Dr Livia Pan examined the optimal nutrient levels and the best proportion of sewage sludge (SL), Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHR), and biochar (BC) to be used as a novel soil amendment. The amended soils with SL-CMHR-BC had a lower level of antibiotics and corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soils and crop tissues compared with the control soils without adding the soil amendment. This soil amendment method can help reduce the ecological risks of antibiotics and ARGs and mitigate their potential adverse effects on human health through the food chain.
Prof. Gary Tse and his team discovered that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who used oral corticosteroids (OCS) faced a significantly higher risk of developing multiple adverse outcomes. This study emphasises the need to increase awareness about the adverse effects associated with OCS use in COPD patients. It also highlights the need to identify appropriate treatments to manage and minimise the risk of COPD exacerbation, thereby reducing patient exposure to OCS.
Dr Emily Ge investigated the impact of English exposure on the language development of autistic Cantonese-speaking children in Hong Kong. The findings reveal that exposure to two typologically different languages does not hinder the language development of bilingual autistic children; instead, it enhances their comprehension and production of focus. These findings suggest the advantage of creating rich bilingual environments for children, and having bilingual elements in training programmes for bilingual autistic children.
Dr Jianlin Chen and his team constructed a microfluidics device to monitor the metabolic activity of food waste and sewage sludge anaerobic co-digestion. The device enables the mitigation of potential issues arising from scenarios like sudden or significant changes in the feedstock or operating conditions of the anaerobic digestion system, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the system.
Thirteen HKMU scholars have recently been ranked among the top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide by Stanford University. This achievement of HKMU scholars highlights the global recognition and remarkable impact of their research outputs.
