Life-long learning among the elderly in Hong Kong : the experience of Caritas Evergreen College, Hong Kong

The dynamism in the society we live today has demanded a new approach to life in the dawn of a knowledge society which permeates the entire globe including Hong Kong. The knowledge society has been driven by the advancement in the information communication technology (ICT) in particular which demands new skills and hence is seen as an obstacle to the elderly even in their daily living functions. At the most basic level of daily life, many products including television and washing machines are today computer-aided or chip-based that requires some minimum knowledge about “buttons” and simple operations in order to be able to use these gadgets. The elderly who grew up without the benefit of learning about the ICT and related technology are in a disadvantaged position. Hence, to benefit from such developments, the elderly will need to adopt a positive attitude towards learning and about their own capability. In other words, a whole new socialization process needs to be put in place for the elderly so that they are not marginalized in the knowledge-based economy. The learning focuses have changed over the years. The UNESCO in 1996 concurred that education systems of the world are confronted with four major issues: (1) learning to know, (2) learning to live together, (3) learning to be, and (4) learning to do (UNESCO, 1996). These four major issues are particularly relevant to the elderly under the concept of life-long learning. Education is regarded as an ongoing process of improving knowledge and skills. It is also primarily an exceptional means of bringing about personal development and building relationships among individuals, groups and nations (UNESCO). In adopting the concept of life-long learning, certain adaptations are necessary on the part of the elderly. First, the elderly will need to reappraise their role after retirement. Retirement role is not synonymous with inactivity or a passive role but rather a leisure role that allows them to explore their abilities, interests and contribution to society. In redefining their new role, they may need to adopt a new attitude towards retirement so that with the new found purpose in life, they are able to embark on the journey of another phase in life. The longer life expectancy that is enjoyed today means that people still have many more years after retirement. From their 50s to their 70s, there is a wide pool of untapped human resource, experiences and capacities that remain to be explored, re-developed and to be further utilized. The elders have to explore their “new” life, re-establish relationships, develop their physical and artistic capacities, and renew their contributions to society

Methylation of the imprinted GNAS1 gene in cell-free plasma DNA : equal steady-state quantities of methylated and unmethylated DNA in plasma

Background Genomic DNA sequences in cell-free plasma are biomarkers of cancer prognosis, where characteristic changes in methylation of tumour suppressor or oncogene DNA regions are indicative of changes in gene activity. Also, cell-free fetal DNA can be distinguished, by its methylation status, from the maternal DNA in the plasma of pregnant women, hence providing DNA biomarkers for the proposed minimally-invasive diagnosis of fetal aneuploidies, including Down's syndrome. However, the production and clearance of cell-free DNA from plasma in relation to its methylation status, are poorly understood processes. Methods We studied the methylation status of DNA derived from the imprinted GNAS1 locus, in cell-free plasma DNA of healthy adults. Heterozygotes were identified that carried the SNP rs1800905 in the imprinted region. The parent-of-origin-dependent DNA methylation was analysed by bisulfite conversion, followed by cloning and sequencing. Results Genomic DNA molecules derived from both the methylated, maternal, allele and the unmethylated, paternal, allele were found in plasma. Methylated and unmethylated DNA molecules were present in equal numbers. Conclusions Our data indicate that the methylation status of a DNA sequence has no effect on its steady state concentration in the cell-free DNA component of plasma, in healthy adults

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Common, low-frequency, rare, and ultra-rare coding variants contribute to COVID-19 severity

The combined impact of common and rare exonic variants in COVID-19 host genetics is currently insufficiently understood. Here, common and rare variants from whole-exome sequencing data of about 4000 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals were used to define an interpretable machine-learning model for predicting COVID-19 severity. First, variants were converted into separate sets of Boolean features, depending on the absence or the presence of variants in each gene. An ensemble of LASSO logistic regression models was used to identify the most informative Boolean features with respect to the genetic bases of severity. The Boolean features selected by these logistic models were combined into an Integrated PolyGenic Score that offers a synthetic and interpretable index for describing the contribution of host genetics in COVID-19 severity, as demonstrated through testing in several independent cohorts. Selected features belong to ultra-rare, rare, low-frequency, and common variants, including those in linkage disequilibrium with known GWAS loci. Noteworthily, around one quarter of the selected genes are sex-specific. Pathway analysis of the selected genes associated with COVID-19 severity reflected the multi-organ nature of the disease. The proposed model might provide useful information for developing diagnostics and therapeutics, while also being able to guide bedside disease management. © 2021, The Author(s)

Safeguarding Imperiled Biodiversity and Evolutionary Processes in the Wallacea Center of Endemism

Wallacea—the meeting point between the Asian and Australian fauna—is one of the world's largest centers of endemism. Twenty-three million years of complex geological history have given rise to a living laboratory for the study of evolution and biodiversity, highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. In the present article, we review the historic and contemporary processes shaping Wallacea's biodiversity and explore ways to conserve its unique ecosystems. Although remoteness has spared many Wallacean islands from the severe overexploitation that characterizes many tropical regions, industrial-scale expansion of agriculture, mining, aquaculture and fisheries is damaging terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, denuding endemics from communities, and threatening a long-term legacy of impoverished human populations. An impending biodiversity catastrophe demands collaborative actions to improve community-based management, minimize environmental impacts, monitor threatened species, and reduce wildlife trade. Securing a positive future for Wallacea's imperiled ecosystems requires a fundamental shift away from managing marine and terrestrial realms independently

Safeguarding Imperiled Biodiversity and Evolutionary Processes in the Wallacea Center of Endemism

Wallacea—the meeting point between the Asian and Australian fauna—is one of the world's largest centers of endemism. Twenty-three million years of complex geological history have given rise to a living laboratory for the study of evolution and biodiversity, highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. In the present article, we review the historic and contemporary processes shaping Wallacea's biodiversity and explore ways to conserve its unique ecosystems. Although remoteness has spared many Wallacean islands from the severe overexploitation that characterizes many tropical regions, industrial-scale expansion of agriculture, mining, aquaculture and fisheries is damaging terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, denuding endemics from communities, and threatening a long-term legacy of impoverished human populations. An impending biodiversity catastrophe demands collaborative actions to improve community-based management, minimize environmental impacts, monitor threatened species, and reduce wildlife trade. Securing a positive future for Wallacea's imperiled ecosystems requires a fundamental shift away from managing marine and terrestrial realms independently