Patterns of polychaete communities in relation to environmental perturbations in a subtropical wetland of Hong Kong

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Ping Shen ◽  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Ji-Dong Gu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Intertidal Mudflat ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Subtropical Wetland ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Offshore Station ◽  
Capitella Capitata

Benthic polychaetes in the largest intertidal mudflat of Hong Kong were analysed for potentially stressed environmental conditions from pollution. Over a two-year period, a total of 14 species were recorded with the species diversity (H′(log2)) ranged from 0.54 to 2.4. The community was dominated by two large polychaetes (Neanthes glandicincta and Potamilla acuminata) and a number of small pollution tolerant species (Tharyx, Capitella capitata and Prionospio cirrifera). It was also characterized by both temporal and spatial variations in terms of abundance and species composition with the lowest species number observed at onshore Station B in August and the highest at offshore Station D in February. Two distinct polychaete communities were formed along the intertidal towards subtidal mudflat, particularly the assemblage at onshore Station B showing a significant difference from those at the other three stations (P < 0.05, N = 32). Results of the abundance–biomass comparison (ABC) indicated a typical impacted community at the whole study area, especially at Station B which was close to the Shenzhen River mouth and mangrove forest. The total organic carbon had a significant positive effect on the abundance of Capitella capitata (P = 0.037, N = 8) while sedimentary compositions were statistically related to the abundance of Potamilla acuminata, Tharyx and total abundance of polychaetes (P < 0.05, N = 8). In conclusion, both the polluted Shenzhen River and nearby mangrove may be responsible for the decline in species richness and diversity as well as changes in community structure. Polychaetes can be used as the appropriate indicators in habitat ecological condition assessment instead of the whole benthic community.

scholarly journals Traumatic Liver Injury in Hong Kong: The Management Strategy and Outcome

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 208-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
CN Chong ◽  
YS Cheung ◽  
KF Lee ◽  
TH Rainer ◽  
BSP Lai
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Liver Injury ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Operative Management ◽  
Concomitant Injuries ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Non Operative Management

Introduction Management of liver injury is challenging and evolving. The aim of this article is to review the outcome of traumatic liver injury in Chinese people in Hong Kong. Materials & methods Records of 40 patients with hepatic injury who received treatment at the Prince of Wales Hospital between December 2000 and May 2005 were reviewed. Demographic data, severity of liver injury, Injury Severity Score (ISS), haemodynamic status and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission, investigations made, concomitant injuries, management scheme, and outcome of patients were analysed. Results There were 23 male and 17 female patients with a mean age of 31.3 (SD=15.4) years. Road traffic accident was the most common injury mechanism (65%). Half of the patients were treated by non-operative management (NOM). None of them required surgery during subsequent management. Patients in the operative management (OM) group had a significantly higher ISS (p=0.026), but there was no significant difference in the mortality rate between the OM and NOM groups. Patients with stable haemodynamic status and who were treated non-operatively had a significantly shorter hospital stay (p=0.006). High grade liver injury (OR=8.0, 95% CI=1.2 to 53.8, p=0.03) and ISS greater than 25 (OR=21.6, 95% CI=2.0 to 225.3, p=0.01) were independent risk factors for mortality on multivariate analysis. Conclusions Non-operative management of liver injury can be safely accomplished in haemodynamically stable patients, with the possible benefit of a shorter hospital stay.

Analysis of Foreign Ownership in China’s Listed Companies

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-66
Author(s):  
Liu Shaobo ◽  
Yang Zhuqing ◽  
Ye Dezhu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Foreign Ownership ◽  
Strong Preference ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Value Add

This paper provides an overview of the foreign ownership in the China’s listed companies. The characters are as follows: 1) It has a small proportion of shares, showing not in control position in most companies; 2) it has a strong preference for the banking industry; 3) most of them have been located in the developed regions; 4) most of them mainly come from Asia, especially from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; 5) most of them have share in value-add big companies. In addition, this paper found a significant difference in big foreign shareholders of stock preference between direct and indirect investment.

scholarly journals BRE INDEX FOR THE HONG KONG RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MARKET

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddie Chi Man Hui ◽  
Joe Tak Yun Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
Capital Gains ◽  
Residential Property ◽  
Property Market ◽  
Price Expectations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Market Outlook ◽  
Price Trends ◽  
Residential Market

This paper examines housing price trends and prediction, of homeowners and potential home buyers, and establishes an independent index (the BRE Index) based on longitudinal telephone surveys collected. The Index, first of this kind in Hong Kong, measures price expectations and benchmarks the level of housing actors’ confidence in the residential market. This is the first paper delivered as part of a government‐funded research project. It synthesizes the key findings of the first survey mounted from 17th to 20th December, 2003. The results show that confidence among housing actors has begun to grow since the property crash in late 1997 with the “overall” BRE Index standing at 564 (0–1000 range). In general, homeowners, people with higher educational level and higher income are optimistic about the market outlook. Residential property prices are expected to rise marginally in the short term. Statistically, there is no significant difference in housing price expectations between homeowners and non‐owners. In their minds, economic condition is the most important factor affecting housing decisions. Apparently, the rising trends in the immediate past have been used to form expectations. The strength of the association between actual capital gains and forecast capital gains is moderately strong, and there appears co‐movement between them. This leads us to believe that hope‐led expectations increase the likelihood of sustaining price increases. The current market is largely driven by expectations. If households formed their expectations in a similar manner in other periods, there would be similar “positive hit” results, which might render the Index more powerful.

Palaeolatitudinal distribution of the Ediacaran macrobiota

2021 ◽  
pp. jgs2021-030
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Boddy ◽  
Emily G. Mitchell ◽  
Andrew Merdith ◽  
Alexander G. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Cambrian Radiation ◽  
Supplementary Material

Macrofossils of the late Ediacaran Period (c. 579–539 Ma) document diverse, complex multicellular eukaryotes, including early animals, prior to the Cambrian radiation of metazoan phyla. To investigate the relationships between environmental perturbations, biotic responses and early metazoan evolutionary trajectories, it is vital to distinguish between evolutionary and ecological controls on the global distribution of Ediacaran macrofossils. The contributions of temporal, palaeoenvironmental and lithological factors in shaping the observed variations in assemblage taxonomic composition between Ediacaran macrofossil sites are widely discussed, but the role of palaeogeography remains ambiguous. Here we investigate the influence of palaeolatitude on the spatial distribution of Ediacaran macrobiota through the late Ediacaran Period using two leading palaeogeographical reconstructions. We find that overall generic diversity was distributed across all palaeolatitudes. Among specific groups, the distributions of candidate ‘Bilateral’ and Frondomorph taxa exhibit weakly statistically significant and statistically significant differences between low and high palaeolatitudes within our favoured palaeogeographical reconstruction, respectively, whereas Algal, Tubular, Soft-bodied and Biomineralizing taxa show no significant difference. The recognition of statistically significant palaeolatitudinal differences in the distribution of certain morphogroups highlights the importance of considering palaeolatitudinal influences when interrogating trends in Ediacaran taxon distributions.Supplementary material: Supplementary information, data and code are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5488945Thematic collection: This article is part of the Advances in the Cambrian Explosion collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/advances-cambrian-explosion

Moon and tide effects on fish capture in a tropical tidal flat

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 735-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Amorim Reis-Filho ◽  
Francisco Barros ◽  
José De Anchieta Cintra Da Costa Nunes ◽  
Cláudio Luis Santos Sampaio ◽  
Gabriel Barros Gonçalves De Souza
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Flat ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Trophic Groups ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Tropical Tidal Flat

