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Day in the Life 餐飲人生
Get PDFKwok Kin Bong 郭健邦
Graduate of the International Culinary Institute and founder of ATUM Desserant, ATUM Restaurant, Champak Restaurant by ATUM and Suppa hot pot restaurant
國際廚藝學院畢業生，ATUM Desserant、ATUM Restaurant、青花和「十下」火鍋餐廳創辦
Synthesis of PHAs using Carbon Source from Ferrous Activated Persulfate Oxidation combined with Alkaline Fermentation of Excessive Activated Sludge.
No full textPolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are considered to be one type of promising biodegradable plastics because their thermal and mechanical properties are similar to thermal plastic then offer better application. The major obstacle that hinders large-scale application of PHAs is the high production cost, including the carbon source cost and the low production yield. Studies carried out by our research team found that the PHAs can be accumulated within the bacteria in activated sludge and the production yield had been greatly improved under appropriate Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) Ratio and Carbon to Phosphorus (C:P) Ratio. The findings suggested the PHAs production is able to combine with wastewater treatment. However, high carbon source consumption is still required for a higher production yield to offer substrate pressure for PHAs accumulation. On other hand, wastewater treatment plants produce tons of excessive activated sludge (EAS) to send to landfill sites. Recent years, advanced oxidation process (AOP) methods have been widely used to improve the efficiency of sludge fermentation and persistent chemical oxidation. Among the sludge various fermentation methods, ferrous activated persulfate oxidation method offers appropriate duration and strong oxidation effects to digest the EAS to be short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs) for PHAs production. To lower down the PHAs production cost, this study aims to reused the digested excessive activated sludge from wastewater process for PHAs synthesis. Excessive Activated Sludge (EAS) samples will be digested with persulfate and ferrous ions together with citric acid to determine the optimal concentration based on the digestion of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and intracellular substances detected by Three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. The optimized digested samples will be used to adjusted the C:N ratio for PHAs production. The outcomes from this study will provide significant improvements of alkaline fermentation efficiency, reduce the EAS disposal and further lower down the production cost of PHAs
Predicting shear performance of squat shear walls: a softened truss model with tension-stiffening effect.
No full textAcademic research in vocationally-oriented highereducation: perspectives from teaching staff
Get PDFAcademics’ need to publish research output in order to succeed in tertiary education has been discussed extensively. Less is known about research and publication needs of staff working in vocationally-oriented higher institutes who, until recently, were judged primarily on their teaching contribution. However, there has been a noticeable trend across the world whereby career development of teaching staff in vocational institutes depends on their research and ability to publish in academic journals. This paper investigates the academic research challenges of teaching staff in a vocationally-oriented institute in Hong Kong. Mixed research methods were adopted to understand the prior experiences of the staff, challenges they may be facing when doing and publishing research, and ways in which their research and publication needs may be supported. Questionnaire data from 21 staff members reveal that most staff join the teaching profession after a career in the commercial sector and about half of the respondents do not have any research experience at all. These teaching staff hope to engage in research to enhance their future career prospects, engage in independent professional development and support their teaching. Most staff, however, feel that various constraints inhibit their ability to do research including lack of resources, insufficient time and limited experience with research. Three detailed case studies are used to further understand the personal and institutional contexts of the participants and develop recommendations that can be applied at the institutional policy and department levels
Exploratory research evidence of challenges and opportunities perceived by textiles & clothing companies in one belt one road countries
