Table of Contents
Message from the President ...ii Overview of UROP (2010-11) ... iii
Abstracts of UROP Projects – 2010-11*
School of Science ...2-24 School of Engineering... 26-57 School of Business & Management ... 60-74 School of Humanities & Social Science... 76-84 * Abstracts from each School are listed first by alphabetical order of Department name, and then by alphabetical order
of Advisor’s surname.
Summary of UROP Courses for HKUST Students UROP 1000 Undergraduate Research Opportunities
(0 credit, offered in summer session only)
UROP 1100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 1
(1 credit, offered throughout the year)
UROP 1200 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 2
(1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP1100, with approval by project advisor)
UROP 1300 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 3
(1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP1200, with approval by project advisor)
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K content_page.pdf 2011/11/28 13:03:46
Table of Contents
Message from the President ...ii Overview of UROP (2010-11) ... iii
Abstracts of UROP Projects – 2010-11*
School of Science ...2-24 School of Engineering... 26-57 School of Business & Management ... 60-74 School of Humanities & Social Science... 76-84 * Abstracts from each School are listed first by alphabetical order of Department name, and then by alphabetical order
of Advisor’s surname.
Summary of UROP Courses for HKUST Students UROP 1000 Undergraduate Research Opportunities
(0 credit, offered in summer session only)
UROP 1100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 1
(1 credit, offered throughout the year)
UROP 1200 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 2
(1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP1100, with approval by project advisor)
UROP 1300 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Series 3
(1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP1200, with approval by project advisor)
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K content_page.pdf 2011/11/28 13:03:46
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K president_page_left.pdf 2011/11/24 15:54:10 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K president_page_left.pdf 2011/11/24 15:54:10
UROP is a signature program of our University. Its success is best measured by some very impressive figures. In the last academic year (2010-11), the total enrollment in UROP at various course levels was close to 300, with over 170 projects in different disciplines offered by 100 of our faculty members, who have taken additional responsibility of mentoring students in the research process. Since UROP was first launched in 2005, close to 20% of UROP participants decided to pursue further studies upon graduation, either in HKUST or other top universities around the world, and many of them were admitted directly into Ph.D. programs. This Proceedings showcases the fruits of labor by our students in faculty-led UROP projects that lasted from one to three semesters. It demonstrates strongly our internationally regarded strength in academic research, and what undergraduates can achieve when they have the chance to work alongside top researchers. Through hands-on research and access to cutting-edge laboratory facilities, students gain learning opportunities that is normally open only to postgraduates. I highly recommend UROP to any academically ambitious student, and I encourage both faculty and students to explore this Proceedings to see how UROP can be a challenging and intellectually stimulating experience for you.
Tony F Chan President HKUST
Message from the President
ii C M Y CM MY CY CMY K president_page_right.pdf 2011/11/24 15:55:44
UROP is a signature program of our University. Its success is best measured by some very impressive figures. In the last academic year (2010-11), the total enrollment in UROP at various course levels was close to 300, with over 170 projects in different disciplines offered by 100 of our faculty members, who have taken additional responsibility of mentoring students in the research process. Since UROP was first launched in 2005, close to 20% of UROP participants decided to pursue further studies upon graduation, either in HKUST or other top universities around the world, and many of them were admitted directly into Ph.D. programs. This Proceedings showcases the fruits of labor by our students in faculty-led UROP projects that lasted from one to three semesters. It demonstrates strongly our internationally regarded strength in academic research, and what undergraduates can achieve when they have the chance to work alongside top researchers. Through hands-on research and access to cutting-edge laboratory facilities, students gain learning opportunities that is normally open only to postgraduates. I highly recommend UROP to any academically ambitious student, and I encourage both faculty and students to explore this Proceedings to see how UROP can be a challenging and intellectually stimulating experience for you.
Tony F Chan President HKUST
Message from the President
ii C M Y CM MY CY CMY K president_page_right.pdf 2011/11/24 15:55:44
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is a Program that provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates to engage in academic research and help them develop a broad and insightful perspective of their areas of interest. It was first launched in 2005 and was offered in summer for students to immerse themselves in various tailor-made research projects. Over the years, UROP has been well received by both students and faculty, and enrolment has increased year after year.
Starting from the 2010-11 academic year, a new initiative was introduced in UROP, and students now have the option to participate in one or both streams – the Tasting Stream, with a 0-credit course offered in summer session (UROP1000), is suitable for those who have never participated in UROP before and would like to have a taste of research experience; the Series Stream, consists of three courses (UROP1100/1200/1300) with 1-credit each, is designed for students who are seriously committed to research after their initial experience in the Tasting Stream. In the 2010-11 academic year, there was a total enrollment of 295 in UROP, with 141 participated in the Tasting Stream and 154 in the Series Stream. The Program was supported by 100 faculty advisors offering 174 projects.
2011 Mr Armin and Mrs Lillian Kitchell Undergraduate Research Award With the generous support from a donor, the Mr Armin and Mrs Lillian Kitchell Undergraduate Research Award was established in 2009 to honor the outstanding performance of UROP students and to encourage more student participation. Candidates for the Award were nominated by their UROP advisors, and finalists were invited to present their research to the UROP Advisory Board. Five award recipients were selected (1 Winner, 2 First Runner-Ups and 2 Second Runner-Ups) and they received the Award at the Presentation Ceremony held at HKUST on 5 May 2011.
UROP Overview 2010-11
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K overview_page.pdf 2011/11/24 15:21:58Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is a Program that provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates to engage in academic research and help them develop a broad and insightful perspective of their areas of interest. It was first launched in 2005 and was offered in summer for students to immerse themselves in various tailor-made research projects. Over the years, UROP has been well received by both students and faculty, and enrolment has increased year after year.
Starting from the 2010-11 academic year, a new initiative was introduced in UROP, and students now have the option to participate in one or both streams – the Tasting Stream, with a 0-credit course offered in summer session (UROP1000), is suitable for those who have never participated in UROP before and would like to have a taste of research experience; the Series Stream, consists of three courses (UROP1100/1200/1300) with 1-credit each, is designed for students who are seriously committed to research after their initial experience in the Tasting Stream. In the 2010-11 academic year, there was a total enrollment of 295 in UROP, with 141 participated in the Tasting Stream and 154 in the Series Stream. The Program was supported by 100 faculty advisors offering 174 projects.
2011 Mr Armin and Mrs Lillian Kitchell Undergraduate Research Award With the generous support from a donor, the Mr Armin and Mrs Lillian Kitchell Undergraduate Research Award was established in 2009 to honor the outstanding performance of UROP students and to encourage more student participation. Candidates for the Award were nominated by their UROP advisors, and finalists were invited to present their research to the UROP Advisory Board. Five award recipients were selected (1 Winner, 2 First Runner-Ups and 2 Second Runner-Ups) and they received the Award at the Presentation Ceremony held at HKUST on 5 May 2011.
UROP Overview 2010-11
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K overview_page.pdf 2011/11/24 15:21:58Science
School of
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K divider_sci_page.pdf 2011/11/24 15:23:26Advisor : CHOW King Lau / LIFS Student : KE Ying / BIOL
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHOW King Lau / LIFS Student : XUE Bai / BIOL
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
School of Science
Division of Life Sciences
Construction of an Odorant Receptor to be Ectopically Expressed in
Transgenic Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a transparent nematode living in soil of temperate
environment. It normally feeds on bacteria developed on decaying matter. There are two sexes in the species: males and hermaphrodite which can be self-inseminated and lay eggs. Previous study shows that males of both C. elegans and C. remanei, can be attracted by sex pheromone produced by female C. remanei. There are two sets of neurons related to this behavior in C.
elegans: AWA neuron – a sensory neuron located at lateral ganglia of the head of both males
and hermaphrodites; and CEM neuron – a sex specific neuron which is present only in males. The objective of the project is to test whether the CEM neurons are chemosensitive. In order to achieve the objective, a plasmid was constructed to induce the expression of odr-10 (a gene which encodes the diacetyl receptor expressed normally only in AWA neuron) in CEM neuron, and give it the ability of sensing diacetyl. The newly constructed plasmid is then injected into the gonads of hermaphrodites of daf-6, him-5 mutant C. elegans. Since only the CEM neurons of the transgenic daf-6, him-5 C. elegans could sense the diacetyl and be activated, if the diacetyl assays shows that the transgenic animals are attracted by the diacetyl, it could be concluded that CEM neurons can function as a chemosensory neuron.
The Isolation of Genetic Loci Encoding Negative Regulators
Antagonizing Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling Pathway via a
Suppressor Screen with sma-6 Mutants
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is often chosen as a model genetic organism, chiefly for
their hermaphroditic reproductive mode and rapid generation time, making it suitable for the isolation and characterization of genetic mutants. In this project, a specific strain of sma-6 (CB1482 sma-6(e1482) II) was used, because it is related with TGF-beta pathway, in which
sma-6 allelel encodes a mild loss-of-function serine / threonine protein kinase that is
orthologous to type I TGF-beta receptors. Mutant animals have a mild reduction of body length. The objective of this project is to isolate any mutant after EMS (ethyl methane sulfonate), mutagenesis, especially the ones with change in body length phenotype. EMS is a mutagen that produces random mutations in the genome by nucleotide substitution. We target specifically for mutants that have alteration of body length in this genetic background to isolate potential enhancer mutations and preferably suppressor mutations. Those mutants may act in the same genetic pathway as facilitator or antagonist molecules.
Advisor : HUANG Pingbo / LIFS Student : LIN Qiaojin / BIOL
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
Advisor : HUANG Pingbo / LIFS Student : LIN Qiaojin / BIOL
(UROP1200, Summer 2011)
After a month of screening, some putative mutants with extended body length were isolated. On the basis of a change of body length, the next phase is to map the gene by genetic linkage and molecular mapping procedures. We hope to confirm the exact location of the mutation on specific chromosome and eventually elucidate its molecular identity to understand how the TGF beta pathway is being modulated.
Mechanosensitive Ion Channels in Human Embryonic and Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cells
This project mainly focuses on investigating mechanosensitivity of ion channels by applying patch-clamp technique. Mechanosensitivity has been found in mechanosensitive ion channels, which can be stimulated by touch, hearing and balance. Scientific research suggests these channels play important roles in osmotic homeostasis and cardiovascular regulation.
During the process, I gained lab skills in handling mammalian cells, and I had an opportunity to have a taste in doing scientific research. In the next phase, I will continue with the patch clamp experiment on T84 cells, with an aim to record steadier channel activity.
Mechanosensitive Ion Channels in Human Embryonic and Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cells
This is the second semester for me to participate in this project, and I have learnt much more in research techniques. I have been mainly working with T84 cell line, which is an excellent model system for studying electrolyte transport processes and their regulation by peptide hormones and neurotransmitters. Another part of my project is the cloning of shRNA, which is a small fragment of RNA that makes a tight hairpin shape, and it shows the ability to silence gene expression applying RNA interference mechanism. I am planning to continue in this project in the Fall semester, and I look forward to getting hands-on practice on Ussing chamber, and to further develop my molecular cloning technique.
Advisor : HUANG Pingbo / LIFS Student : MOK Ka Yi / MBMS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LAU Stanley C K / LIFS Student : TAI Man Yi / BIOL
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
Advisor : LAU Stanley C K / LIFS Student : WONG Klaine / BIOL
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
The Effect of Adhesion on Cell Polarization and Cloning of shRNA
Several studies have been done on investigating the effect of adhesion on cell polarization. Inverted culture on dissociated mouse hippocampal neurons was proven to have improved neuronal culture condition. Hippocampal neurons undergo polarization and forms dendritic spines in inverted culture. Nowadays, shRNA was commonly used to knockdown the target gene, and it is an effective and stable system to investigate the loss of function of the target gene.
This project consists of two parts. In Part A, the mechanosensitive response of 293T cell line and Calu-3 cell line other than neuron cell are investigated. In Part B, cloning of shRNA is done to knockdown the tumor suppressor gene.
Die-off Rate of Sewage-associated Bacteria in the Marine Environment
of Hong Kong
The quality of recreational seawater depends on the number of pathogenic bacteria present. The chances that beach goers contract gastrointestianl diseases are directly proportional to the amount pathpgenic bacteria present in seawater. Sewage effluents are an imporat source of pathogenic bacteria. This project aims to find out the relationship between spatial and seasonal factors and the die-off rate of sewage-associated bacteria, and to suggest ways to modify the monitoring method of seawater in Hong Kong.
Decay Rate of Sewage-associated Bacteria in the Marine Environment of
Hong Kong
Enterococci is used as an indicator of seawater quality in many countries such as the US and Singapore. On the contrary, Hong Kong relies on Escherichia coli. This project investigated the die-off rates of enterococci in the marine environment of Hong Kong. The aim was to evaluate if enterococci would be a suitable pollution indicator for the marine environment of Hong Kong.
