Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/M06/16
Project Title: The synergistic effect of
using pioglitazone in combination with piceatannol
in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
in rats
Principal Investigator: Dr CHAN Shun-wan
(THEi)
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
is one of the most common liver disorders
in Western countries and it becomes an emerging
problem in the Asia Pacific region. The
prevalence of NAFLD in the general population
of Hong Kong was about 42%. Under the current
obesity epidemic, NAFLD prevalence increases
and imposes a huge social and economic burden
to our society. Given the importance of
insulin resistance (IR) in the pathogenesis
of NAFLD, insulin sensitizers have been
broadly investigated in the treatment of
NAFLD. Unfortunately, clinical studies have
not demonstrated a consistent benefit in
NAFLD patients treated with insulin sensitizers.
Among the insulin sensitizers available
in the market, pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione
with hypoglycemic, has better cardiovascular
safety profile and anti-oxidant properties
than other insulin sensitizers. It has been
used to treat NAFLD clinically. However,
the long-term usage related side-effects
of pioglitazone have limited its utility.
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated
that the consumption of foods high in phenolic
compounds is associated with lower risks
of many chronic diseases. Although Resveratrol,
a well-known dietary supplement, has shown
pre-clinically to have beneficial effects
on various chronic diseases. However, its
poor bioavailability and rapid metabolism
have limited the use of resveratrol in dietary
intervention to improve health and prevent
chronic diseases. Piceatannol, a natural
analog of resveratrol, not only has higher
bioavailability than resveratrol but also
has biological effects such as promoting
glucose uptake, improvement of glucose tolerance
and enhancing autophagy. These effects could
improve IR and reduce hepatocellular fat
accumulation as well as hepatocyte dysfunction.
In our preliminary study, high fat diet
(HFD) was shown to successfully induce NAFLD
in rats. We have demonstrated that a 4-week
piceatannol treatment could significantly
reduce liver lipid contents in rats fed
with HFD. The efficacy of piceatannol used
was not good enough so the use of it on
managing NAFLD is not promising. It has
been showed that combination drug therapy
utilizes more than one medication but each
agent is given at a dose much lower than
the normal therapeutic dose (i.e., minimal
side effects are anticipated) resulting
in synergistic therapeutic outcomes. We
hypothesize that a combination drug therapy
using pioglitazone and piceatannol could
be an effective therapeutic strategy for
NAFLD. Thus, the primary goal of the proposed
study is to evaluate the synergistic effect
of using pioglitazone in combination with
piceatannol in treating NAFLD and its related
liver damages. Additionally, the hepatic
and systemic mechanistic pathways of this
combination drug therapy will be investigated.
To achieve these, this study will be developed
with three objectives: (1) to evaluate the
synergistic effect of using pioglitazone
in combination with piceatannol in treating
HFD-induced NAFLD in rats; (2) to investigate
whether the beneficial effects of using
pioglitazone in combination with piceatannol
in treating HFD-induced NAFLD in rats is
via hepatic autophagic enhancing pathway;
and (3) to use metabolomics approach for
the comparison of serum metabolic changes
in normal rats, NAFLD rats and NAFLD rats
treated with pioglitazone in combination
with piceatannol. Data about the synergistic
effect of the proposed combination drug
therapy and the understanding about the
underlying mechanism(s) involved could improve
the existing strategies for NAFLD prevention
and treatment, resulting in reducing the
prevalence of NAFLD.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/M02/16
Project Title: Potential involvement of
NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in emesis and feeding in
Suncus murinus
Principal Investigator: Dr CHAN Sze-wa (Caritas)
Abstract
Nesfatin-1 is a newly discovered 82-amino
acid anorectic peptide derived from nucleobindin2
(NUCB2). NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 immunoreactivity
is highly expressed in hypothalamic as well
as medullary nuclei such as the nucleus
tractus solitarius (NTS) and dorsal motor
nucleus of the vagus (DMNV), brain areas
implicated in feeding and emesis control.
Over the past decade, nesfatin-1 has been
extensively studied in common laboratory
animals because it is generally believed
that the peptide not only reduces food intake
and gastric emptying but is also involved
in the long term regulation of body weight,
making it a promising target for anti-obesity
therapeutic drugs. Nevertheless, we know
relatively little concerning the potential
involvement of nesfatin-1 in emesis control
because common laboratory animals (e.g.
rat and mouse) are incapable of emesis and
therefore the role of nesfatin-1 as a transmitter
linking the forebrain and hindbrain being
involved in nausea and emesis and feeding
control has been overlooked.
The aim of the project is to use Suncus murinus (house musk shrew) to investigate if NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is a key transmitter in emesis and feeding control. We identified that S. murinus nesfatin-1 shares >85% amino acid sequence similarity with human and mouse. Our pilot study showed that central administration of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 potently reduced food intake and induced emesis in S. murinus. In the current proposal, therefore, we will identify the anatomical distribution of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 protein and mRNA using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. We will also examine plasma and tissue expression of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in the fasted and fed states. We will elucidate the role of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in mechanisms of feeding, biomarkers of nausea, and mechanisms of emesis in S. murinus. Experiments will be performed using standard behavioural testing and established surgical and radiotelemetric techniques combined with measurement of brain monoamine neurotransmitters and immunohistochemistry. The studies will use a range of classical and novel anti-emetic drugs to determine the mechanism of action of nesfatin-1 to reveal the differential effect of nesfatin-1 in the regulation of feeding and emesis. Our findings will yield novel mechanistic insights into forebrain-brainstem communication.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B19/16
Project Title: The Evolutionary Trend of
International Income Inequality: An Analysis
of Decomposition and Transitional Dynamics
Principal Investigator: Dr CHEONG James
Tsun-se (HSMC)
Abstract
This project examines the trends, composition
and transitional dynamics of international
income inequality. The investigation is
conducted over four stages, centered on
several related research directions. By
combining the four components, this study
can clearly reveal a comprehensive picture
of the evolutionary trend of international
income inequality.
The proposed project is divided into four
research components. First, in the initial
stage, different inequality measurement
approaches and indicators are employed to
provide an overview of the evolutionary
patterns and trends of international inequality.
Second, the countries are divided into regional
subgroups and a decomposition analysis by
subgroup is conducted to estimate the contributions
of the inter-regional components and each
of the spatial groupings to overall international
inequality. The decomposition analysis can
shed light on the underlying patterns of
inequality and quantify the level of the
North-South divide (that is, the difference
in income between poor countries in the
South and rich countries in the North).
It can furthermore reveal the relationship
between geographical groupings and inequality,
thereby pinpointing the root of the problem
of inequality. Third, the technique of decomposition
by income sources is employed to evaluate
the contributions of the three economic
sectors. The information on the relative
significance of the agricultural, industrial
and service sectors can facilitate the formulation
of industrial policy for economic development
in developing countries. Finally, this study
analyses the future evolution of regional
inequality and assesses the possibility
of convergence. Stochastic kernel analysis
is employed to examine the transitional
dynamics. Moreover, the Mobility Probability
Plot, a new display tool of distributional
analysis developed by the PI (Cheong and
Wu 2015a), will be employed. The transitional
analysis not only prepares a forecast of
the future world income distribution, but
also reveals the mobility of each country
across the income distribution. Priority
lists can thus be formulated according to
the analysis results so as to better coordinate
international efforts in economic partnership
and development.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS15/H03/16
Project Title: Exploring how self-control
training improves self-control performance:
An experience sampling study
Principal Investigator: Dr CHOW Tak-sang
(Shue Yan)
Abstract
Self-control is often required when there
are conflicts between temptations and long-term
goals. Imagine when someone trying to lose
weight sees his friends ordering delicious
but high-calorie cheeseburgers. Two behavioral
tendencies are competing for enactment:
a) stick to the diet plan and order a low-calorie
meal; or b) satisfy the immediate desire
and order the cheeseburger. Such conflict
could also happen when a researcher rushing
to meet a grant proposal deadline receives
an invitation to a party; or when someone
wants to withhold his anger in the face
of provocation. Successful self-control
usually requires people to resist temptations
and to enact behavior that is consistent
with long-term goals. However, people often
yield to temptation. The failure to exert
self-control is at the root of many individual
and societal misfortunes ranging from academic
underachievement to unsatisfactory relationships.
Exploring effective ways to boost self-control
is a valuable endeavour.
Although recent research suggests that self-control grows by repeatedly practising small acts of self-control, little is known about how this 'self-control training' works. This project seeks to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying the self-control training. In particular, we will test whether the repeated practice of small acts of self-control increases self-efficacy to resist temptation and reduces perceived fatigue after self-control exertion. We also explore the longevity of the training effect and whether it works better for certain types of self-control conflicts. Overall, this project strives to provide important information that can help researchers and practitioners to optimize the effect of self-control training in future.
The current project also extends previous works by examining a cost-effective way to boost the training effect: Goal-setting. Goal-setting is an integral part of many programs that aim to promote behavioural changes. However, it is often omitted in self-control training. Past studies usually required participants to repeatedly practice small acts of self-control without mentioning the expected performance levels of these practices. Specific, challenging goals provide clear external reference for people to evaluate their progress. When the goal is realistic and challenging, people are more likely to obtain mastery experience and develop self-efficacy in the process of training. The current project will compare the effect of self-control training with and without a goal-setting component to evaluate its additional value.
To gain a deeper understanding of the training effect on everyday, naturalistic behaviours, this project will include not only laboratory assessments and traditional questionnaire measures but also real life experience sampling. Participants will be required to report their experience of self-control conflicts and related cognitions every day when they receive a smartphone signal. There will be three waves of one-week experience sampling (before the training, one week after and one month after the training). The exact delivery time of the signal will be randomly selected within a preset time window. By comparing the pre-training and post-training experiences, and comparing experiences of people in treatment condition and control condition, we can obtain insight into the effects of self-control training on people's experience of everyday conflicts of self-control.
Taken together, the present project will extend the previous research theoretically, practically and methodologically. By combining a randomised controlled experiment with the experience sampling method, we seek to enhance the understanding of the process involved in the long-term improvement of self-control. This project will also have clinical and educational implications for improving problematic behaviour related to failures of self-control.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/H08/16
Project Title: A study of the language specificness
of two nursing specialties
Principal Investigator: Dr CHOW Vanliza
Mei-yung (OUHK)
Abstract
The proposed research will investigate the
language used in nursing discourse on an
intra-disciplinary level using across-method
triangulation.
The study will examine two sets of data about two nursing specialties, namely oncology and paediatric nursing, in order to explore their language specificness. The first set of data will consist of nursing journal articles of these two specialties. Articles specifically about patients, the role of nurses and the care they provide which were published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing and European Journal of Oncology Nursing between January 2010 and December 2016 will be downloaded and compiled into two written sub-corpora. Meanwhile, another set of data generated from interviews with 25 oncology and 25 paediatric nurses in Hong Kong will also be compiled into two spoken sub-corpora and analysed in the same way. The ethnographic data drawn from interviews will complement the sub-corpora to provide special lexis, including metaphors, which characterises the knowledge of the two nursing specialties, particularly in the context of Hong Kong.
The proposed study using triangulation of data and methods will contribute to explore the special lexical items and their respective language patterns characterising the two selected nursing specialties, especially the patients, nurses and kinds of care provided in them, particular in a Hong Kong context. The findings would also increase our awareness of the use of metaphor to construct nursing knowledge on an intra-disciplinary level. These two kinds of knowledge would then help to facilitate English learning and teaching for specific purposes (hereafter ESP) in the nursing field in Hong Kong.
A pilot study has been conducted to grasp a preliminary picture of the possible specific lexical items and their respective phraseologies describing these two nursing specialties. The findings revealed that special language patterns (including metaphors) describing the work of pediatric and oncology nurses were used. A larger scale study would allow more lexis and language features encoding the knowledge of the two nursing specialties, particular in a Hong Kong context, to surface.
The whole investigation of the two sets of data will be divided into four phases: i) a quantitative analysis in which the words and their frequencies used in the two written and two spoken sub-corpora will be counted in order to uncover any specific use of words in describing the patients, roles of nurses and the care they provide in the two nursing specialties; ii) an in-depth investigation of the lines describing the words 'nurse(s)', 'patient(s)', 'oncology', 'pediatric', 'health care' and 'care' extracted from the four sub-corpora to explore whether any of these words may co-occur with any specific lexis, especially verbs (renamed as process types in systemic functional linguistics, SFL hereafter) and the language patterns in describing the patients, nurses and the kinds of care delivered in these two nursing specialties; iii) a search for the use of metaphors in these lines extracted from the four sub-corpora to analyse what, if anything, these metaphors reveal about the knowledge of the two nursing specialties; and iv) a comparison of the results generated from the two written and two spoken sub-corpora to examine any special lexis and metaphors used to construct knowledge of the two nursing specialties, especially about their patients, roles of nurses and the care they provide, particularly in the context of Hong Kong.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/B02/16
Project Title: Halting wasteful consumption:
The differential impact of guilt and shame
Principal Investigator: Dr CHU Maggie Ying-ying
(OUHK)
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a heated
debate about waste management in Hong Kong.
Every year, more than 6 million tons of
municipal solid waste are produced, putting
a big burden on our existing waste management
facilities, particularly the three landfills.
Worse still, the present consumption-led
lifestyle has speeded up the growth of many
types of solid waste. Products often end
up unused or partially used before being
sent to the landfills. People often buy
products without regard to their actual
needs - for example, ordering too much food
in restaurants; or throwing away a fully
functional phone, merely for a change in
style. Despite the controversy over the
government's proposed means of dealing with
the waste problems in Hong Kong, there is
a common consensus that waste must be reduced
by changing consumer behavior. How can we
encourage more responsible consumption?
The proposed project aims to address this
issue. In particular, we assume that consumers'
decisions to reduce waste are governed by
negative emotional reactions that are associated
with wasting, in particular, shame and guilt.
We will examine the underlying process by
which these emotions affect consumer behavior
and the factors giving rise to these emotions.
Although shame and guilt are related, they differ in a number of important psychological dimensions (Han, Duhachek, & Agrawal, 2014; Lindsay-Hartz, 1984; Niedenthal, Tangney, & Gavanski, 1994; Tangney, 1990; Tangney, Miller, Flicker, & Barlow, 1996). For example, when people feel guilty, they perceive themselves to have engaged in bad behavior and thus become motivated to take action to undo the harm they have caused. When people feel shame, however, they see themselves as "bad persons" more generally, and this gives rise to a tendency to avoid situations in which they are likely to be evaluated negatively. In the context we are considering, therefore, these emotions can have different implications for behavior. That is, guilt tends to motivate more constructive behavior (e.g., to reduce purchase quantity next time and to reuse an old phone), whereas shame tends to result in more passive responses. However, guilt and shame can often coexist. Therefore, an understanding of what gives rise to these emotions and the conditions in which each has the predominant effect is important.
Previous research seems to suggest that the experience of guilt and shame are both preceded by some sort of social comparison. However, the target of comparison tends to be different. People feel guilty particularly when they find themselves over-privileged in relation to others (Baumeister, Stillwell, & Heatherton, 1994) - for example, when one wastes uneaten food while others are starving (i.e., a downward comparison). On the other hand, the experience of shame entails a comparison with others that unveils one's inferiority (Lindsay-Hartz, 1984), such as comparing oneself with others who have acted responsibly (i.e., an upward comparison). In combination, if the situation activates these different comparisons, they can have different effects on consumption behavior.
We speculate that the experience of shame will lead consumers to reduce waste if doing so enables them to gain social approval (i.e., to be accepted and more positively evaluated by others). This is because shame is characterized by a feeling that one's wrongdoing (e.g., having consumed irresponsibly) is socially exposed and disapproved of by the observing others (actual or imaginary). Therefore, when reducing waste can serve as a means to gain social approval, the shame-laden consumers would be more likely to do so. But since the desire to regain social approval is not core to the experience of guilt, its effect on consumer behavior should not depend on this contingency. To conclude, the potential findings of this project would provide policymakers with important insights into how to stop wasteful consumption by influencing people's experience of guilt and shame associated with wasting.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/P05/16
Project Title: Statistical Inference of
Sensitive Randomized Dichotomous Responses
with Applications to Information Management
and Healthcare Management
Principal Investigator: Dr CHU Man-ying
(HSMC)
Abstract
Response distortion on sensitive questions
has long been a concern to researchers,
although the use of randomized response
techniques has been shown to be very helpful
in eliciting truthful answers to such questions.
Randomized response techniques have been
adopted in survey studies in a variety of
fields, including business, healthcare,
political science and social sciences, to
collect sensitive data while protecting
respondents' privacy. Previous research
mainly applied randomized response techniques
to analyze a single attribute or question,
and thus could not determine whether sensitive
responses are dependent on or influenced
by other questions. Understanding the dependence
among sensitive and non-sensitive responses
is crucial to understanding respondents'
behavior and attitudes concerning sensitive
issues.
Elucidating the associations among sensitive and direct questions has been challenging because a large number of parameters are usually involved. In the proposed project, we will develop statistical inference methods for estimating the dependence of sensitive dichotomous responses obtained from randomized response techniques without using the joint distribution of the responses, and also investigate the dependence analysis of multiple sensitive questions. In addition, we will explore applications of the proposed inference method in information management and healthcare management. Further extensions to allow dependence to be a function of observable factors via regression modeling will also be considered. We expect that our findings will not only open up a new methodology for analyzing and modeling sensitive responses, but will also advance applications of randomized response technique in business, healthcare, political science and social science studies.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS15/B01/16
Project Title: Is social media a distraction
or an enhancement for organisations? A social
media and team creativity model (SMTCM)
Principal Investigator: Dr CUI Xiling (Shue
Yan)
Abstract
Social media has been widely adopted by
individuals and organisations over the past
decade. In recent years, the rapid developments
of mobile technology have enabled social
media to penetrate many aspects of daily
life. Facebook, according to its statistics,
had over 4.4 million users in Hong Kong
in 2014, with a penetration rate of around
60%. More than 86% of these users access
Facebook via mobile devices, which is one
of the highest rates in Asia. In addition,
many people in Hong Kong use WhatsApp and
WeChat for mobile instant messaging. Undoubtedly,
social media and its applications are shaping
the way individuals and organisations communicate.
But is this change good or bad? In particular,
does social media use impede or enhance
aspects of job performance, such as innovation,
in an organisational context?
Whether they like it or not, employers realise that increasingly their employees use social media to communicate with each other. Leaving voice or text messages for team members is replacing some fact-to-face communication, due to its effectiveness and efficiency. Employees also use their organisational mobile devices at home, extending team communication beyond the traditional workplace boundaries. When mobile devices are incorporated into work processes, the traditional ways of structuring work patterns are altered to be more diversified. These changes in communication influence many aspects of a team, especially the interaction among team members, which in turn influences team creativity.
This study aims to examine the social media usage of employees and its effect on team creativity. We propose a social media and team creativity model (SMTCM) based on group property framework. Group properties include role, cohesiveness, norms, status and size of groups. We examined each property from an interpersonal perspective with regard to social media use and then, developed five social-media-enhanced interpersonal factors for team creativity, including role trust, team cohesiveness, collaboration facilitation, conformity pressure reduction, and social loafing prevention. These factors are believed to be influenced by social media use and thereby to influence team creativity. Moreover, we believe the ubiquity of social media positively affects social media use. This study is expected to contribute to the existing literature by highlighting the role of social media use on team creativity and offer important insights to both research and practice.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS13/E02/16
Project Title: Digitalized Assessment Developmental
Coordination Disorder with Integrated Eye-Motion
Tracking Technology: System and Algorithms
Principal Investigator: Dr FU Hong (Chu
Hai)
Abstract
Development coordination disorder (DCD),
also referred to developmental dyspraxia,
is a motor disorder in children, affecting
around 5%-6% of school-aged children. DCD
affects the children's daily functioning,
leads to difficulty in learning, organizing
and moderating motor skills, and can have
significant long term effects on academic,
psychosocial and vocational outcomes. DCD
is a disorder of visual motor integration,
so the study on vision motion coordination
is essential to understand the mechanism
of DCD, which gives systematic and objective
assessment, for timely and proper intervention.
Current standardized assessment systems
focus on the final performance of children
on some visual motor tasks, while ignoring
the detailed visual motor coordination in
performing these tasks. Little work has
been done on the study of the eye-motion
coordination with digital technologies.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a
proper digital system to measure the eye
movement and body motion simultaneously,
to study the mechanism of eye-motion coordination,
and to perform effective and objective assessment
based on digitalized information.
In this proposal, we are planning to develop a digitalized system to record both the eye movement and body motion information, to conduct an in-depth study with a joint eye-motion analysis, and then to give an intelligent assessment of DCD. To achieve the above objectives, four essential issues will be addressed in this project: (i) integration of eye tracking and motion capturing system; (ii) data fusion of eye tracking and motion capturing; (iii) modeling of visual motor coordination with eye-motion tracking data; and (iv) intelligent assessment of DCD with machine learning algorithms. Two sub-systems for gross and fine movement evaluation will be implemented with a head-mounted eye tracker and multiple Kinects. The algorithms for eye tracking and motion capturing data fusion will be developed to obtain integrated eye-motion tracking data. Then a joint-eye-motion analysis will be carried out to figure out the patterns and correlations in eye motor integration of DCD. Finally, a classifier will be trained to perform intelligent assessment of DCD.
The outcomes of the project will provide an alternative for DCD assessment with digital devices and intelligent algorithms. With this system, an automatic, objective and intelligent assessment can be done easily, with simple guidance of a clinical technician, which makes it efficient to identify the children with DCD and therefore to conduct timely intervention. The findings in joint eye-motion data analysis will disclose the patterns of visual motion integration of DCD, which is beneficial for both DCD assessment and intervention. Meanwhile, the findings, research methodologies and data capturing systems could also be considered as valuable reference for other diseases related to visual motion integration, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD).
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/M04/16
Project Title: Characterising and Fingerprinting
Biomarkers of Urolithiasis: A Case Control
Study (Stage 1 of 2)
Principal Investigator: Prof GOHEL Mayur
Danny I (TWC)
Abstract
Progress in the characterisation of an appropriate
diagnostic biomarker to detect the formation
of renal stones has been hindered due to
(i) ill-defined and insufficiently purified
urinary macromolecules (UMM), (ii) the use
of commercial products (mainly of non-kidney
and non-human origins) as test materials
and (iii) inadequate models of stone formation.
We have previously established that among
the urinary glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronan
is an important and reliable inflammatory
marker for patients with crystals and stones.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)
are now widely used to eradicate stones.
However, recurrence rates remain high (up
to 60%) over the lifetime of certain patients.
These recurrent stone-formers are good models
for investigations to establish the important
biological markers and mediators of inflammation
in the blood and urine of renal stone patients.
Recurrent stone-formers are also good subjects
for studying the levels of specific biomarkers
identified among in-patients following ESWL/PCNL
treatment through a longitudinal study (as
will be done in the 2nd stage of the proposed
study). Analyses of these data in patients
following ESWL will aid in developing a
simple urine test that can predictably detect
the development of silent renal stones.
This proposal is for Stage 1 and funding
for Stage 2 will be sought later in 2018
on conclusion of Stage 1.
The main goal of this project is to allow renal stone patients to be monitored with a simple urine test, which will give advanced warning of clinically significant recurrence. This study is designed to narrow the biomarkers that can be readily tested and validated during Stage 2 of the longitudinal trials. The results of this study may allow follow-up treatment to be instigated at the most appropriate times, thereby bringing both financial and health benefits.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E02/16
Project Title: How public are the public
spaces? The effect of management regime
on public space quality
Principal Investigator: Prof HO Daniel Chi-wing
(THEi)
Abstract
Public spaces play an important role in
the well-being of urban dwellers. We have
seen in the past few decades a trend to
provide such spaces through private developments.
The practice of granting private sector
the rights and responsibility of providing
and managing public spaces within private
developments has been criticized by researchers
because of management approaches that restrict
social interactions and exclusion of certain
populations, hence contradicting the principles
of a truly 'public space'.
Much research has studied the impact of design on the quality of urban public spaces, but relatively little work has focused on the management dimension. This project aims to examine the current governance structure in the management of urban public spaces, both publicly and privately owned, in Hong Kong and develop an evaluation framework for assessing the qualities that reflect public aspirations for urban public spaces.
Adopting Gehl's approach of a public space and public life survey and de Magalh?es and Carmona's analytical framework of examining the interlinked processes and practices of regulation, maintenance, coordination and investment in urban public spaces, this research attempts to shed light on the complexities in the management of urban public spaces and critically examine how the management dimension affects the quality of urban public spaces. A survey of the general public and workshops will be conducted to explore the demands on and the aspirations for urban public spaces in Hong Kong. The findings will provide a basis for analysing whether the current approach is adequate in meeting public expectations. An evaluation framework which is based on the results of the survey and workshops will be developed to assess public space quality. This framework and assessment will help policy-makers and stakeholders to deliver urban public spaces at the appropriate quality.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/E01/16
Project Title: Design and development of
a big data system for predicting harmful
algal blooms
Principal Investigator: Prof HO Kin-chung
(OUHK)
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Department
(EPD), and the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department (AFCD) of Hong Kong
Government have been collecting and logging
different environmental data along coastal
waters in Hong Kong for a few decades. Based
on these measured and collected data, we
shall design and develop a "Big Data"
computing system for forecasting the occurrences
of harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs pose
threats to the marine habitation and economy
in the coastal areas around the world. It
would be very desirable to devise and develop
a novel monitoring and forecasting system
for identifying any potential HAB events.
The effectiveness of this monitoring and
forecasting system relies on the accuracy
of HAB estimation and detection algorithm.
In this project, we shall create an operating Big Data computing system to be used for identifying harmful algal blooms. Many computation models rely on numerous sampled and logged raw data, such as pH, the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature and other physical characteristics of the water. To achieve this target, we shall initiate the creation of an early phased in-house Big Data system, which will be constructed through the interconnection of multiple computing units. In this project, we shall verify the functionality of this system, and deploy it for implementing different models of harmful algal blooms. And in the future, this system will be expanded and built to handle much larger amount of raw data with different HABs models and mathematical algorithms. The computation models for HABs will be selected and coded to generate numerous data points, which will be evaluated and used to feed into different machine learning (ML) algorithms. That is, the data collected from both the EPD and AFCD may go through multiple computation processes due to the different types of machine learning algorithms in terms of both supervised and unsupervised learning designs. The findings from the different algorithms could give different results regarding the occurrences of algal blooms. The goals of this proposal are to: (1) create an operable early phase Big Data system; (2) select formulae from different HAB models that accept the collected data information; (3) investigate collected data and the feasibility of mapping HAB model formulae into ML algorithms; (4) develop a simple ML algorithm into program code that will run in the Big Data computing system. We look forward to designing and building a highly reliable and high-performance Big Data computing system for HAB.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/M05/16
(Withdrawn)
Project Title: A community-based nurse-led
diabetes prevention programme
Principal Investigator: Dr HO Man (TWC)
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/H01/16
Project Title: Effectiveness of the Mental
Health First Aid Programme for nursing students
in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr HUNG Shuk-yu
(TWC)
Abstract
In recent years, awareness of mental well-being
has become a great concern. Although the
World Health Organization (WHO) has actively
promoted health concepts worldwide over
the past few decades, mental disorders or
illnesses are not uncommon nowadays. Because
of the negative attitudes of society towards
mental disorders or illnesses, people with
mental illnesses are afraid of social rejection
and distancing, which leads to a reluctance
to disclose their own conditions and delay
in seeking help from professionals.
The literature has shown that mental health problems are highly prevalent in adolescence or early adulthood globally and locally. Several foreign and local studies reported that college students, especially those who are studying nursing or medicine programmes are more susceptible than other students to mental health problems such as stress, burnout, depression and anxiety due to professional role demands. Academic and clinical factors are two major reasons for the high level of stress in nursing students. The long duration of academic training and clinical placement in hospitals may exert great pressure on these students, who are usually aged between 18 to 25 years. Contact with patients with diseases and even death during clinical training may have a negative effect on students' mental health well-being.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a psychoeducation training programme designed to increase participants' mental health knowledge and mental health first aid intentions and decrease their negative attitudes towards and increase supportive behaviour of individuals with mental health problems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the MHFA programme and mental well-being of nursing students in Hong Kong.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS16/B08/16
Project Title: The relationship between
corporate philanthropy and corporate financial
performance in Hong Kong-listed companies
Principal Investigator: Dr LAM Sze-sing
(OUHK)
Abstract
Corporate sustainability has been at the
top of the management agenda for many global
corporations. Environmental, social, and
governance (ESG) reporting provides important
information for investors to evaluate the
sustainability of corporations. The Hong
Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) has recently
revised the Listing Rules to require companies
to either comply with ESG disclosure requirements
or explain any non-compliance. This generates
pressure on corporations to scrutinize and
reshape their corporate social responsibility
(CSR) program to cater to sustainable development.
Corporate philanthropy is a major form of CSR. The practice not only benefits society, it may also enhance the corporation's reputation leading to long-term advantages. However, the theories proposed in the literature disagree on whether philanthropic giving would contribute to financial performance. Although a number of recent overseas studies have provided some empirical evidence suggesting that corporate philanthropy has positive impacts on corporate financial performance, the results may not apply to Hong Kong enterprises for the following reasons. First, most of the studies utilized US data with only a few using mainland China data. With a different social and political environment than those in the US and mainland China, the financial impact of philanthropic initiatives may vary significantly in Hong Kong. Second, the data were collected before 2009. The social consciousness of consumers has risen drastically worldwide as well as in Hong Kong in the last five years. New and contemporary data are required for substantiating the relationship in Hong Kong. Last, prior studies mainly focused on the monetary measure of philanthropic activities. But corporate philanthropy goes beyond mere donations. The relationship between non-monetary donations and financial performance also deserves investigation.
This project aims to examine the relationship between corporate philanthropy and corporate financial performance based on companies listed on the main board of the HKEx. The listed companies consist of local companies (Hong Kong companies) and mainland companies that seek listing in Hong Kong (mainland companies). Philanthropic information regarding the monetary donations and non-monetary donations of listed companies will be hand-collected from their annual reports, CSR reports, sustainability reports and websites. The database developed can be used to evaluate: (1) the relationship between different types of donations and financial performance in Hong Kong companies and mainland companies; (2) the impacts of the social and political environment and ownership structure on the relationship; and (3) the effects of stringent control on ESG reporting on the relationship. This project will not only contribute to the relevant research on corporate philanthropy, but also provide practical insights on making philanthropic investments in corporations and the regulatory control of relevant information reporting. The database will serve as a brand new resource for future research on the corporate philanthropy of Hong Kong-listed companies.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E13/16
Project Title: Modelling age composition
and survival of high-rise building stock
for sustainable urban management
Principal Investigator: Dr LAU Wai-kin (THEi)
Abstract
Notably in more developed regions, building
stock ageing which is a transition characterised
by falling mortality and shrinking new completions
is emerging. Not like the case in Europe
where attention has been given to the issue,
much less however has been done in Asia
Pacific Rim to study the ageing stock. In
finding way out of this transition, one
cannot even answer how long buildings will
last before they are demolished, not to
mention little is known about the factors
leading to their "mortality".
Against this background, the age composition
and survival of building stock will be investigated.
Two Asia Pacific, cities, namely Hong Kong
and Adelaide, are chosen for study for their
highly dense and primarily high-rise urban
environment.
In modelling age composition and survival of high-rise building stock in the two cities, survival analysis methods such as the lifetable method and the Kaplan-Meier method will be reviewed and applied to determine the expected lifetime and the mortality rate. Besides, in order to gain knowledge of demolition of buildings, an empirical analysis of demolition cases in Hong Kong and Adelaide will be conducted to identify the key factors leading to demolition. Backed by the revealed trends and the added knowledge relating to building stock and demolition, the policy Delphi method will be used to generate and evaluate views and opinions form different stakeholders to provide options for sustainable urban management against building stock ageing.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS17/M01/16
Project Title: Effects of combined cognitive
and exercise training for older adult with
mild cognitive impairment
Principal Investigator: Dr LAW Lan-fong
(TWC)
Abstract
Dementia is an extremely disabling condition
impacting on older adults and health care
system, leading to increasing global concerns.
The 2005 Delphi consensus estimated a new
dementia case occurred every seven seconds
worldwide, which was updated in 2015 to
the astonishing rate of one new case every
3 seconds. It has also been forecast that
49% of the total projected new dementia
cases will occur in Asia.
In Hong Kong, about one in ten of those aged 70 or above, and about one in three aged 85 or above have dementia. A local study has projected that the number of people with dementia will be more than double in 2036.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had just held the first global Ministerial Conference on 'Global Action Against Dementia' in March 2015, where emphasized on the urgency of finding cures or modifying interventions for dementia and the need for an increase in research investment. An immediate response is required to tackle this global crisis by building up local capacities and through cross-discipline and cross-sector collaboration in developing innovative interventions.
It has been suggested that combining cognitive training and exercise training may have synergistic beneficial effects on the brain and further enhance cognitive functions. The Principle Investigator has developed a combined cognitive and exercise programme, using simulated functional tasks and exercise as an intervention in a pilot study. The initial findings showed the programme to be effective in improving the cognitive functions and functional status of elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. The results have been published. However, this pilot study did not include exercise-only or no-treatment comparison groups, which can enable a better understanding of the mechanism of the effects or the overall significance of the programme.
The proposed study will further validate the effects of this combined cognitive and exercise programme for older adults with cognitive impairment in a larger population. This will include no-treatment and exercise-only comparison groups, in collaboration with a local hospital and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The study will be a four-arm single-blind randomized controlled trial. The participants will be randomized to a combined cognitive and exercise intervention group, a single exercise intervention group, an active training comparison group, or a no-treatment control group (no existing intervention in the NGOs).
The primary aim of this study is to determine whether an innovative combined cognitive and exercise programme is effective in enhancing the cognitive functions and motor performance in older people with mild cognitive impairment. A further aim is to assess whether participation in a combined cognitive and exercise program can reduce functional decline and increase the quality of life in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. If proven effective, the programme can be further rolled out to other Hong Kong hospitals and NGOs.
Overall, the commitments resulting from this study will represent a milestone in developing local preparation and responses to the call for Global Action against Dementia.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS15/B02/16
Project Title: Are Asset Impairment and
Earnings Management for Tunneling? Evidence
from Connected Transactions in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr LEE Hua (Shue
Yan)
Abstract
Prior research has documented that controlling
shareholders may expropriate wealth through
tunneling-like connected transactions. This
project explores how firms with forthcoming
transfer of assets to related parties justify
the transaction price prior to the tunneling
transactions without attracting investors'
attention or regulatory intervention, and
how firms respond to the economic consequences
of these trading strategies. Specifically,
the questions of interest are whether suspected
tunneled firms use asset impairment before
asset-transfer connected transactions to
reduce the transaction price, and as a consequence,
whether these firms manage contemporaneous
earnings to avoid decreases in reported
earnings? Our analyses will provide insight
into the policy implications of the mandatory
disclosure of connected parties (related
parties) and connected transactions (related
party transactions).
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/P03/16
Project Title: Analysis and Application
of Bounds in Insolvency Problem
Principal Investigator: Dr LEE Wing-yan
(HSMC)
Abstract
Insurance companies need to make payments
to the policyholders in case claims arise.
This is one of the major risks faced by
insurance companies due to the uncertainty
on the times and sizes of claims. Therefore,
the riskiness of a portfolio of insurance
policies is an important piece of information
to an insurance company.
The time to ruin is one of the quantities in risk theory that measures the riskiness of a portfolio of insurance policies. It is defined as the time that the insurer's surplus first drops below zero. Although distributional quantities related to the time to ruin provide valuable information on the riskiness of a portfolio of insurance policies, the analytical forms of these quantities are not always readily available. This is due to the complication of real-life situations. Therefore, in this project, we aim at deriving bounds on these distributional quantities. When exact forms of these quantities are not available, these bounds can serve as an indicator on the risk level faced by insurance companies.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/H02/16
Project Title: Psychological fit: A new
method of apparel sizing system in mass
customization
Principal Investigator: Dr LI Travis Wang-hei
(THEi)
Abstract
Computer aided system (CAD) integrating
3D body scanning, 3D modeling and virtual
garment fit simulation were regarded in
academia, industry and market as major technological
innovations in mass customization for clothing,
which effectively enhance the efficiency,
accuracy in garment design and manufacturing
today and in the future. Although manufacturer
and retailers realize that the highest level
of customization could definitely bring
the greatest product satisfaction to consumers
as the product is designed per their request
completely. But owing to consideration in
cost effectiveness (the cost differential
to the consumer may exceed the perceived
value of fit and design customization for
many consumers), fit and design customization
is still not commonly practiced today that
Senanayake & Little (2010) suggested
that there is a need for new method to capture
and process the ""voice of the
consumer".
Based of theoretical foundation built up on the relationship between design preferences and clothing psychology in our previous studies, psychological dimension is suggested as a dynamic and potential dimension which could solve the existing universal sizing problem in apparel market. A conceptual framework for research on Psychological Fit Sizing System (PFSS) is proposed in this study. Instead of examining body shapes and measurement as the primary dimensions in consumer's personal preferences during clothing fit customization, this project will bring forward a new process of mass customization. It adopted standard customization method used a single block pattern stored and altered to create all individual custom patterns, but provide variation in garment pattern making with identification of customers' body shapes in through body scanning. More than anthropometric survey as other sizing system study did, customers' psychographic characteristics was first to be examined as a cue to segment customers through structured questionnaire survey. Through classification of customers into clusters with distinctive characteristics in body sizes/ shapes and psychographic orientation, this study is primarily designed to examine how evaluation and preferences on ease allowance differs among subjects from various identified clusters, through co-design experiment in virtual garment fit simulation.
This proposed study will generate original knowledge in method of sizing systems by 1) extending the flexibility and knowledge of fit customization affecting the Mass customization process at the pre-production stage and 2) examining preferences on ease in garment tops for clusters which segmented according to their distinctive physical and psychographic influences garment fit customization. To classify target subjects, various statistical analyses will be used. Principal component analysis will be applied to extract subjects' psychographic characteristics while groups of subjects which categorized by cluster analysis in terms of body scan data and their psychological orientation, through test of between-group difference with post hoc analysis of ANOVA and correlational analysis, supported by qualitative study during co-design experiement. Findings of this study will provide foundation of empirical knowledge for PFSS, effectiveness of PFSS and communication of this new sizing system will be left to be examined in future studies.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B10/16
Project Title: Identify the Uniqueness of
Idiosyncratic Deals: A Comparison with Similar
Practices and An Empirical Investigation
Principal Investigator: Dr LIAO Yi (HSMC)
Abstract
Given the fast-changing environment surrounding
organisational frameworks, the topic of
employee idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) has
received increasing attention from management
researchers and practitioners. I-deals are
customised terms of employment that are
negotiated and agreed by a focal employee
and his/her employer, with an aim of benefitting
both parties (Rousseau, Ho, & Greenberg,
2006). Examples of i-deals include flexible
work hours and work places, special arrangements
on employee expatriate issues, or tailored
employee skill development programs. The
basic idea of i-deals is attractive, in
that such deals can benefit both employees
and employers in practical ways. However,
previous studies have largely focused on
just one kind of benefit, namely how i-deals
can enhance positive attitudes (e.g., organisational
commitment) for employees at work and in
their citizenship behaviour. Furthermore,
other organisational practices may claim
similar effects in promoting employee effort.
For example, generally flexible work arrangements
can allow employees to take care of their
family and work issues simultaneously, so
that the employees may feel obligated to
contribute more at work.
The proposed study will seek to distinguish between the effects of i-deals and those of similar practices. The study will also investigate the unique role of i-deals in promoting employee and employer benefits, explore the theoretical framework for i-deals and analyse empirical findings to answer the research questions. The 'negotiated' or customised terms of work are arguably the critical elements in i-deals, along with the context that such terms are not 'granted' by organisations, but rather 'earned' by employees through their own efforts. This critical aspect of i-deals helps to enhance their effect on the employees' perception of empowerment. This perception involves the employees' sense of their own value to their employers and their determination in achieving job success. In this way, i-deals tend to give employees both psychological energy and favourable arrangements or resources from their organisations. These gains tend to further enhance both the employees' career success and their contribution to the organisation's competitiveness.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS12/H04/16
(Withdrawn)
Project Title: Between Sweden and China:
Gender Dynamics and Practices in the Chinese
Transnational Family in Sweden
Principal Investigator: Dr LIONG Mario Chan-ching
(Centennial)
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/H04/16
Project Title: A Qualitative Exploration
of Leadership and Management Styles among
Management Staff and How They Influence
the Care Providers Caring for the Older
People in Residential Care Homes
Principal Investigator: Dr LOW Lisa Pau-le
(Caritas)
Abstract
Aim: The aim of the study is to explore
the styles of leadership and management
adopted by management staff, and how these
styles influence front-line care providers'
perceptions when they provide care and support
to the older residents in residential care
homes.
Design: A multi-site exploratory descriptive qualitative cum focused ethnographic study.
Settings: Conveniently-selected residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) from three distinctly different non-government organizations (NGOs) and independent private aged homes will be approached. Three care-and-attention homes, two contract/self-financing homes, one nursing home and two private aged homes will be selected, giving rise to eight homes that differ in terms of types of homes, resident capacity, staffing numbers and religious affiliation.
Participants: Maximum variation sampling will be adopted to recruit the staff members at two levels. Level one will be the management staff (senior staff) appointed to perform leadership and managerial duties and responsibilities. These include the superintendents and assistant superintendents or equivalent grades, social work assistant or equivalent, registered nurses, and health workers or equivalent (if in private aged homes). Level two will be the care providers (front-line staff) performing the daily care for the residents. These include enrolled nurses, health workers and personal care workers. The selection criteria for staff refers to the professional (social and health care personnel) and non-professional care staff who provide or influence the physical, psychosocial and/or spiritual care of residents; at least one staff representative from each rank; and, a willingness to engage in an individual interview with the researcher. Twelve staff members from each type of home will be recruited. Depending on the capacity of the eight homes, the preliminary calculation of the sample size will be 96 staff members. The final sample size will depend on the numbers required to reach data saturation.
Methods: Individual audiotaped semi-structured interviews and non-structured participant observations will be adopted for each home. Field notes will be collected to supplement the analytical descriptions of the interview data. Constant comparative analysis methods will be used to analyze the observational and interview data. Once the coding scheme is confirmed, a final analytical framework will result to describe the leadership and management styles adopted by management staff from across the homes, and how these styles influence the care providers' perceptions when they provide care and support to the older residents.
Results and Conclusion: The preliminary framework will delineate the leadership and management styles perceived by management staff to be appropriate and relevant for Hong Kong RCHEs. Findings will also examine how the management staffs' perceptions of leadership and management styles are translated into the work practices of care providers. Factors underpinning the practice of leadership and management styles, and how they influence the attitudes, behaviours and views of care providers looking after residents with different needs will be revealed. Specifically, findings will increase our understanding of Chinese styles of improving organizational effectiveness and staff relationships in RCHEs. Methodologically, interviews and participant observations are used to generate understanding of the phenomenon. The study also provides a glimpse of the situation in the NGO and private sectors by including all types of RCHEs in Hong Kong. Recommendations hope to identify ways to prepare people to be leaders and managers and hold supervisory/visionary and/or managerial positions in RCHEs; and, strategies to equip them and the staff to work creatively to achieve common goals in the provision of high standards of resident-family care. The ultimate output is to equip the staff working in the homes to operate effectively to satisfy the multiple needs of the residents, family and staff.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E07/16
Project Title: Development of fluorinated
Si/C composites with porous and micro/-nanoarchitectures
for advanced Lithium ion batteries
Principal Investigator: Dr LU Xiaoying (THEi)
Abstract
Roadside air pollution and over-reliance
on non-renewable energy are the major challenges
for Hong Kong to achieve sustainable development.
In order to address the formidable challenges
from environmental degradation and the energy
crisis, the use of rechargeable lithium
ion batteries (LIBs), which are viewed as
one of the most promising energy storage
systems, is of great significance in harvesting
intermittent renewable energy and powering
up electric vehicles. However, with increasing
demand for energy density, conventional
electrode materials of relatively lower
specific capacities, such as graphite based
anode materials (372 mAh/g), will not be
able to satisfy the requirements of future
LIBs. Recently, silicon-based materials
have been identified as great potential
anode materials for LIBs with high energy
density, owing to the high theoretical specific
capacity of silicon (4200 mAh/g). Because
of the high lithium storage capability and
semiconducting nature, several critical
problems of utilizing silicon- based materials
in repeated charge-discharge cycles, such
as dramatic volume expansion and poor electric
conductivity, need to be circumvented for
high-energy-density LIBs. Although many
attempts have been made to accommodate the
huge volume expansion and improve material
conductivity, inevitable limitations of
silicon-based materials including high production
cost, low initial Coulombic efficiency,
inevitable formation of undesirable components
(e.g. -Si-O-Si- and Si-OH) and low tap density,
still exist as main hindrances for practical
applications. The excellent lithium storage
capability and long cycling performance
in previous studies were usually reported
with low active material loadings (e.g.
0.8~1.5 mg/cm2) and Si contents, thus generating
a low volumetric energy density. To solve
the above-mentioned problems, here we propose
a facile and scalable nano-bubble template
approach combined with a spray-pyrolysis
strategy to synthesize fluorinated silicon-carbon
(Si/C) composites with porous and micro-/nanoarchitectures.
The fluorinated Si/C composites are anticipated
to be advantageous for producing stable
solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) films,
improving electron transport and increasing
the permeability of fluoride-containing
electrolytes into electrochemically active
sites. Overall, the fluorinated Si/C composites
in this research will enhance battery performance
significantly, including specific areal
capacity, rate capability and cycling performance.
The enhancement in electrochemical properties
will demonstrate its potential to store
renewable energy and power up electric vehicles.
This proposal will be a milestone and provide
a new strategy in material sciences for
creating advanced materials for the next
generation of LIBs, and will also be crucial
for achieving the sustainable development
of Hong Kong.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/B01/16
Project Title: Economic Consequences of
the Anti-Corruption Campaign in China
Principal Investigator: Dr MAN Paul Ho-yin
(Caritas)
Abstract
Upon taking office in 2013, President Xi
Jinping called for a revamp of the Communist
Party's approach to fight corruption and
launched an anti-corruption campaign to
pursue officials of all rankings within
the Party. In China, it is a common practice
for officials to sit on the board of companies.
Taking advantage of this political connectedness,
and together with corruption practices in
some cases, these firms very often enjoy
preferential business privileges over their
competitors. We conjecture that the launch
of the anti-corruption campaign will have
direct negative impact on these political-connected
firms, resulting in a much tougher operating
environment for them. However, management's
possible response, in terms of accounting
practices, to the changed operating environment
is subject to debate. One line of argument
is that they will refrain from managing
earnings in order to access external debt
finance or avoid further political scrutiny.
Another line of argument is that they will
window-dress their financials to meet investors'
or analysts' expectations. Our findings
will help to address this issue and highlight
the possibility that the anti-corrupting
campaign may result in an unintended scenario
of higher level of earnings management for
these firms.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/E05/16
Project Title: Adaptive Process Optimization
Strategies: Sustaining the Best-in-class
Performance of Spare Parts Services
Principal Investigator: Dr MO Yiu-wing (HSMC)
Abstract
With the advanced logistics developments
in recent decades, various manufacturers
are able to profit from the spare parts
service for systems maintenance and to enhance
product sustainability by managing the express
delivery and the reverse logistics. These
advanced logistics developments have driven
the evolution of traditional spare parts
management into a new service model. Apart
from the on-site spare parts management,
manufacturers and authorised service providers
must offer more customised services and
the collection of repairable items from
users in the reverse logistics process.
However, these evolutionary service requirements
introduce procedural complexities and extends
the service scope.
In this research, we aim to optimise the process of service parts management through a holistic and adaptive approach. The whole process scope includes logistics network design, inventory and warehouse management, and reverse logistics operations. To identify the numerous factors and parameters during the process optimisation, we will start by standardising a generic process flow of service parts operations that align with companies' strategic objectives. Then, we will perform data collection to investigate the effects of these factors and their correlations. After identifying the critical factors, we will formulate them into a generic decision model for deriving optimal adaptive policies with a data-driven process control mechanism. A simulation platform will be developed to verify and monitor the proposed solutions. The performance of the optimal adaptive policies will be finally benchmarked with the optimal static policy, which is commonly applied in various industries. These results will provide effective guidelines for the implementation of adaptive process optimisation of service parts operations.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/H03/16
Project Title: Exploring the Sexual Self
of Female Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual
Abuse
Principal Investigator: Dr NG Hoi-nga (Caritas)
Abstract
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) refers to the
involvement of a child in sexual activity
to which the child is unable to give informed
consent (Hong Kong Social Welfare Department,
1998). This study adopts a mixed method
research with concurrent triangulation design
to investigate the relationship of CSA with
sexual self-concept among female adult survivors
of CSA. Sexual self-concept generally refers
to how individuals perceive themselves as
sexual beings. It also refers to individuals'
evaluation of their sexual feelings and
actions (Buzwell & Rosenthal, 1996;
O'Ssulivan et al., 2006).
This study aims to (1) present a comprehensive understanding of the sexual self-concept of female adult survivors; (2) describe the current level of psychological functioning (self-evaluation, social relationship, and psychological well-being) of female adult survivors of CSA; (3) examine the nature of the relationship between CSA, sexual self-concept, and psychological functioning of female adult survivors; (4) explore intrapersonal, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors affecting sexual self-concept and to investigate if there are any factors that act to intervene the effects of CSA.
The qualitative study of the mixed method research involves conducting in-depth interviews with 20 female adults who reported CSA experience. Participants of the interviews would be recruited through referrals from NGOs which provide services for female adult survivors; and through convenience sampling by posting recruitment note on campus, in church, in Facebook, and in emails. Semi-structured interview guide would be used to conduct the in-depth interview, which lasts for about 2-3 hours. The interviews would be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by Fraser's method of narrative analysis. Results of the qualitative study would be integrated with that of the quantitative study.
A questionnaire would be designed for collecting quantitative data. It consists of objective self-report inventories of self-evaluation, social relationship, psychological well-being, and eight dimensions of sexual self-concept. The eight dimensions of sexual self-concept (viz., sexual self-esteem, sexual self-efficacy, sexual satisfaction, sexual anxiety, sexual depression, sexual fear, sexual motivation, and sexual-consciousness) are selected from a multidimensional sexual self-concept questionnaire. The selection was based on extensive literature review of female adult survivors of CSA, feedback from counsellors of CSA survivors, PI's previous research on female sexuality, and PI's pilot studies on female survivors of CSA. A targeted sample of minimum 80 female adult survivors of CSA would be gathered over a consecutive period of 1? years from sources similar to those of the qualitative study. All those who participate in in-depth interview would also be invited to fill in the questionnaire.
Qualitative and quantitative data are gathered separately yet concurrently. Data collected would be integrated in the interpretative phase of the study. However, throughout the research process, investigators of qualitative and quantitative study are in continual dialogue to ensure that data collection procedure is properly done and cross-validated.
Results of this study would present a comprehensive understanding of the sexual self-concept of female adult survivors of CSA and factors associated with CSA. The findings should have significant implications for training of professionals and for intervention of CSA. For examples, knowledge generated may enrich the current social work training curriculum content relevant to CSA. Information gathered is useful for enhancing frontline intervention strategies for CSA adult survivor. Findings would also help advocating prevention of CSA and promotion of well-being of survivors.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B20/16
Project Title: Is the Investor-pays Model
an Effective Solution to Problems in the
Credit Rating Industry?
Principal Investigator: Dr SHEN Jianfu (HSMC)
Abstract
There have been many studies, commentaries
and criticisms of credit rating agencies
(CRAs). Some critics argue that CRAs should
take responsibility for the recent subprime
crisis because they gave too favorable ratings
to structured products such as collateralized
debt obligation (CDO). In the area of traditional
corporate bonds, major CRAs have been found
to be very slow to downgrade distressed
companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Lehman
Brothers and others. The distortions of
rating accuracy and timeliness may be attributed
to the issuer-pays business model that is
adopted by most CRAs: the raters are paid
by issuers to give ratings and have incentives
to align with the interests of issuers.
Regulators have considered abandoning the
issuer-pays business model and replacing
it with the investor-pays business model.
However, major CRAs argue that reputational
concerns can overcome their incentives to
please an issuer as the long-term future
profits from the overall capital market
are more important than short-term payoffs
from pleasing a single issuer.
The objective of the proposed research is to compare and contrast rating quality in agencies with issuer-pays and investor-pays business models, and to explore whether reputational concerns can discipline CRAs and whether the conflict of interest in the issuer-pays model affects rating accuracy and timeliness.
The study will test four major hypotheses related to rating accuracy and rating timeliness and their relations with reputational concerns and conflict of interest. The first test will compare the accuracy of ratings (i.e., how accurately the credit ratings reveal credit risk and predict defaults) by issuer-paid and investor-paid CRAs. The second test contrasts the differences in rating timeliness in two types of agency by exploring whether CRAs downgrade ratings in time to capture future defaults. The third and fourth tests examine whether reputational concerns and conflict of interest affect rating accuracy and timeliness in issuer-pays and investor-pays business models. Reputational value changes with market concentration, the business cycle and the expected default probability in the market. Conflict of interest arises when rating fees are higher from an issuer and the issuer has a lower credit rating. The rating quality under the issuer-pays business model should improve if the reputation is more valuable and deteriorate if conflict of interest is more severe. These characteristics are assumed not to significantly affect rating quality under the investor-pays model. The study concludes with the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an investor-pays business model as an effective solution to the problems in the credit rating industry.
The bond market in Hong Kong is growing year on year. It is important for the HKSAR Government to regulate the bond market and CRAs in the capital market. The proposed research will shed light on the validity of the current business model in the credit rating industry and evaluate the merits of the investor-pays model as an alternative.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/H05/16
Project Title: Asylum-seeking journeys among
refugees in Hong Kong: processes, meanings
and impacts
Principal Investigator: Dr SHUM Chun-tat
(THEi)
Abstract
Hong Kong is a major first asylum port in
Asia for refugees who originate from different
South/Southeast Asian and African countries.
Many of them have travelled to different
cities and countries before arriving in
Hong Kong. Refugee issues in Hong Kong have
gained considerable attention in the past
few years. Yet, few have been concerned
with their migration journeys, its meaning
for the refugees, and its relation and psychosocial
impact to their daily encounter with Hong
Kong society. Based on qualitative research
method, the proposed research will examine
the experience of the asylum-seeking journeys
among refugees in Hong Kong and the meanings
which are attributed to the journeys. It
will demonstrate the actual process of journeying
from homelands to Hong Kong and how it feels
to be a refugee. It will address memory,
fear, identity reconstruction, community
building and personal growth of refugees
during the journey.
Hong Kong government considers all refugees as 'illegal immigrants' and the refugees are often negatively portrayed as passive victims and welfare-dependent individuals in the media reports and public discourse. The proposed research will give voice to refugees' unique experience by examining the migration stories from the point of view of refugees. By studying the lived experience of the journeys and their survival strategies in Hong Kong, this research will examine how their everyday life experience in Hong Kong is affected by what happened on the journeys and by its meaning for the individual. It will make an important contribution to the literature and teaching on forced migration, refugee studies and Hong Kong studies. This research will offer a new perspective for understanding refugees in a first asylum port and will also have policy implications to the government who can shape the humanitarian policies that are more responsive to the refugee experience.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/P01/16
Project Title: Advanced Statistical Methods
for Complex Longitudinal Data Analysis
Principal Investigator: Prof TANG Man-lai
(HSMC)
Abstract
The longitudinal data are generally defined
as the data resulting from the observations
of subjects which are measured repeatedly
over a period of time and arise frequently
in many research areas. A key characteristic
of longitudinal data is that observations
within the same subject may be correlated,
which motivates most of the statistical
methods for the analysis of longitudinal
data. Although there have been extensive
methodological developments for analyzing
longitudinal data, statistical analyses
of complex longitudinal data (e.g., non-normal
response, censored response and measurement
error in covariates) can be very challenging
and advanced statistical methods are of
great research interest and practical demand.
In this proposal, we will propose
(i) (Non-normal longitudinal data analysis)
A profile likelihood estimation approach,
in which the estimated likelihood is maximized
without the specification of the working
correlation structure, is proposed for non-normal
longitudinal data.
(ii) (Response with fixed detection limits
and measurement error in covariates) A censored
quantile regression (QR) with mixed effects
and covariates in errors is proposed. Algorithm
that combines inverse probability censoring
weighted (IPCW) and orthogonal regression
(OR) methods will be developed for parameter
estimation.
(iii) (Asymptotic statistical properties)
Consistency, efficiency and asymptotic normality
of the proposed estimates will be proved.
Extensive simulation studies will be conducted
to evaluate the performance of the proposed
methods.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS24/H04/16
Project Title: Revisiting Public Relations
Functions and Values in the Digital Era
Principal Investigator: Dr TONG Suk-chong
(PolyU SPEED)
Abstract
Confusion and conflict have emerged on the
relationship between public relations and
marketing both theoretically and practically
in the past few decades. Recent research
has highlighted the discrepancy of public
relations functions and public relations
values between the professions of public
relations and marketing. Stepping into the
digital era, it is critical to examine the
use of social media by public relations
practitioners in Hong Kong and how interactivity
brings similarities and differences to public
relations functions and values in the professions
of public relations and marketing. This
research will use a coorientation framework
to explore how the two groups of professionals
(Public Relations VS. Marketing) perceive
the public relations values they could attain,
and the public relations functions and interactivity
function they performed. A two-stage analysis,
which involves both an empirical survey
and a series of in-depth interviews targeting
at public relations and marketing professionals,
will be conducted to finalize a Public Relations
Function Index in the digital era. The findings
will generate both theoretical and practical
contributions to the understanding of the
public relations and marketing professions
in Hong Kong.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/M02/16
Project Title: Made-to-order: engineering
and optimization of "tunable"
yeasts for phytate hydrolysis
Principal Investigator: Dr TSANG Wai-kei
(THEi)
Abstract
Phytate is the major storage form of phosphorus
in plants. It is present in cereals and
raw materials of vegetable origin used in
animal and human diets. Phytate can be readily
degraded by phytase, thereby freeing inorganic
phosphate (Pi) for assimilation. However,
simple-stomached animals, including humans,
swine, and poultry, have little phytase
activity in their guts, and therefore almost
all dietary phytate is discharged into the
environment, causing phosphorus pollution.
Phytate is also considered as an "antinutrient",
for its ability to form insoluble and stable
complexes with metal ions such as zinc,
iron, magnesium, and calcium, thus reducing
dietary absorption of essential minerals.
It is therefore a dire need to develop sustainable
approaches for environmentally-friendly
utilization of this valuable and abundant
natural resource.
Microorganisms are indispensable in production and biopharmaceutical industries. Scientists have been engineering these tiny "workhorses" for industrial manufacture of fine chemicals, biocatalysts, and essential nutrients. Large scale microbial cultivation can be accomplished in low cost growing conditions. Most importantly, microbial bioprocess development and optimization entail sustainable operational procedures without using hazardous and toxic reagents.
Recently, our group has developed an array of yeast-based whole cell biocatalysts that express bacterial phytase on cell surface for phytate hydrolysis. Although enzyme activity of surface-attached phytase was detected, the magnitude was compromised with respect to free soluble form. Loss of enzyme activity was evident upon prolonged usage. In an attempt to address these problems, we intent to engineer the metabolic circuitry in Pichia yeast for secretory production of phytase. Synthesis of phytase will be tailored in a "made-to-order" fashion in response to the external Pi levels. To this end, we will generate a functional Pi-responsive promoter library that covers a wide range of activities ("tunable") using random mutagenesis. Moreover, we will examine the effect of activating the subcellular secretory pathway on phytase production via simultaneous expression of small proteins crucial for protein homeostasis. As a proof of concept, the hydrolytic capacity and characteristics of the engineered Pichia yeast strains on phytate will be assessed under simulated industrial conditions. The completion of this proposed study not only will generate whole cell biocatalysts as platform hosts with potential applications in food processing industry and animal waste treatment, but also lay a foundation for further research initiatives of employing Pichia-based systems that involve crosstalk between ambient Pi concentrations and cellular responses.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/H08/16
Project Title: Developing the Model of Inoculated
Spiral of Silence (ISoS) for the Insight
of Public Opinion in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Prof TSO Scarlet
Hung (HSMC)
Abstract
The project aims to develop new theoretical
construct of Inoculated Spiral of Silence
(ISoS) with innovated concepts and variables
and to explore the insight of citizen opinions
toward controversial issues in Hong Kong.
The fundamental and essential significance
of developing such ISoS model lies in investigating
the formation and changes of public opinions
in Hong Kong context, so as to devise an
effective approach to understanding and
influencing thoughts of the people in the
process of gaining their support to function
in a particular way.
Two classic theories of communication are examined in the project, which are the theory of Spiral of Silence and the theory of Inoculation. While the former emphasizes the fear of isolation from a dominating social group could consequently lead individuals to remaining silent instead of voicing opinions, the latter contrarily points to a different process of public opinion stressing on the view that one not always be dominated by the stronger side. Based on appropriately balancing effects of such theories, it is considered that more substantial political deliberations and dialogue about public agendas would be able to be held, and hence a more deliberative democracy could be achieved. The variables of interest associated with the study include fear of isolation, characteristics of hardcore, the interaction effects between experiment condition and issue involvement, different degree of resistance to counter-attitudinal attack among inoculated and control subjects, and willingness to speak out. The project is envisioned to contribute a better understanding of public opinion in Hong Kong and to provide a novel perspective for the academic and the professional for their more effective future decisions in a variety of fields, such as public policy-making, public relations, crisis communication and health communication.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS23/H02/16
Project Title: Dismantling the Gender Binary
- Developing Competence Enhancement Program
in recognizing Intersexuality for Social
Worker and Teacher Trainees
Principal Investigator: Dr TSUI Elaine Yin-Ling
(HKBU SCE)
Abstract
Intersexuality is a general term referring
to an individual who is born with a reproductive
anatomy that does not fit the typical gender
binary system in society. The condition
can be identified at birth by having ambiguous
external genitalia. Other conditions in
relation to intersexuality may be identified
before or during puberty. The prevalence
rate in the West currently ranges from 1
in 700 to 1 in 2000 live births. Policies
addressing the human rights of physical
autonomy and the psychosocial impact of
sex alteration on individuals with intersex
status have matured after intense discussion
and advocacy work in the past two decades.
Still, due to the narrow definition of gender,
intersex fails to fit into the rigid binary
of male versus female conceptualization
of gender. Moreover, myths exist and the
general public often mistakenly equates
intersexuality to transgender. The living
experience of individuals with intersex
status is heavily influenced by the acceptance
of the general population, especially by
people who may work closely with them. Very
little is known in terms of the attitudes
of frontline professionals towards intersexuality
in the Chinese community. The current research
aims to develop a training program for frontline
professionals in Hong Kong. The contribution
of this research will be the first step
of initiating discussion in this Chinese
community in acknowledging the needs of
this silent and underrepresented population
group.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS24/H05/16
Project Title: The Use of Urban Green Spaces
(UGS): The Impacts of Perceived UGS Characteristics
and Socio-psychological Factors
Principal Investigator: Dr WAN Kar-ho (PolyU
SPEED)
Abstract
Urban green space (UGS) is an essential
element in land use planning. Public authorities
have been identifying ways to encourage
the use of UGSs primarily because of their
contribution to a higher quality of life,
and to better physical and psychological
health of the urban population. Specifically,
UGSs provide rejuvenating experiences for
stress relief, resources for physical activities,
and opportunities for social interactions.
Although the HKSAR Government acknowledged
the importance and positive aspects of UGSs,
and instituted planning standards in provision
of UGSs, Hong Kong currently suffers from
a limited number of UGSs, particularly in
old urban districts. Furthermore the existing
UGSs are often small, poorly managed and
designed, and located along the road. Therefore,
users suffer from limited facilities, noise
and poor air quality. Given that land resources
are scarce in high-density cities, such
as Hong Kong, a sound understanding of the
preferences of users would help public authorities
effectively utilize land resources that,
in turn, can meet the needs of citizens
and encourage their use of UGSs. In addition,
the city's physical constraints may limit
the provision of large and high-quality
UGSs, this study integrates both the urban
design and socio-psychological perspectives
to understand UGS usage. This study proposed
to adopt both qualitative interviews and
quantitative survey to examine the key factors
influencing the use of UGS. In addition
to identify the key UGS attributes to be
improved, the findings of this study would
inform the authorities how UGS usage can
be encouraged from the socio-psychological
perspective.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/E04/16
Project Title: Structural Modeling, Characterization
and Analysis of New Receptor-Ligand Systems:
Applying Computational Methods in Molecular
Binding Affinity Analysis
Principal Investigator: Dr WANG Dan (Caritas)
Abstract
Recently, with the rapid development of
computer techniques, computational studies
have become an indispensable alternative
in bioinformatics, healthcare informatics
and cancer research. Among these studies,
binding-affinity analysis for a receptor-ligand
system, which closely relates to enzyme
inhibitor potency estimation, is an appealing
and important representative. However, current
studies mostly focus on reversible binding
systems and lack investigations of irreversible
or hybrid ones. Major reasons include the
evolved binding mechanism and increased
modeling complexity of such systems. Besides,
the higher computational complexity in system
dynamics simulations and affinity calculations
can also be a practical difficulty in these
studies.
To tackle the difficulties regarding computational modeling, characterization and analysis of new receptor-ligand system structures, we initiate this project. In this project, we will rise to the challenges including simplification of evolved binding mechanisms, reasonable modeling and characterization of new systems, and efficient calculation and analysis of molecular binding affinities.
Our straightforward idea for system simplification and modeling is outlining a structure based on its atomic information and using building blocks to represent the irreversible binding-site variants. Computational characterization of the binding mode in a new receptor-ligand system will be subsequently implemented. In this step, we will develop novel feature-extraction methods relying on free energy calculation and decomposition, interface shape/volume estimation and binding-site motion analysis. Examples of such computational characterizations will be shown in this project, and these characterization alternatives will lead to efficient calculations of binding affinity in a new receptor-ligand system. We will combine the alternatives into an integrated software/program suite, which can encourage users to select different models based on specific requirements or within various application scenarios. Finally, a post-analysis will be conducted for a situation where a group or crowd of system variants are involved. We will utilize well-validated methods for supervised or unsupervised learning of these system samples, and will thus make predictions of newcomers or variants. This analysis will also join the software/program suite for multi-purpose analyses or studies. Moreover, the whole software/program suite will be adapted at the end of this project, to provide compatible interfaces with other broadly-used software of molecular modeling, molecular dynamics simulations and structural analysis.
With the success of tackling above challenges, the proposed project will encourage the development of cancer studies and structure-based drug design. Also, it will output useful publications and software/program suites that can benefit researchers and fresh users. In addition, this research project will provide valuable and practical experiences for undergraduates to improve their analytical/programming skills and to apply them to a specialized project or field.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/H06/16
Project Title: Language use and attitudes
towards it by teachers and students in Chinese
as a second language classrooms in Hong
Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr WANG Danping
(THEi)
Abstract
This project explores the complexity of
language use in classrooms teaching Chinese
as a Second Language (CSL) to ethnic minority
students in Hong Kong schools. Research
on the challenges faced by CSL teachers
and students has clearly found that the
one-size-fits-all monolingual classroom
language policy is not well-suited to multilingual
CSL students with limited Chinese proficiency,
and has consequently resulted in demotivation
and anxiety in learning Chinese. Furthermore,
research based on the theoretical premises
underpinning multilingual education has
demonstrated the importance of students'
home languages in second language learning.
A small body of research has found that,
in reality, teachers and students used Chinese,
English and students' home languages in
the classroom for achieving diverse teaching
and learning purposes. To date, however,
our knowledge of CSL teachers' and students'
classroom language practices and their attitudes
towards classroom language policies remain
scant.
This study is designed to provide both naturalist and explanatory data to enrich our understanding of CSL classroom language use. Adopting a mixed method research design, this study will employ multiple data-collecting methods, and develop existing research frameworks to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. As this is a pressing educational agenda item, the study intends to operate on a two-year basis on a small scale in order to provide classroom research-based evidence to CSL stakeholders as soon as possible. For this reason, 20 CSL teachers will be invited to open their classes for observation and participate in semi-structured interviews. Moreover, CSL students in the 20 teachers' classes will be invited to complete an open-ended questionnaire.
The primary outcome of this study will be a diverse array of first-hand data that will lead to a holistic and in-depth understanding of language use in CSL classrooms and participants' attitudes towards classroom language policies. In this way, the study has the potential to offer directions for policy and curriculum development in order to implement appropriate language programmes for CSL students. Furthermore, the research also addresses fundamental theoretical questions in terms of the relationship between one's home language and target language in language education. In this sense, the study will also have a broader significance within the field of foreign language teacher education research related to the development of pedagogical innovations in multilingual classrooms.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS11/E03/16
Project Title: Sentiment Analysis based
on Multi-source Social Network Data
Principal Investigator: Prof WANG Fu-lee
(Caritas)
Abstract
Sentiment analysis aims to extract sentiment-related
information from text automatically. Although
most sentiment analysis is concerned with
the detection of opinions from reviews,
there is increasing interest in the affective
dimension of the social network. The abundant
social network data include comments on
media published in YouTube, Flickr and Last.
FM, in addition to discussions of politics,
sport and the news in blogs. Analysing sentiment
in this broad class of text is valuable
because it can aid the discovery of sentiment-related
patterns, such as gender differences and
successful communication strategies. However,
analysing social network data using traditional
sentiment analysis methods is problematic
for several reasons.
The first issue is the preprocess of short text which is prevalent in social networks. The second issue is how to deal with noisy labels. Due to the fact that it is hard to control the authenticity and quality on the social network, spotting potentially malicious users and detecting noisy labels are critical to sentiment analysis. The third issue is that emotion perception is very personal and could vary from one person to another, that is, different users may have different attentions, perspectives or abilities when labeling documents emotionally. Thus, sentiment analysis is not only text-related but also user-dependent. The fourth issue is that the sentiment embedded in social networks often has intrinsic dynamics. Capturing such dynamic characteristics of sentiments is critically important for the successful development of various social services, such as public opinion monitoring and social event detection. Last but not the least, the application of sentiment analysis in recommendation systems, stock price prediction and other domains deserves further research.
In light of these considerations, we firstly expand short documents in social networks by extracting the most similar words from the whole corpus. Secondly, we develop de-noising models to identify noisy sentimental labels. We consider the following two constraints in our models: (i) the simplicity of assigning the sentimental category to a document by users under any contexts, and (ii) the authority of a user in assigning sentimental categories to documents across various domains. Thirdly, we extract the sentiments from the social network comprehensively and accurately by jointly modeling the users, text and labels in the latent topic model. Fourthly, due to that the spread and evolution of an event will affect the general public's sentimental responses (including the category and intensity of sentiments), we propose an event-based framework of dynamic sentiment analysis. Finally, we explore the application of sentiment analysis in other domains.
This project is concerned with sentiment analysis based on multi-source social network data, which will not only tackle the challenging research problems triggered by noisy labels, varied user emotion perception and sentiment evolution in multi-source social network data, but also shed light on computational social science, natural language processing and other areas. To evaluate the effectiveness of our model, algorithm and framework, we plan to collect diverse social network datasets from Twitter, Sina Weibo, MySpace, BBC Forum and so forth. Based on sufficient social network data, user opinions could be sensed, evaluated, and even predicted in a certain circumstance.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS24/E01/16
Project Title: Design and Implementation
of an Induction Program to Encourage Teachers
to Adopt Mobile Phone-based Student Response
System
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Adam Ka-lok
(PolyU SPEED)
Abstract
Student engagement is crucial to achieving
learning outcomes. If all students give
answers to quizzes or polls in class, the
teachers can discover excellent ideas or
misconceptions. However, when the teacher
calls on volunteers to answer a question,
there may not be much useful feedback to
the teacher. It is because only the most
confident students will volunteer to answer
questions and engage in discussions. Therefore,
the teacher only obtains feedback from a
few students who are likely to know the
correct answers. This problem is more serious
when the students are Chinese. Many researchers
have investigated the use of digital technology
in the classroom to improve student engagement
and collect feedback from all students instantaneously.
In particular, many researches focus on
the benefits and challenges of using SRS
(Student Response System) inside the classroom.
Most of these researches on SRS involve
students using small portable devices known
as clickers. The clicker is of the size
of a small remote control. It typically
has a numeric keypad and no screen display.
The clicked-based SRS operates on proprietary
software provided by the vendor of the clickers.
The smart mobile phones today provide virtual
keyboards for text entry and have graphics
display. Therefore, mSRS (Mobile phone-based
SRS) is easier to use and more likely to
be accepted by teachers and students. However,
there is very little research on mSRS. More
importantly, there is no research on the
factors that affect the teacher's motivation
to use mSRS. It is self-evident that students
cannot benefit from it unless the teacher
is ready to accept the system and knows
how to use it well. According to a preliminary
survey conducted at the author's institution,
no teacher has adopted mSRS in their teaching.
Therefore this research aims to help those
teachers to adopt mSRS, and to fill the
gap in knowledge about mSRS.
To achieve the aim above, this research is divided into certain stages. Firstly, it will find out the teachers' concerns in adopting the mSRS in their teaching. Secondly, based on those concerns, it will design and implement an induction programme that will help teachers to adopt mSRS in their teaching. Thirdly, after the teachers used mSRS in different subjects, the perception of the students on mSRS will be measured based on extending the proven framework of the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model). Finally, it will find out the correlation between the performance of the students and their usage of the mSRS. The variables that may affect the correlation will also be studied. They will include class size, subject nature and demographics of students such as gender and age.
The significance of this research is that it will provide an understanding of the factors that affect teacher's adoption of mSRS. Then other local higher education institutions can use these factors to devise suitable methods to motivate and facilitate their teaching staff to use mSRS so that the students can become more effective learners in the classroom.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B16/16
Project Title: Consumer Carbon Label: Development
of Supply Chain Product Carbon Footprint
and Consumer Carbon Index for Beverage Merchandise
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Eugene Yin-cheung
(HSMC)
Abstract
The importance of reducing products' carbon
footprints has been raised in various World
Economic Forums, with an emphasis on mitigating
carbon emissions along the whole supply
chain in the life cycle of a product. Mapping
a product's carbon footprint at organisation
level is not an effective means of reducing
its carbon emissions; instead, it is vital
to measure the carbon emitted throughout
the product's life cycle, across the various
organisations in its supply chain. More
complex and comprehensive analysis is required
to map a product's carbon footprint along
its supply chain than at organisation level.
Carbon labels attached to products enable
consumers to make more environmentally friendly
choices between products in the same category.
These important concerns are expected to
motivate companies to proactively address
the adverse effects of greenhouse gases
on the world's climate. Compared with their
counterparts in Europe, consumers and manufacturers
in Hong Kong are far less aware of the need
to reduce products' carbon footprints. How
much carbon is emitted during the production
of a beverage product, such as a can of
soft drink or a bottle of mineral water,
in Hong Kong? How are carbon emissions affected
by the recycling of water bottles and various
other forms of soft drink product packaging?
How aware are the consumers about the information
provided on products' carbon labels, and
what are their attitudes towards carbon-label
information when purchasing grocery products
in supermarkets? In the project, therefore,
the carbon footprints of beverage products
will be determined and a novel methodology
for this product carbon footprint measurement
will be developed. The carbon emissions
at the major stages of the life cycle of
each product from raw-material cultivation
to disposal and recycling will be evaluated.
Consumers' awareness and acceptance of beverage
products with carbon-emission data will
be analysed. The willingness of individual
consumers in Hong Kong to use product carbon
labels when purchasing beverage merchandise
will be evaluated. The findings of this
project will increase students' awareness
of the value of analysing carbon emissions
from the supply chain throughout the life
cycle of a consumable product. The product
carbon footprint measurement methodology
and application platform developed in the
study will help industry practitioners to
calculate carbon emissions and optimise
their production processes to reduce the
amount of carbon emitted at each stage.
The results of a comprehensive consumer
survey will reveal the extent of Hong Kong
consumers' awareness of carbon labels and
their attitudes towards using carbon-label
data, offering an important index for long-term
longitudinal comparison of consumers' carbon
consciousness. Overall, the proposed supply
chain product carbon footprint methodology,
the carbon label and the results of analysing
consumers' carbon-related behaviour will
advance research on the beverage industry
and increase consumers' awareness on carbon-labelled
beverage products.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E04/16
Project Title: Study of the performance
of asphalt with high-volume plastic waste
for highway pavement in Hong Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Ho-fai (THEi)
Abstract
In Hong Kong, over 2,000 tonnes of plastic
waste is generated per day. The plastic
waste degrades very slowly and occupies
large volume of landfill space. Leaching
of toxic additives from plastic wastes,
like plasticizer, to the environment would
potentially lead to contamination of ground
water and harmful to the ecosystem. Incomplete
incineration of plastic wastes may create
toxic emissions, like sulfur dioxide, sulfide
and dioxin. In view of the situation, Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) promotes a sustainable
waste management strategy for future development
of Hong Kong, which emphases on 3Rs: Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle. The primary goal of the
proposed research project is to investigate
the use of recycle plastic waste as an asphaltic
enhancing material for road pavement through
a comprehensive study.
The research project is proposed:
(a) to study the effect of high volume content
of plastic waste (particularly PP and/or
PE) on modified asphaltic binders for applications
of road pavement in Hong Kong;
(b) to study the durability of plastic modified
binder under heavy traffic load and ambient
road operation conditions in Hong Kong;
(c) to improve the pavement properties and
to mitigate the urban waste problem by the
use of plastic waste as a modifier in the
pavement; and
(d) to review the recyclability of plastic
modified asphaltic binder as subsequent
road pavement material.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS13/B05/16
Project Title: A Monetary History of Hong
Kong, 1871 - 2015
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Kin-ming
(Chu Hai)
Abstract
This project looks at the monetary history
of Hong Kong from 1871 to now, using modern
economics as a guide. Hong Kong has a complex,
and yet much neglected, monetary history:
from the silver standard to the sterling
standard, from the dollar standard to free
float, and then a currency board system
linking Hong Kong dollar to the US dollar
since 1983. Even under the currency board
system, there were numerous institutional
changes. We try to make sense out of this
long and winding process.
We compare the economic performance of the Hong Kong economy under these different systems, and, using the technique of vector autoregression, we study how the monetary system is related to the dynamics of the economy. The technique also allows us to find the counterfactual of adopting a different system in a particular period.
This project is mainly a quantitative study of the past, but the lessons we learn from it may shed light on where the monetary system of Hong Kong will go in the future.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/E03/16
Project Title: Secure Cloud Database System
using Communication-Efficient Multi-Party
Computation
Principal Investigator: Dr WONG Wai-kit
(HSMC)
Abstract
Cloud relational database system is gaining
popularity recently. Users store their data
in the cloud database managed by a third
party service provider. While there are
many benefits for users to use cloud database
service, data security is concerned. Users
do not want to let the service provider
see the plain data, which are valuable and
sensitive, e.g., customer data.
This project aims to construct a secure cloud database system using multi-party secret sharing model. There are multiple service providers. Each data item is split into shares and each service provider holds only some but not all shares. Without knowing all the shares kept by other service providers, a service provider cannot derive the plain value of any data item. Security can be formally proven.
Secure multi-party computation involves heavy communication between service providers. To make the system practically efficient, the above communication overhead must be reduced. We use two approaches to address this issue in this project: (i) We use a novel parameter abstracting function to facilitate communication such that service providers just exchange a function in query processing. Then, service providers can generate the necessary parameters for computing the (same) operations on all records; (ii) We use parameter caching such that service providers cache certain parameters in previous operations so that no communication is required to process the same operation in the future.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E11/16
Project Title: Enhanced biodegradation of
petroleum hydrocarbons and energy harvest
from field contaminated marine sediment
by coupling sediment microbial fuel cell
with nitrate induced biostimulation
Principal Investigator: Dr YAN Yuk-shing
(THEi)
Abstract
Petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated marine
sediment is a widespread environmental issue
of the globe, in which it is caused from
years of pollutant accumulation and adversely
affects the aquatic life. In order to improve
the sediment quality, continued attention
has been directed towards applied researches
for the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons
from marine sediment. Compared with physical
and chemical remediation methods, an increasing
trend of applying in-situ bioremediation
is observed, as it is considered non-invasive
and relatively cost-effective. By stimulating
the growth of denitrifying bacteria, the
addition of nitrate has been found to suppress
odor and to facilitate the biodegradation
petroleum hydrocarbons in sediment. However,
preferential degradation of certain fractions
of petroleum hydrocarbons by nitrate induced
biostimulation has been observed.
