A Three-Dimensional Voting System in Hong Kong

The voting system in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco) is sometimes unicameral and sometimes bicameral, depending on whether the bill is proposed by the Hong Kong government. Therefore, although without any representative within Legco, the Hong Kong government has certain degree of legislative power --- as if there is a virtual representative of the Hong Kong government within the Legco. By introducing such a virtual representative of the Hong Kong government, we show that Legco is a three-dimensional voting system. We also calculate two power indices of the Hong Kong government through this virtual representative and consider the $C$-dimension and the $W$-dimension of Legco. Finally, some implications of this Legco model to the current constitutional reform in Hong Kong will be given

TRPV4, TRPC1, and TRPP2 assemble to form a flow-sensitive heteromeric channel

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, a superfamily of ion channels, can be divided into 7 subfamilies, including TRPV, TRPC, TRPP, and 4 others. Functional TRP channels are tetrameric complexes consisting of 4 pore-forming subunits. The purpose of this study was to explore the heteromerization of TRP subunits crossing different TRP subfamilies. Two-step coimmunoprecipitation (co-IP) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) were used to determine the interaction of the different TRP subunits. Patch-clamp and cytosolic Ca2+ measurements were used to determine the functional role of the ion channels in flow conditions. The analysis demonstrated the formation of a heteromeric TRPV4-C1-P2 complex in primary cultured rat mesenteric artery endothelial cells (MAECs) and HEK293 cells that were cotransfected with TRPV4, TRPC1, and TRPP2. In functional experiments, pore-dead mutants for each of these 3 TRP isoforms nearly abolished the flow-induced cation currents and Ca2+ increase, suggesting that all 3 TRPs contribute to the ion permeation pore of the channels. We identified the first heteromeric TRP channels composed of subunits from 3 different TRP subfamilies. Functionally, this heteromeric TRPV4- C1-P2 channel mediates the flow-induced Ca2+ increase in native vascular endothelial cells.-Du, J., Ma, X., Shen, B., Huang, Y., Birnbaumer, L., Yao, X. TRPV4, TRPC1, and TRPP2 assemble to form a flowsensitive heteromeric channel.Fil: Du, Juan. Chinese University Of Hong Kong; Hong Kong. Anhui Medical University; ChinaFil: Ma, Xin. Chinese University Of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Shen, Bing. Chinese University Of Hong Kong; Hong Kong. Anhui Medical University; ChinaFil: Huang, Yu. Chinese University Of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. National Institutes of Health; Estados UnidosFil: Yao, Xiaoqiang. Chinese University Of Hong Kong; Hong Kon

Studies on Hong Kong hepatics : 2., notes on some newly recorded liverworts from Hong Kong

Based on field work and herbarium studies, 44 species belonging to 21 genera and 11 families of hepatics are newly reported for Hong Kong. A first checklist of liverworts and hornworts in Hong Kong is also included

Optimizing a green manure-based row cropping system for organic cereal production

A row cropping system with an increase of row distance to 24 cm increased the growth of undersown cover crops and allowed 1-2 passes of interow hoeing for weed control before sowing cover crops. The three-week delay sowing time was suitable for the growth of legume species. The new system significantly improved both grain yield and grain N content of the succeeding crop compared to the traditional cropping system

Mapping Hong Kong’s Atlas

Rooted in the broader project of representing Hong Kong through the visual and literary arts, the Hong Kong Atlas book series seeks to build a set of heritage-based networks through a literary series consisting primarily of paperback and digital editions, including bilingual poetry collections. The individual voices of the authors and translators combine to reorient the complexities of memory in relation to Hong Kong’s constantly shifting pasts

Intermediaries in Entrepot Trade: Hong Kong Re-Exports of Chinese Goods

In this paper, we examine Hong Kong's role in intermediating trade between China and the rest of the world. Hong Kong distributes a large fraction of China's exports. Net of customs, insurance, and freight charges, re-exports of Chinese goods are much more expensive when they leave Hong Kong than when they enter. Hong Kong markups on re-exports of Chinese goods are higher for differentiated products, products with higher variance in export prices, products sent to China for further processing, and products shipped to countries which have less trade with China. These results are consistent with quality-sorting models of intermediation and with the outsourcing of production tasks from Hong Kong to China. Additional results suggest that Hong Kong traders price discriminate across destination markets and use transfer pricing to shift income from high-tax countries to Hong Kong.

