Locating Self in the World: Elementary school children in Japan,Macau and Hong Kong

In the so-called 'global age', the issue of how children learn to locate themselves in the world is an important one. Working from a foundation of theories related to globalisation, identity development and citizenship education, this paper describes the findings of a research project which explored elementary school children's geographical and affective location of the self in Japan, Macau and Hong Kong. Analysis and discussion of Japanese education policy is then presented in an attempt to explain the finding that Japanese children are far less likely than their counterparts in Hong Kong and Macau to locate themselves in an international sphere.     

Dielectrophoretic manipulation of particles in a modified microfluidic H filter with multi-insulating blocks

The conventional microfluidic H filter is modified with multi-insulating blocks to achieve a flow-through manipulation and separation of microparticles. The device transports particles by exploiting electro-osmosis and electrophoresis, and manipulates particles by utilizing dielectrophoresis (DEP). Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) blocks fabricated in the main channel of the PDMS H filter induce a nonuniform electric field, which exerts a negative DEP force on the particles. The use of multi-insulating blocks not only enhances the DEP force generated, but it also increases the controllability of the motion of the particles, facilitating their manipulation and separation. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the controlled flow direction of particles by adjusting the applied voltages and the separation of particles by size under two different input conditions, namely (i) a dc electric field mode and (ii) a combined ac and dc field mode. Numerical simulations elucidate the electrokinetic and hydrodynamic forces acting on a particle, with theoretically predicted particle trajectories in good agreement with those observed experimentally. In addition, the flow field was obtained experimentally with fluorescent tracer particles using the microparticle image velocimetry (μ-PIV) technique.     

Improvement of rectification effects in diffuser/nozzle structures with viscoelastic fluids

This paper reports the improvement of rectification effects in diffuser∕nozzle structures with viscoelastic fluids. Since rectification in a diffuser∕nozzle structure with Newtonian fluids is caused by inertial effects, micropumps based on this concept require a relatively high Reynolds numbers and high pumping frequencies. In applications with relatively low Reynolds numbers, anisotropic behavior can be achieved with viscoelastic effects. In our investigations, a solution of dilute polyethylene oxide was used as the viscoelastic fluid. A microfluidic device was fabricated in silicon using deep reactive ion etching. The microfluidic device consists of access ports for pressure measurement, and a series of ten diffuser∕nozzle structures. Measurements were carried out for diffuser∕nozzle structures with opening angles ranging from 15° to 60°. Flow visualization, pressure drop and diodicity of de-ionized water and the viscoelastic fluid were compared and discussed. The improvement of diodicity promises a simple pumping concept at low Reynolds numbers for lab-on-a-chip applications.     

An exploratory study on collaborative modes of professional development and learning for teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

This study aims to deliver a school‐based mode of training for in‐service teachers of students with ASD in Hong Kong. The training is delivered following the phases of implementation science, namely, exploration, installation, and implementation. The project team used the theory of mind approach, which enables teachers to engage with students with ASD and to focus on recognizing and reacting to emotions. Participants in this study included four educators from a teacher education institution, three expert teachers, and 19 in‐service teacher trainees. The most salient responses came from trainees who were provided with the opportunity to apply learned skills in their own classrooms immediately and to share the knowledge and skills in dealing with students with ASD in the post‐conference meetings.     

Literacy and capital in immigrant youths' online networks across countries

Communication technologies are playing an increasingly prominent role in facilitating immigrants' social networks across countries and the transnational positioning of immigrant youth in their online language and literacy practices. Drawing from a comparative case study of the digital literacy practices of immigrant youth of Chinese descent, this paper examines the cross-border social relationships that are fostered between the youth and their peers in their natal country through the use of instant messaging and other online media. Using Pierre Bourdieu's capital and field theory, and the concept of social capital, this paper considers how literacy development in transnational contexts constitutes the production of social and cultural capital. It argues that the youths' online literacy practices need to be understood within the particular social fields in which they are situated and how they allow the youth to navigate and take up position within social fields that cross national boundaries.     

What motivates academic scientists to engage in research commercialization: ‘Gold’, ‘ribbon’ or ‘puzzle’?

This paper employs the three concepts of ‘gold’ (financial rewards), ‘ribbon’ (reputational/career rewards) and ‘puzzle’ (intrinsic satisfaction) to examine the extrinsic and intrinsic aspects of scientists’ motivation for pursuing commercial activities. The study is based on 36 individual interviews and an on-line questionnaire survey of 735 scientists from five major UK research universities. It finds that there is a diversity of motivations for commercial engagement, and that many do so for reputational and intrinsic reasons and that financial rewards play a relatively small part. The paper draws on self-determination theory in social psychology to analyse the relationship between scientists’ value orientations with regard to commercial engagement and their personal motivations. It finds that those with traditional beliefs about the separation of science from commerce are more likely to be extrinsically motivated, using commercialization as a means to obtain resources to support their quest for the ‘ribbon’. In contrast, those identify closely with entrepreneurial norms are intrinsically motivated by the autonomy and ‘puzzle-solving’ involved in applied commercial research while also motivated by the ‘gold’. The study highlights the primacy of scientists’ self-motivation, and suggests that a fuller explanation of their commercial behaviour will need to consider a broader mix of motives to include the social and affective aspects of intrinsic motivation. In conclusion, the paper argues that policy to encourage commercial engagement should build on reputational and intrinsic rather than purely financial motivations.     

Numerical modeling of motion trajectory and deformation behavior of a cell in a nonuniform electric field

The motion trajectory and deformation behavior of a neutral red blood cell (RBC) in a microchannel subjected to an externally applied nonuniform electric field are numerically investigated, where both the membrane mechanical force and the dielectrophoresis (DEP) force are considered. The simulation results demonstrate that the DEP force is significantly influenced by several factors, namely, the RBC size, electrode potential, electric frequency, RBC permittivity, and conductivity, which finally results in the different behaviors of the cell motion and deformation in the nonuniform electric field.     

A new technique for detecting patterns of term usage in text corpora

Term occurrence A is included in term occurrence B if A is a substring of B. By making a single pass through a slightly non-standard KWIC index, every recurring phrase can be detected, and its inclusion relationships with other phrases and/or single words can be computed. Results obtained by processing a corpus of 2675 medical titles indicate that several properties definable in terms of inclusion relationships among terms have significance for vocabulary control. Preliminary results from a corpus of more than 62,000 medical titles have confirmed this finding.