Students’ class works: an example in Hong Kong 8th grade mathematics classroom

Topic Study Group 21 - Research on classroom practiceThe student’s class work of an 8th grade mathematics classroom in Hong Kong has been studied. The data were obtained from the Learning Perspective Study (LPS). Five consecutive lessons for the topic of “solving simultaneous equation by the graphical method and the method of substitution” were analyzed. The tasks in the lessons were differentiated as the teacher’s examples and the student’s class work. The cognitive domains of the student’s class work were further classified. All the tasks were classified as either knowing or applying, and no reasoning domain was identified. Results showed that most of students imitated the teacher’s examples completely or partly. Only two of the tasks showed modification of teacher’s method and one task solved by student’s own method. Finally, we argue that the strong direct role of teacher might help the students master their mathematical content in a relatively short time but may have the danger of limiting the students’ opportunity for independent thinking.postprin

Property price gradients: The vertical dimension

This is an empirical study on the pricing of two vertical property attributes: floor level and building height. Floor level is the vertical location of a unit in a multi-storey building; the extra price paid for a higher floor level is labelled a floor-level premium. Previous hedonic price studies unequivocally showed that the floor-level premium is positive, but they were silent on whether its magnitude varies with floor levels and with buildings of different heights. Indeed, building height is a feature of a building, not its constituent units, so it is not clear whether building height alone should affect the units' prices. Based on a sample of highly homogeneous housing units in buildings of varying heights, we found that (1) the floor-level premium was not constant, but diminished as floor level increases; (2) there was no significant difference in the pattern of the floor-level premium between high-rise and low-rise buildings; and (3) there was a positive and significant premium for units in low-rise buildings over those in high-rise ones. These findings can help developers determine the optimal height and shape of their development. © 2010 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Floor-level premiums in high-rise and low-rise buildings

This paper examines a unique feature of multi-storey buildings – floor-level premiums. Floor-level premiums refer to the price paid for the vertical location of a flat, measured by its floor level. Previous hedonic price studies unequivocally showed that floor-level premiums are positive. However, they were often based on the assumptions that floorlevel premiums are constant 1) across different floor levels within the same building and/or 2) across different buildings given the same floor level. This second assumption is particularly interesting because it begs the question of whether the same premium is paid for high-rise and low-rise buildings. For instance, do we pay the same for the 5th floor of a low-rise building and that of a high-rise building? Based on a sample of highly homogeneous buildings (except for their heights), we found that floor-level premiums were not constant but diminishing with respect to floor levels. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the pattern of floor-level premiums between high-rise and lowrise buildings. Finally, there was a positive and significant premium for shorter buildings over taller buildings.published_or_final_versio

The effect of SARS on the price of re-entrants in multi-storey apartment buildings

Natural lighting and ventilation have long been a primary consideration in building design, particularly for those high-rise and densely packed apartment blocks where mechanical ventilation is normally secondary. In Hong Kong, there are prescriptive legal requirements governing the provision of natural lighting and ventilation in private buildings. This, coupled with developers’ profit-maximizing incentives, often gives rise to re-entrant designs commonly found in apartment buildings in Hong Kong. This paper aims to study the economic impacts of the disposition of re-entrants on property prices with reference to the revelation of the chimney effect of re-entrants after the occurrence of the mass community outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Disease (SARS) in Amoy Gardens in 2003. In this study, we use a hedonic pricing model to examine whether flats designed with a re-entrant is sold at a different price than those without a re-entrant. We draw a sample of property transactions from a popular single residential development with variations in re-entrant designs. A total of 357 transactions were collected, of which 90 were transacted after the SARS event. The model is capable to monitor any significance changes in the premium of re-entrant and its relationship with floor level before and after SARS. Based on the hedonic pricing analysis, we found that the preference for re-entrants is floor-dependent. Before SARS, homebuyers were not fond of re-entrants on low floor levels, but they were willing to pay more for re-entrants as the floor level increases. Yet, the outbreak of SARS did not significantly change their preferences for re-entrants. The market is capable to capitalize the building design into property prices. Developers and designs should improve their building design to meet the ever changing needs of the market. This paper provides an empirical framework to examine how homebuyers price a particular design feature using property transaction data.published_or_final_versio

Comparative study of Building Performance Assessment Schemes in Hong Kong

Having access to information is essential when one needs to make a decision to buy property or renovate a building. However, information concerning the health, safety, and environmental performance of buildings is not always readily available. This creates a need for building performance assessment tools. This paper aims to compare the building performance assessment schemes available for use in Hong Kong, namely The Hong Kong Building Environment Assessment Method (HK-BEAM), The Intelligent Building Index (IBI), The Building Quality Index (BQI), and The Comprehensive Environmental Performance Assessment Scheme for Buildings (CEPAS). Their similarities and differences are pinpointed and discussed in detail. The findings of this study will serve as a guide for practitioners to decide on the schemes that best suit their purposes.postprin

Unauthorized building works - Does building management regime matters?

postprintThe 15th Annual Conference of the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES 2009), Sydney, Australia, 18-21 January 2009

Metastasis-suppressing <i>NID2</i>, an epigenetically-silenced gene, in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

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Clinical Characteristics and Transmission of COVID-19 in Children and Youths During 3 Waves of Outbreaks in Hong Kong

IMPORTANCE: Schools were closed intermittently across Hong Kong to control the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to significant physical and psychosocial problems among children and youths. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical characteristics and sources of infection among children and youths with COVID-19 during the 3 waves of outbreaks in Hong Kong in 2020. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study involved children and youths aged 18 years or younger with COVID-19 in the 3 waves of outbreaks from January 23 through December 2, 2020. Data were analyzed from December 2020 through January 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Demographic characteristics, travel and contact histories, lengths of hospital stay, and symptoms were captured through the central electronic database. Individuals who were infected without recent international travel were defined as having domestic infections. RESULTS: Among 397 children and youths confirmed with COVID-19 infections, the mean (SD) age was 9.95 (5.34) years, 220 individuals (55.4%) were male, and 154 individuals (38.8%) were asymptomatic. There were significantly more individuals who were infected without symptoms in the second wave (59 of 118 individuals [50.0%]) and third wave (94 of 265 individuals [35.5%]) than in the first wave (1 of 14 individuals [7.1%]) (P = .001). Significantly fewer individuals who were infected in the second and third waves, compared with the first wave, had fever (first wave: 10 individuals [71.4%]; second wave: 22 individuals [18.5%]; third wave: 98 individuals [37.0%]; P < .001) or cough (first wave: 6 individuals [42.9%]; second wave: 15 individuals [12.7%]; third wave: 52 individuals [19.6%]; P = .02). Among all individuals, 394 individuals (99.2%) had mild illness. One patient developed chilblains (ie, COVID toes), 1 patient developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and 1 patient developed post–COVID-19 autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In all 3 waves, 204 patients with COVID-19 (51.4%) had domestic infections. Among these individuals, 186 (91.2%) reported having a contact history with another individual with COVID-19, of which most (183 individuals [90.0%]) were family members. In the third wave, 18 individuals with domestic infections had unknown contact histories. Three schoolmates were confirmed with COVID-19 on the same day and were reported to be close contacts. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: his cross-sectional study found that nearly all children and youths with COVID-19 in Hong Kong had mild illness. These findings suggest that household transmission was the main source of infection for children and youths with domestic infections and that the risk of being infected at school was small

Efficacy, Tolerability, and Biomarker Analyses of Once-Every-2-Weeks Cetuximab Plus First-Line FOLFOX or FOLFIRI in Patients With KRAS or All RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The Phase 2 APEC Study

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