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Many species
of fish and shellfish from around
the world can be found in Hong Kong. |
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Growing
dinoflagellate algae in the laboratory for
toxin extraction.
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Design and Realization of Structural
Materials with
High Strength and High Ductility |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof Jian Lu (PolyU)
The research objective is
to study the fundamental aspects of
structural materials of high yield strength
and yet high ductility. We will address the
four key problems emerged when integrating
the nanostructured materials for structural
applications:
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(1) |
the poor ductility of nanostructured
materials and the difficulty to produce such
the material at a large scale;
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(2) |
to develop advanced numerical simulation
tools based on MD (Molecular Dynamics), PF
(Phase Field) and EFGM (element-free
Galerkin method) for the study of the
combination of two highly conflicting key
mechanical properties: Strength and
Ductility;
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(3)
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to develop advanced experimental methods
including in-situ mechanical testing in TEM,
the multiscale mechanical testing using
nanoindentation-based bending and
compression tests for investigating the
fundamental fracture mechanisms;
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(4) |
to develop joining technology for
nanostructured materials using pulsed laser
welding, and to optimize the welding
conditions for conserving the nanostructures
and the strength of the nanostructured
materials. |
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Studies of Fundamental Properties of
Nanosurfaces and
Selected Applications |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof Michel Andre Van Hove (CityU)
The performance of
nanoscale devices is often dominated by
their surface properties. For example,
surfaces introduce undesired electronic
states in electronic and optoelectronic
devices constructed from semiconducting
nanostructures. By contrast, surface
activity should be enhanced in
nanostructures used as antibacterial agents.
To improve such performance, our aim is to
provide quantitative atomic-scale
information about nanoscale surfaces. Our
project will achieve this by introducing a
new methodology: we will intentionally
design and fabricate novel and
highlycontrolled nanoplatforms that allow
for the first time detailed determination of
surface structure and modeling of their
relevant surface properties. |
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Environmental Screening, Computational and
Biological Characterization of Endocrine
Disruptors, in Respect to Receptor Binding,
Embryo and Gonad Physiology |
Project
Coordinator:
Dr Chris Kong-chu Wong (HKBU)
Environmental pollutant
poses potential risks to human health. Among
different kinds of environmental pollutants,
endocrine-disrupting pollutants have been
the focus of recent studies. They share high
structural and chemical similarities with
those of endogenous hormones, leading to the
modification of hormonal feedback circuitry
and "DNA methylation and chromatin
patterning" in the developing gametes and
embryos. Their potential hazardous effects
on human health are one of the global
concerns that can affect the propagation of
human being. The present study evaluates the
risk of contaminated-fish consumption during
pregnancy as well as to identify the
possible pathological outcomes that may
occur in the offspring. An understanding on
the extent of the effect and the mechanism
of action of the pollutants would help the
society to devise remedial strategy. |
Interface Engineering for Organic
Transistors:
Materials, Fabrication,
Characterization, and Application |
Project
Coordinator:
Prof Jian-bin Xu (CUHK)
Organic semiconductors
are of considerable scientific and
technological significance. A fundamental
understanding of electrical, mechanical, and
optical properties of organic thin films is
vital in many applications, including
organic light emitting devices (OLEDs),
organic field effect transistors (OFETs),
RFID transceivers, biosensors and hybrid solar cells.
This project is focused on the interface
engineering of organic transistors that are
the key components of large area, flexible,
and low-cost organic electronics.
Understanding the interface properties of
OFETs is essential to device design and will
lead to high performance and efficiency. The
project involves
the collaboration among experts in synthetic
chemistry, materials science, physical
characterization and measurements, and
device physics and engineering, from four
Hong Kong universities. It, if successful,
will provide an excellent example of the
interdisciplinary research. |
Centre for MicroRNA Study
- Basic Research and Clinical Potentials in
Cancer |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof Nathalie Wong (CUHK)
MiRNA belongs to a family
of small non-coding RNAs (~18-22nt) that
regulates gene expression by either
directing mRNA degradation or repressing
post-transcriptional translation. It is now
becoming apparent that specific miRNAs
contribute to cellular transformation and
tumorigenesis through influencing
translation of multiple key cellular genes.
Though rare in the West, Nasopharyngeal
Carcinoma (NPC) and Hepatocellular Carcinoma
(HCC) are 2 cancers that prevail in
Southeast Asia including Hong Kong. Two
viruses, Epstein-Barr virus and Hepatitis B
virus, are major etiologic factors in the
risk of NPC and HCC development,
respectively. We propose to undertake a
comprehensive investigation on the changes
of cellular and viral miRNA expressions in
these two locally prevalent malignancies,
which are also ideal cancer models for the
study of viral-associated carcinogenesis. |
Study and Engineering of Surface-dependent
Properties
and Core-shell Composite Structures of
Nanomaterials |
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Controlled growth of
different nanomaterials |
Project
Coordinator:
Prof Shuit-tong Lee (CityU)
The surfaces of materials
are drastically different from their bulk
Due to large surface-to-bulk ratios, surface
properties play a dominant role in
determining the overall properties of
nanomat-erials. Understanding and control of
surface structures are essential to
tailoring nanostructures and their
applications. The project aims at studying,
controlling, and manipulating the structure
and properties of single nanoobjects based
on the concept that any nanomaterials are
essentially a core-shell structure with
properties largely determined by the shell.
The outcome of the project may lead to
various novel nanostructured devices for
renewable energy, sensors for food safety,
toxins and diseases, targeted drug releases. |
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PAA-SiQDs nanospheres: poto-stable and water dispersible for cellular
markers
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Protein Trafficking: Mechanism and Diseases |
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Project
Coordinator:
Dr Jun Xia (HKUST)
Our bodies are made of
billions of cells with elaborate membrane
compartments. Like in the logistic business,
materials in our bodies need to be
transported between different cell
compartments. The transportation of proteins
between different cell compartments is
called proteintrafficking. Protein
trafficking is critical to cells and
abnormal trafficking of proteins has been
found to cause many human diseases. This
study will investigate the machineriesthat
regulate protein trafficking, i.e., what
controls the loading, transportation and
unloading of cargos during protein
trafficking. We will also seek to understand
how abnormal protein trafficking contributes
to diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's
disease.
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Experimental and Theoretical Study of Carbon
Nanotube Superconductivity and
Nanostructured Graphene Characteristics |
Project
Coordinator:
Prof Ping Sheng (HKUST)
Superconductivity is a
state of matter in which electrical
resistance is zero. While superconductivity
has been widely observed in many material
systems, its existence in pure carbon,
without the doping of other elements, has
been an intriguing problem because many
aspects of its superconducting behavior
remain unknown. This proposal is a follow-up
study of our previous HKUST2/04C grant in
which some preliminary results have
confirmed the existence of the
superconducting state in carbon nanotubes.
The significance of our research is that
nanostructuring can convert a previously
nonsuperconducting material into a
superconductor, with potential implications
for future nanotechnology. |
Reactive Metal-Ligand Multiple Bonded
Complexes.
From Biomimetic Reactions to Highly
Efficient Chemical Synthesis |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof Chi Ming Che (HKU)
Reactive metal-ligand
multiple bon-ded complexes are a pillar of
atom and group transfer reactions involved
in both biological and chemical energy
conversions. In the last de-cade, atom and
group transfer reactions have been
successfully developed to practical organic
cata-lysis. However, the impact of reactive
metal-ligand multiple bonded complexes and
hence atom and group transfer catalysis in
solving some of the fundamental problems of
relevance to energy research and green
chemistry has yet to be realized. In this
proposal, we aim to activate small
molecules, and to selectively functionalize
hydrocarbons under mild conditions for
highly efficient chemical synthesis. The
outcomes would impact the existing
technologies used in Fine Chemicals and
Pharmaceutical Industries. |
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Nano-Spintronics - Quantum Control of
Electron Spins in Semiconductors |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof Fuchun Zhang (HKU)
Spin based electronics or
spintronics as a new generation of
electronics is an emerging field with a
great promise to advance the semiconductor
industry. pintronics aims to use electron's
spin, a tiny magnet or compass, to replace
the role of electric charge in electronics.
Metallic spintronics has already had a lot
of applications. One of the recent focuses
is the generation, manipulation and
detection of spincurrent, a counterpart of
charge current, which may open a new route
in the future spintronics. In this group
project we will consolidate the existing
research strength in both experiment and
theory to form a versatile team in Hong Kong
to focus on the generation and detection of
the spin current. |
Liver Transplantation Research Centre:
A
Multidisciplinary Study for Liver Graft
Injury |
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Project
Coordinator:
Prof CM Lo (HKU)
Liver transplantation is
the best treatment for selected patients
with end stage liver disease including liver
cancer. Because of the shortage of graft
supply, liver grafts of marginal quality
such as a fatty liver are frequently used.
In addition, living donor liver
transplantation using a small-for-size
partial liver graft has also been developed.
Such "marginal" liver grafts are more
susceptible to injury after transplantation,
resulting in initial poor graft function and
subsequent liver cancer recurrence. We aim
to perfect the outcome of liver
transplantation by addressing the issue of
graft injury through integrated clinical,
basic and translational research. |
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