從林夕詞作看香港社會

古典文學中的宋詞按詞牌（樂曲）填上歌詞，在民間流行，現代的流行音樂同樣是填詞人按樂譜填詞，流行於現代的各大媒體。流行音樂也可以是流行文學的一種，反映着流行文化和社會的某些事情。 林夕是香港著名填詞人，是在香港作品產量最多的填詞人，有「詞神」之稱。有人曾研究林夕作詞的歷史旅程、歌詞的風格、歌詞中的象徵、個別作品的分析、又或分析林夕歌詞對香港流行文化的貢獻等，但卻鮮見把林夕有關香港社會的詞作組織和歸納的分析。 本文就林夕有關香港社會的歌詞作分類，歸納林夕關注的香港事件，再以文本細讀的方式分析作品，了解林夕眼中的香港社會。林夕眼中的香港其實充滿各種社會問題，但他又樂於揭露這些社會問題，因為他認為多元的聲音能引起更多的討論，為社會帶來新的東西，他希望以他的歌詞引起大眾思考，因此即使他的作品描述了不少香港社會問題，仍可見他對香港的熱愛

The research of choral reading strategies in enhancing the abilities of secondary students in modern Chinese poetry appreciation = Ji ti lang du dui ti sheng zhong xue sheng xin shi xin shang neng li de yan jiu

Hong Kong's curriculum neglects the importance of modern Chinese poetry appreciation. Students have fewer opportunities to be exposed to the poetry in the formal curriculum. Therefore, students are not familiar with the characteristics of the poetry and have no interest to appreciate poetry. I believe Choral Reading is the most effective way to enhance the abilities of secondary students in Modern Chinese poetry appreciation with limited lesson time. Unfortunately, many schools just regard Choral Reading as a form of performing arts, but ignoring it can actually be used as a method of language teaching. Because of that, this study is an action research which aims to investigate the effectiveness of Choral Reading in enhancing the abilities and interests of secondary students in Modern Chinese poetry appreciation as well as to reflect the feasibility of Choral Reading as a teaching method. This research will use triangulation method to examine the research results in different ways. The research findings showed that reading can particularly enhance students 'collective perception and imagination, but it failed to effectively enhance students' ability in comprehension and evaluation. In addition, after having the lesson of Choral Reading, students' interest in reading Modern Chinese poetry greatly enhanced. Finally, I found that Choral reading with multiple teaching ways can enhance students' learning motivation and interest. 香港的新詩欣賞教學備受忽視，學生較少機會在正規課程接觸新詩，難以對新詩有足夠的理解，從而提升其對新詩的興趣。筆者認為在有限的課時下，集體朗讀是最有效提升學生新詩欣賞能力的方法，可惜現在很多學校都會視之為藝術表演的一種形式，卻忽略這其實是可以作為語文教學的一種方法。 因此，是次研究是一項行動研究，旨在探討集體朗讀對提升新詩欣賞能力和興趣的成效，並從中反思集體朗讀作為教學方法的可行性。本研究會運用三角測量法，多方面去檢視研究成效。 研究結果發現集體朗讀能特別提升學生的感知能力和想像力，但就未能有效提升學生理解和評價方面的能力。此外，經過集體朗讀課後，學生對於閱讀新詩的興趣大大提升。最後，筆者發現集體朗讀配合多元的教學模式提升學生的學習動機和興趣。published_or_final_versionEducationBachelorBachelor of Education in Language Educatio

Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Neonatal Sepsis in Jos, Nigeria

Background: Neonatal sepsis is very prevalent in sub-saharan Africa and contributes up to 69% to neonatal mortality in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the predominant socio-economic factors that may contribute to neonatal sepsis in this environment.Methodology: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos, North Central, Nigeria. Clinical and demographic data were collected from mothers, care givers and case notes of 218 neonates enrolled into the study by means of a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed by EPI Info statistical package. Biological samples were also collected from the neonates and processed by standard methods in the microbiology laboratory of JUTH.Results: Bacteria were isolated in 34.4% of the neonates studied. The most common isolates were Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Delivery at home had the highest percentage of culture proven sepsis (52.2%). Mothers with no formal education and those with only primary education also had high proportions of culture proven sepsis (41.1% and 58.8% respectively). Place of domicile, level of education of mother and poor feeding were factors that contributed significantly to neonatal sepsis by odds ratio.Conclusion: The findings show that socioeconomic factors have a significant impact on neonatal sepsis. An improved standard of living, education and empowerment of women and increased provision of basic social amenities will go a long way in reducing the morbidity and mortality of neonatal sepsis in our environment

