Tipping the balance: theoretical interrogation of divergent extended heterolytic fragmentations.

Herein we interrogate a type of heterolytic fragmentation reaction called a 'divergent fragmentation' using density functional theory (DFT), natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), and external electric field (EEF) calculations. We demonstrate that substituents, electrostatic environment and non-statistical dynamic effects all influence product selectivity in reactions that involve divergent fragmentation pathways. Direct dynamics simulations reveal an unexpected post-transition state bifurcation (PTSB), and EEF calculations suggest that some transition states for divergent pathways can, in principle, be selectively stabilized if an electric field of the correct magnitude is oriented appropriately

An empirical study of the effect of land sales on housing prices in Hong Kong

Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-100).published_or_final_versio

Wave-packet treatment of neutrino oscillations and its implications on determining the neutrino mass hierarchy

We derive the neutrino flavor transition probabilities with the neutrino treated as a wave packet. The decoherence and dispersion effects from the wave-packet treatment show up as damping and phase-shifting of the plane-wave neutrino oscillation patterns. If the energy uncertainty in the initial neutrino wave packet is larger than around 0.01 of the neutrino energy, the decoherence and dispersion effects would degrade the sensitivity of reactor neutrino experiments to mass hierarchy measurement to lower than 3 $\sigma$ confidence level

Challenges and Solutions in Implementing and Maintaining Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification : a case study in Finland

Forest certification has been used as a tool to promote forestry responsibility towards sustainable forest management. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is one of the certification systems that is well recognised in Europe. Nevertheless, compared to other European countries, the number of FSC chain of custody (CoC) certifications in Finland is relatively low. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six FSC CoC certified companies to explore their experiences towards implementing and maintaining the system in their companies. The sample group was comprised of wood and paper product industries in manufacturing and trading sectors. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed the challenges companies encountered. The results indicated that there were eight types of challenges, including three internal and five external ones, hindering the development of FSC CoC certification in Finland. Internal challenges included competence, financial resources, and a lack of motivation to change. External challenges included insufficient marketing and demand, uncertain cost benefit, keen competitor programmes, limited supply, and long trademark approval time. Meanwhile, the relevant solutions these companies adopted to deal with the challenges were discussed. Since external challenges out-numbered internal ones, it seemed that certified companies are not able to tackle the existing challenges alone. Joint-effort among other actors in the forestry sector, for instance, the national authority, FSC national office, certification bodies are essential to influence the rate of certification uptake. Furthermore, participants discussed about the future development of FSC CoC certification system in Finland. Interviewees believed that the enactment of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the introduction of forest certification into national public procurement policy could positively impact the development of the system. The results of this study could be used as a reference for potential certificate users to prepare themselves for implementing FSC CoC certification system. In addition, the study could shed a light on the development of FSC in Finland in the future

Perceptions of Special School Nurses in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AbstractIntroduction: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health crisis that started in 2020. Although health authorities believe that reducing social contact between students is necessary to protect students’ health, there is limited research on the lived experiences of school nurses caring for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) in special schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of school nurses caring for children and adolescents with ID in Hong Kong.Methods: This study used a phenomenological research design focused on experiences, events, and occurrences. Nine school nurses working in special schools in Hong Kong shared their lived experiences of caring for students with ID during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transcripts were analyzed according to the steps in Colaizzi’s method to understand and accurately describe the experiences of school nurses.Results: The role of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was complex and multi-dimensional. Three themes emerged from the interview data: (1) the unpredictable and uncertain situation of COVID-19, (2) the extreme emotions experienced while caring for students during the outbreak of COVID-19, and (3) the inevitability of committing nursing errors during the outbreak of COVID-19.Conclusions: This study provided first-hand insights into nurses’ experiences in caring for students with special health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicated that continuous support from school organizations is needed to enable school nurses to care for students and their parents during a public health crisis, and to help school nurses to cope with unpredictable situations

Chinese women : active revolutionaries or passive followers? : a history of the All-China Women's Federation, 1949 to 1996

This study centers on the history of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) from 1949 to 1996. The ACWF was the first nation-wide women's organization in the People's Republic of China and has been the official leader of the Chinese women's movement. By reviewing the origins, ideology, structure and functions of the ACWF, this study examines how the Federation has worked to liberate Chinese women from tradition, to involve them in the socialist revolution and to promote their welfare, as well as their social status in China. Emphasis is placed on tracing how the dual roles of the ACWF as government agency and as representative of Chinese women's interests were at times incompatible, and consequently affected the growth of the Chinese women's movement. In conclusion, this study suggests that both the ACWF and the Chinese women's movement entered new stages of development when Chinese society began to undergo fundamental changes as a result of its economic reforms during the 1980s and the 1990s

Palliative Care for Patients with Lung Cancer: A Review of the Current Developments in the Field and Perspectives on the Implementation of Care

This chapter aims to explore the key developments in palliative care for patients with lung cancer. Lung cancer has high morbidity and mortality rates and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Substantial evidence supports the adoption of a palliative care approach for patients with lung cancer. Palliative care aims at preventing and relieving suffering by identifying and treating debilitating symptoms early, supporting patients and their relatives to optimize coping and active living, and addressing any physical, psychosocial, and spiritual problems. An increasing number of studies show that introducing palliative care at an early stage can be beneficial for patients with advanced malignancies, including advanced lung cancer. Currently, newer palliative care approaches are being adopted, including multidisciplinary clinics and home- or community-based care. Furthermore, alternative care delivery models, such as telephone and telehealth-based approaches and outpatient palliative care, are becoming increasingly popular. However, further research is required to determine the best palliative care approach for patients with lung cancer. This chapter is a valuable contribution for both researchers and clinicians in this field, providing a more profound understanding of the existing findings in many key areas, from the developmental milestones to the adoption of holistic approaches in palliative care services for patients with lung cancer

Short-Term Prognosis of Transient Ischemic Attack and Predictive Value of the ABCD2 Score in Hong Kong Chinese

published_or_final_versio

An integrated web medicinal materials DNA database: MMDBD (Medicinal Materials DNA Barcode Database)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Thousands of plants and animals possess pharmacological properties and there is an increased interest in using these materials for therapy and health maintenance. Efficacies of the application is critically dependent on the use of genuine materials. For time to time, life-threatening poisoning is found because toxic adulterant or substitute is administered. DNA barcoding provides a definitive means of authentication and for conducting molecular systematics studies. Owing to the reduced cost in DNA authentication, the volume of the DNA barcodes produced for medicinal materials is on the rise and necessitates the development of an integrated DNA database.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>We have developed an integrated DNA barcode multimedia information platform- Medicinal Materials DNA Barcode Database (MMDBD) for data retrieval and similarity search. MMDBD contains over 1000 species of medicinal materials listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. MMDBD also contains useful information of the medicinal material, including resources, adulterant information, medical parts, photographs, primers used for obtaining the barcodes and key references. MMDBD can be accessed at <url>http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/icm/mmdbd.htm</url>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This work provides a centralized medicinal materials DNA barcode database and bioinformatics tools for data storage, analysis and exchange for promoting the identification of medicinal materials. MMDBD has the largest collection of DNA barcodes of medicinal materials and is a useful resource for researchers in conservation, systematic study, forensic and herbal industry.</p