Advisor : LIU Hongbin / LIFS Co-Advisor : SHEK Lok Lun / LIFS Students : CHANG Pin-yu / BICH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
IP Ka Yan / BIOL
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
LI Nick / BIOL
(UROP1100 & 1200, Fall 2010 & Spring 2011)
WONG Man Sze / BICH
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Advisor : POON Randy Y C / LIFS Student : LI Zhuo / MBMS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Water Quality Survey for Hong Kong's Marine Fish Farming Zone
Fish provides a high quality protein diet, and fish farming has been one of the fastest growing sectors among the world’s food production industry. However, due to serious overfishing, the demand for fish from fish farming becomes larger and larger. Keeping fish farming as a sustainable resource is one of the most critical issues faced by the world today. The fishery industry contributes significantly to Hong Kong’s economy. A pertinent part of this development requires that one must be aware of the changes in the water quality. Therefore, monitoring water quality is extremely important. The main purpose of this project is to measure the water quality in Hong Kong waters and especially in the fish farming location. Monthly survey is done to obtain samples from different fish farming zones to monitor the water quality in each location and to observe spatial and temporal variability. This project is conducted in association with AFCD (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department).
In-depth Characterization of Novel Cell Cycle Regulators in Cancer
Cells
Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK 1) is essential for checkpoint recovery and activation of key mitotic enzymes; however, its own activation mechanism has remained elusive. Recent findings show that Bora, a G2-M expressed protein, facilitates PLK1 activation by the oncogenic kinase Aurora A in G2. During mitosis, PLK 1- and β-TrCP-dependent Bora degradation promotes Aurora A localization to the centrosome and/or spindle.
This project aims to study the role of Bora and its associated proteins (e.g. Aurora A, PLK) in cell cycle control, more specifically, miototic exit. We are particularly interested in elucidating in the potential role and consequence of Bora phosphorylation by Aurora A. Bora expression throughout the cell cycle is first examined, and the effect on siBora treated htTA1 cells in the presence of hydroxyurea, RO3306 and nocodazole is also tested. Three clones of GST-Aurora A (C2260), GST-PLK1 (C2261) and F3C-PLK1 (C2262) are constructed, and GST-fused proteins are purified for in vitro kinase assay. A clone of Bora silent mutation is currently being constructed to establish a stable cell line for later rescue experiments.
Advisor : POON Randy Y C / LIFS Student : ZHANG Junyi / MBMS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : TSIM Karl W K / LIFS Student : KWAN Chung Tang / BICH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Characterization of Novel Cell Cycle Regulators in Cancer Cells
Protein kinases, by phosphorylating their specific substrates, could facilitate a wide range of cellular process, such as phosphorylation-mediated enzyme activation/deactivation, cellular signal transduction, etc. Mitosis, on the other hand, involves a profound series of changes in cells that can lead to duplication of entire chromosomal DNA and eventually double in cell numbers. Under physiological condition, lots of changes during cell cycle are associated with protein kinase networks or kinome. Preliminary genome wide screening in mouse model shows that knocking down certain kinases may have lengthened mitosis. To further confirm whether human homolog can have similar effects, knockdown experiments via siRNAs are done in different mammalian cell lines.
Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Clematidis Radix et
Rhizoma (Wei Ling Xian) and the Construction of the Proposal of Toxic
Chinese Medicine
This project focuses on a Chinese herb, Clematis chinensis Osbeck in the family of Ranunculaceae, known as Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma (威靈仙). The root and the rhizome of Clematis chinensis Osbeck were dried and used as medicinal material. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma has the functions of dispelling wind and dampness, restoring menstrual flow and relieving pain. The objective of this project is to use different methods to standardize Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma. By using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for quantitative and qualitative analysis, we can know more about the characteristics of the Chinese medicine. Another scope of my work in this project is to take part in constructing the proposal of toxic Chinese medicine.
Advisor : TSIM Karl W K / LIFS Student : LEUNG Wing Tung / BICH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : TSIM Karl W K / LIFS Student : LIU Yuen Hang / MBMS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : TSIM Karl W K / LIFS Student : WONG Man Sze / BICH
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines
Aflatoxin, a kind of fungus poison called mycotoxin, is a toxic secondary metabolite of fungus, and usually exists as molds. There are several types of aflatoxin, and the most common ones are AFB1, AFB2 (emits blue florescence under UV) and AFG1, AFG2 (emits green florescence under UV). Aflatoxin is usually associated with food such as nuts, dairy products, spices, and Chinese medicines under improper conditions such as high humidity. As Chinese medicines are getting popular in modern medical era, it is important to ensure the safety of Chinese medicine consumption. In this project, a Chinese herbal product, Juan Bai (Selaginellae Herba), is tested for the presence of aflatoxin by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicines (Wei Ling Xian)
Different sets of experiment were conducted in the laboratory, with different standardization methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). During the project period, I was trained with various types of column chromatography, thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to extract and determine ash and chemical compounds of the studied herb. The major focus of this project is the isolation and determination of chemical compounds in Wei Ling Xian (Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma, 威靈 仙) for further study in drug development.
Construction of a P2Y
1Since Site Mutant (∆Cys
42) for the Mechanism
Study of P2Y
1Homo-dimerization in HEK293 Cell
The purinergic receptors P2Y play critical roles in fine-tuning the neural transmission by regulating the postsynaptic cellular signaling. In the human brain, the subtype P2Y1 receptor is the most widely expressed form. A few years ago, our group discovered the homodimer of P2Y1 receptor in HEK293T cells. However, the dimerization mechanism and the cellular signaling regulation remained unclear. From literature review and our preliminary results, we proposed that the Cysteine-Cysteine disulfide bridges should be involved in the mechanism of P2Y1 dimerization. Owing to this, a single site mutant (∆Cys42) of human P2Y1 receptor is constructed, from which it serves as a probe for future study of the functional role and mechanism of P2Y1 receptor dimerization.
Advisor : TSIM Karl W K / LIFS Student : YAU Ka Ho / CHEM
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Advisor : TYE Bik Kwoon YEUNG / LIFS Co-Advisor : LIANG Chun / LIFS
Student : ZHU Lin / BICH (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
A New Way for Characterization of Chinese Medicine
Health keeping is more than the absence of diseases. The philosophy of traditional Chinese Medicine has its unique capacity of harmonization and enhancement. Chinese medicine is an ancient system of health care that underwent continuous development over centuries, as the causes of illness afflicting mankind evolved over the same period. In order to understand the guiding principles behind Chinese medicine, characterization of their chemical components become increasingly important. In this project, the first part focused on the properties of Chinese medicine, such as quality and purity. Hence determinations of ash and water extractives were done. The second part of the project focused on the determination of organochlorine pesticides. Different analytical methods such as GC-ECD, GPC and SPE were used to determine the organochlorine pesticides in the studied samples of Chinese medicines.
Mapping the Interaction Domains and Interaction Partners of MCM10
in Pre-replication Complex Assembly
In every cell division, each cell must replicate its genome and pass it to its daughter cells. Generally, the replication of the genome can be divided into two stages. The first stage is known as replication licensing, a multi-protein complex is loaded onto specific sites in the genome to form the pre-replication complex (pre-RC). The second stage begins after the loading of pre-RC in G1, when two protein kinases, CDK and DDK, phosphorylate components of the pre-RC to activate the pre-RC. Of the many proteins assembled in pre-RC, MCM10 plays a critical role in coordinating this transition, and it is the focus of this project.
Advisor : WEN Zilong / LIFS Student : LIAO Yingyue / BICH
(UROP1100 & 1200, Spring 2011 & Summer 2011)
Advisor : WEN Zilong / LIFS Student : LU Wei / BICH
(UROP1100 & 1200, Spring 2011 & Summer 2011)
Advisor : WONG Yung Hou / LIFS Student : CHAK Wing Po / BICH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Study of Blood Cell Development using Zebrafish Model
Microglia is a type of blood cell existing in the brain and spinal cord and serves the function as macrophages. Microglia is important because it scavenge damanged or dead cells and infectious agents, and therefore acts as the primary immune defense in the central nervous system. Despite its critical role, much of the background of Microglia is still unknown.
Zebrafish is often used as a powerful system for developmental study such as Microglia, and Zebrafish plays a rather essential role in scientific research as a vertebrate model organism. In this project, Zebrafish is used as a model to investigate the effect of Microglia dysfunction in the brains of mutant fish.
Study of Blood Cell Development using Zebrafish Model
Zebrafish has proven to be an excellent model organism to study blood cell development, as its blood system shares many similarities with mammalian models and humans. In this project, Zebrafish is used for studying inflammatory response and immunity. There have been several transgenic strains of Zebrafish which mark neutrophils and macrophages respectively with fluorescence, enabling direct visualization of these cells in the transparent Zebrafish embryos or larvae. Thus, detailed analysis can be performed to study their cellular behavior and interactions in the immune response cause by injury or infection.
G Proteins and their Regulators in Cancer Biology
Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are GTPases serving as signal transmitters. Cancer can be regarded as uncontrolled cell growth with enhanced cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis caused by changes in cellular signaling pathways. G protein signaling, intricately associated with cell survival and proliferation, has been found to be involved in cancerous tissues and their activation in metastatic sites. Several studies also found the contribution of altered expression and activity of G proteins in tumorigenesis. Undoubtedly, G protein signaling plays an important role in cancer biology.
Advisor : WONG Yung Hou / LIFS Student : CHAN Sin Man / BICH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
G Proteins and their Regulators in Cancer Biology
Fragile Histidine Triad gene (FHIT) is a tumor suppressor gene. It is located in the human chromosome 3p14.2 and it encompasses the most active common fragile site FRA3B. It is believe that this gene is altered in cancer simply because of the fragility of this active site. The protein product of FHIT is a member of a family of protein that binds nucleotide and catalyzes the corresponding hydrolysis. The residue His96 of FHIT is essential for it hydrolytic activity and it has been reported that the hydrolytic activity of FHIT is lost when the His96 is replaced by Asn. However, this enzymatically inactive mutant is still capable of inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells. This finding suggests that they hydrolytic function of FHIT is not necessary for its tumor-suppressive function, but the binding of substrate AP3A is essential.
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS Student : DY Chun Yin / MATH-AM
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : CHENG Siu Wing / CSE Student : GAO Jinghan / MAEC
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : CHENG Siu Wing / CSE Student : LUO Siyi / MAEC
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Department of Mathematics
Space Orbit Design
This paper includes some basic knowledge about planetary motion of an object, how an object in space can be transferred from one orbit to another, and it also provide some ideas on things to be considered in designing the orbit and how to obtain a better orbit.
What does Chang’E Data Tell Us? Lunar Study based on Data obtained
by The Chang'E Spacecraft
This project uses the laser altimeter data obtained from the Chang’E 1 to study the distribution and nature of impact craters on the moon. We study the lunar craters mainly for their important implications on the early evolution of the moon. Our first target is to develop a whole moon crater map using the data obtained from Chang’E 1, through data insertion, image description and highlighting.
A Report on Study of Lunar Craters
Chang’E 1 was China’s first lunar probe launched on October 4, 2007. One month after its launch, Chang’E 1 sent information on the moon’s surface back to earth. The purpose of this project is to make use of the laser altimeter data to study the moon craters. The goal is to visualize the landscape around several craters by means of Visual Basic and MATLAB programming, so as to recognize and study the pattern of the moon craters.
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS Student : SHIU Fu Hong / PHYS-PP
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS
Student : WONG King Yin Christian / PHYS-PM
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS Student : ZHAI Xiaomeng / MECH
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Space Orbit Design
Mars is the closest external planet from Earth, and therefore, launching a spacecraft to Mars has been an important mission for many countries. However, the orbit of Mars is different from that of Earth very much, so choosing the mechanics model, designing the orbit, and guiding the spacecraft are major problems to be resolved. Using Heliocentric Ecliptic Inertial Reference Frame, treating the spacecraft, planets, and asteroids as point masses, and based on the initial conditions provided, an elementary orbit is designed for a lander, which is carried by the spacecraft initially, travelling from Earth to Mars. The launching time and landing time are restricted.
Space Orbit Design
This paper is related to the design of space orbits, under the conditions given by the second competition of space orbit design launched by the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. Approaches of designing an orbit of a spacecraft from Earth to Mars are discussed.
A Preliminary Study of Space Orbit Physics and Its Design
The fundamental physics governing space orbits is reviewed, and preliminary transfer orbits connecting celestial bodies are studied in this project. The study reveals relationships between orbit geometry and orbit performance, such as transfer time and fuel consumption. Based on these findings, I have gained some insights into how an optimized overall mission orbit should be designed. The discoveries are summarized and certain directions for future endeavor are proposed.
