Showing papers by "Hong Kong Baptist University published in 2013"
TL;DR: Huang et al. as mentioned in this paper developed ultrathin plasmonic metasurfaces to provide 3D optical holographic image reconstruction in the visible and near-infrared regions for circularly polarized light.
Abstract: Holographic techniques allow for the construction of 3D images by controlling the wave front of light beams. Huang et al. develop ultrathin plasmonic metasurfaces to provide 3D optical holographic image reconstruction in the visible and near-infrared regions for circularly polarized light.
1,129 citations
TL;DR: It has been concluded that more contamination information of aquatic environment and wildlife as well as human body burden of PPCPs in different areas of China is urgent.
1,008 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comparison of the validity of theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior as applied to the area of moral behavior (i.e., illegal copying of software) using structural equation modeling was made.
Abstract: This study is a comparison of the validity of theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior as applied to the area of moral behavior (i.e., illegal copying of software) using structural equation modeling. Data were collected from 181 university students on the various components of the theories and used to asses the influence of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to make unauthorized software copies. Theory of planned behavior was found to be better than the theory of reasoned action in predicting unethical behavior. A modified version of the theory of planned behavior, with a causal path linking subjective norm to attitude, provided a significant improvement on model fit. The results indicated that perceived behavioral control is a better predictor of behavioral intention then attitude. The direct effect of subjective norm on behavioral intention was not significant, but the indirect effect through attitude was highly significant. Applicability of the theory of planned behavior for moral behavior and the implications for future research are discussed.
880 citations
TL;DR: An overview of toxic substances present in e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries are presented.
618 citations
TL;DR: The prospect of drug discovery from herbal medicines in the postgenomic era was made with the provision of future directions in this area of drug development.
Abstract: With tens of thousands of plant species on earth, we are endowed with an enormous wealth of medicinal remedies from Mother Nature. Natural products and their derivatives represent more than 50% of all the drugs in modern therapeutics. Because of the low success rate and huge capital investment need, the research and development of conventional drugs are very costly and difficult. Over the past few decades, researchers have focused on drug discovery from herbal medicines or botanical sources, an important group of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy. With a long history of herbal usage for the clinical management of a variety of diseases in indigenous cultures, the success rate of developing a new drug from herbal medicinal preparations should, in theory, be higher than that from chemical synthesis. While the endeavor for drug discovery from herbal medicines is “experience driven,” the search for a therapeutically useful synthetic drug, like “looking for a needle in a haystack,” is a daunting task. In this paper, we first illustrated various approaches of drug discovery from herbal medicines. Typical examples of successful drug discovery from botanical sources were given. In addition, problems in drug discovery from herbal medicines were described and possible solutions were proposed. The prospect of drug discovery from herbal medicines in the postgenomic era was made with the provision of future directions in this area of drug development.
486 citations
TL;DR: Elevated miR-214 levels correlated with a lower degree of bone formation in bone specimens from aged patients with fractures, and in vitro osteoblast activity and matrix mineralization were promoted by antagomir-214 and decreased by agomIR-214, and mi R-214 directly targeted ATF4 to inhibit osteoblasts activity.
Abstract: In a new study Yingxian Li and her colleagues show that the microRNA miR-214 targets ATF4 in osteoblasts to negatively regulate their activity. Manipulating miR-214 levels experimentally showed that its elevated expression is sufficient to induce bone loss in mice and that its therapeutic inhibition reduces bone loss in two mouse models.
455 citations
TL;DR: The faster growth of e-waste generated in the developing than in the developed world presages continued expansion of a pervasive and inexpensive informal processing sector, efficient in its own way, but inherently hazard-ridden.
438 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that an unbiased coupling allows the spontaneous emergence of interdependent network reciprocity, which is capable to maintain healthy levels of public cooperation even in extremely adverse conditions.
Abstract: Besides the structure of interactions within networks, also the interactions between networks are of the outmost importance. We therefore study the outcome of the public goods game on two interdependent networks that are connected by means of a utility function, which determines how payoffs on both networks jointly influence the success of players in each individual network. We show that an unbiased coupling allows the spontaneous emergence of interdependent network reciprocity, which is capable to maintain healthy levels of public cooperation even in extremely adverse conditions. The mechanism, however, requires simultaneous formation of correlated cooperator clusters on both networks. If this does not emerge or if the coordination process is disturbed, network reciprocity fails, resulting in the total collapse of cooperation. Network interdependence can thus be exploited effectively to promote cooperation past the limits imposed by isolated networks, but only if the coordination between the interdependent networks is not disturbed.
415 citations
TL;DR: This paper revisits the HS technique and presents a general framework to construct HS-based RDH, and shows that several RDH algorithms reported in the literature are special cases of this general construction.
Abstract: Histogram shifting (HS) is a useful technique of reversible data hiding (RDH). With HS-based RDH, high capacity and low distortion can be achieved efficiently. In this paper, we revisit the HS technique and present a general framework to construct HS-based RDH. By the proposed framework, one can get a RDH algorithm by simply designing the so-called shifting and embedding functions. Moreover, by taking specific shifting and embedding functions, we show that several RDH algorithms reported in the literature are special cases of this general construction. In addition, two novel and efficient RDH algorithms are also introduced to further demonstrate the universality and applicability of our framework. It is expected that more efficient RDH algorithms can be devised according to the proposed framework by carefully designing the shifting and embedding functions.
352 citations
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: An all-around survey of 12 state-of-the-art geo-textual indices and proposes a benchmark that enables the comparison of the spatial keyword query performance, thus uncovering new insights that may guide index selection as well as further research.
Abstract: Geo-textual indices play an important role in spatial keyword querying. The existing geo-textual indices have not been compared systematically under the same experimental framework. This makes it difficult to determine which indexing technique best supports specific functionality. We provide an all-around survey of 12 state-of-the-art geo-textual indices. We propose a benchmark that enables the comparison of the spatial keyword query performance. We also report on the findings obtained when applying the benchmark to the indices, thus uncovering new insights that may guide index selection as well as further research.
323 citations
TL;DR: This Review highlights recent examples of biologically active luminescent metal complexes that can target and probe a specific biomolecule, and offers insights into the future potential of these compounds for the investigation and treatment of human diseases.
Abstract: The serendipitous discovery of the anticancer drug cisplatin cemented medicinal inorganic chemistry as an independent discipline in the 1960s. Luminescent metal complexes have subsequently been widely applied for sensing, bio-imaging, and in organic light-emitting diode applications. Transition-metal complexes possess a variety of advantages that make them suitable as therapeutics and as luminescent probes for biomolecules. It is thus highly desirable to develop new luminescent metal complexes that either interact with DNA through different binding modes or target alternative cellular machinery such as proteins as well as to provide a more effective means of monitoring disease progression. In this Review, we highlight recent examples of biologically active luminescent metal complexes that can target and probe a specific biomolecule, and offer insights into the future potential of these compounds for the investigation and treatment of human diseases.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between service environment, customer predisposition and service experience evaluation and found a link between the servicescape and tourist evaluation through the moderating effects of customer predispositions.
TL;DR: The study reveals a set of factors concerning the technical tools, subjective perceptions, goals of online discussion, social presence within a community, rules for participation, and roles of the participants that affect their online engagement patterns.
Abstract: The present paper documents a qualitative study that examines the motivating and inhibiting factors that influenced students' engagement in online discussions via Moodle and Facebook. The data was collected through individual interviews with 14 pre-service teachers. Using the Activity Theory as a lens, the study reveals a set of factors concerning the technical tools, subjective perceptions, goals of online discussion, social presence within a community, rules for participation, and roles of the participants that affect their online engagement patterns. The findings of the study inform educators and software designers of how online discussions can be better promoted among students, and how a web-based environment more conducive to learning can be created.
TL;DR: It is proved that the EV charging station placement problem is nondeterministic polynomial-time hard and four solution methods are proposed to tackle EVCSPP, and their performance on various artificial and practical cases are evaluated.
Abstract: To enhance environmental sustainability, many countries will electrify their transportation systems in their future smart city plans. So the number of electric vehicles (EVs) running in a city will grow significantly. There are many ways to re-charge EVs' batteries and charging stations will be considered as the main source of energy. The locations of charging stations are critical; they should not only be pervasive enough such that an EV anywhere can easily access a charging station within its driving range, but also widely spread so that EVs can cruise around the whole city upon being re-charged. Based on these new perspectives, we formulate the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Placement Problem (EVCSPP) in this paper. We prove that the problem is non-deterministic polynomial-time hard. We also propose four solution methods to tackle EVCSPP and evaluate their performance on various artificial and practical cases. As verified by the simulation results, the methods have their own characteristics and they are suitable for different situations depending on the requirements for solution quality, algorithmic efficiency, problem size, nature of the algorithm, and existence of system prerequisite.
TL;DR: It is shown that in fact only an intermediate density of sufficiently strong interactions between networks warrants an optimal resolution of social dilemmas, and results are robust to variations of the strategy updating rule, the topology of interdependent networks, and the governing social dilemma, thus suggesting a high degree of universality.
Abstract: Recent research has identified interactions between networks as crucial for the outcome of evolutionary games taking place on them. While the consensus is that interdependence does promote cooperation by means of organizational complexity and enhanced reciprocity that is out of reach on isolated networks, we here address the question just how much interdependence there should be. Intuitively, one might assume the more the better. However, we show that in fact only an intermediate density of sufficiently strong interactions between networks warrants an optimal resolution of social dilemmas. This is due to an intricate interplay between the heterogeneity that causes an asymmetric strategy flow because of the additional links between the networks, and the independent formation of cooperative patterns on each individual network. Presented results are robust to variations of the strategy updating rule, the topology of interdependent networks, and the governing social dilemma, thus suggesting a high degree of universality.
TL;DR: This work shows experimentally the transverse angular splitting between the two spins in the reciprocal space with metasurface, as a direct observation of the optical spin Hall effect, and an associated global orbital rotation through the effective orientations of the geometric phase elements.
Abstract: Here, we investigate the spin-induced manipulation of orbitals using metasurfaces constructed from geometric phase elements. By carrying the spin effects to the orbital angular momentum, we show experimentally the transverse angular splitting between the two spins in the reciprocal space with metasurface, as a direct observation of the optical spin Hall effect, and an associated global orbital rotation through the effective orientations of the geometric phase elements. Such spin-orbit interaction from a metasurface with a definite topological charge can be geometrically interpreted using the recently developed high order Poincare sphere picture. These investigations may give rise to an extra degree of freedom in manipulating optical vortex beams and orbitals using "spin-enabled" metasurfaces.
TL;DR: In this article, a series of simple phenothiazine-based dyes have been synthesized, in which a cyanoacrylate acceptor directly attached to the C(3) position of phenothia, and an additional linear electron-rich (4-hexyloxy)phenyl group at C(7) on the opposite side of the acceptor and an alkyl chain with different length at N(10) of the phenothiasine periphery are presented.
Abstract: A series of simple phenothiazine-based dyes have been synthesized, in which a cyanoacrylate acceptor directly attached to the C(3) position of phenothiazine, and an additional linear electron-rich (4-hexyloxy)phenyl group at C(7) on the opposite side of the acceptor, and an alkyl chain with different length at N(10) of the phenothiazine periphery are presented. The dye molecules have a linear shape which is favorable for the formation of a compact dye layer on the TiO2 surface, while their butterfly conformations can sufficiently inhibit molecular aggregation. Moreover, the structural features of (4-hexyloxy)phenyl donor moiety at the C(7) position of phenothiazine extends the π-conjugation of the chromophore, thus enhancing the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Moreover, the alkyl substituents with different chain length at the N(10) atom of phenothiazine could further optimize the performance through completely shielding the surface of TiO2 from the I–/I3- electrolyte and subsequently r...
TL;DR: A review of the recent strategies that have been utilized for the design and development of bioactive iridium and rhodium complexes can be found in this article, where the authors summarize the strategies used for the development and design of bio-active IR and RRS complexes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue and demonstrate empirically that success in implementing an ERP system and in gaining performance improvement should be conceptualised as two separate dependent variables, the former aspect is based upon project delivery outcomes, while the latter assesses post-ERP project performance.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether anthropomorphism of nature has any impact on the way people relate to and behave toward nature and found that when nature is anthropomorphized, people feel more connected to it; this sense of connectedness mediates the association between anthropomorphisms of nature and conservation behavior.
Proceedings Article•
03 Aug 2013
TL;DR: A new and improved assumption, group Bayesian personalized ranking (GBPR), is proposed, via introducing richer interactions among users, and a novel algorithm is designed correspondingly, which can recommend items more accurately as shown by various ranking-oriented evaluation metrics on four real-world datasets in the authors' experiments.
Abstract: One-class collaborative filtering or collaborative ranking with implicit feedback has been steadily receiving more attention, mostly due to the "one-class" characteristics of data in various services, eg, "like" in Facebook and "bought" in Amazon Previous works for solving this problem include pointwise regression methods based on absolute rating assumptions and pairwise ranking methods with relative score assumptions, where the latter was empirically found performing much better because it models users' ranking-related preferences more directly However, the two fundamental assumptions made in the pairwise ranking methods, (1) individual pairwise preference over two items and (2) independence between two users, may not always hold As a response, we propose a new and improved assumption, group Bayesian personalized ranking (GBPR), via introducing richer interactions among users In particular, we introduce group preference, to relax the aforementioned individual and independence assumptions We then design a novel algorithm correspondingly, which can recommend items more accurately as shown by various ranking-oriented evaluation metrics on four real-world datasets in our experiments
Proceedings Article•
03 Aug 2013TL;DR: A model-based method that adopts matrix factorization technique that maps users into low-dimensional latent feature spaces in terms of their trust relationship, and aims to more accurately reflect the users reciprocal influence on the formation of their own opinions and to learn better preferential patterns of users for high-quality recommendations.
Abstract: To accurately and actively provide users with their potentially interested information or services is the main task of a recommender system. Collaborative filtering is one of the most widely adopted recommender algorithms, whereas it is suffering the issues of data sparsity and cold start that will severely degrade quality of recommendations. To address such issues, this article proposes a novel method, trying to improve the performance of collaborative filtering recommendation by means of elaborately integrating twofold sparse information, the conventional rating data given by users and the social trust network among the same users. It is a model-based method adopting matrix factorization technique to map users into low-dimensional latent feature spaces in terms of their trust relationship, aiming to reflect users' reciprocal influence on their own opinions more reasonably. The validations against a real-world dataset show that the proposed method performs much better than state-of-the-art recommendation algorithms for social collaborative filtering by trust.
TL;DR: This paper analyzes the time course of cooperation evolution under different evolution rules and shows that expansion of the perfect C cluster is closely related to the cluster coefficient of interaction topology.
Abstract: Up to now, there have been a great number of studies that demonstrate the effect of spatial topology on the promotion of cooperation dynamics (namely, the so-called "spatial reciprocity"). However, most researchers probably attribute it to the positive assortment of strategies supported by spatial arrangement. In this paper, we analyze the time course of cooperation evolution under different evolution rules. Interestingly, a typical evolution process can be divided into two evident periods: the enduring (END) period and the expanding (EXP) period where the former features that cooperators try to endure defectors' invasion and the latter shows that perfect C clusters fast expand their area. We find that the final cooperation level relies on two key factors: the formation of the perfect C cluster at the end of the END period and the expanding fashion of the perfect C cluster during the EXP period. For deterministic rule, the smooth expansion of C cluster boundaries enables cooperators to reach a dominant state, whereas, the rough boundaries for stochastic rule cannot provide a sufficient beneficial environment for the evolution of cooperation. Moreover, we show that expansion of the perfect C cluster is closely related to the cluster coefficient of interaction topology. To some extent, we present a viable method for understanding the spatial reciprocity mechanism in nature and hope that it will inspire further studies to resolve social dilemmas.
TL;DR: This review gives an overview of the "label-free" approach that has been a particular focus of this group and others for the construction of luminescent DNA-based sensing platforms and envisage that this field would continue to thrive and mature in the years to come.
Abstract: Breakthrough advances in chemistry and biology over the last two decades have vastly expanded the repertoire of nucleic acid structure and function with potential application in multiple areas of science and technology, including sensing and analytical applications. DNA oligonucleotides represent popular tools for the development of sensing platforms due to their low cost, rich structural polymorphism, and their ability to bind to cognate ligands with sensitivity and specificity rivaling those for protein enzymes and antibodies. In this review, we give an overview of the “label-free” approach that has been a particular focus of our group and others for the construction of luminescent DNA-based sensing platforms. The label-free strategy aims to overcome some of the drawbacks associated with the use of covalently-labeled oligonucleotides prevalent in electrochemical and optical platforms. Label-free DNA-based probes harness the selective interaction between luminescent dyes and functional oligonucleotides that exhibit a “structure-switching” response upon binding to analytes. Based on the numerous examples of label-free luminescent DNA-based probes reported recently, we envisage that this field would continue to thrive and mature in the years to come.
TL;DR: Understanding the role of angiogenic factors in the bone microenvironment may help to develop novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers for bone and joint diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteonecrosis, osteoarthritis, and delayed fracture healing.
TL;DR: This article investigated how the two components of paternalistic leadership, namely authoritarianism and benevolence, jointly influenced work performance through their impacts on organization-based self-esteem (OBSE).
Abstract: We investigated how the two components of paternalistic leadership, namely authoritarianism and benevolence, jointly influenced work performance through their impacts on organization-based self-esteem (OBSE). Using a sample of 686 supervisor-subordinate dyads collected from a manufacturing firm in the People's Republic of China, we found that OBSE mediated the negative relationship between authoritarian leadership on one hand and subordinate task performance and organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCBO) on the other. We also found that the negative effect of authoritarian leadership on subordinate OBSE, task performance, and OCBO was weaker when supervisors exhibited higher levels of leader benevolence. Also, OBSE mediated the joint effect of authoritarian leadership and benevolent leadership on subordinate task performance and OCBO.
TL;DR: Recent analytical techniques and applications for the determination of POPs in environmental and biota samples are introduced, and the extraction, separation and instrumental analyses of the halogenated POPs are summarized.
TL;DR: The basic principles and recent advances in structure-based virtual screening are outlined and the powerful synergy of in silico techniques in drug repositioning as demonstrated in several recent reports are highlighted.
Abstract: Approved drugs have favourable or validated pharmacokinetic properties and toxicological profiles, and the repositioning of existing drugs for new indications can potentially avoid expensive costs associated with early-stage testing of the hit compounds. In recent years, technological advances in virtual screening methodologies have allowed medicinal chemists to rapidly screen drug libraries for therapeutic activity against new biomolecular targets in a cost-effective manner. This review article outlines the basic principles and recent advances in structure-based virtual screening and highlights the powerful synergy of in silico techniques in drug repositioning as demonstrated in several recent reports.
TL;DR: The results indicate that inorganic-framework molecularly imprinted TiO2/WO3 nanocomposites have a promising prospect in the treatment of wastewater for irrigation.
Abstract: Inorganic-framework molecularly imprinted TiO2/WO3 nanocomposites with molecular recognitive photocatalytic activity were first prepared successfully by a facile one-step sol-gel method using 2-nitrophenol and 4-nitrophenol as template molecules, and tetrabutyl orthotitanate as titanium source as well as the precursor of functional monomer which could complex with template molecules. The template molecules could be completely removed by means of high-temperature calcination, avoiding the traditional extraction procedures that are time- as well as solvent-consuming. Compared to nonimprinted TiO2/WO3, the molecularly imprinted TiO2/WO3 shows a much higher adsorption capacity and selectivity toward the template molecules. The enhancement in terms of adsorption capacity and selectivity can be attributed to the chemical interaction between target molecules and imprinted cavities, as well as size matching between imprinted cavities and target molecules. The photocatalytic activity of molecularly imprinted TiO2/...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the recent progress and current challenges of blue-emitting metallophosphors based on small molecules and their applications in phosphorescent OLEDs.
Abstract: Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) are on the lips of most electronic manufacturers currently. With good progress made in terms of production cost, efficiency and color output, OLEDs have found more applications recently as compared to those some years ago. Because of the possibility of obtaining long-lasting, durable and energy-efficient OLEDs, researchers devote much time and effort towards the improvement of OLED technology and development of advanced OLED products. Blue light-emitting materials, especially blue phosphorescent materials, are indispensable for full-color displays and white OLED lighting. Compared with green and red light-emitting materials and devices, the blue-emitting counterparts show a relatively inferior performance in terms of color purity, luminescence efficiency and device durability. In this perspective article, we highlight the recent progress and current challenges of blue-emitting metallophosphors based on small molecules and their applications in phosphorescent OLEDs.