Assessing the effects of a collaborative problem-based learning and peer assessment method on junior secondary students' learning approaches in mathematics using interactive online whiteboards during the COVID-19 pandemic

Given the demands on instructors created by the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been compelled to integrate active learning pedagogies supported by mobile technologies to sustain students' interactive engagement. This study describes the implementation of a novel active pedagogy - the collaborative problem-based learning and peer assessment (Co-PBLa-PA) method, implemented through interactive online whiteboards (IOWBs) in junior secondary mathematics classes in Hong Kong. Data were collected from 87 Form 1 students and analysed to test three hypotheses postulating the main effects of the Co-PBLa-PA method on students' learning approaches using IOWBs. A pre-survey (SPQ) on students' learning approaches and a post-survey (SPQ) on students' learning approaches and their perceptions of technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) were administrated. Results showed the Co-PBLa-PA method, using IOWBs, increased students' learning performance and promoted significant deep learning. A significant positive correlation also emerged between deep learning approaches and students' perceptions of TEAL using IOWBs. Finally, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST OR FRAILEST? COMPARING THE HEALTH OF CENTENARIANS OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD

The first centenarian study in Hong Kong was conducted in 2011 and examined the multidimensional health of adults aged 95 or older. The 2011 study found that, among a population of about 3,000 centenarians, a significant proportion enjoyed a high degree of autonomy in their daily functions in relatively good health. The study has been repeated in 2021/22 (i.e., born in 1926 or before) when the city had more than 11,000 centenarians. Comparison of the two samples (2011: Nf77;2021/22: Nf120) who lived with their family shows a significant difference in functional health, but not as much for physical health, favouring the 2011 cohort. More than 75% of the 2011 cohort demonstrated autonomy in activities of daily living (Bathing: 77.9%, dressing: 85.7%, toileting: 90.9%, indoor transfer: 89.6%;continence:75.3% and feeding: 94.8%). Only about half of the 2021/22 cohort were autonomous in these areas (40.0%, 44.3%, 54.7%, 42.5%, 63.2%, 46.7%, respectively). The number of chronic illnesses between the two cohorts were comparable (Mean(SD): 2011: 2.7 (1.6);2021: 3.26 (1.60), yet dementia and frailty were more prevalent in the 2021 cohort (dementia: 44%;frailty: 9.1%) then the 2011 cohort (41.0%;23.4%). Our findings alert metropolitans worldwide to the fast-increasing population of adults of advanced age with significant personal care and health needs in the community. Existing care for older adults has to be reframed and overhauled to provide comprehensive home- and personal-care support which will be essential for realizing ageing-in-place for adults in advanced age, especially after social distancing policies in COVID-19.

COMPARING SUCCESSFUL AGING OF NEAR-CENTENARIANS AND CENTENARIANS: FINDINGS FROM 2011 AND 2021/22

Successful aging (SA) was proposed by Robert J Havighurst in 1961 to capture how older adults add "lives onto (their) years.” While there is a consensus regarding the multidimensionality of the concept, the set of criteria that should be applied to older adults of advanced age remain controversial. Notwithstanding their inevitable decline in physical health, adults of advanced age may still enjoy good psychosocial well-being. In this light, we compared the proportion of "successful agers” in two cohorts of adults aged 95 or above who lived with their families in 2011 (Nf77) and 2021/22 (Nf120) in Hong Kong using two models – Model A: i: Good subjective health, ii: more well-off than average, iii: as happy as young (Cho et al., 2012) and Model B: i: Weekly social activities, ii: absence of dementia, iii: intact sight and hearing ability, iv: intact mobility (Nosraty et al, 2012). Both models have been applied in adults aged 90 or above. In the 2011 cohort, 13.0% and 16.9% of our sample fulfilled the SA criteria of Model A & B respectively. The percentages fell to 1.7% and 13.7% respectively in the 2021/22 cohort. The decrease is due to less participants fulfilling the financial criterion of Model A, as well as the criteria on intact sight and hearing ability and the absence of dementia of Model B. COVID presents multidimensional challenges for adults of advanced age. Examining the dimensions that are most impacted will help orient recovery works along the direction of SA.

LOVE OR OBLIGATION TO "SEE THEM THROUGH:” BURDENS AND GAINS IN CAREGIVING FOR CENTENARIANS

In Hong Kong, the population of centenarians increased from about 3,000 in 2011 to over 10,000 in 2021. The growth of this population has led to challenges concerning how far family caregivers, who are usually older adults themselves, could care for their spouse or parents. In 2021, we launched the 2nd Hong Kong Centenarian Study and included the voices of family caregivers. Notwithstanding the increased difficulties of caregiving during COVID outbreaks, our interviews with 120 caregivers revealed low to moderate scores of caregiving burden and gains (measured by 4-items from the Zarit Burden Scale and 5-items from the Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale). Female and older (aged 70 or above) caregivers reported more emotional distress, burden, and poorer self-rated health, while younger caregivers (less than 70 years old) sustained a wider social network. Financial stress was related to smaller social network size and more emotional distress. When being asked what sustained their motivation to care for their spouse or for their parents, "filial obligation to see them through” and "repaying for love” were answered as key motivators. Caregivers also derived pride and satisfaction from contributing to the remarkable longevity of their loved ones or from witnessing their loved ones recovering from life-threatening traumas (e.g., falls, hospitalization), but felt helpless when faced with escalating care needs due to their own deteriorating physical health and capacities. "Double-old caregiving” will become more common, and society will need to overhaul the care system to support these motivated families who have escalated care needs.

Pericarditis and myocarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in a nationwide setting

INTRODUCTION: Despite reports suggesting an association between COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and pericarditis and myocarditis, detailed nationwide population-based data are sparsely available. We describe the incidence of pericarditis and myocarditis by age categories and sex after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination from a nationwide mass vaccination programme in Singapore. METHODS: The incidence of adjudicated cases of pericarditis and myocarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination that were reported to the vaccine safety committee between January to July 2021 was compared with the background incidence of myocarditis in Singapore. RESULTS: As of end July 2021, a total of 34 cases were reported (9 pericarditis only, 14 myocarditis only, and 11 concomitant pericarditis and myocarditis) with 7,183,889 doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine administered. Of the 9 cases of pericarditis only, all were male except one. The highest incidence of pericarditis was in males aged 12-19 years with an incidence of 1.11 cases per 100,000 doses. Of the 25 cases of myocarditis, 80% (20 cases) were male and the median age was 23 years (range 12-55 years) with 16 cases after the second dose. A higher-than-expected number of cases were seen in males aged 12-19 and 20-29 years, with incidence rates of 3.72 and 0.98 case per 100,000 doses, respectively. CONCLUSION: Data from the national registry in Singapore indicate an increased incidence of pericarditis and myocarditis in younger men after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

Deep Stacked Generalization Ensemble Learning models in early diagnosis of Depression illness from wearable devices data

In the modern world, mental health disorder is one of the serious problems for every nation around the globe, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic period. These illnesses affect not only patient's mental health but also physical health, thus, reduce productivity and quality of human work. Mental health disorder is complex and also takes many forms. In this study, we pay attention to depression (unipolar and bipolar) illness. We conducted our experiment on the open dataset named Depresjon, which was collected from activity motion signals on wearable devices of 32 healthy people and 23 depressed (unipolar and bipolar) patients over several days in a row with a total of 814 samples. Firstly, we did the preprocessing data step in order to make the dataset fitting the DL model input. After that, we deployed many individual DL models to make the first predictions. Next, we generated Deep Stacked Generalization Ensemble Learning (DeSGEL) models which were able to learn how to make the best combination of predictions from previous individual well-trained models. Finally, we made a comparison among the individual and the proposed DeSGEL models. The results showed that the DeSGEL models had outperformed other corresponding individual models. Specifically, among the individual models, VGG16 had the best performance. However, the DeSGEL Resnet based showed an extremely outstanding performance over other individual and ensemble DL models. In detail, these models had Accuracy, Precision, Sensitivity, Specification, F1 score, MCC and AUC of 0.94, 0.91, 0.89, 0.96, 0.90, 0.85 and 0.92 respectively for Individual VGG16 model, and 0.96, 0.96, 0.92, 0.98, 0.94, 0.91 and 0.95 respectively for the DeSGEL Resnet based model. We found that applying Deep learning, especially DeSGEL models using activity motion signal data from wearable devices could be a prospective direction for the early diagnosis of mental health disorders. © 2021 ACM.

A Strength-Based Online Community Intervention (SOCI) for promoting resilience among adults in Hubei province, China, during COVID-19 lockdown

During COVID-19 pandemic, people experienced lockdown and associated distress. As face-to-face intervention was unfeasible, an 8-week Strength-based Online Community Intervention (SOCI) was developed and evaluated with a quasi-experimental design in Hubei Province, China from February to April 2020. Participants (N = 150) self-elected to join either the SOCI group or a casual discussion control group. Pre-/post-measures on post-traumatic stress, positive and negative affect, resilience, and spirituality were taken. Multivariate ANOVA revealed a significant combined effect with a medium effect size (partial eta squared = 0.11). Specifically, significant group × time interaction effects were revealed for resilience, spirituality, and positive affect. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.