Measuring the human gut microbiome: new tools and non alcoholic fatty liver disease

With the advent of next generation DNA and RNA sequencing, scientists can obtain a more comprehensive snapshot of the bacterial communities on the human body (known as the `human microbiome\u27), leading to information about the bacterial composition, what genes are present, and what proteins are produced. The scientific community is in a phase of developing the experiments and accompanying statistical techniques to investigate the mechanisms by which the human microbiome affects health and disease. In this thesis, I explore alternatives to the standard weighted and unweighted UniFrac distance metric that measure the difference between microbiome samples. These alternative weightings allow for the extraction of subtle differences between samples and identification of outliers not visible with traditional methods. I also apply next generation DNA sequencing and computational analysis techniques to gut microbiome data from a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease cohort to examine the potential role of the microbiota in this condition

Factors affecting motivation to learn English: the perspective of newly arrived Hong Kong students

The aim of the study is to examine and evaluate how socio-cultural factors and demographic characteristics of a group of newly arrived Hong Kong (NAHK) students affect their motivation to learn English in Hong Kong. This study is conceptualised based on Dornyei’s (1998) motivation framework and two additional components, parent and culture specific motivation components, are also added onto the framework in order to suit the purpose of this study. Data were collected from two complementary sources: questionnaire and interviews. Questionnaire items were constructed based on the modification of Dornyei's motivational framework and questionnaires were distributed to 109 NAHK students' to collect their views on learning English in Hong Kong. In- depth semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 10 students to further investigate their motivation to lean English. Statistical data found that teachers have the greatest impact on NAHK students’ motivation to learn English. This result poses important pedagogical implications and considerations to educators in Hong Kong when developing curriculum and choosing materials. Statistical results also revealed parents played the least significant role in motivating NAHK students to learn English. However, the semi-structured interviews revealed another side of the story although parents could not assist their children's English learning academically but they supported their children's English learning both spiritually and financially. Several demographic characteristics like gender, age and place of birth were found to be crucial in influencing NAHK students' English learning motivation. The study describes the NAHK students' motivation to learn English in the hope that lights can be shed on the current teaching and learning practices and suggest implications for practice so that learner diversity in Hong Kong English learning classrooms can be catered

Competency-based english teaching and leaning: investigating pre-service teachers of chinese's learning experience

English competency is known as one of the crucial skills in various social contexts in Hong Kong. In tertiary educational setting, English courses do not focus solely on the development of the four language skills. Rather, they put emphasis on the application of English Language for academic use or instrumental use. This paper will investigate the effectiveness of the implementation of competency-based ESL teaching and the learning situation of a group of 70 pre-service teachers of Chinese in a Hong Kong tertiary institute. This paper also intends to draw implications from our findings to answer the following questions: (1) How do tertiary students respond to competencybased ESL teaching and learning? (2) What are the difficulties in implementing competencybased approach? (3) What implications has competency-based ESL teaching and learning drawn to assessment and material design in Hong Kong context? Through answering the above questions, it is hoped that light can be shed on competency-based ESL researches and give insights to the development of competency-based ESL teaching in terms of material design and assessment.La competencia en inglés se entiende como una de las destrezas cruciales en varios contextos sociales de Honk Kong. En la educación superior, los cursos de inglés no se centran sólo en las cuatro destrezas del lenguaje sino que ponen más énfasis en la aplicación de la lengua inglesa para uso académico o instrumental. Este trabajo investiga la efectividad de la puesta en práctica de una enseñanza basada en competencias y la situación de aprendizaje en la que se encuentran 70 alumnos que serán profesores de chino en un centro de educación superior intentando dar respuesta a preguntas tales como de qué manera responden estos alumnos a la enseñanza y el aprendizaje basado en tareas, qué dificultades aparecen al aplicarlo y cuáles son los efectos sobre la evaluación y la elaboración de materiales, intentando así iluminar futuras investigaciones, desarrollos de modelos de evaluación e incluso la mejora en los recursos

La efectividad del uso del inglés como único medio de instrucción en las clases de inglés: respuesta de los estudiantes y mejora en los niveles

This longitudinal action research study investigates the effectiveness of English as the sole medium of instruction in Hong Kong by comparing the preferences of two non-native English language classes under two different teaching policies, while also examining both classes for any potential correlations with improved English proficiency. In one English class, an English-only policy was strictly enforced, while in the second class the use of Cantonese (the students’ first language) was permitted. Results revealed that not only did the class under the strict policy have a stronger preference for English as the sole medium of instruction, but their English proficiency had also become higher than that of the more Cantonese-tolerant class.Este estudio investigación-acción se centra en la efectividad del ingles como único medio de instrucción en Hong-Kong comparando las preferencias de dos grupos de lengua inglesa que no son nativos bajo dos políticas diferentes, a la vez que se examinan ambas clases para observar posibles correlaciones con respecto a una mejora en el nivel de ingles. En una de las clases de inglés, se sigue una política estricta de “sólo en ingles”, mientras que en la segunda, sí se permitía el uso del cantonés (primera lengua de los estudiantes). Los resultados demuestran que el grupo sometido a la política estricta de “solo en ingles” prefería mucho más el uso de esta lengua además de que también su nivel había mejorado mucho más que el grupo en el que se permitía el cantonés

Motivación para aprender inglés y el sistema de Grados en escuelas: el caso de estudiantes recién llegados a Hong Kong

Numerous studies have investigated how motivation relates to various individual differences. However, research did not uncover any previous studies investigating how school grade level impacts second language learning motivation. This study therefore focuses on how different school forms are related to motivation to learn English – this subject is particularly important in the Hong Kong school context because the English proficiency of Newly Arrived Hong Kong (NAHK) students is assessed once they arrive Hong Kong and the results will determine which school grade level they will attend. It is hoped that this investigation into the relationship between school forms and motivation for this group will have implications for improvements in current teaching and learning practices, based on the adopted motivational theory. It is further hoped that the results will enhance NAHK student motivation to learn English even as they adjust to and integrate with their new learning environment. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approach of investigation. The questionnaire included items on different motivational constructs at different levels, based on the conceptual framework of Dornyei (1998). To clarify any gaps in data appearing after analysis of the statistical results, interviews were conducted with 10 randomly chosen respondents. This study established that Hong Kong upper secondary school students overall have stronger motivation, very likely because of their need for further studies and career aspirations.Numerosos estudios han investigado cómo la motivación se relaciona con distintas diferencias entre personas individuales. Sin embargo, ningún estudio previo ha investigado cómo el sistema de grados en escuelas influye en la motivación del aprendizaje de una segunda lengua. Por lo tanto, este estudio se enfoca en cómo diferentes grados en las escuelas están relacionadas con la motivación de aprender inglés, siendo este tema particularmente importante en el contexto de las escuelas en Hong Kong debido a que el dominio del Inglés de Personas Recién Llegadas a Hong Kong (NAHK) es evaluado una vez que ellos llegan a Hong Kong y estos resultados determinan a qué nivel de Primaria tendrán que integrarse de estos estudiantes. Se espera que este estudio sobre la relación entre del grado en las escuelas y la motivación de este grupo tenga implicaciones para el mejoramiento de las prácticas actuales de enseñaza y aprendizaje, basados en la teoría de motivación adoptada. Además, se espera que los resultados mejoren la motivación de estudiantes NAHK para aprender inglés, incluso mientras se adaptan e integran a su nuevo entorno de aprendizaje. En este estudio se adopta investigación cuantitativa tanto como cualitativa. El cuestionario incluye datos sobre los diferentes constructos motivacionales en diferentes niveles, basados en el sistema conceptual de Dornyei (1998). Para aclarar las posibles brechas en los datos que aparecen después del análisis de los resultados estadísticos, se realizaron entrevistas con 10 encuestados elegidos al azar. Este estudio estableció que los alumnos de escuelas de segundo ciclo secundario en Hong Kong tienen mayor motivación en general, muy probablemente debido a su necesidad de continuar estudios y aspiraciones profesionales

ILL in the faster lane: empowering users with HKALL

In an environment of reduced funding for higher education institutions, and consequently reduced funding for the libraries of those institutions, three of the eight university libraries in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (HKSAR) embarked on an ambitious trial. With a main objective to achieve greater value for money and greater quality of service in the use of their libraries’ shrinking budgets, the libraries at the University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, and Lingnan University sought to assess the impact of the introduction of a collaborative, user-initiated, unmediated, interlibrary loan service. Following a period of examination and discussion, INNOVATIVE’s INN-Reach module was chosen as the preferred system to be used during the trial which commenced in January, 2004. In this paper, the authors will explore the reasons behind conducting such a trial, the issues that confronted the collaborating partners before and during the trial, as well as an assessment of the degree of success of the project. In particular, following the trial period of nine months, the three university libraries sought answers to a number of important questions. Through a detailed analysis of available data, coupled with user and library staff evaluation obtained through surveys and focus groups, these questions were answered. In their paper the authors will outline the answers to these questions along with other lessons learned. The paper will conclude with a look to the future for collaborative, user-initiated, unmediated, interlibrary loan services in Hong Kong.published_or_final_version9th Interlending and Document Supply International Conferenc

Increasing Skin Infections and Staphylococcus aureus Complications in Children, England, 1997-2006

During 1997-2006, general practitioner consultations for skin conditions for children <18 years of age in England increased 19%, from 128.5 to 152.9/1,000 child-years, and antistaphylococcal drug prescription rates increased 64%, from 17.8 to 29.1/1,000 child-years. During the same time period, hospital admissions for Staphylococcus aureus infections rose 49% from 53.4 to 79.3/100,000 child-years.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Relative Contributions of Geographic, Socioeconomic, and Lifestyle Factors to Quality of Life, Frailty, and Mortality in Elderly

Background: To date, few studies address disparities in older populations specifically using frailty as one of the health outcomes and examining the relative contributions of individual and environmental factors to health outcomes. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using a data set from a health survey of 4,000 people aged 65 years and over living in all regions of Hong Kong, we examined regional variations in self-rated health, frailty, and four-year mortality, and analyzed the relative contributions of lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and geographical location of residence to these outcomes using path analysis. We hypothesize that lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and regional characteristics directly and indirectly through interactions contribute to self-rated physical and psychological health, frailty, and four-year mortality. District variations directly affect self-rated physical health, and also exert an effect through socioeconomic position as well as lifestyle factors. Socioeconomic position in turn directly affects self-rated physical health, as well as indirectly through lifestyle factors. A similar pattern of interaction is observed for self-rated mental health, frailty, and mortality, although there are differences in different lifestyle factors and district associations. Lifestyle factors also directly affect physical and mental components of health, frailty, and mortality. The magnitude of direct district effect is comparable to those of lifestyle and socioeconomic position. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that district variations in health outcomes exist in the Hong Kong elderl

HIV Exploits Antiviral Host Innate GCN2-ATF4 Signaling for Establishing Viral Replication Early in Infection.

Antiviral innate host defenses against acute viral infections include suppression of host protein synthesis to restrict viral protein production. Less is known about mechanisms by which viral pathogens subvert host antiviral innate responses for establishing their replication and dissemination. We investigated early innate defense against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and viral evasion by utilizing human CD4+ T cell cultures in vitro and a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model of AIDS in vivo Our data showed that early host innate defense against the viral infection involves GCN2-ATF4 signaling-mediated suppression of global protein synthesis, which is exploited by the virus for supporting its own replication during early viral infection and dissemination in the gut mucosa. Suppression of protein synthesis and induction of protein kinase GCN2-ATF4 signaling were detected in the gut during acute SIV infection. These changes diminished during chronic viral infection. HIV replication induced by serum deprivation in CD4+ T cells was linked to the induction of ATF4 that was recruited to the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) to promote viral transcription. Experimental inhibition of GCN2-ATF4 signaling either by a specific inhibitor or by amino acid supplementation suppressed the induction of HIV expression. Enhancing ATF4 expression through selenium administration resulted in reactivation of latent HIV in vitro as well as ex vivo in the primary CD4+ T cells isolated from patients receiving suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). In summary, HIV/SIV exploits the early host antiviral response through GCN2-ATF4 signaling by utilizing ATF4 for activating the viral LTR transcription to establish initial viral replication and is a potential target for HIV prevention and therapy.IMPORTANCE Understanding how HIV overcomes host antiviral innate defense response in order to establish infection and dissemination is critical for developing prevention and treatment strategies. Most investigations focused on the viral pathogenic mechanisms leading to immune dysfunction following robust viral infection and dissemination. Less is known about mechanisms that enable HIV to establish its presence despite rapid onset of host antiviral innate response. Our novel findings provide insights into the viral strategy that hijacks the host innate response of the suppression of protein biosynthesis to restrict the virus production. The virus leverages transcription factor ATF4 expression during the GCN2-ATF4 signaling response and utilizes it to activate viral transcription through the LTR to support viral transcription and production in both HIV and SIV infections. This unique viral strategy is exploiting the innate response and is distinct from the mechanisms of immune dysfunction after the critical mass of viral loads is generated