No full textThe Belt and Road (B & R) Initiative, which was put forth by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has entered its fifth year and attracted widespread support from more than 80 countries and international organizations. The B & R Initiative provides fresh impetus to the global economy in the 21st century and creates exciting opportunities for different sectors, particularly in the low-wage labour intensive sectors, such as the textiles and clothing (T&C) industries. With strong emphasis on connectivity and international socio-economic co-operation, the B & R Initiative provides enormous impetus for future regional development. The ultimate goal is to “Collaborate for Success”, a win-win situation in the B & R Initiative. In this paper, a qualitative study has been carried out to show how the B & R Initiative is transforming the development landscape. Interviews, which are a useful research method, are carried out in this study because they allow us to have in-depth discussions with individuals who are active participants in the researched area, and provide us the access to current, practical, and candid information that is not readily available in the published form. As the B & R Initiative is an ongoing endeavor, more projects are being launched and business opportunities continue to materialize. Governments and businesses are actively taking advantage of promising new opportunities, yet in the practical sense, conundrums remain unanswered. How can these parties collaborate to overcome the challenges? What tangible actions have already been taken? With the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) destined to greatly benefit from the B & R Initiative, how will the newly signed Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement further mobilize collaboration? More importantly, how are B & R Initiative projects progressing and driving local developments? Ten interviews have been conducted with experts to validate and extend the findings of the existing literature on the factors that are addressed in trade flow in the B & R Initiative. The focus is on identifying the opportunities that enhance the mutual supportiveness of trade and the challenges of progress among the countries involved in the B & R Initiative
Understanding the career commitment of hotel middle managersin Hong KongUnderstanding the career commitment of hotel middle managers in Hong Kong
No full textThe hotel business in Hong Kong has become more prosperous in the last decade. According to the estimated figure by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, there will be over 300 hotels in Hong Kong in 2020. However, the industry has long faced the problem of labour shortage for a variety of reasons, such as the nature of the job, salary expectations, and career prospects. Career commitment is identified as one of the solutions to combat labour shortages as by fostering career committed and talented people will be more likely to stay in the Profession. This study examines the career commitment of hotel middle managers in Hong Kong, who play an indispensable role in daily hotel operations and middleman between senior management and junior staff. A quantitative survey was used to explore the perceptions of the respondents on career commitment related statements; 135 valid questionnaires were returned by middle managers from more than 20 hotels in Hong Kong. The mean scores of statements suggested a generally positive stance on career commitment. Further analysis of data was conducted by the independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance with different demographic variables to investigate whether there are any significant difference(s) among groups of respondents. Recommendations and discussions with senior management and human resources professionals were undertaken to ascertain their views regarding policies and directions to acquire, develop, and retain talented middle managers in the hotel industry
Modelling the UV-LED based chlorine photodecay and radical formation at different wavelengths and pHs
No full textAn empirical model that incorporates the chlorine photodecay rate constants, quantum yields, and molar absorption coefficients of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite (OCl-) was established and used to predict the chlorine photodecay rate at any wavelength (255–300 nm) and pH (5–10) in this study. The prediction of the chlorine photodecay rates at the four wavelengths (i.e., 255, 265, 285 and 300 nm) and two pHs (i.e., pHs 6 and 6 7) was well validated against the experimental results using UV-LEDs as light sources. The wavelength- and pH-7 dependency on the formation of reactive radical species from chlorine photolysis were also investigated in this study. We also provide implications of UV wavelength dependency on chlorine photodecay and its radical generation at different pHs in real-world applications
A parameter study of the effect of a plasma-induced ozone colour-fading process on sulphur-dyed cotton fabric
No full textA plasma-induced ozone colour-fading treatment was used for treating a blue sulphur-dyed knitted cotton fabric. Since the process parameters of plasma-induced ozone colour-fading treatment are inter-related with one other, the final colour-fading results are affected. An orthogonal array testing strategy (OATS) method was used for determining the optimum conditions of the plasmainduced ozone colour-fading treatment in this study. Three process parameters used in the plasmainduced ozone colour-fading treatment, i.e., oxygen gas concentration (%), water content in fabric (%), and treatment time (minutes), were used in the optimization process. Experimental results reveal the optimum conditions for fading the colour by plasma-induced ozone colour-fading treatment are: (1) oxygen gas concentration = 70%; (2) water content in fabric = 35%; and (3) treatment time = 30 min. The order of importance of these parameters is: oxygen gas concentration \u3e water content in fabric \u3e treatment time. In addition, the plasma-induced ozone colour-fading treatment can effectively remove the colour from the dyed fabric and the colour-fading effect is uniform and even