PolyU Science in the News

Prof. Jintu Fan introduces future fabrics in TVB programme

Prof. Jintu Fan, Chair Professor and Head of Institute of Textile and Clothing at PolyU, was featured in TVB programme Futurescope (看出個未來) to introduce the future fabrics developed by PolyU. PolyU has cooperated with various brands to launch series of functional clothing, including the sportswear worn by Hong Kong athletes in the Winter Olympics. Prof. Fan believes integrating smart devices into sportswear will become the trend in the future. He pointed out that while wearable electronic devices has increased by 28% per annum in the past decade, they anticipated that the growth will reach 40% per annum in the next ten years. He revealed that his team is conducting a research on "skin-like" fabric. Unlike the existing breathable fabrics in the market, the "skin-like" fabric even mimics the sweating glands underneath our skin, as such the water transmission rate is much higher than the commercial breathable fabrics. Apart from human body, animals and plants are also the imitating targets when designing fabrics. One of the PolyU's invention is a thin membrane that imitates leaves. Like a leaf, there are pores on the membrane which will open under humid environment, so provides a better ventilation and hence comfortability to the wearer. It is believed that amid the pandemic, the use of such future fabrics will be widely extended, including personal protection gears. Prof. Fan also expects that the weather will be getting more and more extreme in the future, and these fabrics will help our body maintaining normal biological status under these extreme circumstances. TVB 看出個未來 28 January 2021

PolyU launches first real-time remote laboratory in Asia

PolyU and the secondary school users recently shared the benefits of the "Borderless Lab 365", developed and launched by PolyU in 2019 and is also the first real-time remote laboratory in Asia. The Lab allows both university and secondary students to perform experiments remotely anywhere and anytime. Dr Mak Chee-leung, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Physics, said after logging in, students can control remotely the equipment in PolyU's laboratory and adjust the parameters themselves to perform experiments and collect data for scientific analysis. With over HK$5 million funded by the Quality Education Fund, the platform has benefitted more than 350 secondary students from about 20 secondary schools. Over 350 PolyU students have used the platform as well. Six experiments are available currently in the platform. Dr Mak said they are targeting at increasing the number of experiments to 15 by the end of this year, and planning to cover more subjects and other elements like virtual reality. 香港新聞網 港理大建亞洲首個“遙控”實驗室 25 January 2021 香港01 理大團隊研實時遙距實驗平台 疫情下助學生無需返校亦可做實驗 25 January 2021 經濟通 理大網上科學平台 中學生全天候遙距實驗 25 January 2021 教育家報 理大研發「全天候科學實驗室」亞洲區首個同類型實時遙距實驗平台 25 January 2021 looop.hk 理大建「全天候實驗室」中學生可遙距操作 25 January 2021 中國新聞網 香港理工大学研发出亚洲首个远距离“遥控”实验室 25 January 2021 封面 香港理工大学研发出亚洲首个远距离“遥控”实验室 25 January 2021 東方網 香港理工大学研发出亚洲首个远距离“遥控”实验室 25 January 2021 光明網 香港理工大学研发出亚洲首个远距离“遥控”实验室 25 January 2021 中新網 香港理工大学研发出亚洲首个远距离“遥控”实验室 25 January 2021 東方日報 A13 亞洲首個理大實時遙距平台 學生隔空做實驗 25 January 2021 蘋果日報 理大全天候科學實驗室 讓中學生家中上實驗課 25 January 2021 明報 A08 理大遙距實驗平台 教師薦SBA疫下採用 25 January 2021 經濟日報 A15 理大全天候實驗室 提升教學效益 25 January 2021 星島日報 F01 理大遙距平台升級 助高中生疫下做實驗 25 January 2021 AM730 A12 理大創遙距實驗室 中學生「隔著螢幕」做實驗 25 January 2021 大公報 A07 理大“全天候实验室” 中学生可遥距操作 25 January 2021 文匯報 A07 理大建亞洲首個「遙控」實驗室 25 January 2021 經濟一周 理大創遙距實驗室 中學生「隔著螢幕」做實驗 25 January 2021 晴報 P09 理大網上科學平台 中學生全天候遙距實驗 25 January 2021

凍牆搶走體溫 腹額冰冷 低溫症響警號

天文台上周發布「新界多處地區有顯著的輻射冷卻」，部分地區氣溫降至3℃或以下。原來不止戶外地方，連家中都會出現輻射冷卻，再加上傳導效應，不但令室溫下降，還吸走人體熱量。 英國國民保健服務（NHS）建議，冬天時室內溫度應不低於18℃，是否適用於香港？近期持續寒冷，室溫隨時跌破18℃，即使關緊門窗仍然凍入心脾，如何保暖？ 熱力有3種傳播方法，包括傳導（conduction）、輻射（radiation）和對流（convection）；香港理工大學應用物理學系副教授曾遠康表示，「輻射冷卻效應」及「對流冷卻效應」都會引致室溫下降，令人寒冷。 他解釋，根據熱力學第零及第二定律（zeroth and second law of thermodynamics），能量傾向平均分佈達到平衡（thermal equilibrium），以及熱量會由高溫傳向低溫。故當天氣寒冷，氣溫長期維持在10℃左右時，室內牆壁會因為傳導效應，由標準室溫約20℃慢慢冷卻至10℃左右。「輻射冷卻效應」指的就是人體表面溫度（約36℃）與室內牆壁表面溫度（約10℃）出現溫差，人體熱量於是經輻射傳給環境，令人寒冷。 香港理工大學屋宇設備工程學系副系主任及副教授梅國威補充，熱輻射是物體用電磁波（electromagnetic wave）將熱能向外散發的傳熱方式，如暖爐向人體散發熱量，人會溫暖；相反，當人的熱量被其他物件吸收，便有「輻射冷卻」。 心臟血流量增多 可致心臟病 長期處於寒冷環境，可引起各種疾病。香港急症科醫學院院長胡詠儀表示，在低溫環境下，為減低熱量流失，身體會減少血液流至四肢，導致手腳冰冷；同時，流到心臟的血流量增多，增加心臟負擔，導致因急性心臟病、低溫症而送到急症室的個案增加，長者更是低溫症的高危族。胡解釋，連接腦下垂體的下丘腦負責控制對冷熱溫度的感覺，但長者調節體溫、感覺冷熱的能力較低，未必有足夠判斷力適時添加衣物，建議大家多關心和探望長者，尤其是獨居的長者。留意他們的精神狀態，如果對答如流，代表血液循環到腦部充足，便毋須太過擔心。若長者手腳太冰冷，應開暖爐、穿上手套及襪子保暖。 徵兆：發抖、精神紊亂 人體具有體溫調節機能，一般維持在37℃左右，稱為核心溫度。若接近人體核心溫度的額頭、腹部等部位持續冰冷，並同時出現發抖及精神紊亂，則需要特別留意，可能是低溫症徵兆。 詳情轉載自明報 > 副刊 > 健康

HKTDC and PolyU launch new online-to-offline collaboration

FASHIONALLY.com, a non-profit local fashion platform pioneered by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has launched a debut collaboration with the ITC STORE of PolyU to create a brand-new online-to-offline (O2O) marketing and promotion channel to nurture business opportunities for local fashion designers. From now to 11 April, the ITC STORE X FASHIONALLY online store will feature a series of seven fashion brands from the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest. Meanwhile, ITC STORE’s physical showroom will showcase exclusive fashion items from selected brands on a monthly basis, providing a new O2O shopping experience for fashion lovers. Details of FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration Online-to-offline concept nurtures business opportunities | FASHIONALLY 聯乘 ITC STORE 全新企劃 推出線上線下（O2O）時尚購物平台創商機 Asiaone FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration 14 January 2021 ScoopAsia FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration 14 January 2021 ACN Newswire FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration 14 January 2021 Benzinga FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration 14 January 2021 BizWire Express FASHIONALLY and ITC STORE launch new collaboration 14 January 2021

Two PolyU projects secure UGC’s COVID-19 research funding

The funding results of the One-off Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2020/21 and One-off CRF COVID-19 and Novel Infectious Disease Exercise (One-off CRF exercise) allocated by the University Grants Committee (UGC) and Research Grants Council (RGC) was released recently. 27 COVID-19 related collaborative research projects led by various local universities will share an additional HK$150 million. Among them, two projects coordinated by PolyU have secured about HK$13 million in total. One of the PolyU projects, multi-level synergistic COVID-19 point-of-care diagnostics based on upconversion luminescence biosensing platform, will receive a funding of over HK$8.4 million. Led by Professor Hao Jianhua, Associate Head and Professor of Department of Applied Physics, the project aims to provide multi-level synergistic diagnostics platform and reflect full spectrum of infected patients’ information for point-of-care diagnostics, which could help avoid false-positive or false-negative results. Another project Effective Ventilation Strategies for Mitigating Infection Risks in Hospitals, led by Dr Mui Kwok-wai Horace, Associate Head and Associate Professor of Department of Building Services Engineering, is allocated a funding of over HK$4.4 million. The project aims to evaluate the infection risk of various ventilation strategies in hospitals with the aid of computational modelling. The One-off CRF was launched last year in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. The University of Hong Kong and City University share the funding with 15 and four projects respectively, while the Chinese University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Baptist University and the Education University have one to two projects each. Details of Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2020/21 and One-off CRF Covid-19 and Novel Infectious Diseases Research Exercises (One-off CRF exercise) Funding Results | 協作研究金: 2020/21 年度撥款結果   Lion Rock Daily P07 七大學研抗疫 教資會批1.5億 13 January 2021 文匯報 A10 教資會批1.5億 助七大研抗疫 13 January 2021

PolyU nurtures talents in global food safety management

PolyU’s Master of Science programme in Global Food Safety Management and Risk Analysis is featured in the magazine JUMP. Dr Ka-Hing Wong, the Programme Leader, said safety management and risk analysis are the two vital elements for food safety, either in the corporate and the government levels. Dr Wong said in recent years the demand for food safety talents has been increasing, thanks to the tightened requirements. As such, many industry players want to acquire more relevant knowledge to prepare for the career. PolyU’s Master of Science in Global Food Safety Management and Risk Analysis, launched in 2019, is responding to this demand. The programme is targeted at graduates who would like to pursue a career in food safety, including government officials in Hong Kong and neighbour courtries. Dr. Kevin Kwok Wing-hin, Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, said PolyU is the first overseas institutions to corporate with the Joint Institute For Food Safety And Applied Nutrition, US (JIFSAN), which will dedicate official to give classes to PolyU students. Students will receive PolyU’s official Graduate Certificate as well as an official training certificate on risk analysis issued by JIFSAN after completion. Dr. Amber Chiou Jiachi, Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, said the programme focuses on both theory and practical, which will further equip students with practical knowledge who already obtained a food safety or food science degree.   明報 環球食品安全管理及風險分析理學碩士學位課程 強化專業知識 成就食安人才 為市民健康把關 8 January 2021  

RGC honours outstanding research academics in Hong Kong

The Research Grants Council (RGC) organised an award presentation ceremony on 24 November 2020 to honour academics from University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities for their distinguished research achievements and significant contributions to the higher education sector. Prof. WONG Wai-yeung, Raymond, Clarea Au Professor in Energy, Chair Professor of Chemical Technology and Interim Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, and Dr QIAO Zhonghua, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Mathematics are among the inaugural cohorts of the RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme and RGC Research Fellow Scheme respectively. The Schemes provide funding to awardees to cover relief from teaching and administrative duties as well as support for research projects. The 10 RGC Senior Research Fellows including Prof. WONG received the awards in person at the UGC Secretariat's office. The recipients of the awards were selected through a rigorous process and keen competition overseen by RGC selection panels. Their award citations are displayed on the RGC website. Details: https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/about/press_speech_other/press/2020/pr24112020.html 研資局表揚香港優秀研究學者 (Chinese)  

PolyU wins three TechConnect Global Innovation Awards

PolyU won three "Global Innovation Awards" at the TechConnect Business Virtual Summit and Showcase 2020 (TechConnect). It is the fourth year that PolyU research teams snatched the prestigious awards at the world's largest multi-sector event for fostering development and commercialisation of innovations. The TechConnect Global Innovation Awards identify the top 15% of submitted technologies based on their potential positive impact on a specific industry sector. Over 400 submissions were received this year including those from global top-notch universities and technology enterprises, and only 13 were presented with the global awards designated for non-US-funded innovations across the world. The three award-winning innovation PolyU presented include the "Water Dispersible Autofluorescent Polymer Dots Comprising of Non-Conjugated Polymers" by Professor Pei Li, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, "PolyUStimulator – Ultrasound Driven Piezoelectric Stimulator for Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation" by Professor Yong-ping Zheng and Dr Monzurul Alam, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and "A Time-dependent Machine-Learning-based Prediction System for Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis" by Mr Toby Li and Mr Justin Chan, MPhil students under the supervision of Dr Chunyi Wen, Department of Biomedical Engineering (submission made under CLAIRE Clinical AI Research). Dr Terence Lau, Interim Associate Vice President (Innovation and Technology Development) remarked these award-winning technologies span from benefiting human health to various industrial applications. These awards reassure PolyU about the strategic direction of its research and innovation and the goal of being a world-class research university. 理大三項科研成果勇奪「TechConnect全球創新獎」(Chinese)   星島日報 F01 理大三科研成果 獲全球創新獎 18 Nov 2020 巴士的報 理大三科研成果 獲全球創新獎 18 Nov 2020 大公報 A14 理大三科研成果夺"Connect全球创新奖" 18 Nov 2020 Hong Kong Commercial Daily 理大3項科研成果勇奪「TechConnect全球創新獎」 18 Nov 2020  

PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award

Professor Xiao-ming TAO, Chair Professor of Textile Technology and Director of the Research Centre for Smart Wearable Technology, Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), was honoured with the 13th Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). The award presentation ceremony was held in Beijing today (8 November). The biennial award is China's most prestigious award for Chinese engineers and scientists who have made significant contributions to engineering technology and engineering management. Since the establishment of the award in 1996, more than 250 individuals from across the spectrum of engineering disciplines have been recognised for their outstanding achievements. This year, 41 awardees were selected from 296 candidates and Professor TAO is one of the three award recipients from Hong Kong. All the three Hong Kong awardees were nominated by the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HKAES). Professor TAO is internationally recognised for her leading research work on intelligent fibrous materials, nanotechnology, photonic fibres and fabrics, flexible electronic and photonic devices, smart washable technology, yarn manufacturing and textile composites. She has conducted numerous research projects and published more than 800 scientific publications including over 300 international journal papers and seven research monographs. "I feel proud and deeply honoured to receive the national award. We extend our heartfelt thanks to CAE for recognising our research efforts and to HKAES for its nomination; this is, indeed, a great encouragement to us. Alongside rapid technological development, we are also seeing artificial intelligence, industrial automation, and digitalisation as major trends which are enormously transforming the mode of operation of traditional manufacturing industries," said Professor TAO. "We, as scientists and a close partner of the industry, will continue to leverage our strengths in research and development as well as the world's leading technologies to develop innovative solutions and help foster the development of the industry for the benefit of the community as a whole," she added. Professor TAO has led a team of prolific inventors of new technologies and obtained 34 international and national patents. Over ten of the invented technologies have been licensed to companies worldwide for industrial applications. One of them is the Nu-torque single spun yarn technology that has been used by 11 yarn manufacturing companies for producing new textile and apparel products. Professor TAO was the Head of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing of PolyU from 2003 to 2011. Under her guidance, the Institute became one of the leading fashion and textile departments in the world. Working closely with industry, Professor TAO successfully led the PolyU team to win a grant of over HK$330 million to host The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. She also founded the Nanotechnology Centre for Functional and Intelligent Textiles and Apparel in 2004 and the Research Centre for Smart Wearable Technology in 2018. 理大學者榮獲「光華工程科技獎」(Chinese)   mystarjob.com PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 9 Nov 2020 PRN Asia 理大学者荣获“光华工程科技奖” 9 Nov 2020 Sina 理大学者荣获“光华工程科技奖” 9 Nov 2020 聚焦北京網 理大学者荣获“光华工程科技奖” 9 Nov 2020 hc360.com 理大学者荣获“光华工程科技奖” 9 Nov 2020 Toutiao 光华奖榜单公布：12所大学共15名教授入榜，清华南农成赢家 9 Nov 2020 Yidianzixun 光华奖榜单公布：12所大学共15名教授入榜，清华南农成赢家 9 Nov 2020 Sohu 工程界“诺贝尔奖”开榜：首设团体奖，12所大学中多名校长入选 9 Nov 2020 NetEase 工程界“诺贝尔奖”开榜：首设团体奖，12所大学中多名校长入选 9 Nov 2020 文匯報 A07 港院校三學者奪光華工程科枝獎 8 Nov 2020 香港商報 A09 理工大學學者陶肖明榮獲「光華工程科技獎」 8 Nov 2020 Ticker Technologies PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 8 Nov 2020 Merrill Edge PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 8 Nov 2020 PR Newswire PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 8 Nov 2020 Manhattanweek.com PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 8 Nov 2020 Beezinga PolyU scholar receives Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award 8 Nov 2020 Thepaper.cn 19位高校教授，“中国工程界最高奖”揭晓 8 Nov 2020  

PolyU and CityU research finds 70% of horseshoe crabs can’t survive in microplastic environment

A research jointly conducted by PolyU and the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) found that the death rate of young horseshoe crabs reaches 70% when living in an environment full of microplastics. The research secured around HK$850,000 from the funds set up by the Airport Authority in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance for the third runway, with an aim of surveying the impacts of microplastics on the horseshoe crabs in the western waters in Hong Kong. The team placed the horseshoe crabs in an environment of three various PET microplastics, and found that the death rate was up to 70%, much higher than the norm of 20%. Dr. S. G. Cheung, Assistant Professor of Department of Chemistry at CityU, explained the microplastics obstructed the intestines of the horseshoe crabs, resulting in malnutrition and slow in motion. Dr James Fang Kar-hei, Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology at PolyU, added that they also found Shui Hau at Lantau Island has the most microplastics compared to other places in the western waters in Hong Kong. Dr Fang explained that plastic garbage from the mainland China are always found during the rainy seasons in the western waters. He urged the Hong Kong Government to co-operate with the mainland to reduce the amount of plastic garbage entering the ocean, and to prohibit the trading of horseshoe crabs by law.   東方日報 A15 幼年馬蹄蟹 誤吞微膠粒 死亡率達70% 2 Nov 2020 經濟日報 A19 三跑馬蹄蟹保育 揭微塑膠增死亡率 2 Nov 2020