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Now showing items 264-283 of 314Next Page
Huang, Fulai
Technological support system for macro-control of Shenzhen real estate market
|Dept. of Building and Real Estate
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Real estate business -- China -- Shenzhen (Guangdong Sheng: East)
Management information systems -- China -- Shenzhen (Guangdong Sheng: East)
Decision support systems -- China -- Shenzhen (Guangdong Sheng: East)
|303 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Real estate industry is one of the pillar industries in China. The healthy development of real estate industry plays an important role in economic growth, the adjustment of industrial structure, and the improvement of people's living level. With the continuous marketization and normalization of China real estate market (REM), the market mechanism has played an important role in the market regulation, but macro-control by the government is still an essential measure for the real estate market. How to improve the macro-control level and to make the macro-control policies and means effective but not to violate the market rule, are the important issues faced by the government in order to keep the real estate industry health development. This research taking Shenzhen real estate market as the example, constructs a synthetic technological support system including real estate warning systems (REWS), real estate confidence index systems (RECIS), and system simulation and policies experiment (SS&PE) for Shenzhen real estate market macro-control. Based on the domestic and overseas status of relevant research, this dissertation analyzes the mechanism, purposes, meanings and functions of constructing a technological support system for the real estate macro-control, and presents the contents and methods of establishing it. The focuses of the research are on real estate warning systems (REWS), real estate confidence index systems (RECIS), and system simulation and policies experiment (SS&PE). For the REWS, first of all, the research analyzes its effect on the technological support system for macro-control of REM and selects appropriate warning methods according to the characteristics of real estate industry. Then the warning situation is defined and warning factors are determined by considering the real situation of Shenzhen REM. And then it presents the criteria, procedure and methods to select indicators reflecting warning signs, and selects 9 indicators. For these indicators, their warning limits are determined based upon relevant methods and at the same time the methods adjusting warning accumulation are shown. After that, the methods of warning analysis are probed into, based on which the warning analysis of single indicator and composite indicator is done. Finally, the expression and analysis of warning signals are researched and relative questions needed paying attention to are put forward. With regard to the RECIS, at first its influence on the technological support system for macro-control of REM is discussed and key techniques of constructing the system are brought forward. Then through questionnaires investigation, the research discusses how to establish monomial indexes and composite index, which reflect efficient demand and supply (D&S), latent demand and latent supply, via adopting factor analysis methods, SPSS software, TRECI&BRE methods and index simulation methods. Thereby, a four-level RECIS is established, viz. a composite index, monomial indexes, sub-indexes and basic indexes, its functions are analyzed, and relevant models are founded by using weighted average methods, ratio methods, etc. At one time, the weight coefficients of indexes are determined with Delphi method. Otherwise, the predictive analysis of indexes at all levels is presented. Concerning the system simulation and policy experiments (SS&PE) of real estate, the first one is that its significance is analyzed. Then the dissertation constructs the theoretical model of system simulation and the conceptual model of system simulation of Shenzhen real estate, divides residential housing systems into four modules, namely land for housing, housing demand, housing supply, and housing price and presents the main DYNAMO equations for each of modules, in which relevant calculation and parameters are determined. According as these modules, an example is take and relevant results are analyzed. Based upon the model of system simulation constructed, the research makes some experiments on relative real estate policies and analyzes the approach for study on policies. In the end, based on the investigation and collection data for Shenzhen REM, an application of the technology support system for macro-control is done via adopt the relative models. The performance of the system is analyzed and measured, which ensures the practicability and effectiveness of the system for the macro-control of REM.
Wang, Fei
The tensor eigenvalue methods for the positive definiteness identification problem
|Dept. of Applied Mathematics
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Calculus of tensors
Mathematical analysis
|vii, 110 leaves ; 30 cm
|InnoPac Record
|The main purposes of this thesis are to solve the positive definiteness identification problems by using some tensor eigenvalue methods. The positive definiteness identification problems arise in numerous fields of mathematics and its applications. Effective methods intended to obtain a reliable answer to the problems are of doubtless theoretical and practical interest. Recently, to do this, Qi presented the concepts of H-eigenvalues/Z-eigenvalues of a real n-dimensional supersymmetric tensor, and proved that H-eigenvalues/Z-eigenvalues exist for an even order real supersymmetric tensor A, and A is positive definite if and only if all of its H-eigenvalues/Z-eigenvalues are positive. Based on this, we proposed tensor eigenvalue methods for the positive definiteness identification problems. Using formulas of the resultants of polynomial equations systems, we present two viable algorithms to calculate the smallest H-eigenvalue/Z-eigenvalue for a real supersymmetric tensor respectively. Numerical results show that our algorithms are feasible and efficient for identifying the positive definiteness of quartic forms with three variables. The main contributions of this thesis are as follows. In the thesis, we first present a complete explicit criterion for the positive definiteness of a general quartic form of two variables. Secondly, we present an H-eigenvalue method for the positive definiteness identification problem. At first we apply the D'Andrea-Dickenstein version of the classical Macaulay formulas of resultants to compute the symmetric hyperdeterminant of an even order supersymmetric tensor. By using the supersymmetry property, we give detailed computation procedures for the Bezoutians and specified ordering of monomials in this approach. We then use these formulas to calculate the characteristic polynomial of a fourth order three dimensional supersymmetric tensor and give an H-eigenvalue method for the positive definiteness identification problem of a quartic form of three variables. Thirdly, for an even order tensor, we first establish a formula of the E-characteristic polynomial of its tensor based on the Macaulay's formulas of resultants, then give an upper bound for the degree of that E-characteristic polynomial. Examples illustrate that this bound is tough when m and n is small. Finally, we present a Z-eigenvalue method to identify the positive definiteness for quartic forms of three variables. We first construct a limiting E-characteristic polynomial for an even order supersymmetric tensor in the irregular case. Then we apply the D'Andrea-Dickenstein version of the classical Macaulay formula of a resultant to establish a formula of the (limiting) E-characteristic polynomial for a regular (irregular) fourth order three dimensional real supersymmetric tensor. Using such a formula, we propose an algorithm which is efficient on determining positive definiteness of a quartic form of three variables. Some numerical results of the H-eigenvalue method and the Z-eigenvalue for identifying positive definiteness of quartic forms with three variables are reported.
Tsang, Chun-ho
Theoretical studies on domain structures in ferroelectrics
|Dept. of Applied Physics
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Ferroelectric crystals.
Ferroelectricity -- Mathematical models.
|137 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Common ferroelectric crystals, such as barium titanate (BaTiO3), possess two or more possible spontaneous polarization orientations in the absence of electric field. It is well known that a ferroelectric crystal tends to split into many domains in which all of the electric dipoles have an identical spontaneous polarization direction. Many ferroelectrics are used in the form of ceramics which are polycrystals comprising a large number of differently oriented single crystal grains, each of which contains one or several domains. Domains play an important role in all phenomena of polarization and deformation of ferroelectrics. This project investigates ferroelectric domain structures in the absence of external field and evolution dynamics under the action of an alternating field, both in crystals and in ceramics. First, we focus on the formation of domain pattern in a single crystal. We develop a model to study two-dimensional domain structures using the time-dependent Landau theory. The effects of external electric field, inhomogeneity in polarization and electroelasticity have been considered. The elastic strains are subjected to the elastic compatibility constraint. Unlike previous models for two-dimensional domain formation, the depolarization effect is involved via the Poisson equation. Next, we attempt to model ceramics. In the study of ceramic domains, we use a model containing variously oriented grains. The behavior of each grain is described by our foregoing model for ferroelectric crystals. The grain boundary region is assumed to be in the paraelectric phase. Finally, we use the model to simulate the evolutions of domain structures in single crystals and ceramics under an A.C. electric field. Numerical computations are based on a 128 x 128 grid with periodic boundary conditions applied to the edges. We use BaTiO3 to perform model calculations. In our simulations for single crystal BaTiO3, it is found that only head-to-tail dipole arrangements occur in the whole formation process. In particular, our simulations reproduce experimentally observed domain patterns, including 90o wedged domains, 180o antiparallel domains and 90o wedged domains with 180o sub-domains (for brevity, "90o with-180o" domains), the formation of the latter has not been reported in previous theoretical investigations. The results also indicate that 90o domains occur frequently and is most stable; 90o with-180o domains are rare. Electrostrictive energy and elastic energy are found to dominate the pattern formation process. During formation from initially random dipoles, "vortex" domains, like ferromagnetic vortices, appear in a short period. These findings offer insights into the roles of electroelasticity and the inhomogeneity in polarization in the formation process as well as provide an understanding of the mechanism for forming domain pattern and the relation among different domain configurations. For the studies on ceramics, our simulations report that the domain pattern in a grain can be influenced by the neighboring grains. In particular, a banded structure over many grains is obtained - this has been observed experimentally but not been reported in other theory work. Some cases illustrate that the domain pattern in a grain does not necessarily propagate to the surrounding grains. In general, our results show that grain size and grain boundary regions play crucial roles in the domain pattern. We are unaware of other systematic modeling of domain structures over many grains in the open literature. When an A.C. electric field is applied in the simulations, the results give quite a square P-E hysteresis loop for BaTiO3 crystal which agrees with experiment. The domain pattern shows a single domain immediately after coercivity. In the case of BaTiO3 ceramics, the domain pattern obtained differs from those in single crystals. Single domain pattern does not usually appear in the process. The simulations report that the P-E loops change with the thickness of grain boundary regions.
Chen, Yongping
Three-dimensional modelling of vertical jets in random waves
|Dept. of Civil and Structural Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Jets -- Fluid dynamics.
|1 v. (various pagings) : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|This thesis describes an investigation of flow behaviour of a buoyant or non-buoyant jet discharging vertically into random waves. In the part of experimental study, a round jet nozzle was vertically arranged at the bottom of a random wave flume. The tap water was adopted as the jet fluid for non-buoyant jet while the mixture of ethanol and water was adopted for buoyant jet to generate initial buoyancy. Velocities, concentrations and surface elevations were measured for a number of flow cases. The measured data showed that the centreline velocities of non-buoyant or buoyant jet in random waves decays faster than those in stagnant ambience, corresponding to a significant increase of jet dilution. The jet half-width increases with incident wave period and wave height. Due to the wave effect, the location of peak turbulence shifts towards the jet inlet. The extent of location shift is related to wave period and wave height, which indicates that the jet turbulence is generated by both wave and jet motions. In order to convert those findings into more general forms, two characteristic length scales, i.e., wave-momentum length scale lm and wave-momentum-buoyancy length scale lw were introduced. Several empirical formulas for prediction of jet characteristic variables, such as centreline velocity, dilution and half-width, were derived based on the method of dimensional analysis. In the part of numerical study, a fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) was first developed for modelling of random wave situations. A novel Langrage-Euler method was introduced to solve the free surface problem. The NWT with the new free surface treatment was verified by several test cases with theoretical solutions or experimental data. A non-buoyant or buoyant jet was then added to the NWT domain and the flow field was computed with turbulence modelled by the large eddy simulation (LES) method. Velocities and concentrations obtained from numerical computation were in fairly good agreement with those from laboratory experiments. As an application of the numerical model, the effect of buoyancy on vertical jets in random waves was investigated through numerical comparison between a non-buoyant and a buoyant jet with a same discharge velocity. It was found that under the buoyancy force the wave effect on jet entraining and mixing is weakened to some extent, corresponding to a slower decay rate of velocity and a narrower jet width in the buoyant jet than in the case for the non-buoyant jet.
Huang, Jiefeng
Three-dimensional vortical structures behind a normal or inclined cylinder with or without running water rivulets
|Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Vortex tubes.
Fluid dynamics.
|xi, 96 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|As a step to identify the excitation mechanism of rain-wind induced cable vibration, three-dimensional vortical structures have been measured in a circular cylinder wake using Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) for the Reynolds number range of 2 x 103 to 1 x 104. The PIV was modified, compared with the conventional one, in terms of its light sheet arrangement to capture reliably streamwise vortices. While in agreement with previous reports, the presently measured spanwise structures complement the data in the literature in the streamwise evolution of the near-wake spanwise vortex in size, strength, streamwise and lateral convection velocities, shedding new light upon vigorous interactions between oppositely signed spanwise structures. The longitudinal vortices display mushroom patterns in (x, z)-plane, where x represents free flow direction and z is in line with cylinder axis, in the immediate proximity to the cylinder. Their most likely inclination in the (x, y)-plane, where y is perpendicular to both x and z directions, is inferred from the measurements in different (x, z)-planes. The longitudinal vortices in the (y, z)-plane show alternate change in sign, though not discernible at x/d > 15, where d is the diameter of cylinder. They decay in the maximum vorticity and circulation rapidly from x/d = 5 to 10 and slowly for x/d > 10, and are further compared with the spanwise vortices in size, strength and rate of decay. Then the effects of water rivulets running along an inclined circular cylinder on the near-wake were experimentally investigated. Water was released from the upper end of the cylinder at a volume flow rate Q. At an incoming wind speed U = 8 - 15 m/s, two water rivulets were observed near the flow separation points, running along the cylinder inclined at a = 45ofor 0o< b < 90o where b is the cylinder yaw angle, and both oscillating circumferentially. The quasi-periodical vortex street is observed intermittently with and without the presence of the rivulets. The rivulets lead to a significant increase in the drag coefficient, which is consistent with the violent vibration associated with the rain-wind-structure interactions. It is found that the vortex strength grows by up to 60% as b increases from 0o to 30o. A mechanism for the rain-wind-induced cable vibration is proposed.
Yang, Kun
Torsional behavior of short-staple Torque-Balanced Singles ring spun yarns and spirality of resultant knitted fabrics
|Institute of Textiles and Clothing
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Spun yarns.
Spun yarns -- Testing.
Textile fabrics.
|xxviii, 253 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Spirality, the distortion in the wale lines, is one of the major quality problems of single jersey knitted fabrics. It influences not only the fabric aesthetics, but also decreases fabric utilization yield during the cutting process. Many factors cause the Spirality, some associated with the yarn, and some with the knitting and other processes. Among all these factors, yarn residual torque or twist liveliness is the fundamental one. Spirality occurs when the residual torque is released. A new spinning technique had previously been developed in the laboratory to make a new Torque Balanced Singles (TBS) ring spun yarn. The TBS technique takes the advantages of the low twist yarn of a low residual torque and a higher productivity, and the high twist yarn of increased fiber migration and higher strength in one step by using a specially designed device which is similar with a pin false twister. In this study, the spinning mechanism was closely examined and the effect of reduced triangle was investigated. An extremely high twist was introduced for increasing fiber migration and obtaining a compact yarn structure. Then the yarn was de-twisted and a low twist yarn was finally produced. The spinning triangle was also examined by using a transparent top front roller and colored rovings. The structure of the TBS yarn was examined and compared with corresponding conventional ring spun yarns. Firstly, yarn surface was studied experimentally. Yarn diameter variation was investigated by calculating yarn diameters and observing Blackboard images; yarn surface features were demonstrated by analyzing SEM photos; and yarn surface hairiness was evaluated by using a Zweigle G566 hairiness tester. The results of these experiments indicate that the TBS yarn exhibits a greater variation of yarn diameter: in some parts of the yarn, fibers are tightly wound on the yarn body, showing a compact structure, and in some parts, the yarn demonstrates a slightly looser structure. Yarn cross-sectional structures were also studied by using the microscopy. The TBS yarn has a radial packing density pattern of a compact core which differs from its corresponding conventional ring spun yarns. This may contribute to the reduction of yarn residual torque and reinforce yarn strength. Fiber path within the TBS yarn was examined by using the tracer fiber technique. The 2-D images of the colored fibers show that the TBS yarn has more frequent fiber migrations which differ from conventional ring spun yarns. 3-D reconstruction of the fiber path demonstrates that the fiber basically follows a helical path with many migrations. Further analysis shows that a certain proportion of fiber segments have a rotational tendency whose direction is opposite to the yarn twist direction. This probably explains the reduction of yarn residual torque in another way. A mathematical model was established based on the results of the investigation of yarn structure and the assumption that the yarns are elastic and no inter-fiber friction and viscosity. An energy method and the discrete fiber modelling principle were adopted. A series of sinuous functions was used for simulating the fiber migration, and a changeable radial packing density was adopted for representing the fiber distribution in the yarn cross-section. It was demonstrated to be possible to further reduce yarn torque by introducing an appropriate fiber migration pattern. Several optimization experiments of the yarn modification system were conducted by using the response surface methodology. A two-step scheme was adopted. The yarn twist factor and the speed ratio were identified as the two key factors. Response surface experiments for 16Ne, 20Ne and 30Ne yarns were carried out, and optimal conditions were determined. A comparison was carried out between the optimizations of the yarns with different yarns counts (16Ne, 20Ne and 30Ne). The effect of spinning machines on the properties of the TBS yarns was evaluated by conducting three optimizations of the 20Ne yarn on Spin tester, Zinser 319SL and Toyota RY spinning machines. Finally, TBS yarns and plain knitted fabrics were produced for evaluating the effect of the modified spinning system on the performance of the yarn and resultant fabrics. The results show that the TBS yarn has a lower residual torque and relatively higher strength simultaneously. Others such as hairiness and evenness are similar with or not worse than their corresponding conventional ring spun yarns. Plain knitted fabrics were produced by using greige yarns and package dyed yarns on two commercial circular knitting machines in a factory. The results of the measurement of the greige, piece dyed and yarn dyed stripe fabrics show that the fabric spirality can be dramatically reduced by using the TBS yarns. Compared to their control fabrics, the TBS fabrics have better or similar properties in dimensional stability, fabric weight, bursting strength and pilling resistance etc. The laboratory results are in agreement with the feedback from a knitting factory who conducted a large scale trial of TBS yarns.
Chan, Koon-cheong Martin
To study the main and interactive effects of green tea and vitamin C on selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk
|Dept. of Health Technology and Informatics
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Green tea -- Health aspects.
Vitamin C -- Therapeutic use.
Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Nutritional aspects.
|xi, 73 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|As green tea is the second most popular beverage and vitamin C is an important dietary derived antioxidant, high intake of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and green tea (rich in polyphenolic antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG]) are reported to lower the risk of a variety of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the main and interactive effects of green tea and vitamin C on selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk. Specific questions to be addressed included: 1. Is there a significant change in biomarkers of CVD risk after 4 weeks' supplementation with vitamin C, green tea or both? 2. Is there evidence of a synergistic or co-operative interaction between vitamin C and green tea when these are taken in combination? The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded study of modified balanced incomplete block design. Thirty-two healthy Chinese non-smoking subjects, aged 30-55 years were recruited. Selected biomarkers of CVD risk were measured in blood samples collected before and after 4 weeks' daily supplementation with green tea, vitamin C, both or neither (total n=16 for each treatment). There was a 6 week washout period. After the washout period, subjects were allocated to another treatment for the next 4 weeks. The biomarkers measured included fasting plasma total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, homocysteine, hs-CRP, as well as the waist-to-hip ratio, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. These were all measured before and after each 4-week treatment period. Results were analysed by using Graphpad Prism (version 4.0, San Diego, USA). The differences in the change of the biomarkers within each supplementation groups during 4 weeks' supplementation were investigated by using Student's t test for paired data. The mean differences of change of biomarkers between supplementation groups were investigated by using Student's t test for unpaired data and significance was sought at the 5 % level. Results showed no significant differences in the baseline characteristics or in the baseline levels of biomarkers of CVD risk between the four groups. Four weeks' treatment with 500 ml per day of 0.8% w/v green tea infusion was associated with a significant (p<0.05) decrease in plasma uric acid concentration (Mean+-SD: -30+-4 umol/L). Treatment with 500 mg/d vitamin C for 4 weeks was associated with a significant (p<0.05) decrease in both plasma total cholesterol (-0.17+-0.29 mmol/L) and LDL-cholesterol (-0.14+-0.19 mmol/L). In addition, this was associated with a significant (p<0.05) increase in plasma homocysteine (0.82+-0.93 umol/L) and significant increase in waist to hip ratio (0.01+-0.02). Treatment with 500 mg/d vitamin C plus 500ml per day of 0.8% w/v green tea infusion for 28 days was not associated with any significant (p<0.05) changes in the level of measured biomarkers of CVD risk. In comparing those who took vitamin C (alone or with tea, n=32), results showed that there was significant (p<0.05) decrease in plasma total cholesterol (-0.17 +-0.39 mmol/L) with vitamin C. Also, there was significant (p<0.05) decrease in waist to hip ratio (-0.01 +-.03) in the group receiving green tea when compared with the group without green tea (n=32 for both groups). In conclusion, while changes in the healthy subjects studied were small, supplementation with vitamin C and green tea showed statistically significant effects on biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Increased intake of dietary antioxidants in green tea can cause significant reduction in plasma uric acid and the waist to hip ratio. Also, the intake of vitamin C can lower the cholesterol concentration significantly. In addition, there is a co-operative effect of taking green tea and vitamin C together in decreasing the plasma homocysteine significantly. So, these pilot experimental data can contribute to future study investigating the effect of green tea and vitamin C in the prevention of cardiovascular and other age-related disease.
Gu, Zhenyu
Towards capturing aesthetic intent of design in an interactive evolutionary system using neural networks
|School of Design
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Design -- Data processing.
Neural networks (Computer science)
Evolutionary programming (Computer science)
|161 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|This thesis has developed an interactive system that uses an evolutionary algorithm incorporating an artificial neural network for improving the aesthetic appeals of design. The artificial neural network allows the system to generalise user preferences by learning the implicit relationship between the evolved design solutions and the user evaluations. Evolutionary algorithms are usually used as optimizers for searching the best solutions to specific problems by imitating the adaptive processes in nature. These algorithms must, however, rely on predefined objective functions called fitness functions, in order for the system to converge on the optimal solution. The formulation of the fitness functions is a major bottleneck in the application of these algorithms in design domains. In recent years, evolutionary algorithms have been used in computer aided design systems for generating desirable images or 3D forms. These systems use human subjective evaluations and selections instead of objective fitness functions to control the evolution, and they are referred to as the Interactive Evolutionary Systems (IES). An IES is capable of generating and evolving large numbers of alternative designs as well as finding the optimum design. In an application, a designer is continuously required to interact with the system by making evaluations and selections of the designs that are being generated and displayed on a computer screen. However, the IES approach involves a process which may become unendurable and exhaustive for several reasons. First the limited size of a computer screen allows only a small number of candidate solutions to be displayed, evaluated and selected by the designer. Second, due to fuzzy nature of aesthetic evaluations, evolution is usually a mutation-driven and divergent process. Third the evolutionary process is time consuming due to limited speed of ratings and interactions. The convergent mechanisms typically found in standard Evolutionary Algorithms are more difficult to achieve with IES. In an IES, optimisation gives way to exploration due to the open ended nature of the algorithms. To address this problem, the thesis proposes an approach to use a neural network in conjunction with an IES to obtain a smoother, less erratic evaluation function than what would be the direct result of user's individual choices. A designer comes to interact with the evolutionary system and makes evaluations and selections. If the designer's aesthetic preference is consistent, the seemingly erratic user selections may have certain consistency and tendency. The designer's selections are recorded and the artificial neural network is thereby able to approximate implicit correlation between evolving designs and the designer's responses. This allows a canonical evolutionary process to run with much larger population samples to get a good distillation of designs that the designer most likely prefers. This process is called "capturing user intent". The approach supports a design paradigm which consists of iterative cycles of interactive evolution and intent capturing, as the intent of the user may not be exactly captured in a single try. The neural network for the approximation is a kind of RBF network called General Regression Neural Network (GRNN). The approximation is a regression of aesthetic appeals conditioned on the corresponding designs. The basic idea for this framework is based on the assumption that learning behaviours exist in design processes. The inductive learning ability of human beings can generate and adapt designs based on past failures and successes, whilst in natural evolution the generation, reproduction and variation are blind processes. Therefore a learning mechanism in an evolutionary design process contributes to the formulation of aesthetic intent of a designer in terms of an approximated fitness function for shortening the tedious and lengthy process of human evaluation and selection involved in an IES. In such an approach, a balance is reached between exploration and optimisation, both of which are essential tasks of design and should be supported by computational power. The application for the implemented system focuses on parametric tuning activities of design. A prototype system for facial character creation is implemented in order to study the feasibility of the proposed new framework. The implemented system is interactive and it uses genetic algorithms for searching desirable 3D facial surface models. An intuitive interface with easy to use operations provides a basis for testing and evaluating the implemented system. Several experiments are conducted in order to verify the performances of the system implemented. The outcomes are analyzed and evaluated.
Au-Yeung, Suk-yin Stephanie
Treatment of upper extremity paresis using transcutaneous electrical stimulation during acute stroke
|Dept. of Rehabilitation Sciences
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Cerebrovascular disease -- Treatment
Electric stimulation
Arm -- Paralysis -- Treatment
|xix, 224 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm
|InnoPac Record
|Introduction: Previous randomized controlled trials on people with stroke showed that transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) of muscles, nerves or acupuncture points (acupoints) could reduce spasticity and improve muscle strength of lower extremities. Such effects have not been systematically demonstrated in the paretic upper extremities (UE), especially during the acute stage. Methods: A longitudinal cohort of 57 patients recruited at acute stroke units and receiving conventional rehabilitation (CR) was studied. The course and extent of recovery in the paretic UE in terms of (1) tactile sensation of pressure and two-point discrimination in the index finger, (2) muscle tone measured with the Composite Spasticity Score, (3) muscle strength of shoulder and elbow measured with the Motricity Index, (4) power grip and index pinch strength measured with a dynamometer, and (5) functional ability measured with the Action Research Arm Test, was documented over the first 6 months of stroke. Early clinical characteristics that predicted the recovery of functional dexterity at 6 months were delineated. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial then investigated the effectiveness of TES applied to 6 acupoints for promoting recovery in the paretic UE. Patients recruited within 46 hours after stroke onset were randomized to receiving CR alone as controls (n=18), or to the TES (n=28) or placebo-TES (n=20) groups whose subjects were respectively given TES and placebo stimulation in addition to CR. Such treatment was started within 2 days of stroke, given 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Including 19 subjects recruited within 60 hours of stroke and who had been receiving CR as controls, the 3 groups were compared their UE recovery. All subjects were reassessed weekly for the first 4 weeks and then at 1, 2, 3 and 5 months afterwards. Statistics used were descriptive analyses, logistic regressions and mixed model ANCOVA. Results: The sensory, motor and functional recovery was rapid in the first 1 to 2 months of stroke. UE muscle strength consistently predicted the recovery of functional dexterity at 6 months post-stroke. The strongest prediction was found at 4 weeks post-stroke, with power grip and index pinch strength being stronger predictors than the shoulder and elbow muscle strength. The TES programme induced better recovery in grip and pinch strength than CR alone when the 1-month treatment ended (P <0.01), and better UE functional ability 3 months afterwards (P <=0.01). These effects persisted beyond the end of the programme for at least 5 months. Differences between the placebo-TES and the TES or control groups could not be demonstrated in the present study. Conclusions: (1) The initial 4 weeks of stroke was the time window when rapid motor recovery occurred. (2) Muscle strength in the paretic UE, especially grip and pinch strength 4 weeks after stroke, strongly predicted the return of functional dexterity at 6 months. (3) Adding an early intensive TES programme to CR was effective in promoting greater grip and pinch strength than CR alone as early as 4 weeks after stroke, with carry-over effects lasting for at least 5 months after the programme ended. TES treatment given during acute stroke could be a promising adjunct to CR in promoting motor and functional recovery of a paretic UE.
Wang, Yingna
A two-phase approach to solve manpower scheduling and task assignment problem in aircraft maintenance industry
|Dept. of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Aircraft industry
Manpower planning
Production scheduling
|xii, 148 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm
|InnoPac Record
|This research study is aimed to propose an integrated manpower scheduling and planning methodology to solve the assignment problems in the aircraft maintenance industry. The proposed methodology consists of a sequential two-phase approach to the capture various human and technical factors in aircraft maintenance organizations. In view of the scheduling difficulties facing this industry over the course of an operating day, and across a planning horizon, such that the limited resources and constraints could be satisfied, the problem thus entails a specially designed approach of finding optimal assignments of qualified manpower to a series of deterministic daily maintenance tasks and satisfying simultaneously all the relevant scheduling considerations. Previous researchers have formulated the solution into two separate approaches - rostering and assignments. In this research, we have designed and developed a sequential two-phase model which is more effective and efficient than obtaining the solution separately. The first phase is to assess utility through a fuzzy multiple attribute decision making process, considering each task assignment problem separately. In this phase, for each engineer/task combination, a utility index is calculated from analytical hierarchy process using fuzzy triangular numbers. They are then defuzzified to a final crisp utility index. A hierarchy structure is then constructed by grouping similar independent task assignment, as well as decision criteria, alternatives, and scoring methods. The second phase is to conduct optimization through an integer programming model, based on the obtained utility matrix from the first phase of calculation. A mixed integer goal programming model is built, with the multiple objectives optimized in three priority levels. Various rostering and scheduling considerations are modelled in a set of linear formulas in the planning period of seven days. The model has been tested using different data sets collected from a case study company. Computational results from this two-phase methodology indicate that the most concerned problem objectives, namely minimization of total deviation from targeted off days, minimization of total deviation from targeted shift duration (minimization of OT), and maximization of the utilities of assigning qualified engineers to tasks have been optimized within an acceptable time. The optimal solutions provide useful suggestions to the industrial scheduler from both the aspects of weekly planning and daily planning. Moreover, the efficiency of the model for large organizations with a very large manpower size as well as task size should be further investigated.
Cheung, Moon-wah
Two-tier wages and organizational justice : a study of social workers in Hong Kong
|Graduate School of Business
Social workers -- China -- Hong Kong -- Attitudes.
Organizational justice -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Social workers -- Salaries, etc. -- China -- Hong Kong.
|xiv, 206 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Two-tier wage structures have been increasingly adopted as a common practice since the early 1980's as a result of internal and external pressures on both the business and non-profit sectors to effect basic changes in industrial relations and to control labor costs. Prior literature has indicated that two-tier wage structures have negative effects on employee outcomes. However, there are several shortcomings in this literature. First, prior studies of two-tier wage structures only reflect distributive justice, neglecting the possible effects of procedural and interpersonal aspects of two-tier wage structures. Second, prior studies take no account of possible contingent effects in determining outcomes. Third, to my knowledge, there have not been any studies of two-tier wage structures in Hong Kong, and this study is first of this kind in the social work profession. This study incorporated a social exchange perspective to examine the relationship between two-tier wage structures and justice perceptions, the interactive effects of interactional justice and value orientation, and their subsequent effects on employee attitudes and behaviors. By using a field study to test hypotheses through a questionnaire survey in a non-contrived setting, this study adopted a multi-source approach to measure the variables at interest to alleviate common method variance. Findings suggested that low-tier status has a negative effect on pay satisfaction; distributive justice and procedural justice mediate directly or indirectly the effects of tier status on employees' pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, turnover intention and organizational commitment; interactional justice exerts contingent effect on IRB, when interacting with distributive justice, and altruism motivation modifies the effect of procedural justice on job satisfaction. Post hoc analyses also indicated that while distributive justice and procedural justice have potent effects on employee attitudes, interactional justice makes significant impact on both attitude and behavior outcomes of employees. This study makes a contribution in two dimensions. Theoretically, adopting a social exchange approach, this study has established a compelling theoretical framework to explain the effects of two-tier wage structures on employee outcomes from an organizational justice perspective. Moreover, the findings of the interactive effects of interactional justice and altruism motivation strengthen the explaining power of organizational justice. Practically, the findings provide seasoned information that is valuable for NGO's management to make informed decision and the recommendations may help them develop their own mitigation policy on the implementation of two-tier wage structures.
Tsang, Yun-fat
Urban reverberation in a dense residential environment
|Dept. of Building Services Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
City noise.
Noise control.
|xvi, 154, 12, 12, 26 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Noise sources in a dense residential environment are usually associated with ground transportations (for example vehicles and train). The high-rise buildings erected on both sides of the roads give rise to the reverberation, which tends to increase the noise levels. Such an increase in the sound pressure level, however, depends very much on the scattering and reflecting properties of the building facades and their forms. A detailed investigation using a 1:20 scale model was done to study the underlying acoustics. The Line source and Spark source were used to study the sound pressure level and the reverberation time in a total of seven different building facades construction cases. The changes of the sound pressure level and the reverberation time in different cases were also measured and compared. The four sound levels, equivalent sound level (Leq) and L10, L50 and L90 in different positions in the seven cases were also investigated. The experimental data shows that the sound pressure level and the reverberation time are higher when they are recorded at positions which are nearest to the noise sources. The impact of the construction and orientation of the building facades on the sound pressure level and the reverberation time is found to be significant. The results of such experimental work are useful in environmental noise control and town planning. Such studies should be done before construction of new buildings.
Jo, Chun-wah
Usability metrics for application on mobile phone
|Dept. of Computing
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Cellular telephones -- Computer software.
Computer software -- Testing.
|viii, 129 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|This research is to investigate different usability issues of the software application in smartphone because the software development in smartphone platform will become a trend in our industry. Then we proposed some usability metrics for the software application in this environment. Firstly, we consolidated and standardized most of the currently available usability metrics. Although many usability metrics have been proposed, they often either lack of information or they are based on a variety of measurement scales and formats. Our usability metric list provides a useful reference for software developers who want to measure the usability of their products more consistently and transparently. It classifies the metrics according to characteristics such as usability attributes they measure, whether the measurement can be automated, and in which phase of product development the metric can be applied. Secondly, some usability problems in the smartphone platforms were identified which are quite different compared with the other platform such as desktop computer, laptop computer and even PDA. Based on the special situation of the smartphone with very small size screen and high mobility but limited interface for input and output, some constraints for software application developers have been identified which may affect the usability of the application. Some usability metrics specialized for the smartphone environment were proposed. Our research objective is to use metrics to evaluate the usability of the software application in smartphones. We designed a usability experiment for the software application in this platform in order to verify the proposed usability metrics. At the same time, we proposed some hypotheses which could show the focus of our research. Sixty subjects were invited to participate in the experiments in order to investigate which usability problems will substantially affect the usage of software applications in smartphones. The experiment had two parts: Usability Test and Questionnaire. Our research had applied both quantitative and qualitative methods in order to capture the result from different aspects. By using SPSS, the data from user behaviours and questionnaire were analyzed in order to validate the usability metrics and the hypotheses. As all experiments had been captured by digital video camera, the qualitative information, such as their comments and suggestions, could also be analyzed. Our findings can improve the usability of the software application not only in smartphones but also in other mobile devices which have similar operation environment.
Cheng, Ka-po
Use of data farming for the determination of a manufacturing process window
|Dept. of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Manufacturing processes -- Automation
Production management -- Data processing
|xiv, 148 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm
|InnoPac Record
|Many Hong Kong household electrical appliance manufacturers believe that the survival of their industry can only rely on the competence of a new product design and development process. However, if a new product cannot be manufactured in an effective and competitive way, the benefits that generated from the migration from original equipment manufacturing (OEM) to original design manufacturing (ODM) cannot be reaped. Currently, local manufacturing companies still rely largely on the traditional human experience driven approach to determine the process setting of a manufacturing process. As a result, product quality variations and inconsistency occur according to the tacit knowledge owned by different engineers and technicians. Even though a number of mathematical and statistical methodologies do exist for the determination of a process window, they are seldom used because of the huge consumption of both time and experimental resources whilst a certain extent of personnel expertise still required such as the choice of levels and settings in the Taguchi Method. Recently, the focus of research in process window design has been targeted on the exploration of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to rid the dependency of human expertise. However, any change of a product geometry and its mould design will lead to the recreation of the knowledge database that make such approach impractical for real application at the moment. In order to cope with the above scenario, the research study "Use of Data Farming for the Determination of a Manufacturing Process Window" worked under the Teaching Company Scheme that funded by the Hong Kong Government's Innovation Technology Fund and the partnered "G.E.W. Corporation Limited" was set up. The research project was aimed to provide a structure workflow to find out the process window of a dedicated mould design/tooling for a particular manufacturing process that can eliminate the dependency of experience. The argument of the research project is that through the use of data farming, the tacit knowledge for the determination of a manufacturing process window can be farmed through the use of a set of fertilizing, cultivating, planting and harvest processes. The scope of the research study was intended to cover all sorts of manufacturing processes that possess the fundamental axioms with corresponding equipment/facility requirement(s). Due to the time and resource constraints, the verification of the proposed model could only be limited to the plastic injection moulding process. The research methodology adopted the data farming philosophy that consist of four different stages: (i) Feasibility study/Justification for the use of data farming of a certain manufacturing process (Fertilization); (ii) Exhibition of process parameters, axioms collection and formation of axioms database (Cultivation); (iii) Sequencing of process parameters and embedment of axioms (Planting); and (iv) Deployment of the process parameter setting window system (Harvest). Since the injection moulding process for plastic part fabrications can be regarded as one of the most complex manufacturing process, it was selected for the verification process and study of effectiveness of the suggested model. Two toaster parts that include dust cover (a thin walled plastic part) and moving bracket (a thick walled plastic part) were selected for the reconstruction of process windows and benchmarked with their original settings. It was found that significant reduction of both manufacturing cycle time (11% to 27%) and material consumption due to overpacking (4.7% to 5%) whilst all the critical dimensional tolerances were improved. It was also evidenced that the proposed methodology is capable to disclose the knowledge of a manufacturing process. Based on the result of the project study, the partnered company agreed that the use of data farming was very successful in farming tacit knowledge for the determination of the injection moulding process window and transforming the tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge through the construction of a structure workflow. However, the methodology will be limited by the availability of axiom(s) and equipment(s)/facility(ies).
Cheung, King-hong
Use of intelligent system techniques for storage and retrieval of biometrics data with application to personal identification
|Dept. of Computing
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Information storage and retrieval systems -- Biometrics.
Human face recognition (Computer science)
Face perception -- Data processing.
|xii, 149 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Biometrics (or biometric recognition) refers to the technology recognizing individuals based on their physiological and/or behavioral characteristics. It has advantages over token-based and knowledge-based personal recognition technologies. The important biometric systems including face, fingerprint, iris and palmprint are in fact image-based recognition systems. For identification purpose, these systems can be regarded as Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) systems. The storage and retrieval requirements of image-based biometric systems, nevertheless, make them to be a special type of CBIR systems. First, personal physiological characteristics cannot be properly described by traditional text-based methods. Second, there is no generally accepted indexing and classification methods being used in common biometrics systems. Third, the captured biometric images always contain noise and variations due to change in capture environments and user habit. Fourth, in real world applications, they should be scalable for large databases and should provide relevant security mechanisms. Finally, they may make its own decision or provide help to make decision on whether a claim is accepted or rejected. In this research, we focus on the storage and retrieval of some image-based biometric systems supported by personal physiological characteristics. We have considered the storage and retrieval of biometric templates as an application of target and category search in narrow domain. We have incorporated some primitive visual-based image features including texture, lines and points, as content descriptors of biometric images. Various intelligent system techniques, e.g. machine learning and fuzzy, have been used to extract and represent the visual-based image features of palmprint and face images. We have developed methods that can compactly represent and effectively retrieve palmprint and face templates and we are the first to consider retrieval in large palmprint databases. We originally identify and study three design issues of cancelable biometrics, which is a security and privacy enhancement method proposed for template protection. We are among the first to consider the three issues integrally when designing and evaluating cancelable biometrics.
Lam, Chi-Sing
Use of recycled construction and demolition wastes as aggregates in pre cast block works
|Dept. of Civil and Structural Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Construction and demolition debris -- Recycling
Aggregates (Building materials) -- Recycling
|xiii, 126, [6] leaves : ill. ; 31 cm
|InnoPac Record
|As landfill space in Hong Kong is running out, the high waste generation rate in the territory becomes a major concern. In 2004, there was about 17,500 tonnes of waste required to be landfilled per day and about 40% of this waste was construction and demolition (C&D) waste. To reduce the waste quantity, government has implemented a charging scheme on C&D waste at the end of 2005. The purpose of this policy is to encourage contractors to reduce, reuse and recycle C&D waste. In fact, reuse of C&D waste is very common in other countries. C&D waste can be used as an aggregate replacement in concrete, sub base and masonry products. Although the high water absorption and porosity of recycled aggregates derived from C&D waste would affect the quality of concrete, there have been many studies which showed that the use of recycled aggregate in nonstructural concrete is feasible. Recycled aggregates can also be used in structural concrete by applying special mixing curing and casting methods. In masonry applications, although a number of studies have shown that it is feasible to produce paving and partition blocks by using recycled aggregates, there is a need to further understand the factors affecting the engineering properties of the masonry and paving products produced in order to optimize the production. This study aims to develop a set of scientific design principle and guidelines to optimize the performance of pre-cast masonry and paving products produced with recycled aggregates. The parameters studied included the effect of aggregates to cement (A/C) ratio, grading of the aggregates and aggregate properties on the properties of the blocks. The study was conducted by carrying out a series of experiments using different A/C ratios, types and grading to understand their effects on the properties of the blocks. The study results showed that strength of the blocks prepared with different aggregates increased with the decrease in A/C ratio, and water absorption and abrasive resistance of the blocks were also improved when the A/C ratio decreased. The study results also showed the grading of the aggregates significantly affected the performance of the blocks. Models based on ideal grading curve, fineness modulus and packing density were used in the study to optimize the grading requirements of aggregates for masonry and paving block applications. To determine the effect of aggregate types and properties, different types of aggregates (recycled crushed glass, recycled crushed aggregate and natural crushed aggregate) were used in the experiments. The result indicated that the 28th day compressive strength would increase when the recycled aggregate was replaced by natural crushed aggregate but decrease when the recycled aggregate was replaced by recycled crushed glass. Although the use of recycled crushed glass would reduce the strength, it could nevertheless compensate the high water absorption of the recycled aggregate and thus reduced the overall water absorption of the blocks making a better product. However, alkali silica reaction (ASR) became a concern when glass was used in the cementitious system. A series of accelerated mortar bar tests were carried out to determined the level of ASR expansion. It was found that by using appropriate mix proportioning and addition of PFA, the expansion caused by ASR reaction could be effectively suppressed. With the assistance of a local block manufacturer, the optimized mix proportions developed in the laboratory was used at a few plant trials. The plant trials results confirmed that it was feasible to produce quality pre-cast masonry and paving blocks (meet Grade A standard) by using recycled aggregates.
Wong, Cheuk-ching
The use of recycled vehicle tyre on road paving in Hong Kong
|Dept. of Civil and Structural Engineering
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Waste products as road materials
Tires -- Recycling
|xv, 169 leaves : ill. ; 31 cm
|InnoPac Record
|In Hong Kong, more than half of the highways are paved with asphalt, some of them are requiring resurfacing and inlaying due to the end of service life. With the ever-increasing traffic engineers have been trying to develop a new mix with a better and durable performance. The main research effort, so far, has been in introducing proprietary modifiers, additives and fibers to asphalt cement. However, disposal of waste tires (a valuable resource for pavement construction in many other countries) carries on and now has been becoming a serious environmental concern in Hong Kong. Over 2 million wasted tires are discarded in Hong Kong each year. The Government's latest budget plan stated that a sales tax on tires would be introduced and effective in the middle of 2006. The money from the sales tax of tires would be used as a fund for conducting research in waste tire recycling. This study aimed to conduct a comparative study of crumb rubber modifier on high temperature susceptibility of wearing course mixture is conducted in the hope to gain basic information on using crumb rubber modified mixtures in Hong Kong. This study investigates the effects of different sizes of crumb rubber modifier (CRM) on the high temperature susceptibility of three gradations (AC-10, AC-20 and PA) of wearing course mixtures. A wet process and 10% CRM by total weight of binders were used in these studies and the control variables for these studies included three CRMs of sizes 0.15mm, 0.30mm and 0.60mm. The evaluations were twofold. Firstly, a comparison of the properties of those modified and unmodified binders at a wide range of testing temperatures and ageing conditions was conducted. Secondary, a comparison of the rutting resistance of the CRM and conventional mixtures was made. The results show that all the CRMs have overall contributed to better performance of both binders and mixtures at high temperatures. In addition, among these three CRM sizes, mixtures modified with 0.15mm CRM exhibited the best effect on the dense-graded mixture (AC-10 and AC-20) whereas mixtures modified with 0.60mm CRM exhibited the best effect on the open-graded mixture of porous asphalt (PA).
Wong, Man
Using the jigsaw method for enhancing the learning of reading and writing competencies in vocational English
|School of Professional Education and Executive Development
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- China -- Hong Kong.
Vocational education -- China -- Hong Kong.
|v, 131 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|This research was initiated by the researcher's felt need to improve teaching in his own context. In this research, the effect of a specific cooperative learning technique called the jigsaw method on student learning was explored. The effect was compared with that of the traditional lecturing method. The evaluation of the effect focused on two aspects. The first one was students' learning outcomes in a specific vocational English subject and the second was their approaches to studying of the subject. Students' feedback and suggestions on the jigsaw method were collected from focus group interviews to improve the researcher's teaching in the future. The jigsaw method was implemented to an experimental group of students. The teaching and learning activities in the experimental group were restructured so as to implement this method. A control group was kept at the same time and the traditional lecturing method was used in this group. The effect of the jigsaw method on students' learning outcomes and that on students' approaches to studying between the experimental group and control group were measured separately using a pre-rest and post-test design. Statistical analysis of the data shows that, though the jigsaw method has produced a bigger change in test scores in terms of absolute figures, there is inadequate statistical evidence to conclude the contention that the jigsaw method is more effective than the lecturing method in enhancing student learning. Similarly, statistical results suggest a possibility that the jigsaw method could be more conducive to a more desirable approach to studying than the lecturing method. However, there is not enough statistical evidence to draw a conclusion for such a contention. Feedback on the jigsaw method collected in the focus group interviews shows that the participants in general acknowledged the advantages of the jigsaw method in helping them learn in the vocational English subject. It is also shown that a cooperative learning environment was established using the jigsaw method. Suggestions for improving the jigsaw method were also received from the participants.
Ho, Shuk-kuen
A validation study of Fuld Object Memory Evaluation for institutionalized elderly people
|Dept. of Rehabilitation Sciences
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Memory in old age
Older people -- Institutional care -- China -- Hong Kong
|xi, 74 leaves ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) is a neuropsychological test assessing episodic memory function. Whilst most of the memory tests rely on auditory and / or visual modalities for encoding, FOME utilizes multiple sensory modalities including tactile sensation to encode information. It has-been proved a useful instrument to evaluate memory functioning and differentiate dementia in the geriatric population. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of FOME including test-retest reliability, parallel form reliability, convergent validity, and discriminative power for older Hong Kong Chinese people residing in long-term care settings. Moreover, the influence of demographic variables and visual functioning on FOME was explored. The study sample consisted of 93 elderly participants recruited from eight long-term care settings of Hong Kong. Of the whole sample, 40 participants had visual impairments. In terms of cognitive functioning, 66 participants had normal cognitive function and 27 had dementia. Two sub-samples of 25 participants with normal vision were selected for test-retest reliability and parallel form reliability. The convergent validity of FOME was examined by the Cantonese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) and the Chinese version of Dementia Rating Scale (CDRS). The discriminative power of FOME for dementia was evaluated by the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis, and a cut-off score was established. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of test-retest reliability and parallel form reliability of FOME were .92 (95%CI= .59- .97) and .96 (95%CI = .91-.98) respectively. The convergent validity of FOME with CMMSE, the Memory subscale and the Initiation / Preservation subscale of CDRS, estimated by Pearson correlation tests, were .72 (p < .001), .74 (p < .001) and .70 (p < .001) respectively. The discriminative power of FOME was demonstrated by the value of area under the ROC curve, which was .93 ±.025 (95% CI = .886 to .982). The optimal cut-off score of FOME was 33, which showed a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 82%. Finally, the results showed the performance of FOME of elderly participants was not affected by visual impairments (F (1, 89) = 2.91, p =.091), and did not correlate with the level of education(r= .14, p = .19). In conclusion, FOME was found to be a reliable and valid instrument in screening dementia of institutionalized elderly people in Hong Kong.
Fung, Yim-kwan
Validity and reliability of the grip tool of the Baltimore therapeutic equipment primus in different body positions of healthy subjects
|Dept. of Rehabilitation Sciences
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations.
Occupational therapy -- Equipment and supplies.
Physical therapy -- Equipment and supplies.
Grip strength -- Measurement.
|xiii, 82 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.
|InnoPac Record
|Measurement of handgrip strength by Jamar dynamometer is commonly performed by physiotherapists to measure baseline deficiency in hand muscle strength, to monitor progress during rehabilitation, and to document outcome after rehabilitation. The handgrip tool of the Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment (BTE) Primus (BTE Co, Hanover, MD) is a computerized instrument designed to measure static grip strength. Recently, there is a growing trend of using the BTE Primus by physiotherapists for grip strength measurement in various clinical settings. Since this is a newly designed instrument for grip strength measurement and the standardized testing position is not the same as the standardized testing position of the Jamar dynamometer. It is necessary to examine the validity and reliability of the grip tool of the BTE Primus. Moreover, there are controversies in the literature regarding which elbow position (90o flexion and fully extended elbow) and which body position (sitting and standing) can obtain maximum grip strength. Thus the purposes of this study were to investigate the criterion-related validity of the grip tool of the BTE Primus, to examine the repeated measure reliability of the grip strength within each subject and to examine the reliability of the BTE grip tool in 4 different body and elbow positions, combining either standing or sitting with extended or flexed elbow. Thirty healthy subjects (18 males and 12 females) with mean age of 38.4 (+- 10.4) participated in the study. Maximum grip strength of the dominant hands were obtained using the Jamar dynamometer in the standardized position recommended by the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) and the attachment #162 of the grip tool of the BTE Primus in 4 different positions (Position A, B, C and D). Pearson correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC(3,1)) and Limits of Agreement (LoA) with Bland and Altman plot were computed. The results confirmed the expected criterion-related validity, repeated trials reliability of the grip strength within each subject and reliability of BTE Primus grip tool across 4 different body positions. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the Jamar dynamometer and the BTE grip tool was 0.991. The mean difference between these two equipment was -0.05 kg and the LoA with 95% CI was -3.10 kg to 3.00 kg. The ICC of the 3 trials repeated measures reliability ranged from 0.983 to 0.995. The reliability of the BTE grip tool in 4 difference positions was excellent with the ICC (3,1) exceeding 0.9. These results implied that the grip tool of the BTE Primus is a reliable instrument to measure handgrip strength. In addition, obtaining grip strength using the mean of 3 trials with the grip tool of the BTE Primus is a reliable method to obtain a maximum grip strength score. Besides, the grip score that is obtained by this instrument is not affected by body and elbow positions. In conclusion, the grip tool of the BTE Primus is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the static grip strength of the dominant hand in healthy subjects. However, future studies with larger sample size per age and gender group and subjects with upper limb injuries are highly recommended.
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I am in the process of repairing my credit and right now I don't know my true fico score from experian or transunion. My co worker told me to go ahead and apply for a home mortgage so I will see where I stand. I know when you apply to credit that can be a hard hit on your score. Is it a good idea to that. My non fico score is for transunion was about 546 and experian 575. Tired of renting!!!!!
Welcome to the forums !
If you want to know where you stand I would recommend pulling your FICO score. The Equifax score sold here at MyFICO is generally the same version that is used by mortgage lenders, but the TU version is an older version that is not as widely used.
pizzadude is on the money
Pull your score from myFICO...

subset: commoncrawl


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This blog will host viewpoints by the editor on various topics, as well as information for the Farwell-Hoffman-Kensington-Donnelly-Herman-Norcross, Minnesota area residents and families, and anyone else on the world-wide web who has an interest in the success and growth of the west central Minnesota area. Farwell, Kensington, Hoffman, Donnelly, Herman, and Norcross are west central Minnesota towns located between the larger towns of Alexandria, Glenwood, Morris, and Elbow Lake.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Last day today of the Main Street Galleria's School's out for Summer celebration in Hoffman
The Main Street Galleria hours are 9:30am to 5:00pm today - Saturday, June 5th.
Posted by Herman Hoffman Tribune at 5:53 AM
Labels: City of Hoffman, Main Street Galleria
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Athena Apartment In Shinjuku A1 Tokyo
ex. Athena'S Designer Apartment A1
Tokyo, Japan
Athena Apartment In Shinjuku A1 apartment provides a comfortable stay in Tokyo.
Meiji Jingu Shrine is 2 km of the property, while Meiji Jingu Stadium is around 2.1 km away. Taishokenjugoya serving Thai specialties is located close by.
The apartment provides rooms with climate control, a laptop safe and a separate toilet for a cozy stay in Tokyo.
The apartment features a kitchen for self-catering.
A 5-minute stroll takes guests to Shinjuku Sanchome subway station.
Important information
- Wi-Fi
- No pets allowed
- No parking
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
Tokyo, Japan
The apartment provides rooms with climate control, a laptop safe and a separate toilet for a cozy stay in Tokyo.
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Athena Apartment In Shinjuku A1
Tokyo, Japan
What's nearby
- Local attractions
- Studio Alta750 m
- Hanazono Shrine400 m
- Isetan Department Store Shinjuku400 m
- Toyama Park750 m
- Shinjuku Suehirotei350 m
- Shinjuku Golden Gai500 m
- Tokyo Toy Museum900 m
- Kabukicho750 m
- Odakyu Department Store, Shinjuku900 m


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Carole's love of fashion drove her to follow her long term dream and open The Village Fox Boutique. "It has been an amazing experience owning a shop in the Village of Pinehurst community. Doing what I love, while not only acquiring new clients, but establishing long, meaningful relationships".
When the opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a natural fit to add services. "I'm so proud of the amazing team of professional women that represent my business.".
If you have not experienced the personalizde service you get in the boutique or pampered yourself with a new hair style, massage, facial, or more, we want to welcome you to our new location. Hope to see you soon!
Bree has always had a passion for the hair and beauty industry. She began her career as a makeup artist where she became interested in hair styling. She pursued this interest by attending The Aveda Institute in Chapel Hill, NC. Bree specializes in dimensional color, hair extensions, and special event updos. Bree believes in continual education and strives to stay at the forefront of her field. She places high value on listening to her client's desires and creating fabulous hair. When Bree is not in the salon, she enjoys travling, cooking, and decorating her new home. Schedule an appointment with Bree
.Judi joins our team as our Licensed Massage therapist. She specializes in Myofascial Release, Deep tissue, Swedish, Hot stone and Medicupping Massage. Treatments help create relaxation, reduce muscle tightness and enhance structural integration and can include one or more of the modalities to personalize the experience. Judi has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science in addition to training provided via the elite Body Therapy Institute. Treatments are 60min, 90min and 120mins. Schedule a massage with Judi
Amy offers over 25 years of knowledge in skin care . A graduate of the prestigious Aveda Institute Minneapolis, Amy is an expert at lash extensions. She has certifications in facials, chemical peels, full body waxing, microdermabrasion, brow and lash tinting, , and much more. Schedule an appointment with Amy
Badhra offers over 30 years of experience as a makeup artist. She has an amazing ability to leave women looking effortlessly flawless. If you're the bride, bridesmaid, or simply want to look radiant at your next event, be sure to schedule an appointment with Bahdra.
Beth joined The Village Fox Boutique Salon & Spa in 2011 and has proven herself extremely dedicated and motivated with her combined skills and abilities leading women to their style destination. Beth was born with a remarkable discerning "eye" for beauty, creativity and detail to assist any lady in looking "Fabulous"! Beth is a well-presented, articulate and focused individual, who has a passion to deliver quality service and putting the customer at the heart of everything she does!
There is no one more passionate about their chosen career than Jessica. She has an amazing natural talent for hair and has mastered the art for event hair. We are grateful to have her as part of out team.
Schedule an appointment with Jessica today.