In the last decade, sediment microbial
fuel cell (SMFC), which is a device used
to extract energy from sediments, has been
unearthed the power for biodegradation of
petroleum hydrocarbons. A comparison was
recently made between SMFC and nitrate induced
biostimulation on petroleum hydrocarbons
degradation in sediment, and it was found
that these two technologies achieved better
degradations in different fractions of petroleum
hydrocarbons. In view of the distinctive
strengths of SMFC and nitrate induced biostimulation
in petroleum hydrocarbons degradation, it
is tenable to expect a higher bioremediation
efficiency if petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated
sediment is subject to an integrated bioremediation
system of the two technologies. In order
to advance the current sediment bioremediation
technologies, the objectives of this study
are:
(1) to develop an effective remediation
technology enhancing the petroleum hydrocarbons
degradation efficiency by coupling SMFC
with nitrate induced biostimulation;
(2) to develop a sustainable bioremediation
technology enabling a stable and high electricity
production from marine sediment in the course
of bioremediation; and
(3) to increase the level of public acceptance
towards sediment bioremediation by developing
a sustainable technology not only for petroleum
hydrocarbons removal, but with features
of electricity production and odor suppression.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B25/16
Project Title: Motivating Loyalty Program
Members toward Reward Pursuit: A Cross-Cultural
Perspective
Principal Investigator: Dr YANG Xin (HSMC)
Abstract
Aided by the unprecedented rate of globalization
and digitalization, loyalty programs have
penetrated most industries as well as cultural
and national boundaries. However, drop-out
rates of loyalty programs have averaged
over 75% (Wiebenga and Fennis 2013). This
research aims to study how to motivate members
from different cultures toward reward pursuit.
Both controlled experiments and field experiments
will be employed to explore the interactions
between cultural backgrounds and loyalty
program features. This research will yield
novel theoretical insights into loyalty
program design and will empower marketers
to effectively manage loyalty programs across
cultures.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/B03/16
Project Title: Acquirers' Transparency and
Market Reactions to M&As in Emerging
Markets - Evidence from China
Principal Investigator: Dr YIP Wing-yue
(HSMC)
Abstract
This empirical study will examine the effects
of acquirers' corporate transparency on
an important long-term investment activity,
mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in emerging
market, using data from China. Empirical
support for the effects of information environments
on M&A activities is usually drawn principally
from previous U.S. studies investigating
how a target's information environment influences
M&A performance. To the best of our
knowledge, there is little evidence on whether
the acquirers' information environment affects
the achievement of M&A benefits.
This gap in the literature may be due to the differences in the institutions in developed and emerging markets. The market-based institutions in developed markets reduce agency problems and restrict management's opportunistic behavior, allowing shareholders to focus primarily on evaluating the targets' information to interpret the potential of the combined entity. As a result, the target's transparency is of greater importance in the success of M&As in developed markets. In contrast, agency problems in emerging markets are severe due to inferior institutions, and acquiring firms' transparency may thus play a more important role in M&A benefits because (1) it may influence how investors interpret the implications of M&As and (2) it may deter an acquirer from engaging in value-destroying M&As.
This project will fill that gap by providing empirical evidence on the effects of acquirers' corporate transparency, broadly defined as the widespread availability of credible firm-specific information to outsiders, on market-perceived M&A efficiency, as measured by the acquirers' M&A synergy. We will also investigate whether institutional settings around acquirers matter by (1) examining how different institutions in different Chinese provinces affect the association and (2) conducting a comparative analysis of two of the most significant economies in the world, China and the U.S., which are characterized by vastly different institutions. Furthermore, we will study how internal corporate governance interacts with the association.
We believe that this research warrants investigation because M&As are often the largest investments that firms ever undertake, and they may lead to significant changes in capital resource allocation and shareholders' wealth. The project will extend the prior accounting, corporate governance and finance literature. In particular, our findings should be useful to policymakers in emerging and transitional markets. Finally, the project will involve building a database of the world's most influential markets, China and the U.S., for future research opportunities, and will provide useful illustrations for teaching that will expose students to the real-world implementation of financial reporting and its capital market consequences.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS13/B01/16
Project Title: Corporate Social Responsibility,
Income Distribution and Social Welfare
Principal Investigator: Prof YU Eden Siu-hung
(Chu Hai)
Abstract
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) integrates
social, environmental and consumer consequences
of business activities undertaken by a company.
The CSR activities have attracted substantial
attention from both firms and general public
around the world. It is well established
that the goal of a firm existence is to
maximize shareholders' wealth. However,
in view of the increasing recognition of
the relevance of the seemingly non-profit
aspects of business activities, the objective
function of a socially responsible firm
can be expressed as weighted average of
its profits and other concerns arising from
the social and environmental impacts of
the firm's activities upon the society.
There is an ample literature on the behavior
and financial performance of CSR firms.
However, the income distributional effect
of the firms' CSR activities in an economy-wide,
general equilibrium setting remains hitherto
under-explored.
As evident in the mankind history, serious
income inequality has caused economic and
political instability. The issue of income
inequality has long been the concerns of
academic researchers and policy makers.
It has been recently observed that income
inequality is worsening, as the world's
richest 1% of the population will control
over 50% of the global wealth in the future.
The widening gap of wage and non-wage income
can lead to social conflict, thereby adversely
affecting economic growth and regional stability.
In light of the serious consequences of
income inequality, numerous studies have
been conducted to investigate what have
caused the increasing wage inequality between
skilled and unskilled labor. It has been
found that widening wage inequality can
be attributed to "skill premium"
arising from several factors including skilled-biased
technologies, globalization, market distortions
(e.g., unemployment, trade barriers in the
form of import tariffs and export taxes),
inflows of foreign unskilled workers, and
political and institutional factors. Furthermore,
non-wage income disparity arises from capital
ownership and tax differentials etc.
Firms engaging in CSR activities aim to
improve their financial performance while
help sustain the development of the economy.
However, the literature shows that there
are mixed results concerning the relationship
between CSR and the firm's financial performance.
These results lead to the following research
questions: Do firms' CSR activities truly
benefit the firms and the society as a whole?
In particular, do these firms contribute
to rendering the society more equitable?
This research project aims to answer the
above and other related questions of academic
and policy interest by resorting to both
theoretical and empirical analyses.
Utilizing a general-equilibrium framework with goods and factor markets, we will study the links from firms' CSR activities to income distribution by examining both the short-run and long-run impacts of such activities upon the following key variables: wage rates of skilled versus unskilled labor, the capital rental rate, and social welfare of the economy. We conjecture that in the short run, the CSR investment may raise capital rental rates, thereby worsening the wage inequality between skilled and unskilled labor. However, in the long run, CSR activities can lead to a narrowing of wage gap between skilled and unskilled labor due to the increase in firm concentration ratio in the industry via the exit of marginal firms. The theoretical findings related to the conjecture will be derived analytically and tested empirically using developed and developing countries data.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS14/P02/16
Project Title: On the Uncertainty of Value-at-Risk
of Individual Risk
Principal Investigator: Dr YUEN Fei-lung
(HSMC)
Abstract
Quantifying risk is essential for risk management,
control, calculation of capital requirement
and other decision making processes. Risk
measure is the way that we use to indicate
the numerical amount of risk of a financial
position. Roughly speaking, it is the loss
under an extreme adverse condition which
only happens with a small probability. By
controlling the risk measure and setting
up an adequate reserve capital, the company
can avoid taking excessive risk and withstand
the adverse condition with a higher chance.
One major difficulty of using risk measure
on risk management is that the actual distributions
of the risks are not known and we can only
obtain the estimated results. It is known
as the problem of uncertainty. In order
to obtain a more robust risk measure which
is adequate even under extreme conditions
and with estimation errors, the risk measure
can be found under a stressed condition
to illustrate the effect of uncertainty.
Existing researches mainly focus on modelling
the dependence structure between different
risks. The uncertainty of estimating an
individual loss does not attract enough
attention.
In the proposed project, we will set up
an uncertainty model for one of the most
influential risk measures, value-at-risk
(VaR). It is commonly used in various financial
institutions for risk management and regulatory
purposes. Both the mathematical and financial
properties of the uncertainty on VaR will
be studied. The nature of stressed scenario
will also be identified for different types
of risks.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/M05/16
Project Title: Air purification and carbon
sequestration by urban park trees in Hong
Kong
Principal Investigator: Dr ZHANG Hao (THEi)
Abstract
It is generally accepted that urban vegetation
improves air quality and thereby enhances
the well-being of citizens. They play a
decisive role in achieving a sustainable
city. However, beyond landscaping aesthetics
and recreational purpose, park designs which
are based on their ecosystem services always
received limited concerns in Hong Kong.
It is not only due to the lack of awareness,
but also insufficient local scientific evidences
in the provision of ecosystem services by
urban forests. Therefore, the present study
aims to quantify air pollutant attenuation
and carbon storage in urban parks and gardens.
This study proposes to incorporate field survey, laboratory test and modeling methods to understand the role of urban vegetation in Hong Kong on atmospheric quality and carbon sequestration.
On-site measurements including tree inventory and park survey will be conducted on parameters like tree dimensions, health, light exposure, ground cover composition and available planting space at 10 selected urban parks in Hong Kong. Species diversity for trees will be calculated and presented by Shannon-Wiener index (H), evenness index (J) and Importance Values (IV) of each species. The value will be compared and analyzed between study sites.
Apart from tree inventory, 10 most abundant tree species will be selected for further analysis of particulate matter (PM) accumulation on leaf surface in the laboratory. Leaf sampling will be used for quantifying pollutants deposited on leaf surfaces. Average plant biomass and carbon sequestration are also calculated for each common species. Insight will be provided to improve our understanding of the role of individual tree species in maximize these benefits.
The i-Tree Eco model, also known as the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model will be used to quantify the ecosystem services in the urban parks and gardens, with the incorporation of local environmental data such as hourly air pollutant concentrations and meteorological data. The quantified ecosystem services will be converted into momentary values, in order to provide the public and town planners a clearer concept of the ability of air purification and carbon sequestration by urban parks. Any important factor will also be identified to determine the capacity of urban parks for air pollution attenuation and carbon storage.
Suggestions and recommendations can be subsequently made on future tree species selection and urban park designs. Urban designers could base on the suggestions to maximize the ecosystem services of urban parks so to achieve a more environmentally sustainable future. The determined effectiveness of urban parks and gardens as providers of ecosystem services will help to allow accurate assessment of their value in future policy making.
Project Reference No.: UGC/FDS25/E10/16
Project Title: Study on the transient response
performance of liquid desiccant dehumidifier
and regenerator under the coupling effect
of different control algorithm
Principal Investigator: Dr ZHONG Dan (THEi)
Abstract
The quality of the indoor environment has
raised increasing concern as people spend
most of their time in buildings. At present,
a pleasant indoor environment still depends
greatly on the large consumption of fossil
fuels. This is especially in Hong Kong,
where around 90% of electricity is consumed
by buildings. Recently, it has been reported
that the liquid desiccant air-conditioning
system could be a potential substitute of
the traditional air conditioner to improve
energy utilization efficiencies in buildings.
The new system is particularly suitable
for hot and humid regions, such as Hong
Kong, as the energy used for dehumidification
is relatively higher.
However, one problem has discouraged its greater use. Compared to the traditional air conditioner, the control system of liquid desiccant air-conditioning system is more complicated. Its inadequate control scheme has prevented its widespread. To guarantee effective and stable operation of the liquid desiccant air-conditioning system, it is important that the transient response performance of the dehumidifier and regenerator be predicted accurately. However, this is difficult because there are very few studies on the dynamic operation and transient response performance of the dehumidifier and regenerator, especially with a multi-factor coupling effect. In addition, the coupling study of heat, mass and flow is not comprehensive and many assumptions have to be made in the calculation. Because of the absence of accurate predictions, appropriate guidelines for the control system design and operation cannot be put forward.
Therefore, this project aims to establish a reliable dynamic model for the dehumidifier and regenerator, and to investigate their transient response performance numerically and experimentally. Numerical models based on the CFD method will be developed for simulating the heat and mass transfer process, with consideration of the velocity field. Experiments will be conducted to analyse the effect of a single factor or multi-factors. Then the new model will be improved with the incorporation of the experimental results. The improved model will be used to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the effect of various factors and different conditions. Measures to optimise the control system design and operation will be put forward. Practical guidelines for the design and operation of the control system will be presented for engineering applications.