Executive Functions as Mediators between Socioeconomic Status and Academic Performance in Chinese School-Aged Children

Background: It is well-documented that socioeconomic status (SES) and academic performance in school-aged children are closely related. However, little is known about how the three core executive functions (EFs), inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, mediate the association between the two. Moreover, most previous studies examined SES disparities in Western countries, how such disparities in EF and academic performance manifest in the Chinese context, where a distinctive EF profile and learning experience are observed, remains uncertain. The current study explored: (1) the mediating effects of the three core EFs in the association between SES and academic performance; and (2) the differences in EF and academic performance in three core subjects between Chinese children who are below and above the poverty line. Methods: Of the 385 students sampled, 205 are in the low-SES group and 180 are in the middle-high SES group. Results: A structural equation model showed that the SES-academic performance relationship was fully mediated by cognitive flexibility and working memory but not inhibition. Working memory was a much stronger mediator than cognitive flexibility, suggesting that working memory may correlate with childhood SES and academic performance in Chinese children. An analysis of covariance suggested that compared to the middle-high SES group, the low-SES group demonstrated poorer working memory and academic performance in all three subjects after controlling for age and IQ. Interestingly, children with low-SES were found to have better cognitive flexibility than children with middle-high SES. Conclusions: These findings suggest that interventions targeting working memory may be an important area to improve children's academic performance

Welfare stigma needs to be addressed to protect the incomes of Hong Kong older adults

• Based on a representative survey of 3,802 Hong Kong older adults, the study finds that the take-up rate of old-age CSSA, higher OALA and normal OALA has significantly improved over the last decade. Nevertheless, between 11% and 14% of eligible Hong Kong older adults for these benefits fail to receive them.• The perceived insufficiency of the benefits, difficulties in the application procedure, time and effort in searching for information, and transaction costs were significantly associated with the non-take-up of oldage CSSA among eligible recipients. To increase the take-up rate of old-age CSSA further, the benefits stigma related to this scheme must also be reduced.• The perceived insufficiency of the benefits and transaction costs were found to be significant correlates of non-take-up of higher OALA. In comparison, personal stigma and stigmatization by the public increased nontake-up of higher OALA, but not claim stigma. Transaction costs were the strongest predictor of non-take-up of normal OALA, followed by the application procedure\u27s perceived difficulties. By contrast, the perceived insufficiency of the benefit, information costs, and stigma-related factors were not significantly associated with the non-take-up of normal OALA.• Despite the recent success in increasing take-up rates, the study proposes various measures to reduce further the stigma and administrative burdens associated with existing cash benefit programmes for Hong Kong older adults

Creating an enabling environment for early childhood development: a collaborative effort

This research funded by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme from Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Project Number: 2017.A3.011.17C) investigated the mediating roles of parental investment and parental distress in the link between poverty and children’s cognitive development (including attention and executive functioning, language (Cantonese and English), memory and learning, and visuospatial processing). The team conducted assessments and surveys with 167 preschool children and their parents in the 2019/2020 academic year. This brief shares findings from this research with an aim to inform policies in relation to the advocacy of maximum working hours, flexible work-life balance arrangements, quality parenting, accessibility of childcare service as well as promoting maternal employment

Sustainable Solution for Shoring Method of Cross-Creek Bridge in Ankeng MRT System in New Taipei City: A Case Study

In the Ankeng Light Rail MRT system (ALRMS) project, the U7 box girder passes crossing the Erbads creek and needs a temporary supporting system for the construction work.  In this study, three temporary shoring system options were proposed to be the construction method.  The D-B Contractor, New Asia construction and Development Corporation, evaluated and selected the optimal choice, The Steel truss frame with supporting beams, to serve as the temporary supporting system.  Compare the deflection of Δmax and Δactual, which are 1.609 cm and 1.59 cm, respectively.  This result presented that the shoring system composed of the H912*302*18*37 supporting beams and steel truss frame had achieved outstanding performance and work to construct the U7 box girder.  This paper presents how the three options are evaluated and the detailed construction processes along with the survey verification for the method

Interaction Between Pre- and Post-Migration Factors on Depressive Symptoms in New Migrants to Hong Kong from Mainland China

The goal of the current study is to examine the role of poor migration planning as a moderator for the effects of two post-migration factors, namely acculturation stress and quality of life, on symptoms of depression. Using a random sample of 347 Hong Kong new migrants from a 1-year longitudinal study, we used multiple regression analyses to examine both the direct and interaction effects of poorly planned migration, acculturation stress, and quality of life on depressive symptoms. Although poorly planned migration did not predict depressive symptoms at 1-year follow-up, it did exacerbate the detrimental effect of the two post-migration factors, namely high stress or low quality of life (both also measured at baseline) on depressive symptoms at this stage. Our results indicate that preventive measures must be developed for new immigrants in Hong Kong, especially for those who were not well prepared for migration

How to detect fluctuating order in the high-temperature superconductors

We discuss fluctuating order in a quantum disordered phase proximate to a quantum critical point, with particular emphasis on fluctuating stripe order. Optimal strategies for extracting information concerning such local order from experiments are derived with emphasis on neutron scattering and scanning tunneling microscopy. These ideas are tested by application to two model systems - the exactly solvable one dimensional electron gas with an impurity, and a weakly-interacting 2D electron gas. We extensively review experiments on the cuprate high-temperature superconductors which can be analyzed using these strategies. We adduce evidence that stripe correlations are widespread in the cuprates. Finally, we compare and contrast the advantages of two limiting perspectives on the high-temperature superconductor: weak coupling, in which correlation effects are treated as a perturbation on an underlying metallic (although renormalized) Fermi liquid state, and strong coupling, in which the magnetism is associated with well defined localized spins, and stripes are viewed as a form of micro-phase separation. We present quantitative indicators that the latter view better accounts for the observed stripe phenomena in the cuprates.Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures, submitted to RMP; extensively revised and greatly improved text; one new figure, one new section, two new appendices and more reference

Clinical Efficacy and Post-Treatment Seromarkers Associated with the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma among Chronic Hepatitis C Patients

This follow-up study enrolled chronic hepatitis C patients to evaluate the treatment efficacy and to identify post-treatment seromarkers associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with a sustained virological response (SVR) or nonsustained virological response (NSVR). A total of 4639 patients who received pegylated interferon and ribavirin during 2004–2013 were followed until December 2014. HCC was confirmed through health examinations and data linkage with a national database. A total of 233 HCC cases were reported after 26,163 person-years of follow-up, indicating an incidence of 8.9 per 1000 person-years: 6.9 for SVR and 21.6 for NSVR per 1000 person-years. The associated risk of HCC in patients with SVR was 0.37 (0.22–0.63) for those without cirrhosis and 0.54 (0.31–0.92) for those with cirrhosis compared with their respective counterparts with NSVR. Among patients with SVR, advanced age, male gender, cirrhosis, decreased platelet count, and increased aspartate aminotransferase and α-fetoprotein levels were associated with HCC (p < 0.001). The treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients before they developed cirrhosis showed a higher efficacy than did the treatment of those who had already developed cirrhosis. Patients with SVR may still have a risk of HCC and need to be regularly monitored