The influence of the lunar phases and tidal range on the fish capture was analysed in a tidal flat in Barra do Paraguaçu (Baía de Todos os Santos). The sampling was realized in the flood tide and ebb tide of the spring (full moon) and neap (waning moon) tides, between June 2007 and May 2008. At all sampling occasions, two parallel drags were accomplished to the tidal flat, in the same direction of the current, in a 100 m long area marked on the beach beforehand, using a seine net of 15 m × 2.0 m with a mesh of 12 mm between adjacent knots. A total of 2312 fish specimens were captured (26.5 kg), belonging to 75 species from 45 families. The mean number of captured fish was significantly larger in full moon at ebb tides, while the mean weight in the captures was larger in ebb tides. There was significant difference in number of species, number of fish, richness and diversity between full and waning moons. The number of fish and biomass were significantly different between tides. Significant differences were found in community structure regarding trophic groups in relation to tide and moon, although the classic diversity indices did not capture this effect between tides. Furthermore, it was possible to identify preferences of occurrence related to the change of tide in dominant species.

Morphometric and Meristic traits of four flatheads (family: Platycephalidae) occurring along the East coast of India

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Jaiswar ◽  
Vikas . ◽  
Rajan Kumar ◽  
Shashibhusan . ◽  
W. S. Lakra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Distinct Group ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Maximum Length ◽  
Head Length ◽  
Dorsal Spine ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Meristic Characters ◽  
East Coast Of India ◽  
Significant Difference

Study on a meristic traits of Kumococius rodericensis Sorsogona tuberculata Platycephalus indicus and Rogadius serratus (family Platycephalidae), occurring along the East coast of India, was conducted to find easily differentiating traits. The study was based on the samples collected from landing centers situated along the East coast of India, during February 2015 to March 2016. A total of thirty-one morphometric and meristic characters were measured, counted and subjected to statistical analysis using software Statistica. Among eighteen morphometric measurements, five measurement (distance between upper and lower jaw, length of upper preopercular spine, snout length, maximum length of first dorsal spine, maximum length of second dorsal spine) did not show difference when subjected to factor analysis. Varimax raw factor rotation on factor loading 0.7 were selected for scatterplot of canonical score among root 1 and root 2, which revealed existence of distinct group of species. Number of gillrakers, spot on caudal fin, number of pored scale on lateral line and preopercular spine revealed significant variations among the species. The proportional measurements with their head length (HL) viz. Preorbital length: head length (POL:HL), Inter orbital width: head length (IOW:HL), and maximum eye diameter: head length (MED:HL) also revealed significant difference among the species. The study revealed certain morphological characters those can easily identify the flathead species.

scholarly journals Prevalence of and risk factors for feline hyperthyroidism in Hong Kong

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia S. De Wet ◽  
Carmel T. Mooney ◽  
Peter N. Thompson ◽  
Johan P. Schoeman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
The Other ◽  
Food Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World ◽  
Total Thyroxine ◽  
Potential Risk Factors ◽  
Specific Association

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of and potential risk factors for feline hyperthyroidism in Hong Kong. Serum total thyroxine (T4) was measured in 305 cats aged 10 years and older that presented at various veterinary clinics in Hong Kong. The prevalence of hyperthyroidism (T4>50 nmol/l) within this population was 3.93% and there was no significant difference in prevalence between healthy (3.16%) and sick (4.37%) cats. Older cats (>15 years) were more likely to be affected and domestic shorthair cats were less likely to be diagnosed with hyperthyroidism than the other breeds combined. No specific association between the development of feline hyperthyroidism and food type was observed. The prevalence of feline hyperthyroidism in Hong Kong was less than that reported for most other parts of the world, despite the presence of previously identified risk factors.

Evaluating computer-based and paper-based versions of an English-language listening test

ReCALL ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID CONIAM
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
English Language ◽  
School Students ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
School Based ◽  
Testing Facility ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Computer Based Testing ◽  
Grade 11

This paper describes an English language listening test intended as computer-based testing material for secondary school students in Hong Kong, where considerable attention is being invested in online and computer-based testing. As well as providing a school-based testing facility, the study aims to contribute to the knowledge base regarding the efficacy and reliability of computer-based testing. The paper describes the construction of an item bank of over 400 short listening items calibrated on item response theory principles. Items from this bank were used to form a traditional paper-based listening test, and an adaptive computer-based test. Both forms of the test were administered to two Hong Kong Grade 11 and Grade 12 classes. Descriptive test statistics indicated that both test types discriminated effectively between school grades. In terms of comparability between test types, there was significant difference between the Grade 11 classes’ performance although not with that of Grade 12. Test takers generally performed better on the computer-based test than on the paper-based test, confirming earlier research. Interviews with test takers after taking both tests indicated an even split in terms of preference, with boys opting for the computer-based test and girls the paper-based test. Correlations between test takers’ performance on the two test types were high enough to indicate the computer-based test’s potential as a low-stakes test (its intended purpose as a school-based testing facility), although not as a high-stakes test (for example, as a territory-wide test replacing a traditional paper-based test).

scholarly journals Investigation on Species Composition of Plant Community at Tad Xai at Phou Khao Khouay National Park, Lao PDR

Our Nature ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Metmany Soukhavong ◽  
Liu Yong ◽  
Khamseng Nanthavong ◽  
Jérôme Millet
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Lao Pdr ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Crown Cover ◽  
Significant Difference

Phou Khao Khouay (PKK) National Park is one of the 21 National Parks in Lao PDR that supports high biodiversity. The plant community was represented by 62 families, 145 species and 1,221 tree size individuals in 50×50 m2 plots. The largest species in terms of individual number were Hydnocarpus ilicifolia, Hopea spp. and the largest families in terms of species number were Rubiaceae and Dipterocarpaceae. A total 24 families, 33 species and 91 sapling individuals were found in the 10×10 m2 sapling plots, the largest species were Rinorea boissieui, Ailanthus triphysa and Hopea spp. and the largest families were Dipterocarpaceae and Myrtaceae. In the seedling quadrat, there were 88 families, 153 species and 1,586 seedling size individuals in 2×2 m2 plots, the largest species were Hopea spp., Hopea ferrea and spp. (leguminoceae), the largest families were Rubiaceae, Annonaceae and Dipterocarpaceae. Diversity was found very high in tree and seedling was significantly higher than that of sapling, but no significant difference between tree and seedling. The largest tree height and maximum mean diameter at breast height (DBH) belonged to the family of Dipterocarpaceae. Canopy cover of Diperocarpaceae was highest (35%) in study area. Lauraceae and other 6 families had lowest crown cover around 5%. The result of this study indicated the pattern of species composition in plant community assembly and density, diversity, abundance for the vegetation layers.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v11i1.8237 Our Nature Vol.11(1) 2013: 1-10

Establishing a parsimonious model through comparing impact of key student and school factors on secondary school value-added effects

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-183
Author(s):  
Lijuan Li ◽  
Kerry John Kennedy ◽  
Magdalena Mo Ching Mok
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish and compare multilevel models that significantly predict school effects on adding value to their students regarding English reading from Secondary One to Secondary Six. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from 3,993 students within 66 schools in 2006 by the Educational Bureau of Hong Kong. Findings – When entering Secondary One, the students’ English reading ability was tested then again at Secondary Six. A range of value-added models were fitted to the data. The comparison across these models suggests that student individual scores at intake are the most powerful indicators of value-added. The intake aptitude test scores, aggregated to school level, and gender made no significant difference. At the individual level, student band was the significant predictor. School level effects were largely non-significant. Specific findings on value-added across the schools are visualized as evidence of the parsimony of the selected model. Research limitations/implications – Secondary data such as this while collected at one point in time nevertheless can still shed light on current policies and practices. It is particularly the case considering that the value-added effects system is still working in Hong Kong over decades but less examined academically. Originality/value – This study has produced some insights for stakeholders to identify influences on the value-added patterns.

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