This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets the position of Chinese cities in the world city network in 2010. Building on a specification of the world city network as a′interlocking network′in which busi...This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets the position of Chinese cities in the world city network in 2010. Building on a specification of the world city network as a′interlocking network′in which business services firms play the crucial role in city network formation, information is gathered about the presence of global service firms in cities. This information is converted into data to provide the′service value′of a city for a firm′s provision of corporate services in a 526(cities)×175(firms) matrix. These data are then used as the input to the interlocking network model in order to measure cities′connectivity and its predominant geographical orientation. Here we focus on the position of some key Chinese cities in this regard, and discuss and interpret results in the context of the urban dimensions of the′opening up′of the Chinese economy.展开更多
An environment-economy systems analysis of Hong Kong has been carried out using a newmeasure emergy for evaluating its environmental resource basis and economy as well as its international e-conomic relations for reco...An environment-economy systems analysis of Hong Kong has been carried out using a newmeasure emergy for evaluating its environmental resource basis and economy as well as its international e-conomic relations for recommending a sustainable development. Emergy is the total energy uf one kind re-quired directly and indirectly to form a resource, product or service. It provides a common basis for mea-surement of the value of environment and economy.A preliminary analysis of emergy contributions supporting the system of Hong Kong is presented inthis paper.展开更多
Twenty-four-hour PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected simultaneously at a highly trafficked road-side site in Hong Kong every sixth day from October 2004 to September 2005. The mass concentrations of PM2.5, PMlo-2.5 ...Twenty-four-hour PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected simultaneously at a highly trafficked road-side site in Hong Kong every sixth day from October 2004 to September 2005. The mass concentrations of PM2.5, PMlo-2.5 （defined as PM10 - PM2.5）, organic carbon （OC）, elemental carbon （EC）, water-soluble ions, and up to 25 elements were determined. Investigation of the chemical compositions and potential sources revealed distinct differences between PM2.5 and PM10-2.5. The annual average mass concentrations were 55.5 ＋ 25.5 and 25.9±15.7μg/m^3 for PM2.5 and PM10-2.5, respectively. EC, OM （OM = OC × 1.4）, and ammonium sulfate comprised over -82% of PM2.5, accounting for -29%, -27%, and -25%, respectively, of the PM2.5 mass. Low OC/EC ratios （less than 1） for PM2.5 suggested that fresh diesel-engine exhaust was a major contributor. Seven sources were resolved for PM2.5 by positive matrix factorization （PMF） model, including vehicle emissions （-29%）, secondary inorganic aerosols （-27%）, waste incinera- tor/biomass burning （-23%）, residual oil combustion （-10%）, marine aerosols （-6%）, industrial exhaust （-4%）, and resuspended road dust （-1%）. EC and OM comprised only -19% of PM10-2.5. The average OC/EC ratio of PM10-2.5 was 7.8± 14.2, suggesting that sources other than vehicular exhaust were important contributors. The sources for PM10-2.5 determined by the PMF model included -20% traffic-generated resuspension （e.g., tire dust/brake linear/petrol evaporation）, -17% locally resuspended road dust, -17% marine aerosols, -12% secondary aerosols/field burning, and -11% vehicle emissions.展开更多
PM1.0 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 1 pm）, PM2.5 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 2.5μm） and PM10 （coarse particles, with diameter 〈 10 μm） were measured at 24-hour intervals near a high-traffic road in ...PM1.0 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 1 pm）, PM2.5 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 2.5μm） and PM10 （coarse particles, with diameter 〈 10 μm） were measured at 24-hour intervals near a high-traffic road in Hong Kong, from October 2004 to September 2005. Mass concentrations were determined for the three particle fractions, averaging for PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, 44.5±18.4, 55.4±25.5 and 81.3±37.7μg·m^-3, PM2.5 was 3.7 times the U.S. EPA＇s annual NAAQS of 15 μg·m^-3,. Overall, PM1.0 accounted for 44 to 69% （average 57%） of PM10, while PM2.5 accounted for 58 to 82% （average 71%） in this study. The particulate masses showed obvious seasonal patterns with high concentrations in cold seasons and low in warm seasons, especially high concentrations of PM2.5-10 during the cold seasons. Diurnal variations of mass concentrations of PM2.5 were determined during July, showing two major peaks in the morning and afternoon rush hours.展开更多
Background Data of classical inborn errors of metabolism （IEM） of amino acids, organic acids and fatty acid oxidation are largely lacking in Hong Kong, where mass spectrometry-based expanded newborn screening for IE...Background Data of classical inborn errors of metabolism （IEM） of amino acids, organic acids and fatty acid oxidation are largely lacking in Hong Kong, where mass spectrometry-based expanded newborn screening for IEM has not been initiated. The current study aimed to evaluate the approximate incidence, spectrum and other characteristics of classical IEM in Hong Kong, which would be important in developing an expanded newborn screening program for the local area.展开更多
Objective To assess the progress in the treatment of advanced childhood neuroblastoma.Methods From 1981 to 1996, there were 32 children with neuroblastoma (NB) diagnosed, staged and treated in our institution. There w...Objective To assess the progress in the treatment of advanced childhood neuroblastoma.Methods From 1981 to 1996, there were 32 children with neuroblastoma (NB) diagnosed, staged and treated in our institution. There were 4 patients with stage Ⅱ NB (12%), 5 stage Ⅲ (16%), 21 stage Ⅳ (66%) and 2 stage Ⅳs (6%). The NBs were excised if CT scan indicated that the tumors were operable. For advanced NB, stages Ⅲ and Ⅳ, multiple drug chemotherapy was started first and operability was assessed with serial CT scan examinations. Once the X-ray imaging indicated the tumors were operable, surgical interventions were done. The medical records of the advanced NB were reviewed.Results In the initial period of the study, 9 patients were treated using the VAC protocol [vincristine (vcr), adriamycin(adria) and cyclophosphamide (cyc)]. No patient was convertible to operable and all died with a mean survival of 10 months. OPEC [vcr, cyc, VM26, cisplatin (cis)], Rapid COJEC (carboplatin, VP16, vcr, cis and cyc) and more recently N6 protocol (cyc, adria, vcr, VP16, cis) was used for 17 patients. 80% of them were converted to operable. In 4 patients, surgical specimens showed only necrotic tissue without viable tumor tissue and 6 (35%) tumors were converted to ganglioneuroma or ganglioneuroblastoma. Although 2 (12%) patients died of fungal septicemia and 1 (6%) developed Fanconi's syndrome after chemotherapy, the mean survival period increased to 27 months. In the 10 survivors (60%), 4 had megatherapy with melphalan followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation and 2 were waiting for transplantation. Conclusions There is a high percentage of advanced NB on presentation in Hong Kong. With more potent multiple drug chemotherapy for advanced stage NB there are (1) improvement in the survival of these patients, (2) opportunities for more operations for tumor excision and (3) opportunities for autologous PBSC transplantation for better tumor eradication.展开更多
Numerous cities are undergoing the ageing of populations.Developing a transport system that incorporates mobility needs,preferences,and demands of elderly people is crucial to such a demographic shift.Understanding th...Numerous cities are undergoing the ageing of populations.Developing a transport system that incorporates mobility needs,preferences,and demands of elderly people is crucial to such a demographic shift.Understanding the travel behavior and characteristics of elderly people is the first and foremost step towards this goal.In stark contrast with Western car-dominant places,numerous East Asian modern cities(e.g.,Hong Kong,Beijing,and Shanghai)have high levels of public transportation use.Experience gained from existing studies in the West cannot be applied to Hong Kong,a typical transit-dependent city.In light of this,based on the 2011 Travel Characteristic Survey data and Poisson and negative binomial regression models,this study identifies factors that significantly affect the number of daily trips taken by(or trip frequency of)elderly people in Hong Kong.The paper finds that both socio-demographic(e.g.,age and housing type)and built environment characteristics significantly affect the trip number of elderly people.Interestingly,it is determined that car availability does not play a significant role in the trip generation process,but public transportation accessibility truly matters.This outcome remarkably differs from findings in Western car-dominant cities.Moreover,to discern whether the elderly are a homogenous group,this study estimates separate models for the young elderly(aged between 60 and 74)and the very old(aged 75 or above).It is observed that the effect of public transportation accessibility on elderly mobility varies among elderly subgroups:public transportation accessibility significantly affects the trip frequency of the young elderly,but not that of the very old.Finally,a multitude of policy measures with the aim of upgrading elderly mobility is proposed.展开更多
Background Hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection remains a global public health problem and it is an important cause of acute,chronic and fulminant hepatitis,liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.The prevalence o...Background Hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection remains a global public health problem and it is an important cause of acute,chronic and fulminant hepatitis,liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.The prevalence of HBV infection in Hong Kong over the past decade remained unchanged at 10%,despite the implementation of universal neonatal and availability of adult vaccination.We suspect that the current state of affairs is attributable to inadequate awareness and knowledge of HBV transmission and prevention in the general population,resulting in a low rate of uptake of HBV vaccination by the lay public.Therefore,we have embarked in this study to evaluate the awareness and knowledge on HBV infection in our local Chinese population,their attitude on the prevention of horizontal transmission of HBV,and the use of HBV vaccination,especially in those who were born before the era of universal neonatal vaccination.Methods The factors associated with HBV screening,vaccination uptake,and knowledge were examined in a face-to-face questionnaire survey on a group of adult Chinese in Hong Kong.Results Within this group,14% was considered to have good knowledge for HBV infection,and 26% had HBV vaccination.Age,occupation,having children,and family monthly income,are independent factors associated with vaccination.Conclusion This study suggests insufficient public awareness of HBV infection in the Hong Kong Adult Chinese population.展开更多
