Fundamental motor skill proficiency of Hong Kong children aged 6-9 Years

This study investigated the fundamental motor skill proficiency of Hong Kong children ages 6-9. Ninety-one male and 76 female Chinese students (mean age = 7.6 years) from six local primary schools in Hong Kong participated in this study. The Test of Gross Motor DevelopmentSecond Edition (TGMD-2) was administrated to assess the mastery of gross motor skills by an experienced physical education instructor. The performance was videotaped, and it was rated by the same physical education instructor again (1 week apart) to show the reliability (0.88-0.97). Results showed that the participants were in general superior to the normative samples from the TGMD-2 manual, scoring a gross motor quotient (GMQ) of 56.8-80.9. Overall, 24% of the participants were rated as superior, 36% as above average, 47% as average, and 2% as below average. Excellent proficiency (> 80% in every subitem) was observed in running, galloping, leaping, sliding, catching, and throwing skills. In comparing the results with other studies, we found that the participants were superior to the data reported in previous studies in United States, Brazil, and Australia. This study added valuable information to the establishment of a worldwide normative reference for the comparison of future studies in other countries

A PILOT STUDY OF MASTERY OF FUNDAMENTAL MOTOR SKILLS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN HONG KONG

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current proficiency level of fundamental motor skills among primary students in Hong Kong. Three male and three female grade three students participated in this pilot study. The Test of Gross Motor Development Second Edition (TGMD-2) was employed. Four out of six students displayed an average mastery of the overall fundamental motor skills while two were rated as below average in their proficiency. The performance of the Locomotor subtests outweighed the performance of the Object Control subtests. Further studies with larger sample size and with subjects in different age groups will be conducted in order to have a better understanding of the mastery level of the whole school students and to suggest and implement appropriate intervention programs to improve their fundamental motor skills

A Prospective Study of Venous Thromboembolic Prophylaxis Using Foot Pumps Following Total Knee Replacement in a Chinese Population

AbstractPurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate foot pumps as mechanical prophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following total knee replacement (TKR) in a Chinese population.MethodsAll consecutive patients following TKR during 2002–2006 received routine duplex ultrasound surveillance for DVT 9 days postoperatively. The demographic data and risk factors were recorded. No medication was given for DVT prophylaxis in all patients.ResultsWe evaluated 91 consecutive TKRs in 85 patients. Although 44 knee replacements (Group 1) done before December 2004 were not given foot pumps, 47 knee replacements (Group 2) done afterwards were given foot pumps. All patients were followed up for more than 6 months. DVT was detected in three cases (6.8%) in Group 1 compared with four knees (8.5%) in Group 2. Proximal thrombosis was observed in two knees (4.5%) in Group 1 compared with two knees (4.3%) in Group 2. No patient had pulmonary embolism. Six out of 59 (10.2%) patients who underwent the operations under general anaesthesia suffered from DVT, whereas one in 28 (3.6%) patients operated under spinal anaesthesia had DVT. All had no statistical significance.ConclusionThe rate of proximal DVT after TKR was low (4.5%) without pharmacological prophylaxis. We advise against the use of pharmacological prophylaxis in Chinese population for TKRs because of the low risk of proximal DVT and its possible bleeding complications. Foot pump did not lower the rate of DVTfurther, and its use for DVT prophylaxis in TKR is not necessary

Metal–organic frameworks in proton-exchange membrane for intermediate-to-high-temperature fuel-cell applications: a review

A proton-exchange membrane (PEM) is a vital component in fuel cells as a solid electrolyte that conducts ions. The high cost and degradation of Nafion® membrane in low-temperature fuel cells limits the technology’s commercialization. The development of intermediate (IT-PEMFCs) to high-temperature (HT-PEMFCs) fuel cells operating within the range of 80–200 °C has made progress over the last few decades, and improvements in water management addressing the issues of low-temperature PEMFCs have been observed. However, these types of PEM fuel cells (IT-PEMFCs and HT-PEMFCs) still face considerable challenges, such as unsatisfactory performance stability at high temperatures. Particularly, in HT-PEMFC, despite the high acid doping level (ADL) in membranes as a potential means to improve proton conductivity, high ADL decreases the membrane’s mechanical stability. Recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have achieved satisfactory results in applications of PEM modification. This manuscript reviews the development in applying MOFs in improving the properties of composite membranes in IT- and HT-PEMFCs by using SPEEK and PBI, respectively. The synthesis strategies using MOFs in the PEM are discussed together with the electrochemical properties obtained. The success of incorporating of MOFs into PEMs could shed light on the synthesis of new-generation IT- and HT-PEMFCs, which could improve several properties such as mechanical and thermal stability, oxidative stability, and acid-retention capacity

Population genomic analyses of protected incense trees Aquilaria sinensis reveal the existence of genetically distinct subpopulations

