Anatomic-electrophysiological correlations concerning the pathways for atrioventricular conduction.

The remarkable success of radiofrequency ablation in recent decades in curing atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardias has intensified efforts to provide a solid theoretical basis for understanding the mechanisms of atrioventricular transmission. These efforts, which were made by both anatomists and electrophysiologists, frequently resulted in seemingly controversial observations. Quantitatively and qualitatively, our understanding of the mysteries of propagation through the inhomogeneous and extremely complex atrioventricular conduction axis is much deeper than it was at the beginning of the past century. We must go back to the initial sources, nonetheless, in an attempt to provide a common ground for evaluating the morphological and electrophysiological principles of junctional arrhythmias. In this review, we provide an account of the initial descriptions, which still provide an appropriate foundation for interpreting recent electrophysiological findings

Using Dramatic Monologue for Teaching Social Sciences

During the welcoming session at the start of every academic year, teachers in Vanier College’s Psychology Department put on a skit to introduce incoming “psychology major” students, in a concise and entertaining manner, to the three different theoretical approaches currently prevailing in the discipline. In the skit, a teacher plays the role of a client who consults a psychotherapist (played by another teacher) for help with a marital problem. Seeking a solution to his problem, the “client” appears on stage three different times and receives treatment from three psychotherapists (played by another teacher) of different theoretical orientations: B.F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and “Dr. Phil”, the famous American talk-show host (who respectively represent behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and cognitive psychology). Generally speaking, this skit is the first real exposure to psychological theories for the new cohort of students. Based on the feedback received afterwards, it seems to have made a powerful impression on them. Which explains why we keep putting on the same skit year after year! One reason for the impressive success of this simple skit is quite clear: complex ideas can be effectively conveyed to even the most uninitiated in a concise and easily understood manner through dramatic techniques, because drama is engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking.published_or_final_versio

Twisted atrioventricular connections in double inlet right ventricle: evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging

Twisted atrioventricular connections occur almost exclusively in the hearts with biventricular atrioventricular connections. Only one example of double inlet left ventricle has been illustrated in which the axes of the two atrioventricular valves crossed each other. We describe herein three patients, and one autopsied specimen, with double inlet right ventricle in which magnetic resonance imaging clearly demonstrated twisted atrioventricular connections

Transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography for the assessment of straddling tricuspid or mitral valves

Background The advent of 3D echocardiography has provided a technique which, potentially, could afford significant additional information over conventional cross-sectional echocardiography in the assessment of patients with straddling atrioventricular valves prior to surgical correction. Methods Eight patients, aged from 1 month to 9˙2 years, were examined with 3D echocardiography. All but three had discordant ventriculoarterial connections or double outlet right ventricle. Data suitable for reconstruction was acquired with transthoracic scanning. Right and left ventricular volumes were calculated in the 3D dataset. Results 3D echocardiography proved capable of defining the exact degree of straddling by imaging theproportion of tension apparatus attached to either side of the ventricular septum. It was able also to display the atrioventricular junction “en face”, thus permitting identification of the precise site of insertion of the muscular ventricular septum relative to the atrioventricular junction. This made it possiblefirst, to calculate the degree of valvar override, and second, to predict the location of the penetrating atrioventricular bundle. End-diastolic volume of the right ventricle in those with straddling tricuspid valves was 73 (61–83)% of normal, and, of the left ventricle in those with mitral valvar straddling 71 (40‐97)% of normal. Conclusions 3D echocardiography can aid in planning the optimal surgical procedure in patients with straddling or overrriding atrioventricular valves, as it provides diagnostic information superiorto standard crosssectional techniques. It also allows for exact measurement of the volumes of the respective ventricles

Toward integration of reading and service learning through an interdisciplinary program

This study examined the effect of an interdisciplinary program of reading and service learning on the cognitive and affective development of university students in Hong Kong. As Nussbaum (1997) stated, literature plays a vital role in educating citizens of the world through its narrative imagination and its power of promoting understanding and empathy toward the life of others. Halstead and Pike (2006) also emphasized that art can foster reflection upon action and bring about change in behavior as a result of perspective change. In this study, 24 freshmen read literary works under the theme of children's welfare and explored issues related to the welfare of children worldwide. Their reflections on these materials were expressed in writing and in a presentation. In the following semester, the students participated in voluntary services within and outside Hong Kong. All students completed a questionnaire on their humanistic concerns and sense of global citizenship at the beginning and the end of the project. Results showed that students were conscious of their changes after joining the program and stated their growth in values and knowledge. The pre-post-t-test analysis suggested that students had made significant improvement in the following areas: (1) their attitude toward serving others, especially in their personal and social values; (2) their engagement in reading literary and nonfiction works which reflect social and moral issues of the world; (3) their attention to world affairs; (4) their concern for the underprivileged; and (5) awareness of their potential in helping the poor. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Stock Market Development And Economic Growth In Hong Kong: An Empirical Investigation

This paper examines the relationship between stock market development and economic growth using time-series data from Hong Kong. The study uses three proxies of stock market development, namely: stock market capitalisation, stock market traded value, and stock market turnover. Given the weaknesses associated with the traditional co-integration techniques, the current study uses the recently introduced ARDL-bounds testing approach to examine the nexus between stock market development and economic growth in a dynamic setting. The empirical results show that the direction of causality between stock market development and economic growth depends on the proxy used to measure the level of stock market development. When stock market capitalisation is used as a proxy for stock market development, a distinct unidirectional causal flow from stock market development to economic growth is found to prevail, without any feedback. However, when stock market turnover is used, a causal flow from economic growth to stock market development is found to prevail in the short run and in the long run, while a causal flow from stock market development to economic growth is only found in the short run. The causality between stock market traded value and economic growth, however, failed to yield any long-run causal relationship from either direction. Only a short-run causality flow from economic growth to stock market traded value could be detected in this case

Banking Sector Development And Economic Growth In Hong Kong: An Empirical Investigation

In this study, we examine the dynamic relationship between bank-based financial development and economic growth in Hong Kong. We attempt to answer one critical question: Does the relationship between bank-based financial development and economic growth in Hong Kong follow a supply-leading or a demand-following response? In other words, which sector drives economic development in Hong Kong – the real sector or the nominal sector? Unlike the majority of previous studies, this study uses the newly developed ARDL-bounds testing approach to examine this linkage. The ARDL-bounds testing approach has numerous advantages over other cointegration techniques, especially when a short time-series dataset is used. In order to test the robustness of the empirical results, two proxies of bank-based financial development have been used; namely: 1) the domestic credit provided by the banking sector as a ratio of GDP and 2) the banks' deposit as a ratio of GDP. Our empirical results show that the relationship between bank-based financial development and economic growth in Hong Kong is sensitive to the proxy used to measure the banking sector development. When domestic credit provided by the banking sector is used as a proxy for bank-based financial development, a distinct supply-leading response is found to prevail. However, when the banks' deposit is used as a proxy for bank development, a demand-following response is found to predominate. These results hold, irrespective of whether the causality is estimated in the short run or in the long run

Microsatellite instability and mismatch repair gene mutations are common in young colorectal cancer patients in Hong Kong

Conference Theme: Challenges to Specialists in the 21st centurypublished_or_final_versio

Asymmetric exchange rates pass-through: New evidence from Vietnam

Exchange rate pass-through always deserves interest of policy makers and economists. In this paper, we study the measure of exchange rate pass-through on consumer price for Vietnam by using Nonlinear Autoregressive Dynamic Lag in the period from 2000Q4 to 2018Q2. Our findings can be summarized as follow: (i) we demonstrates the existence of asymmetric effect of exchange rate to domestic price in both short run and long run; (ii) the exchange rate pass-through is high; (iii) impact of exchange rate depreciation on domestic price is stronger than appreciation; (iv) the exchange rate pass-through is higher in the long-run than in the short run; (v) foreign competitor price plays an important role for domestic price movement