An analysis of conference interactions onTeleNex—A computer network for ESL teachers

“TeleNex” is a computer network set up to enhance the professional development of inservice English teachers in Hong Kong by allowing them to access and share curriculum materials and to communicate with teacher educators at The University of Hong Kong and fellow teachers in other schools. This paper reports a study on the characteristics of the interactions in the public conferences on “TeleNex” during its first 16 months of full operation and the possible factors contributing to these characteristics. In order to analyze the various aspects of conference interactions, including teacher participation, initiation and response, response patterns and message types, a framework of message analysis was developed, drawing on concepts in conversational and discourse analysis. To investigate the possible contributing factors, a questionnaire was designed and administered to all users at the end of the 16-month period. The interaction analysis results and the questionnaire results confirmed the findings in previous studies carried out by the authors that social and psychological factors were very important in shaping the network interactions. TeleNex (Teachers of English Language Education Nexus) is a computer network set up by TELEC with a generous donation from the Hong Kong Telecom Foundation. The Hong Kong Language Fund provided further funding for its third year of operation (1995-96). The research side ofTeleNex is funded by the Research Grants Council of The University Grants Committee of Hong Kong. The authors wish to thank the Hong Kong Telecommunications Foundation and the Hong Kong Language Fund for their generous support. They also wish to thank all colleagues at TELEC who have worked tirelessly to set up the network. In particular, they wish to thank Suzi Nicholson for her comments on the draft. Finally, they wish to thank the editor Steven Ross for his detailed comments and suggestions for revision.     

A pump-free membrane-controlled perfusion microfluidic platform

In this article, we present a microfluidic platform for passive fluid pumping for pump-free perfusion cell culture, cell-based assay, and chemical applications. By adapting the passive membrane-controlled pumping principle from the previously developed perfusion microplate, which utilizes a combination of hydrostatic pressure generated by different liquid levels in the wells and fluid wicking through narrow strips of a porous membrane connecting the wells to generate fluid flow, a series of pump-free membrane-controlled perfusion microfluidic devices was developed and their use for pump-free perfusion cell culture and cell-based assays was demonstrated. Each pump-free membrane-controlled perfusion microfluidic device comprises at least three basic components: an open well for generating fluid flow, a micron-sized deep chamber/channel for cell culture or for fluid connection, and a wettable porous membrane for controlling the fluid flow. Each component is fluidically connected either by the porous membrane or by the micron-sized deep chamber/channel. By adapting and incorporating the passive membrane-controlled pumping principle into microfluidic devices, all the benefits of microfluidic technologies, such as small sample volumes, fast and efficient fluid exchanges, and fluid properties at the micro-scale, can be fully taken advantage of with this pump-free membrane-controlled perfusion microfluidic platform.     

Use of NSE/PS2m-transgenic mice in the study of the protective effect of exercise on Alzheimer's disease

In its late stage, Alzheimer's disease results in progressive muscle weakness in the arms and legs. The aim of this study was to determine whether mice expressing the skeletal muscle-specific mutant PS2 gene (a model of Alzheimer's disease) are a useful experimental system to study the protective effect of exercise on A beta-42 reduction, improvement of behavioural function and changes in metabolic parameters. With this aim in mind, the transgenic mice were subjected to treadmill exercise for 3 months. The results showed that in transgenic mice, but not in normal mice, treadmill exercise resulted in a reduction of A beta-42 deposits and an improvement in behavioural function, thereby restoring normal concentrations of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride. Thus, exercise may represent a practical therapeutic strategy for use with human patients with Alzheimer's disease.     

Online Media Relations as an Information Subsidy: Quality of Fortune 500 Companies' Websites and Relationships to Media Salience

This study probes relationships among corporate financial resources, web-based corporate media relations, and media attention to corporations to determine whether online media relations functions as an effective information subsidy in the agenda-building process. It compares the quality of online press rooms of Fortune 500 companies with the number of news articles about those same companies published by five major news outlets in the United States. A causal model was supported predicting that resource-rich companies have better-operating online newsrooms with more diverse informational and interactive components, which in turn generate more news stories about the companies. This result suggests that the effectiveness of corporate Web activities depends on financial and professional resources and contradicts earlier expectations that the dominance of resource-rich organizations in communication would be undermined by the Internet.     

How the Organizational Learning Process Mediates the Impact of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices on Performance in Korean Organizations

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the structural relationships among several workplace‐related constructs, including strategic human resource management (HRM) practices, organizational learning processes, and performance improvement in the Korean business context. More specifically, the research examined the mediating effect of the organizational learning processes at three levels—individual, group, and organizational—to explain the relationship between strategic HRM practices and performance improvement. A total of 640 cases were used for data analysis, with general multivariate analyses and structural equation modeling. The results suggest that the learning processes at the three levels have a significant direct impact on organizational performance and that they also serve as a mediating interaction construct to maximize the effect of strategic HRM practices. The article provides conclusions, discusses the limitations of the research, and makes further recommendations.