Showing papers by "Hong Kong Baptist University published in 2002"
TL;DR: In this paper, a social exchange model of employee work attitudes and behaviors was used to test a LISREL results revealed that whereas the three organizational justice dimensions (distributive, procedural and interactional) were related to trust in organization only interactional justice was related with trust in supervisor.
Abstract: Data obtained from full-time employees of a public sector organization in India were used to test a social exchange model of employee work attitudes and behaviors. LISREL results revealed that whereas the three organizational justice dimensions (distributive, procedural and interactional) were related to trust in organization only interactional justice was related to trust in supervisor. The results further revealed that relative to the hypothesized fully mediated model a partially mediated model better fitted the data. Trust in organization partially mediated the relationship between distributive and procedural justice and the work attitudes of job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment but fully mediated the relationship between interactional justice and these work attitudes. In contrast, trust in supervisor fully mediated the relationship between interactional justice and the work behaviors of task performance and the individually- and organizationally-oriented dimensions of citizenship behavior.
1,574 citations
TL;DR: Regression analysis shows that the life content of products, transactions security, price, vendor quality, IT education and Internet usage significantly affect the initial willingness of Singaporeans to e-shop on the Internet.
1,075 citations
TL;DR: The ecological aspects of mined soil restoration is reviewed, with special emphasis on maintaining a long-term sustainable vegetation on toxic metal mine sites, to remediate the adverse physical and chemical properties of the sites.
958 citations
TL;DR: Water stress-induced ABA accumulation triggers the increased generation of ROS, which, in turn, leads to the up-regulation of the antioxidant defence system.
Abstract: The interrelationship among water-stress-induced abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the activities of several antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) was investigated in leaves of detached maize (Zea mays L.) plants exposed to -0.7 MPa water stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). Time-course analyses of ABA content, the production of ROS, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in water-stressed leaves showed that a significant increase in the content of ABA preceded that of ROS, which was followed by a marked increase in the activities of these antioxidant enzymes. Pretreatment with an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor, tungstate, significantly suppressed the accumulation of ABA, and also reduced the increased generation of ROS and the up-regulation of these antioxidant enzymes in water-stressed leaves. A mild oxidative stress induced by paraquat, which generates O - 2 and then H 2 O 2 , resulted In a significant enhancement in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in non-water-stressed leaves. Pretreatment with some ROS scavengers, such as Tiron and dimethylthiourea (DMTU), and an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase, diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), almost completely arrested the increase In ROS and the activities of these antioxidant enzymes induced by water stress or ABA treatment. These data suggest that water stress-Induced ABA accumulation triggers the increased generation of ROS, which, In turn, leads to the up-regulation of the antioxidant defence system.
810 citations
TL;DR: In this article, recent developments and applications of modern sample-preparation techniques for the extraction, clean-up, and concentration of analytes from medicinal plants or herbal materials are reviewed.
Abstract: Sample preparation is the crucial first step in the analysis of herbs. In recent years there has been increasing interest worldwide in the use of alternative/herbal medicine for the prevention and treatment of various illnesses. Currently, however, quality-related problems (lack of consistency, safety, and efficacy) seem to be overshadowing the potential genuine health benefits of various herbal products. Thus, the development of "modern" sample-preparation techniques with significant advantages over conventional methods for the extraction and analysis of medicinal plants is likely to play an important role in the overall effort of ensuring and providing high-quality herbal products to consumers worldwide. In this article, recent developments and applications of modern sample-preparation techniques for the extraction, clean-up, and concentration of analytes from medicinal plants or herbal materials are reviewed. These modern techniques include solid-phase microextraction, supercritical-fluid extraction, pressurized-liquid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, solid-phase extraction, and surfactant-mediated extraction.
571 citations
TL;DR: The convergence of the proposed ADM method is proved under quite mild assumptions and flexible parameter conditions and the parameters to vary from iteration to iteration is proved.
Abstract: The alternating directions method (ADM) is an effective method for solving a class of variational inequalities (VI) when the proximal and penalty parameters in sub-VI problems are properly selected. In this paper, we propose a new ADM method which needs to solve two strongly monotone sub-VI problems in each iteration approximately and allows the parameters to vary from iteration to iteration. The convergence of the proposed ADM method is proved under quite mild assumptions and flexible parameter conditions.
