Newsletter No. 178

2 No. 178 19th February 2001 CUHK Newsletter E-Services Laboratory O p e ns A n E-Services Laboratory, j o i n t ly established by Hewlett-Packard Hong K o ng L t d. and the Un i v e r s i ty at the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, was officially opened on 17th January. Officiating at the opening ceremony were the Honourable Henry Tang Y i ng - yen, Member o f the Executive Council o f the HKSAR; Mr. M i c h a el L am, Ma n a g i ng D i r e c t or o f Hewlett-Packard Hong Kong Ltd.; and Prof. Kenneth Young, pro-vice-chancellor of the University. The ob j e c t i ve o f the E - Se r v i ces Laboratory, the first o f its kind in Hong Kong, is to foster the development o f decision methodology and information technology for the advancement of Hong Ko n g 's service industry. Poo l i ng the relevant talent at the University, it w i l l p r ov i de an experimental p l a t f o rm for de v e l op i ng and testing sophisticated technology, and w i l l also serve as an educational centre for the training o f a workforce for future e-services. The E-Services Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, creating a perfect environment for research and teaching. The world-class facilities are made possible by Hew l e t t - Pa c k a r d 's generous donation. MOR I SUPPOR T FOR RESEAC H PROJECTS E ight research projects undertaken by members of the University have attracted funding support from different quarters: • Charcoal Burning Suicide in Hong Kong (HK$677,904) Sponsor: Health Care and Promotion Fund Principal investigator. Prof. Dominic T.S. Lee (Department of Psychiatry) • Regulation of Oviduct Specific Oestrogen-dependent Glycoproteins (Oviductins) mRNA Expression in vitro (HK$15,000) Sponsor. Hong Kong Obstetrical and Gynaecological Trust Fund Principal investigator: Dr. Lok Ingrid Hung (Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology) • Development of PE Assessment-related Profile System Including Electronic Recording System (HK$325,000) Sponsor: Education Department of the HKSAR Project c o o r d i n a t o r : Mr. Chan Wan-ka (Department o f Sports Science and Physical Education) • Regular Exercises for Health — Morning Exercise, Eye Exercise and Light Stretching Exercises During the Change of Class Period (HK$488,750) Sponsor: Education Department of the HKSAR Project coordinator: Prof. Stephen Wong Heung-sang (Department of Sports Science and Physical Education) • Cell Cycle Control: Regulation of CDC25B Phosphatases by Calmodulin and CaM Kinase (HK$30,600) Sponsor. France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2000-1 Principal investigator: Prof. Tsui Kwok-wing (Department of Biochemistry) • Is Language Processing Cognitively Encapsulated? A Brain Imaging Analysis of Tonal and Non-tonal Languages (HK$30,800) Sponsor: France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2000-1 Principal investigator. Prof. Trevor Penney (Department of Psychology) • The Self-assembly of Polymeric-surfactants in Water (HK$31,250) Sponsor: France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2000-1 Principal investigator: Prof. Chi Wu (Department of Chemistry) • Numerical Methods for Solving the Singular Maxwell Equations (HK$24,000) Sponsor. France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2000-1 Principal investigator. Prof. Zou Jun (Department of Mathematics) Women's Health in the Spotlight T hree functions relating to women's health took place in the mon th o f January: New Findings About Antenatal Depression Recent research at the Faculty o f Medicine shows that antenatal depression is an equally, i f not more, impo r t ant problem as postnatal depression, and is closely associated w i t h obstetric and neonatal complications. The results of the study were released on 12th January at a press conference held in the Prince of Wales Hospital. About 1,000 women were followed from late pregnancy to postpartum, and any adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes were recorded at delivery. It is found that antenatal depression increases the risk of epidural analgesia and operative deliveries such as Cesarean sections and instrumental vaginal deliveries. Newborns of depressed mothers are also more likely to be admitted to neonatal care units. Scientific Meeting on Women's Health A scientific meeting on 'New Insights into Women's Health' was organized jointly by the Department o f Commun i ty and Fam i ly Med i c i ne and the Hong K o ng Epidemiological Association on 13th January at the Hospital Authority Building on Argyle Street. Prof. Elizabeth Barrett- Connor, world renowned expert i n women 's health was the keynote speaker. In her speech 'Hormones and Health: Past, Present, and Fu t u r e ', Prof. Barrett-Connor reviewed the remarkable early and recent impact of 'sex hormone science' and made p r e d i c t i o ns f or hormones and women's health. Other speakers included Prof. K u e Y o u ng f r om the U n i v e r s i ty o f Manitoba, Prof. Suzanne Ho f r om the Department o f Commun i ty and Fami ly Medicine, and Prof. Dominic Lee from the Department of Psychiatry. Issues addressed included insomnia in Hong Kong women, screening of cervical cancer, and health of immigrant women. New Centre for Promoting Women's Health The Centre of Research and Promotion of Women's Health was officially set up by the Faculty of Medicine on 16th January as part o f the School o f Public Health. The centre aims at researching health problems that are unique and significant to, and prevalent among women at different stages o f their lives, and providing evidence for strategies and effective means o f health p r omo t i on and disease prevention for women. Speakers at the inauguration ceremony o f the centre included (from left) Prof. E l i z a b e th B a r r e t t - C o n n or f r om the University of California at San Diego, Prof. Suzanne Ho and Prof. Jean Woo from the University's Department of Community and Family Medicine, and Prof. Tony Chung Kw o k - h u ng f r om the Depa r tment o f Obstetrics and Gynaecology. On-lineEducationofChineseMedicine T he Institute of Chinese Medicine (ICM) has recently signed an agreement with Greaterchinaherbs.com L t d. ( GCT) to launch a pilot project of on-line education o f t r a d i t i o n a l C h i n e se m e d i c i n e. Greaterchinaherbs.com Ltd. is a subsidiary of GreaterChina Technology Group Ltd., a listed company in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Growth Enterprise Market. The p i l o t p r o j e ct w i l l have t wo modules: prescription of traditional Chinese m e d i c i n e a nd C h i n e se m e d i c i ne formulation. Both w i l l follow the syllabus o f the taught certificate programme newly offered by the Un i ve r s i t y 's School o f Continuing Studies. GCT w i l l p r o v i de the we b s i t e, hardware, software, and manpower for the registration and operation of the two on-line course modules. Students w i ll be recruited this summer and the courses w i ll be on-line by September 2001. SCS Offers New Course for Media Professionals T he School of Continuing Studies w i ll begin offering a Graduate Certificate in Mu l t i c u l t u r al Jou r na l i sm w i t h the Graduate School o f Journalism o f the University of Wollongong in Australia this July. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two parties on 17th January. The professional programme is a part- time distance education programme to be completed in two semesters in a year. A t the beginning o f each semester, tutorial classes w i l l be conducted by staff f r om Wollongong University. E-mail discussions w i l l also f o rm a c r u c i al part o f the programme. Designed for working adults who wish to enhance their journalism skills and c r i t i c al unde r s t and i ng o f med ia practices in Hong Kong, it paves the way f or t hem to pursue a Master o f A r ts p r o g r a m m e i n journalism, full-time or by distance learning, at t he U n i v e r s i t y o f Wollongong. Prof. Rob Castle, pro-vice- chancellor (academic) of the University of Wollongong, and Mr. Victor Lee, director of the School of Continuing Studies, congratulating each other after signing the m e m o r a n d u m o f understanding