Advisor : CHAN Kwing Lam / MATH Co-Advisor : CHENG Siu Wing / CSE Student : ZHOU Rongrong / MAEC
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : CHASNOV Jeffrey R / MATH Student : YE Xiaofeng / MATH-AM
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
Advisor : LEUNG Shing Yu / MATH
Student : HON Yu Sing / MATH-MP & PHYS-PM
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Report on Lunar Crater Project
The ultimate target of our project is to identify and categorize the crater patterns on the moon with two sets of data: altimeter readings and photographic images. The goal is to complete the downloading of the 11-month CE data, test the data accuracy with principal crater plotting and preliminary processing. In this project, I am responsible for the study of three craters, namely, Copernicus, Sklodowska and Coriolis.
The Evolution of Recombination
Selection is assumed to happen as a haploid and the genome contains L +1 diallelic loci, with
L fitness loci and one recombination modifier locus. It is also assumed that the modifier gene
has no impact on fitness, but changes the recombination rates of the fitness loci. In general, the modifier gene doesn’t need to be near the fitness loci so the recombination rate between the modifier locus and the fitness loci is assumed to be a constant R. The alleles on the modifier locus are denoted by A and a. When both haplotypes have allele a, the recombination rate between the fitness loci is r = r1. If only one of the haplotypes has allele A, the rate is r = r2, and if both haplotypes have allele A, the rate is r = r3. The case of two fitness loci under the Levene model for frequency-dependent selection is illustrated in this project.
Efficient Numerical Methods for Dynamic Interface
We propose new algorithms for modeling interface motions. The idea is to develop a new cell-based representation of the interface based on the “grid-based particle method for moving interface problems” co-developed by Dr. Shingyu Leung. The algorithm composes of three parts: initialization, motion and resampling. This part of the project concentrates on the first step in which we propose a new interface representation. The interface is represented and is tracked using numerous particles. These sampling particles are sampled based on cells close to them, i.e. each particle is associated to a cell near the interface. Local information including Interface velocity, arclength-element of the surface and other Lagrangian information on the interface can be found naturally, while integrals on the surface can now be approximated easily by summing up all contributions from each small segments of the interface.
Advisor : LEUNG Shing Yu / MATH
Student : HON Yu Sing / MATH-MP & PHYS-PM
(UROP1200, Spring 2011)
Advisor : LEUNG Shing Yu / MATH Student : LAM Yat Hei / PHYS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LEUNG Shing Yu / MATH Student : TSANG Chun Kong / MATH
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Efficient Numerical Methods for Dynamic Interface
This is a continuation of the previous project. We have made progress in the modified algorithm for tracking a dynamic interface. In this part of the project, we have added dynamics to the interface represented by the cell-based representation. In particular, progress has been made on modeling motions of a circular interface under a translational motion and also the motion in the normal direction.
Efficient Numerical Methods for Dynamic Interface
This project aims at exploring new numerical methods to compute the arclength of a curve in 2D and the surface area of an interface in 3D. We code in Visual C++ to develop flexible numerical approaches to find the arclength and surface areas of various simple objects including circle, square and ellipsoid.
Efficient Numerical Methods for Dynamic Interface
Modeling of an interface evolution is an important aspect in many fields in science and engineering, including multi-phase flow simulation, crystal growth simulation, and surface regularization in image processing. This project we develop and/or apply new numerical method to efficiently model interface motion.
Advisor : LEUNG Shing Yu / MATH Student : XU Weixiang / MAEC
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
Advisor : XIONG Maosheng / MATH Co-Advisor : LI Kin Yin / MATH
Students : GAO Honghao / MATH-PMA
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
LEE Ching Cheong / MATH-PM (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
LING Wodan / MAEC (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
SHI Nan / MATH-PMA
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
WU Nan / MATH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
XU Minjie / MAEC
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Efficient Numerical Methods for Dynamic Interface
This project aims to develop and/or apply new numerical method to efficiently model interface motion, and it provides a possible way to segment an object from its background in a digital image. The idea is to develop a semi-implicit scheme to minimize the popular Geodesic Active Contour (GAC) functional for image segmentation using the method of gradient descent. The resulting numerical approach can relax the typical stability condition for solving the PDE from dt=O(dx^2) to dt=O(dx).
Combinatorial Identities, Congruences and Computer Programming
Congruence is an interesting topic in number theory, which usually involves modulo prime numbers, and supercongruence refers to congruence modulo higher prime powers. There are many such kinds of mysterious and elegant supercongruence results conjectured by intellectuals such as Rodriguez-Villegas, Beukers, van Hamme, etc. Recently, Zhi Wei Sun proved a number of new supercongruence results, and the focus of this project is to apply elementary theories on hyper-geometric series to verify and simplify some of the proofs, and to provide a starting point in obtaining more supercongruence results.
Advisor : YAN Min / MATH Students : OU Yuanzhong / MAEC
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
WANG Boli / ECOF
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Minimum Size of Union
During the research for an algebraic project, a related and interesting problem, namely, the “Minimum Size of Union” has been discovered and further analyzed. Given finite sets A1,
A2,…, An with respective numbers a1, a2,…, an of elements, the union A1 U A2 U… U An can
have as many as a1+a2+…+an elements as few as max {a1, a2,…, an} elements. The
maximum is realized when the sets are pairwise disjoint. When the minimum is realized, chances are there are many nonempty intersections among the sets. In this project, we fix k ≤
n and study the bound on the size of the union under the additional assumption that the
intersection of any k sets is empty. For k = 2, this is the trivial pairwise disjoint case. In a simplier version of the problem, the sets Aiare Lebesgue measurable subsets and the size of the subsets is the Lebesgue measure. The problem is simpler because any non-negative number is allowed to be the size, not just the non-negative integers.
Advisor : DU Shengwang / PHYS
Student : HONG Lijia / PHYS-PM (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : DU Shengwang / PHYS Student : XU Huansu / PHYS-PM
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS Students : CUI Hang / PHYS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
YANG Ji / PHYS-PM & COMP
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Department of Physics
Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope
In this project, we have designed and fully developed a wide band integral phase-frequency locking controller for external cavity diode lasers at 780 nm and obtained a narrow laser line width below 1 MHz. Meanwhile, we also developed a Labview software for the near-field scanning optical microscope to control piezoelectric stage’s motion and detect photoluminescence from ZnO nano wires.
405nm Laser System
Laser diode has been playing an increasingly important role since the last two decades. It could be used in projectors, telecommunication, medical diagnostics as well as other electronic equipment. In this UROP project, I designed and developed a “low cost” narrow line width laser diode system at 405nm. I have learned the working principle of laser diode, grating, as well as current control and temperature control. Also, I have mastered the techniques of assembling apparatus, soldering electronic devices, setting up the system as well as designing experiments to modify the performance of the system. Most importantly, I have learned to know the essence of research and a good habit as an experimental physicist.
Quantum State Calculation of Two-dimensional Supramolecular
Nanostructures
When a periodic potential is imposed at the surface, it will modify the surface electron dispersion, and an energy gap will appear at the zone boundaries. Scanning tunneling microscopy can detect this phenomenon by measuring local density of states. Alternatively, a suitable MATLAB program can simulate this physical system by numerically solving the 2D Schrödinger equation. Hence, a practical solution would be designing a MATLAB program for the two dimensional hexagonal structure potential well. However, discrepancy occurs between the simulation results and the experimental datum in some cases. In this project, we first use different approaches to modify the MATLAB program and test it in one dimensional case, and then compare the results with existing simulations. We have verified the validity of the algorithm.
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS
Co-Advisor : TANG Benzhong / CHEM Students : HAO Xiaotian / PHYS-PP
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
MITSUI Atsushi / PHYS-PM (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS
Students : KWOK King Wai / PHYS & MATH
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
ZHOU Tong / PHYS (UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Organic Molecular Beam Deposition in Ultra-high Vacuum
Organic Molecular Beam Deposition is a widely used technique in preparing organic thin films. This project aims at investigating the thermal properties of various organic molecules by means of organic molecular beam deposition. A crucible is used to contain different molecules and then put in the Organic Molecular Beam Epitaxy (OMBE). A target is also placed in front of the crucible so that molecules should be found after evaporation in Ultra-high Vacuum. Through UV-Spectrum analysis, the evaporation temperature of various molecules has been obtained.
Quantum State Calculation of Two-dimensional Supramolecular
Nanostructures
Surface electron dispersion is modified when a periodic potential is imposed at the surface, showing an energy gap at the zone boundaries. Scanning tunneling microscopy can detect this phenomenon by measuring local density of states, while a MATLAB program can simulate this physical phenomenon by numerically solving the Schrödinger equation in a periodic potential well, and optimizing the model of the real case. The proposed model fitted well in the experimental data in some cases, but discrepancy between experimental data and predicted values of the model occurred in other cases. In this project, the model is tested in a simpler one-dimensional case.
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS Student : WANG Yixin / MATH
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS Student : WU Sisi / PHYS
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LIN Nian / PHYS Student : XIAO Jinfeng / PHYS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
XU Wenhao / PHYS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of Supramolecular Assembly
Thin films are technologically important in many different aspects. Their production usually proceeds through nucleation and growth stages, which involve absorption, surface diffusion, chemical binding and other atomic processes at surfaces. This project studies the molecular network growth and the multi-component molecular growth based on Monte Carlo simulation. A new time-efficient algorithm using conditional probabilities to select the sites at which events occur is also proposed.
Monte Carlo Simulation of 2D Supramolecular Assembly
This project uses kinetic Monte Carlo simulation to simulate the time evolution of processes, including atomic thin film growth, molecular network growth and multi-component molecular growth. It is found that different combination of parameters exerts great effect on the size cluster distribution statistics of the counting and bounded molecules distribution. Moreover, there is a remarkable distinction between bounded molecules counting and island size.
Analyzing Noises in the Scanning Tunneling Microscope
In this project, the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) is used to study the properties of shot noise, whose intensity is supposed to be irrelevant to frequency. In order to obtain shot noise, at least three other noises need to be filtered out: “sudden” systematic noise from STM, 1/f noise, and the unexplainable “going-up noise”. Our results show that “sudden” systematic noise is successfully separated from the signal, but further work needs to be done in terms of the accuracy of the estimation of 1/f noise and “going-up noise”.
Advisor : SZETO Kwok Yip / PHYS Student : WANG Shuanglong / PHYS
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : SZETO Kwok Yip / PHYS Student : WANG Zitao / PHYS-PM
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : SZETO Kwok Yip / PHYS Student : WU Degang / PHYS-PP
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Channel Capacity and Topology in Communication Science
My project for this summer focuses on the channel capacity of digital communication. After deriving some formula about the channel capacity of the channel system, a program is constructed, which is able to calculate the overall channel capacity of a given topology. Then, the twist band topology is analyzed using the program. Finally, basic ideas about the channel capacity of a given topology are constructed for the purpose of further research.
Algebraic Analysis and Stability Study on Simple Networks in the Form
of Chains and Rings
In this project, the algebraic graph theory point of view is adopted to analyze the symmetry of the networks. In particular, the automorphism groups and eigenvalue spectra of the networks are computed. In addition, a numerical study on the stability of the networks is done to verify the various conclusions of R. M. May, thus extending the scope of his conclusion from random topology to fixed topology. We found that the stability of the chains and rings are dominated by the index of the individual systems.
Random Walk on Complex Network and Application to Numerical
Simulation for Statistical Physics
Wang-Landau (WL) algorithm is an important improvement for the famous Metropolis algorithm, which is widely used as a numerical simulation algorithm for statistical physics. Despite the improvement, WL simulation can still be daunting, especially for large systems or high requirement for resolution. In this project, we demonstrated that it is possible to combine random walk and WL algorithm to produce WL algorithm with multiple walkers, which will be faster than the single walker WL algorithm, if the walkers are processed in parallel by different CPU cores.
Advisor : SZETO Kwok Yip / PHYS Student : WU Degang / PHYS-PP
(UROP1200, Summer 2011)
Advisor : SZETO Kwok Yip / PHYS
Student : ZHANG Liangsheng / PHYS-PP (UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Random Walk on Complex Network and Application to Numerical
Simulation for Statistical Physics
Parrondo’s paradox, also called Parrondo’s game, refers to situation where two losing games can combine to form a winning game. Parrondo’s game consists of game A and game, and the latter has a parameter M, which is often a fixed number. We extend the game by allowing M to be uncertain, i.e., M can be one of two possible values, according to a distribution. We found that the extended game has some interesting properties that are not present in the original game, and some of such properties are studied in this project.
Game Theory on Networks: Asymmetric Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma of
Two Companies with Partial Imitation Rule
The asymmetric case of two companies Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma (PID) is characterized by three different payoff matrices under one-step memory partial imitation rule (pIR), on a fully connected network is studied through the replicate equiation approach. The generalization of replicate equations from one-company case is proven to be self-consistent and results drawn from them are compared with simluation results, whose agreement is acceptable. A stationary-point like phenomenon is observed and understood through replicate equiations, which leads to the approximate reduction of asymmetric case to the symmetric case, and further equivalent to one-company case. The approximation is acceptable and hence the phase phenomenon of asymmetric case case be predicted from symmetric case.
Advisor : WONG Kam Sing / PHYS Student : NG Ka Long Gary / PHYS-PM
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS Student : LI Sai Lung / MATH & PHYS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : WONG Michael K Y / PHYS Student : YE Piao / APHYS-MS
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Magnetic Field Tuning of Luminescence Magnetic Particles
In photophysics, there are radioactive and radiationless processes, and the focus of this project is on radioactive process. When an atom is excited by laser light, it will be excited to a high energy state. After a short period of time (typical to the order of nanosecond), it will return to a low energy state and emit light. This process is called photoluminescence (PL). The wavelength of the emitted light can be different from that of the excited light. Our experiment uses magnetic fluorescent silica nanoparticles (MFSNPs) which are superparamagnetic and contains iron, but the nanoparticles themselves do not emit light. The organic molecules attached to these nanoparticles are responsible for the light emission, and therefore, it is suspected that properties of MFSNPs depend on the applied magnetic field. In this experiment, we investigate the dependence of PL spectrum and time-resolved PL on the strength of magnetic field under room temperature and low temperature.
Wireless Sensor Networks
Wireless sensor networks are frequently used in our daily lives. For instance, they are used in detecting air pollution, forest fires and even the Greenhouse Effect. In order to prolong the lifespan of the entire system and maintain acceptable level of service, the energy supply should be minimized. The focus of this project is to explore methods that can minimize energy consumption of wireless senor networks under constraints.
Energy Optimization in Wireless Sensor Network
A sensor is a device that converts a physical quantity (such as heat, light, sound, pressure or magnetism) to a signal, and transmits the resulting impulse to upstream observers or controllers. The developing technology of designing and producing sensors and the increasing demand for using sensors in large-scale applications have made wireless sensor network a popular methodology in many industries. One major concern is that wireless sensor network is constrained by energy consumption in battery-powered nodes. Since most sensor networks are applied in remote, vast areas, they must have as long life span as possible. My work in this project involves designing a computer simulation program aimed at determining the optimal state of energy consumption in simple networks.
Advisor : YANG Zhi Yu / PHYS Student : CHEN Junxin / PHYS
(UROP1100, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YANG Zhi Yu / PHYS Student : LUO Yunqiu / PHYS-PP
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Advisor : YANG Zhi Yu / PHYS Student : LUO Yunqiu / PHYS-PP
(UROP1200, Spring 2011)
Manufacture of Photoic Crystals and their Spectrum
Photonic crystal is a kind of crystal with some special photonic properties, and one of the most significant properties is the full gap of photonic band, which can increase the efficiency of instruments such as laser generator. The aim of this project is to explore possible ways to manufacture full gap photonic crystal. The samples made by exposing AgI solution with opals directly in the Xe-light, or tested with adding hydroquinone as redactor. However, no full gap or partial gap has yet been found. Another method is exposing AgI colloid in the Xe-light and dropping the remaining colloid on the opals is still being testing, and there have yet been a positive result. Further work will be continued in the next semester.
Fabrication and Characterization of Three Dimensional True Gap
Photonic Crystals in the Visible Light Wavelength Range
In this semester, main methods are explored for the fabrication of silica based true gap photonic crystals. After testing, it is found that the Stober method is the best way of synthesizing silica nanoparticles, and N-(2-Aminoethyl)-3-Aminopropyl Silanetriol (NAOS) is a good material for bonding silver with silica nanoparticles surface. More work will be done in controlling the size and amount of coated silver particles, and new methods will be explored and developed.
Photonic Crystals
Following the work done in previous semester, I have made progress in the approach of silver nanoparticles coating, and the combination method of annealing and latent of image in photography. Although there have been some drawbacks in transmission spectra of the combination method, the satisfactory improvement in reflection spectra is quite promising. Therefore, we will continue to focus on this method with variation of different experimental parameters.
Advisor : YANG Zhi Yu / PHYS Student : LUO Yunqiu / PHYS-PP
(UROP1300, Summer 2011)
Photonic Crystals
To conclude the work done on methods of silver coating on silica opals, althought the combination method of latent image in photography and homemade silver nanoparticles seems systematic and promising in design, it fail to demostrate good spectra result. Another method, the colloidal silver iodide annealing, is relatively simple and it shows the best improvement on the partial gap so far.
Engineering
School of
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K divider_seng_page.pdf 2011/11/24 15:24:39Advisor : CHAU Ying / CBME Student : FENG Teng / CBPE
(UROP1100, Fall 2010)
Advisor : CHEN Guohua / CBME Student : XU Lang / CENG
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LAM Koon Fung / CBME Student : LEI Ho Man / CEEV
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
School of Engineering
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Self-assembling Peptide Hydrogel as Enzyme-sensitive Protein Release
Depot
Self-assembling peptides can form hydrogel under physiological conditions, and have promising potential and applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery. In recent decades, researchers have found and synthesized many different self-assembling peptides and characterized their structures. Some self-assembling peptides themselves are sensitive to specific enzymes, and some others can be degraded after modifications such as inserting an enzyme cleavable sequence. In this project, (IEGR)4, a short peptide sequence, is tested to see if it can form hydrogel under physiological condition. The self-assembling and gelling capabilities of this peptide are studied by dynamical mechanical analysis and atomic force microscopy. Degree of enzyme degradation by Factor Xa is studied by high-pressure liquid chromatography.
Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbon as Anodes Materials for Lithium Ion
Batteries
Mesoporous carbon serves as a good alternative to the anode material for lithium ion batteries. Ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 was synthesized using SBA-15 silica as the template and sucrose as the carbon precursor. Characterizations were done for the synthesized samples using nitrogen physisorption, XRD and TEM. The synthesized CMK-3 was assembled into coin cells and their performance was tested.
Techno-economic Analysis of Hydrogen Production
Distributed hydrogen economy is a promising topic in the transport sector. However, as hydrogen can be produced from various materials by many different processes. This project focuses on analyzing the feasibility of distributed hydrogen production in the world, in terms of availability of raw materials, technology and microeconomics. Finally, the macroeconomic is then assessed on the global impact of distributed hydrogen production.
Advisor : LAM Koon Fung / CBME Student : LUK Ho Ting / CENG
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LAM Koon Fung / CBME Student : NG Wai Yee / CENG
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : LAM Koon Fung / CBME Student : TSUI Tsz Cheung / CENG
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Techno-economic Analysis of Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas
It is well established that hydrogen has the potential to make signification contributions to the world’s energy production. However, there has been a wide lack of agreement on the nascent stage of using distributed production for hydrogen as fuel in the vehicles industry. This work aims to establish the best pathway of hydrogen production from natural gas by performing technological and economic analysis. Additional economic sensitivity analysis has also been constructed to evaluate the impact of variables such as natural gas feedstock price, capital of investment and operating capacity factor on the overall hydrogen production cost.
