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Substantial research indicates that students' beliefs mediate learning strategies. Nevertheless, students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback and their mediation on strategies to act on feedback are insufficiently addressed. This case study aimed to examine: (1) students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback in L2 writing and (2) how beliefs mediated students' actions when a feedback intervention was implemented to facilitate students' use of feedback strategies. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and reflective journals from 10 Year-1 participants who studied in an associate degree programme at a higher education institute in Hong Kong. Students' strategy-related beliefs about feedback encompass the evaluation of strategies about: (1) understanding feedback, (2) addressing areas for improvement, (3) seeking feedback, and (4) implementing feedback. Nine participants adopted a more comprehensive range of strategies to act on feedback consistent with their strategy-related beliefs. One participant, however, did not appreciate and use feedback. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Describes a modification of the traditional demonstration of Newton's rings that magnifies the scale of the interference pattern so that the demonstration can be used for the whole class or for semiquantitative measurements in any high school laboratory. (JRH)

Context: The trend of people using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been increasing globally. To enact policies and regulations that promote the safe use of CAM, a detailed investigation is needed into people's knowledge, practices, and beliefs related to CAM. Food therapy has long been regarded as an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a type of CAM., Objective: This study intended to empirically examine the public's knowledge about TCM food therapy, including the sources of that knowledge, actual practices, and the public's beliefs about the therapy., Design: The research team designed a questionnaire to test the public's understanding of food properties as designated in TCM food therapy and to identify the public's sources of knowledge and experience in using food therapy., Setting: The study took place at the College of Professional and Continuing Education, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China., Participants: Participants were 447 Chinese students participating in postsecondary or tertiary education at the two higher education institutions mentioned above., Outcome Measures: The survey's quantitative questions examined respondents' prior TCM knowledge, sources of knowledge, and food therapy experience compared to their ability to correctly categorize 24 foods. The survey's qualitative questions examined the general practice of food therapy and the cultural beliefs underlying the food therapy strategies that participants used., Results: The study showed that: (1) having prior and partial knowledge of food properties (P = .000); (2) seeking information from the internet (P = .000), television (P = .0473) and friends (P = .0181); and (3) having used food therapy for chronic conditions (P = .0034) significantly improved participants ability to correctly categorize foods as to their food therapy characteristics., Conclusions: Participants relied less on traditional medical sources such as parents and health professionals but more on the internet, which may have empowered them through wider access to information. The study has further contributed to the study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by highlighting the role of cultural practices and beliefs in TCM food therapy.

Background and Objective: In Hong Kong, about 10% of adults 25-74 years of age have diabetes mellitus. The management of dyslipidemia with lipid-lowering agents (LLAs), including HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) for the primary prevention of cardiovascular complications, has been found to be beneficial. This study examined statin utilization patterns for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes mellitus in two public hospitals in Kong Kong; clinical outcomes in patients who received statins for primary prevention were compared with those in patients not treated with any LLAs., Methods: This was a retrospective study in patients who were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Only patients with no prior history of coronary artery disease were included in the study. Utilization patterns of LLAs and the incidences of cardiovascular complications were recorded from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003., Results: A total of 222 patient records were reviewed. Only 75/222 (33.8%) of patients with diabetes mellitus received one or more LLAs for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events. Among these patients, only 21% of patients attained target lipid goals. Nearly half of the patients who were not treated with LLAs (n=147) had dyslipidemia problems. The overall incidence of cardiovascular complications in patients treated and not treated with LLAs was 12.2%. Absence of routine screening for cardiovascular risk and sub-optimal utilization and inadequate dosage titration of LLAs were identified as contributory factors towards cardiovascular events in this patient group., Conclusion: The current study failed to prove the benefits of LLAs in reducing the risk of first cardiovascular events in diabetic patients. This may have been due to the use of low doses of LLAs and a lack of laboratory monitoring of cholesterol levels. Development and implementation of guidelines may help promote the use of LLAs in primary prevention of cardiovascular complications.