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Revitalizing Digitized Historical Collections: AI-driven Quality Control with Locally Trained Computational Models
Get PDFThis paper explores AI-driven approaches by applying methodological paradigms to Quality Control (QC) for digitized collections. We propose a practical framework – the first automated QC process covering pivotal operations and workflows in digitizing ancient and fragile collections. Using a dataset of digitized images (primarily from a Chinese Rare Book Collection, we explored supervised Deep and Machine Learning algorithms for defect detection and computational methods to measure the color variations using Jensen-Shannon (JS) divergence. Our Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model demonstrated high accuracy for our target, making them favorable for detecting digital defects in this context. The experimental results indicate that automation can significantly reduce human labor in quality assurance, thereby facilitating further character recognition accuracy and seamless access to online academic collections.preprin
Social Movement Participation and Change in Citizenship Beliefs: Insights from Longitudinal Research Among Hong Kong Youth
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The dimensionality of morphological awareness: Evidence from Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children
No full textMorphological awareness is essential for language and literacy development, yet its underlying structure remains unclear, especially in Chinese-English bilinguals at different ages. This study tested 467 hong Kong bilingual children in Grades 2, 5, and 8 on their morphological awareness in both Chinese and English. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine whether morphological awareness in each language is a unidimensional structure, a multi-dimensional structure by task modality (i.e. receptive vs. expressive), or a multi-dimensional structure by stimulus level (i.e. Chinese: word, character, radical; English: free vs. bound morpheme). The results indicated that for L1 Chinese, morphological awareness was unidimensional in Grade 2, multi-dimensional by task modality in Grade 5, and unidimensional in Grade 8. L2 English maintained a unidimensional structure across all grades. These findings underscore how the dimensionality of morphological awareness is shaped by language-specific features and developmental changes.</p
香港骨科醫學院關於膝關節骨關節炎治療的立場聲明
No full textIntroduction:To inform the public and medical practitioners about the effectiveness of various management regimens for knee osteoarthritis (knee OA), the Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons (HKCOS) published a position statement in 2022. This study aimed to present the findings from expert consensus surveys conducted in 2022 and 2024, which form the basis of the recommendations in the position statement.Methods:Fellows of the HKCOS, who were listed in the Specialist Register (Orthopaedics and Traumatology) of the Hong Kong Medical Council, were invited via email to participate in online surveys in 2022 and 2024. The surveys collected opinions on 26 interventions for the treatment of knee OA. Expert panellists were instructed to provide their recommendation for each intervention using one of three options: ‘Recommend’, ‘Do not recommend’ or ‘Abstain’. A consensus of opinion was defined as a minimum of 70% agreement among the expert panellists.Results:A total of 106 expert panellists participated in the 2022 survey, and 28 participated in the 2024 survey. Consensus was reached among the expert panellists for 14 interventions in 2022 and 13 interventions in 2024. In both surveys, the expert panel reached consensus in recommending the following treatments for knee OA: patient education, land-based exercise, water-based exercise, self-management programme, weight reduction, use of a cane, oral paracetamol, topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, high tibial osteotomy, and joint replacement surgery. Conversely, the expert panel reached consensus in recommending against the use of lateral wedge insoles and denervation therapy.Conclusion:Findings from both the 2022 and 2024 surveys demonstrated consistent expert consensus on key recommended and non-recommended interventions for knee OA. The recommendations provide evidence-based guidance to the public and medical practitioners regarding the effectiveness of various management strategies for knee OA.引言：
為了向公眾及醫護人員提供有關膝關節骨關節炎的有效治療方案，香港骨科醫學院於2022年發表了《香港骨科醫學院膝關節骨關節炎治療立場聲明》。本研究旨在報告2022年及2024年進行的專家共識調查結果，這些結果構成了該立場聲明中建議內容的基礎。
方法：
香港骨科醫學院分別於2022年及2024年透過電子郵件，邀請本院院士參與一項為期四週的網上問卷調查。這些院士均具備香港醫務委員會認可的骨科專科醫生註冊資格。調查涵蓋26項治療膝關節骨關節炎的方案，專家小組就每項方案提供意見，並從三個選項中擇一作答：建議、不建議或棄權。當某治療方案獲得70%或以上專家一致意見時，該建議即被視為該方案的專家主流意見。
結果：
共有106位專家小組成員參與了2022年的問卷調查，另有28位成員參與了2024年的問卷調查。在2022年，有14項治療獲得專家共識；在2024年，則有13項治療達成共識。在兩次調查中，專家小組一致建議以下治療方式用於膝關節骨關節炎：患者教育、陸上運動、水中運動、自我管理計劃、體重控制、使用手杖、口服撲熱息痛、外用非類固醇消炎藥、口服非類固醇消炎藥、高脛骨截骨術以及人工關節置換手術。專家小組亦達成共識，不建議使用外側楔形鞋墊和神經阻
斷治療。
結論：
2022年和2024年的問卷調查結果顯示，專家小組就膝關節骨關節炎的主要建議及不建議治療方案達成一致共識。相關建議為公眾及醫療專業人員就各種膝關節骨關節炎管理策略的成效，提供實證為本的指引
Effects of Family Socioeconomic Status on Educational Outcomes in Primary and Secondary Education: A Systematic Review of the Causal Evidence
No full textA growing body of research has examined the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and educational outcomes. Meta-analyses of raw correlations generally indicate moderate associations, typically between 0.12 and 0.3 for academic achievement and around 0.18 to 0.4 for educational attainment. Causal inference studies, aimed at capturing the true effects of SES, report much weaker associations, usually around 0.1 or less. Despite the importance of these causal estimates, few studies have systematically reviewed evidence from causal research. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of studies on the causal effect of SES on educational achievement and attainment. A total of 24 causal inference studies published between 1990 and 2023 were reviewed. The findings contribute to the literature and theory in several ways. First, the meta-analysis revealed a small and non-significant effect of SES on academic achievement (Cohen’s d = 0.03) and a small but statistically significant effect on educational attainment (d = 0.08). Second, moderator analyses indicated that parental education exerted a stronger influence on educational attainment than that of family income. Moreover, the absence of significant differences in SES effects between developed and developing countries, as well as across various causal inference research designs (i.e., sample size, model specification, and methodologies), calls into question the assumed context-dependent nature of SES influence. Overall, the findings challenge SES-centered theories, showing that the causal impact of family SES on educational outcomes is much smaller than generally believed, and suggest that universal mechanisms may underlie the SES-education relationship.</p
The role of loneliness in mediating the relationship between financial strain and mental health: Exploring gender differences in a UK longitudinal study
No full textObjectives: This study explores the association between financial strain and loneliness over time, investigates loneliness as a mediator in the relationship between financial strain and mental health, and examines the influence of gender. Study design: Longitudinal study. Methods: Using data from six waves (2017–2023) of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), which includes 34,535 participants (154,316 person-years), this study employs fixed-effects regression models. Results: Financial strain is significantly associated with increased loneliness over time (b = .155, p < .001). Loneliness partially mediates the relationship between financial strain and mental health, accounting for approximately 15 % of the effect. Notably, the relationship between loneliness and mental health is moderated by gender (b = .120, p < .001), with women experiencing more severe negative effects. Conclusions: These findings suggest that alleviating financial strain could reduce loneliness and its detrimental effects on mental health. Addressing financial and social stressors is essential for public health strategies. Implementing gender-sensitive approaches is critical for addressing specific vulnerabilities, particularly among women.</p
Dietary knowledge, preferred diet, and cooking patterns: evidence from eastern China
No full textThe understanding of relationship between dietary knowledge and dietary behavior starts with defining specific food choice patterns. In this study, we interviewed 4710 residents in eastern China about their dietary knowledge, preferred diet, and cooking methods. We calculated dietary knowledge scores as the percentage of correct answers to each item in the dietary knowledge and applied factor analysis to derive the major dietary and cooking patterns. We then used multivariate linear regression to examine the socio-economic variables and dietary knowledge score associated with the preferred diets and cooking patterns. We showed that dietary knowledge scores were closely and positively correlated with Fruits-vegetables-dairy products, Meat dietary patterns, and Bland cooking patterns, and negatively correlated with Processed food dietary patterns and High-temperature cooking patterns. Therefore, promoting and propagating dietary knowledge is conducive to healthy dietary behavior. Future studies should be conducted on a broader scale to further examine the effects of geographic and cultural differences
Visual 3D morphology of street-level urban trees and older adults’ emotional well-being: A nonlinear machine learning model incorporating temporal dynamics
No full textAging-in-place has increased the need for green design to support community-dwelling older adults to live independently with mental well-being. The three-dimensional (3D) morphology of street-level urban trees thus becomes particularly significant, as these are urban elements that create unique visual and spatial experiences and interact passively with older adults daily, especially in high-density built environments where meso-and macro-scale greenery is often lacking. To clarify the effects of 3D morphology on older adult's emotional well-being, this study 1) measured visual 3D metrics—tree height, structural complexity, coherence and structural diversity—from street view images that approximate a human-eye view, to capture the morphological characteristics of visible trees in the case study of Fuzhou, China; 2) assessed perceived happiness (as outcomes of emotional well-being) through paired comparisons and the Microsoft Trueskill approach and 3) conducted a quasi-longitudinal study with a non-linear random forest model incorporating temporal dynamics through lagged and differenced variables to enhance predictive capacity. Generally, visual 3D metrics were more important determinants of perceived happiness than socioeconomic characteristics, with a relative importance of 22.67 % and 6.97 %, respectively. Among visual 3D metrics, tree height had the largest impact, followed by coherence, structural diversity, and structural complexity. All metrics were positively associated with perceived happiness, with tree height and structural diversity following power associations, while coherence and structural complexity exhibited polynomial associations. Positive interactions between visual 3D metrics were also observed. These findings provide critical insights into the profound, nonlinear and synergistic effects of urban trees’ 3D morphology on mental well-being, offering practical guidance for urban landscape design to promote healthier cities. These findings provide critical insights into the profound, nonlinear and synergistic effects of urban trees’ 3D morphology on mental well-being, offering practical guidance for urban landscape design to promote healthier cities.</p
Late Ming Fiction of Manners and Nascent Chinese Corporeal Modernity in the Lower Yangtze
No full text本文試圖通過對晚明大量出現的以當代普通人生活爲題材的世情小説的考察分析，尤其關注其中女性關於性別、性愛、婚姻等方面的新的道德價值觀，指出晚明江南的一些都市生活裏開始萌發出一種重視個人的身體、欲望和實際生活的現代性特徵，而不是局限於傳統的説教，并且也并不僅限於士人階層，而經常是城鎮普通人的觀念和行爲。文章以晚明的世情小説為分析的基點，對照以當時在大衆生活中流行的色情品，試圖能夠描繪出當時社會“身體現代性”的 生動直觀的畫面。</p