Six-Digit Stroke-based Chinese Input Method

Abstract-During the last three decades, more than one thousand Chinese input methods have been developed. However, people are still looking for better input methods in terms of easy to use, easy to remember, high input speed and small keypad implementation on handheld devices. The well-known strokebased Chinese input method using only five basic stroke types could achieve low learning curve and small numeric keypad implementation but its input speed is limited for complex Chinese characters with a lot of strokes. To tackle this problem, simplified stroke-based Chinese character and phrase coding methods using (3+3) rules are proposed in this paper. The proposed method only uses the first 3 stroke codes and the last 3 stroke codes to represent the first and last radical information of the character for achieving lower average code length and higher hit rate of first character on the candidate list. To further enhance the input speed, a very user-friendly (3+3) phrase coding rule is also proposed for inputting Chinese phrases in terms of 2-character, 3-character and long-character phrases. Three special key assignment designs are developed for practical implementation of the proposed Chinese character and phrase input method using conventional QWERTY keyboard, PC's numeric keypad and mobile phone 12-key keypad. Experimental results have shown that the proposed character coding can achieve lower average code length and higher Hit Rate of First Character as compared with conventional stroke-based method and some well-known Chinese input methods. The proposed coding rules are also very easy to use and remember

Effectiveness of a denture hygiene intervention programme among institutionalized elders

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a denture hygiene intervention programme in terms of improving denture cleanliness and denture stomatitis. Methods: Residents at seven elderly care homes were invited to participate in a denture hygiene programme. Clinical assessment of denture stomatitis was undertaken and denture cleanliness assessed: (i) qualitatively by the Denture Cleanliness Index ratings and (ii) quantitatively by planimetric assessments of plaque coverage from digital images using Adobe Photoshop®. Individual denture hygiene instruction was provided and denture cleanser (Polident®) supplied. Six weeks later assessments of denture stomatitis and denture cleanliness were undertaken. Results: Fifty-six participants were recruited; most had evidence of denture stomatitis (82.1%, 46) and 62.5% (35) of dentures were classified as ‘very poorly cleaned’. The mean percentage of plaque coverage was 28.11 (SD 19.64) and 37.5% (21) had evidence of plaque covering more than a third of the denture surface. Denture cleanliness was associated with denture stomatitis (P0.05).Conclusion: A 6-week denture hygiene intervention programme was effective at improving denture stomatitis and denture cleanliness among residents of elderly care homes. However, persistence of problems in denture cleanliness and denture stomatitis existed and this warrants further consideration.published_or_final_versio

Effectiveness of a denture hygiene intervention programme among institutionalized elders

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a denture hygiene intervention programme in terms of improving denture cleanliness and denture stomatitis. Methods: Residents at seven elderly care homes were invited to participate in a denture hygiene programme. Clinical assessment of denture stomatitis was undertaken and denture cleanliness assessed: (i) qualitatively by the Denture Cleanliness Index ratings and (ii) quantitatively by planimetric assessments of plaque coverage from digital images using Adobe Photoshop®. Individual denture hygiene instruction was provided and denture cleanser (Polident®) supplied. Six weeks later assessments of denture stomatitis and denture cleanliness were undertaken. Results: Fifty-six participants were recruited; most had evidence of denture stomatitis (82.1%, 46) and 62.5% (35) of dentures were classified as ‘very poorly cleaned’. The mean percentage of plaque coverage was 28.11 (SD 19.64) and 37.5% (21) had evidence of plaque covering more than a third of the denture surface. Denture cleanliness was associated with denture stomatitis (P0.05).Conclusion: A 6-week denture hygiene intervention programme was effective at improving denture stomatitis and denture cleanliness among residents of elderly care homes. However, persistence of problems in denture cleanliness and denture stomatitis existed and this warrants further consideration.published_or_final_versio

Attitude, acceptability and knowledge of HPV vaccination among local university students in Hong Kong

© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has the great potential to prevent HPV-related infections for millions of women and men worldwide. However, the success of the vaccine is highly dependent on the vaccination rate. Factors influencing the attitudes of undergraduate students towards HPV vaccination should be studied. This is a cross-sectional survey that was conducted to estimate the HPV vaccination rate among undergraduate students in Hong Kong, and to identify the predictors of their attitude towards HPV vaccination. The results showed that the HPV vaccination rate was 13.3%. Factors related to knowledge of vaccination were the main predictors of the studentsâ attitude towards vaccination (there were seven predictors, with B = 1.36 to 2.30; p < 0.05), followed by gender (B =-1.40; p < 0.05), acceptable maximum price (B = 0.35; p < 0.05), and willingness to receive the HPV vaccine if it can protect against cervical/anal cancer and genital warts (B =-1.90; p < 0.001).Theregressionmodelthatwasdevelopedbasedonthepredictorshadamoderateeffect size (adj-R 2 = 0.33). To conclude, the HPV vaccination rate among undergraduate students in Hong Kong was low. They should be provided with more active education and activities to promote HPV vaccination to improve their knowledge on the subject.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