417 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a meta-elliptical distribution is proposed, which has the same Kendall's rank correlation coefficient as meta-Gaussian distributions, and the corresponding analytic forms of the density, conditional distribution functions, and dependence properties are derived.
386 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between loyalty to supervisor and employee's in-role and extra-role performance in comparison with that of organizational commitment in the People's Republic of China.
Abstract: In this research, we investigated the relationship between loyalty to supervisor and employee's in-role and extra-role performance in comparison with that of organizational commitment in the People's Republic of China. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, a five-dimension loyalty to supervisor scale was developed and validated. In the second study, the relationships between loyalty to supervisor, organizational commitment and employee performance were examined. Results indicated that loyalty to supervisor was more strongly associated with both in-role and extra-role performance than organizational commitment. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and management practices in cross-cultural settings.
383 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of organizational justice perceptions on employee work outcome relationships as moderated by individual differences that are influenced by societal culture and found that perceived justice was stronger among individuals scoring lower on power distance index, and most of these study participants were in the U.S. (versus Hong Kong) sample.
Abstract: This study examined the influence of organizational justice perceptions on employee work outcome relationships as moderated by individual differences that are influenced by societal culture. Power distance, but not country or individualism, moderated the relationships between perceived justice and satisfaction, performance, and absenteeism. The effects of perceived justice on these outcomes were stronger among individuals scoring lower on power distance index, and most of these study participants were in the U.S. (versus Hong Kong) sample. Limitations of the study and the implications of the findings for managing cross-culturally are discussed.
381 citations
TL;DR: Data indicate that NADPH oxidase is involved in the ABA-induced production of active oxygen species (AOS), and results depict a minimal chain of events initiated by water stress-induced ABA accumulation, which then triggers the production of AOS by membrane-bound NAD PH oxidase, resulting in the induction of antioxidant defense systems against oxidative damage in plants.
Abstract: The roles of the plasma-membrane (PM) NADPH oxidase in abscisic acid (ABA)- and water stress-induced antioxidant defense were investigated in leaves of maize ( Zea mays L.) seedlings. Treatment by exogenous ABA (100 micro M ABA) or osmotic stress (-0.7 MPa induced by polyethylene glycol) significantly increased the activity of the PM NADPH oxidase, the production of leaf O(2)(-), the activities of several antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase), and the contents of antioxidant metabolites (ascorbate and reduced glutathione). Pretreatment with three different inhibitors of NADPH oxidase (diphenylene iodonium, imidazole and pyridine) or an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis (tungstate) reduced the increase in the activity of the PM NADPH oxidase and the production of leaf O(2)(-), and the capacity of antioxidant defense systems mediated by ABA. The inhibitory effects above caused by tungstate were reversed by exogenous ABA. These data indicate that NADPH oxidase is involved in the ABA-induced production of active oxygen species (AOS), and our results depict a minimal chain of events initiated by water stress-induced ABA accumulation, which then triggers the production of AOS by membrane-bound NADPH oxidase, resulting in the induction of antioxidant defense systems against oxidative damage in plants.
365 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the issue of interrelationships between market orientation, corporate entrepreneurship, and learning orientation in the context of emerging economies and test potential relations between these structural constructs and their relationships with the organizational outcome that is reflected with marketing program dynamism.
TL;DR: The authors examined the mechanisms by which negative affectivity (NA) influences two directions of work-family conflict: work interference with family (W> F conflict) and family interference with work (F> W conflict).
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper examined the most popular compensation components offered by organizations to employees and participants' perceptions regarding the five most important compensation components to retain and motivate people in Hong Kong and China, respectively.
Abstract: This paper reports two studies involving data collected from 583 participants in Hong Kong and 121 participants in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and examines the most popular compensation components offered by organizations to employees and participants’ perceptions regarding the five most important compensation components to retain and motivate people in Hong Kong and PRC, respectively. Results suggested that in Hong Kong, base salary, merit pay, year‐end bonus, annual leave, mortgage loan, and profit sharing were the most important factors to retain and motivate employees. In China, base salary, merit pay, year‐end bonus, housing provision, cash allowance, overtime allowance, and individual bonus were the most important factors to retain and motivate employees. Results are discussed in light of economic, geographic, and culture‐related factors.
TL;DR: It is suggested that both ABA and cytokinins are involved in controlling plant senescence, and an enhanced carbon remobilization is attributed to an elevated ABA level in rice plants subjected to water stress.
Abstract: The possible regulation of senescence-initiated remobilization of carbon reserves in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinins was studied using two rice cultivars with high lodging resistance and slow remobilization. The plants were grown in pots and either well-watered (WW, soil water potential = 0 MPa) or water-stressed (WS, soil water potential = -0.05 MPa) from 9 days after anthesis until they reached maturity. Leaf water potentials of both cultivars markedly decreased at midday as a result of water stress but completely recovered by early morning. Chlorophyll (Chl) and photosynthetic rate (Pr) of the flag leaves declined faster in WS plants than in WW plants, indicating that the water deficit enhanced senescence. Water stress accelerated starch remobilization in the stems, promoted the re-allocation of pre-fixed (14)C from the stems to grains, shortened the grain-filling period and increased the grain-filling rate. Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS, EC 2.4.1.14) activity was enhanced by water stress and positively correlated with sucrose accumulation in both the stem and leaves. Water stress substantially increased ABA but reduced zeatin (Z) + zeatin riboside (ZR) concentrations in the root exudates and leaves. ABA significantly and negatively, while Z+ZR positively, correlated with Pr and Chl of the flag leaves. ABA, not Z+ZR, was positively and significantly correlated with SPS activity and remobilization of pre-stored carbon. Spraying ABA reduced Chl in the flag leaves, and enhanced SPS activity and remobilization of carbon reserves. Spraying kinetin had the opposite effect. The results suggest that both ABA and cytokinins are involved in controlling plant senescence, and an enhanced carbon remobilization is attributed to an elevated ABA level in rice plants subjected to water stress.
TL;DR: This paper proposes a least-squares solution method using Householder Transformation to find a new representation of face recognition using independent component analysis and demonstrates that not all ICs are useful for recognition.
TL;DR: It was found that root elongation provided a better evaluation of toxicity than seed germination, and heavy metal toxicity, especially available Pb, low content of nutrient, and poor physical structure were major constraints on plant establishment and colonization on the Pb/Zn mine tailings.
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship of projection-type methods for monotone nonlinear variational inequalities was investigated and improvements were made. But the work in this paper is restricted to the case where the proximal point method is the corresponding implicit method.
Abstract: In this paper, we study the relationship of some projection-type methods for monotone nonlinear variational inequalities and investigate some improvements. If we refer to the Goldstein-Levitin-Polyak projection method as the explicit method, then the proximal point method is the corresponding implicit method. Consequently, the Korpelevich extragradient method can be viewed as a prediction-correction method, which uses the explicit method in the prediction step and the implicit method in the correction step. Based on the analysis in this paper, we propose a modified prediction-correction method by using better prediction and correction stepsizes. Preliminary numerical experiments indicate that the improvements are significant.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the fate of rural migrants in Shanghai, China's largest metropolis, and provided a profile of recent rural migrants and analyzed the pattern of occupational and income determination among them.
Abstract: This article examines the fate of rural migrants in Shanghai, China's largest metropolis. Relying on data from a representative survey, it provides a profile of recent rural migrants and analyzes the pattern of occupational and income determination among them. The economic status between migrants and local residents is also compared. The authors show that despite a marked income improvement, rural migrants in Shanghai are still segregated from urban residents and argue that the social divide between urban and rural areas created under socialism has continued to function and may contribute to the formation of a dual society in urban China.
TL;DR: This composting process represented a combined activity of a wide succession of environments in the compost pile as one microbial group/enzyme overlapped the other and each emerged gradually as a result of the continual change in temperature as well as moisture content, O2 and CO2 level, and progressive breakdown of complex compounds to simpler ones.
Abstract: The changes in population size of different microbial groups (total aerobic heterotrophs, actinomycetes, fungi, fecal coliforms, ammonium- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and denitrifying bacteria) and the activities of 19 different enzymes (three phosphatases, three esterases, two proteases, three amino-peptidases, and eight glycosyl-hydrolases) were examined during cocomposting of poultry litter (a mixture of poultry manure, waste feed, feathers, and wood shavings) and yard trimmings (a mixture of grass clippings, leaves, and wood barks). Three piles with forced aeration were established by mixing 2:1 (v/v) ratio of poultry litter and yard trimmings. During composting, samples were taken at three different locations (top, middle, and bottom) of the forced aeration piles for microbial and enzyme analyses. Results demonstrated that population size of different microbial groups was not a limiting factor in this composting process as the microorganisms in the poultry litter + yard trimmings compost are in g...
TL;DR: In this paper properties and construction of designs under a centered version of the L2-discrepancy are analyzed and optimization is performed using the threshold accepting heuristic which produces low discrepancy designs compared to theoretic expectation and variance.
Abstract: In this paper properties and construction of designs under a centered version of the L2-discrepancy are analyzed. The theoretic expectation and variance of this discrepancy are derived for random designs and Latin hypercube designs. The expectation and variance of Latin hypercube designs are significantly lower than that of random designs. While in dimension one the unique uniform design is also a set of equidistant points, low-discrepancy designs in higher dimension have to be generated by explicit optimization. Optimization is performed using the threshold accepting heuristic which produces low discrepancy designs compared to theoretic expectation and variance.
TL;DR: X-ray single-crystal structural analyses of four copper complexes reveal that 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) ligands are hydroxylated into ophen or obpy during the reaction, which provides structural evidence for the long-time argued Gillard mechanism.
Abstract: Four copper complexes with hydroxylated bipyridyl-like ligands, namely [Cu2(ophen)2] (1), [Cu4(ophen)4(tp)] (2), [Cu4(obpy)4(tp)] (3), and [Cu4(obpy)4(dpdc)]⋅2H2O (4), (Hophen=2-hydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline, Hobpy=6-hydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine, tp=terephthalate, dpdc=diphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate) have been synthesized hydrothermally. X-ray single-crystal structural analyses of these complexes reveal that 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) ligands are hydroxylated into ophen or obpy during the reaction, which provides structural evidence for the long-time argued Gillard mechanism. The dinuclear copper(I) complex 1 has three supramolecular isomers in the solid state, in which short copper–copper distances (2.66–2.68 A) indicate weak metal–metal bonding interactions. Each of the mixed-valence copper(i,ii) complexes 2–4 consists of a pair of [Cu2(ophen)2]+ or [Cu2(obpy)2]+ fragments bridged by a dicarboxylate ligand into a neutral tetranuclear dumbbell structure. Dinuclear 1 is an intermediate in the formation of 2 and can be converted into 2 in the presence of additional copper(II) salt and tp ligands under hydrothermal conditions. In addition to the ophen-centered π→π* excited-state emission, 1 shows strong emissions at ambient temperature, which may be tentatively assigned as an admixture of copper-centered d→s,p and MLCT excited states.
TL;DR: Tolerant populations of these species would serve as potential candidates for re-vegetation of wastelands contaminated with Pb, Zn and Cu and suggested that co-tolerant ecotypes have evolved in the two grasses.
TL;DR: The propagation of a pulse through one-dimensional photonic crystals that contain a dispersive and absorptive defect layer doped with two-level atoms is discussed and superluminal negative group velocity is discovered.
Abstract: The propagation of a pulse through one-dimensional photonic crystals that contain a dispersive and absorptive defect layer doped with two-level atoms is discussed. The dynamical evolution of the pulse inside the photonic crystal is presented. Superluminal negative group velocity (the peak appears at the exit end before it reaches the input end) is discovered. Although the group velocity is larger than c and even negative, the velocity of energy propagation never exceeds the vacuum light speed. The appearance of the superluminal advance or subluminal delay of the pulse peak inside the photonic crystal or at the exit end is due to the wave interference from Bragg reflections.
TL;DR: The reaction of the zinc(II) Schiff base complex ZnL [H2L=N,N′-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)ethylene-1,2-diamine] with one equivalent of Ln(NO3)3·xH2O (Ln=Nd, Ho, Er or Yb) gives the neutral 3d-4f bi-metallic Schiff base complexes [ZnL].
Abstract: The reaction of the zinc(II) Schiff base complex ZnL [H2L=N,N′-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)ethylene-1,2-diamine] with one equivalent of Ln(NO3)3·xH2O (Ln=Nd, Ho, Er or Yb) gives the neutral 3d-4f bi-metallic Schiff base complexes [Zn(NO3)(μ-L)Ln(NO3)2(H2O)], which in solution exhibit emission corresponding to the Ln(III) ions (Ln=Nd, Er and Yb) in the near-infrared region.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the performance of noble metal-loaded CZY materials in terms of redox behaviors, oxygen mobilities, and oxygen storage capacities. And they suggested that by incorporating Y3+ ions into CZ and loading Pd, Pt, or Rh on CzY, one can enhance lattice oxygen mobility, Ce3+ ion concentration, and the oxygen uptake capacity of the CZy solid solution, generating a class of materials suitable for the catalytic conversion of automotive exhaust.
TL;DR: In southern China, the awareness of persistent organic pollutant contamination has been increasing as a considerable number of past studies in Hong Kong had reported their trail in the coastal sediments, green-lipped mussels, muscle and viscera of pond fish, and foodstuffs.
Abstract: In southern China, the awareness of persistent organic pollutant contamination has been increasing as a considerable number of past studies in Hong Kong had reported their trail in the coastal sediments, green-lipped mussels, muscle and viscera of pond fish, and foodstuffs. Hence there is an urgent need to assess their existence, contamination profiles, and potential impact on the public. In the present study, a survey was conducted to examine p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, beta-HCH, and PCB concentrations in human breast milk, one of the most reliable bioaccumulation indicators. Milk samples (115 from Hong Kong and 54 from Guangzhou), in the lactation period from 3-5 weeks were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the mean levels of p,p'-DDT (Hong Kong: 0.39; Guangzhou: 0.70 microg/g of fat), p,p'-DDE (2.48; 2.85), and beta-HCH (0.95; 1.11) were 2-15-fold higher when compared with studies conducted elsewhere ( i.e., United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and Canada), and in contrast the concentration of PCBs (0.035; 0.031) was about 10 times lower. When compared to a similar study conducted 10 years ago in Hong Kong ( p,p'-DDT 2.17 microg/g of fat, p,p'-DDE 11.67, beta-HCH 15.96, and PCB 0.64), a considerable reduction in the levels of their contaminations was observed. The drastic reduction in body burdens in 10 years' time is presumably the result of effective regulatory actions. It is worth noting that body burden correlated positively with maternal age (total DDT, r = 0.93; beta-HCH, r = 0.91; PCBs, r = 0.77) and with historical record of seafood consumption (total DDT, r = 0.89; beta-HCH, r = 0.98; PCBs, r = 0.91) (p < 0.001) and potential uptake of the POPs by breastfed infants may pose adverse health hazards.
TL;DR: To fulfill its potential, the intelligent Web's design and development must incorporate knowledge from existing disciplines, such as artificial intelligence and information technology, in a totally new domain.
Abstract: Web intelligence offers a new direction for scientific research and development, pushing technology toward manipulating the meaning of data and creating a distributed intelligence that can actually get things done. WI explores the fundamental and practical impact that artificial intelligence and advanced information technology will have on the next generation of Web-empowered systems, services, and environments.The Web significantly affects both academic research and everyday life, revolutionizing how we gather, store, process, present, share, and use information. It offers opportunities and challenges in many areas, including business, commerce, finance, and research and development.The next-generation Web will go beyond improved information search and knowledge queries and will help people achieve better ways of living, working, playing, and learning. To fulfill its potential, the intelligent Web's design and development must incorporate knowledge from existing disciplines, such as artificial intelligence and information technology, in a totally new domain.
TL;DR: The data suggest that COPD has a considerable adverse impact on work force participation, and it is estimated that, in 1994, COPD was responsible for work loss of approximately $9.9 billion in the U.S.
Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a rapidly growing public health problem in the United States and elsewhere. Although direct costs of COPD are well documented, the impact of COPD and its severity on labor force participation is not well known. Using population-based data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), we determined the adjusted relationship between COPD (and its severity) and labor force participation in the U.S. We used data from 12,436 participants involved in NHANES III; 1,073 of these participants (8.6% of the total) reported COPD. These participants were 3.9% (95% confidence interval, 1.3% to 6.4%) less likely to be in the labor force than those without COPD. Increasing severity of COPD was associated with decreased probability of being in the labor force (p for linear trend = 0.001). Mild, moderate, and severe COPD was associated with a 3.4%, 3.9%, and 14.4% reduction in the labor force participation rate relative to those without COPD. These data suggest that COPD has a considerable adverse impact on work force participation. Based on these data, we estimate that, in 1994, COPD was responsible for work loss of approximately $9.9 billion in the U.S.
TL;DR: It appears that aggression related to computer gaming may be reduced through the humanization of computer opponents, as shown in the example of Monopoly.