Comparative study on the liability for trade mark infringement of online auction providers

Despite global economic downturn, online trade, in particular the sale of counterfeit goods via the Internet, continues to soar. An important player in this game is the online auction provider. Though it is not the direct infringer, trademark owners see it as the logical legal defendant. Due to the nature of online auction, an online auction provider may be sued by the same or different plaintiffs in different jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, the outcome of litigation varies from court to court. This fragmented approach of different courts to the liability of online auction providers calls for harmonization of the law. Focusing largely on the recent lawsuits against Ebay in different jurisdictions, this article suggests that an improved solution based on the German model may be the best way forward.Despite global economic downturn, online trade, in particular the sale of counterfeit goods via the Internet, continues to soar. An important player in this game is the online auction provider. Though it is not the direct infringer, trademark owners see it as the logical legal defendant. Due to the nature of online auction, an online auction provider may be sued by the same or different plaintiffs in different jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, the outcome of litigation varies from court to court. This fragmented approach of different courts to the liability of online auction providers calls for harmonization of the law. Focusing largely on the recent lawsuits against Ebay in different jurisdictions, this article suggests that an improved solution based on the German model may be the best way forward.postprin

Identifying projected clusters from gene expression profiles

In microarray gene expression data, clusters may hide in subspaces. Traditional clustering algorithms that make use of similarity measurements in the full input space may fail to detect the clusters. In recent years a number of algorithms have been proposed to identify this kind of projected clusters, but many of them rely on some critical parameters whose proper values are hard for users to determine. In this paper a new algorithm that dynamically adjusts its internal thresholds is proposed. It has a low dependency on user parameters while allowing users to input some domain knowledge should they be available. Experimental results show that the algorithm is capable of identifying some interesting projected clusters from real microarray data.published_or_final_versio

The distal radius and ulna classification in assessing skeletal maturity: a simplified scheme and reliability analysis

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Molecular Mechanism of Capacitative Calcium Entry Deficits in Familial Alzheimer’s Disease

Poster PresentationPresenilin (PS) is the catalytic subunit of the gamma-secretase which is responsible for the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein to form beta amyloid (Aβ). Mutations in PS associated with familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD) increase the Aβ plaques formation in the brain and cause neurodegeneration. Apart from this, FAD-linked PS mutations have been demonstrated to disrupt intracellular calcium (Ca2+) regulation. Accumulating evidence suggests that Ca2+ disruption may play a proximal role in the AD pathogenesis. Mutant PS exaggerated Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It also attenuated Ca2+ entry through the capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) pathway, yet, the mechanism is not fully understood. Using a human neuroblast cell line SH-SY5Y and Ca2+ imaging technique, we observed CCE deficits in FAD-linked PS1-M146L retroviral infected cell. The attenuation of CCE in PS1 mutant cells was not mediated by the down-regulation of STIM1 and Orai1 expression, the known essential molecular players in the CCE pathway. Instead, we identified a molecular interaction between PS and STIM1 proteins by immunoprecipitation. On the other hand, immunofluorescence staining showed a significant reduction in puncta formation after ER Ca2+ depleted by thapsigargin in cells infected with PS1-M146L as compared to the wild type PS1 infected cells. Taken together, our results suggest a molecular mechanism for the CCE deficits in FAD associated with PS1 mutations. The interaction of mutant PS1 with STIM1 exerts a negative impact on its oligomerization and/or its interaction with Orai1. Our results may suggest molecular targets for the development of therapeutic agents that help to treat the disease.published_or_final_versio

Patch-Clamp Study of Single Ryanodine Receptor Channels in the Outer Nuclear Membrane

Poster presentationModulation of cytoplasmic free calcium (Ca2+) concentration is a universal signaling pathway that regulates numerous cellular processes. Ubiquitous intracellular Ca2+ release channels – inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) channels – localized in the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) play a central role in this pathway in all animal cells. Electrophysiological study of the single-channel conductance and gating properties of these Ca2+ release channels with conventional patch-clamp approach has been hindered by their intracellular localization. To overcome this limitation, patch-clamp electrophysiology has been applied on isolated nuclei where these Ca2+ release channels are found abundantly in the outer nuclear envelope. We have successfully uterlized this nuclear membrane electrophysiology to study the gating properties of single InsP3R channels in several cellular systems. Whereas, all the current single channel data, including channel conductance, permeation properties, and ligand regulation, of the RyR channels were done exclusively by reconstituting the channels into artificial planar lipid bilayers. To gain insights into the single channel properties of the RyR in its native membrane milieu, we applied nuclear membrane electrophysiological study on isolated nuclei from stable-inducible mouse RyR2 HEK-293 cells. Using potassium as charge carrier, caffeine activated single channel current with conductance of 750 pS in isolated nuclei. This caffeine activated current showed a linear current/voltage relationship under symmetrical ionic conditions and was sensitive to non-specific RyR inhibitor, ruthenium red. Furthermore, the single RyR channels recorded from the outer nuclear membrane exhibited bi-phasic Ca2+ regulation. In conclusion, we demonstrated, for the first time, that single RyR channels recordings from isolated nuclei and our results suggested that the nuclear membrane electrophysiology could be a sensitive and robust technique to study the gating properties of intracellular channels, including the InsP3R and RyR.published_or_final_versio

Characteristics of local migraine patients

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赵元任五度制标调法 : 理论与实际

Author name used in this publication: 张群显Title in Traditional Chinese: 趙元任五度制標調法 : 理論與實際Journal title in Traditional Chinese: 學術研究2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

On hierarchical palmprint coding with multiple features for personal identification in large databases

Author name used in this publication: Wai-Kin KongAuthor name used in this publication: King Hong Cheung2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Observation of enhanced visible and infrared emissions in photonic crystal thin-film light-emitting diodes

Photonic crystals, in the form of closed-packed nano-pillar arrays patterned by nanosphere lithography, have been formed on the n-faces of InGaN thin-film vertical light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Through laser lift-off of the sapphire substrate, the thin-film LEDs conduct vertically with reduced dynamic resistances, as well as reduced thermal resistances. The photonic crystal plays a role in enhancing light extraction, not only at visible wavelengths but also at infrared wavelengths boosting heat radiation at high currents, so that heat-induced effects on internal quantum efficiencies are minimized. The observations are consistent with predictions from finite-difference time-domain simulations. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.published_or_final_versio

A study of aggregated 2D Gabor features on appearance-based face recognition

Author name used in this publication: Wai-Kin KongAuthor name used in this publication: David ZhangRefereed conference paper2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe