Using Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action to analyze the Changing Nature of School Education in Hong Kong (1945-2008)

Abstract Based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action, a study of school education in Hong Kong was conducted, with a span more than sixty years from 1945 to 2008. It focused on how social reproduction was possible in school education, how school education was worked in general, and how school education was developed. Moreover, it employed a three-scale analysis of situational analysis and a historical analysis to analyze the above three research foci. In situational analysis, at classroom scale, a symbolic reproduction of the lifeworld of students was depicted, whereas at school scale, an uncoupling of the system from the lifeworld was seen, and finally, at regional scale, a colonization of the lifeworld by the system was concluded. Moreover, its historical development depicted a phenomenon of a colonization of the lifeworld by the system. In sum, the above, other than at classroom scale, showed mainly an undesired and distorted way of development of school education. However, educators and the public sphere strove for the desired or logic development, and resisted the undesired or dynamic one conducted by the government administration. Based on the summary and conclusions drawn from the analysis of school education in Hong Kong, the study elucidated a new and critical approach in sociology of education. This approach was set out in two dimensions. The first dimension was a three-level analysis of education, with meta-theoretical level concerned learning and teaching action as communicative action, with methodological level concerned interpretive understanding, and with empirical level concerned development of education as a process of rationalization. The second dimension was three concerns in the study of school education, with communicative rationality as the rationality problematic in inquiry, with the integration of the perspectives of action and the system, and with the logic development of education. This approach, based on the theory of communicative action, did provide a conceptual framework for a fuller picture of education, and for a pathway to further development in education

Discriminative Hessian Eigenmaps for face recognition

Dimension reduction algorithms have attracted a lot of attentions in face recognition because they can select a subset of effective and efficient discriminative features in the face images. Most of dimension reduction algorithms can not well model both the intra-class geometry and interclass discrimination simultaneously. In this paper, we introduce the Discriminative Hessian Eigenmaps (DHE), a novel dimension reduction algorithm to address this problem. DHE will consider encoding the geometric and discriminative information in a local patch by improved Hessian Eigenmaps and margin maximization respectively. Empirical studies on public face database thoroughly demonstrate that DHE is superior to popular algorithms for dimension reduction, e.g., FLDA, LPP, MFA and DLA. ©2010 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe 2010 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), Dallas, TX., 14-19 March 2010. In IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing Proceedings, 2010, p. 5586-558

Cross-domain web image annotation

In recent years, cross-domain learning algorithms have attracted much attention to solve labeled data insufficient problem. However, these cross-domain learning algorithms cannot be applied for subspace learning, which plays a key role in multimedia, e.g., web image annotation. This paper envisions the cross-domain discriminative subspace learning and provides an effective solution to cross-domain subspace learning. In particular, we propose the cross-domain discriminative Hessian Eigenmaps or CDHE for short. CDHE connects the training and the testing samples by minimizing the quadratic distance between the distribution of the training samples and that of the testing samples. Therefore, a common subspace for data representation can be preserved. We basically expect the discriminative information to separate the concepts in the training set can be shared to separate the concepts in the testing set as well and thus we have a chance to address above cross-domain problem duly. The margin maximization is duly adopted in CDHE so the discriminative information for separating different classes can be well preserved. Finally, CDHE encodes the local geometry of each training class in the local tangent space which is locally isometric to the data manifold and thus can locally preserve the intra-class local geometry. Experimental evidence on real world image datasets demonstrates the effectiveness of CDHE for cross-domain web image annotation. © 2009 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW) 2009, Miami, FL., 6 December 2009. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Data Mining, 2009, p. 184-18

A Green Peel on STEAM Education: An Innovative and Sustainable Education Scheme Integrating STEAM and Environmental Education

The STEAM education in China started late so it is still in its infancy. Its curriculum is partial to IT and Internet, which is against the original purpose of interdisciplinary education in STEAM. Meanwhile, the resources put on environmental education are minute so the environmental awareness of citizens is very weak. Therefore, we have proposed an innovative education scheme—integrating STEAM, environmental and family education together so that they can complement each other. Such a scheme not only makes STEAM education more comprehensive, it can also make environmental education more effective. To implement our scheme, we have made use of peel wastes to produce a new natural peel crayon. The whole production process is further developed to a curriculum which serves as an education model that combines all five elements in STEAM education. Together we have created a ‘learning package’ that takes care of students’ individuality in education. After putting it into practice, we have received positive feedbacks from both parents and children. Furthermore, we have done several standard tests to ensure the safety of our peel crayons. Results have proved the feasibility of our new education scheme. Such a scheme has provided a role model for integration of environmental and STEAM education. In the future, we hope to develop more education models to make our learning package more diverse and applied in different aspects

Designer Flat Bands: Topology and Enhancement of Superconductivity

We construct quasi one-dimensional topological and non-topological three-band lattices with tunable band gap and winding number of the flat band. Using mean field (MF) and exact density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations, we show explicitly how the band gap affects pairing and superconductivity (SC) in a Hubbard model with attractive interactions. We show excellent agreement between MF and DMRG. When a phase twist is applied on the system, a phase difference appears between pairing order parameters on different sublattices, and this plays a very important role in the SC density. The SC weight, $D_s$, on the gapped topological, $W\neq0$, flat band increases linearly with interaction strength, $U$, for low values, and with a slope that depends on the details of the compact localized state at $U=0$. As $U\to 0$ for the gapped non-topological flat band ($W=0$), $D_s$ decays with a power law faster than quadratic but slower than exponential. This indicates that isolated non-topological flat bands are less beneficial to SC. In the gapless case (flat band touching the band above it), we find at low $U$ (both for $W=0$ and $W\neq 0$) that $D_s\propto U^\varphi$ with $\varphi<1$ contrary to the $U{\rm ln}\, ({\rm const.}/U)$ behavior reported in the literature. In other words, $D_s$ increases faster than linearly for low $U$ thus favoring SC at weak interaction more than the gapped case. For systems with touching bands, we observe that the one-body correlation length, $\xi$, diverges as a power law as $U\rightarrow0$, while for the isolated flat band $\xi(U\to 0)$ is a constant smaller than one lattice spacing. Both behaviors are distinct from the exponential divergence of $\xi$ in the dispersive case. Our results re-establish that the BCS mean field and quantum metric alone are insufficient to characterize SC at weak coupling

Phonetic entrainment in L2 human-robot interaction: an investigation of children with and without autism spectrum disorder

Phonetic entrainment is a phenomenon in which people adjust their phonetic features to approach those of their conversation partner. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been reported to show some deficits in entrainment during their interactions with human interlocutors, though deficits in terms of significant differences from typically developing (TD) controls were not always registered. One reason related to the inconsistencies of whether deficits are detected or not in autistic individuals is that the conversation partner’s speech could hardly be controlled, and both the participants and the partners might be adjusting their phonetic features. The variabilities in the speech of conversation partners and various social traits exhibited might make the phonetic entrainment (if any) of the participants less detectable. In this study, we attempted to reduce the variability of the interlocutors by employing a social robot and having it do a goal-directed conversation task with children with and without ASD. Fourteen autistic children and 12 TD children participated the current study in their second language English. Results showed that autistic children showed comparable vowel formants and mean fundamental frequency (f0) entrainment as their TD peers, but they did not entrain their f0 range as the TD group did. These findings suggest that autistic children were capable of exhibiting phonetic entrainment behaviors similar to TD children in vowel formants and f0, particularly in a less complex situation where the speech features and social traits of the interlocutor were controlled. Furthermore, the utilization of a social robot may have increased the interest of these children in phonetic entrainment. On the other hand, entrainment of f0 range was more challenging for these autistic children even in a more controlled situation. This study demonstrates the viability and potential of using human-robot interactions as a novel method to evaluate abilities and deficits in phonetic entrainment in autistic children

Um estudo da música macaense através do agrupamento a Tuna Macaense na perspectiva póscolonial (1935-2017)

It has been several centuries since the “Age of Discoveries” of Portugal, but the results of this past still exist in some places of the world where Portuguese had passed by. Those results are mainly related to Catholicism, music and language. Macau was one of the colonies of Portugal but after the transfer of sovereignty to China, Macau didn‟t become an independent country. It was integrated into China and had become one of the special administrative regions of China. In Macau different kind of communities are living, namely, the Chinese, the Portuguese and the Macanese. In the last one we have people who define themselves as Portuguese-Macanese and others who prefer to be identified as Chinese-Macanese. This dissertation is dedicated to the role of music in the context of the Portuguese-Macanese who can be distinguished from the other communities by a singular cuisine, music and language. The language Patuá is a distinctive Creole and was classified as a “critically endangered” language by the UNESCO in 2009. The Portuguese-Macanese is making effort to keep this language alive and one of the ways is through music. Music is one of the specialities of the Portuguese-Macanese community and tuna is one of the icons of the Portuguese-Macanese music. Tuna Macaense was formed in 1935. It is the unique remaining tuna in Macau nowadays and the members are still producing new music to keep the band fresh. Patuá in their generation was already not wildly used but they still use their limited Patuá or taking the elements from the Patuá poems to fill in the lyrics in order to keep this language alive. As the average age of the members is about 60, after their generation, the Portuguese-Macanese music may not be existed or would become another thing. In this dissertation, I will describe the history of Tuna Macaense and the processes through which this musical group is using music in order to retain language in a social post-traumatic context.Já havia vários séculos desda a Era dos Descobrimentos de Portugal, mas, comunidades misturas ainda estão existe e funcionam em alguns lugares no mundo onde os portugueses passaram. Um dos identidades icónicas destas comunidades está sempre associada com o catolicismoe os outros podem ser a música e a língua. Macau foi uma das colónias de Portugal mas depois da Transferência de soberania, Macau não se tornou um país independente. Macau foi integrado na China e tornou-se uma das regiões administrativas especiais da China. Enquanto a comunidade português-macaense em Macau tem os ambos elementos portugueses e chineses, a cultura foi naturalmente formada, e foi transformado em uma mistura étnica com uma cozinha, uma música e uma língua singular, etc. A língua Patuá é um crioulo distinto e foi classificado como uma língua “criticamente ameaçada” pela UNESCO em 2009. O português-macaense está a fazer um esforço para manter esta língua viva e uma das maneiras é através da música. A música é uma das especialidades da comunidade português-macaense e a tuna é um dos ícones da música portuguesa-macaense. A Tuna Macaense foi formada em 1935. Hoje em dia, é a tuna única que está em Macau e os membros continuam a produzir novas músicas para manter a banda viva. O Patuá em geração deles já não estava muito usado, mas eles ainda usam seu limitado patuá ou pegam os elementos dos poemas do Patuá para preencher as letras, a fim de manter essa língua viva. Como a idade média dos membros é de cerca de 60 anos, após a geração deles, a música português-macaense pode não existir ou tornar-se à outra coisa. Nesta dissertação, vou descrever a história da Tuna Macaense e os processos que este grupo musical está a usar a música, a fim de manter a língua em um contexto social pós-traumático.Mestrado em Músic

Effects of Curing Agents and Drilling Methods on CAF Formation in Halogen-Free Laminates

Increasing demands for more reliability and functionalities in electronic devices have pushed the electronics industry to adopt newly developed materials and reduce interconnect sizes and spacing. These adaptations have led to concerns of reliability failures caused by conductive anodic filament formation (CAF). CAF is a conductive copper-containing salt that forms via an electrochemical process. It is initiated at the anode and grows along the epoxy/glass interface to the cathode, and once CAF reaches the cathode a short circuit will occur. The objective of this research is to evaluate and compare the effects of curing agents (DICY vs. phenolic-cured epoxy) and drilling methods (laser vs. mechanical drilling) on CAF formation using an insulation resistance test at 85 ºC, relative humidity of 85%, and a voltage gradient of 0.4V/µm. Time-to-failure for DICY-cured and phenolic-cured epoxy with laser drilled microvias and mechanically drilled vias were determined using the insulation resistance test. The failed coupons were cross-sectioned and examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to verify the existence of CAF. Weibull analysis was used to compare the reliability and identify the failure modes of the failed coupons. Test results show that DICY-cured epoxy is a better CAF resistant material than phenolic-cured epoxy. It is believed that the brittleness of phenolic-cured material might enhance the damage to the epoxy/glass fiber interface during drilling; and hence, facilitate subsequent CAF formation. The study also shows that laser drilled microvias are less prone to CAF formation than mechanically drilled vias, because there is less mechanical damage and lower glass fiber content. Finally, using Weibull analysis, it is determined that laser drilled microvias experienced infant-mortality failure, whereas mechanically drilled vias exhibited a wear-out type failure

The process by which perceived autonomy support predicts motivation, intention, and behavior for seasonal influenza prevention in Hong Kong older adults

Background: This study examined the effectiveness of a theoretical framework that integrates self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in explaining the use of facemasks to prevent seasonal influenza among Hong Kong older adults. Methods: Data were collected at two time points in the winter in Hong Kong, during which influenza is most prevalent. At Time 1, older adults (N = 141) completed self-report measures of SDT (perceived autonomy support from senior center staff, autonomous motivation for influenza prevention) and TPB (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention for influenza prevention) constructs with respect to facemask used to prevent infection. Two weeks later, at Time 2, participants' acc eptance of a facemask to prevent influenza in the presence of an experimenter with flu-like symptoms was recorded. Results: Path analysis found that perceived autonomy support of senior center staff was positively and significantly linked to autonomous motivation for facemask use, which, in turn, was positively related to intentions to wear facemasks through the mediation of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. However, the effect of intention on facemask use was not significant. Conclusions: Results generally support the proposed framework and the findings of previous studies with respect to intention, but the non-significant intention-behavior relationship may warrant future research to examine the reasons for older adults not to wear facemasks to prevent seasonal influenza despite having positive intentions to do so