Techno-economic Analysis of Hydrogen Production from Biomass
This project aims at analyzing the feasibility of producing hydrogen at gas station from biomass. From the technical and economic analysis, it is suggested that biomass can be firstly converted into an intermediate chemical or mixture in liquid form, followed by transporting to the gas stations. Hydrogen is finally produced from the intermediate compounds on demand. It is found that bio-oil is the best intermediate chemical, from the feasibility, economic competitiveness and investment return perspectives.
Simulations of Separation Processes for Propylene Glycol-water Mixture
This project targets to design and optimize the separation of propylene glycol (PG) from PG-water mixture, and to find out an optimum method with the lowest total energy by computer simulation using ASPEN PLUS. Three methods, namely: Flash-drum, Reflux-distillation, and Hybrid-process are studied and simulated to determine the optimum method, with results in favor of the Hybrid-process method.
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : LUI Yat Chuen / CBME Student : FU Xiayi / CHEM
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : CHEN Xinqing / CBME Student : HE Naien / CBPE
(UROP1100, Spring 2011)
Pump Formulation for Nano-particles
Nano-particles is extensively studied in many fields, such as pharmacy and cosmetics. With properties such as prolonged and controlled release of actives, protection of unstable chemical, targeted drug delivery and odor shielding, the production of nano-particles is of increasing importance in modern industry. By using different coating polymers, nano-capsules with different sizes and properties can be prepared. In this project, nano-particles encapsulating chlorine dioxide (CIO2) are prepared from preformed polymers; a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) double emulsion with “release-killing” property is then formed. Copper sulfate is then added into the double emulsion mixture to obtain a “contact-killing” property. Active triblock copolymers of polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene (i.e. Pluronic P123 and F127) are used as coating materials in the forming of nano-particles, which prevents activated CIO2 from degradation, allows prolonged and controlled release of CIO2 and blocks the irritant odor at the same time.
Heavy Metal Adsorption from Seawater
Both copper and chromium have been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as pollutants because of their toxic impact to the environment. In an effort to find a cheap and effective adsorbent, Zeolites, which has cage-like microporous structure with exchangeable counter cations, is found to be very effective. However, the amount of molecules that can be absorbed is limited by the pore diameter and the length of the diffusion path. As an alternative, Mesoporous silicates have larger pore volume and diameter, higher surface area and regular channel type structures. Another adjustment that can be done is to introduce amino group in mesoporous silicates. In this project, a series of experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of amino modified and metal grafted MCM-41 in seawater, along with the pH effect and adsorption isotherm, in order to find out the performance of adsorbent in real seawater environment.
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : CHEN Xinqing / CBME Student : HE Naien / CBPE
(UROP1200, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : CHEN Xinqing / CBME Student : HO Hanson / CENG
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : LEUNG Hong Hang / CBME Student : LAM Tsz Ying Gene / CBPE
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Heavy Metal Adsorption from Seawater
T
o continue my work from the previous semester, I prepare MCM-41 to be grafted using mono-, di- and tri-amino-organoalkoxysilanes with different loading. The amino-functionalized MCM-41 adsorb different loading of Fe3+. All the modified MCM-41 have gone through XRD and EA in order to determine their structure and textural properties. Their performance is measured by the adsorption of Cu2+ and Cr6+, both in simple solution and binary solution.Heavy Metal Adsorption from Seawater
The main focus of this summer’s project is on the effectiveness of the adsorption of Cadmium (Cd) under different types of water, especially on seawater as it is often used in real-life applications for treatment of seawater. The isotherm study on the effectiveness of the adsorption power of Cadmium at pH 5 and the effectiveness of the adsorption power at different pH (2 to 5) are performed, both with the di-amino adsorbent (NN-MCM41). The samples are analyzed by the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-AES).
Smart Antimicrobial Coating for Filter Media
Since the epidemic outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the pandemic outbreak of Swine Flu in 2009, there has been an increasing awareness on the role of inhalation of fine particles, ranging from approximately 0.1 to 100 μm in disease transmission. It is important for intensive care providers to be prepared for large-scale airborne epidemic that may cause mass casualty from respiratory failure, and to take protective measures. In this project, the focus is on the filter media that are used in air-purifiers and respirators, and to examine the effect and safety of smart antimicrobial coating on the N95 FFR.
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : LEUNG Hong Hang / CBME Student : LIU King Nok / CEEV
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : HAN Wei / CBME
Student : RAYMOND Gabriel Amit / CENG (UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Advisor : YEUNG King Lun / CBME Co-Advisor : HAN Wei / CBME
Student : SIU Ching Han / CEEV
(UROP1000, Summer 2011)
Effect of Smart Antimicrobial Coating on Postharvest Life and Quality of
Strawberries (Fragaria x Ananassa)
A smart multi-level antimicrobial coating prepared from polymer-encapsulated chlorine dioxide (CIO2), water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) double emulsion is used to extend the shelf-life without affecting the quality of strawberries (Fragaria x Ananassa). The effectiveness of the treatment is assessed by evaluating its impact on fungal decay incidence, weight loss and color. From the results, it can be concluded that the antimicrobial coating can lengthen the shelf life of strawberries and improve their color without affecting their weight.
Preparation of HX and HY Confined Nafion Composite Memberanes for
Self-humidifying Fuel Cells
Preparation of HX and HY-Nafion composite memberanes is attempted by employing a procedure consists of SSM seeding, followed by hydrothermal treatment in a synthesis solution. The initial results, such as SEM images, show very little growth on the SSMs. Subsequent modifications to several parameters, such as composition of the synthesis solution, position of the SSM in said solution, and hydrothermal treatment time and temperature yield much better results.
Preparation of Confined Nafion-zeolite Composite Membrane for
Self-humidifying Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
In this project, we attempt to prepare the confined Nafion-zeolite (HX & HY) composite membranes for self-humidifying proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The design of composite membrane is based on the consideration of improving the proton conductivity of electrolyte membrane by HX and HY. Also, HX and HY have large pore size, which may benefit the functionalization of the membrane. The zeolite layers of NaX, NaY, NaX/Silicalite-1 and NaY/Silicalite-1 on SSM are prepared by seeding and secondary regrowth method.