Technology, privacy and identity: a Hong Kong perspective

This article explores the concepts of privacy and identity in Hong Kong in relation to the law relating to data protection. It first considers the notions of privacy and identity in the light of Hong Kong's socioeconomic situation and recent postcolonial heritage. It then highlights the importance of identity management and considers the distinctions and overlaps between identity management and privacy protection. With this conceptual framework in mind, the article then considers the various laws in Hong Kong pertaining to data protection, with a focus on the aspects relating to identity management. It observes that while there is some legal protection in respect of the data relating to an individual's identity, there are other priorities which may take precedence in determining the extent of identity management under the legal system in Hong Kong. Finally, recommendations are made as to how to improve identity management within the context of data protection in Hong Kong

Extensive reading in a second language : literature review and pedagogical implications

textThis Report explores the importance of including extensive reading (ER) program in English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) context. To find benefits and implications of L2 extensive reading, the Report reviews comprehensive literature on L2 extensive reading. Research has found that extensive reading enables L2 learners to achieve both cognitive and affective gains. Based on these findings, the report provides some pedagogical implications for an L2 program in ESL/EFL contexts. The suggestions include practical tips such as materials, useful ER activities, and a discussion of teacher roles in an extensive reading program.Foreign Language Educatio

Cosmopolitanism, civil disobedience and the global legacy of Martin Luther King

Through the 19th century, the motor of China’s geopolitical change shifted from Eurasia to its southern coast. The impact of the West on China, while resulting in disastrous territorial concessions, also gave rise to a Southern Cosmopolitanism, with Guangdong native, Kang Youwei, becoming a cutting edge figure. 120 years ago, Kang led the first major drive to modernize China in the ill-fated Hundred Days Reform. Three years earlier, in 1895, he organized Gongche Shangshu, the first Chinese “student movement” to petition the royal court for political reform. For many, this activist lineage’s latest manifestation was the Umbrella Movement, Hong Kong’s 79-day Occupy demonstration for universal suffrage in 2014. Following the Arab Spring and a worldwide economic justice movement spearheaded by Occupy Wall Street, the Umbrella Movement originated as a civil disobedience campaign called “Occupy Central with Love and Peace.” One crucial document that inspired Benny Tai, law professor and conceiver of Occupy Central, is Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963). The Occupy campaign used the “Birmingham” essay as the foundation for an outstanding civic education initiative drawing upon a global legacy evolved from Thoreau and Gandhi. Evans Chan, New York-based film critic and director of “Raise the Umbrellas” (2016/2018) and acclaimed documentaries about Kang Youwei, explores this early stage of the Umbrella Movement to survey the continuing relevance of King’s legacy in the US, Hong Kong, and the world today. Speaker Born in Guangdong and grew up in Macau and Hong Kong, Evans Chan is an internationally renowned critic, librettist, playwright, and filmmaker. He received his Master’s degree from the New School for Social Research in New York and PhD in Screen Culture at Northwestern University, USA. Currently based in New York, Chan is one of Hong Kong’s leading independent filmmakers. His award-winning films have been shown at the Berlin, Rotterdam, London, Moscow, Vancouver, San Francisco and Taiwan film festivals, among others. In his dramatic and documentary films Chan explores the challenges confronting Hong Kong before and after its return to Chinese rule in 1997. To Liv(e) (1991) was listed as one of the 100 Greatest Hong Kong Films by Time Out Magazine in Hong Kong. Raise the Umbrellas (2016–2018) documents the 79-day massive democratic protests known as the Umbrella Movement in 2014. As a playwright, Chan developed in 2015 his award-winning film Datong: The Great Society (2011) into the libretto as Datong: The Chinese Utopia, which was presented by the Hong Kong Arts Festival and staged in London in 2017. Chan is also a writer whose work has appeared in many Chinese and English publications. His English-language play, adapted from Chinese writer Eileen Chang’s novel Naked Earth, was staged at New York’s Bank Street Theater. Filmography: To Liv(e) (1992), Crossings (1994), Journey to Beijing (1998), Adeus Macau (2000), The Map of Sex and Love (2001), Bauhinia (2002), The Life and Times of Wu Zhongxian (2002), Sorceress of the New Piano: The Artistry of Margaret Leng Tan (2004), Makrokosmos I & II (2004), The Maverick Piano (2007), Datong: The Great Society (2011), Two or Three Things About Kang Youwei (2012), The Rose of the Name: Writing Hong Kong (2014), Raise the Umbrellas (2016), Death in Montmartre (2017). www.evanschan.com Discussant Leo Ou-fan Lee is currently the Sin Wai Kin Professor of Chinese Culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He received his Ph. D. degree from Harvard in 1970 and has taught at Harvard, UCLA, Chicago, Indiana, and Princeton Universities in the United States, as well as the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as visiting professor. His scholarly publications in English include: Shanghai Modern: The Flowering of a New Form of Urban Culture, 1930-1945 (Harvard University Press, 1999), Voices from the Iron House: A Study of Lu Xun (Indiana University Press, 1987), The Romantic Generation of Modern Chinese Writers (Harvard, 1973), City between Worlds: My Hong Kong (Harvard University Press, 2008), and Musings: Reading Hong Kong, China and the World (Hong Kong: Muse Books, 2011). In Hong Kong, he is known as both a scholar and cultural critic and has published more than 20 books in Chinese across a wide spectrum of subjects: literature, Hong Kong culture, film, classic music, and architecture. Moderator Stephen Ching-kiu Chan is Professor of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University. He is the current Chair of the international Association for Cultural Studies, and the Chair of Board of Directors, The House of Hong Kong Literature. HKAC Website: https://www.hkac.org.hk/calendar_detail/?u=VEfBtuw6w_U&lang=e