Sums of Quadratic Functions with Two Discriminants and Farkas' Identities with Quartic Characters.

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

A Generalization to Bellman and Shapiro's Method on the Sum of Digital Sum Functions

Consider the digital sum function in base 2. In 1948, R. Bellman and H.N. Shapiro proved a formula for the sum of digital sum functions in base 2 up to a certain number with an error term. However, there was a mistake in their proof. We are able to correct the mistake and walk in their footsteps while retaining their idea and method to prove the theorem. We also generalized their method to prove the same theorem for general base

Synthesis and characterization of tin-modified mesoporous silica MCM-48 for selective oxidation of alcohol to aldehyde

Tin-modified mesoporous silica MCM-48 with various Si/Sn ratios has been prepared by post synthesis modification in alkaline medium. Local rice husk ash (RHA) has been used as Si precursor in the synthesis of Si-MCM-48 samples while SnCl2 was used as the tin source in the modification. The tin-modified MCM-48 samples were characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance (UV-Vis DR) spectroscopy, nitrogen physisorption measurement, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) analysis. Surface acidity of the prepared samples was determined by using pyridine adsorption-desorption measurement followed by FTIR spectroscopy. In addition, thermal and hydrothermal stability testing for the tin-modified samples were carried out. The FTIR, UV-Vis DR and XRD results show that tetrahedral tin species can be introduced into the mesoporous material without destroying the framework structure of the molecular sieves. Surface acidity studies confirm that Lewis acid sites had been generated on the mesoporous silica MCM-48 by post-synthesis modification. The generation of Lewis acid sites could be due to the introduction of tin species and/or because of defect sites that had been created during post-synthesis modification. Tin-modified sample SnM60 (Si/Sn = 60) possessed highest amount of Lewis acidity. In oxidation of benzyl alcohol, all the tinmodified samples gave 100% selectivity to benzaldehyde in reaction time under 22 hours. The catalytic activity can be correlated with the Lewis acid sites generated by post-synthesis modification. Purely siliceous MCM-48 and physically mixed tincontaining MCM-48 samples that possesses no Lewis acidity gave poor performance in the catalytic reaction. With the increase in the amount of oxidant in the reaction mixtures, the conversion of benzyl alcohol increased significantly but the selectivity for benzaldehyde was reduced. For reusability test, the catalytic performance of the re-used samples was maintained within 5-10% after two cycles of reuse without significant loss of activity. Comparison of the catalytic performance of SnM60 in the oxidation of unsaturated primary alcohols and saturated aliphatic primary alcohol towards the corresponding aldehydes showed higher % conversion of the unsaturated primary alcohols than that of the saturated aliphatic primary alcoho

Farmer\u27s Life: an age-friendly toy 「農夫歲月」: 以長者為主題的全齡玩具

...The board game involves four kinds of cards that indicate matters of fate, opportunities, scenarios and challenges, all of which are related to elderly people’s daily lives. The ‘Farmer’s Life’ has been revised to a third edition, and has been published and tested on various public or industry-related platforms for the elderly. 這項桌上遊戲設有四款遊戲卡牌，分別代表命運、機會、情景和挑戰，全都與長者的日常生活息息相關。「農夫歲月」已修訂至第三版，推出後已在為長者而設的不同公眾及產業相關平台接受測試。 Award: Silver奬項: 銀

<em>Escherichia coli</em>: A Versatile Platform for Recombinant Protein Expression

Among the living organisms, Escherichia coli has been the most common choice employed for recombinant protein expression. In addition to its well-characterized genetics, E. coli is fast growing, relatively cheap, and easy to handle. These fine properties, in conjunction with the success achieved in transforming plasmid DNA into E. coli, as well as the advent of various genetic engineering techniques in the 1970s, have enabled E. coli to be considered as the most favorable host for genetic manipulations. The recent advances in better comprehension of regulatory controls of gene expression and the availability of various novel approaches, which include both intracellular, e.g., through intein-mediated expression and self-cleavages, and extracellular, e.g., through the use of secretion signals, to achieve successful expression of the target proteins in E. coli further support the view that E. coli is the most promising host choice for heterologous protein expression

Public healthcare financing and provision in Hong Kong : a public-private partnership approach

published_or_final_versionPolitics and Public AdministrationMasterMaster of Public Administratio

Potassium-modified bifunctional MgAl-SBA-15 for aldol condensation of furfural and acetone

The aldol condensation of furfural and acetone followed by hydrodeoxygenation into bio-jet fuel range alkanes and bio-polyester diols has attracted intensive interest in recent years. Such sequential reactions require a careful tailoring of one or more catalysts consisting of metal and acid–base active sites that can efficiently promote the two step cascade aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation. Here, we have begun developing a prominent base catalyst for mild aldol condensation of furfural and acetone by synthesizing acid–base bifunctional MgAl-SBA-15 and further modifying it with potassium. The catalyst with the highest basic site loading of 0.27 mmol g−1 showed a furfural conversion of 83% and 99% total selectivity to products comprising 54% 4-(2-furyl)-4-hydroxy-butan-2-one (FAc-OH, a C8 alcohol intermediate) and 23% of each 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one (FAc) and 1,4-pentadiene-3-one,1,5-di-2-furanyl (F2Ac) (C8 and C13 aldol condensation products, respectively) after 3 hours of reaction, at 50 °C. Though a higher loading of potassium causes severe blockages of mesopores and inaccessible acid sites, the catalyst could still be regenerated by open-air calcination and be re-used for considerable cycles with fair catalytic performances. Overall, the present study can be the stepping stone for future investigations on further tuning of non-interfering active sites in SBA-15 to promote an efficient one-pot transformation of furfural and acetone via the two-step cascade aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation

Hong Kong Renal Registry Report 2012

SummaryThis report examined the characteristics and trends of dialysis and renal transplant patients among the resident population of Hong Kong who were managed by hospitals or dialysis centers of the Hospital Authority, and accounted for approximately 95% of all patients receiving renal replacement therapies (RRTs) in the territory. Patients receiving RRTs solely in the private sector were not included in this report. Data trends from 1996 to 2011 are presented. In 2011, 1115 new patients were accepted into RRT programs, and the incident rate was 157 patients per million populations (pmp). An increasing trend was noted. The incident rate was 95.1 pmp at the commencement of the annual report in 1996. The point prevalence on December 31, 2012 was 8197 with a prevalence rate of 1152.5 pmp. Overall, there were 3573 patients (43.6%) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 1246 patients (15.2%) on hemodialysis (HD), and 3378 patients (41.2%) were living with a functioning renal transplant. The PD/HD ratio was 74.2:25.8. The “PD First” policy was continued. The overall mortality rate among RRT patients was 9.95 patients per 100 patient-years exposed. There was a decreasing trend in mortality among PD patients. Infection and cardiovascular complications were the most common causes of death. Renal transplant was the modality with the best survival rates. The 5 years cumulative patient survival rate for patients on transplant treatment was 89.6%, whereas the corresponding patient survival rates for PD and HD patients were 50.7% and 55.7%, respectively. More than 70% of RRT patients with reports on rehabilitation were active and had normal daily activities