The incense tree Aquilaria sinensis (Thymelaeaceae) can produce agarwood with commercial values and is now under threat from illegal exploitation in Hong Kong, impairing the local population and biodiversity. Together with other species of Aquilaria, it is listed in the CITES Appendix II, which strictly regulates its international trade. To understand the population structure of A. sinensis and to make relevant conservation measures, we have sequenced 346 individuals collected in Hong Kong and southern mainland China. Population genomic analyses including principal component analysis, neighbor-joining tree construction, ADMIXTURE, and hierarchical pairwise-FST analyses suggested that genetically distinct populations are contained in certain areas. Genomic scan analyses further detected single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) outliers related to plant defense, including the CYP71BE gene cluster. In addition to the population analyses, we have developed a modified hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (CTAB) DNA extraction protocol for obtaining DNA from agarwood samples in this study, and resequencing of DNA extracted from two agarwood samples using this method allows us to successfully map to the sample corresponding localities in the phylogenetic tree. To sum up, this study suggested that there is a genetically distinct subpopulation of incense tree in Hong Kong that would require special conservation measures and established a foundation for future conservation measures

MicroRNA-145 Regulates Human Corneal Epithelial Differentiation

Epigenetic factors, such as microRNAs, are important regulators in the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells and progenies. Here we investigated the microRNAs expressed in human limbal-peripheral corneal (LPC) epithelia containing corneal epithelial progenitor cells (CEPCs) and early transit amplifying cells, and their role in corneal epithelium.Human LPC epithelia was extracted for small RNAs or dissociated for CEPC culture. By Agilent Human microRNA Microarray V2 platform and GeneSpring GX11.0 analysis, we found differential expression of 18 microRNAs against central corneal (CC) epithelia, which were devoid of CEPCs. Among them, miR-184 was up-regulated in CC epithelia, similar to reported finding. Cluster miR-143/145 was expressed strongly in LPC but weakly in CC epithelia (P = 0.0004, Mann-Whitney U-test). This was validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Locked nucleic acid-based in situ hybridization on corneal rim cryosections showed miR-143/145 presence localized to the parabasal cells of limbal epithelium but negligible in basal and superficial epithelia. With holoclone forming ability, CEPCs transfected with lentiviral plasmid containing mature miR-145 sequence gave rise to defective epithelium in organotypic culture and had increased cytokeratin-3/12 and connexin-43 expressions and decreased ABCG2 and p63 compared with cells transfected with scrambled sequences. Global gene expression was analyzed using Agilent Whole Human Genome Oligo Microarray and GeneSpring GX11.0. With a 5-fold difference compared to cells with scrambled sequences, miR-145 up-regulated 324 genes (containing genes for immune response) and down-regulated 277 genes (containing genes for epithelial development and stem cell maintenance). As validated by qPCR and luciferase reporter assay, our results showed miR-145 suppressed integrin β8 (ITGB8) expression in both human corneal epithelial cells and primary CEPCs.We found expression of miR-143/145 cluster in human corneal epithelium. Our results also showed that miR-145 regulated the corneal epithelium formation and maintenance of epithelial integrity, via ITGB8 targeting

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

Dominância fiscal : uma investigação empírica sobre o caso brasileiro no período de 2003 a 2014

A estabilização econômica dos anos de 1990 e a adoção do tripé econômico, a partir de 1999, marcam o fim de um capítulo delicado da história brasileira; a partir de então, era necessária a existência de certa sintonia de políticas monetária e fiscal para a manutenção do controle dos diversos indicadores econômicos. Contudo, com essa reciprocidade na política econômica, são incitadas discussões sobre a orientação do governo na hora de definir suas prioridades nesse campo: as variáveis fiscais são priorizadas e, por conseguinte, determinadas, forçando as monetárias a se ajustarem – ou o contrário? A resposta para esse questionamento leva à discussão sobre a dominância fiscal. Assim, esse trabalho visa verificar empiricamente, usando das modelagens econométricas VAR e estudo de eventos, se há dominância fiscal ou monetária na economia brasileira e se a eficácia da política monetária mudou na transição do governo Lula para o governo Dilma. O resultado foi inconclusivo para o governo Lula e indicou dominância fiscal no governo Dilma. Ainda verificou-se não haver modificação na eficácia da política monetária.Economic stabilization, in the 1990s, and utilization of an economic tripod, after 1999, represents the end of a delicate chapter in Brazilian history. Ever since, it was necessary the existence of a certain agreement between monetary and fiscal politic, in order to maintain under control a variety of economic indicators. However, this reciprocity (in economic politic) starts discussions about the real government orientations when it comes to define its priority on this subject: are the fiscal variables priorized, and then, determined, forcing monetary variables to adjust themselves, or the opposite? The answer to these questions emerge from the fiscal dominance discussion. This paper intends to empiric verify, using econometric modeling VAR and event study, if there is fiscal dominance or monetary in Brazilian economy and whether the effectiveness of monetary politic has changed in the transition from Lula's government to the Dilma government. The result was inconclusive for the Lula government and indicated fiscal dominance in the Dilma government. There was still no change in the efficiency of the monetary politic.CAPE