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Factors influencing the yields of banking-hall investment: a qualitative study
No full textThis research is related to British banking-halls as a class of real estate investment. Sale-and-leaseback has become an increasingly common approach during the last two decades for the holding of British banking-halls. One measure commonly used in making property investment decisions is the all risks yield (ARY). Investors and their advisors have a need for a predictive model which they can use for predicting those retail bank premises likely to achieve the highest ARY when assembling investment portfolios of such properties. A predictive model necessitates the identification of those factors significantly influencing the yields of British banking-halls. This research aims to identify the influencing factors which underpin the development of such predictive model. A literature review generated a hypothesis which was then tested by a qualitative study, based upon semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire, to establish the influencing factors. Expert interviews were held with the heads of those three major auction-houses dominating the market, whilst the questionnaire survey involved investment professionals from within the auction-houses. This triangulated qualitative study confirmed that the four factors influence yields and investors’ decision-making when purchasing retail banking premises were tenant banking company (brand names), regional location (super-regions), lot size (hammer price), and tenure (freehold, leasehold and others)
Schisantherin A protects against 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neuron damage in zebrafish and cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells through the ROS/NO and AKT/GSK3β pathways
No full textEthnopharmacological Relevance: The fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill, has been traditionally used in management of liver diseases and ageing associated neurodegeneration. The bioactive compound from this medicinal plant would be valuable for its potential use in prevention and treatment of Parkinson׳s disease.
Aim of the Study: The overall objective of the present study was to understand the neuroprotective effect of schisantherin A, a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan from the fruit of S. chinensis (Turcz.) Baill, and to elucidate its underlying mechanism of action.
Material and Methods: This study investigated the protective effect of schisantherin A against selective dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced neural damage in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and zebrafish models. Oxidative stress and related signaling pathways underlying the neuroprotective effect were determined by multiple biochemical assays and Western blot.
Results: Pretreatment with schisantherin A offered neuroprotection against 6-OHDA-induced SH-SY5Y cytotoxicity. Moreover, schisantherin A could prevent 6-OHDA-stimulated dopaminergic neuron loss in zebrafish. Our mechanistic study showed that schisantherin A can regulate intracellular ROS accumulation, and inhibit NO overproduction by down-regulating the over-expression of iNOS in 6-OHDA treated SH-SY5Y cells. Schisantherin A also protects against 6-OHDA-mediated activation of MAPKs, PI3K/Akt and GSK3β.
Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that schisantherin A may have potential therapeutic value for neurodegenerative diseases associated with abnormal oxidative stress such as Parkinson׳s disease
Childhood asthma is associated with polymorphic markers of PROC on 2q14 in addition to 17q21 locus
No full textBackground: Childhood asthma is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The first genomewide association study (GWAS) for asthma revealed putative candidates on nine chromosomal regions in Caucasians, with 17q21 locus being the most widely replicated one. However, there was no replication study for the other loci. This study investigated genetic associations between childhood asthma and autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on eight loci reported in the first GWAS among Hong Kong Chinese.
Methods: 510 asthmatic children and 510 non-allergic controls were recruited. 110 tagging SNPs selected based on r2 ≥ 0.80 and minor allele frequency ≥0.05 for Han Chinese among all SNPs located 50-kb upstream and downstream of significant autosomal SNPs were genotyped by TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Transcription factor binding of SNPs was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA).
Results: Asthma was significantly associated with SNPs on 17q21 and 2q14 loci. Twelve SNPs on 17q21 were associated with asthma, with rs6503527 being the most significant SNP. Five SNPs of protein C gene (PROC) on 2q14 were associated with asthma, with rs6755028 being the most significant SNP. Plasma protein C concentrations were higher in asthmatic patients than controls, and five PROC SNPs were associated with plasma protein C concentrations. EMSA showed specific differential binding of rs878461 to nuclear extracts from bronchial epithelial and hepatocarcinoma cell lines.
Conclusions: Our findings identify PROC on 2q14 as a novel candidate for childhood asthma and replicate the genetic association for 17q21 locus. Rs878461 of PROC may increase asthma susceptibility by altering transcription factor binding
Effects of bridge pier friction on flow reduction in a navigation channel
No full textThe Rambler Channel is an 8-kilometer long navigation waterway. A number of bridges are built on piers over the channel; the presence of bridge piers changes the nearby flow regime and induces friction in the ambient tidal currents. This paper presents a hydrodynamic model to study the effects of bridge pier friction on flow reduction in the Rambler Channel. Energy losses due to the bridge piers are estimated by introducing additional quadratic friction terms into momentum equations. Comparisons of the tidal flow patterns, changes in flow rate through the channel, and flow paths in the surface water layer by drogue tracking simulations for situations with and without bridges are presented
發展商重複申請城規准許: 香港私人房屋發展延誤研究 Repeated planning applications by developers under statutory zoning: a Hong Kong case study of delays in private residential development
No full text本報告分析一個橫跨接近廿五年數據的研究主要發現。研究追蹤並勾劃自 1990 年 1 月 1 日至 2015 年 10 月 31 日香港所有 380 個綜合發展區項目重複申請城規會准許的模式。研究分析以公開檔案的資料數據為基礎，從蒐集所得的數據以流程圖詮釋所有已落成私人樓宇發展的相關規劃申請。報告亦就有關城規申請的不尋常狀態提出改革方向的建議。
This project is a study of the pattern of repeated planning applications for each of the 380 projects on sites zoned ‘Comprehensive Development Area’for a period of almost 25 years from 1 January 1990 to 31 October 2015. The study is based on research and analysis of publicly available statistics and interpretation of flowcharts of all applications drawn according to data collected. Directions in reforms of planning practice are suggested
The disappearance of urban comfort
No full textI still have strong memories from my youth in Leeds, a city in northern England when, caught out in a rainstorm during a shopping trip (a frequent occurrence), I dodged into one of the Victorian arcades in the city centre that have since been combined into the ‘Victoria Quarter’ shopping district. Here it was possible to continue shopping or to take a cup of tea safe from the downpour. What a wonderful experience it was! The arcades were similar in appearance to the Burlington Arcade near to the Royal Academy in London, except that the shops were much more affordable...
Participatory action research and fashion education: theories, practices, and implications
No full textMeta-based distributed computing framework
No full textThe explosive growth of distributed technologies requires frameworks to be adaptable. This paper uses design patterns as building blocks to develop an adaptive pattern-oriented framework for distributed computing applications. We describe our novel approach of combining a meta-architecture with a pattern-oriented framework, resulting in an adaptable framework which provides a mechanism to facilitate system evolution. We show how the meta-based framework can be used effectively to enable component integration and to separate system functionality from application functionality. The framework is based on modelling layers of the architecture to meet the challenges of customization, reusability, and extendibility in distributed computing technology. We also highlight how the meta-based framework will impose significant adaptability in system evolution through a simple example using a HTTP Server in conjunction with a thread pool