the subsidence decrease, cloud albedo consistently decreases across the models. Thus, boundary-layer cloud feedback on climate change involves compensating thermodynamic and dynamic effects of warming and may interact with patterns of subsidence change

Marine Low Cloud Sensitivity to An Idealized Climate Change: The CGILS LES Intercomparison

Subtropical marine low cloud sensitivity to an idealized climate change is compared in six large-eddy simulation (LES) models as part of CGILS. July cloud cover is simulated at three locations over the subtropical northeast Pacific Ocean, which are typified by cold sea surface temperatures (SSTs) under well-mixed stratocumulus, cool SSTs under decoupled stratocumulus, and shallow cumulus clouds overlying warmer SSTs. The idealized climate change includes a uniform 2 K SST increase with corresponding moist-adiabatic warming aloft and subsidence changes, but no change in free-tropospheric relative humidity, surface wind speed, or CO2. For each case, realistic advective forcings and boundary conditions are generated for the control and perturbed states which each LES runs for 10 days into a quasi-steady state. For the control climate, the LESs correctly produce the expected cloud type at all three locations. With the perturbed forcings, all models simulate boundary-layer deepening due to reduced subsidence in the warmer climate, with less deepening at the warm-SST location due to regulation by precipitation. The models do not show a consistent response of liquid water path and albedo in the perturbed climate, though the majority predict cloud thickening (negative cloud feedback) at the cold-SST location and slight cloud thinning (positive cloud feedback) at the cool-SST and warm-SST locations. In perturbed climate simulations at the cold-SST location without the subsidence decrease, cloud albedo consistently decreases across the models. Thus, boundary-layer cloud feedback on climate change involves compensating thermodynamic and dynamic effects of warming and may interact with patterns of subsidence change

The psychophysiological effects of Tai-chi and exercise in residential Schizophrenic patients: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by high prevalence rates and chronicity that often leads to long-term institutionalization. Under the traditional medical model, treatment usually emphasizes the management of psychotic symptoms through medication, even though anti-psychotic drugs are associated with severe side effects, which can diminish patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Tai-chi, a mind-body exercise rooted in Eastern health philosophy, emphasizes the motor coordination and relaxation. With these potential benefits, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the effects of Tai-chi intervention on the cognitive and motor deficits characteristic of patients with schizophrenia. METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. One hundred and fifty three participants will be randomized into (i) Tai-chi, (ii) exercise or (iii) waitlist control groups. Participants in both the Tai-chi and exercise groups will receive 12-weeks of specific intervention, in addition to the standard medication and care received by the waitlist control group. The exercise group will serve as a comparison, to delineate any unique benefits of Tai-chi that are independent of moderate aerobic exercise. All three groups will undergo three assessment phases: (i) at baseline, (ii) at 12 weeks (post-intervention), and (iii) at 24 weeks (maintenance). All participants will be assessed in terms of symptom management, motor coordination, memory, daily living function, and stress levels based on self-perceived responses and a physiological marker. DISCUSSION: Based on a promising pilot study conducted prior to this RCT, subjects in the Tai-chi intervention group are expected to be protected against deterioration of motor coordination and interpersonal functioning. They are also expected to have better symptoms management and lower stress level than the other treatment groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trail has been registered in the Clinical Trials Center of the University of Hong Kong (HKCTR-1453)