The effects of a family-centered psychosocial-based nutrition intervention in patients with advanced cancer: the PiCNIC2 pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition in advanced cancer patients is common but limited and inconclusive data exists on the effectiveness of nutrition interventions. Feasibility and acceptability of a novel family-based nutritional psychosocial intervention were established recently. The aims of this present study were to assess the feasibility of undertaking a randomised controlled trial of the latter intervention, to pilot test outcome measures and to explore preliminary outcomes.METHODS: Pilot randomised controlled trial recruiting advanced cancer patients and family caregivers in Australia and Hong Kong. Participants were randomised and assigned to one of two groups, either a family-centered nutritional intervention or the control group receiving usual care only. The intervention provided 2-3 h of direct dietitian contact time with patients and family members over a 4-6-week period. During the intervention, issues with nutrition impact symptoms and food or eating-related psychosocial concerns were addressed through nutrition counselling, with a focus on improving nutrition-related communication between the dyads and setting nutritional goals. Feasibility assessment included recruitment, consent rate, retention rate, and acceptability of assessment tools. Validated nutritional and quality of life self-reported measures were used to collect patient and caregiver outcome data, including the 3-day food diary, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form, the Functional Assessment Anorexia/Cachexia scale, Eating-related Distress or Enjoyment, and measures of self-efficacy, carers' distress, anxiety and depression.RESULTS: Seventy-four patients and 54 family caregivers participated in the study. Recruitment was challenging, and for every patient agreeing to participate, 14-31 patients had to be screened. The consent rate was 44% in patients and 55% in caregivers. Only half the participants completed the trial's final assessment. The data showed promise for some patient outcomes in the intervention group, particularly with improvements in eating-related distress (p = 0.046 in the Australian data; p = 0.07 in the Hong Kong data), eating-related enjoyment (p = 0.024, Hong Kong data) and quality of life (p = 0.045, Australian data). Energy and protein intake also increased in a clinically meaningful way. Caregiver data on eating-related distress, anxiety, depression and caregiving burden, however, showed little or no change.CONCLUSIONS: Despite challenges with participant recruitment, the intervention demonstrates good potential to have positive effects on patients' nutritional status and eating-related distress. The results of this trial warrant a larger and fully-powered trial to ascertain the effectiveness of this intervention.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with the Australian &amp; New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, registration number ACTRN12618001352291 .</p

The psychophysiological effects of Tai-chi and exercise in residential Schizophrenic patients: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by high prevalence rates and chronicity that often leads to long-term institutionalization. Under the traditional medical model, treatment usually emphasizes the management of psychotic symptoms through medication, even though anti-psychotic drugs are associated with severe side effects, which can diminish patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Tai-chi, a mind-body exercise rooted in Eastern health philosophy, emphasizes the motor coordination and relaxation. With these potential benefits, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the effects of Tai-chi intervention on the cognitive and motor deficits characteristic of patients with schizophrenia. METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. One hundred and fifty three participants will be randomized into (i) Tai-chi, (ii) exercise or (iii) waitlist control groups. Participants in both the Tai-chi and exercise groups will receive 12-weeks of specific intervention, in addition to the standard medication and care received by the waitlist control group. The exercise group will serve as a comparison, to delineate any unique benefits of Tai-chi that are independent of moderate aerobic exercise. All three groups will undergo three assessment phases: (i) at baseline, (ii) at 12 weeks (post-intervention), and (iii) at 24 weeks (maintenance). All participants will be assessed in terms of symptom management, motor coordination, memory, daily living function, and stress levels based on self-perceived responses and a physiological marker. DISCUSSION: Based on a promising pilot study conducted prior to this RCT, subjects in the Tai-chi intervention group are expected to be protected against deterioration of motor coordination and interpersonal functioning. They are also expected to have better symptoms management and lower stress level than the other treatment groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trail has been registered in the Clinical Trials Center of the University of Hong Kong (HKCTR-1453)

T Cell Receptor Signaling That Regulates the Development of Intrathymic Natural Regulatory T Cells

T cell receptor (TCR) signaling plays a critical role in T cell development, survival and differentiation. In the thymus, quantitative and/or qualitative differences in TCR signaling determine the fate of developing thymocytes and lead to positive and negative selection. Recently, it has been suggested that self-reactive T cells, escape from negative selection, should be suppressed in the periphery by regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing Foxp3 transcription factor. Foxp3 is a master factor that is critical for not only development and survival but also suppressive activity of Treg. However, signals that determine Treg fate are not completely understood. The availability of mutant mice which harbor mutations in TCR signaling mediators will certainly allow to delineate signaling events that control intrathymic (natural) Treg (nTreg) development. Thus, we summarize the recent progress on the role of TCR signaling cascade components in nTreg development from the studies with murine model