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Cantonese English in North America: An L2 Perspective for Researchers and Clinicians
No full textThis chapter explores Cantonese English from a second language (L2) perspective, focusing on the phonological, morphosyntactic, and pragmatic transfer from Cantonese to English. It also delves into the cultural aspects shaped by Confucian values, which influence communication, teaching, learning, and child-rearing practices. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of how linguistic features and cultural norms affect Cantonese speakers' acquisition of English and their interactions in educational and clinical settings. Practical implications for researchers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are discussed, with strategies for distinguishing between typical language differences and speech-language difficulties. Understanding these linguistic and cultural factors is crucial for developing effective management strategies for Cantonese English bilinguals.</p
Facilitators and Barriers to Uptake of Genetic and Cascade Testing in Familial Hypercholesterolemia: a Systematic Review
No full textBackground: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an underdiagnosed autosomal dominant genetic disorder that confers high but preventable risk for premature adverse cardiovascular events. Timely diagnosis is limited by low uptake of genetic testing (GT) and cascade testing (CT). This systematic review identifies barriers and facilitators for uptake of GT and CT in FH. Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, seven databases were searched for studies on GT/CT in FH. Data reporting standards for qualitative studies were evaluated with COREQ and thematic synthesis was conducted. Of the 387 studies identified, 15 were included (qualitative N = 9, quantitative N = 6). These involved 272,954 respondents (qualitative n = 243, quantitative n = 272,711). COREQ scores ranged from 11 to 21 out of 32. Results: Synthesis of qualitative data indicated family history of illness, being well informed, and value of GT as key facilitators of GT. Financial concerns, suboptimal clinical care, and no/low value of GT were identified as barriers. Facilitators of CT included responsibility to family, healthcare providers’ support for CT, and gains of CT, while barriers included disconnect from family, emotional costs, and no value knowing FH status. Quantitative studies reflect emotional distress avoidance, limited opportunity for family disclosure to invite, lack of knowledge, low communication efficacy, and difficulties accessing testing services as predictors impacting CT. Conclusion: Beyond knowledge, perceptions about testing—especially perceived value of testing—emerged to be significantly affecting decisions for GT/CT. Disconnect from family is a maior predictor in CT, reducing the likelihood of probands extending an invitation to their family in support of CT. Future interventions should address barriers and facilitators at interpersonal, clinical and systemic levels to improve FH GT/CT uptake. Additionally, further research in diverse cultural contexts is required to bridge gaps in GT/CT services. Interventions should especially prioritize risk perception education and the development of health communication tools to supplement strong clinical guidance, driving a more patient-centered approach in decisions relating to GT/CT.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Synergistic Molecular Engineering Strategies for Enhancing Diffusion Kinetics and Interfacial Stability of the δ-MnO2 Cathode in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries
No full textLayered manganese dioxide (δ-MnO2) is a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity, high operating voltage, and low cost. However, its practical application faces challenges, such as low electronic conductivity, sluggish diffusion kinetics, and severe dissolution of Mn2+. In this study, we developed a δ-MnO2 coated with a 2-methylimidazole (δ-MnO2@2-ML) hybrid cathode. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that 2-ML can be integrated into δ-MnO2 through both pre-intercalation and surface coating, with thermodynamically favorable outcomes. This modification expands the interlayer spacing of δ-MnO2 and generates Mn–N bonds on the surface, enhancing Zn2+ accommodation and diffusion kinetics as well as stabilizing surface Mn sites. The experimentally prepared δ-MnO2@2-ML cathode, as predicted by DFT, features both 2-ML pre-intercalation and surface coating, providing more zinc-ion insertion sites and improved structural stability. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction shows the expanded interlayer spacing, which effectively buffers local electrostatic interactions, leading to an enhanced Zn2+ diffusion rate. Consequently, the optimized cathode (δ-MnO2@2-ML) presents improved electrochemical performance and stability, and the fabricated AZIBs exhibit a high specific capacity (309.5 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g), superior multiplicative performance (137.6 mAh/g at 1 A/g), and impressive capacity retention (80% after 1350 cycles at 1 A/g). These results surpass the performance of most manganese-based and vanadium-based cathode materials reported to date. This dual-modulation strategy, combining interlayer engineering and interface optimization, offers a straightforward and scalable approach, potentially advancing the commercial viability of low-cost, high-performance AZIBs.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Liquid metal anode enables zinc-based flow batteries with ultrahigh areal capacity and ultralong duration
