Determining optimal building height

The paper examines how building height is determined in the absence of building height regulatory restrictions. A model is developed for determining optimal height using simple neo-classical economic analysis; this is then tested using empirical data from Hong Kong. The results show that the observed building heights are consistent with the optimal height predicted by the model. In addition, it was also found that the point of optimality varied positively with the quality of the external environment. An important practical implication is that town planners and policy-makers can make use of the model as a benchmarking tool to assess and quantify the effect of imposing or relaxing height restrictions.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Fixation stability and deviation in optical coherence tomography angiography using soft contact lens correction in myopes

202106 bcvcVersion of RecordSelf-fundedPublishe

Beacons of modern learning: Diaspora-funded schools in the China-Australia corridor

In the early 20th century, modern school curricula and new-style schools mushroomed in the Chinese remittance landscape of southern China. Breaking away from the two-and-a-half millennia of Confucian tradition, their creation marked a pivotal point of departure between the nation’s past and future. Since overseas migration and modern education both provide a fruitful context for the circulation of new objects and a cross-fertilization of ideas, new schools serve as barometers of social-material change. Research in the present-day cities of Zhongshan and Zhuhai (formerly Heung San County) suggests that diaspora-funded schools were beacons of modern learning within the China– Australia corridor. Both their physical structures and material manifestations invited a new engagement with the modern world

Micropipette force sensors for in vivo force measurements on single cells and multicellular microorganisms

Measuring forces from the piconewton to millinewton range is of great importance for the study of living systems from a biophysical perspective. The use of flexible micropipettes as highly sensitive force probes has become established in the biophysical community, advancing our understanding of cellular processes and microbial behavior. The micropipette force sensor (MFS) technique relies on measurement of the forces acting on a force-calibrated, hollow glass micropipette by optically detecting its deflections. The MFS technique covers a wide micro- and mesoscopic regime of detectable forces (tens of piconewtons to millinewtons) and sample sizes (micrometers to millimeters), does not require gluing of the sample to the cantilever, and allows simultaneous optical imaging of the sample throughout the experiment. Here, we provide a detailed protocol describing how to manufacture and calibrate the micropipettes, as well as how to successfully design, perform, and troubleshoot MFS experiments. We exemplify our approach using the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but by following this protocol, a wide variety of living samples, ranging from single cells to multicellular aggregates and millimeter-sized organisms, can be studied in vivo, with a force resolution as low as 10 pN. A skilled (under)graduate student can master the technique in ~1–2 months. The whole protocol takes ~1–2 d to finish.Peer reviewe