Impacts of community service on the moral development of associate degree students in Hong Kong

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.Owing to the particular background of the Confucian culture in Hong Kong, community services have often been regarded as a kind of virtue or merit (Rock, 2008). Incorporating community service in moral education programs was found to be effective and advocated by Boss (1994) in the United States. The aim of this research is to further Boss’s approach by examining the use of community service in moral education programs under the entirely different social context of Chinese culture in Hong Kong. The research question is: What are the impacts of real-life experiences of community service learning on the students’ moral development if it is incorporated in a moral education program? The investigation is undertaken in three aspects: (1) The exploration of the effectiveness of incorporating community service into a moral education program for young adult students; (2) The investigation of community service within the context of the Chinese culture of Confucianism; and (3) The examination by comparing the learning outcomes of the students between those taking “community service” and those taking "ethical case study” in a moral education program. The research is conducted in a conceptual context of moral theories and Confucian approaches of becoming an exemplary moral person. The practical context includes the main approaches to moral education in Hong Kong community service learning as incorporated in moral education programs for local young adult students. It is an exploratory study incorporating both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the collection of data for a range of analyses. A total of thirty-one students are selected from a community college. Group A (community service) and Group B (ethical case study) participate in two rounds of in-depth interviews and quantitative tests (Defining Issues Test). The mixed methods approach enables collections of richer information and data for deeper analysis. Extra findings are facilitated when results are compared and contrasted between the two methods and two groups. Eleven constructs showing students’ learning experiences through their projects are formulated by interviews. Findings reveal that parental influence is regarded as a powerful factor in the process of moral development compared with other influences from teachers, peers and external professionals. Community service is found more rewarding than case studies because of its variety in nature, activities and purposes. Findings demonstrate that a real-life experience of community service is effective in enhancing students’ moral development in the unique social contexts of Hong Kong. The findings by using Defining Issues Test are unable to prove any differences between the two groups of students over the two rounds of tests. Furthermore, a qualitative approach is regarded as more appropriate in the exploration of students’ experiences in moral development in this project. In conclusion, two suggestions are proposed for professional practice; firstly, integrating community service is an appropriate way of providing moral education to young adult students within a Chinese context. Second, the approach can be remarkably effective when firm parental participation is involved in the moral education program

Prevalence of extracranial cerebrovascular disease in Chinese patients with coronary artery disease

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Two new species of Spadicoides from Brunei and Hong Kong

Spadicoides hodgkissa sp. nov. and Spadicoides arengae sp. nov., recorded from submerged decaying wood in Hong Kong and from decaying palm fronds in Brunei, are described and illustrated. Spadicoides hodgkissa is characterized by versicolored, obovoid conidia with up to 2 septa, including a distal distoseptum and a proximal euseptum, while Spadicoides arengae is characterized by unicellular, ellipsoidal conidia with verruculose walls that are relatively large. Eight genera, including Dendrographium, Helminthosporium, Luzfridiella, Paliphora, Polyschema, Polytretophora, Porosubramaniania, and Weufia, have the same conidiogenesis as Spadicoides. A key to these genera is providedpublished_or_final_versio

Cataractispora receptaculorum, a new freshwater ascomycete from Hong Kong

A new species of Cataractispora, C. receptaculorum, is described from freshwater habitats. This species is characterized by triseptate verruculose ascospores and polar appendages that unfurl in water. The ascospores lack polar chambers that enclose the appendages as in C. bipolaris and C. viscosa. An ultrastructural study of this species revealed that the ascus wall and apical ring of this species is typical of the Annulatascaceae, while the ascospore wall with verruculose ornamentations and the ontogeny of the ascospore polar appendages are similar to the other species of Cataractispora. Cataractispora receptaculorum is illustrated with interference light, scanning and transmission electron micrographs.published_or_final_versio

Digitodesmium recurvum, a new species of chirosporous hyphomycete from Hong Kong

Digitodesmium recurvum sp. nov., recorded from freshwater habitats in Hong Kong, is described and illustrated. Diptodesmium recuruum is characterized by chiroid, olivaceous brown, euseptate conidia composed of 4-6 apically recurved arms. Characteristics of the conidia of the two known species of Digitodesmium are summarized, and a comparison with other similar species is also provided.published_or_final_versio

Prevalence of extracranial carotid and vertebral artery disease in Chinese pateints with coronary artery disease

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Cheiromyces lignicola, a new chirosporous anamorphic species from Hong Kong

Cheiromyces lignicola sp. nov. is described and illustrated from a freshwater stream in Hong Kong. The species is characterized by chiroid, yellowish brown, distoseptate conidia that are composed of 3-5 arms, each terminating apically in an inflated cell. The developmental stages of the inflated apical cell are illustrated. Cheiromyces lignicola is compared with other Cheiromyces species, and other taxa that produce chiroid conidia with inflated apical cells. The taxonomic disposition of C. cubensis and C. wrightii in Cheiromyces is also discussed. Keys to species of Cheiromyces and to 26 anamorphic genera that produce chiroid conidia are provided.published_or_final_versio

Endosporoideus gen. nov., a mitosporic fungus on Phoenix hanceana

Endosporoideus pedicellata gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from decaying petioles of Phoenix hanceana collected from grassland in Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong. The genus is unique in producing solitary, phragmosporous conidia. The conidia comprise a brown to dark brown inner-wall layer and thick, hyaline outer-wall layer and are produced holoblastically from determinate conidiogenous cells on micronematous, mononematous conidiophores. Cells of conidia may disarticulate at the septa. Representative steps in conidiogenesis of E. pedicellata are illustrated with light micrographs, and details of the conidiogenous events are interpreted schematically.published_or_final_versio

Ascal ultrastructural study in Annulatascus hongkongensis sp. nov., a freshwater ascomycete

A new species of Annulatascus, A. hongkongenszs, is described from freshwater habitats. This species differs from other Annulatascus species as ascospores are ellipsoidal, 3-septate, verruculose and are surrounded by a thick mucilaginous sheath. Annulatascus hongkongenszs is described and illustrated with light and transmission electron micrographs, and compared with other Annulatascus species.published_or_final_versio

Tamsiniella labiosa gen. et sp. nov., a new freshwater ascomycete from submerged wood

Investigations into the fungi occurring on wood submerged in freshwater ecosystems have revealed a unique, but characteristic group of fungi. In this paper a new pyrenomycete, Tamsiniella labiosa gen. et sp.nov,, is described and illustrated with light, scanning, and transmission electron micrographs. The germs has remarkable short: stipitate cylindrical asei with an internal refractive apical ring that are apically truncate and have an external thickening. Ascospores are ellipsoidal-fusiform and surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath. At the transmission electron microscope level, the annulus iv of the ascus apical apparatus is differentiated from the inner ascus wail layer and is composed of horizontally oriented, eiectron-dense fibrillar material. A narrow plug is present in the centre of the apical ring. An electron-dense amorphous regk oecurs between the outer ascus wall layer and the annulus part of the apical apparatus. The outer ascus wail layer is lacking a the apex. The ultrastructure of the ascus apex differs from those described in the Lasiosphaeriaceae, Sordariaceae, and Xylariaceae.published_or_final_versio