Newsletter No. 172

2 No. 172 4th November 2000 CUHK Newsletter New Centre for Osteoporosis Care and Control E very day in Hong Kong an average of 10 elderly individuals fracture their hips. Osteoporosis is among the top five c ond i t i ons that cause d i s a b i l i ty and prolonged hospital stay for the elderly. T h e J o c k e y C l u b C e n t r e f o r Osteoporosis Care and Control, the first specialized centre for osteoporosis in the Asia-Pacific, was set up by the University w i th a generous donation f r om the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust on 20th October. The centre is dedicated to healthier bone for all, and improved quality of life for osteoporosis sufferers. The opening ceremony of the centre was held at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Guests attending included Mr. Chau Cham- son, deputy chairman o f the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, Prof. Steve Cummings, representative of the Board of Trustees of the US National Osteoporosis Foundation, Prof. Ambrose King, acting vice-chancellor o f the University, Prof. Sydney Chung, dean o f medicine, Prof. Leung Ping-chung o f the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, and Prof. Edith Lau of the Department of Community and Family Medicine. Prof. Ambrose King and Mr. Chau Cham-son International Symposium on Smart Structures O ver 90 experts f r om 16 countries took part in an international symposium on s m a r t s t r u c t u r e s a n d microsystems organized by the Department of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering from 19th to 21st October at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. They presented the recent advances in smart structures a nd m i c r o s y s t e m s, t w o important technologies that are leading today's industries to breakthrough development, and exchanged views on the d i r e c t i on o f f u t u re research. The a im o f the s ympo s i um was to p r omo te the commercialization of technology, university-industry collaboration, and academic exchange between Hong Kong, mainland China, and the rest of the world. Topics covered included micro sensors, actuators, integrated systems, adaptive structures, and health monitoring applications. State-of-the-art Heart Machine for Faculty of Medicine T he Cardiac Division of the Department o f Med i c i ne and Therapeutics has i n s t a l l ed the most advanced cardiac ultrasound machine currently available, a SONOS 5500. The machine, a generous donation f r om the Convocation o f the Un i v e r s i t y, w i l l immense ly boost the research activities and service provision in the division. The machine helps doctors see easily and clearly the heart muscles, valves, and even the blood flow in the major coronary arteries and heart wa ll movement. It is particularly useful for assessing patients who have undergone heart valve surgery. It can also be used to identify the causes of arterial disease in the Chinese population, for, with it, doctors can detect the thickness of the arterial wall, cardiac malfunction and disorders, abnormal motion due to shortage of oxygen supply to the heart muscle, and the effect of various treatments. The machine was officially presented to the Cardiac Division at a presentation ceremony held on 19th October at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Association of Directors of Pathology Meets in Nanjing A bout 150 leading pathologists f r om different parts of mainland China and Hong Kong attended the second meeting o f the A s s o c i a t i on o f D i r e c t o rs o f Pathology of China held on 23rd and 24th September in Nanjing. It was organized jointly by the University's Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, the Association of Directors of Pathology of China, and Nanjing Medical University, and partially sponsored by the Cheng Suen Man Shook Foundation. A t the mee t i ng, a w i de range o f p r o f e s s i o n al issues we re discussed, i n c l u d i ng q u a l i t y assurance i n the laboratory, reporting of surgical specimens, autopsy, and the training o f pathologists. Prof. H.K. Ng was elected chairman of the association for a term of three years. The association has a membership of 180, consisting of chairs and vice-chairs o f pathology in major medical institutions in China. Its first meeting was hosted by the U n i v e r s i t y i n 1999, w h en the association was formed. The third meeting w i l l be held at the West China University o f Medical Sciences in Chengdu in July 2001. Mrs. Betty Tung on Campus M rs. Betty Tung, wife o f the C h i e f E x e c u t i ve o f the H K S A R , p a i d a v i s i t to the U n i v e r s i t y c amp us on 2 5 t h September as the guest of honour of the first graduation ceremony of the Graduate D i p l oma / D i p l oma Programme in Nutrition Education for Early Childhood Personnel run by the Sc hool o f C o n t i n u i ng S t u d i e s. She a d d r e s s ed t he graduates and presented certificates. MedicalStudentsWinOccupational Safety Awards Po s t g r adua te s t uden ts f r om the Department of Community and Family Medicine clinched two out of five awards of the Occupational Safety and Health Best Project Award, set up for the first time by the Occupational Safety and Health Council to encourage post-secondary students in Hong Kong to appreciate the importance of occupational safety and health in their studies. The prize presentation ceremony took place on 24th September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The award winning projects from the University were 'The Neurobehavioural Effects o f Occupa t i onal Exposure to Organic Solvents in Hong Kong Printing Workers' by Mr. Song Hong, and 'Heat Stress Among Chefs in the Kitchens of Chinese Restaurants in Hong Kong and the Related Physical Symptoms' by Mr. Leung Wai Hung. They each received an award certificate and a cash prize of HK$3,000. English Translations of Works by the First Chinese Nobel Laureate in Literature The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian was first published by The Chinese University Press in 1999. It is one of the two works by the author available in English to this day. It is available to staff and students of the University at a 25 per cent discount at The Chinese University Press (2609 6508). The Other Shore: Plays by Gao Xingjian contains five of the most recent works of Gao Xingjian, Nobel laureate in literature for 2000 — T h e Other Shore (1986), Between Life and Death (1991), Dialogue and Rebuttal (1992), Nocturnal Wanderer (1993), and Weekend Quartet (1995). With original imagery and in beautiful language, these plays illuminate the realities of life, death, sex, loneliness, and exile. The plays also show the dramatist's idea of the tripartite actor, a process by which the actor neutralizes himself and achieves a disinterested observation of his self in performance. There is also an introduction by the translator, Gilbert C.F. Fong, associate professor in the Department of Translation of the University, which describes the dramatist and his view on drama. Born and educated in China, Gao studied French literature at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute between 1957 and 1962. He became a resident playwright at the Beijing People's Art Theatre after the Cultural Revolution. His plays have been performed all around the world, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, the Ivory Coast, the United States, France, and Germany. His works are trend-setting and have sparked many controversies. He settled in France in 1987 and continued his playwriting. He was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 1992. ISBN 962-201-862-9, paperback, 312 pages, HK$148

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