The Review 2006

The Review 2006 24 The Review 2006 25 And a team of scientists from the Department of Anatomy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology successfully reconnected brain tissue in hamsters using nanotechnology, holding out hope that human victims of brain injuries can regain some functions. The treatment restored partial vision to blind hamsters. The initial findings were published in the American Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Promoting the benefits of a healthy spirit The Centre of Buddhist Studies has initiated research to assess the effectiveness of the application of Buddhist concepts in life education for secondary school students. The goal is to devise teaching tools that help students understand life better, deal with problems and find meaning in life using Buddhist teachings as a guide. War and climate change Climate change may be an underlying mechanism driving the war and peace cycle, according to research in the Department of Geography. A study of climate change and wars in China covering the years 850 – 1911 demonstrated that climate cooling resulted in chaos as harvest yields fell. This was the first study to tackle scientifically the relationship between armed conflict and climate change. The authors suggested global warming could also have an impact on conflict and this requires further study. Teeth and bones Researchers in the Faculty of Dentistry have substantially improved the effectiveness of a commercially available bone graft material, resulting in bone growth increases of 100-149 per cent. Their findings, to be published in the International Journal of Surgery , could have a wide range of applications, from gum disease to tumour resection and osteoporosis. Developing bilingualism A linguistics study has investigated how young children become bilingual (pictured left). The project, conducted with The Chinese University of Hong Kong, is the first of its kind to pair English and Chinese. It has resulted in the world’s largest video-linked database on the subject and a new book on bilingualism in early childhood. Legal matters The Faculty of Law has sought to shed more light on two issues of intense interest in Hong Kong, the Basic Law and financial markets. The Faculty has worked with the University Libraries to make the drafting history of the Basic Law available online, following extensive and continuous efforts to compile these documents. Researchers in the Faculties of Law, Architecture, and Business and Economics have sought to explain for the first time the complex legal and regulatory systems supporting Hong Kong’s financial markets. Investigating infectious diseases In addition to these varied achievements, our strength as a world leader in research on infectious diseases continues to garner funding and attention. In 2006 the Research Grants Council’s Central Allocation Vote programme awarded $4.6 million for collaborative research into the H5N1 virus that causes bird ’flu. The University’s scientists are working with counterparts from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and City University of Hong Kong. Our scholars were also part of an international team of 28 researchers from Asia and the United States to conclude that wider surveillance of bird influenza than previously thought may be needed to contain an outbreak. The findings were also published in the American Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .