Applying outcomes-based teaching and learning framework in the BSc Information Management Program in the Faculty of Education

The Conference proceedings website is located at http://www.cetl.hku.hk/conference2010/conf_proc.htmThis study reports on the preliminary findings of a Teaching Development Grant project that applies the outcomes-based teaching and learning framework in the BSc Information Management (IM) Program in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. The study investigates three kinds of learning outcomes related to the BScIM Program: (1) Program level learning outcomes; (2) Course specific learning outcomes; (3) Generic academic outcomes: Information literacy and IM & Technology skills and knowledge of the BScIM Program. We examined the program level learning outcomes that were desirable to equip students for an IM-related career and to help students become a well-rounded university grad…postprin

An emerging role of teacher-researchers in Hong Kong through a school-university collaborative research project

Teachers’ engagement with research has long been advocated to enhance their professionalism. Yet classroom-based research is still relatively new to teachers in Hong Kong. This study aims at exploring the reasons behind the lack of a teacher-as-researcher ethos in Hong Kong. Teachers from four local primary schools participating in a school-university partnered project to promote collaborative inquiry project-based learning (IPjBL) were interviewed. Teachers from four different subject areas, including Chinese, General Studies and Information Technology teachers and teacher librarians, have worked collaboratively in equipping their students with the knowledge and skills across disciplines to implement IPjBL. IPjBL is a new teaching approach that offers opportunities for teachers to engage in research, taking on the dual role of both teacher-practitioner and teacher-researcher. In this study, five focus group interviews were conducted with the teachers involved to collect in-depth qualitative data on their experiences, comments and reflections on this school-university collaborative research project. The influence of this partnership on teacher professionalism will be examined in term of four aspects: the teacher as individual, teaching practice, curriculum design and school culture. The facilitating and debilitating factors impacting on teachers’ development as researchers in Hong Kong will also be discussed. Findings have revealed that time constraints and teachers’ conceptualization of “research” as something “complex that only academics at universities do” are the main reasons for their lack of interest in taking on the teacher-researcher role in Hong Kong. In contrast, expertise and school administrative support are found to be key elements conducive to teachers’ success in conducting action research in the classroom. These findings have potentially significant implications for educators, school administrators and teachers in developing a school climate that promotes teacher professionalism and empowers teachers with the knowledge as well as skills to face the new challenges in their teaching practice brought about by ongoing education reforms.postprin

Methods in angle-resolved photoelectron diffraction: Slab method versus separable propagator cluster approach

We have compared multiple-scattering results of angle-resolved photoelectron diffraction spectra between the exact slab method and the separable propagator perturbation cluster method. In the slab method, the source wave and multiple scattering within strongly scattering layers are expanded in spherical waves while the scattering among different layers is expressed in plane waves. The transformation between spherical waves and plane waves is done exactly. The plane waves are then matched across the solid-vacuum interface to a single outgoing plane wave in the detector's direction. The slab is infinitely extended parallel to the surface. Normal to the surface, enough layers are included to ensure convergence of the calculated intensity. The separable propagator perturbation approach uses two approximations; (i) A separable representation of the Green's-function propagator and (ii) a perturbation expansion of multiple-scattering terms. The cluster size is finite, typically containing 50 atoms or less. Results of this study show that using a cluster of 148 atoms, the largest cluster used to date, the cluster size is still too small for the cluster results on Ni(001) to converge with those of the slab method. Ideas to improve the perturbation expansion cluster method are discussed.published_or_final_versio

Diverse proteomic alterations in gastric adenocarcinoma

Gastric adenocarcinoma is one of the most common cancers in Asian countries including China. Although its incidence rates in the West are lower than that in Asia, gastric cancer is still a major health problem worldwide, being second only to lung cancers in the number of deaths it causes. Helicobacter pylori infection has been identified as the major pathogen, but the detailed pathogenesis of gastric carcinoma remains elusive. Due to the lack of suitable and specific biomarkers for early detection, most cases of the disease are diagnosed at late stages and the survival rate is low. In this study, we used a proteomic approach to globally analyze the protein profiles of paired surgical specimens of primary gastric adenocarcinoma and nontumor mucosa aiming at identifying specific disease-associated proteins as potential clinical biomarkers and for carcinogenetic study. Compared to nontumor tissues, multiple protein alterations were found in tumor tissues. Some of these alterations involve variations in the expression of cytoskeleton proteins, including an increase in cytokeratin 8 and tropomyosin isoform and a decrease in cytokeratin 20. Co-up-regulations of heat-shock proteins and glycolytic enzymes were observed in tumor tissues, indicating self-protective efforts of cells and the growing energy requirement during malignant transformation. Diverse regulations also occurred with proteins involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, such as GMP reductase 2 and creatine kinase B, and proteins bearing potential tumor suppressor activities, including prohibitin and selenium binding protein 1. More interestingly, a human stomach-specific protein, 18 kDa antrum mucosa protein, was found to be dramatically under-expressed in cancer tissues, implicating a possible special pathological role for this protein in gastric carcinogenesis. Further comprehensive evaluation by globally considering the altered factors may result in the discovery of a biomarker index for effective assessment of the disease and may provide in-depth information for better understanding the pathogenesis of gastric cancer.postprin

Microsatellite instability, Epstein-Barr virus, mutation of type II transforming growth factor receptor and BAX in gastric carcinomas in Hong Kong Chinese

Conference Theme: Challenges to specialists in the 21st centurypublished_or_final_versio

Pulmonary artery sarcoma diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration

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Weight gain and dietary intake during pregnancy in industrialized countries - a systematic review of observational studies

Background: Gestational weight gain (GWG) above the recently recommended ranges is likely to be related to adverse pregnancy outcomes and therefore a challenge in industrialized countries. Aims: We conducted a systematic review on observational studies in order to gain more evidence on whether diets with lower caloric/protein content or other diets might be associated with lower GWG. Methods: We searched in MEDLINE and EMBASE for observational studies written in English or German reporting associations between diet and GWG in singleton pregnancies of healthy women in industrialized countries. Results: We identified 12 studies which met the inclusion criteria. Five studies suggested significant positive associations between energy intake and GWG, whereas three found no significant association. Further significant positive associations of GWG were reported with respect to protein intake, animal lipids, energy density and a number of different food servings per day, whereas intake of carbohydrates and vegetarian diet were associated with less GWG. Conclusions: We suggest that GWG might be reduced by lower energy intake in pregnancy

Ferulic Acid Induces Th1 Responses by Modulating the Function of Dendritic Cells and Ameliorates Th2-Mediated Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice

This study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of ferulic acid (FA) on antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro and its antiallergic effects against ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced Th2-mediated allergic asthma in mice. The activation of FA-treated bone marrow-derived DCs by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation induced a high level of interleukin- (IL-) 12 but reduced the expression levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α. Compared to control-treated DCs, FA significantly enhanced the expressions of Notch ligand Delta-like 4 (Dll4), MHC class II, and CD40 molecules by these DCs. Furthermore, these FA-treated DCs enhanced T-cell proliferation and Th1 cell polarization. In animal experiments, oral administration of FA reduced the levels of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgG1 and enhanced IgG2a antibody production in serum. It also ameliorated airway hyperresponsiveness and attenuated eosinophilic pulmonary infiltration in dose-dependent manners. In addition, FA treatment inhibited the production of eotaxin, Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13), and proinflammatory cytokines but promoted the Th1 cytokine interferon- (IFN-) γ production in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the culture supernatant of spleen cells. These findings suggest that FA exhibits an antiallergic effect via restoring Th1/Th2 imbalance by modulating DCs function in an asthmatic mouse model

Developing upper primary students’ 21st century skills: Inquiry learning through collaborative teaching and Web 2.0 technology

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The Anatomical Numerical Measurement of Posterior Cruciate Ligament: A Vietnamese Cadaveric Study

BACKGROUND: The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is crucial to restrain the posterior translation of the tibia. Its anatomical structure is complex. A proper understanding of PCL anatomy may assist surgeon in reconstructing anatomically native PCL. AIM: To describe the anatomical numerical measurement of the PCL in Vietnamese adults. METHODS: Twenty-one fresh cadaveric knees were examined. The macroscopic details of the intra-articular PCL, the attachment of the anterolateral bundle (ALB), posteromedial bundles (PMB) to the femur and tibia were analysed. We used a digital camera to photograph the cadaveric specimens and used the ImageJ software to analyse the collected images. RESULTS: The ALB and PMB length were 35.5 ± 2.78 and 32.6 ± 2.28 mm, respectively. The smallest and the biggest diameter of middle third of the PCL were 5.9 ± 0.71 and 10.0 ± 1.39 mm, respectively. The area of cross section of middle third of the PCL was 53.6 ± 12.37 mm2. The femoral insertion area of ALB and PMB were 88.4 ± 16.89 and 43.5 ± 8.83 mm2, respectively. The distance from the central point of femoral ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion to the Blumensaat line were 5.5 ± 0.91, 11.5 ± 1.98, and 7.6 ± 1.42 mm, respectively. The shortest distance from medial femoral cartilage rim to the central point of femoral ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion were 7.0 ± 0.79, 7.3 ± 0.95, and 7.8 ± 1.73 mm, respectively. The tibial insertion area of ALB and PMB were 84.5 ± 12.52 and 47.8 ± 6.20 mm2 respectively. The shortest distance from the posterior cartilage corner of the medial tibial plateau to the central point of ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion to tibia were 8.5 ± 1.02, 9.4 ± 1.11, and 8.3 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. The central point of tibial PCL insertion was 9.7±1.08 mm below cartilage plane of the medial tibial plateau. CONCLUSION: This study describes the detailed anatomical measurement of the PCL and its bundles in adults