No full textZinc-based flow batteries (Zn-FBs) are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage because of their intrinsic safety and high energy density. Unlike that conventional flow batteries operate on the basis of liquid-liquid conversions, the Zn anode in Zn-FBs adopts a solid-liquid conversion reaction, presenting challenges such as dendrite formation, poor reversibility, and low areal capacity, limiting its long-duration energy storage (LDES) applications. Here, we developed a liquid metal (LM) electrode that evolves the deposition/dissolution reaction of Zn into an alloying/dealloying process within the LM, thereby achieving extraordinary areal capacity and dendrite-free Zn-FBs with outstanding cycling stability. Both Zn-I2 and Zn-Br2 flow batteries using LM electrodes exhibited an ultrahigh areal capacity of 640 milliampere-hours per square centimeter, corresponding to an ultralong discharge duration of ~16 hours, thus exceeding the LDES standard defined by the US Department of Energy. This study breaks the solid-liquid working mode of the Zn anode, offering an effective solution for LDES applications with Zn-FBs.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Natural anti-cancer products: insights from herbal medicine
No full textHerbal medicine exhibits a broad spectrum of potent anti-cancer properties, including the enhancement of tumor immune responses, reversal of multidrug resistance, regulation of autophagy and ferroptosis, as well as anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and anti-metastatic effects. This review systematically explores recent advances (primarily documented since 2019) in research on key anti-cancer compounds derived from herbal medicine, such as apigenin, artemisinin, berberine, curcumin, emodin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), ginsenosides, icariin, resveratrol, silibinin, triptolide, and ursolic acid (UA). These studies were sourced from scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Clinical Trials. The review focuses on the significant role that these natural products play in modern oncology, exploring their efficacy, mechanisms of action, and the challenges and prospects of integrating them into conventional cancer therapies. Furthermore, it highlights cutting-edge approaches in cancer research, such as the utilization of gut microbiota, omics technologies, synthetic derivatives, and advanced drug delivery systems (DDS). This review underscores the potential of these natural products to advance the development of novel anti-cancer treatments and support contemporary medicine. Additionally, recent multi-omics findings reveal how these compounds reshape transcriptional and metabolic networks, further broadening their therapeutic scope. Many natural products exhibit synergy with first-line chemotherapies or targeted therapies, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing side effects. Advanced nano-formulations and antibody–drug conjugates have also substantially improved their bioavailability, making them promising candidates for future translational research.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Behaviour of a Demountable Continuous Shear Connector in Steel-Concrete Composite Beams
No full textA demountable continuous shear connector is proposed to improve the reusability of steel-concrete composite beams and promote the development of a circular economy in construction. Unlike traditional welded shear studs and bolted shear connectors, this continuous shear connector is comprised of a steel bar with discrete shear components, effectively reducing the workload of installing individual shear connectors on construction sites. Furthermore, both the concrete slab and the steel beam can be simply dismantled and reused after sliding the continuous shear connector out of the steel beam. The longitudinal shear force in the composite beam using the continuous shear connector is transferred from the embedded plate in the concrete slab to the top flange of the steel beam by an individual shear component. To study the interaction between these parts, elemental shear tests were conducted. By studying steel plates of different thicknesses and grades, the expected connector shear fracture and limited plastic deformation in the steel plates were observed.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Healing Through Empowerment and Active Listening: Experience-Based Co-Design of a Nurse-Led Personalised Self-Care Support Intervention for Primary Care Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcers
No full textBackground: The rising prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) highlights the need for effective self-care interventions. Despite strong evidence supporting their effectiveness, patient engagement, uptake, and integration into routine care remain limited. Co-design approaches can enhance the relevance and adoption of interventions but are underutilized in DFU management. Objectives: This study outlines the development of Healing through Empowerment and Active Listening (HEALing), a self-care intervention for patients with DFU, grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Motivational Interviewing, and developed using an experience-based co-design approach. Design, Setting and Participants: The 27-month co-design process consisted of three phases involving patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals(HCPs), and researchers from across primary care in Singapore. Phase 1 (16 months) included qualitative interviews with patients (N = 27), caregivers (N = 5), and HCPs (N = 8), analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis, alongside a quantitative survey (N = 186), analyzed using structural equation modelling to identify intervention determinants. Phase 2 (9 months) involved co-design workshops with patients (N = 10) and wound care nurses (N = 6) to define the intervention's content and delivery approach. In Phase 3 (2 months), iterative meetings refined the intervention's procedures, tools, and materials. Qualitative data from Phases 2 and 3 were thematically analyzed. Results: Key barriers to DFU self-care included limited control over ulceration and treatment, low confidence, negative emotions, and misperceptions about the condition. Personalised care and clinician-facilitated motivation emerged as key enablers. HEALing targets five core self-care components: (1) wound care, (2) foot care and footwear, (3) diabetes care, (4) treatment seeking, and (5) managing worries and concerns. The personalised components are delivered using a card-sorting tool during clinic-integrated sessions by trained wound care nurses. The HEALing delivery pathway comprises three 30-min sessions at 2-week intervals. During workshops, participants perceived HEALing as supporting patient- and clinician-endorsed person-centred care and collaborative planning, while also identifying potential implementation challenges, including training needs and structural barriers. Conclusions: HEALing positions patients as experts by experience, addressing the psychological and behavioural complexities of DFU care. This nurse-led and stakeholder-endorsed intervention is currently undergoing feasibility evaluation. Patient and Public Involvement: Individuals with DFUs, their caregivers, and those with post-healing in remission, and wound care nurses as service users contributed to co-design HEALing by identifying intervention targets and shaping the intervention's content and delivery.link_to_subscribed_fulltex
Long-term observations of microplastic and mesoplastic distribution on sandy beaches in north-east Taiwan: Impact of typhoons on spatial and temporal variability
No full textPlastic pollution in coastal environments poses ecological risks, yet long-term monitoring data and insights into the impacts of extreme weather events remain limited. This study examines the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics and mesoplastics on sandy beaches, with a focus on long-term trends and the influence of typhoons. Samples were collected from two beaches in northern Taiwan over a 20-month period, spanning 8–9 sampling sessions per site. A dense grid sampling approach (50 × 50 cm quadrats) was used across three transects. Post-typhoon microplastic abundances peaked at 5080.6 pcs/kg dry weight (d.w.) at Xialiao Beach, where the average concentration was 115.3 pcs/kg d.w., compared to 18.1 pcs/kg d.w. at Longmen Beach. Typhoon events increased plastic particle accumulation, primarily along storm lines and backshore areas, but long-term accumulation was not observed, indicating dynamic deposition and removal processes. These findings emphasize the need for long-term monitoring through repeated sampling campaigns conducted over an extended period, and high-resolution monitoring using a dense sampling grid, to accurately assess plastic pollution. Single-event studies risk misrepresenting pollution levels due to spatial and temporal variability.</p
Estrogen activation on histone H3 lysine 79 dimethylation mediated menin and chromatin interaction in breast cancer
No full textBreast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer diagnoses worldwide. To address the
heterogeneity in breast cancer therapy, these cancers are classified into distinct molecular subclasses.
ER signaling is a fundamental driver in ER-positive (ER+) breast cancer subtypes. Inhibition of ER
signaling remains a principal treatment strategy, markedly enhancing patient survival rates in ER+
breast cancer cases.
Epigenetic modulations, particularly those involving coactivator and corepressor complexes,
are also integral to the transcriptional regulation underlying breast cancer oncogenesis, tumor
expansion, and progression. Within this context, DOT1L, an enzyme responsible for the methylation
(both mono, di, and tri-methylation) of histone H3 on lysine-79 (H3K79me), has been recognized
as a vital constituent of these multiprotein complexes.
Moreover, menin a part of the MLL1/MLL2 (lysine methyltransferase) complexes, is capable
of interactive activation with ER to act as a key driver in approximately 70% of sporadic breast
cancer cases.
Recent advances in the development of nucleosome-based photoaffinity probes, in tandem with quantitative proteomics, have pinpointed menin as a specific "reader" of di-methylated H3K79
(H3K79me2). Within cells, menin demonstrates selective affinity for chromatin regions enriched
with H3K79me2.
The administration of the DOT1L inhibitor resulted a near-complete eradication of global
H3K79me2 levels, consequently disrupting the menin-chromatin interaction. Interestingly, after
exogenous estrogen dosage, it was discovered that the persistence of menin-chromatin interaction,
notwithstanding the presence of DOT1L inhibition.
To explore the dynamics between epigenetic modulations and hormone receptor interactions,
proteomic and genomic approaches will be employed to elucidate the influence of estrogen
activation on H3K79me2 - mediated menin/chromatin interplay and to unravel the interaction
mechanisms of menin - Dot1L - ERα on chromatin in breast cancer cells.published_or_final_versionBiomedical SciencesMasterMaster of Philosoph
An institutional analysis of the implicit transaction between anchor tenant and non-anchor tenant in a shopping mall
No full textThis thesis examines mall management from a new institutional perspective. Mall-owners seldom solely rely on market forces to lease shops to highest bidders, disregarding tenants’ retail businesses. Mall-owners decide the type of tenants for specific space allotments in the mall, which can be regarded as commands in Coasean firms, i.e., tenant mix management (TMM).
The proposition is that TMM is an institutional arrangement that emerges to capture part of the potential gain from the unobserved transactions between Anchor Tenant (AT) and Non-Anchor Tenant (NAT) in a comprehensive mall. Six hypotheses are developed for testing with real-life observations.
Although TMM of a Coasean firm where the market mechanism is replaced by commands is not new, extant literature mostly focus on comparing transaction costs using firm (internal resources) with transaction costs using market (outsourcing) to explain observed institutional arrangements, and how firm boundary is determined. This study introduces a new perspective in focusing on unrealized gains from potential transactions between AT and NAT within the mall (Coasean firm). This perspective is important in understanding the nature of the commands within the firm and has wider theoretical implications.
First, the existence of firms is not only about comparison of transaction costs within or outside the firm, but also about transaction costs of the unobserved potential transactions between parties within the firm. The commands can capture dissipated rent from potential transactions (i.e. potential transaction gain) if the transaction costs of using the commands are lower than the potentially dissipated rent. This means that rent dissipation and transaction costs are two sides of the same coin, substitutable for each other.
Second, potentially beneficial transactions between parties inside a firm can be generalized to firm’s teamwork because team members constantly exchange skills without explicit contractual arrangements, merely following instructions (commands) to jointly perform tasks. This sheds light on understanding the management’s coordinating function, yielding more hypotheses.
Third, TMM replaces AT-NAT contractual arrangements by the contractual arrangements between mall-owners (residual claimants) and AT or NAT. AT discounts (ATD) and NAT premiums (NAP) in the latter are guided by market forces. This means the market and Coasean firm are not mutually exclusive concepts and arrangements. Accordingly, focusing on the choice of contractual arrangements under different constraints is more promising than focusing on dichotomous treatment of firms and market.
This study makes use of empirical observations in Hong Kong because comprehensive and specialty malls in single and multiple ownerships coexist there. Particularly, observations on subdivided malls are valuable in testing the importance of potential transactions between AT and NAT in a comprehensive mall.
All six hypotheses are consistent with real-life observations, which contribute to existing corporate asset management literature on mall management, and offer explanations for why AT can rent at discounts, why AT only exist in comprehensive malls and not in specialty malls, whether multiple ownership is more likely to be observed in specialty malls, and why subdividing comprehensive malls for sale to multiple investors must fail (either vacant or huge value decline).published_or_final_versionReal Estate and ConstructionDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph