L2 Acquisition of Mandarin Classifiers: How Distinct are Classifier-Language Learners from Non-Classifier Language Learners?

Session G1: Pedagogy, AcquisitionIn Celebration of the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Yuen Ren ChaoThe classifier system in Mandarin Chinese makes the language comparable to other classifier languages such as Japanese and Korean (e.g. Yamamoto [2003] on the acquisition of numeral classifiers among Japanese children) but distinct from nonclassifier languages such as English and French. This in turn bears important implications on second language acquisition (SLA). As reviewed by Zhao (2011), the classifier system constitutes one of the core areas of examination in the study of Mandarin Chinese as a second language (L2). Numerous SLA studies have been conducted, with particular attention to the extent to which L2 classifier acquisition will conform to the Numeral Classifier Accessibility Hierarchy (NCAH) (e.g., Hansen & Chen, 2001) or the degree in which the availability or unavailability of a classifier system in a learner’s first language (L1) will interact with the acquisition of a second language which is a classifier language (e.g., Liang, 2008). It is against this background that a small-scale corpus-based analysis of the use of classifiers in L2 Chinese was conducted, with the aim of answering the following key research question .....published_or_final_versio

Evidence of the influence of phonon density on Tm³⁺ upconversion luminescence in tellurite and germanate glasses

Author name used in this publication: C. L. MakAuthor name used in this publication: W. L. TsuiAuthor name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

How ESP can we get in the new curriculum

postprintThe 2010 ELC Symposium on "The Challenges of the 4-year Curriculum for English Language Centres in Hong Kong", The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, 2 June 2010

Surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis in Hong Kong: 1997 to 2002

Objectives. To describe the characteristics of patients reported with acute flaccid paralysis between 1997 and 2002, and to evaluate the performance of the acute flaccid paralysis surveillance system using indicators recommended by the World Health Organization. Design. Retrospective study. Setting. Department of Health, Hong Kong. Participants. Children aged younger than 15 years who were reported to the Department of Health between 1997 and 2002 with acute flaccid paralysis. Results. Of 120 children with acute flaccid paralysis reported between 1997 and 2002, 42% were younger than 5 years of age. None of the cases were acute poliomyelitis or polio-compatible. A neurological cause was identified in 67.5% of cases, of which the most common was Guillain-Barré syndrome (42%), followed by transverse myelitis (15%). All except one of the performance indicators consistently met World Health Organization requirements and thus demonstrated the effectiveness of the acute flaccid paralysis surveillance programme. The acute flaccid paralysis notification rate consistently exceeded 1.0 per 100 000 population below 15 years of age. The requirement for adequate stool investigation was the single indicator that did not satisfy World Health Organization requirements. This highlighted the importance of maintaining physicians' awareness of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance. Conclusion. Hong Kong should remain vigilant for acute flaccid paralysis. The effective surveillance system and its evaluation may serve as a model for surveillance of other infectious diseases.published_or_final_versio

Improvement of Myocardial Function Following Catheter-Based Renal Denervation in Heart Failure

published_or_final_versio

Harmonics and intermodulation in subthreshold FitzHugh-Nagumo neuron

2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Vibrational resonance in neuron populations

Author name used in this publication: K. M. TsangAuthor name used in this publication: W. L. Chan2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Validation of the disease-specific components of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36 (KDQOL-36) in Chinese patients undergoing maintenance dialysis

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity, reliability and sensitivity of the disease-specific items of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36 (KDQOL-36) in Chinese patients undergoing maintenance dialysis. METHODS: The content validity was assessed by content validity index (CVI) in ten subjects. 356 subjects were recruited for pilot psychometric testing. The internal construct validity was assessed by corrected item-subscale total correlation. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the factor structure. The convergent validity was assessed by Pearson's correlation test between the disease specific subscale scores and SF-12 version 2 Health Survey (SF-12 v2) scores. The reliability was assessed by the internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha coefficient) and 2-week test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)). The sensitivity was determined by performing known group comparisons by independent t-test. RESULTS: The CVI on clarity and relevance was â ¥ 0.9 for all items. Corrected item- total correlation scores were â ¥0.4 for all, except an item related to problems with access site. CFA confirmed the 3-factor structure of the disease-specific component of the KDQOL-36. The correlation coefficients between the disease-specific domain scores and the SF-12 v2 physical and mental component summary scores ranged from 0.328 to 0.492. The reliability was good (Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.810 to 0.931, ICC ranged from 0.792 to 0.924). Only the effect subscale was sensitive in detecting differences in HRQOL between haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients, with effect size = 0.68. CONCLUSION: The disease-specific items of the KDQOL-36 are a valid, reliable and sensitive measure to assess the health-related quality of life of Chinese patients on maintenance dialysis.published_or_final_versio

Molecular Identification of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei Tapeworm in Cases of Human Sparganosis, Hong Kong

Human sparganosis is a foodborne zoonosis endemic in Asia. We report a series of 9 histologically confirmed human sparganosis cases in Hong Kong, China. All parasites were retrospectively identified as Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. Skin and soft tissue swelling was the most common symptom, followed by central nervous system lesions.published_or_final_versio

Propagation of spiking regularity and double coherence resonance in feedforward networks

2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe