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Showing papers by "Hong Kong University of Science and Technology published in 2004"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper presents LANDMARC, a location sensing prototype system that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for locating objects inside buildings and demonstrates that active RFID is a viable and cost-effective candidate for indoor location sensing.
Abstract: Growing convergence among mobile computing devices and embedded technology sparks the development and deployment of "context-aware" applications, where location is the most essential context. In this paper we present LANDMARC, a location sensing prototype system that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for locating objects inside buildings. The major advantage of LANDMARC is that it improves the overall accuracy of locating objects by utilizing the concept of reference tags. Based on experimental analysis, we demonstrate that active RFID is a viable and cost-effective candidate for indoor location sensing. Although RFID is not designed for indoor location sensing, we point out three major features that should be added to make RFID technologies competitive in this new and growing market.

2,615 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the development, design and applications of electrochemical technologies in water and wastewater treatment are reviewed with particular focus on electrodeposition, electrocoagulation, electroflotation (EF), and electrooxidation.

2,577 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
19 Jul 2004
TL;DR: This paper proposes a novel method for solving single-image super-resolution problems, given a low-resolution image as input, and recovers its high-resolution counterpart using a set of training examples, inspired by recent manifold teaming methods.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a novel method for solving single-image super-resolution problems. Given a low-resolution image as input, we recover its high-resolution counterpart using a set of training examples. While this formulation resembles other learning-based methods for super-resolution, our method has been inspired by recent manifold teaming methods, particularly locally linear embedding (LLE). Specifically, small image patches in the lowand high-resolution images form manifolds with similar local geometry in two distinct feature spaces. As in LLE, local geometry is characterized by how a feature vector corresponding to a patch can be reconstructed by its neighbors in the feature space. Besides using the training image pairs to estimate the high-resolution embedding, we also enforce local compatibility and smoothness constraints between patches in the target high-resolution image through overlapping. Experiments show that our method is very flexible and gives good empirical results.

1,951 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The definition of emotional intelligence was reviewed and it was argued that El is conceptually distinct from personality, and peer ratings were found to be significant predictors of job performance ratings provided by supervisors after controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions.
Abstract: In this study, the authors reviewed the definition of emotional intelligence (EI) and argued that El is conceptually distinct from personality. In Study 1, the authors showed that EI was related to yet distinct from personality dimensions and that it had incremental predictive power on life satisfaction. The authors examined the construct validity of self-reports and others' ratings of EI using two samples in Study 2. In a student sample, parents' ratings explained additional variance in the students' life satisfaction and feelings of powerlessness after controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions. In the work sample, peer ratings were found to be significant predictors of job performance ratings provided by supervisors after controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions. Other implications for future research on EI are discussed.

1,192 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2004
TL;DR: Usability studies indicate that Lazy Snapping provides a better user experience and produces better segmentation results than the state-of-the-art interactive image cutout tool, Magnetic Lasso in Adobe Photoshop.
Abstract: In this paper, we present Lazy Snapping, an interactive image cutout tool. Lazy Snapping separates coarse and fine scale processing, making object specification and detailed adjustment easy. Moreover, Lazy Snapping provides instant visual feedback, snapping the cutout contour to the true object boundary efficiently despite the presence of ambiguous or low contrast edges. Instant feedback is made possible by a novel image segmentation algorithm which combines graph cut with pre-computed over-segmentation. A set of intuitive user interface (UI) tools is designed and implemented to provide flexible control and editing for the users. Usability studies indicate that Lazy Snapping provides a better user experience and produces better segmentation results than the state-of-the-art interactive image cutout tool, Magnetic Lasso in Adobe Photoshop.

1,170 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The negative abnormal capital investment/return relation is stronger for firms that have greater investment discretion, i.e., firms with higher cash flows and lower debt ratios, and is significant only in time periods when hostile takeovers were less prevalent as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Firms that substantially increase capital investments subsequently achieve negative benchmark-adjusted returns. The negative abnormal capital investment/return relation is shown to be stronger for firms that have greater investment discretion, i.e., firms with higher cash flows and lower debt ratios, and is shown to be significant only in time periods when hostile takeovers were less prevalent. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that investors tend to underreact to the empire building implications of increased investment expenditures. Although firms that increase capital investments tend to have high past returns and often issue equity, the negative abnormal capital investment/return relation is independent of the previously documented long-term return reversal and secondary equity issue anomalies.

1,078 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The existence of acoustic metamaterial, in which both the effective density and bulk modulus are simultaneously negative, in the true and strict sense of an effective medium, is shown.
Abstract: We show here the existence of acoustic metamaterial, in which both the effective density and bulk modulus are simultaneously negative, in the true and strict sense of an effective medium. Our double-negative acoustic system is an acoustic analogue of Veselago's medium in electromagnetism, and shares many unique consequences, such as negative refractive index. The double negativity in acoustics is derived from low-frequency resonances, as in the case of electromagnetism, but the negative density and modulus are derived from a single resonance structure as distinct from electromagnetism in which the negative permeability and negative permittivity originates from different resonance mechanisms.

933 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An extended Langmuir model has been used to predict the isotherm data for the binary systems using the single component data, and the linear transform model provided the highest R(2) regression coefficient with the Redlich-Peterson model.

931 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A transmit preprocessing technique for the downlink of multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems is introduced and results demonstrate the potential of the technique in terms of performance and capacity.
Abstract: We introduce a transmit preprocessing technique for the downlink of multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. It decomposes the multiuser MIMO downlink channel into multiple parallel independent single-user MIMO downlink channels. Some key properties are that each equivalent single-user MIMO channel has the same properties as a conventional single-user MIMO channel, and that increasing the number of transmit antennas of the multiuser system by one increases the number of spatial channels to each user by one. Simulation results are also provided and these results demonstrate the potential of our technique in terms of performance and capacity.

883 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using nitrilotriacetic acid as the functional molecule, an M/Fe2O3-DA-NTA (M = Co or SmCo5.2) nanostructure is created, which possesses high stability and specificity for separating histidine-tagged proteins.
Abstract: We report on the use of dopamine (DA) as a robust molecular anchor to link functional molecules to the iron oxide shell of magnetic nanoparticles. Using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as the functional molecule, we created a system with an M/Fe2O3-DA-NTA (M = Co or SmCo5.2) nanostructure, which possesses high stability and specificity for separating histidine-tagged proteins. The well-established biocompatibility of iron oxide and the robust covalent bonds between DA and Fe2O3 render this strategy attractive for constructing biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles containing iron oxide.

841 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: This paper study a multi-sector model of growth with differences in TFP growth rates across sectors and derive sufficient conditions for the coexistence of structural change, characterized by sectoral labor reallocation, and constant aggregate growth path.
Abstract: We study a multi-sector model of growth with differences in TFP growth rates across sectors and derive sufficient conditions for the coexistence of structural change, characterized by sectoral labor reallocation, and constant aggregate growth path. The conditions are weak restrictions on the utility and production functions commonly applied by macroeconomists. We present evidence from US two-digit industries that is consistent with our predictions about structural change and successfully calibrate the historical shift from agriculture to manufacturing and services. We show quantitatively that reasonable deviations from our conditions do not have a big impact on the properties of the model.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of adopting International Accounting Standards (IAS) on financial statements and their value relevance for a sample of German firms during 1998-2002 were investigated for the same set of firm-years.
Abstract: This study investigates the effects of adopting International Accounting Standards (IAS) on financial statements and their value relevance for a sample of German firms during 1998-2002. By implementing an innovative research design we compare accounting numbers reported under German accounting rules (HGB) with those under IAS for the same set of firm-years, and document how IAS adoption changes key financial measures and the value relevance of financial statement information. While HGB is stakeholder-oriented and commonly viewed as a historical cost accounting model that emphasizes income smoothing, IAS is shareholder-oriented and generally perceived as a fair-value accounting model that emphasizes balance sheet valuation. Consistent with these perceptions, we find that total assets and book value of equity, as well as variability of book value and net income, are significantly higher under IAS than HGB. In addition, we find that book value (net income) plays a greater (lesser) valuation role under IAS than under HGB. Finally, we find that while the IAS adjustments to book value are generally value relevant, the adjustments to income are generally value irrelevant. Our evidence provides new insights into the accounting differences between stakeholder-oriented and shareholder-oriented accounting systems and sheds light on the financial statement and valuation implications of adopting IAS in stakeholder-oriented economies, an issue that is particularly important in the upcoming adoption of IAS by the European Community.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Heterodimers of CdS and FePt with sizes of approximately 7 nm exhibit both superparamagnetism and fluorescence, indicating that the discrete properties of the individual parts of the dimers are preserved.
Abstract: Sequential addition of sulfur and Cd(acac)2 into the colloid solution of FePt nanoparticles (∼2.5 nm) under a reductive environment generates heterodimers of CdS and FePt with sizes of ∼7 nm. The heterodimers exhibit both superparamagnetism and fluorescence, indicating that the discrete properties of the individual parts of the dimers are preserved. This simple methodology may lead to the production of large quantities of various heterostructures with tailored properties on the nanoscale.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2004
TL;DR: Experiments on many complex natural images demonstrate that Poisson matting can generate good matting results that are not possible using existing matting techniques.
Abstract: In this paper, we formulate the problem of natural image matting as one of solving Poisson equations with the matte gradient field. Our approach, which we call Poisson matting, has the following advantages. First, the matte is directly reconstructed from a continuous matte gradient field by solving Poisson equations using boundary information from a user-supplied trimap. Second, by interactively manipulating the matte gradient field using a number of filtering tools, the user can further improve Poisson matting results locally until he or she is satisfied. The modified local result is seamlessly integrated into the final result. Experiments on many complex natural images demonstrate that Poisson matting can generate good matting results that are not possible using existing matting techniques.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This communication describes the use of polyelectrolyte multilayer as a preformed matrix in electrochemical deposition to adjust the morphology of gold clusters, and only the surface covered with dendritic gold clusters shows a super-hydrophobic property.
Abstract: This communication describes the use of polyelectrolyte multilayer as a preformed matrix in electrochemical deposition to adjust the morphology of gold clusters, and only the surface covered with dendritic gold clusters shows a super-hydrophobic property, with the contact angle above 150° and the tilt angle less than 1.5°, after the surface further chemisorbed with a self-assembled monolayer of n-dodecanethiol.

01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: This paper presents DONet, a Data-driven Overlay Network for live media streaming, and presents an efficient memberand partnership management algorithm, together with an intelligent scheduling algorithm that achieves real-time and continuous distribution of streaming contents.
Abstract: This paper presents DONet, a Data-driven Overlay Network for live media streaming. The core operations in DONet are very simple: every node periodically exchanges data availability information with a set of partners, and retrieves unavailable data from one or more partners, or supplies available data to partners. We emphasize three salient features of this data-driven design: 1) easy to implement, as it does not have to construct and maintain a complex global structure; 2) efficient, as data forwarding is dynamically determined according to data availability while not restricted by specific directions; and 3) robust and resilient, as the partnerships enable adaptive and quick switching among multi-suppliers. We show through analysis that DONet is scalable with bounded delay. We also address a set of practical challenges for realizing DONet, and propose an efficient memberand partnership management algorithm, together with an intelligent scheduling algorithm that achieves real-time and continuous distribution of streaming contents. We have extensively evaluated the performance of DONet over the PlanetLab. Our experiments, involving almost all the active PlanetLab nodes, demonstrate that DONet achieves quite good streaming quality even under formidable network conditions. Moreover, its control overhead and transmission delay are both kept at low levels. An Internet-based DONet implementation, called CoolStreaming v.0.9, was released on May 30, 2004, which has attracted over 30000 distinct users with more than 4000 simultaneously being online at some peak times. We discuss the key issues toward designing CoolStreaming in this paper, and present several interesting observations from these large-scale tests; in particular, the larger the overlay size, the better the streaming quality it can deliver.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as mentioned in this paper show that education and membership in the Chinese Communist Party are the main determinants of upward social mobility in rural to urban mobility in China, using data from a 1996 national probability sample.
Abstract: The Chinese household registration system (hukou), which divides the population into “agricultural” and “nonagricultural” sectors, may be the most important determinant of differential privileges in state socialist China, determining access to good jobs, education for one’s children, housing, health care, and even the right to move to a city. Transforming one’s hukou status from rural to urban is a central aspect of upward social mobility. Using data from a 1996 national probability sample, we show that education and membership in the Chinese Communist Party are the main determinants of such mobility.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, Wu et al. investigated the relationship between benevolence, morality, and authoritarianism in Chinese business organizations, and found that the authority orientation of a subordinate's traditionality has a moderating effect upon the relation between PL and subordinate responses, and that PL has a significant and unique effect on subordinate responses compared to Western transformational leadership.
Abstract: Paternalistic leadership (PL) is the prevalent leadership style in Chinese business organizations. With an approach similar to patriarchy, PL entails an evident and powerful authority that shows consideration for subordinates with moral leadership. Although PL is widespread in Chinese business organizations, very few studies have focused on this leadership style and those that have were simply conceptual analyses and not empirical studies. We sampled 543 subordinates from local businesses in Taiwan to investigate PL, Western transformational leadership, and subordinate responses to these two leadership styles. Our hypotheses were as follows: (1) PL has a significant and unique effect on subordinate responses compared to Western transformational leadership; (2) there exists an interaction between the three elements of PL (benevolence, morality, and authoritarianism) and subordinate responses; and (3) the authority orientation of a subordinate's traditionality has a moderating effect upon the relation between PL and subordinate responses. Statistical analyses generally supported these hypotheses. Directions for follow-up studies are offered and implications for leadership theory and practice are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper is the first attempt to incorporate asset-based financing into production decisions by model the available cash in each period as a function of assets and liabilities that may be updated periodically according to the dynamics of the production activities.
Abstract: Most of the traditional models in production and inventory control ignore the financial states of an organization and can lead to infeasible practices in real systems. This paper is the first attempt to incorporate asset-based financing into production decisions. Instead of setting a known, exogenously determined budgetary constraint as most existing models suggest, we model the available cash in each period as a function of assets and liabilities that may be updated periodically according to the dynamics of the production activities. Furthermore, our models allow different interest rates on cash balance and outstanding loans, which is an enhancement over most traditional models in that inventory financed by a loan may be more expensive than that by out-of-pocket cash. We demonstrate the importance of joint consideration of production and financing decisions in a start-up setting in which the ability to grow the firm is mainly constrained by its limited capital and dependence on bank financing. We then explain the motivation for asset-based financing by examining the decision making at a bank and a set of retailers in a newsvendor setting.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new translation from normal logic programs with constraints under the answer set semantics to propositional logic is proposed, and by adding a corresponding loop formula to the program's completion, a one-to-one correspondence between the answer sets of the program and the models of the resulting propositional theory is obtained.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wave propagation was found to depend dramatically on both frequency and incident direction, which leads to very large negative refraction, which can be used to focus a diverging ultrasonic beam into a narrow focal spot with a large focal depth.
Abstract: We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of phonon focusing phenomena in a pass band above the complete band gap in a 3D phononic crystal Wave propagation was found to depend dramatically on both frequency and incident direction This propagation anisotropy leads to very large negative refraction, which can be used to focus a diverging ultrasonic beam into a narrow focal spot with a large focal depth The experimental field patterns are well explained using a Fourier imaging technique, based on the 3D equifrequency surfaces calculated from multiple scattering theory

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the ability of chitosan, derived from deacetylated crab shell chitin, to remove acid dyes from effluent solution by adsorption has been studied.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Li et al. as discussed by the authors examined forms of OCB in the People's Republic of China (China), from a diverse sample of 158 employees and managers in 72 state-owned, collective, town and village, foreign-invested, and private enterprises in China, collected 726 OCB incidents or items that were commonly observed in the workplace.
Abstract: In recent years, Western scholars have increasingly emphasized the importance of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)-employees' behavior and actions that are not specifically designated in their formal job duties. Almost the entire body of empirical research on OCB is based on studies conducted in the United States, using U.S. employee populations as samples. Taking an inductive approach, we examined forms of OCB in the People's Republic of China (China). From a diverse sample of 158 employees and managers in 72 state-owned, collective, town and village, foreign-invested, and private enterprises in China, we collected 726 OCB incidents or items that were commonly observed in the workplace. We then subjected these to a content analysis to identify major forms of OCB. Results of our analysis revealed 10 dimensions of OCB, with at least one dimension not evident at all in the Western literature, and four that do not figure importantly in established OCB measures. The type of Organizations influenced the reporting of several forms of OCB. Results suggested that Chinese formulation of OCB differs from that in the West, and is embedded in its unique social and cultural context. We discuss these results in terms of their implications for future research in OCB.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A monolithic current-mode CMOS DC-DC converter with integrated power switches and a novel on-chip current sensor for feedback control is presented in this article, where the measured absolute error between the sensed signal and the inductor current is less than 4%.
Abstract: A monolithic current-mode CMOS DC-DC converter with integrated power switches and a novel on-chip current sensor for feedback control is presented in this paper. With the proposed accurate on-chip current sensor, the sensed inductor current, combined with the internal ramp signal, can be used for current-mode DC-DC converter feedback control. In addition, no external components and no extra I/O pins are needed for the current-mode controller. The DC-DC converter has been fabricated with a standard 0.6-/spl mu/m CMOS process. The measured absolute error between the sensed signal and the inductor current is less than 4%. Experimental results show that this converter with on-chip current sensor can operate from 300 kHz to 1 MHz with supply voltage from 3 to 5.2 V, which is suitable for single-cell lithium-ion battery supply applications. The output ripple voltage is about 20 mV with a 10-/spl mu/F off-chip capacitor and 4.7-/spl mu/H off-chip inductor. The power efficiency is over 80% for load current from 50 to 450 mA.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Apr 2004-Nature
TL;DR: The depletion of silicic acid and the inefficient transfer of iron-increased POC below the permanent thermocline have major implications both for the biogeochemical interpretation of times of greater iron supply in the geological past, and also for proposed geo-engineering schemes to increase oceanic carbon sequestration.
Abstract: Iron supply has a key role in stimulating phytoplankton blooms in high-nitrate low-chlorophyll oceanic waters. However, the fate of the carbon fixed by these blooms, and how efficiently it is exported into the ocean's interior, remains largely unknown. Here we report on the decline and fate of an iron-stimulated diatom bloom in the Gulf of Alaska. The bloom terminated on day 18, following the depletion of iron and then silicic acid, after which mixed-layer particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations declined over six days. Increased particulate silica export via sinking diatoms was recorded in sediment traps at depths between 50 and 125 m from day 21, yet increased POC export was not evident until day 24. Only a small proportion of the mixed-layer POC was intercepted by the traps, with more than half of the mixed-layer POC deficit attributable to bacterial remineralization and mesozooplankton grazing. The depletion of silicic acid and the inefficient transfer of iron-increased POC below the permanent thermocline have major implications both for the biogeochemical interpretation of times of greater iron supply in the geological past, and also for proposed geo-engineering schemes to increase oceanic carbon sequestration.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors discusses three types of global management models through two types of context-sensitive research and argues the need for high quality indigenous research, using the influential studies on management in the Chinese context as illustrations.
Abstract: The major contributor to global management knowledge is scholarship in developed economies, especially in North America and Western Europe. The development of a global management knowledge base lags behind the globalization of business enterprises. With the emergence of many developing economies around the world, progress in building the body of global management knowledge could be enhanced by encouraging high quality indigenous research in these novel contexts. This essay is a complementary piece to the APJM Special Issue on Asian Management Research: Frontiers and Challenges (August 2002). It discusses three types of global management models through two types of context-sensitive research. It argues the need for high quality indigenous research, using the influential studies on management in the Chinese context as illustrations. It offers guidelines on conducting high quality indigenous research that produces contextualized knowledge on the one hand and contributes to global knowledge on the other.

Journal ArticleDOI
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper showed that many firms were still able to gain rights issue approval through excess nonoperating income, indicating that the Chinese regulators' objective of guiding capital resources toward the well performing sectors is partially compromised by earnings management.
Abstract: From 1996 to 1998, listed companies in China were required to achieve a minimum return on equity (ROE) of 10 percent in each of the previous three years before they could apply for permission to issue additional shares. As a result of this rule, there was a heavy concentration of ROEs in the area just above 10 percent. We show that the Chinese regulators appear to have scrutinized firms using excess amounts of nonoperating income to reach the 10 percent hurdle. In addition, their ability to do so seems to have improved over time, which allows them to be better able to identify firms that subsequently performed better. However, many firms were still able to gain rights issue approval through excess nonoperating income. We show that these firms subsequently underperformed other approved firms that did not use the same practice, indicating that the Chinese regulators' objective of guiding capital resources toward the well‐performing sectors is partially compromised by earnings management.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper used tabulations from the 2000 Population Census of China along with a micro-level data sample from the census to provide a picture of China's floating population: migrants without local household registration (hukou), a status resulting in significant social and economic disadvantages.
Abstract: This article uses tabulations from the 2000 Population Census of China along with a micro-level data sample from the census to provide a picture of China's floating population: migrants without local household registration (hukou), a status resulting in significant social and economic disadvantages. By 2000, the size of China's floating population had grown to nearly 79 million, if that category is defined as migrants who moved between provinces or counties and resided at their destinations for six months or more. Intra-county floating migration is similarly large, contributing another 66 million to the size of the floating population. The article also discusses the geographic pattern of the floating population and the reasons for moving as reported by migrants. Policy implications are noted.

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: The First International Signature Verification Competition (SVC2004) recently was organized as a step towards establishing common benchmark databases and benchmarking rules and the experience gained will be very useful to similar activities in the future.
Abstract: sssHandwritten signature is the most widely accepted biometric for identity verification. To facilitate objective evaluation and comparison of algorithms in the field of automatic handwritten signature verification, we organized the First International Signature Verification Competition (SVC2004) recently as a step towards establishing common benchmark databases and benchmarking rules. For each of the two tasks of the competition, a signature database involving 100 sets of signature data was created, with 20 genuine signatures and 20 skilled forgeries for each set. Eventually, 13 teams competed for Task 1 and eight teams competed for Task 2. When evaluated on data with skilled forgeries, the best team for Task 1 gives an equal error rate (EER) of 2.84% and that for Task 2 gives an EER of 2.89%. We believe that SVC2004 has successfully achieved its goals and the experience gained from SVC2004 will be very useful to similar activities in the future.