Tag Archives: China

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Research Grants Council to present public lecture on “Happy, Healthy, Longevity” on November 4

The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
 
     In line with the Government’s initiative to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education for all, for fun and for diversity in support of the direction of promoting innovation and technology development, the Research Grants Council (RGC) will organise a series of public lectures from October 2023 to January 2024, covering areas including technology, innovation, health and culture.
 
     The second lecture titled “Happy, Healthy, Longevity” will be held at the Hong Kong Central Library on November 4 (Saturday). All are welcome.
 
     The RGC has invited four scholars of the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to share their knowledge and research findings. Assistant Professor Dr Wong Min Ney and Associate Professor of Practice Dr Janet Ng will talk about post-stroke language impairment, while Associate Professor Dr Elaine Kwong and Associate Professor and Associate Head Dr Cindy Ngai will explain swallowing disorders in the ageing population. Details are as follows:
 
Time: 3pm to 5pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library
Language: Cantonese
Admission: Free (seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis)
 
     Members of the public can also watch a live broadcast of the lecture through the YouTube Channel of the Hong Kong Public Libraries (www.youtube.com/channel/UCJUipdvSACZjO1ldoO3YQBA).
 
First session: A path to language recovery following stroke: Neurological functions, impairments, and therapy
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     Language impairment is one of the common consequences of stroke. Patients will experience difficulties in understanding the language, troubles with expressing and unclear speech. These could greatly affect daily communication and activities. Dr Wong and Dr Ng will provide an overview of language processing in the brain, review symptoms of post-stroke language impairment, examine language recovery with speech therapy and discuss possibilities of new treatments with reference to local research evidence.
 
Second session: Navigating swallowing disorders: Enhancing diagnosis, treatment, and therapist-patient collaboration in an ageing population
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     Dr Kwong and Dr Ngai will delve into the realm of swallowing disorders in an ageing population to unravel the diagnostic techniques and illustrate the latest advancements in treatment modalities, as well as exploring how an open and effective communication between therapists and patients will enhance therapeutic outcomes.
 
     The RGC has been regularly organising public lectures since 2009, featuring various distinguished scholars as speakers. These lectures aim to promote research knowledge of Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions and to raise public awareness of the significance and values of local research work.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2524 3987 or visit the University Grants Committee webpage (www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/events/lectures/lectures.html). In addition, members of the public can register for the RGC’s email subscription service at www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/subscribe to receive regular updates. read more

East Asia

Grading of beach water quality released

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (October 27) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
      
     Twenty-six beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 13 as Fair (Grade 2), and one as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:           

Butterfly Beach* Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Cafeteria New Beach* Middle Bay Beach*
Cafeteria Old Beach Pui O Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach* Repulse Bay Beach*
Chung Hom Kok Beach Shek O Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach* South Bay Beach*
Golden Beach* St Stephen’s Beach*
Hap Mun Bay Beach* Stanley Main Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach* Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Kadoorie Beach* Tong Fuk Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Trio Beach*
Kwun Yam Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers’ Beach* Discovery Bay
Approach Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach* Lido Beach*
Casam Beach* Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Castle Peak Beach Silverstrand Beach*
Clear Water Bay Second Beach* Ting Kau Beach*
Deep Water Bay Beach*  

Grade 3 beach is:
Silver Mine Bay Beach*  
 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Kadoorie Beach and Kwun Yam Beach have been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1.
      
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
      
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
 
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.
      
     In line with the vision to develop Hong Kong into a smart city, the EPD launched the Beach Water Quality Forecast System on August 15 to provide daily water quality forecasts for all gazetted beaches in Hong Kong that are open for swimming, to supplement the existing beach water quality monitoring programme and further enhance services to the public (see Note 3). Members of the public can obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD’s beach thematic website.
      
Note 1: Lifeguard services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 26 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from September 28. Stanley Main Beach is temporarily closed for clearance and urgent repair works. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).
 
Note 2: This refers to the non-gazetted beach in Discovery Bay which has no lifeguard service.

Note 3: The EPD launched the Beach Water Quality Forecast System on August 15, 2023. For the press release, please visit www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202308/15/P2023081400345.htm. read more

East Asia