Housing the knowledge economy in China: An examination of housing provision in support of science parks

Little attention is paid in the extant academic literature to the question of housing knowledge workers despite the potential mismatches between housing supply and demand. This paper provides an initial examination of housing the knowledge economy in China, focusing on three science parks (SPs): Zhongguancun (Z-Park, Beijing), Zhangjiang (Z-SHIP, Shanghai) and Optics Valley of China (OVC, Wuhan). It discusses to what extent, and how these three SPs have factored in the housing dimension in connection with the knowledge economy, paying particular attention to housing affordability, location (inside the SPs or outside in the wider city-region) and the mode of provision (market or state). Insights were drawn from documentary analysis and in-depth interviews in the three chosen case studies. Initial evaluation of policies geared towards housing supply in China suggests that the housing question needs to come to the fore in discussions of structural transformation towards the knowledge economy

Evaluation of Current Music Synthesis Software for Rendering of Various Synthesis Algorithms

The ability to distinguish the usefulness of currently available music synthesis software for the application of various synthesis algorithms is the main focus of the research. The amplitude modulation (AM), ring modulation (RM), frequency modulation (PM), additive synthesis and granular synthesis algorithms were used and applied into the Wave Craft [specialised graphical user interface software], Cool Edit Pro [digital audio editor software] and Csound [command prompt type software] synthesis software. These softwares were chosen and categorised according to the software interface. Cool Edit Pro, a commercial or digital audio editor and not specifically a synthesis software, can however be used for this purpose. Due to the accelerated development in music synthesis software, there is an increasing number of new software now with no precise definition of software characteristics to determine their usefulness has been described. Thus, in this project, a Music Software Evaluation (MSE) metrics table with exact definition and criteria in determining the usefulness of music synthesis software was designed and used to evaluate the usefulness of these softwares. Questionnaires were designed based on the MSE metrics table to gauge information on the different features available in the three music synthesis software and also from individuals about their expectations and experience with regards to the softwares. Results from these research findings indicate that different music synthesis software provides users with different features. The results also showed that, from user expectations point of view, Cool Edit Pro is the most preferred software. For experienced users, Csound is preferred over Cool Edit Pro. Conclusions drawn from this research finding is that different software approaches fulfill different kinds of user expectations depending on user experience

Mouse adipose tissue collection and processing for RNA analysis

Compared to other tissues, white adipose tissue has a considerably less RNA and protein content for downstream applications such as real-time PCR and Western Blot, since it mostly contains lipids. RNA isolation from adipose tissue samples is also challenging as extra steps are required to avoid these lipids. Here, we present a procedure to collect three anatomically different white adipose tissues from mice, to process these samples and perform RNA isolation. We further describe the synthesis of cDNA and gene expression experiments using real-time PCR. The hereby described protocol allows the reduction of contamination from the animal's hair and blood on fat pads as well as cross-contamination between different fat pads during tissue collection. It has also been optimized to ensure adequate quantity and quality of the RNA extracted. This protocol can be widely applied to any mouse model where adipose tissue samples are required for routine experiments such as real-time PCR but is not intended for isolation from primary adipocytes cell culture

Physical activity: its implication on attention span and quality of life in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study examined the effects of physical activity on the attention span and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children in Singapore. Male participants (N = 12) aged 2-6 years, diagnosed with ASD were randomly assigned to either a physical activity or non-physical activity group. In the physical activity group, participants were administered 8 tri-cycling sessions; both groups of participants were measured for their attention span, and their parents completed the HRQoL questionnaires. Results indicate that as the exercise increases, the physical activity group demonstrated increasingly longer duration of attention span. These results extend the findings that physical activity enhances cognition of ASD children and support its consideration into the early intervention programs

A meta-analytic review of the efficacy of physical exercise interventions on cognition in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD

This review evaluates the efficacy of using physical exercise interventions on improving cognitive functions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review includes a meta-analysis based on a random-effects model of data reported in 22 studies with 579 participants aged 3–25 year old. The results revealed an overall small to medium effect of exercise on cognition, supporting the efficacy of exercise interventions in enhancing certain aspects of cognitive performance in individuals with ASD and/or ADHD. Specifically, similar to the general population literature, the cognitive benefits of exercise are not consistent across all aspects of cognitive functions (i.e., some areas are not improved). The clinical significance of the reported effect sizes is also considered. © 2016 The Author(s

Shape, Pose, and Appearance from a Single Image via Bootstrapped Radiance Field Inversion

Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF) coupled with GANs represent a promising direction in the area of 3D reconstruction from a single view, owing to their ability to efficiently model arbitrary topologies. Recent work in this area, however, has mostly focused on synthetic datasets where exact ground-truth poses are known, and has overlooked pose estimation, which is important for certain downstream applications such as augmented reality (AR) and robotics. We introduce a principled end-to-end reconstruction framework for natural images, where accurate ground-truth poses are not available. Our approach recovers an SDF-parameterized 3D shape, pose, and appearance from a single image of an object, without exploiting multiple views during training. More specifically, we leverage an unconditional 3D-aware generator, to which we apply a hybrid inversion scheme where a model produces a first guess of the solution which is then refined via optimization. Our framework can de-render an image in as few as 10 steps, enabling its use in practical scenarios. We demonstrate state-of-the-art results on a variety of real and synthetic benchmarks

Learning together through international collaboration in teacher education in Malaysia. Report of a project to develop a Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Primary Mathematics

Copyright University of Hertfordshire, School of Education 2011Learning together through international collaboration in teacher education in Malaysia is the report of an enterprising partnership between the University of Hertfordshire, UK, the Ministry of Education Malaysia and two Institutes of Teacher Education in Malaysia. Working collaboratively with colleagues in Malaysia, the University of Hertfordshire School of Education designed, validated, supported and quality assured a Bachelor of Education (Honours) degree programme for initial teacher training for a single cohort of 120 students over four years. All the students graduated in 2010. Learning together through international collaboration in teacher education in Malaysia provides a record of the project itself. It also documents in-depth insights from contributors to the project in two main areas: the collaborative approach to working together and issues relating to learning and teaching, including the Action – Reflection – Modelling (ARM) pedagogical approach, which underpinned the degree programme. Senior managers, teacher educators and lecturers share some of their learning from working together to develop and implement the new degree programme. Student teachers voice some experiences from their school placements. They describe how they used ARM; highlight some of the benefits of the approach and identify some of the challenges associated with introducing a different pedagogy in schools as they were 'learning to teach'. There are glimpses of 'lively and attractive' classes in which 'pupils enjoy and feel comfortable to learn' and 'are eager to answer my questions'. School mentors provide additional insights into the student teachers' learning and teaching practice. The richness of the contributions is reflected in the many quotations included in the report. The successful completion of this project was due to the dedication and expertise of many contributors. The findings documented in this report are relevant for all those engaged in international collaboration and teacher education.Final Published versio

Factors associated with health insurance status in an Asian American population in New York City : analysis of a community-based survey

Background Immigrants comprise approximately 13% of the US population and 33% lack health coverage. Asian Americans are the fastest growing immigrant group; many lack a usual source of care. This study examines factors associated with health insurance among Asian American immigrants living in New York City. Methods Community needs assessments were conducted among Asian American subgroups in New York City from 2013- 2015; analysis was completed in 2017 and 2018. Descriptive statistics examined factors associated with health insurance status while stratifying by Asian ethnic subgroup; multivariable logistic regression models further assessed these associations (P<0.05 significance level). Results Approximately 19% of the study population (n=1,399) was uninsured. Logistic regression models adjusted for all factors. Among East Asians, insurance status was associated with female sex (OR=2.8, p=0.005), excellent/very good health status (OR=3.5, p=0.014), and seeing a private doctor when sick or injured (OR=3.2, p=0.033). Among South Asians, insurance status was associated with high school/some college and college education (OR=2.6 and 2.9, respectively, p=0.039 and p=0.021), having a routine health check in the past year (OR=6.4, p20 years (OR=3.7, p=0.009), having a routine health check in the past year (OR=5.6, p=0.025), and seeing a private doctor when sick or injured (OR=2.6, p=0.018). Conclusions Health insurance status was associated with differing factors among each subgroup. Findings may inform strategies to address challenges and barriers of healthcare access to immigrants, making healthcare more accessible to this underserved population