The C-band wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4, CMOD - IFR2, and CMOD5 were applied to retrieval of sea surface wind speeds from ENVISAT （European environmental satellite） ASAR （advanced synthetic aperture radar） d...The C-band wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4, CMOD - IFR2, and CMOD5 were applied to retrieval of sea surface wind speeds from ENVISAT （European environmental satellite） ASAR （advanced synthetic aperture radar） data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong during a period from October 2005 to July 2007. The retrieved wind speeds are evaluated by comparing with buoy measurements and the QuikSCAT （quick scatterometer） wind products. The results show that the CMOD4 model gives the best performance at wind speeds lower than 15 m/s. The correlation coefficients with buoy and QuikSCAT winds are 0.781 and 0.896, respectively. The root mean square errors are the same 1.74 m/s. Namely, the CMOD4 model is the best one for sea surface wind speed retrieval from ASAR data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong.展开更多
Avian influenza A H5N1 remains the most threatening virus that may cause another devastating pandemic in the foreseeable future. In 1997, Hong Kong was the first place to detect human infections due to this virus orig...Avian influenza A H5N1 remains the most threatening virus that may cause another devastating pandemic in the foreseeable future. In 1997, Hong Kong was the first place to detect human infections due to this virus originated from birds. The experience and lessons learnt provide important information for controlling further outbreaks caused by avian influenza viruses.展开更多
Compared with marine facies shale strata,lacustrine shale strata are more complicated in geological conditions,and thus more difficult to explore and develop.To realize economic exploration and development of lacustri...Compared with marine facies shale strata,lacustrine shale strata are more complicated in geological conditions,and thus more difficult to explore and develop.To realize economic exploration and development of lacustrine shale oil,the geological regularities of accumulation and high yield of retained movable petroleum in shale should be understood first.In this work,taking the shale strata of Kong 2 Member and Sha 3 Member in the Paleogene of Huanghua depression in the Bohai Bay Basin as examples,based on the previous joint analysis results of over ten thousand core samples and the latest oil testing,production test and geochemical data of more than 30 horizontal wells,accumulation conditions and models of retained movable petroleum in lacustrine shale were studied comprehensively.The study shows that at moderate organic matter abundance(with TOC from 2%to 4%),shale strata have the best match between oil content and brittleness,and thus are rich in oil and good in fracability.Moderate ancient lake basin size and moderate sediment supply intensity are the internal factors leading to best coupling of organic matter abundance and brittle mineral content in the shale formation.Moderate thermal evolution maturity of Ro of 0.7%–1.0%(at burial depth of 3200 to 4300 m)is the interval where oil generation from thermal evolution and oil adsorption by kerogen in shale layers match best,and retained movable petroleum is high in proportion.Moderate diagenetic evolution stage(3200 to 4300 m in the middle diagenetic stage A)is conducive to the formation of a large number of dissolved pores and organic matter pores,which provide storage space for shale oil enrichment.Moderate development degree of natural fractures(without damaging the shale oil roof and floor sealing conditions)is conducive to the storage,seepage and preservation of shale oil.The research results have overthrown the general understanding that high organic matter abundance,high maturity,and high development degree of natural fractures are conducive to shale oil展开更多
As the main factors affecting stable and high production and the production regularity of lacustrine shale oil are unclear,the theoretical understandings,key exploration and development technologies,development effect...As the main factors affecting stable and high production and the production regularity of lacustrine shale oil are unclear,the theoretical understandings,key exploration and development technologies,development effect and production regularity of lacustrine shale oil have been analyzed and summarized based on 700 m cores taken systematically from Paleogene Kong 2 Member of 4 wells in Cangdong sag,over 100000 analysis data and formation testing data.Three theoretical understandings on shale oil enrichment and high production have been reached:(1)High-quality shale with“three highs and one low”is the material base for shale oil enrichment.(2)Medium-slightly high thermal evolution degree is the favorable condition for shale oil enrichment.(3)Laminar felsic shale is the optimal shale layer for oil enrichment in semi-deep lake facies.Key exploration and development technologies such as shale oil enrichment layer and area evaluation and prediction,horizontal well pattern layout,shale oil reservoir fracturing,optimization of shale oil production regime have been established to support high and stable shale oil production.Under the guidance of these theoretical understandings and technologies,shale oil in Cangdong sag has achieved high and stable production,and 4 of them had the highest production of over 100 tons a day during formation testing.In particular,Well GY5-1-1 L had a daily oil production of 208 m^(3).By April,2022,the 28 wells combined have a stable oil production of 300–350 tons a day,and have produced 17.8×10^(4) t of oil cumulatively.It is found that the shale oil production of horizontal well declines exponentially in natural flow stage,and declines in step pattern and then tends stable in the artificial lift stage.Proportion of light hydrocarbons in produced shale oil is in positive correlation with daily oil production and decreases regularly during production test.展开更多
Two relatively pure polysaccharides H3-a1 and H3-b1 had been isolated from the brown seaweed Hy-droclathrus clathratus. They were characterized by HPLC, ultraviolet scanning, gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy ...Two relatively pure polysaccharides H3-a1 and H3-b1 had been isolated from the brown seaweed Hy-droclathrus clathratus. They were characterized by HPLC, ultraviolet scanning, gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and shown to be two different sulfated polysaccharides with different monosaccharide content, but both with high relative molecular mass. They contained some proteins and uronic acid respectively. The sulfate content and bioactivity of these polysaccha-rides varied during purification. The fractions derived from the hot water extract also exhibited low anticoagulant effect. This is the first time that the antiherpetic and anticoagulant activities were evaluated for the polysaccharides from the Hong Kong brown seaweed Hydroclathrus clathratus.展开更多
Designers of infrastructure are aware that the government, owners and users become more and more concerned about negative environmental impacts of tunnels, so environmental assessment of tunnels are becoming an issue ...Designers of infrastructure are aware that the government, owners and users become more and more concerned about negative environmental impacts of tunnels, so environmental assessment of tunnels are becoming an issue in the process of tunnel design. In this study, to assess tunnels in construction and operation phases, the matrix method, through which the “Impacting Factors” and “Environmental Components” are determined, is also outlined. The affected environment was divided into thirteen components, such as Ecology, Surface water, Air quality, etc. In this paper, matrix method was applied to evaluate the impact of tunneling in three typical tunnels and compare them with standard diagrams of Environmental Components that were derived and introduced. These tunnels were: Urban Utility tunnel in Tehran, Eurasia tunnel in Istanbul and Tsuen Wan drainage tunnel in Hong Kong. Based on the acquired results, the present paper finally concluded that among three cases, Tsuen Wan drainage tunnel affects the environment in construction phase more than others, while Eurasia tunnel effects on air quality are more significant in operation phase.展开更多
Two redundant blue-light receptors, known as phototropins （phot1 and phot2）, influence a variety of physiological responses, including phototropism, chloroplast positioning, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thali...Two redundant blue-light receptors, known as phototropins （phot1 and phot2）, influence a variety of physiological responses, including phototropism, chloroplast positioning, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Whereas photl functions in both low- and high-intensity blue light （HBL）, phot2 functions primarily in HBL. Here, we aimed to elucidate phot2-specific functions by screening for HBL- insensitive mutants among mutagenized Arabidopsis photl mutants. One of the resulting phot2 signaling associated （p2sa） double mutants, phot1 p2sa2, exhibited phototropic defects that could be restored by constitutively expressing NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL 3 （NPH3）, indicating that P2SA2 was allelic to NPH3. It was observed that NPH3-GFP signal mainly localized to and clustered on the plasma membrane in darkness. This NPH3 clustering on the plasmamembrane was not affected by mutations in genes encoding proteins that interact with N PH3, including PHOT11, PHOT2 and ROOTPHOTOTROPISM 2 （RPT2）. However, the HBL irradiation- mediated release of NPH3 proteins into the cytoplasm was inhibited in photl mutants and enhanced in phot2 and rpt2-2 mutants. Furthermore, HBL-induced hypocotyl phototropism was enhanced in photl mutants and inhibited in the phot2 and rpt2-2 mutants. Our findings indicate that photl regulates the dissociation of NPH3 from the plasma membrane, whereas phot2 mediates the stabilization and relocation of NPH3 to the plasma membrane to acclimate to HBL.展开更多
Wetland park has become an important content of urban landscape design in China, and it is urgent to explore the ways of ensuring scientifi c planning and design and successful implementation of the planning and desig...Wetland park has become an important content of urban landscape design in China, and it is urgent to explore the ways of ensuring scientifi c planning and design and successful implementation of the planning and design in the preparatory stage and the late habitat management and monitoring stage. Taking Hong Kong Wetland Park for example, this paper reviewed the successful design concepts and scientifi c management practices on the basis of sorting out its planning, construction, management and monitoring experience, to provide useful references for the planning, design and management of wetland park in other regions.展开更多
As social and economic dynamics continue to evolve and the demand for companionship increases,pet ownership has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice.Pet parks,as a new form of urban public space,are gaining...As social and economic dynamics continue to evolve and the demand for companionship increases,pet ownership has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice.Pet parks,as a new form of urban public space,are gaining significant attention.This study,grounded in the theory of spatial justice,employs a combination of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to evaluate four representative pet parks in Hong Kong,China.It explores how pet parks,as inclusive green infrastructure in high-density environments,contribute to urban community well-being and broader spatial justice.The study reveals the conflicts between pet owners and non-pet owners regarding the rights to use public spaces,examining how to guarantee the spatial rights of specific groups while avoiding harm to others.The findings indicate that green space availability,sociability and participation,walkability,safety,and flexibility in pet parks play a positive role in achieving urban spatial justice.However,pet parks also face challenges related to social exclusion and safety,requiring a balance between promoting community integration and ensuring public safety.This study offers valuable insights for the development of pet parks,the creation of vibrant and diverse public spaces,and the promotion of harmonious human-animal environments in cities across China and other Asian countries.展开更多
This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into...This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into those who had spent time abroad in an English-speaking country(CM A)and those who had not(CM NA),and 97 Hong Kong students,divided into those from an English-medium secondary school(Hong Kong EMI)and those from a Chinese-medium school(Hong Kong CMI).Linguistic proficiency was measured by a C-test,and pragmatic competence by a Metapragmatic Knowledge Test,an Irony Test and a Monologic Role Play.Group scores were compared using ANCOVAs to control for differences in proficiency.The results point to a continuum of pragmatic competence—EMI>CMI>CM A>CM NA—reflecting the groups’access to English in real-life contexts.The differences between the Hong Kong groups and the Chinese mainland groups were clearest in those tests measuring processing capacity(i.e.,Irony Response Time and the Monologic Role Play).CM A,but not CM NA,performed as well as the Hong Kong groups on measures of metapragmatic awareness.The results are discussed in terms of Bialystok’s(1993)distinction between analyzed representation and control of processing.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme(No.PIOF-GA-2010-274027)Key Laboratory of Ecology and Energy-saving of Dense Habitat(Tongji University),Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
文摘This is an empirical paper that measures and interprets the position of Chinese cities in the world city network in 2010. Building on a specification of the world city network as a′interlocking network′in which business services firms play the crucial role in city network formation, information is gathered about the presence of global service firms in cities. This information is converted into data to provide the′service value′of a city for a firm′s provision of corporate services in a 526(cities)×175(firms) matrix. These data are then used as the input to the interlocking network model in order to measure cities′connectivity and its predominant geographical orientation. Here we focus on the position of some key Chinese cities in this regard, and discuss and interpret results in the context of the urban dimensions of the′opening up′of the Chinese economy.
文摘An environment-economy systems analysis of Hong Kong has been carried out using a newmeasure emergy for evaluating its environmental resource basis and economy as well as its international e-conomic relations for recommending a sustainable development. Emergy is the total energy uf one kind re-quired directly and indirectly to form a resource, product or service. It provides a common basis for mea-surement of the value of environment and economy.A preliminary analysis of emergy contributions supporting the system of Hong Kong is presented inthis paper.
基金project was supported by Hong Kong Polytechnic University(G-YX3L,G-YF23)the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-21107084)State Key Laboratory of Loess & Quaternary Geology(SKLLQG0804),Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Twenty-four-hour PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected simultaneously at a highly trafficked road-side site in Hong Kong every sixth day from October 2004 to September 2005. The mass concentrations of PM2.5, PMlo-2.5 （defined as PM10 - PM2.5）, organic carbon （OC）, elemental carbon （EC）, water-soluble ions, and up to 25 elements were determined. Investigation of the chemical compositions and potential sources revealed distinct differences between PM2.5 and PM10-2.5. The annual average mass concentrations were 55.5 ＋ 25.5 and 25.9±15.7μg/m^3 for PM2.5 and PM10-2.5, respectively. EC, OM （OM = OC × 1.4）, and ammonium sulfate comprised over -82% of PM2.5, accounting for -29%, -27%, and -25%, respectively, of the PM2.5 mass. Low OC/EC ratios （less than 1） for PM2.5 suggested that fresh diesel-engine exhaust was a major contributor. Seven sources were resolved for PM2.5 by positive matrix factorization （PMF） model, including vehicle emissions （-29%）, secondary inorganic aerosols （-27%）, waste incinera- tor/biomass burning （-23%）, residual oil combustion （-10%）, marine aerosols （-6%）, industrial exhaust （-4%）, and resuspended road dust （-1%）. EC and OM comprised only -19% of PM10-2.5. The average OC/EC ratio of PM10-2.5 was 7.8± 14.2, suggesting that sources other than vehicular exhaust were important contributors. The sources for PM10-2.5 determined by the PMF model included -20% traffic-generated resuspension （e.g., tire dust/brake linear/petrol evaporation）, -17% locally resuspended road dust, -17% marine aerosols, -12% secondary aerosols/field burning, and -11% vehicle emissions.
文摘PM1.0 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 1 pm）, PM2.5 （fine particles, with diameter 〈 2.5μm） and PM10 （coarse particles, with diameter 〈 10 μm） were measured at 24-hour intervals near a high-traffic road in Hong Kong, from October 2004 to September 2005. Mass concentrations were determined for the three particle fractions, averaging for PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, 44.5±18.4, 55.4±25.5 and 81.3±37.7μg·m^-3, PM2.5 was 3.7 times the U.S. EPA＇s annual NAAQS of 15 μg·m^-3,. Overall, PM1.0 accounted for 44 to 69% （average 57%） of PM10, while PM2.5 accounted for 58 to 82% （average 71%） in this study. The particulate masses showed obvious seasonal patterns with high concentrations in cold seasons and low in warm seasons, especially high concentrations of PM2.5-10 during the cold seasons. Diurnal variations of mass concentrations of PM2.5 were determined during July, showing two major peaks in the morning and afternoon rush hours.
文摘Background Data of classical inborn errors of metabolism （IEM） of amino acids, organic acids and fatty acid oxidation are largely lacking in Hong Kong, where mass spectrometry-based expanded newborn screening for IEM has not been initiated. The current study aimed to evaluate the approximate incidence, spectrum and other characteristics of classical IEM in Hong Kong, which would be important in developing an expanded newborn screening program for the local area.
文摘Objective To assess the progress in the treatment of advanced childhood neuroblastoma.Methods From 1981 to 1996, there were 32 children with neuroblastoma (NB) diagnosed, staged and treated in our institution. There were 4 patients with stage Ⅱ NB (12%), 5 stage Ⅲ (16%), 21 stage Ⅳ (66%) and 2 stage Ⅳs (6%). The NBs were excised if CT scan indicated that the tumors were operable. For advanced NB, stages Ⅲ and Ⅳ, multiple drug chemotherapy was started first and operability was assessed with serial CT scan examinations. Once the X-ray imaging indicated the tumors were operable, surgical interventions were done. The medical records of the advanced NB were reviewed.Results In the initial period of the study, 9 patients were treated using the VAC protocol [vincristine (vcr), adriamycin(adria) and cyclophosphamide (cyc)]. No patient was convertible to operable and all died with a mean survival of 10 months. OPEC [vcr, cyc, VM26, cisplatin (cis)], Rapid COJEC (carboplatin, VP16, vcr, cis and cyc) and more recently N6 protocol (cyc, adria, vcr, VP16, cis) was used for 17 patients. 80% of them were converted to operable. In 4 patients, surgical specimens showed only necrotic tissue without viable tumor tissue and 6 (35%) tumors were converted to ganglioneuroma or ganglioneuroblastoma. Although 2 (12%) patients died of fungal septicemia and 1 (6%) developed Fanconi's syndrome after chemotherapy, the mean survival period increased to 27 months. In the 10 survivors (60%), 4 had megatherapy with melphalan followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation and 2 were waiting for transplantation. Conclusions There is a high percentage of advanced NB on presentation in Hong Kong. With more potent multiple drug chemotherapy for advanced stage NB there are (1) improvement in the survival of these patients, (2) opportunities for more operations for tumor excision and (3) opportunities for autologous PBSC transplantation for better tumor eradication.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation(No.51778530)the National Natural Science Foundation(No.18BZZ044)the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province(No.20RKX0748).
文摘Numerous cities are undergoing the ageing of populations.Developing a transport system that incorporates mobility needs,preferences,and demands of elderly people is crucial to such a demographic shift.Understanding the travel behavior and characteristics of elderly people is the first and foremost step towards this goal.In stark contrast with Western car-dominant places,numerous East Asian modern cities(e.g.,Hong Kong,Beijing,and Shanghai)have high levels of public transportation use.Experience gained from existing studies in the West cannot be applied to Hong Kong,a typical transit-dependent city.In light of this,based on the 2011 Travel Characteristic Survey data and Poisson and negative binomial regression models,this study identifies factors that significantly affect the number of daily trips taken by(or trip frequency of)elderly people in Hong Kong.The paper finds that both socio-demographic(e.g.,age and housing type)and built environment characteristics significantly affect the trip number of elderly people.Interestingly,it is determined that car availability does not play a significant role in the trip generation process,but public transportation accessibility truly matters.This outcome remarkably differs from findings in Western car-dominant cities.Moreover,to discern whether the elderly are a homogenous group,this study estimates separate models for the young elderly(aged between 60 and 74)and the very old(aged 75 or above).It is observed that the effect of public transportation accessibility on elderly mobility varies among elderly subgroups:public transportation accessibility significantly affects the trip frequency of the young elderly,but not that of the very old.Finally,a multitude of policy measures with the aim of upgrading elderly mobility is proposed.
文摘Background Hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection remains a global public health problem and it is an important cause of acute,chronic and fulminant hepatitis,liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.The prevalence of HBV infection in Hong Kong over the past decade remained unchanged at 10%,despite the implementation of universal neonatal and availability of adult vaccination.We suspect that the current state of affairs is attributable to inadequate awareness and knowledge of HBV transmission and prevention in the general population,resulting in a low rate of uptake of HBV vaccination by the lay public.Therefore,we have embarked in this study to evaluate the awareness and knowledge on HBV infection in our local Chinese population,their attitude on the prevention of horizontal transmission of HBV,and the use of HBV vaccination,especially in those who were born before the era of universal neonatal vaccination.Methods The factors associated with HBV screening,vaccination uptake,and knowledge were examined in a face-to-face questionnaire survey on a group of adult Chinese in Hong Kong.Results Within this group,14% was considered to have good knowledge for HBV infection,and 26% had HBV vaccination.Age,occupation,having children,and family monthly income,are independent factors associated with vaccination.Conclusion This study suggests insufficient public awareness of HBV infection in the Hong Kong Adult Chinese population.
基金Research Grant Council under contract No.461907Innovation and Technology Commission under contract No.GHP/026/06+1 种基金partly by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation under contract No.2008041345 for ChengONR under contract NosN00014-05-1-0328 and N00014-05-1-0606 for Zheng
文摘The C-band wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4, CMOD - IFR2, and CMOD5 were applied to retrieval of sea surface wind speeds from ENVISAT （European environmental satellite） ASAR （advanced synthetic aperture radar） data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong during a period from October 2005 to July 2007. The retrieved wind speeds are evaluated by comparing with buoy measurements and the QuikSCAT （quick scatterometer） wind products. The results show that the CMOD4 model gives the best performance at wind speeds lower than 15 m/s. The correlation coefficients with buoy and QuikSCAT winds are 0.781 and 0.896, respectively. The root mean square errors are the same 1.74 m/s. Namely, the CMOD4 model is the best one for sea surface wind speed retrieval from ASAR data in the coastal waters near Hong Kong.
文摘Avian influenza A H5N1 remains the most threatening virus that may cause another devastating pandemic in the foreseeable future. In 1997, Hong Kong was the first place to detect human infections due to this virus originated from birds. The experience and lessons learnt provide important information for controlling further outbreaks caused by avian influenza viruses.
基金Supported by the PetroChina Science and Technology Major Project(2019E-2601,2018E-11)
文摘Compared with marine facies shale strata,lacustrine shale strata are more complicated in geological conditions,and thus more difficult to explore and develop.To realize economic exploration and development of lacustrine shale oil,the geological regularities of accumulation and high yield of retained movable petroleum in shale should be understood first.In this work,taking the shale strata of Kong 2 Member and Sha 3 Member in the Paleogene of Huanghua depression in the Bohai Bay Basin as examples,based on the previous joint analysis results of over ten thousand core samples and the latest oil testing,production test and geochemical data of more than 30 horizontal wells,accumulation conditions and models of retained movable petroleum in lacustrine shale were studied comprehensively.The study shows that at moderate organic matter abundance(with TOC from 2%to 4%),shale strata have the best match between oil content and brittleness,and thus are rich in oil and good in fracability.Moderate ancient lake basin size and moderate sediment supply intensity are the internal factors leading to best coupling of organic matter abundance and brittle mineral content in the shale formation.Moderate thermal evolution maturity of Ro of 0.7%–1.0%(at burial depth of 3200 to 4300 m)is the interval where oil generation from thermal evolution and oil adsorption by kerogen in shale layers match best,and retained movable petroleum is high in proportion.Moderate diagenetic evolution stage(3200 to 4300 m in the middle diagenetic stage A)is conducive to the formation of a large number of dissolved pores and organic matter pores,which provide storage space for shale oil enrichment.Moderate development degree of natural fractures(without damaging the shale oil roof and floor sealing conditions)is conducive to the storage,seepage and preservation of shale oil.The research results have overthrown the general understanding that high organic matter abundance,high maturity,and high development degree of natural fractures are conducive to shale oil
基金Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFA0710504)Science and Technology Project of China National Petroleum Corporation(2021DQ0508)PetroChina Science and Technology Major Project(2019E-2602)。
文摘As the main factors affecting stable and high production and the production regularity of lacustrine shale oil are unclear,the theoretical understandings,key exploration and development technologies,development effect and production regularity of lacustrine shale oil have been analyzed and summarized based on 700 m cores taken systematically from Paleogene Kong 2 Member of 4 wells in Cangdong sag,over 100000 analysis data and formation testing data.Three theoretical understandings on shale oil enrichment and high production have been reached:(1)High-quality shale with“three highs and one low”is the material base for shale oil enrichment.(2)Medium-slightly high thermal evolution degree is the favorable condition for shale oil enrichment.(3)Laminar felsic shale is the optimal shale layer for oil enrichment in semi-deep lake facies.Key exploration and development technologies such as shale oil enrichment layer and area evaluation and prediction,horizontal well pattern layout,shale oil reservoir fracturing,optimization of shale oil production regime have been established to support high and stable shale oil production.Under the guidance of these theoretical understandings and technologies,shale oil in Cangdong sag has achieved high and stable production,and 4 of them had the highest production of over 100 tons a day during formation testing.In particular,Well GY5-1-1 L had a daily oil production of 208 m^(3).By April,2022,the 28 wells combined have a stable oil production of 300–350 tons a day,and have produced 17.8×10^(4) t of oil cumulatively.It is found that the shale oil production of horizontal well declines exponentially in natural flow stage,and declines in step pattern and then tends stable in the artificial lift stage.Proportion of light hydrocarbons in produced shale oil is in positive correlation with daily oil production and decreases regularly during production test.
基金Supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CUHK4367/01M)a Direct Grant from the Chinese University of Hong Kong
文摘Two relatively pure polysaccharides H3-a1 and H3-b1 had been isolated from the brown seaweed Hy-droclathrus clathratus. They were characterized by HPLC, ultraviolet scanning, gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and shown to be two different sulfated polysaccharides with different monosaccharide content, but both with high relative molecular mass. They contained some proteins and uronic acid respectively. The sulfate content and bioactivity of these polysaccha-rides varied during purification. The fractions derived from the hot water extract also exhibited low anticoagulant effect. This is the first time that the antiherpetic and anticoagulant activities were evaluated for the polysaccharides from the Hong Kong brown seaweed Hydroclathrus clathratus.
文摘Designers of infrastructure are aware that the government, owners and users become more and more concerned about negative environmental impacts of tunnels, so environmental assessment of tunnels are becoming an issue in the process of tunnel design. In this study, to assess tunnels in construction and operation phases, the matrix method, through which the “Impacting Factors” and “Environmental Components” are determined, is also outlined. The affected environment was divided into thirteen components, such as Ecology, Surface water, Air quality, etc. In this paper, matrix method was applied to evaluate the impact of tunneling in three typical tunnels and compare them with standard diagrams of Environmental Components that were derived and introduced. These tunnels were: Urban Utility tunnel in Tehran, Eurasia tunnel in Istanbul and Tsuen Wan drainage tunnel in Hong Kong. Based on the acquired results, the present paper finally concluded that among three cases, Tsuen Wan drainage tunnel affects the environment in construction phase more than others, while Eurasia tunnel effects on air quality are more significant in operation phase.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31670289 and 31570294 to XZ)the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0101900)
文摘Two redundant blue-light receptors, known as phototropins （phot1 and phot2）, influence a variety of physiological responses, including phototropism, chloroplast positioning, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Whereas photl functions in both low- and high-intensity blue light （HBL）, phot2 functions primarily in HBL. Here, we aimed to elucidate phot2-specific functions by screening for HBL- insensitive mutants among mutagenized Arabidopsis photl mutants. One of the resulting phot2 signaling associated （p2sa） double mutants, phot1 p2sa2, exhibited phototropic defects that could be restored by constitutively expressing NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL 3 （NPH3）, indicating that P2SA2 was allelic to NPH3. It was observed that NPH3-GFP signal mainly localized to and clustered on the plasma membrane in darkness. This NPH3 clustering on the plasmamembrane was not affected by mutations in genes encoding proteins that interact with N PH3, including PHOT11, PHOT2 and ROOTPHOTOTROPISM 2 （RPT2）. However, the HBL irradiation- mediated release of NPH3 proteins into the cytoplasm was inhibited in photl mutants and enhanced in phot2 and rpt2-2 mutants. Furthermore, HBL-induced hypocotyl phototropism was enhanced in photl mutants and inhibited in the phot2 and rpt2-2 mutants. Our findings indicate that photl regulates the dissociation of NPH3 from the plasma membrane, whereas phot2 mediates the stabilization and relocation of NPH3 to the plasma membrane to acclimate to HBL.
文摘Wetland park has become an important content of urban landscape design in China, and it is urgent to explore the ways of ensuring scientifi c planning and design and successful implementation of the planning and design in the preparatory stage and the late habitat management and monitoring stage. Taking Hong Kong Wetland Park for example, this paper reviewed the successful design concepts and scientifi c management practices on the basis of sorting out its planning, construction, management and monitoring experience, to provide useful references for the planning, design and management of wetland park in other regions.
文摘As social and economic dynamics continue to evolve and the demand for companionship increases,pet ownership has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice.Pet parks,as a new form of urban public space,are gaining significant attention.This study,grounded in the theory of spatial justice,employs a combination of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to evaluate four representative pet parks in Hong Kong,China.It explores how pet parks,as inclusive green infrastructure in high-density environments,contribute to urban community well-being and broader spatial justice.The study reveals the conflicts between pet owners and non-pet owners regarding the rights to use public spaces,examining how to guarantee the spatial rights of specific groups while avoiding harm to others.The findings indicate that green space availability,sociability and participation,walkability,safety,and flexibility in pet parks play a positive role in achieving urban spatial justice.However,pet parks also face challenges related to social exclusion and safety,requiring a balance between promoting community integration and ensuring public safety.This study offers valuable insights for the development of pet parks,the creation of vibrant and diverse public spaces,and the promotion of harmonious human-animal environments in cities across China and other Asian countries.
文摘This study investigates the differences in pragmatic competence between Hong Kong and Chinese mainland university students.Participants included 19 native speakers of English,115 Chinese mainland students,divided into those who had spent time abroad in an English-speaking country(CM A)and those who had not(CM NA),and 97 Hong Kong students,divided into those from an English-medium secondary school(Hong Kong EMI)and those from a Chinese-medium school(Hong Kong CMI).Linguistic proficiency was measured by a C-test,and pragmatic competence by a Metapragmatic Knowledge Test,an Irony Test and a Monologic Role Play.Group scores were compared using ANCOVAs to control for differences in proficiency.The results point to a continuum of pragmatic competence—EMI>CMI>CM A>CM NA—reflecting the groups’access to English in real-life contexts.The differences between the Hong Kong groups and the Chinese mainland groups were clearest in those tests measuring processing capacity(i.e.,Irony Response Time and the Monologic Role Play).CM A,but not CM NA,performed as well as the Hong Kong groups on measures of metapragmatic awareness.The results are discussed in terms of Bialystok’s(1993)distinction between analyzed representation and control of processing.
