Newsletter No. 245

New Device for Moni tor ing Eye Pressure at Home G laucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in Hong Kong and worldwide. There are about 100,000 glaucoma patients in Hong Kong. Traditionally treatment has been largely based on lowering the level of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). However studies have shown that diurnal fluctuations in IOP do occur. Sometimes the level measured in eye clinics may not be the same as that measured at home. Treatment based on one reading alone may lead to further damage to the optic nerve. Prof. Dennis Lam, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, said that while attempts were made to devise instruments for home IOP monitoring, they were not accurate, safe, affordable or simple enough to use. The pressure phosphene tonometer (PPT) is a new device using phosphene to measure IOP at home. It involves measuring IOP by means of the visual sensation resulting from applying pressure through the eyelid to the eyeball and then the retina. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has been conducting pioneering clinical studies on PPT on over 300 patients. Prof. Lam said that PPT works best for glaucoma patients with large diurnal fluctuations or those with unstable OIP control. It is less applicable to those with hand tremor, those who cannot understand or perceive the phosphene, or those with moderate to advanced glaucoma. Prof. Dennis Lam (right) and Dr. Dexter Leung with a patient SailingFun Day Organized for Children O n 15th August 2004, the Student Sailing Club and the Water Sports Centre Supervisor jointly organized a sailing fun day for parents and children of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children. A seminar was held at the Water Sports Centre, after which nine families were sailed to the beautiful beach at Wu Kai Sar for lunch and further training. Servic e t oth eCommunit y an d Internationa l Organization s • Prof. Sin Yat Ming Leo, professor in the Department of Marketing, has been appointed by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food as a member of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health for two years from 1st October 2004. • Prof. Jean Woo, professor of medicine, has been appointed by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour as a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Council for three years from 22nd August 2004. • Prof. Lee Shiu Hung, emeritus professor of community medicine, has been appointed by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food as a member of the Health Care and Promotion Fund Committee for two years from 1st August 2004. • Prof. Lau Wan Yee Joseph, professor of surgery, has been nominated to serve as the second member to the Medical Council, representing the University, for the unexpired period of membership of Prof. T.F. Fok from 1st July 2004 to 30th September 2006. • Prof. Wang Yu Michael, professor in the Department ofAutomation and Computer- Aided Engineering, has been appointed to serve as an editor of IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE), a new technical publication of The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), for five years from July 2004. He has also been invited to serve as a guest editor of a Special Section on Workholding and Fixturing in the second issue of T-ASE. • Prof. Li Wen Jung, associate professor in the Department of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering, has been invited to serve as a guest editor of a special issue on Nano-scale Automation and Assembly published in IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering. • Prof. Moses Sing Sum Chow, director of the School of Pharmacy, presided over the Inaugural Conference of the Asian Association of Schools of Pharmacy (AASP) held from 4th to 6th June 2004 in Beijing. He was also made founding president of the association. • 社會工作學系王卓祺教授獲中國扶貧基金會委任為中國消除貧困獎評選委 員會委員，任期由二零零四年八月五日至本屆評選完畢。 Awards • Prof. Michael Harris Bond, professor of psychology, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) ill recognition of his continuing and distinguished contributions to the field of cross-cultural psychology. He is also president of IACCP. • A paper entitled 'Orientalist Knowledge and Social Theories: China and the European Conceptions of East-West Differences from 1600-1900' authored by Prof. Hung Ho-fung, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, was awarded the 2004 best article prize of the American Sociological Association (for the section on the Political Economy of the World System). • M.Phil. student Ngai Chi-kin and his supervisor Prof. Raymond Yeung of the Department of Information Engineering have won the Best Paper Award in Communication Theory at the 2004 International Conference on Communication, Circuits and Systems held in Chengdu, China from 27th to 29th June 2004. (Information in this section is provided by the Information and Public Relations Office. Contributions should be sent direct to that office for registration and verification before publication.) 中大通訊 CUHK NEWSLETTER 網址 w e b s i te http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/puo/ 1.本刊逢四日及十九日出版。 2. 來函或投稿請寄沙田香港中文大學秘書處出版事務處《中大通訊》 編輯部 (電話 2 6 0 9 8584， 傳真 2603 6864 ，電郵 pub2@uab.msmail. c u h k . e d u . h k )。 3. 投稿者須附真實姓名、地址及聯絡電話，文章則可用筆名發表。 4. 編輯有權刪改及決定是否刊登來稿，不欲稿件被刪者請預先聲明。 5. 本刊所載文章只反映作者之觀點和意見，並不代表校方或本刊立場。 6. 所有內容未經編者書面准許，不得轉載。 7. 本刊每期發行三千八百份，免費供校內教職員索閱，部分郵寄本地 教育機構及與大學有關人士。私人索閱，請致函本刊查詢。 1. The Newsletter is published on the 4th and 19th of each month. 2. A l l contributions and suggestions should be sent to the Editor, CUHK Newsletter, Publication Office, University Secretariat, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (tel. 2609 8584; fax. 2603 6864; e-mail pub2@uab.msmail.cuhk.edu.hk). 3. Contributions should bear the writer's name and contact telephone number, and may be published under pseudonyms. No anonymous letters w i ll be published. 4. The Editor reserves the right to reject contributions and to edit all articles without notice for reasons of clarity, length or grammar. Those who do not want to have their articles amended should indicate clearly in writing. 5. The views expressed in the CUHK Newsletter are those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the University or the Editor. 6. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced without the written consent of the Editor. 7. This publication has a circulation of 3,800 and is primarily intended for staff members of C U H K. Copies are also sent to local educational institutions and individuals associated with the University. Those who wish to be included on the mailing list please contact the Newsletter direct. 截稿日期 Deadlines for Contributions 期 數 Issue no. 出版日期 Issue date 截稿日期 Deadline for contributions 246 4.10.2004 17.9.2004 247 19.10.2004 6.10.2004 248 .4.11.2004 20.10.2004 249 19.11.2004 5.11.2004 250 4.12.2004 19.11.2004 251 19.12.2004 3.12.2004 香港中文大學出版事務處出版 編輯：梁其汝 助理編輯：蔡世彬 李琪 陳偉珠製作：梁淑嫻 Published by the Publication Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Editor: A my K.Y. Leung Assistant Editors: Piera Chen, Lawrence Choi Graphic Designer: Pony Leung 印刷：鮑思高印刷有限公司 Printing: Don Bosco Printing Co. Ltd. 2 No. 245 19th September 2004