Aberdeen University Ontology Reuse Stack

Postprin

Must I retire? : Optional retirement as a solution to ageing workforce

Like many developed societies, Hong Kong is suffering from a rapid ageing population, especially when taking into account the imminent retirement tide of the baby-boomers. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the proportion of the ageing population is projected to rise sharply from 13% in 2011 to 30% in 2041, making Hong Kong a Hyper-aged Society. Since most organisations require their older employees to leave the workforce when these employees are reaching retirement age, the experienced, skillful, and still able-to-work manpower will be completely wasted, which severely lower the city\u27s productivity due to a shrinking labour force. In addition, with the group of ageing workforce gradually leaving the market in the future, the demands on social security and other related expenses are expected to increase

退休準備 : 豐儉不由人

退休意味著失去固定工作收入，亦標誌著生活方式的轉變，同時也會衍生出一系列的健康及社交需要。因此，應制訂一個全面的退休計劃，讓退休人士和準退休人士可更好地應對退休帶來的挑戰

Retirement planning : money matters

Retirement denotes a cut off from monetary income generated from employment, a change of lifestyle, and the emergence of specific healthcare and social needs. A comprehensive retirement plan could be a more feasible approach for pre-retirees and retirees to cope with challenges brought by retirement

Energy-based approach to develop soft robots

Soft robotic systems offer advantages against rigid robot systems in applications that involve physical robot-human interactions, unstructured or extreme environments, and manipulating delicate objects. Soft robots can offer inherently safe operation and adapt to unknown geometry of the environment or object. The current soft robot development approach is an empirical approach starting from a type of soft actuation technology, whereas the development of rigid robots can start from a top-level task in a System Engineering framework. The rigid robot developer can select from well-defined components to construct the task-orientated system. Soft robots are relatively novel systems compared with rigid robots and do not have well-defined components due to a wide range of soft actuation technologies. The initial choice of soft actuation technology places constraints on the system to perform the task. Soft robotic systems are not widely used despite the advantages compared to rigid robots. In this thesis, I study an abstraction approach to enable a System Engineering framework to develop soft robotic systems. My research focus is on an energy-based approach that encompasses the multi-domain nature of soft robotic systems. The impact on the final system from the energy transfer characteristics of the initial choice of the soft actuator has not been fully explored in the literature. I study how energy, and rate of energy transfer (power), can describe different components of each type of soft actuation and how the total energy can model the top-level system. This thesis includes (i) a literature review of soft robots; (ii) an abstraction approach based on bond-graph theory applied to soft actuation technologies; (iii) a port-Hamiltonian theory to describe the top-level soft robotic system, and (iv) an experimental application of the approach on a type of soft actuation technology. In summary, I explore how energy and rate of energy transfer can provide the abstraction approach and in time provide the well-defined components necessary for task-orientated design approaches in a System Engineering framework. In particular, I applied the approach to soft pneumatic systems for additional insights relevant to the development of future task-orientated soft robotic systems.EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Robotics and Autonomous Systems funding

Biogenic synthesis of gold nanoparticles from waste watermelon and their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis

Background: Globally, large quantities (tonnes) of diverse sources of food wastes derived from horticulture are produced and offer a valuable renewable source of biochemical compounds. Developing new recycling and food waste utilisation strategies creates unique opportunities for producing gold (Au) nanoparticles with desirable antibacterial properties. The present study used an eco-friendly procedure for biologically synthesizing gold (Au) nanoparticle shapes from waste Citrullis lanatus var (watermelon).Methods: The green chemistry-based procedure used in this study was straightforward and used both red and green parts of waste watermelon. The generated Au nanoparticles were subsequently evaluated using several advanced characterization techniques. The antibacterial properties of the various extracts and synthesised nanoparticles were evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer sensitivity method.Results: The advanced characterization techniques revealed the Au particles ranged in size from nano (100 nm) up micron (2.5 µm) and had a variety of shapes. The red watermelon extract tended to produce spheres and hexagonal plates, while the green watermelon extract tended to generate triangular shaped nanoparticles. Both red and green watermelon extracts produced nanoparticles with similar antibacterial properties. The most favourable response was achieved using a 5:1 green watermelon-based mixture for Staphylococcus epidermidis, which produced a maximum inhibition zone of 12 mm. While gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli produced a maximum inhibition zone of 10 mm for the same mixture.Conclusions: The study has shown both red and green parts of waste watermelon can be used to produce Au nanoparticles with antibacterial activity towards both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The study has also demonstrated an alternative method for producing high-value Au nanoparticles with potential pharmaceutical applications

Parallel session 4 :Teaching and learning innovations

Presented Titles: Higher Education and COVID-19: Is Hybrid Teaching/Learning the Solution? [Author: Francis Arthur-Holmes] Technology-enabled Teaching and Learning in COVID-19: Implication for Professional Development in Hong Kong’s Post-secondary Colleges [Authors: Beatrice Yan-yan Dang; Hayes Hei-hang Tang; Joanna WY Yeung] Hybrid Learning: Online Learning in a Residential Environment [Authors: Ying Xiong; Jingduo Bi] Hybrid Education and Collaborative Learning: A Natural Experiment During COVID-19 [Authors: Luyao Zhang; Ying Xiong; Jiaxin Wu] Catching Teachers Off Guard from Remote Learning: An Implication of Innovative Teaching Training in Hong Kong [Authors: Derek Wai-sun Chun; Siu-ho Yau; Wai-man Chan