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An investigation into temperature induced degradation of the compressive strength of concrete including that under cooling phase is carried out. The paper gathers and reviews a considerable amount of test data, considering the influence of different test parameters such as initial compressive strength, aggregate type, cooling regime and specimen shape. It is found that the compressive strength of concrete at high temperature is in accordance with the model proposed in the Eurocodes for calcareous concrete. However, during cooling phase, an additional reduction of compressive strength in concrete is observed, which can be as high as 20% of the initial strength for elevated temperatures around 500°C. Finally, a generic concrete model for temperature dependent compressive strength, accounting for both growth and cooling phase of temperature is proposed. The model can be used for simulating fire response of concrete structures subjected to natural fires or for the evaluation of residual load capacity of concrete structures after fire.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Mainland in terms of education and also the influence of it on doing comparative educational research. Hong Kong SAR is ruled by the Chinese Government under the framework of “One country, two systems.” It makes Hong Kong SAR different from other Mainland cities based on different aspects including, education. The finding of this paper provides a systematic review about the differences between these two Chinese societies in terms of education and also implication for conducting comparative educational research in these two societies and also generating some implications for cross-national and cross-cultural study in education.

This paper made references from the framework proposed by Bray and Thomas (1995) in relation to comparative educational research to make comparison between Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China. Multi-level comparison is conducted between two societies in terms of education, especially aspects relating to conducting educational research sat social, school and individual levels.

This paper identified the influence of “One county, two systems” on education at different levels such as ideology, school management system and use of languages in teaching. Such differences affect the choice of topics, sampling strategy, research design, data analysis and interpretation and also ethical considerations when conducting comparative research between Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China.

This paper is an integrated analysis of conducting educational research in two Chinese societies and provides insights for further discussions and possible research about this topic.