Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/H04/15
Project Title: Political discourses in Hong Kong: A systemic functional perspective
Principal Investigator: Dr LI Sum-hung (OUHK)

Abstract
The proposed research project will investigate political discourses as political acts in Hong Kong. Adopting the systemic functional perspective, it will study the political discourses employed by government officials of the People's Republic of China(PRC) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(HKSAR), key figures of various political parties including both pro-establishment and pan-democratic camps, and various interest groups, in their political acts in the course of the "5-Step Process of Constitutional Development", leading up to the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR in 2017.

This proposed study will first collect spoken political discourses in the form of debates, interviews/media sessions and speeches and written political discourses in the form of press releases, news articles, statements, commentaries and editorials in both English and Chinese-the two official languages in Hong Kong. The materials will be analysed at four levels: lexical, clausal, discourse and contextual. Through these analyses, the study intends to answer the following questions: (1) What can the theory of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) contribute to analyzing political discourses as political acts in achieving political objectives and to theorizing the relationships between political discourse and political ideologies? (2) How are the political ideologies of government officials and key figures of political parties and interest groups reflected and embedded in their political discourses? (3)What particular political strategies do they adopt in the political discourses to achieve their objectives? (4) How do they change their political strategies at different political stages leading up to the election of the Chief Executive in 2017?

The proposed study will make three contributions. First, the findings will provide a comprehensive understanding of how political figures employ political discourses to promote their ideologies at different political stages to achieve particular political objectives. Second, theoretically, the study will explicate how the theory of SFL can directly contribute to analyzing and theorizing political discourses as political acts to achieve political functions in political contexts, i.e. approaching political discourse analysis (PDA) from the systemic functional perspective. Third, pedagogically, it will build up a corpus of authentic political discourses, which we will call The Corpus of Hong Kong Political Discourse, to support the teaching and to serve as the learning materials of three course sat the Open University of Hong Kong: Language and Politics in the Society of Hong Kong as a General Education course; Language, Power and Society as a Language Studies course; and The Politics of Language as a Public Administration and Political Science course.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B07/15
Project Title: The Emergence of Second-Tier Auditors in China: An Analysis of Audit Quality
Principal Investigator: Dr LIU Junxia (Hang Seng)

Abstract
Chinese local audit firms received strong governmental support according to the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA)'s strategy of developing "larger and stronger" local audit firms and achieved significant growth in size and market share after 2007. This study examines the association between auditor type (namely, Big 4, Second-tier [also referred to as Large local firms], and Other local firms) and audit quality during 2003-2013 in China. Further, this study investigates changes in such association following the CICPA's effort to accelerate the development of the accounting profession after 2007.

We plan to use three audit quality proxies, namely, clients' earnings management through discretional accruals or non-recurring items, auditors' propensity to issue modified audit opinions, and analysts' forecast accuracy for our analysis. In addition, we employ propensity scores and client-attributes-based matching samples to control for auditors' self-selection bias and differences in clients' characteristics.

Using these matched samples, we expect to find that audit quality of Second-tier firms was lower than that of Big 4 and was indistinguishable from that of Other local firms before 2007, whereas after 2007, audit quality of Second-tier firms was higher than that of Other local firms and was indistinguishable from that of Big 4. Specially, we plan to obtain empirical evidence on whether the effort by the Chinese government and the CICPA to develop large local audit firms has contributed to a significant improvement in the audit quality of Second-tier audit firms.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/H03/15
Project Title: For Whom and for What? Examining the Impact of Self-financing Sub-degree Education on Social Mobility of Hong Kong Youth
Principal Investigator: Ms LO Villy Suk-ling (Caritas)

Abstract
Level of educational attainment of the population is an important indicator of human capital development of modern society especially in what we called the 'knowledge-based' one. Education is also commonly assumed to be a legitimate and significant key to advancing one's social position. As an important social investment that is positively associated with the city's competitiveness, the Hong Kong Government has been spending considerable amount of money in education, accounting for an average of around 20% of annual total public expenditure. Amid the flourishing of degree and sub-degree programs all around the world, Hong Kong's post-secondary education has expanded much more dramatically. Among the senior secondary school leavers, the government aimed at increasing their post-secondary education opportunities from 33% in 2000 up to 60% in 2010. This target has achieved eventually and mainly, however, only by the introduction of two-year post-secondary sub-degree education, including the higher diploma (HD) programs and the newly developed associated degree (AD) programs, offered by self-financing higher education institutions in Hong Kong. With the increasing chances of educational attainment, social mobility of young people seems to be promising. Has it really been the case? What are the concrete developmental paths of the sub-degree program graduates grown up in a period of 'credential inflation' or 'diploma disease'? Is the self-financing sub-degree education in Hong Kong articulated to degree education, higher employability and income, and thus upward social mobility? What is/are the directions and possible intermediated factors affecting their social mobility (if any) after student's graduation? Do professionally accredited sub-degree programs contribute to better prospect of graduates than those graduated from programs without professional accreditations? What are the actual personal aspirations, family environment, mobility barriers/generators and school life experiences of the students studying sub-degree programs?

This research will be the first of its kind to examine the impact of self-financing sub-degree education on social mobility of Hong Kong's youth. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods will be adopted. Focus group method and research methodology is informed by the critical consciousness raising pedagogy suggested by Paulo Freire and the related critical narrative analysis. Questionnaire surveys and focus group interviews will be conducted with current students and graduates of self-financing sub-degree programs with and without professional accreditation offered by Caritas Institute of Higher Education. The research will access the actual impacts of the self-financing sub-degree education on social mobility with the considerations of different underlying and possible intermediated factors including credential inflation, social class and professional qualification. It will bring about theoretical concerns and teaching reflections on the expected role of educational attainment in the pursuit of a more open and equal society particularly in the years witnessing youth activism in Hong Kong.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS12/M01/15
Project Title: A comparative study of the bird communities in urban parks of Hong Kong in 1996 and 2016
Principal Investigator: Dr LOCK Nga-yi (Centennial)

Abstract
Large extent of natural habitats has been transformed into man-made environment at a global scale. Urban parks have become one of the last remaining refuges of many of the lowland wildlife. Parks are biodiversity hotspots in urban ecosystems and they support species which serve important ecological functions. Birds are effective environmental indicators and they are the most accessible charismatic wildlife for urban residents to appreciate natural biodiversity. A study of urban bird ecology will thus serve not merely the academic domain of ecology, but also provide recommendations to enhance the quality of life of city dwellers and to conserve natural biodiversity in the rapidly degrading global environmental matrix.

There has not yet been a study in Hong Kong to investigate the temporal changes in urban bird communities. The results of the present study will be compared to the 1996 data to identify any change of bird communities. In addition, this study will collect information about the park vegetation for a more intensive analysis of the relationship between the bird communities and the vegetation characteristics.

The results of this study will generate recommendations for the design and management of urban parks, which will enhance the diversity of urban bird communities, increase the aesthetic and recreational value of urban parks, and enhance biodiversity conservation in the urban context. Academically, the data collected by this study is not only useful for understanding the current situation of urban bird communities but will also serve as a historical record for future research focusing on the impact of humans on their environment.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/H06/15
Project Title: Exploring family caregiving experiences and identifying the process of the ageing carers' planning for continuation of care for the community-dwelling person with intellectual disability
Principal Investigator: Dr LOW Lisa Pau-le (Caritas)

Abstract
Aim: The aim of the study is to explore family carers' experiences of current caring needs, the support they have received and their plans to continue to provide care for community-dwelling persons with mild and moderate intellectual disability (ID) as carers themselves are approaching old age.

Design: A grounded theory methodology using a constructivist approach.
Settings: The settings for this study will be conveniently-selected sheltered workshops from Caritas-Hong Kong and Yan Chai Hospital. The sheltered workshops will be selected from the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department's list of services provided to persons with ID. These sheltered workshops will be the sites used to recruit those family carers who look after persons with mild to moderate grades of ID. For Caritas-Hong Kong, two sheltered workshops providing services for persons with ID will be approached. These are Caritas Lok Hang SW (capacity 150) and Caritas Lok Kin Workshop (capacity 126). For Yan Chai Hospital, there is only one sheltered workshop named 'Yan Chai Hospital Madam Lo Lee Pui Ching Memorial Workshop' (capacity 150). Therefore, there will be a total of three sites, giving a capacity of 426 potential clients with ID in which to recruit their family carers.

Participants: Purposive sampling will be used to begin the recruitment of family carers, followed by theoretical sampling. Based on the principal investigator's prior work in conducting qualitative research in multi-sites, fifteen family carers are planned to represent each site, giving rise to a total of 45 family carers. At this point without undertaking the study, it is not possible to know whether the capacity of the sheltered workshops may influence the phenomenon under study - the family caregiving experiences. Indeed, these sites are larger in capacity than the sites used in the principal investigator's prior study to estimate the sample size. Furthermore, as the actual number of clients with ID who are mild and moderate cannot be determined at this stage this will therefore influence the number of family carers that will be recruited. As a contingency measure, this project will target at sampling 20 family carers per site, giving an estimated number of 60 family carers. Therefore, the final sample size of this project will depend on the numbers required to reach data saturation.

Methods: Individual audiotaped semi-structured interviews will be adopted. An interview schedule composing of broad questions has been developed based on the search of the literature and the research team's prior knowledge and expertise of conducting research with persons with ID and on family carers. Field notes will be collected to supplement the interview data. Constant comparative analysis methods will be undertaken to generate the concepts and to develop the theory of family caregiving experiences, and to identify the processes of the ageing carers' planning for continuation of care for their family members with ID.

Results and Conclusion: The theory will capture family caregiving experiences and the processes of family carers in addressing caring needs, the support received and the family carers plans to continue to provide care for the community-dwelling persons with ID in their later life. New understanding and insights into emerging issues, needs and plights of family carers will be made available to inform the policies and practices to improve the care of the persons with ID living in the community, as well as to provide better support for the family carers who are ageing themselves. The theoretical framework that will be generated will be highly practical and useful in generating knowledge about factors that influence the caregiving processes; and, tracking the caregiving journey at different time-points to clearly delineate areas to implement practice changes. In this way, the theoretical framework will be highly useful in guiding timely and appropriate interventions to target at the actual needs of family carers as they themselves are ageing and will need to continue to take care of their family members with ID in the community.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS12/H02/15
Project Title: Academic discourse socialization of EFL students: A holistic approach to teaching speaking for academic purposes in a self-financing institute in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr MAK Ho-yan (Centennial)

Abstract
One typical approach to university education is to engage in academic discourses in which exchange of opinions and construction of knowledge take place. This could be challenging for undergraduates, especially learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), who have to learn about the conventions and practices of their discourse communities. To acquire competence and skills in engaging in oral academic discourses (e.g. oral academic presentations, seminar-type discussions), they also have to engage in a learning process, involving exchange of opinions, negotiation of meaning and interactions with peers and experts (e.g. instructors); it is a dynamic, complex, and socially-constructed process by nature. While research on oral academic discourse socialisation has been conducted recently, most of these studies focused on non-native speakers in English-speaking countries, where more opportunities for scaffolding were provided by their native-speaking peers, compared to that in EFL contexts. Regarding preparation of ESL university students through courses on English for academic purposes (EAP), although there has been a considerable amount of research on EAP courses, little is still known about how EFL students are socialized into oral academic discourses and the relationship with EAP course design and activities. Adapting a holistic approach to teaching of speaking to the design of an EAP course, this study aims to investigate how EFL undergraduates would be socialized into oral academic discourses and the potential impacts of various course components on their development in a self-financed tertiary education context in Hong Kong. A triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources will be conducted. The findings of the study will provide pedagogical implications for the design of EAP courses on the development of speaking skills in EFL/ ESL contexts.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/E01/15
Project Title: Sustainable Development for Community Dial-a-ride Services: Driving more People without more Vehicles
Principal Investigator: Dr MO Yiu-wing (Hang Seng)

Abstract
This research aims at developing sustainable strategies for non-profit transportation organisations to provide dial-a-ride (DAR) services for people with disabilities through the optimisation of revenue and resource management. As an on-demand, door-to-door transport service that requires advanced booking, DAR's utilisation rate is usually low compared with the scheduled route services, and this operation characteristic creates a relatively high ratio of subsidy per person. To address this issue by optimising the resource management, we will study the service options of vehicle pooling arrangements in DAR operations. Through optimisation models, we will identify the relationships among discount rates, passenger tolerance of traveling time and vehicle utilisation rates for the new vehicle scheduling sustainable strategies. Such results are expected for the transportation organisations to serve more people without the demand of additional vehicles.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/E03/15
Project Title: Vision-based Two-hand Gesture Recognition and Evaluation System for Healthcare Training
Principal Investigator: Dr PANG Wai-man (Caritas)

Abstract
Applying game concept and Virtual Reality (VR) technology for healthcare education and medical training is becoming popular and widely accepted in practice. These medical related serious games are attractive and prove to be cost effective in motivating learning. Many healthcare training systems share a common goal in requiring trainees to accomplish specific tasks with strong two-hand interaction and hand-eye coordination. These tasks usually look simple, but repeated practices are necessary in order to achieve certain skill level. Otherwise, it is difficult for the trainee to perform the task properly, and this can easily lead to risk in hygiene or even injury.
Existing VR-based training systems require tailored devices to provide realistic interaction with the virtual environment, or some others may require wearing of gloves for recognizing hand gestures. These solutions commonly incur high development cost, and the inconvenience in wearing skin contacting devices. For many of the training applications, a fast vision based non-contact hand recognition solution will be more suitable and welcomed, as the solution provides a more comfortable setting to users and require shorter setup time.

Therefore, in this project, our major objective is to enable the development of healthcare related serious game systems with the use of vision based techniques, so that tasks requiring two hands cooperation and interaction skills can be automatically and properly evaluated. A wide range of related healthcare skill training applications can take advantages from the proposed recognition system including training on personal care, rehabilitation, massage, and exercise. Specifically, these training systems can correct and guide the trainees with proper hand gestures when performing certain tasks, and keep practising without the involvement of human coach. Moreover, with the elimination of skin contacting VR devices from the recognition procedure, the concerns for hygiene and long setup time are also reduced.

Our preliminary idea to the solution of the two-hand recognition is to rely on multiview vision based tracking techniques. In recent years, vision based tracking technology is becoming popular. Many attempts try to recognize hand gestures for simple control purposes, such as pointing and dragging operations in the graphical user interface (GUI). Many of them were based on the conventional real-time depth sensors to produce depth map of hand, followed by analyzing hand structure for fast and robust tracking of finger and palm postures. However, it is still challenging in handling highly coupled two-hand interactions. The major difficulties lie in the occlusion problem between two hands, especially when they are close or even touching each other.

To reduce the effect of occlusion, multiple depth cameras are being developed to cover a wider viewing directions. A fast and tailored algorithm in processing the several obtained depth maps or point clouds will also be developed. In brief, the point clouds are first unified by hardware accelerated registration methods. Then, a quick hand parts segmentation will be proposed for the extraction of features used for identifying palm and finger gestures. Finally, the recognition is accomplished by the use of classification or machine learning algorithms on a large set of sample hand gestures obtained from volunteer subjects in laboratory.

At the end of our project, we will demonstrate the capability of the hand gesture recognition system with a serious game in the theme of healthcare. The application will provide repetitive training and practises on tasks requiring skills using both hands which yield instant feedback and suggestion to improve the related skills.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/E02/15
Project Title: An Automated Student Program Assessment Framework with Tailorable and Automated Test Oracle for Computer Science Education
Principal Investigator: Prof POON Chung-keung (Caritas)

Abstract
Teaching and learning of computer programming in beginners' classes are known to be difficult. Students have to do a lot of exercises to practise their programming and debugging skills, and they need feedback on the correctness of their programs. However, assessing students' programming work manually is tedious, time-consuming and error-prone. With the large class and diverse background of students nowadays, it is increasingly challenging for instructors to provide students with adequate appropriate exercises and individual feedback, which are vital to the effectiveness of students' learning and sustenance of their learning motivation. In response, universities worldwide have developed automated program assessment systems (APASs), which free up instructors' time for other un-automated educational tasks. Moreover, APASs are found to be of tremendous benefit in many other aspects, such as facilitating the design of effective pedagogy, provision of instant and personalized feedback to both instructors and students, and enhancing students' learning motivation.

One core function of APASs is to assess the correctness of students' programs, typically by automatically executing them against a suite of pre-defined test cases and comparing the programs' actual outputs with the instructor's expected outputs. The latter task requires a test oracle, that is, a mechanism for determining the correctness of program outputs. In the field of software testing, the general problem of test oracle automation is well known to be challenging. Implementation of test oracles in existing APASs is often too simplistic, rigid and incapable of being tailored to support the intended educational outcomes of the exercises. For example, multiple correct (or admissible) programming solutions to an exercise may produce different outputs (called output variants). A program which the human instructor accepts to be correct (or admissible) could be inappropriately rejected by a rigid test oracle in an APAS. This technical limitation is common and has been a root cause of many educationally undesirable effects on teaching and learning that can substantially compromise the benefits of an APAS in practice. There is a clear and pressing need to address this limitation, which is said in a recent literature review to be the main disadvantage of using APASs.

In this project, we will develop an automatic program assessment framework which can recognize a variety of admissible output variants so that both instructors and students can focus on the essentials of the exercises instead of minor output deviations. The framework will satisfactorily handle a much broader range of programming exercises to suit different educational needs. We will build an online APAS platform to implement our framework that highly automates the program assessment process for use in real programming courses. The platform will also be instrumental for empirical evaluation and validation of our research. To fully utilize our expertise and collaboration, we will conduct cross-institutional experiments for higher reliability and validity.

Our study is significant in perfecting the state-of-the-art APAS technologies and the advancement of the teaching and learning environment for programming classes, as what the work of ours and others has previously contributed. The research is expected to benefit the learning of hundreds of students each year with visible impact in the form of their improved programming skills. This project will advance the research capability of the investigators so that they can transfer research experiences and new knowledge into teaching and learning in their institutions, which is also the main objective of this Faculty Development Scheme (FDS). Since the newly developed online APAS platform can be used by all academic staff of the institutions, the new knowledge and tangible outcomes arisen from this project will benefit the teaching and learning of all three institutions. Finally, we will actively publicize our research findings both locally and internationally so that their potential benefits and values can be deployed by the global computer education community.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/H02/15
Project Title: Transnational Migration and Reconstructing "Home": The African Diaspora in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr SHUM Chun-tat (THEi)

Abstract
Hong Kong, an immigrant society, has long attracted migrants from different countries. The African migrant group is a less attended one in Hong Kong. In Chungking Mansions, a building in the heart of Hong Kong's business district, African businesspeople actively engage in various low-budget transnational trades across Africa, Hong Kong, and China. In this building, hundreds of African asylum seekers congregate and engage in illegal employment every day. African migrants have been living in Hong Kong for decades. However, little is known about their migration stories. Based on both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the proposed research will examine the transnational migration and home-making practices of African migrants in Hong Kong. It will demonstrate how the process of transnational migration is initiated and actualized, how the African migrants address other people in the host society and how legal and illegal African migrants interact with and provide support to each other. It will address power relationships among the African migrants, the tactics that they use in their everyday struggles, and different conceptualizations and meanings of home and settlement.

Africans have lived as invisible minorities in Hong Kong. They fall into the "others" category of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. Invisibility is one form of marginalization. Given their invisible status, together with their small population, Africans are often the subjects of suspicion, which generates misunderstandings between Hong Kong Chinese and Africans in their everyday life interactions. Migrants in the receiving society are often considered to be passive and welfare-dependent individuals. The proposed research will provide an instructive perspective for examining how the African migrants, despite their various national origins, actively create a new "African community" in the context of marginalization and exclusion as it exists in Hong Kong. By studying their everyday social interactions and exchanges, this research will make an important contribution to the literature and teaching on migration, transnationalism and home-making. It will offer a new perspective for understanding African-Hong Kong relations and will also have policy implications as to how to strengthen Hong Kong's external relations with Africa in social, economic and cultural fields.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/H11/15
Project Title: Revisioning Ibsen: The aesthetics and politics of staging the self in China and Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Prof TAM Kwok-kan (OUHK)

Abstract
This is a critical study of Chinese Ibsenism as contested ideologies in social framing and self-fashioning, as well as politics in the Chinese (including Hong Kong) theatre and social culture. It will explore the ideological implications in recent Chinese stage productions of Ibsen, particularly with reference to the reinvention of the post socialist self and gender in China and the postmodern experimentations in Hong Kong, in order to arrive at an understanding of the interplay between aesthetics and politics. The study will shed light on the key issues in the Chinese models of selfhood hinging on concepts of the Ibsenian self.

Ibsenism has been playing a key role in the Chinese quest for a new definition of the self since the 1910s. It was first considered a new philosophy of individualism and a new identity of the self to replace the Confucian collectivist identity. Stage productions of Ibsen in the early 20th century focused mainly on the concept of individualist self-identity and non-Confucian self-autonomy.

With the rise of socialist ideas in China in the 1930s, Ibsenism was redefined according to class ideology when class conflicts surfaced as matters of life and death in Chinese politics. Different interpretations of Ibsenism emerged as debates between individualism and collectivism in Chinese newspapers and journals. Numerous versions of Ibsen's A Doll's House were staged for a new experimentation with the concept of class in the redefinition of an individual. This strand of Ibsenism was extended into the 1960s with the individual characterized as a product of class consciousness. Ibsen's Nora and other characters were then seen in the new light of socialist characterization.

Since the opening up of China in the 1980s, Ibsenism, however, has been subjected to new interpretations. Experimentations with Western concepts of gender and feminism can be found in the latest stage productions of A Doll's House, The Lady from the Sea and Hedda Gabler shown in China and Hong Kong. Ibsen's other plays that deal with the concept of self and self-identity, such as Peer Gynt, Ghosts and The Master Builder, were added to the theatre repertoire in China as well as in Hong Kong, and became new sites of contestation in representing complexities of the self with psychical depths.

Chinese Ibsenism has inherited from Bernard Shaw's "Ibsenism" in its emphasis on the social ideas in Ibsen's drama, but also deviated from it in that Chinese Ibsenists (including Hong Kong Ibsenists) have tended to re-brand Ibsenism as a Chinese moral authority for debates over sociopolitical dimensions of life. As part of the Chinese theatre, Hong Kong Cantonese theatre, particularly that before the 1980s, has also seen a great impact of Ibsenism in both form and matter. Since the last decade, Hong Kong theatre directors, however, has begun to reinterpret Ibsen from the perspective of psychological complexity in his drama.

Developing from my previous work and also different from the work of other scholars, I propose in this project to study the Ibsenian self and its manifestations in China/Hong Kong as both artistic and ideological constructs. The purpose of this study, hence, is to reexamine Chinese Ibsenism in its re-emergence as contested ideologies involving complex relations between the self, gender, class, state, culture and stage representations. The project seeks to address the following issues:

1. In what ways has Ibsenism been redefined in China's post socialist era and how does this redefinition bear on the theatrical experimentations in China and Hong Kong?
2. What visions of the self and gender have been experimented with in such productions?
3. What discourse lies behind the new stage experimentations?
4. What ideological implications are hidden in the new aesthetics of stage productions?

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/M04/15
Project Title: Working hand-in-hand: building engineered yeasts for semi-synthetic cephalosporins
Principal Investigator: Dr TSANG Wai-kei (THEi)

Abstract
Semi-synthetic cephalosporins have been used extensively for decades as "magic bullets" to combat microbial infections. The global market for cephalosporins is US$11 billion, representing the largest share in the worldwide sales of £]-lactam antibiotics. Most of the marketed cephalosporins are semi-synthetic, and are synthesized by multi-step chemical derivatization of cephem precursors. However, the methodologies involved are environmentally-damaging because toxic reagents and solvents are used. The increasing annual demand of semi-synthetic cephalosporins and the concept of environmental sustainability pose an urgent need to develop alternative approaches for "greener" production of antibiotics.

Microorganisms have been heralded as a solution to many of the contemporary world's most pressing issues. One of the frontiers in microbial biotechnology is to help solve environmental and sustainable resources problems, and scientists have been working vigorously to harness single-celled living systems and enzymes to produce high value fine chemicals, which include commodity chemicals, therapeutic intermediates, and essential nutrients. Bioprocess technology has operational advantages: the procedures are low cost, high yield, and environmentally-sustainable.

Recently, our group has developed a sustainable and effective (~100% overall conversion efficiency) two-enzyme process using D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GL-7-ACA acylase) for the biosynthesis of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), a cephem nucleus for the production of nearly two-thirds of the world's commercial semi-synthetic cephalosporins. A new trend in pharmaceutical industry is the development of simplified bioprocesses for manufacture of cephem precursors. In this proposed study, we intend to construct an array of novel yeast strains for direct production of the major cephem nuclei. The yeast strains will be specifically engineered to express variant DAAO and GL-7-ACA acylase, and establish a functional assembly for one-pot production of 7-ACA. The use of surface display technology eliminates the tedious and cumbersome enzyme purification steps. Moreover, the displayed enzymes will be brought in close proximity, a critical condition for this two-enzyme process as the reaction intermediates are not stable. The completion of this study will establish a model for further development of novel yeast strains in industrial applications that require multi-enzyme collaboration.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/H01/15
Project Title: An investigation of Hong Kong students' perceptions and experiences of English academic writing: A case study at The Open University of Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr TSO Wing-bo (OUHK)

Abstract
English academic writing skills are crucial for all university students, locally and worldwide. Students who are keen on academic writing are more likely to perform well in their studies and become high achievers in higher education. In Hong Kong, most tertiary institutions run compulsory English academic writing courses for Year1students. Unfortunately, English academic writing is often mistakenly viewed as a "transparent medium" (Lillis, 2006), or a set of core skills transferable to all contexts and all disciplines. Year after year, English academic writing, which should have been introduced as social and cultural practices, is unwittingly taught as generic study skills which are detached from authentic writing practices within different academic disciplines. While atomized skills -such as summarizing, mechanical drilling of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.-are included in the syllabuses of most generic writing courses, domain-specific discourses and genre-based writing instruction are often left unexplored. One reason for this is that the one-size-fits-all course setting [the kind of setting used at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK)] is not compatible with the contextualized teaching approach. Despite the best effort of course designers, one English writing course cannot include a wide variety of text types and discourses from all disciplines. Consequently, academic writing courses that employ the simplistic study-skills approach fail to enhance university students' competency in English academic literacy, in particular academic writing.

The mastery of English academic literacies means much more than sheer grammatical accuracy. As recent research has suggests, academic literacy is discipline-embedded and discourse-relevant (Hill, Tinker & Catterall, 2010; Kapp & Bangani, 2011). Also, academic writing is a socially situated activity (Russell et al, 2009) that involves meaning-making, identity forming, and power relations between writer and reader (Lea & Street, 1998). To help students improve their English academic writing, teachers of English academic writing need to have a better understanding of their students' literacy histories (Stein, 1998), literacy events and literacy practices (Barton, Hamilton, & Ivani?, 2000).Furthermore, universities have the responsibility to create the literacy environment to help their students gain better access to the discourse community (Ganobcsik-Williams, 2006). ESL learners should be given sufficient opportunities to develop their sociocultural sensitivity and reading and writing strategies for various written genres in their own field of study. The traditional English writing class setting should move beyond the grammatical and lexical deficit model. Also, different writing classes should be tailor-made for students coming from various disciplines.

With the aim of helping local English second language (ESL) learners to improve their academic writing, this research study will explore Hong Kong students' literacy background and actual experiences of developing English academic literacy, with a special focus on academic writing. Using a mixed research methodology (e.g. Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004), this project will first collect quantitative data through a questionnaire survey of approximately 200 students. Then, it will obtain qualitative data from students' written assignments, subject teachers and tutors' feedback, in-depth interviews and follow-up contacts with students taking ENGLA101F: University English Writing Skills (a 5-credit foundation level course) at the OUHK. The research project aims to investigate how local ESL students make sense of English academic writing practices. It will also identify the major issues and challenges Hong Kong students face as they engage in English academic writing in the first 18 months of their university studies. Recommendations for improving the English academic writing course will also be made.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS24/H02/15
Project Title: Determinants of Public Support for Waste Management Policy in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Mr WAN Kar-ho (PolyU SPEED)

Abstract
Over the past three decades, the municipal solid waste in Hong Kong had increased by nearly 80% while the population growth was merely 36%. This indicated that the people in Hong Kong were producing waste at an alarming rate. This problem should be addressed systematically. In May 2013, a blueprint for the sustainable use of resources in the coming decade was published by the Government which targeted to reduce 40% of the waste disposal by adopting a basket of policy measures, including expansion of the existing landfills, adopting incineration, introduction of waste charging and increasing recycling, and it has also recognised the importance of public participation in related campaigns. So apart from setting up waste management facilities, it has committed itself to provide more public education. However, various stakeholders, including citizens, legislators, local environmental groups have voiced the criticism that these measures, particularly the development of landfills and incinerator as well as the waste charging would create environmental problems to the people living in the specific districts close to the facilities and pose additional financial burdens to citizens respectively. Hong Kong people have become more outspoken about their demands and asked for higher degree of participation in policymaking since the change of sovereignty in 1997. Therefore, policy makers should understand the determinants of policy support for waste management so as to address the environmental concerns and the rising sentiments of people in policy participation. To research this, a conceptual model is developed and proposed to be tested with a survey study in Hong Kong. The findings would contribute not only to the compact city of Hong Kong, but also in a global context of increasing urban intensification.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E06/15
Project Title: Chemical and Toxicological Characterization of Particulate Emissions from Diesel Vehicles
Principal Investigator: Dr WANG Bei (THEi)

Abstract
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and the vast majority of the population is exposed to traffic emissions. In recent years, the problem of vehicle emissions has attracted increasing concern in Hong Kong. The epidemiology and toxicology studies have shown the association of vehicle emission pollutants with some serious problems for human health and the environment. The negative health effects posed by vehicular emissions include cardiovascular and pulmonary mortality, chronic bronchitis, respiratory symptoms, and cardiovascular sickness.

Diesel vehicles, among all vehicles, are the main sources of street-level pollution, making a considerable contribution to both gaseous and particulate air pollutants. According to Hong Kong Environment Bureau (2013), there were about 88,000 pre-Euro IV commercial diesel vehicles (i.e. pre Euro, Euro I, II and III), and they emitted approximate 88% of respirable suspended particulates (RSP) of all vehicle emissions in 2010. Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (2010) stated that by the end of 2009 diesel vehicles accounted for 17.7% of total populations of vehicles in China, while diesel vehicles emitted over 90% of vehicular PM emissions.

Up till now, several studies have investigated on-road or in-tunnel vehicle emissions in Hong Kong. However, only limited knowledge of the detailed chemical compositions and the toxicological potential of the diesel vehicle particulate emissions at different driving conditions was obtained in Hong Kong. Moreover, there has been no study utilizing chassis dynamometer to characterize the chemical composition and to determine the toxicity of the particulate matter emitted from diesel vehicles in Hong Kong.

This proposed project utilizes the chassis dynamometer at Jockey Club Heavy Vehicle Emissions Testing and Research Center in Hong Kong to investigate the chemical composition and toxicity of diesel vehicle particulate emissions at different driving cycles. Results from this project can provide HKEPD with more information to determine the viable approach for reducing emissions from mobile sources. Moreover, an improved understanding of the potential of diesel vehicle emission to induce biological responses is the key for the development of more targeted strategies to protect against the adverse health effects associated with diesel exhaust exposure. The data obtained in this project can also be used to investigate trends in emissions with vehicle model year, vehicle type, country of vehicle manufactured, driving cycle, as well as the efficiency of emission control technologies on diesel vehicle.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E05/15
Project Title: Formation, fate and toxicity of chlorination byproducts generated in seawater desalination by reverse osmosis
Principal Investigator: Dr WANG Chao (THEi)

Abstract
Seawater desalination using reverse osmosis (RO) technology has become an important way of producing freshwater to meet the growing water demands worldwide. Hong Kong has also proposed to build a RO seawater desalination plant to provide about 5% of its fresh water supply. In RO desalination plants, chlorination prior to filtration for preventing the bio-fouling on intake structures and membranes will inevitably lead to the generation of chlorination byproducts that pose potential health, aesthetic and ecological risks. Research on chlorination byproducts has been mostly focused on water treatment and wastewater treatment. Less is known on chlorination byproducts formation in seawater desalination by RO. With the published information available in the literature, only limited researches had been focused on regulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs), while most of these studies were carried out at plants of distillation technology, rather than seawater desalination membrane penetration technology.

In chlorination of seawater, the formation and toxicity of chlorination byproducts and chlorine chemistry are expected to be different from that in chlorination of drinking water. These differences are arose from the following important factors: 1) unique characteristics of seawater; 2) complicated organic matter precursors coming from natural and synthetic organic compounds; and 3) operating conditions including chlorine dosage, contact time and chlorination mode. All these factors are expected to lead to different chlorine chemistry and chlorination byproduct formation.

In addition, the chlorination byproducts formed during seawater desalination by membrane penetration technology will cause potential risks to marine ecosystems in locations where brine is being discharged. Chlorination byproducts formed in pretreatment could occur in the desalinated permeate if not rejected completely by RO membranes. The chlorination byproducts discharged with the brine are likely to impose potential adverse effects on marine ecology.

Thus, the long-term objectives of the proposed research are to generate a systemic knowledge of understanding on the effects of seawater characteristics and the operating conditions of RO seawater desalination on the chlorination byproduct formation. This knowledge will also assist in the development of the optimized seawater pretreatment process of the proposed RO desalination plant in Hong Kong in order to minimize the chlorination byproduct formation. In addition, the effects of chlorination byproducts to marine ecology with the discharge of brine will be examined in the proposed research, which will help to enhance the outfall design of brine discharge of the proposed RO desalination plant.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/E02/15
Project Title: Relative Attribute Based Configurator Design for Mass Customization
Principal Investigator: Dr WANG Yue (Hang Seng)

Abstract
Mass customisation aims to provide goods and services to meet each individual customer's needs with a level of efficiency close to that of mass production. It is considered to be a viable strategy for companies to gain a competitive advantage in the current business environment. Product configuration systems are one of the major toolkits enabling mass customisation. Configurators interact with customers and transform a customer's specific requirements into a set of tangible product specifications. They have been successfully implemented by companies in various industries, including Dell, Nike and BMW. Alibaba Group, one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world, envisions configurator-based customised product development as the next big opportunity for its consumer-to-business platform.

Current product configurators require customers to choose from a set of predefined attributes or a list of component alternatives. However, customers may not possess the necessary expertise regarding unfamiliar products. They often express their needs in an imprecise, vague, or even contradictory layman's language. Existing configurators are not capable of bridging this gap, so customers may feel confused when using such a configurator.

This proposal is prepared to improve the performance of product configurators by bridging the semantic gap between the customer's needs and the product's design parameters. Customer will simply need to indicate their preferences relative to the reference product for each product attribute. A fine-tuned product variant will be found to better fit the customer's needs. In this way, a more user-friendly navigation and selection process can be achieved.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/B01/15
Project Title: Career strategies of hotel senior managers in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Simon Chak-keung (THEi)

Abstract
This research explores career development strategies. It aims to investigate any relationship between career strategies used by hotel senior managers in Hong Kong with career planning, career commitment and organizational advancement prospects. The study adopts a mixed research methodology and consists of two stages. Stage one focuses on the identification of career strategies used by hotel senior managers. Focus group interviews and or in-depth interviews with selected hotel senior managers will uncover the strategies they have used to advance their careers. Past literature will be referenced in order to develop other potential career strategies. Stage two applies a quantitative method. A questionnaire will be developed with all the measurements for career strategies, career planning, career commitment, and organizational advancement prospect. Factor analysis will be employed to develop the underlying dimensions of career strategies. A two-step hierarchical multiple regression will be adopted to discover the relationship between dependent variables - career strategies and independent variables (career planning, career commitment, organizational advancement prospect). Step 1 will check whether the demographic variables will have an impact on the career strategies among the hotel senior managers. Step 2 will be tested by entering the other independent variables (career planning, career commitment, organizational advancement prospect). The results will firstly generate a unique discovery of the various career strategies that Hong Kong hotel senior managers have adopted to advance their careers. Secondly, the relationship of either demographic variables (in step 1) or the other career planning, career commitment and organizational advancement prospect (in step 2) with the career strategies (dependent variables) will be revealed. The outcomes of the research will assist both hoteliers and human resources experts in developing talent management practices in order to retain and develop the most important asset in the Hong Kong hotel industry - human resources.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/M02/15
Project Title: Investigate FosPeg? mediated PDT efficiency on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma using 3D cell model approaches
Principal Investigator: Dr WU Wing-kei (Tung Wah)

Abstract
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) is one of the top ten cancers with the annual incidence of over 800 new cases in Hong Kong. Conventionally, treatments for NPC are mainly based on chemo-radiotherapy. However, the failure of NPC therapies is found to be associated with the advanced staging, distant recurrence and multi-drug resistance properties.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is one of the FDA approved therapeutic approaches which uses a combination of photosensitizing agents (PS), visible light and molecular oxygen to induce selective eradication of biological targets, including tumor cells. Our previous in vitro studies on FosPeg?-mediated PDT using traditional cell culture model have demonstrated the photocytotoxic effects on various NPC cells, in addition to the cell cycle regulation, inhibition of cell migration and inhibition of intracellular signal proteins (MAPK and EGFR pathways).

In this study, we aim to demonstrate PDT efficiency and investigate the optimum PDT dose by using two NPC 3D cell culture model approaches. We propose to use the 3D cell culture model to mimic the normal physiological condition and tumor microenvironment. The use of 3D cell culture model could provide us a more accurate prediction, particularly on the effect of oxygen content and light delivery to PDT efficiency in solid tumor. Outcome measures include the tumor size and characteristics, mode of cell death, intracellular signal proteins and drug resistance protein expression at pre- and post-PDT treatments. The proposed project addresses the problem of poor treatment outcome for NPC, in order to provide critical scientific evidence to support the efficacy of PDT on NPC.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS24/B05/15
Project Title: Is R&D Rewarded by the Stock Market? Evidence from China
Principal Investigator: Dr XU Ming (PolyU SPEED)

Abstract
Subsequent to the approval by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong, stock trading through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect commenced on 17 November 2014. Cross-border investments in Chinese stocks through this arrangement could increase significantly over time. More in-depth analyses of Chinese stocks would become more critical for international investors who are keen to augment their asset allocations in China but lacking the expertise about Chinese stocks particularly in its technology sector. Internationally, investments in research and development (R&D) are known as a key strategic factor to continually improve the technological innovation in product and services on a global basis. Since the beginning of economic reform, the Chinese government's efforts at R&D promotion have contributed significantly to rapid economic development. China's investment in R&D has increased dramatically in recent years.

For publicly traded companies, the cost and benefit of R&D activities may be reflected not only in current stock prices, but also in the patterns of future distribution of stock prices. Many prior studies on the relation between stock performance and the R&D intensity have been conducted with affirmative results. Such relationship however has not been investigated in-depth in relation to Chinese technology-based enterprises despite the recent emergence of these firms in the global arena. This proposed study aims to enhance such understanding through in-depth analyses of selected technology enterprises publicly listed in China. Specifically, the study examines the relationship between the expected stock return and the R&D intensity for Chinese firms from 2003 to 2013 using the cross-sectional regression approach. Rather than on instantaneous responses of the stock prices to the R&D announcements, our inquiry is whether firms' R&D activities every year affect the risk-reward patterns of stock returns in the next year. The finance theory indicates that only systematic risk will be compensated in terms of higher expected returns. The work by Berk et al (1997) also implies that R&D induces a systematic component of risk and should, therefore, be compensated in expected returns. The Chinese data provide an opportunity to examine the theory empirically, in addition to the evidence from the US and Japan which are the two main spenders in R&D investment over the world.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/H01/15
Project Title: An exploratory study on the medium of instruction (MOI) of the self-financing tertiary institutions in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr YEUNG Marine Yim-king (Tung Wah)

Abstract
The medium of instruction (MOI) has been a bone of contention in Hong Kong since its colonial days. While it is evident from research that using the mother tongue as the medium of learning is far more effective than using English, the formulation of the MOI policy has always been motivated by political agenda and has to be understood in the broader social and political context. Despite the Hong Kong SAR government's effort to promote the "biliterate and trilingual" language policy, most tertiary institutions today still adopt English as the medium of instruction. However, with the expansion of tertiary education in the early 1990s and the decline in the general English language proficiency of university students, some university lecturers, particularly those in science faculties, have found it difficult to teach in English as required. This raises the issue of the practicality of the indiscriminate adoption of the EMI policy at tertiary level, particularly at the self-financing tertiary institutions where students are generally known to have under-performed in the English subject. The proposed study is an exploratory study that aims to tap into the experiences and opinions of educators and students from the self-financing tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, a rather underrepresented stakeholder group of the MOI policy, about the implementation of the EMI policy at tertiary level. Qualitative data will be collected via interviews with teachers and students sampled from a variety of faculties in different self-financing tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. It is hoped that findings of the study will shed light on the reality of language use in the tertiary classroom and inspire further studies in a larger scale, with the ultimate goal of the formulation of a fair language-in-education policy that accommodates the learning needs of all students.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/P02/15
Project Title: Sparse Optimization Models with Application to Portfolio Management
Principal Investigator: Dr YU Kwok-wai (Hang Seng)

Abstract
Mathematical optimization has long been a very important topic investigated by many researchers. It is applied in a wide variety of fields, such as finance, network design and operation, supply chain management and engineering. With the rapid increase of data in real-life situations, many optimization problems have to deal with vast amount of data. As only some data from a large data set are meaningful and useful, it is challenging to analyze such a large set of data and extract useful information. It is essential to study sparsity for big data. Thus, sparse optimization becomes increasingly important due to its various applications. One of the attractive applications is the construction of sparse portfolios. Due to transaction costs and physical constraints, investors usually prefer a more manageable sparse portfolio. It is essential to devise methodologies for constructing sparse portfolios. Although the concept of sparse optimization has been studied by many researchers and practitioners, these studies are concentrated mainly in the single-objective framework.

It is worth noting that most problems in the real world are concerned with more than one objective. However, there has not been much research into sparse multi-objective optimization problems (SMOPs). Therefore there is a great demand to establish an in-depth theory in the optimality of SMOPs. In this project, we will investigate the sparse tri-objective quadratic programming problems (STQPPs) and the sparse bi-objective Conditional-Value-at-Risk programming problems (SBCPPs). For the STQPPs, we will study the optimality conditions and investigate the properties of the Pareto optimal solution set. We plan to use Clarke subgradient for analysis and devise effective computational algorithms for solving the STQPPs. For SBCPPs, we will consider the multi-objective convex programming method and piecewise linear approach for solving the SBCPPs. In the first method, we will propose a novel subgradient method to solve the SBCPPs. We will also conduct extensive numerical experiments to demonstrate the high efficiency of our proposed algorithm on solving bi-objective convex programming problems. In the piecewise linear approach, we will apply the multi-objective simplex method and Benson's outer approximation algorithm to devise an effective algorithm to obtain the set of all Pareto optimal solutions. We will also apply the proposed algorithms to obtain optimal sparse portfolio strategies and use the real data from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for empirical analysis.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/M01/15
Project Title: Investigation of Spatio-temporal Relationship between the Structure and Function in Glaucoma Using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R)
Principal Investigator: Dr YU Marco Chak-yan (Hang Seng)

Abstract
Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy, which is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. According The World Health Organization (WHO) Universal Eye Health Global Action Plan 2014-2019, monitoring glaucoma is one of the major issues in managing age-related irreversible blindness. Currently, structural examination of the optic nerve head and functional examination of the visual field are the major assessment modalities for detection of glaucoma and monitoring of glaucoma progression. However, in clinical practice, glaucoma by large is monitored using global measures, such as average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and visual field mean deviation. Geometric information of the retinal nerve fiber layer distribution and visual sensitivity are often analyzed separately. Without integrating the spatio-temporal data derived from both the structural and functional tests, it is difficult to interpret glaucoma progression (as structural progression and functional progression may not agree) and evaluate disease prognosis. This project aims to develop a statistical model to integrate the spatio-temporal information from longitudinal structural and functional data sets for interpretation of glaucoma progression. Due to the involvement of high dimensional data, data reduction technique will be adopted to extract sufficient information for the model development.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/M03/15
Project Title: Fermentative Production of Tetrodotoxin (TTX) from Marine Microorganisms for Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications
Principal Investigator: Dr YU Peter Hoi-fu (THEi)

Abstract
One of the most common and hardy fish found in South China Sea and Hong Kong waters is the puffer fish (Tetraodontidae). Most puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin which is 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The neurotoxin in a mature puffer fish is enough to kill 30 people and there is no antidote. However, tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potential innovative analgesic and a local anesthetic which is non-opioid (i.e. non-additive). Tetrodotoxin could be a potential pain relief to many patients, including cancer patients.

During our early studies in 2000-2003, we had collected and identified 10 species of puffer fish in the Hong Kong waters. We investigated the distribution of tetrodotoxin in different organs of puffer fish, and the influence of seasons on the production of the TTX. Our findings of the fact that variable of amount of TTX are present among different species of puffer fish and that TTX is widely found in other species of fish make us query whether TTX might actually originate from bacteria.

From our previous RGC project (PolyU 5458/05M), we reported (December 2008) that we were able to isolate several bacterial species from puffer fish that can produce TTX. To optimize the TTX yield, we also had varied different parameters of fermentation condition, including pH, temperature, salinity, aerobic/anaerobic conditions, different culture medium, effect of arginine and external source of proteins Some of these results were very useful in our study of TTX production by bacteria. In our study, we had developed and compared various methods for detection of TTX, comparing several sensitivity and easy usage of the techniques, such as the mouse bioassay, several HPLC methods, and also a cell-culture method, and we had found the cell culture method is a better choice. We were able to produce a TTX antiserum for the identification and detection of TTX (collaborated with South China Agriculture University of Guangzhou), this antiserum is not available commercially, and in our research plan we would like to develop a rapid-detection kit for TTX. We also had applied our findings and techniques of TTX detection to apply to a preliminary clinical study, and we were able to detect and analyze TTX in the TTX poisoning case of 4 patients in Hong Kong. With the study of the various parameters affecting the production of TTX, we have gained a better understanding of the mechanism of production of TTX (promotion and inhibition). After elucidating the mechanisms of TTX biosynthetic pathways, a better understanding in the formulation and planning the optimal culture media and conditions can be achieved.

In this application proposal, we would like to optimize the culture conditions for TTX production by fermentation with bacteria and develop a more standard and reliable process for the extraction and purification of TTX, to optimize the TTX production to about 1 mg/L by combining the innovative fermentation method and the developed extraction and purification method. We would also want to develop an ELIZA kit for the detection of tetrodotoxin.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/E04/15
Project Title: OREO: Cross-Layer Optimization for Power Efficient OLED Display
Principal Investigator: Dr ZHAO Yingchao (Caritas)

Abstract
Worldwide smartphone and tablet shipments will surpass two billion in year 2015. Powered by batteries, these mobile devices are in desperate need of higher power efficiency to extend usage time. The display is often the most power-consuming component of a mobile device. Traditionally, the majority of power consumption can be attributed to a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, which can take up about 60% of the total power consumed by a mobile device. Recently, Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) has emerged as the choice of display, given its advantages of higher emitting efficiency, bigger contrast ratio, brighter colors, and the possibility of being built on a flexible and transparent substrate. Although OLED is more power efficient than LCD, it still consumes quite a lot of power in mobile devices. We tested the OLED display power of a Samsung Galaxy S4, which in standby mode occupies approximately 43% of the total power consumption. One unique property of OLED that differentiates it from LCD is that OLED power consumption is highly color-dependent. This property will be exploited in our project to significantly improve OLED display power efficiency. Specifically, a hierarchical collaborative optimization framework across three layers will be developed.

First, at the device-level, this project will develop a unified power model for OLED cells capable of capturing both color-dependent power consumption and dynamic power from color transformations between adjacent frames.

Second, at the hardware-level, as OLED cells allow trade-offs between power and color, visual-quality aware dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) will be developed for different applications.

Third, at the software-level, as different colors consume different amounts of power, the dynamic tone mapping (DTM) approach will be studied for videos to save display power through video classification and color transformation.

Through exploiting hardware-level power trace information, a novel software-level online video classification technique will be investigated. The most challenging aspect of this project is to adaptively conduct the proposed techniques in a time-conscious and effective manner considering stringent timing requirements for applications such as video streaming and games.

The key is the power model, which integrates the hardware-layer and software-layer to overcome this challenge. Preliminary results re-confirm the huge potential of OLED display power reduction delivered by tri-layer optimizations of OREO.

The principles of power saving for OLED display that will be obtained from this project will also benefit the software development training for undergraduate students whose majors are digital entertainments. They can embed the power saving idea in the design of mobile applications, and eventually build power conscious applications.

With the success of this project, we aim to cut OLED display power by half, which will help reduce power consumption of mobile devices, extend usage time, and contribute to a better user experience, as well as a greener planet.

Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS15/M01/15
Project Title: Empowering Caregivers of People with Schizophrenia: Comparing Intervention Effectiveness of Family Link Education Programme (FLEP), Narrative Practice Group (CNGP) and Integrative Peer Support Growth Group (IPSGG)
Principal Investigator: Dr ZHOU Dehui (Shue Yan)

Abstract
In this comparative intervention effectiveness study, we will develop a new intervention approach to support caregivers for people with schizophrenia, called the Integrative Peer Support Growth Group (IPSGG), test it and compare its effectiveness with two other intervention approaches, the Family Link Education Programme (FLEP) and the Collective Narrative Practice Group (CNPG). As the first local effectiveness study that involves multiple intervention approaches for caregivers, the proposed study will help to articulate the pros and cons of each approach and their practical effects on caregivers of people with schizophrenia.

The proposed study uses a longitudinal framework (pre-assessment, post-assessment, and three-month follow-up) and a delayed treatment control nested design, which tests the effectiveness of three intervention groups (an FLEP group, a CNPG group, and a wait-list control group with a delayed treatment with IPSGG). A mixed method involving parallel quantitative and qualitative research will be used to track the effects of the three intervention programmes.

We plan to recruit a sample of 120 caregivers of people with schizophrenia, with 40 caregivers in each intervention group, to ensure an anticipated effect size (Cohen's d) of .68, the desired statistical power level of .80 and a probability level of .05. All 120 caregivers will take part in the quantitative research, in which their subjective burdens, psychological well-being, empowerment, self-efficacy, regulation of emotions and social support will be measured using standard validated scales at three data points: at enrollment, immediately after the intervention, and three months after the intervention. ANOVA with repeated measures and ANCOVA analyses will be used to track the progress of participants in different intervention groups.

Qualitative research in the form of semi-structured focus-group interviews will be carried out to probe into (i) the fluid experiences of the caregivers in the project, (ii) unravel changes in their caring experiences, and (iii) substantiate, explore and complement the findings of the quantitative study as part of the triangulation research process. A total of thirty participants will be recruited for the focus-group interviews occurring at five time points, with six participants in each focus group. All participants of the focus groups will be selected in terms of their genders, their relations with the family members who suffer from schizophrenia and the interventions that they received. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse the qualitative data and triangulate the findings of the quantitative assessment.