Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Study of the Use of Traditional Chinese Food or Medicine for Management of Bone Health
This platform has been successfully used for the evaluation of the efficacy and mechanism of actions of Herba Epimedii,
Drynariae fortunei, Fructus Ligustri Lucidii, lactoberries (Wolfberries), Erxiantang, Danngui Buxue Tang, Sambucus williamsii
HANCE.
Study of the Molecular Mechanism Involved in Mediating the Estrogenic Effects of Phytochemicals
• Icariin and genistein activated estrogen receptor alpha phosphorylation at Ser 167 in MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells
(figure on the left).
• The mechanisms by which ginsenoside Rg1, 8-prenylgenistein, vanillic acid and 8-O-4’ lignin activate estrogen receptor
ligand-independently were studied.
Study of the Mechanisms by which Phytochemicals Regulate Calcium and Vitamin D Metabolism
Oleanolic acid (OA) and urosolic acid (UA), the major bioactive phytochemicals in Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL), significantly
induced serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25 (OH)2D3) levels, suppressed endogenous Ca excretion and increased
the exchangeable Ca pool (compartment 3) and its transfer into bone in mature ovariectomized rats.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 99
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Prof. WONG Wai Yeung Raymond
Clarea Au Professor in Energy
Chair Professor of Chemical Technology
Associate Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles
Phone Number (852) 3400 8670
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Postdoc. University of Cambridge Texas A&M University
ORCiD Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
Publication
H-index B.Sc. The University of Hong Kong
Sum of the Times Cited
Inorganic and Organometallic Syntheses, Materials Chemistry, Organic
Electronics, Nanomaterials, Energy Materials, Chemo- and Biosensing
0000-0002-9949-7525
572
75
21986
Awards and Honours (selected) Publications (selected)
•• Highly Cited Researcher Awards, Thomson Reuters •• Q. Dong, Z. Meng, C.-L. Ho, H. Guo, W. Yang, I.
(2014–2017) Manners, L. Xu and W.-Y. Wong, “A Molecular
Approach to Magnetic Metallic Nanostructures from
•• Changjiang Scholar Chair Professorship, Ministry of Metallopolymer Precursors”, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2018,
Education, China (2016) DOI: 10.1039/c7cs00599g.
•• Lectureship Award for Asian and Oceanian •• Y. Lei, Y. Sun, L. Liao, S.-T. Lee and W.-Y. Wong,
Photochemist (Eikohsha Award), Japanese Photo- “Facet-Selective Growth of Organic Heterostructured
chemistry Association (2014) Architectures via Sequential Crystallization of
Structurally Complementary π-Conjugated Molecules”,
•• State Natural Science Award (Second-Class Prize), Nano Lett., 2017, 17, 695–701.
State Council, China (2013)
•• R. Sakamoto, T. Yagi, K. Hoshiko, S. Kusaka, R.
•• Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Matsuoka, H. Maeda, Z. Liu, Q. Liu, W.-Y. Wong
Technological Innovation (2012) and H. Nishihara, “Photofunctionality in Porphyrin-
Hybridized Bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(II) Complex Micro
•• Distinguished Lectureship Award, The Chemical and Nanosheets”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56,
Society of Japan (2012) 3526−3530.
•• Distinguished Young Chemist Award, Federation of •• Z. Meng, G. Li, H.-F. Wong, S.-M. Ng, S.-C. Yiu, C.-
Asian Chemical Societies (2011) L. Ho, C.-W. Leung, I. Manners and W.-Y. Wong,
“Patterning of L10 FePt Nanoparticles with Ultra-high
•• Natural Science Award (First-Class Prize), Ministry Coercivity for Bit-patterned Media”, Nanoscale, 2017,
of Education, China (2010) 9, 731–738.
•• Chemistry of the Transition Metals Award, Royal •• C.-L. Ho, Z.-Q. Yu and W.-Y. Wong, “Multifunc-
Society of Chemistry (2010) tional Polymetallaynes: Properties, Functions and
Applications”, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2016, 45, 5264−5295.
•• Croucher Senior Research Fellowship Award, The
Croucher Foundation (2009) •• C. Cui, Z. He, Y. Wu, X. Cheng, H. Wu, Y. Li, Y. Cao
and W.-Y. Wong, “High-Performance Polymer Solar
•• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2005) Cells Based on a 2D-Conjugated Polymer with an
Alkylthio Side-Chain”, Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9,
Books (selected) 885–891.
•• “Macromolecules Incorporating Transition Metals: •• R. Sakamoto, K. Hoshiko, Q. Liu, T. Yagi, T. Na-
Tackling Global Challenges”, (Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz, gayama, S. Kusaka, M. Tsuchiya, Y. Kitagawa,
Christian Agatemor and Wai-Yeung Wong), RSC W.-Y. Wong and H. Hishihara, “A Photofunctional
Publishing, 2018. Bottom-up Bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(II) Complex
Nanosheet”, Nat. Commun., 2015, 6, 6713.
•• “Organometallic and Related Molecules for Energy
Conversion”, (Ed. Wai-Yeung Wong), Springer, •• W.-Y. Wong, X.-Z. Wang, Z. He, A. B. Djurišic, C.-T.
2015. Yip, K.-Y. Cheung, H. Wang, C. S. K. Mak and W.-K.
Chan, “Metallated Conjugated Polymers as a New Av-
enue Towards High-Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells”,
Nat. Mater., 2007, 6, 521–527.
100 Research at FAST
Patent (selected) Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
• “Diar ylaminofluorene-Based Organometallic Phosphors and Organic Light-Emitting Devices Made with Such
Compounds” (Patent No.: US 7,652,136 B2)
Research Overview
Synthesis, Functional Properties and Applications of Metallopolymers
Our research contribution in this area has been focused on synthetic metal-based multifunctional polymers (in particular,
polymetallaynes) which are rapidly emerging as interesting and useful materials given the immense structural diversity,
range of properties and intermolecular interactions made possible by the metallic elements. These materials combine
the processing advantages of polymers with the functionality provided by the presence of metal centers. Polymetallaynes
based on some heavy metal salts (e.g. groups 10–12 elements) are recognized for their exciting functional properties,
structural variability and important applications and they can be used to sample triplet emission from soluble and
solution- processable materials. We have shown that the easily processed metallopolyynes can be used for optical
limiting and transparency type applications. These materials also have ample applications as sensor protectors towards
intense laser light beam, as converters for light/electricity signals and as patternable precursors to magnetic metal alloy
nanoparticles. Fueled by these advances in synthesis and materials properties, new applications of metallopolymers would
continue to emerge.
Molecular Materials for Light/ Electrical Energy Conversion
There is great interest in developing renewable energy resources and improving the technologies for energy interconversions.
The transformations of light into electricity (electrical energy generation in photovoltaic cells) and electricity into light (light
generation in light-emitting diodes) are two important interrelated areas that have attracted considerable research interest in
recent years. Organometallic compounds have been investigated for both of these transformations and these metal-based
molecular materials will undoubtedly play key roles in its safe and efficient production, transformation and utilization. The
chemical and physical properties of such material can be fine-tuned simply by varying its chemical structure to develop
the best material to fit a particular energy conversion application. Here, we are actively engaged in developing new types
of organic/organometallic molecules (small molecules and polymers) for high-performance photovoltaic (OPV/DSSC) and
light-emitting (OLED/WOLED) applications.
Rational Design, Synthesis and Applications of New Functional Nanomaterials
Recently, we are interested in extending our research profile to the areas of nanotechnology and nanoscience using metal-
based molecular materials. As metallopolymers can be readily shaped and patterned using various lithographic techniques,
they offer the prospect of access to patterned arrays of metal NPs with control of composition and density per unit area, which
are crucial factors for device and catalytic applications. We have recently developed a one-step synthesis of ferromagnetic FePt
NPs from a film-forming bimetallized polyferroplatinyne precursor, which can be utilized directly as a resist to fabricate FePt
NP array patterns with high magnetocrystalline anisotropy by different lithographic patterning protocols. Future work will focus
on the generalization of this approach to other magnetic metal alloy NPs and the creation of patterned magnetic films for the
fabrication of high-density magnetic data storage medium in which the convenient and rapid patterning of magnetic NPs is
highly desirable. On the other hand, nanosheet materials have attracted significant attention because of their unique electronic
and physical properties, which derive from their two-dimensional (2D) nature. However, application studies of the bottom-up
2D metal complex nanosheets are still very rare. In this project, we initiate a new programme of designing and synthesizing a
new family of conjugated metal complex 2D nanosheets by the facile bottom-up approach. Therefore, bottom-up nanosheets
with different topological structures, pore sizes, surface areas and advanced functionalities (e.g. tunable optical and magnetic
properties) will be prepared by different monomer combinations, which will be useful for the construction of photoresponsive and
semiconductive nanosheets.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 101
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Prof. WONG Wing Tak
Chair Professor of Chemical Technology
Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles
Phone Number (852) 3400 8789
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. University of Cambridge
ORCiD M.Phil. The University of Hong Kong
Publication
H-index B.Sc. The University of Hong Kong
Sum of the Times Cited
Lanthanide Complexes for MR Imaging, Molecular Probes for Chemical
Imaging, Nanostructures for Ion Sensing, X-Ray Crystallography
0000-0002-3453-1825
488
49
11313
Awards and Honours (selected) •• A smart “off-on” gate for the in situ detection of hydrogen
sulphide with Cu(ii)-assisted europium emission.
•• Outstanding Achievement Award in Scientific Liang Z, Tsoi TH, Chan CF, Dai L, Wu Y, Du G, Zhu
Research for Institution of Higher Education of China L, Lee CS, Wong WT, Law GL, Wong KL. Chem. Sci.
(2012) 2016;7:2151.
•• Croucher Senior Research Fellowship, The Croucher •• A highly selective on-off-on responsive lanthanide(III)
Foundation (2004) based probe for recognition of copper and hydrogen
sulfide. Yip YW, Law GL, Wong WT. Dalton Trans.
•• Doctor of Science, University of Cambridge, UK 2016;45:928.
(2000)
•• Urinary polyamines: A pilot study on their roles as
Publications (selected) prostate cancer detection biomarkers. Tsoi TH, Chan
CF, Chan WL, Chiu KF, Wong WT, Ng CF, Wong KL.
•• Scalable synthesis enabling multilevel bio-evalua- PLoS ONE. 2016;11:e0162217.
tions of natural products for discovery of lead com-
pounds. Zhu L, Ma W, Zhang M, Lee M ML, Wong WY, •• Gallium and Functionalized-Porphyrins Combine to
Chan BD, Yang Q, Wong WT, Tai WCS, Lee CS. Nat. Form Potential Lysosome-Specific Multimodal
Commun. 2018;9:1283. Bioprobes. Pan J, Harriss BI, Chan CF, Jiang L, Tsoi
TH, Long NJ, Wong WT, Wong WK, Wong KL. Inorg.
•• EBNA1-targeted probe for the imaging and growth Chem. 2016;55(14):6839.
inhibition of tumours associated with the Epstein-Barr
virus. Jiang L, Lan R, Huang T, Chan CF, Li H, Lear •• Lanthanide supramolecular helical diastereoselec-
S, Zong J, Wong WY, Muk-Lan Lee M, Dow Chan B, tive breaking induced by point chirality: mixture or
Chan WL, Lo WS, Mak NK, Li Lung M, Lung HL, Tsao P-helix, M-helix. Yeung CT, Chan WTK, Yan SC, Yu
SW, Taylor GS, Bian ZX, Tai WCS, Law GL, Wong WT, KL, Yim KH, Wong WT, Law GL. Chem. Commun.
Cobb SL, Wong KL. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 2017;1:0042. 2015;51:592.
•• Chiral transcription in self-assembled tetrahedral •• Upconversion Nanoparticles Conjugated with
Eu4L6 chiral cages displaying sizable circularly po- Gd3+-DOTA and RGD for Targeted Dual-Modality
larized luminescence. Yeung CT, Yim KH, Wong HY, Imaging of Brain Tumor Xenografts. Jin JF, Xu ZH,
Pal R, Lo WS, Yan SC, Wong MYM, Yufit D, Smiles DE, Zhang Y, Wong NK, Gu YJ, Lam MHW, Wong WT.
McCormick LJ, Teat SJ, Shuh DK, Wong WT, Law GL. Adv. Healthc. Mat. 2013;2:1501.
Nat. Commun. 2017;8:1128.
•• Polymer-Coated NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Upconversion
•• Efficient Selenium-Catalyzed Selective C(sp3)−H Nanoparticles for Charge-Dependent Cellular
Oxidation of Benzylpyridines with Molecular Oxygen. Imaging. Jin JF, Gu YJ, Man CWY, Cheng JP, Xu ZH,
Jin W, Zheng P, Wong WT, Law GL. Adv. Syn. Catal. Zhang Y, Wang HS, Lee VHY, Cheng HS, Wong WT.
2017;359:1588. ACS Nano. 2011;5:7838.
•• Room temperature molecular up conversion in solution. •• Responsive Two-Photon Induced Europium Emission
Nonat A, Chan CF, Liu T, Platas-Iglesias C, Liu Z, as Fluorescent Indicator for Paralytic Shellfish
Wong WT, Wong WK, Wong KL, Charbonnière LJ. Saxitoxin. He SZ, Li HG, Yip YW, Yeung CT, Fung,
Nat. Commun. 2016;7:11978. YO, Kong HK, Yeung HL, Law GL, Wong KL, Lee CS,
Lam MHW, Murphy MB, Lam PKS, Wong WT. Org.
102 Research at FAST Lett. 2011;13:2036.
Book Chapters (selected) Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
• The Chemistry of Molecular Imaging, Wiley; 2014. (Editor and contributor)
• “Upconversion Nanoparticles for Bioimaging Application”, The Rare Earth Elements, Edited by D. A. Atwood, Wiley; 2012.
• “Gadolinium Complexes as MRI Contrast Agents for Diagnosis”, Rare Earth Coordination Chemistry-Fundamentals and
Applications, Edited by C.H. Huang, Wiley; 2010.
Research Overview
Prof. Wong is currently undertaking a number of wide-ranging, cross-discipline researches. From foundation studies to practical
applications, from biomedical investigations to addressing concerns of food safety, he always aims to tackle some of the
most pressing issues surrounding not just scientific society, but also the general public as well. A main focus of his study is
lanthanide-based biomedical imaging for disease diagnosis. Over the years, a number of different imaging agents have been
developed, each displaying prominent, yet different, luminescent or magnetic properties. Additionally, the highly sought-after
targeting property has also been observed in some of the imaging agents. Luminescent lanthanide substances have similarly
found applications in the sensing of some common toxic substances, which can aid the diagnosis of intoxications. Apart
from medical diagnosis, his research on gold nanoparticles for drug discovery is found to be very promising in combating
multidrug resistant strains of cancer cells, potentially paving the way for a new means of cancer therapy.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 103
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Prof. WU Jianyong
Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 8671
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. Queen’s University
ORCiD B.Sc. Hebei Institute of Chemical Engineering
Publication
H-index Bioprocesses, Food Science and Engineering, Functional Foods
Sum of the Times Cited
(Medicinal Fungi, Bioactive Polysaccharides, Prebiotics and Microbiota)
0000-0002-5392-5686
156
43
4455
Awards and Honours (selected) Publications (selected)
•• Guest Editor for special issue in Applied Sciences •• Song AX, Mao YH, Siu KC, Wu JY* (2018) Bifidogenic
(MDPI), 2018 effects of Cordyceps sinensis fungal exopolysac-
charide and konjac glucomannan after ultrasound
•• KC Wang Visiting Scholarship 王寬誠教育基金會學術 and acid degradation. Int’l J Biol Macromolecules
講座學者 , 2015 111:587-594.
Book Chapters (selected) •• Mao YH, Song AX, Yao ZP, Wu JY* (2018) Protective
effects of natural and partially degraded konjac
•• Yan JK and Wu JY* (2014) Submerged Fermentation glucomannan on Bifidobacteria against antibiotic
of Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps sinensis for Production damage. Carbohydrate Polymers 181 368-375.
of Biologically Active Mycelial Biomass and
Exopolysaccharides. Chapter 5 In K.-Y. Paek, H.N. •• Li J, Li B, Geng P, Song AX, Wu JY* (2017) Ultrasonic
Murthy, J-J Zhong (eds.), Production of Biomass and degradation kinetics and rheological profiles of a food
Bioactive Compounds Using Bioreactor Technology, polysaccharide (konjac glucomannan) in water. Food
Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, pp93-120. Hydrocolloids 70:14-19.
•• Wang JW, Wu JY* (2013) Effective elicitors and •• Siu KC, Chen X, Wu JY* (2016) Molecular properties
process strategies for enhancement of secondary and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides isolated
metabolite production in hairy root cultures. Special from alkaline extract of wild Armillaria ostoyae mush-
issue “Biotechnology of Hairy Root Systems, Ed by rooms. Carbohydrate Polymers 137 739-746.
P. Doran” of Advs Biochem Eng/Biotech, Springer-
Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 134:55-89. •• Chen X, Yan JK, Wu JY* (2016) Characterization and
antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles prepared
104 Research at FAST with a fungal exopolysaccharide in water. Food
Hydrocolloids 53:69-74.
•• Yang RF, Zhao C, Chen X, Chan SW*, Wu JY* (2015)
Chemical properties and bioactivities of Goji (Lycium
barbarum) polysaccharides extracted by different
methods. Journal of Functional Foods 17, 903-909.
•• Yan JK*, Ma HL, Chen X, Pei JJ, Wang ZB, Wu JY*
(2015) Self-aggregated nanoparticles of carboxylic
curdlan-deoxycholic acid conjugates as a carrier
of doxorubicin. International Journal of Biological
Macromolecules 72 333-340.
•• Siu KC, Chen X, Wu JY* (2014). Constituents actually
responsible for the antioxidant activities of crude
polysaccharides isolated from mushrooms. Journal
of Functional Foods, 11 548-556.
•• Cheung YC, Siu KC, Wu JY* (2013) Kinetic models
for ultrasound-assisted extraction of water-soluble
components and polysaccharides from medicinal
fungi. Food and Bioprocess Technology 6:2659-2665.
Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Bioactive polysaccharides from edible and medicinal fungi: Polysaccharides from edible and medicinal fungi or
mushrooms are valuable bioactive molecules for nutraceutical, functional food, and cosmetic products. Three related
research areas: (1) Efficient production and processing of exopolysaccharides (ESP) from submerged fermentation of a
medicinal fungus Cs-HK1; (2) Novel polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein complexes from the Cs-HK1 EPS and
other fungi: molecular structures, solution properties and nutraceutical functions; (3) Green and efficient processes for
separation of fungal polysaccharides, e.g. ultrasound-assisted and ionic-liquid aqueous two-phase extraction.
Prebiotic functions of natural polysaccharides and hydolysates on in vitro fermentation of probiotic bacteria: The composition
and metabolic activities of human gut microbiota plays an important role in human health and disease. Non-digestible,
low-molecular weight polysaccharides and oligosaccharides (dietary fiber) are major prebiotic molecules that promote
the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Natural polysaccharides from edible and medicinal mushrooms are promising
sources of prebiotic foods. However, these natural polysaccharides are of very high molecular weight and cannot be
directly utilized by the gut bacteria. Our project is to develop and study the processes for degradation and separation of
natural polysaccharides to attain low-molecular weight and fermentable oligosaccharides, and to evaluate their effects on
the growth and metabolism of selected probiotic strains of Lactobacillus Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus bacteria.
Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps) sinensis (冬蟲夏草) fungus Cs-HK1 fermentation process and bioactive products: C. sinensis,
the Chinese caterpillar fungus, is a unique “mushroom” formed of a fungal fruiting body on a caterpillar. It is the most valuable
medicinal fungus in China and an exotic tonic for health and wellness. Because natural Cordyceps is rare and expensive,
mycelial fermentation has become an indispensible means for commercial production of the fungal materials. Cs-HK1 is a
Cordyceps fungus retained in our lab, and applied in mycelial fermentation for production of fungal biomass and PS. The
Cs-HK1 mycelial biomass and PS have shown several health effects through biochemical, cell culture and animal tests
including antitumor, immumomodulation, antioxidant and anti-fatigue, and are promising for functional food and therapeutic
applications.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 105
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Dr YAO Zhongping
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 8792
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
ORCiD M.Sc. Fudan University
Publication
H-index B.Sc. Fudan University
Sum of the Times Cited
Mass Spectrometry, New Analytical Methods, Proteomics, Metabolomics,
Molecular Assembly and Recognition, Protein Conformations, Dynamics
and Interactions
0000-0003-3555-9632
56
18
992
Awards and Honours (selected) •• Ng, T. T.; Li, S. Y.; Ng, C. C. A.; So, P. K.; Wong, T.
F.; Li, Z. Y.; Chan, S. T.; Yao, Z. P. Establishment of
•• “Changbaishan Scholar” Chair Professor, Jilin Prov- a Spectral Database for Classification of Edible Oils
ince, China, 2016-2018 using Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization
Mass Spectrometry, Food Chem. 2018, 252, 335-342.
•• Editorial Board Member, Chemical Biology Letters,
2015-present •• Wong, H. Y.; Wong, M. Y. M.; Hu, B.; So, P. Y.; Chan,
C. O.; Mok, D. K. W.; Yao, Z. P. Rapid Differentiation
•• Vice President, The Hong Kong Society of Mass of Ganoderma Species by Direct Ionization Mass
Spectrometry, 2014-present Spectrometry, Anal. Chim. Acta 2018, 999, 99-106.
•• Associate Editorial Board Member, Rapid Communi- •• Hu, B.; Yao, Z. P. Detection of Native Proteins using
cations in Mass Spectrometry, 2013-present Solid-substrate Electrospray Ionization Mass
Spectrometry with Nonpolar Solvents, Anal. Chim.
•• Visiting Associate Professor, Kyoto University, 2013 Acta 2018, 1004, 51-57.
•• Editorial Board Member, Natural Products Chemistry •• Hu, B.; Yao, Z. P. Mobility of Proteins in Porous
& Research, 2012-present Substrates under Electrospray Ionization Conditions,
Anal. Chem. 2016, 88, 5585-5589.
•• RCUK Academic Fellowship, Research Council UK,
2006-2008 •• Hu, B.; So, P. K.; Yao, Z. P. Electrospray Ionization
with Aluminum Foil: A Versatile Mass Spectrometric
•• First Class Prize (First Accomplisher), CAIA Award, Technique, Anal. Chim. Acta 2014, 817, 1-8.
The China Association for Instrumental Analysis
(CAIA), 1995 •• Hu, B.; Wang, L.; Ye, W. C.; Yao, Z. P. In Vivo and
Real-time Monitoring of Secondary Metabolites of
•• Second Class Prize, Award for Young Investigator, 7th Living Organisms by Mass Spectrometry, Sci. Rep.
National Symposium in Organic Mass Spectrometry, 2013, 3, 2104.
Changchun, China, 1993
•• Yao, Z. P. Characterization of Proteins by Ambient
Publications (selected) Mass Spectrometry, Mass Spectrom. Rev. 2012, 31,
437-447.
•• Yu. X. Y.; Chau, M. C.; Tang, W. K.; Siu, C. K.;
Yao, Z. P. Self-Assembled Binuclear Cu(II)-Histidine •• Hu, B.; Lai, Y. H.; So, P. K.; Chen, H. W.; Yao, Z. P.
Complex for Absolute Configuration and Enantiomeric Direct Ionization of Biological Tissues for Mass
Excess Determination of Naproxen by Tandem Spectrometric Analysis, Analyst 2012, 137, 3613- 3619.
Mass Spectrometry Desorption/ Ionization Mass
Spectrometry, Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 4089-4097. •• Hu, B.; So, P. K.; Chen, H. W.; Yao, Z. P. Electrospray
Ionization Using Wooden Tips, Anal. Chem. 2011,
•• Hu, B.; So, P. K.; Yang, Y. Y.; Deng, J. W.; Choi, Y. C.; 83, 8201-8207.
Luan, T. G.; Yao, Z. P. Surface-modified Wooden-
tip Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for •• So, P. K.; Yao, Z. P. Oil-Assisted Sample Preparation:
Enhanced Detection of Analytes in Complex Samples, A Simple Method for Analysis of Solid Samples using
Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 1759-1766. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass
Spectrometry, Anal. Chem. 2011, 83, 5175-5181.
106 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
We are an interdisciplinary research team. We develop and apply mass spectrometry (MS)-based approaches to address
fundamental and applied problems in chemistry, biology and food safety.
Development of New Mass Spectrometric Techniques
We have developed new mass spectrometric techniques, e.g., wooden-tip ESI-MS, direct ionization MS and pipette-tip
ESI-MS, and have established new methods for analysis of edible oils, drugs-of-abuse, herbal medicines, etc.
Investigation of Molecular Assembly and Recognition
We use ion mobility MS and MS/MS in combination with theoretical calculation to study molecular assembly and differentiation
of chiral molecules and isomers.
Investigation of Protein Conformations, Dynamics and Interactions
We use mass spectrometric approaches, e.g., native MS, ion mobility MS and hydrogen/deuterium exchange MS, as well
as molecular dynamics simulation to study conformational dynamics of protein interactions, particularly interactions of
ß-lactamases with antibiotics and inhibitors.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 107
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Prof. YU Wing Yiu
Professor and Associate Head of Department
Phone Number (852) 3400 8725
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Postdoc. University of Ottawa
ORCiD Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
Publication
H-index B.Sc. The University of Hong Kong
Sum of the Times Cited
Catalysis, Organic Synthesis, Organometallic Chemistry,
Enantioselective Reactions
0000-0003-3181-8908
99
51
8159
Awards and Honours (selected) •• “Rhodium-Catalyzed Cross Coupling of Arylboronate
and Diazoesters and Tandem Alkylation Reactions
•• Asian Core Program Lectureship Lectureship Award for the Synthesis of Quaternery α, α-Heterodiaryl
(ICCEOCA-9) 2015 (Taiwan), 2015 (China) Carboxylic acids” Tsoi, Yuk-Tai; Zhou, Zhongyuan;
Yu, Wing-Yiu* Organic Letters, 2011, 13, 5370.
•• Asian Core Program Lectureship Award (ICCEOCA-8)
2014 (Japan) •• “Pd-Catalyzed Intermolecular ortho-C-H Amidation
of Anilides by N-Nosyloxycarbamate” Ng, Ka-Ho;
•• ABCT Star Award, PolyU 2014 Chan, Albert S. C.; Yu, Wing-Yiu* Journal of the
American Chemical Society (Communications),
•• Best Teaching award in ABCT 2011 2010, 132,12862.
•• Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship 1993- •• “Pd-Catalyzed Ortho-C-H Acylation/Cross Coupling
1996 of Aryl Ketone O-Methyl Oximes with Aldehydes
using tert-Butyl hydroperoxide as Oxidant” Chan,
Publications (selected) Chun-Wo; Zhou, Zhongyuan; Chan, Albert S. C.
Yu, Wing-Yiu* Organic Letters, 2010, 12, 3926.
•• “Cp*Rh(III)-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Alkyltrif-
luoroborate with æ-Diazomalonates for C(sp3)−C(sp3) •• “Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Arylation of
Bond Formation” Lu, Y.-S.; Yu, W.-Y.* Organic C−H Bonds by Aryl Acylperoxides” Yu, Wing-Yiu;*
Letters, 2016, 18, 1350. Sit, Wing-Nga; Zhou, Zhongyuan; Chan, Albert S. C.
Organic Letters, 2009, 11, 3174.
•• “[RhIII(Cp*)]-Catalyzed Cascade Arylation and
Chlorination of α-Diazocarbonyl Compounds •• “Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Ethoxycarbonylation
with Arylboronic Acids and N-Chlorosuccinimide of Aromatic C-H Bond with Diethyl Azodicarboxylate
for Facile Synthesis of α-Aryl-α-chloro Carbonyl (DEAD)” Yu, Wing-Yiu*, Sit, Wing.-Nga; Lai, Kin- Man;
Compounds” Ng, F.-N.; Lau, Y.-F.; Zhou, Z.-Y.; Zhou, Zhongyuan; Chan, Albert S.-C. Journal of the
Yu, W.-Y.* Organic Letters, 2015, 17, 1676. American Chemical Society, 2008, 130, 3304.
•• “Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Direct
Amination of Aromatic C-H Bonds with N-Chloro-
amines” Ng, Ka-Ho; Zhou Zhongyuan; Yu, Wing-
Yiu* Organic Letters, 2012, 1, 272.
•• “Rh-Catalyzed Intermolecular Carbenoid Functional-
ization of Aromatic C-H Bonds by a-Diazomalonates”
Chan, Wai-Wing; Lo, Siu-Fung; Zhou, Zhongyuan;
Yu, Wing-Yiu* Journal of the American Chemical
Society (Communications), 2012, 134, 13565.
•• “Palladium(II)-CatalyzedDirectOrtho-C-HAcylation of
Anilides by Oxidative Cross Coupling with Aldehydes
Using tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide as Oxidant” Chan,
Chun-Wo; Zhou, Zhongyuan; Yu, Wing-Yiu*
Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis, 2011, 353, 2999.
108 Research at FAST
Research Overview
Transition Metal-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Formation via C-H Bond
Activation
• Site-selective C-H bond functionalization
• Atom- and step-economical chemical synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals and functional materials
• Our approach is to explore the fundamental reactivity of organometallic complexes with acyl radicals, carbenes and
electrophilic nitrogen species (e.g. nitrenes)
Investigation of Molecular Assembly and Recognition
Recently, we developed a Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative arene C-H bond coupling reaction with ∙Ar, ∙CO2Et and ∙COR
radicals for the direct arylation, ethoxycarbonylation and acylation
Electrophilic Amination of Organorhodium(III) Complexes
Direct aromatic C-H amination was achieved at mild conditions using N-chloroamines as reagent. A primary KIE (kH/kD = 2.7)
was observed, suggesting that the C-H bond cleavage is rate-limiting
Carbenoid Coupling with Organorhodium(III) Complexes
Direct arene C-H insertion of a-diazomalonates was also achieved with [Cp*Rh(OAc)2] catalyst
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 109
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Dr YUNG Ka Fu Joseph
Associate Professor and Associate Head of Department
Phone Number (852) 3400 8863
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
ORCiD B.Sc. The University of Hong Kong
Publication
H-index Inorganic Materials, Nanotechnology, Electrochemistry, Catalysis,
Sum of the Times Cited
Renewable Energy
0000-0002-9641-8211
22
10
246
Awards (selected) Publications (selected)
•• Invention Gold Medal of the 43rd International •• P.-C. Lau, T.-L. Kwong and K.-F. Yung* (2016)
Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2015) “Transition Metal Glycerolates as Effective
Heterogeneous Catalysts for One-Step Biodiesel
•• Grand Prize of the National Council for Research- Production from Low Grade Non-Refined Jatropha Oil
Thailand in the 43rd International Exhibition of and Crude Aqueous Bioethanol”, Scientific Reports,
Inventions of Geneva (2015) 6:23822.
•• Early Career Award issued by UGC (2012) •• F. Zheng, S.-Y. Luk, T.-L. Kwong and K.-F. Yung*
(2016) “S ynthesis of Hollow PtAg Alloy Nanospheres
Patent (selected) with Excellent Electrocatalytic Performances towards
Methanol and Formic Acid Oxidations”, RSC Advances,
•• K.-F. Yung, W.-T. Wong, T.-L. Kwong, “METHODS 6, 44902-44907.
AND CATALYSTS FOR GREEN BIODIESEL PRODUC-
TION FROM UNREFINED LOW GRADE FEEDSTOCK” •• T.-L. Kwong and K.-F. Yung* (2016) “One-step
U. S. Provisional Patent [62138963 (US)] Production of Biodiesel through Simultaneous
Esterification and Transesterification from Highly
Acidic Unrefined Feedstock over Efficient and
Recyclable ZnO Nanostar Catalyst”, Renewable
Energy, 90, 450-457.
•• T.-L. Kwong and K.-F. Yung* (2015) “Heterogeneous
alkaline earth metal-transition metal bimetallic
catalysts for synthesis of biodiesel from low grade
unrefined feedstock”, RSC Advances, 5, 83748-83756.
•• F. Zheng, W.-T. Wong* and K.-F. Yung* (2014) “Facile
Design of Au@Pt Coreshell Nanostructures: Formation
of Pt Submonolayer with Tunable Coverage and Their
Applications in Electrocatalysis” Nano Research, 7,
410-417.
•• Y. Zhang, W.-T. Wong* and K.-F. Yung* (2013)
“Biodiesel production via esterification of oleic acid
catalyzed by chlorosulfonic acid modified zirconia”,
Applied Energy, 116, 191-198.
110 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Nanomaterials for Cathode and Anode of Direct Liquid Fuel Cell
• Simple and upscalable route (Ion adsorption - in situ electrochemical reduction) for precise surface engineering of core-
shell Pt submonolayer nanomaterials for application in cathode and anodeof direct liquid fuel cell
• High flexibility for preparing different bimetallic ratio for accurate surface chemistry design for different catalytic
applications
• Highly selective design for alloy or phase separated bimetallic nanomaterial surface
Catalyst for Green Biodiesel Production
• Design of bimetallic metal oxide nanomaterials for biodiesel synthesis for improving the whole process by reducing
waste generation and enhance its adaptability to unrefined crude feedstock with high water and contamination content
for more sustainable production
• Mechanistic study of this heterogeneous reaction for better understanding of the key process involved for further
optimization
Biofuel Upgrades by Decarboxylation and Other Related Catalysis
• Homogenous and heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic decarboxylation of triglyceride to generate alkane and alkene
based fuel
• Related chemical conversion for more beneficial use of plant based biomass
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 111
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Dr ZHAO Qian
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 8711
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
ORCiD
Publication B.Sc. Xi’an Jiaotong University
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited Proteomics, Chemical Biology
0000-0003-2244-6516
6
3
52
Awards and Honours •• Zhao Q, Ding Y, Deng Z, Lee OY, Gao P, Chen P,
Rose RJ, Zhao H, Zhang Z, Tao XP, Heck AJR, Kao
•• Gordon Conference Travel Award 2015 R, Yang D. Natural products triptolide, celastrol, and
withaferin A inhibit the chaperone activity of
•• Utrecht Shortstay Fellowship 2011 peroxiredoxin i. Chemical Science. 2015;6(7):4124-30.
Publications (selected) •• Bao X, Zhao Q, Yang T, Fung YME, Li XD. A chemical
probe for lysine malonylation. Angewandte Chemie -
•• Terenzio M, Koley S, Samra N, Rishal I, Zhao Q, Sahoo International Edition. 2013;52(18):4883-6.
PK, Urisman A, Marvaldi L, Oses-Prieto JA, Forester
C, Gomes C, Kalinski AL, Di Pizio A, Doron-Mandel E,
Perry RBT, Koppel I, Twiss JL, Burlingame AL, Fainzilber
M. Science. 2018, 359: 1416-1421.
•• Zhao Q, Ouyang X, Wan X, Gajiwala KS, Kath JC,
Jones LH, Burlingame AL, Taunton J. Broad-spectrum
kinase profiling in live cells with lysine-targeted sulfonyl
fluoride probes. Journal of the American Chemical
Society. 2017;139(2):680-5.
•• Forester CM, Zhao Q, Phillips NJ, Urisman A, Chalkley
RJ, Oses-Prieto JA, Zhang L, Ruggero D, Burlingame
AL. Revealing nascent proteomics in signaling
pathways and cell differentiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci
U S A. 2017;115(10):2353-8.
•• Xiang L, Wei J, Tian XY, Wang B, Chan W, Li S, Tang
Z, Zhang H, Cheang WS, Zhao Q, Zhao H, Yang Z,
Hong Y, Huang Y, Cai Z. Comprehensive Analysis
of Acylcarnitine Species in db/db Mouse Using a
Novel Method of High-Resolution Parallel Reaction
Monitoring Reveals Widespread Metabolic Dysfunction
Induced by Diabetes. Analytical Chemistry.
2017;89(19):10368-75.
112 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Target Identification of Natural Products and Drug Molecules (Target ID)
We have been focusing on identifying direct binding proteins of natural products and small-molecule drugs. Chemical biology
and mass spectrometry enabled us to reveal the molecular targets and related mechanisms of TCMs and kinase inhibitors.
JACS, 2017, 139 (2):680-685; Chemical Science, 2015, 6 (7):4124-4130.
Nascent Protein Synthesis Identification and Quantification Protein Translation and Post-translational
Modifications (PTMs)
We labeled new-born proteins in vivo by puromycin-derived chemical probes and quantified them by using proteomics. By using
this novel approach we have studied mTOR pathway, stem cell differentiation and nerve injury repair.
Science. 2018, 359, 1416-1421; PNAS. 2018,115 (10) 2353-2358; MCP 2017, 16: (8):S31-S31.
PTMs are important mechanisms for expanding the genetic code and for regulating cellular physiology. However, it is challenging
to study by traditional approaches due to substoichiometric levels. Currently, we are using chemical proteomics approaches to
study PTMs and their functions in diseases.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 113
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Prof. ZHAO Yanxiang
Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 8706
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. The Rockefeller University
ORCiD M.A. The State University of New York at Stony Brook
Publication
H-index B.Sc. Peking University
Sum of the Times Cited
Autophagy, Cell Metabolism, Structure-based Development of
Functional Molecules with Therapeutic Potential
0000-0002-9408-9979
25
15
3551
Publications (selected) •• Wong WT, Chan KC, So PK, Yap HK, Chung WH, Leung
YC, Wong KY, Zhao Y*, Increased Structural Flexibility
•• Wu S, He Y, Qiu X, Yang W, Liu W, Li X, Li Y, Shen HM, at the Active Site of a Fluorophore-conjugated
Wang R, Yue Z and Zhao Y* “Targeting the potent ß-Lactamase Distinctively Impacts Its Binding
Beclin 1-UVRAG coiled coil interaction with designed toward Diverse Cephalosporin Antibiotics, J Biol
peptides enhances autophagy and endolysosomal Chem. (2011); 286(36): 31771-31780.
trafficking” accepted by PNAS (2018).
•• Wong WT, Au HW, Yap HK, Leung YC, Wong KY,
•• Lim JY, Lachenmayer ML, Wu S, Liu W, Kundu M, Wang Zhao Y*, Structural studies of the mechanism for
R, Komatsu M, Oh YJ, Zhao Y, Yue Z, Proteotoxic biosensing antibiotics in a fluorescein-labeled
Stress Induces Phosphorylation of p62/ SQSTM1 by ß-lactamase, BMC Struct Biol. (2011); 11:15.
ULK1 to Regulate Selective Autophagic Clearance
of Protein Aggregates, PLOS Genetics. (2015) 11(2): •• Yu C, Feng W, Wei Z, Miyanoiri Y, Wen W, Zhao Y,
e1004987. Zhang M, Myosin VI Undergoes Cargo Mediated
Dimerization, Cell (2009); 138: 537-548.
•• Jehi SE, Li X, Sandhu RS, Ye F, Benmerzouga I,
Zhang M, Zhao Y*, Bibo Li*, Suppression of subte- •• Chen J, Pan L, Wei Z, Zhao Y, Zhang M,
lomeric VSG switching by Trypanosoma brucei TRF Domain- swapped dimerization of ZO-1 PDZ2
requires its TTAGGG repeat-binding activity, Nucleic generates specific and regulatory connexin43-
Acids Res. (2014) 42(20): 12899-12911. binding sites, EMBO J. (2008); 27(15): 2113-2123.
•• Pan X, Wong WT, He Y, Jiang Y, Zhao Y*, Perturbing •• Long JF, Wei Z, Feng W, Zhao Y*, Zhang M.* (2008)
the General Base Residue Glu166 in the Active Supramodular Nature of GRIP1 Scaffold Revealed by
Site of Class A ß-Lactamase Leads to Enhanced the Crystal Structure of Its PDZ12 Tandem in Complex
Carbapenem Binding and Acylation, Biochemistry with the Carboxyl Tail of Fras1, J Mol Biol 375: 1457-1468.
(2014) 53(33): 5414-5423.
•• Chan PH, So PK, Ma DL, Zhao Y, Lai TS, Chung WH,
•• McKnight NC, Zhong Y, Gong S, Phillips GR, Dou Chan KC, Yiu KF, Chan HW, Siu FM, Tsang CW, Le-
Z, Zhao Y, Heintz N, Zong W-X, Yue Z, Beclin 1 Is ung YC, Wong KY, Fluorophore-Labeled ß-Lactamase
Required for Neuron Viability and Regulates as a Biosensor for ß-Lactam Antibiotics: A Study of
Endosome Pathways via the UVRAG-VPS34 the Biosensing Process, J Am Chem Soc. (2008);
Complex, PLOS Genetics. (2014) 10(10): e1004626. 130(20):6351-6361.
•• Guo J, Pan X, Zhao Y, Chen S., Engineering Clostridia •• Cordero J., Cuello L., Zhao Y., Jogini V., Roux B.,
Neurotoxins with elevated catalytic activity, Toxicon Perozo E., Molecular determinants of gating at the
(2013); 74: 158-166. potassium-channel selectivity filter, Nature Struct.
Mol. Biol. (2006); 13: 311-318.
•• Li X, He L, Zhang M, Yue Z, Zhao Y*, The BECN1
coiled coil domain: An “imperfect” homodimer •• Kazmirski S., Zhao Y, Bowman GD, O’Donnell M,
interface that facilitates ATG14 and UVRAG binding, Kuriyan J, The opened processivity clamp slides into
Autophagy (2012); 8(8): 1258-1260. view, PNAS (2005); 102: 13801-13806.
•• Li X, He L, Che KH, Funderburk S, Pan L, Pan N,
Zhang M, Yue Z, Zhao Y*, Imperfect interface of
Beclin1 coiled-coil domain regulates homodimer
and heterodimer formation with Atg14L and UVRAG,
Nature Communications (2012); 3: 662.
114 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology
Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanism of autophagy, an important cellular process that degrades and
recycles cytosolic content in lysosome-dependent manner. This process is critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis and has
been implicated in a variety of human diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurodegeneration.
Our research aim is structure-based mechanistic study of autophagy molecular machinery. One current project focuses on the
Beclin1-Vps34 complex, a membrane associated Class III lipid kinase responsible for autophagy induction. Beclin1 recruits
Atg14L to regulate this complex. (Li et. al. Nature Communications 2012; Li et. al. Autophagy 2012; McKnight et. al. PLOS
Genetics 2014 Autophagy)
The “Imperfect” Dimer Interface of Beclin 1 Coiled Coil Domain Regulates Autophagy
Li et. al. Nature Communications 2012; Li et. al. Autophagy 2012; McKnight et. al. PLOS Genetics 2014.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 115
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr CHAN Chi Kin
Associate Professor and Associate Head of Department
Phone Number (852) 2766 6928
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. Lancaster University
ORCiD
Publication M.B.A. University of Aston in Birmingham
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.A. University of Kent at Canterbury
Supply Chain Management, Optimization, Forecasting
0000-0001-5855-6472
79
17
1102
Research Grants (selected) •• Chan, Chi Kin, Lee, Y.C.E. and Goyal, S.K., “A Delayed
Payment Method in Co-ordinating a Single- vendor
•• Principal Investigator, “Vendor-buyer Coordination Multi-buyer Supply Chain”, International Journal of
Strategies for the Design of Efficient and Sustainable Production Economics, 127 (2010), pp. 95-102.
Supply Chains”, supported by Research Grants Council,
Hong Kong, 2011 - 2014 •• Chan, Chi Kin, Witt, S.F., Lee, E.Y.C. and Song, H.,
“Tourism Forecast Combination Using the CUSUM
•• Principal Investigator, “Environmental Performance - Technique”, Tourism Management, 31 (2010), pp. 891-897.
Impacts of Vendor-buyer Coordination”, supported by
PolyU Internal Research Grant, 2011 - 2013 •• Chan, Chi Kin, Lee, H.W.J. and Wong, K.H., “Optimal
Feedback Production for a Two-level Supply Chain”,
Publications (selected) International Journal of Production Economics,
Vol. 113, Issue 2, (2008), pp. 619-625.
•• Xu, X., Chan, Chi Kin and Langevin A., ”Coping with
Risk Management and Fill Rate in the Loss- averse •• Chan, Chi Kin and Kingsman, B.G., “Co-ordination in
Newsvendor Model”, International Journal of Production a Single-Vendor Multi-Buyer Supply Chain by
Economics, 2018, 195, pp. 296-310. Synchronising Delivery and Production Cycles”,
Transportation Research, Part E, Vol. 43, (2007),
•• Chan, Chi Kin, Wong, W.H., Langevin, A. and Lee, pp. 90-111.
Y.C.E., “An Integrated Production-Inventory Model for
Deteriorating Items with Consideration of Optimal •• Chan, Chi Kin, Li, Y.O, Ng, C.T., Cheung, K.S. and
Production Rate and Deterioration during Delivery”, Langevin, A., “Scheduling of Multi-buyer Joint
International Journal of Production Economics, 2017, Replenishments”, International Journal of Production
189, pp. 1-13. Economics, Vol. 102, Issue 1, (2006), pp. 132-142.
•• Chen, X., Chan, Chi Kin and Lee, Y.C.E., “Responsible •• Chan, Chi Kin, Kingsman, B.G. and Wong H.,
Production Policies with Substitution and Carbon “Determining when to Update the Weights in Combined
Emissions Trading”, Journal of Cleaner Production, Forecasts for Product Demand – an Application of the
2016, 134, pp. 642-651. CUSUM technique”, European Journal of Operational
Research, Vol. 153, (2004), pp. 757-768.
•• Lee, Y.C.E., Chan, Chi Kin, Langevin, A. and Lee,
H.W.J., “Integrated Inventory-Transportation Model •• Chan, Chi Kin, Cheung, B. K.-S., and Langevin, A.,
by Synchronizing Delivery and Production Cycles”, “Solving the Multi-Buyer Joint Replenishment Problem
Transportation Research, Part E, 91 (2016), pp. 68-89. with a Modified Genetic Algorithm”, Transportation
Research, Part B, Vol. 37, (2003), pp. 291-299.
•• Chan, Chi Kin, Lee, Y.C.E. and Campbell, J.F.
“Environmental Performance – Impacts of Vendor •• Leung, T.W., Chan, Chi Kin and Troutt, M.D., “A Mixed
buyer Coordination”, International Journal of Production Simulated Annealing — Genetic Algorithm Heuristic
Economics, 2013, 145, pp. 683-695. for the Two-dimensional Orthogonal Packing Problem”,
European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 145,
•• Chan, Chi Kin and Lee, Y.C.E., “A Co-ordination Model (2003), pp. 530-542.
Combining Incentive Scheme and Co- ordination
Policy for a Single-vendor Multi-buyer Supply Chain”, •• Chan, Chi Kin, Kingsman, B.G. & Wong, H., “The Value
International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 135, of Combining Forecasts in Inventory Management — A
Issue 1, (2012), pp. 136-143. Case Study in Banking”, European Journal of Operational
Research, Volume 117, (1999), pp. 199-210.
116 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr Chan’s current research focuses on supply chain management, optimization and forecasting. He has been working on
the development of mathematical supply chain models considering vendor-buyer co-ordination, incentive policy, green
performance, reverse logistics, vehicle routing problem, buyers’ loss-averse behaviour and supply chain uncertainty. In order
to find the optimal solutions of the various models, different algorithms, e.g. analytical methods and heuristics, have also been
developed. A recent project of Dr Chan is on intelligent optimization for efficient transportation in supply chains based on big
data analytics and machine learning techniques.
Intelligent Optimization for Efficient Transportation in Supply Chains based on Data-driven Techniques
Supply chain management includes forecasting demand and matching supply to meet that demand through procurement of
materials, production scheduling, inventory management, order processing, warehousing and transportation. Thus, transport
is a critical function within a supply chain. Recent technological and automotive advances are rapidly changing the way
supply chains are managed and goods (and people) are transported. The internet, technological developments,
the individual use of information and communication devices, the widespread availability of massive amounts of data have
created new challenges and opportunities to transportation and logistics systems. Massive quantities of data are available.
Big data takes a variety of forms, from messages to images, global positioning system (GPS) signals from cell phones, readings
from sensors. Smart-phones and mobile devices are sources of big data and provide enormous amounts of data related to
people, activities, and locations. Big data can be integrated to advanced quantitative tools that can lead companies and
institutions to better decisions.
How to obtain useful information from the data and thus to drive decision-making is the key to intelligent transportation planning
and control. The decisions addressed in this project concern finding the most cost-effective combination of vehicles, drivers, and
routes for a given set of transport assignments (with specification of pick-up/delivery location and time, as well as information
about the cargo). Through big data analytics and machine learning techniques, we will build optimization models to
formulate the key decisions, as well as the relation between the key decisions and the real-time supply chain status. This project
also seeks to develop an intelligent algorithm for the optimization of the supply chain transportation with “self-learning” functionality
through the analysis and usage of historical data, simulation data, as well as previous experience and knowledge. A major impact
of this project is that, through the integration of big data into quantitative approaches to transportation planning, managers and
decision makers could know more about the system status and transform that knowledge into improved decision making and
performance.
Improving Cost, Environmental Performance and Service Levels in Supply Chains via Coordination Policies
Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is a critical issue in nowadays business. An effective SCRM can increase the
competitiveness of a company towards globalization. Supply chain sustainability, supply chain risks, and supply chain
coordination are three important issues of modern supply chain management. Existing optimization models for
single vendor multi-buyer coordination generally consider only deterministic demands and traditional logistics/supply
chain costs (ordering costs, inventory holding costs, production set-up costs, shipment costs, etc.) and seek solutions
that minimize total system cost. There is little work addressing environmental issues of vendor-buyer coordination with
disruptions and stochastic demands. This research proposes to develop vendor-buyer coordination models that
incorporate environmental performance (i.e., CO2 emissions) along with cost. Because these new models include economic and
environmental performance measures, multi-objective meta-heuristic methods will be developed to find high quality solutions.
By exploring the tradeoffs between the performance measures, the results will evaluate the impact of various vendor-buyer
coordination strategies on the economic and environmental performance of supply chains. In view of the unpredictable
severe supply chain disruptions, this research also intends to develop recovery mechanisms and resilience strategies so as
to alleviate the effect of disruptions and to aim at restoring the supply chain system effectively.
Trade-off between service level and carbon dioxide emission
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 117
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Prof. CHEN Xiaojun
Chair Professor of Applied Mathematics and Head of Department
Phone Number (852) 2766 6925
Email [email protected]
Education Ph.D. Okayama University of Science
Ph.D. Xi’an Jiaotong University
Research Interests Nonsmooth/Nonconvex Optimization Theory and Algorithms with
Applications in Data Sciences, Stochastic Equilibrium
ORCiD 0000-0002-6627-2637
Publication 115
H-index 29
Sum of the Times Cited 2571
Awards (selected) Publications (selected)
•• Member of SIAM Committee on Programs and •• Chen. X. and Wets. R, eds, Stochastic Equilibrium and
Conferences, 2017-present Variational Inequalities in Mathematical Programming
B (2017).
•• Member of Program/Scientific Committees, ISMP2015/
2018, Pittsburgh/Bordeaux •• Chen. X., Pong. T.K. and Wets. R., Two-stage stochas-
tic variational inequalities: an ERM-solution procedure,
•• Semi-Plenary Speaker, The 21st International Symposium Mathematical Programming, 165 (2017), 71-112.
on Mathematical Programming (ISMP), Berlin, Germany,
2012. ISMP is the flag event of Mathematical •• Chen. X. and Xiang. S., Sparse solution of linear
Optimization Society held every three years complementarity problems, Mathematical Programming,
159 (2016), 539-556.
•• Recipient, The President’s Awards for Excellent Perfor-
mance and Achievement in Research and Scholarly •• Chen X., Sun H., and Wets R., Regularized mathematical
Activities, 2010/2011, PolyU programs with stochastic equilibrium constraints:
estimating structural demand models, SIAM J. Optim.,
•• Semi-Plenary Speaker, The 3rd International Conference 25 (2015), 53-75.
on Continuous Optimization (ICCOPT), Santiago,
Chile, 2010. ICCOPT is the flag event in Continuous •• Bian W., Chen X., and Ye Y., Complexity analysis of
Optimization held every three years. interior point algorithms for non-Lipschitz and nonconvex
minimization, Mathematical Programming, 149 (2015),
•• Highly cited scientist listed by Essential Science 301-327.
Indicators (ESI), Institute for Scientific Information (ISI),
2007-present •• Chen X., and Wang, Z., Differential variational inequality
approaches to dynamic games with shared constraints,
Mathematical Programming, 146 (2014), 379-408.
•• Chen X., Ge, D., Wang Z., and Ye Y., Complexity of
unconstrained L2-Lp minimization, Mathematical
Programming, 143 (2014), 371-383.
•• Chen X., and Wang Z., Convergence of regularized
time-stepping methods for differential variational
inequalities, SIAM J. Optim. 23 (2013), 1647-1671.
•• Chen X., Niu L., and Yuan Y., Optimality conditions and
smoothing trust region Newton method for non-Lipschitz
optimization, SIAM J. Optim. 23 (2013), 1528-1552.
•• Chen X., Smoothing methods for nonsmooth, nonconvex
minimization, Mathematical Programming, 134 (2012),
71-99.
118 Research at FAST
Research Grants (selected) Department of Applied Mathematics
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Efficient Regularization Methods for Partially Separable Nonsmooth Nonconvex Optimization,
2017-2019
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Analysis and computation of sparse solutions of linear complementarity problems with
applications, 2016-2018
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Penalty methods for nonconvex nonsmooth constrained minimization, 2015-2017
• Co-Investigator, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Optimization Algorithms for LDPC Codes, 2015-2016
• Principal Investigator, NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme, Sparse optimization: algorithms and theories, 2014-2018
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Smoothing regularization methods for parametric variational inequality problems, 2014-2016
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Second-order numerical methods for nonsmooth optimization, 2013-2015
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Regularized minimization problems in high dimensions, 2012-2014
Research Overview
Optimization Theory and Algorithms for Nonsmooth/ Noncovex Optimizaton
In recent years, nonsmooth, nonconvex optimization has become essential in many important engineering and economics
applications such as image restoration, signal reconstruction, variable selection, optimal control, robust equilibrium
problems and spherical approximation. However, most existing optimization theory and algorithms cannot
handle such problems efficiently, because the objective function is often not convex, not differentiable and perhaps not
even locally Lipschitz at the solutions. Hence, this project aims to develop effective and innovative methods for nonsmooth,
nonconvex optimization. The project consists of three parts. First, we derive new theoretical results on necessary
and sufficient optimality conditions for nonsmooth, nonconvex optimization and use these conditions to investigate various
important properties, such as the sparsity and stability of stationary points and local and global optimal solutions.
Second, we construct efficient algorithms for solving nonsmooth, nonconvex optimization by combining smooth
approximation techniques and efficient methods for smooth optimization. Moreover, we will establish error bounds
of numerical solutions to the true solutions. Finally, we apply the new theory and algorithms to applications in image
restoration, signal reconstruction, variable selection and spherical approximation. The outcomes of this project will have a
long-term and significant impact, because nonsmooth, nonconvex optimization problems arise naturally from numerous
important applications in engineering and economics. Investigation of the necessary and sufficient optimality conditions will
not only contribute to the understanding of the stationary points and local and global optimal solutions of nonsmooth,
nonconvex optimization, but is also necessary for developing efficient algorithms. Our results are expected to attract attention
from the international scientific community through presentation in leading international journals and conferences, and direct
collaboration with world leading scientists from Australia, Germany, Japan and the USA.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 119
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr CUI Jintao
Research Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 4050
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Postdoc. University of Minnesota
ORCiD Ph.D. Louisiana State University
Publication
H-index B.S. Dalian University of Technology
Sum of the Times Cited
Numerical Analysis, Computational Electromagnetics,
Discontinuous Galerkin Methods, Multigrid Methods
0000-0001-9912-1889
15
5
87
Awards (selected) •• B. Cockburn and J. Cui. Divergence-Free HDG
Methods for the Vorticity-Velocity Formulation of the
•• Distinguished Graduate Dissertation Fellowship, Stokes Problem, Journal of Scientific Computing,
Louisiana State University, 2009-2010 52(1):256-270, 2012.
•• Graduate Research Fellowship funded by NSF •• B. Cockburn and J. Cui. An Analysis of HDG Methods
Grant, USA, 2007–2009 for the Vorticity-Velocity-Pressure Formulation of the
Stokes Problem in Three Dimensions, Mathematics of
Research Grant (selected) Computation, 81:1355-1368, 2012.
•• Principal Investigator, “Numerical methods for two- •• S.C. Brenner, J. Cui, Z. Nan and L.-y. Sung. Hodge
dimensional Maxwell’s equations”, National Natural Decomposition for Divergence-Free Vector Fields and
Science Foundation of China (NSFC), 2018-2021 Two-Dimensional Maxwell’s Equations, Mathematics of
Computation, 81:643-659, 2012.
Publications (selected)
•• S.C. Brenner, J. Cui, T. Gudi and L.-y. Sung. Multigrid
•• J. Cui and W. Liu. A two-grid block-centered finite Algorithms for Symmetric Discontinuous Galerkin
difference algorithm for slightly compressible Methods on Graded Meshes, Numerische Mathematik,
Darcy-Forcheimer model in porous media, Journal of 119:21-47, 2011.
Scientific Computing, 74(3):324-335, 2018.
•• S. C. Brenner, J. Cui and L.-y. Sung. Multigrid Methods
•• Z. Meng, J. Cui and Z. Luo. A new rotated nonconforming for the Symmetric Interior Penalty Method on Graded
quadrilateral element, Journal of Scientific Computing, Meshes, Numerical Linear Algebra with Applications,
74(2):324-335, 2018. 16:481-501, 2009.
•• S. Brenner, A. Cesmelioglu, J. Cui and L.-y. Sung. A •• S.C. Brenner, J. Cui, F. Li and L.-y. Sung. A Nonconforming
nonconforming finite element method for an acoustics Finite Element Method for a Two- Dimensional Curl-Curl
fluid-structure interaction problem, Computational and Grad-Div Problem, Numerische Mathematik,
Methods in Applied Mathematics, to appear. doi:10.1515/ 109:509-533, 2008.
cmam-2017-0050.
•• J. Cui and T. Gudi. Finite element approximation of
a free boundary plasma problem, Advances in
Computational Mathematics, accepted, 43:517-535,
2017.
•• J. Cui. Multigrid Methods for Two-Dimensional
Maxwell’s Equations on Graded Meshes, Journal of
Computational and Applied Mathematics, 255:231-247,
2014.
•• J. Cui and W. Zhang. An Analysis of HDG Methods
for the Helmholtz Equation, IMA Journal of Numerical
Analysis, 34:279-295, 2014.
120 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
The research interests of Dr Jintao Cui are in the area of applied and computational mathematics. In particular, he is interested in
applying various types of numerical methods, including discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods, hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin
(HDG) methods, nonconforming finite element methods and multigrid methods to solve various types of partial differential
equations.
Finite Element Methods for Two-dimensional Maxwell’s Equations
• Nonconforming finite element methods for two-dimensional curl-curl and grad-div problem
• Weakly continuous linear vector field
• Interior penalty methods for two-dimensional CCGD problem on graded meshes
• Solving Maxwell equations based on Hodge decomposition and graded meshes
• W-cycle and full multigrid algorithms are applied to solve the discrete problems resulting from finite element methods
Numer. Math. 2008
ANZIAM 2009
Math. Comp. 2009
J. Comp. and Appl. Math. 2014
Multigrid Fast Solvers for Discontinuous Galerkin Methods on Graded Meshes
• Symmetric interior penalty method for Poisson problem with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition on graded meshes
• A class of symmetric discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods for second order elliptic problems
• Convergence of W-cycle, V-cycle and F-cycle multigrid algorithms
Numer. Linear Alg. Appl. 2009
Numer. Math. 2011
Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) Methods
• HDG methods for vorticity-velocity-pressure formulation of the Stokes equations of incompressible fluid flow
• Divergence-free HDG methods for the vorticity-velocity formulation of the three dimensional Stokes equations
• Projection based error analysis for HDG
• HDG method for the Helmholtz equation in two and three dimensions
• Stability estimate of HDG method for Helmholtz equation with large wave number for arbitrary polynomial degree
Math. Comp. 2012; J. Sci. Comp. 2012; IMA J. Numer. Anal. 2014
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 121
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr GUO Xin
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 3751
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Postdoc. Duke University
ORCiD
Publication Ph.D. City University of Hong Kong
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited M.Phil. City University of Hong Kong
B.Sc. Beijing Normal University
Learning Theory, Data Science, Computational Social Science
0000-0002-7465-9356
10
4
42
Research Grants •• Wen-Jun Shen, Hau-San Wong, Quan-Wu Xiao,
Xin Guo, and Stephen Smale, Introduction to the
•• Analysis of online learning algorithms with mini-batching Peptide Binding Problem of Computational Immu-
and averaging, GRF (Jan 2018 - Dec 2020), RGC, nology: New Results. Foundations of Computational
Hong Kong. Mathematics. October 2014, Volume 14, Issue 5,
pp 951-984.
•• Analysis of the regularization of online learning
algorithms, GRF (Jan 2017 - Dec 2019), RGC, Hong •• Wen-Jun Shen, Yu Ting Wei, Xin Guo, Stephen Smale,
Kong. Hau-San Wong, and Shuai Cheng Li, MHC binding
prediction with KernelRLSpan and its variations.
•• Mathematical analysis for coordinate kernel Journal of Immunological Methods. Volume 406, April
polynomial-based learning schemes that produce 2014, Pages 10-20.
sparse approximations, ECS (Oct 2015 - Nov 2019),
RGC, Hong Kong. •• Xin Guo and Ding-Xuan Zhou, An empirical
feature-based learning algorithm producing sparse
Publications (selected) approximations. Applied and Computational Harmonic
Analysis. Volume 32, Issue 3, May 2012, Pages 389-400.
•• Qiang Fu, Xin Guo, and Kenneth C. Land, Optimizing
Count Responses in Surveys: A Machine-Learning •• Xin Guo, Learning gradients via an early stopping
Approach, Sociological Methods & Research, accepted. gradient descent method. Journal of Approximation
(R package: GRCdata) Theor y. Volume 162, Issue 11, November 2010,
Pages 1919-1944.
•• Qiang Fu, Xin Guo, and Kenneth C. Land, A Poisson-
Multinomial Mixture Approach to Grouped and
Right-Censored Counts, Communications in Statistics -
Theory and Methods, online ready.
•• Shaobo Lin, Xin Guo, and Ding-Xuan Zhou, Distributed
Learning with Regularized Least Squares, Journal of
Machine Learning Research, 18(92):1-31, 2017.
•• Zheng-Chu Guo, Dao-Hong Xiang, Xin Guo, and
Ding-Xuan Zhou, Thresholded Spectral Algorithms for
Sparse Approximations, Analysis and Applications,
15:3, 433-455, 2017.
•• Kevin A. McGoff, Xin Guo, Anastasia Deckard, Christina
M. Kelliher, Adam R. Leman, Lauren J. Francey, John
B. Hogenesch, Steven B. Haase, and John L. Harer,
The Local Edge Machine: Inference of Dynamic Models
of Gene Regulation, Genome Biology, 17:214, 2016.
•• Xin Guo, Jun Fan, and Ding-Xuan Zhou, Sparsity
and Error Analysis of Empirical Feature-Based
Regularization Schemes, Journal of Machine Learning
Research, 17(89):1-34, 2016.
122 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
My research focuses on the theory and applications of machine learning, which tries to design, develop, analyze, and understand
automatic algorithms that can be applied to discover features, patterns, and information from data. The algorithms fit data
with carefully designed function spaces generated by reproducing kernels or deep neural networks, so that the output function
possesses generalization power. We develop mathematical analysis that guarantees the consistency of the algorithms. For
data with large size, distributed learning algorithms and online stochastic gradient descent algorithms are developed, of
which we have theoretical analysis. We also study the applications of learning algorithms to computational biology and
computational social science.
Distributed Learning with Regularized Least Squares
We study distributed learning with the least squares regularization scheme in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS).
By a divide-and-conquer approach, the algorithm partitions a data set into disjoint data subsets, applies the least squares
regularization scheme to each data subset to produce an output function, and then takes an average of the individual output
functions as a final global estimator or predictor. We show with error bounds and learning rates in expectation in both the L2-
metric and RKHS-metric that the global output function of this distributed learning is a good approximation to the algorithm
processing the whole data in one single machine. Our derived learning rates in expectation are optimal and stated in a general
setting without any eigenfunction assumption. The analysis is achieved by a novel second order decomposition of operator
differences in our integral operator approach. Even for the classical least squares regularization scheme in the RKHS associated
with a general kernel, we give the best learning rate in expectation in the literature.
Lin-Guo-Zhou JMLR 2017, Guo-Xiang-Guo-Zhou AA 2017
Towards a Mathematical Foundation of Immunology and Amino Acid Chains
We attempt to establish geometrical methods for amino acid sequences. To measure the similarities of these sequences, a kernel
on strings is defined using only the sequence structure and a good amino acid substitution matrix (e.g. BLOSUM62). The kernel
is used in learning machines to predict binding affinities of peptides to human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) molecules.
On both fixed allele (Nielsen and Lund in BMC Bioinform. 10:296, 2009) and pan-allele (Nielsen et al. in Immunome
Res. 6(1):9, 2010) benchmark databases, our algorithm achieves the state-of-the-art performance. The kernel is also used to
define a distance on an HLA-DR allele set based on which a clustering analysis precisely recovers the serotype classifications
assigned by WHO (Holdsworth et al. in Tissue Antigens 73(2):95–170, 2009; Marsh et al. in Tissue Antigens 75(4):291–455,
2010). These results suggest that our kernel relates well the sequence structure of both peptides and HLA-DR molecules
to their biological functions, and that it offers a simple, powerful and promising methodology to immunology and amino acid
sequence studies.
Shen-Wong-Xiao-Guo-SmaleFoCM2014,Shen-Wei-Guo-Smale-Wong-LiJ.Immu.Meth.2014
The Local Edge Machine: Inference of Dynamic Models of Gene Regulation
We present a novel approach to inference of regulatory interactions directly from time-series gene expression data. We
demonstrate its performance, robustness, and scalability on in silico datasets with varying behaviors, sizes, and degrees
of complexity. Moreover, we demonstrate its ability to incorporate biological prior information and make informative predictions
on a well-characterized in vivo system using data from budding yeast that have been synchronized in the cell cycle. Finally, we
use an atlas of transcription data in a mammalian circadian system to illustrate how the method can be used for discovery in the
context of large, complex networks.
McGoff et al. Genome Biology 2016
Optimizing Count Responses in Surveys: A Machine-learning Approach
Count responses with grouping and right censoring have long been used in surveys to study a variety of behaviors, status, and
attitudes. Yet grouping or right-censoring decisions of count responses still rely on arbitrary choices made by researchers.
We develop a new method for evaluating grouping and right-censoring decisions of count responses from a (semisupervised)
machine-learning perspective. This article uses Poisson multinomial mixture models to conceptualize the data-generating pro-
cess of count responses with grouping and right censoring and demonstrates the link between grouping-scheme choices
and asymptotic distributions of the Poisson mixture. To search for the optimal grouping scheme maximizing objective functions
of the Fisher information (matrix), an innovative three-step M algorithm is then proposed to process infinitely many grouping
schemes based on Bayesian A-, D-, and E-optimalities. A new R package is developed to implement this algorithm and evaluate
grouping schemes of count responses. Results show that an optimal grouping scheme not only leads to a more efficient sam-
pling design but also outperforms a nonoptimal one even if the latter has more groups.
Fu-Guo-Land SMR 2018, Fu-Guo-Land CSTM, 2018
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 123
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr HE Daihai
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 7864
Email [email protected]
Education Ph.D. McMaster University
Ph.D. Xi’an Jiaotong University
Research Interests Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Epidemiology, Statistics in
Medicine
ORCiD 0000-0003-3253-654X
Publication 61
H-index 15
Sum of the Times Cited 716
Awards •• Earn DJD, He DH, Loeb MB, Fonseca K, Lee BE and
Dushoff J. Effects of School Closure on Incidence of
•• 2017/18 Department Best Paper Award Pandemic Influenza in Alberta, Canada. Annals of
Internal Medicine. 2012; 156(3): 173-U32. (Reported
•• 2015 Meritorious Winner, Mathematical Contest in by CNN, NPR, New York Times)
Modeling, COMAP
•• He DH, Ionides EL, and King AA. Plug-and-play inference
•• 2014/15 Department Best Paper Award for disease dynamics: measles in large and small
populations as a case study. Journal of The Royal
•• 2011/12 Department Best Paper Award Society Interface. 2010; 7(43): 271-283. (Web of Science
Highly Cited Paper; 2014/15 Department Best Paper
Publications (selected) Award)
•• Lin Q, Chiu A, Zhao S and He DH. Modelling the •• Breto C, He DH, Ionides EL, and King AA. Times Series
spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus Analysis via Mechanistic Models. Annals of Applied
(MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia. Statistical Methods in Statistics. 2009; 3(1):319-348. (2017/18 Department
Medical Research. 2018; 27(7): 1968-1978. Best Paper Award)
•• Zhao S, Stone L, Gao D, and He DH. Modelling the •• Stone L, He DH, Becker K, Fishelson L. Unusual
Large-scale Yellow Fever Outbreak in Luanda, Angola, synchronization of Red Sea fish energy expenditures.
and the Impact of Vaccination. PLOS Neglected Tropical Ecology Letters 2003; 6(2): 83-86.
Diseases. 2018. 12(1): e0006158.
•• Zhan M, Hu G, Zhang Y, and He DH. Generalized
•• Sheikh A, Wu P, Cauchemez S, He DH, Fang V, Cowling Splay state in coupled chaotic oscillators induced by
B, Tian L. Ambient ozone and influenza transmissibility weak mutual resonant interactions. Physical Review
in Hong Kong. European Respiratory Journal. 2018; Letters 2001; 86(8): 1510.
00369.
•• He DH, Lui R, Wang L, Tse CK, Yang L, and Stone L.
Global Spatio-temporal Patterns of Influenza in the
Post-pandemic Era. Scientific Reports. 2015; 5:11013.
(Highlighted by PolyU media Excel@PolyU)
•• He DH, Dushoff J, Day T, MA JL and Earn DJD.
Inferring the causes of the three waves of the
1918 influenza pandemic in England and Wales.
Proceedings of The Royal Society B- Biological
Sciences. 2013; 280 (1766): 20131345. (Highlighted
by PolyU magazine Milestones)
•• He DH, Dushoff J, Eftimie R, and Earn DJD. Patterns
of Spread of Influenza A across Canada. Proceedings
of The Royal Society B- Biological Sciences. 2013; 280
(1770): 20131174.
124 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
Infectious disease outbreaks pose a huge threat to human society. Mathematical modeling and statistical inference are powerful
tools for the control and prevention of diseases outbreaks. With these tools, Dr He has worked on a variety of recent disease
outbreaks (i.e., influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Zika virus and Yellow fever) and achieved important
insights on control strategies. His works have caught wide media attention and have been cited in Government agency reports.
Projects/ Grants
• Temporal Trends of Online Search for HIV and AIDS-Related Information and its Association with HIV Risk Perception
and Protective Behavior Among Men who have Sex with Men in Hong Kong, from 2004-2014, an Infodemiological
Study - Hong Kong Government (AIDS Trust Fund, Hong Kong SAR China)
• Patterns of Influenza Transmission and the Implications of Vaccination - RGC Hong Kong (Hong Kong, Hong
Kong SAR China)
• Strategies for Mitigating an Influenza Pandemic Using Pre-pandemic Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine: A
Mathematical Modeling Approach - FHB Hong Kong (Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China)
PolyU Milestones
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 125
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Prof. HUANG Jian
Chair Professor of Applied Statistics and Financial Mathematics
Phone Number (852) 2766 6921
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. University of Washington
ORCiD M.Sc. Wuhan University
Publication
H-index B.Sc. Wuhan University
Sum of the Times Cited
Semiparametric Models, Statistical Genetics, Survival Analysis,
High-dimensional Statistics
0000-0002-5218-9269
115
34
4302
Honours (selected) •• Huang, J., Ma, S., Li, H. and Zhang, C.-H. (2011).
The sparse Laplacian shrinkage estimator for
•• Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher (2015-2017) high dimensional regression. Annals of Statistics, 39,
2021-2046.
•• Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2009)
•• Huang, J., Horowitz, J. L. and Wei, F. (2010). Variable
Research Grants (selected) selection in nonparametric additive models. Annals of
Statistics, 38, 2282-2313.
•• Principal Investigator, NSF grant, Constrained
Group Selection and Structure Estimation in •• Huang, J., Ma, S., Xie, H. L. and Zhang, C.-H. (2009).
Semiparametric Models, 2012-2015. A group bridge approach for variable selection.
Biometrika, 96, 339-355.
•• Principal Investigator, NIH grant, Regularized
Classification & Survival Analysis for Expression •• Zhang, C.-H. and Huang, J. (2008). The sparsity and
Profiling of Cancer, 2008-2012. bias of the Lasso %selection in high-dimensional linear
regression. Annals of Statistics, 36, 1567-1594.
•• Principal Investigator, NSF Grant, Efficient Bi-Level
Variable Selection in High-Dimensional Models, •• Huang, J., Horowitz, J. L. and Ma, S. (2008). Asymptotic
2008-2011. properties of bridge estimators in sparse high-
dimensional regression models. Annals of Statistics,
•• Principal Investigator, NSF Grant, Penalized 36, 587-613.
Methods for Variable Selection and Estimation,
2007-2008. •• Huang, J., Wang, D. L. and Zhang, C.-H. (2005).
A two-way semilinear model for normalization and
•• Principal Investigator, NIH Research Scientist analysis of cDNA microarray data. Journal of the
Development Award, Statistical Models of Genetic American Statistical Association, 100, 814-829.
Anticipation in Psychiatry, 1998-2003.
•• Huang, J. (1999). Efficient Estimation of the Partly
Publications (selected) Linear Additive Cox Model. Annals of Statistics, 27,
1536-1563.
•• Ma, S. and Huang, J. (2017). A concave fusion
approach to subgroup analysis. Journal of the American •• Huang, J. and Rossini, A. J. (1997). Sieve Estimation
Statistical Association, 112, 410-423. for the Proportional Odds Failure-time Regression
Model with Interval Censoring. Journal of the American
•• Huang, J., Sun, T., Ying, Z., Yu, Y. and Zhang, C.-H. Statistical Association, 92, 960-967.
(2013). Oracle inequalities for the LASSO in the Cox
model. Annals of Statistics, 41, 1142-1165. •• Huang, J. (1996). Efficient Estimation for the Cox Model
with Interval Censoring. Annals of Statistics, 24, 540-568.
•• Huang, J. and Zhang, C.-H. (2012). Estimation and
selection via absolute penalized convex minimization •• Praestgaard, J. T. and Huang, J. (1996). Asymptotic
and its multistage adaptive applications. Journal of Theory for Estimation of Survival Curves under Order
Machine Learning Research, 13, 1839-1864. Restrictions. Annals of Statistics, 24, 679-712.
126 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
A Unified Parallel Computing Framework for High Dimensional M-estimators and its Statistical Properties
High-dimensional data arise in many diverse fields of sciences and humanities, including biology, economics, finance,
information technology and health sciences. In this project, we propose a unified parallel computing framework for fitting
high-dimensional models. The proposed parallel framework will be applied to several important statistical models in high
dimensions, including the linear regression models, generalized linear models and covariance matrix estimation problems.
For the algorithms to be developed, we will study their numerical convergence and implement them in computer software.
This project aims to develop novel computational algorithms and theories for high-dimensional models, and is expected to
stimulate new research directions in computational statistics. Statistical properties including the estimation error bound and
oracle selection properties of the solution sequences from the proposed algorithms will be studied.
Penalized Regression with Summary Statistics and its Applications in Genetic Data Analysis
In this project we study the problem of variable selection and estimation in high-dimensional regression models when
the complete data are not accessible, but only certain marginal information or summary statistics are available. This problem
is motivated from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with millions of genotyped single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) that have been widely used to identify risk variants among complex human traits/diseases. With
a large number of completed GWAS, statistical methods using summary statistics become more and more important
because of inaccessibility to individual-level data. In this study, we propose a penalized approach to variable selection
and estimation using a class of commonly used penalty functions based on estimated marginal effects and an estimated
covariance matrix of the predictors with an external panel data. The proposed method is highly scalable and capable of
analysing multiple GWAS data sets from hundreds of thousands individuals and a large number of SNPs. We will investigate the
statistical properties of the proposed method. In addition, efficient algorithms will be developed for its implementation. Simulation
studies will be conducted to evaluated the performance of the proposed method. Finally, we will demonstrate its application on
the analysis GWAS data.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 127
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr HUANG Jianhui James
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6961
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. University of Alberta
ORCiD M.Sc. Shandong University
Publication
H-index B.Sc. Shandong University
Sum of the Times Cited
Stochastic Control and its applications, Mathematical Finance and
Economics
0000-0003-3315-6549
36
7
170
Research Grants (selected) Publications (selected)
•• [2016-2019] Principal Investigator of General Research •• J. Huang and M. Huang. Robust mean field LQG
Fund (GRF) Grant. Title: Dynamic optimization of games with unknown $L^2$-disturbance. SIAM Journal
large-scale system with admissibility constraint: the on Control and Optimization, 55 (2017), 2811-2840.
homogenous and heterogeneous case.
•• J. Huang, S. Wang and Z. Wu. Backward mean-field
•• [2014-2017] Principal Investigator of General Research linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) games: full and
Fund (GRF) Grant. Title: The large-population (LP) partial information. IEEE Transactions on Automatic
control problems for backward and forward- backward Control, 61 (2016), 3784-3796.
stochastic systems.
•• J. Huang, X. Li and J. Yong, A mixed linear quadratic
optimal control problem with a controlled time horizon,
Applied Mathematics and Optimization, 70 (2014),
29-59.
•• J. Huang, J. Shi. Maximum principle for optimal control
of fully coupled forward-backward stochastic differential
delayed equations. ESAIM: Control, Optimization and
Calculus of Variations, 18 (2012), 1073-1096.
•• Buckdahn, J. Huang and J. Li. Regularity properties
for general HJB equations: A Backward Stochastic
Differential Equation Method. SIAM Journal on Control
and Optimization, 50 (2012), 1466-1501.
•• J. Huang, X. Li and G. Wang. Near-optimal control
problems for linear forward-backward stochastic
systems, Automatica, 46 (2009), 397-404.
•• J. Huang, G. Wang and J. Xiong. A maximum principle
for partial information backward stochastic control
problems with applications. SIAM Journal on Control
and Optimization, 48 (2009), 2106-2117.
128 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
We discuss the dynamics optimization and related equilibrium strategies with a large number market participants. This is
connected to the realistic market network with complicated inter-connections. The distributed best strategies can be designed
with the help of decentralized information. This will enable the decision maker to achieve approximate Nash equilibrium in some
effective manner. Our research can be applied to energy control, complex network optimization and market pricing formation in
financial economics. It also provide some new viewpoint to analyze the system with large size participants and datum.
Generally speaking, my research lies at the intersection of dynamic optimizations, differential games and estimation theory for
stochastic systems. Specially, I am interested to the stochastic forward-backward system, stochastic large-scale complex system
and the related decentralized control and games.
(i) I am exploring the stochastic near-optimal controls for forward-backward differential systems. My collaborators and I have
developed some new maximum principles for both linear and nonlinear forward-backward stochastic differential equations.
The necessary and sufficient conditions are both obtained using perturbation analysis and duality methods. Our research
works provide some novel approach to analyze the stochastic recursive control problems when the underlying parameters are
of less regularity.
(ii) In addition, I also investigate the new theoretical methods to handle stochastic control of backward system with partial
information. The information structure here is more general and can be any sub-filtration of the full- information flow. With the
co-authors, we propose the backward stochastic filtering equation for the first time. It generalizes the classical forward Zakai
filtering equations. Some new Riccati equations in backward version are also proposed which help us to decoupled the related
Hamiltonian system.
(iii) I also obtain some theoretical results to the regularity of a large class of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations
with or without obstacles. I propose some new approach to unify the regularity analysis of these HJB equations, and
provide some probabilistic interpretation of them through the backward SDE or reflected BSDE (RBSDE). The related jointly
semi-concave and jointly Lipschitz properties are derived based on a time-change transformation with a BSDE analysis. These
results have impacts on the possible asymptotic and homogenization analysis. They can be connected to the large deviation
of small-parameter PDE, or be applied to other directions such as stochastic Gaussian system and related master equation.
(iv) My another recent research direction is the study of mean-field games (MFGs) of backward and forward-backward
large-scale systems. Unlike the well-studied forward mean-field games for forward large-scale systems, the MFGs of
backward and forward-backward systems have not been studied in literature yet thus my research aims to fill this important but
ignored research gap. I already made some interesting investigations along this research lines. For example, the MFGs
of partially-coupled forward-backward systems, and backward MFGs with linear state-average dependence structure. In these
works, the decentralized controls are derived and the consistency conditions are formulated through the well-posedness of some
forward-backward stochastic system.My results have much theoretical values as they provide some new formulation of
consistency which doesn’t rely on the standard fixed-point analysis. These results have also strong motivations, and
considerable originality for real practice purpose. For example, the approximate Nash-equilibrium analysis with relative
comparison preference in portfolio selection.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 129
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr JIANG Binyan
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6349
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. National University of Singapore
ORCiD B.Sc. University of Science and Technology of China
Publication
H-index High Dimensional Data Analysis, Network Data Analysis,
Sum of the Times Cited
Survival Data Analysis, Mixture Models
0000-0002-1992-4815
11
3
47
Research Grant (selected) Collaborative Works:
•• RGC Early Career Scheme (PI), 01/01/2017-31/12/2019. •• Kwan Hui Lim, Ee-Peng Lim, Binyan Jiang and
Funding Level: HK$459,423, including HK$50,000 for Palakorn Achananuparp. Using Online Controlled
educational activities. Experiments to Examine Authority Effects on User
Behavior in Email Campaigns. Proceedings of the
Publications (selected) 27th ACM Conference on Hypertext and Social Media
(HT’16). Online ready. 2018.
Statistical Methodology:
•• Singh Leher, et al. (2015) Back to basics: a bilingual
•• Yan, T., Jiang, B., Fienberg, S.E., Leng, C. (2018) advantage in infant visual habituation. Child Development.
Statistical inference in a direct network model with 86(1) 294-302.
covariates. Journal of the American Statistical Association.
To appear. •• Kwan Hui Lim, Binyan Jiang, Ee-Peng Lim and Palak-
orn Achananuparp (2014) Do you know the speaker?
•• Jiang, B. and Li, J. (2018) Sample size determination An online experiment with authority messages on event
for high dimensional parameter estimation with websites. Proceedings of the companion publication of
application to biomarker identification. Computational the 23rd international conference on World wide web
Statistics & Data Analysis. 118, 54-65. companion. International World Wide Web Conferences
Steering Committee, 2014. pp. 1247-1252.
•• Jiang, B. and Leng, C. (2016) High dimensional
discrimination analysis via a semiparametric model.
Statistics and Probability Letters. 110, 103-110.
•• Jiang, B. (2015) An empirical estimator for the spar-
sity of a large covariance matrix under multivariate nor-
mal assumptions. Annals of the Institute of Statistical
Mathematics. 67, 211-227.
•• Li, J., Jiang, B. and Fine, J. (2013) Multicategory
reclassification statistics for assessing improvements
in diagnostic accuracy. Biostatistics. 14, 382-394.
•• Jiang, B. and Loh W-L. (2012) On the sparsity of
signals in a random sample. Biometrika. 99, 915-928.
130 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
I am interested in high dimensional data analysis and network data analysis and survival analysis, with a current emphasis on
classification problems under complex structures such as high dimensionality.
QUDA: A Direct Approach for Sparse Quadratic Discriminant Analysis
Quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) is a standard tool for classification due to its simplicity and flexibility. Because the
number of its parameters scales quadratically with the number of the variables, QDA is not practical, however, when the
dimensionality is relatively large. To address this, we propose a novel procedure named QUDA for QDA in analyzing
high-dimensional data. Formulated in a simple and coherent framework, QUDA aims to directly estimate the key quantities in the
Bayes discriminant function including quadratic interactions and a linear index of the variables for classification. We establish
consistency results for estimating the interactions and the linear index, and further demonstrate that the misclassification rate of
our procedure converges to the optimal Bayes risk, even when the dimensionality is exponentially high with respect to the sample
size. An efficient algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is developed for finding interactions,
which is much faster than its competitor in the literature. The promising performance of QUDA is illustrated via extensive
simulation studies and the analysis of two datasets. Following is an example showing the interactions between different genes
in a Prostate Cancer data.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 131
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr LEE Heung Wing Joseph
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6951
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. The University of Western Australia
ORCiD B.Sc. The University of Western Australia
Publication
H-index Computational Optimal Controls, Optimal Discrete-valued Controls,
Sum of the Times Cited
Control of Chaotic Systems, Scheduling, Supply Chain Management
0000-0002-4617-4271
89
16
1388
Publications (selected) •• Yuquan Ye, Chi Kin Chan, and H.W.J. Lee, The
Existence Results for Obstacle Optimal Control
•• T.Wu, L.Wang, and H.W.J. Lee, Evolution of joint Problems, Applied Mathematics and Computation,
cooperation under phenotypic variations, Scientific 214, pp.451-456, 2009.
Reports, pp. 1-10, 2018.
•• Y.C.E. Lee, H.W.J. Lee, Optimal Control Solutions to
•• G.S.Jing, G.F. Zhang, H.W.J. Lee and L. Wang, Weak Maximum Volume Isoperimetric Pillars Problem,
Rigidity Theory and Its Application to Formation Automatica, 44, pp.1201-1208, 2008.
Stabilization, SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization,
pp. 1-26, 2018. •• Chi Kin Chan, H.W.J. Lee, and K.H. Wong, Optimal
Feedback Production for a Two-level Supply Chain,
•• Y.C.E. Lee, Chi Kin Chan, A. Langevin, and H.W.J. Lee, International Journal of Production Economics, 113,
Integrated Inventory-Transportation Model by pp.619-625, 2008.
Synchronizing Delivery and Production Cycles,
Transportation Research Part E, 91, pp.68-89, 2016. •• H.W.J. Lee and K.H. Wong, Semi-infinite programming
approach to nonlinear time-delayed optimal control
•• H.W.J. Lee, Chi Kin Chan, K. Yau, K.H. Wong, C. problems with linear continuous constraints,
Myburgh, Control Parametrization and Finite Element Optimization Methods and Software (OMS), 21,
Method for Controlling Multi-Species Reactive Transport pp.679-691, 2006.
in a Circular Pool, Journal of Industrial and Management
Optimization, 9, pp.505-524, 2013. •• H.W.J. Lee and K.L. Teo, Control Parametrization
Enhancing Technique for solving a special class
•• G.F. Zhang, H.W.J. Lee, B. Huang, H. Zhang, Coherent of ODE with State Dependent Switch, Journal of
Feedback Control of Linear Quantum Optical Systems Optimization Theory and Applications, 118, pp.55-66,
via Squeezing and Phase Shift, SIAM J. Control Optim., 2003.
50, pp.2130-2150, 2012.
•• H.W.J. Lee, K.L. Teo, A.E.B. Lim, Sensor scheduling in
•• Chuanxin Bian, G.F. Zhang, H.W.J. Lee, Squeezing continuous time, Automatica, 37, pp.2017-2023, 2001.
enhancement of degenerate parametric amplifier via
coherent feedback control, International Journal of •• H.W.J. Lee, K.L. Teo, L.S. Jennings, V. Rehbock,
Control, 85, pp.1865-1875, 2012. Control Parametrization Enhancing Technique for
Optimal Discrete-Valued Control Problems, Automatica,
•• K.H. Wong, H.W.J. Lee, and Chi Kin Chan, Control 35, pp.1401-1407, 1999.
Parametrization and Finite Element Method for
Controlling Multi-species Reactive Transport in a •• H.W.J. Lee, K.L. Teo, V. Rehbock, Sub-Optimal Local
Rectangular Diffuser Unit, JOTA, 150, pp.118-141, Feedback Control for A Class of Constrained Discrete
2011. time Nonlinear Control Problems, Computers and
Mathematics with Applications, 36, pp. 133-148, 1998.
•• David M. Walker, David Allingham, H.W.J. Lee, and
Michael Small, Parameter Inference in Small World •• H.W.J. Lee, K.L. Teo, L.S. Jennings, V. Rehbock, Con-
Network Disease Models with Approximate Bayesian trol Parametrization Enhancing Technique for Time Op-
Computational Methods, Physica A, 398, pp.540-548, timal Control Problems, Dynamic Systems and Appli-
2010. cations, 6, pp.243-262, 1997.
132 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
My research interests include Computational Optimal Controls, Optimal Discrete-valued Controls, Control of Chaotic Systems,
Internet Traffic Control, and Evolutionary Dynamics. My past researches included the development of theories and applications
of optimal control, i.e. the Control Parametrization Enhancing Technique, sensor scheduling problem, and the isoperimetric
problem. My current research focuses on evolutionary dynamics in iterated public goods game. My future research concentrates
on the coevolution of contingent cooperation and phenotypic diversity, and in the evolution of parochial altruism by
investigating the evolution of cooperation in iterated public goods game, and the coevolutionary dynamics of contingent
cooperation and phenotypic diversity.
Coherent Feedback Control of Quantum Optical Systems
As an important branch of quantum physics, quantum optics is also undergoing an explosive growth in quantum technology
because it offers building blocks for constructing quantum computing and communication devices to realize the dream of
quantum nanoscale technology. As sound approximations to the fundamental field theoretical models in quantum optics,
linear quantum optical systems have been derived in terms of quantum stochastic differential equations (QSDEs), based
on which a vast body of measurement based feedback control methods have been proposed to achieve various objectives
such as entanglement preservation, state preparation, and error correction. An alternative control mechanism, called
coherent feedback control, has been proposed recently where measurement is not necessarily involved; instead,
quantum information may flow directionally as a (possibly non-commutative) signal (such as a quantum optical
electromagnetic field or an injected laser), or directly via a bidirectional physical coupling. The benefits of coherent feedback
include (i) preservation of quantum coherence, and (ii) high speed (a coherent controller would have similar time scale
to the plant, and likely is much faster than classical signal processing). Notwithstanding the early recognition of the
development of the general principles of quantum control theory as an essential requirement for the future applications
of quantum technologies, the quest for integrated, first principles discipline of quantum control for quantum optics is
rather challenging. In this project we aim to develop a set of advanced coherent feedback control methods for quantum
optical systems by following two closely related directions: 1) optimal control via squeezing and direct coupling, which
will reveal a general picture of how to utilize squeezing components and direct coupling to design physically realizable
quantum controllers to meet prescribed control performance; 2) multi-objective control, which will provide more flexibility to
manipulate quantum optical systems to meet ever demanding design performance and complexity. The outcome of this project
will deliver a set of systematic, first principles control methods for quantum optical systems, which will be of benefit to the
successful practice of quantum optical engineering in the near future.
The Isoperimetric Pillar Construction Problem
The isoperimetric problem is one of the earliest problems that lead to the invention of calculus of variation, the optimization
of functionals. The isoperimetric problem stated that, given a fixed length of perimeter, find among all shapes in R2 that
encloses the greatest area. Zenodorus proved, later fine-tuned by Pappus, that given a fixed perimeter the circle enclosed the
largest area. In this research, an extension to the isoperimetric problem is considered. The problem is to find an
enclosed cross-sectional/base region of a pillar defined by a simple closed curve of fixed perimeter, such that the volume of the
pillar, bounded above by a given surface, is maximized. The problem is posed as an optimal control problem and solved
by MISER3. Solutions to single pillar and multiple pillars cases are considered. The results to the isoperimetric pillar problem
provide useful information in the optimal shape of pillar building in construction design.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 133
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr LI Buyang
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 3416
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interest Ph.D. City University of Hong Kong
ORCiD
Publication M.Phil. City University of Hong Kong
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.Sc. Shandong University
Computational Mathematics
0000-0001-7566-3464
41
11
294
Publications (selected) •• B. Li, J. Liu and M. Xiao: A new multigrid method for
unconstrained parabolic optimal control problems. J.
•• B. Li, J. Zhang and C. Zheng: An efficient second-order Comput. Appl. Math., 326 (2017), pp. 358-373.
finite difference method for the one-dimensional
Schrödinger equation with absorbing boundary conditions. •• B. Li and W. Sun: Maximal Lp error analysis of FEMs
SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 56 (2018), pp. 766-791. for nonlinear parabolic equations with nonsmooth co-
efficients. Int. J. Numer. Anal. & Modeling, 14 (2017),
•• M. Gunzburger, X. He and B. Li: On Stokes-Ritz projection pp. 670-687.
and multi-step backward differentiation schemes in
decoupling the Stokes-Darcy model. SIAM J. Numer. •• B. Jin, B. Li and Z. Zhou: An analysis of the Crank-Nicolson
Anal., 56 (2018), pp. 397-427. method for subdiffusion. IMA J. Numer. Anal., DOI:
10.1093/imanum/drx019.
•• B. Jin, B. Li, and Z. Zhou: Numerical analysis of nonlinear
subdiffusion equations. SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 56 •• B. Li and W. Sun: Maximal regularity of fully discrete
(2018), pp. 1-23. finite element solutions of parabolic equations.
SIAM. J. Numer. Anal., 55 (2017), pp. 521-542.
•• W. Deng, B. Li, W. Tian, and P. Zhang: Boundary problems
for the fractional and tempered fractional operators. •• G. Akrivis, B. Li and C. Lubich: Combining maximal
Multiscale Model. Simul., 16 (2018), pp. 125-149. regularity and energy estimates for time discretizations
of quasilinear parabolic equations. Math. Comp., 86
•• B. Li: Analyticity, maximal regularity and maximum-norm (2017), pp. 1527-1552.
stability of semi-discrete finite element solutions of
parabolic equations in nonconvex polyhedra. Math. •• B. Li and C. Yang: Global well-posedness of the
Comp., DOI: 10.1090/mcom/3316. time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau superconductivity
model in curved polyhedra. J. Math. Anal. Appl., 451
•• G. Akrivis and B. Li: Maximum norm analysis of implicit (2017), pp. 102-116.
explicit backward difference formulae for nonlinear
parabolic equations. IMA J. Numer. Anal., 38 (2018), •• D. Leykekhman and B. Li: Maximum-norm stability
pp. 75-101. of the finite element Ritz projection under mixed
boundary conditions. Calcolo, 54 (2017), pp. 541-565.
•• B. Jin, B. Li, and Z. Zhou: Discrete maximal regularity
of time-stepping schemes for fractional evolution •• H. Gao, B. Li and W. Sun: Stability and convergence
equations. Numer. Math., 138 (2018), pp. 101-131. of fully discrete Galerkin FEMs for the nonlinear
thermistor equations in a nonconvex polygon. Numer.
•• P. C. Kunstmann, B. Li, and C. Lubich: Runge-Kutta Math., 136 (2017), pp. 383–409.
time discretization of nonlinear parabolic equations
studied via discrete maximal parabolic regularity. •• B. Li and Z. Zhang: Mathematical and numerical
Found. Comput. Math., DOI: 10.1007/s10208-017-9364-x. analysis of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations
in nonconvex polygons based on Hodge decomposition.
•• B. Li: Convergence of a decoupled mixed FEM for the Math. Comp., 86 (2017), pp. 1579-1608.
dynamic Ginzburg–Landau equations in nonsmooth
domains with incompatible initial data. Calcolo, 54 •• B. Li and W. Sun: Maximal Lp analysis of finite
(2017), pp. 1441-1480. element solutions for parabolic equations with
nonsmooth coefficients in convex polyhedra. Math.
•• B. Jin, B. Li, and Z. Zhou: Correction of high-order Comp., 86 (2017), pp. 1071-1102.
BDF convolution quadrature for fractional evolution
equations. SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 39 (2017),
pp. A3129-A3152.
•• B. Kovács, B. Li, C. Lubich and C. A. Power Guerra:
Convergence of finite elements on an evolving surface
driven by diffusion on the surface. Numer. Math., 137
(2017), pp. 643-689.
134 Research at FAST
Honours and Awards Department of Applied Mathematics
• Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship, 2015-2016
• First prize for young computational mathematicians, by China Society for Computational Mathematics, 2013 (at the 12th
National Universities’ Annual Conference of Computational Mathematics)
Research Grants (selected)
• Principal Investigator: High-order approximation of fractional evolution equations. General Research Fund of Hong Kong
(RGC grant), 2017-2019.
• Principal Investigator: Stability and convergence of high order time discretization methods for nonlinear parabolic partial
differential equations studied via discrete maximal parabolic regularity. The Germany/ Hong Kong Joint Research Grant
(RGC grant), 2017-2018.
• Principal Investigator: Semi-implicit fully discrete finite element methods for nonlinear parabolic equations. National
Natural Science Foundation of China, 2014-2016.
Research Overview
Numerical Solution of Nonlinear Evolution Equations
Nonlinear evolution partial differential equations appear in a variety of applications, such as fluid dynamics, superconductivity,
magnetization, quantum dynamics, image processing, and oil exploration, just to name a few. In all of these applications,
numerical treatment of nonlinear partial differential equations plays an important role. Therefore, developing stable and high-
order accurate numerical methods for solving such nonlinear problems is of great practical importance.
Discrete maximal Lp-regularity is a mathematical tool for analyzing the stability and accuracy of numerical solutions of nonlinear
parabolic equations. The theory of discrete maximal Lp-regularity has been established for semidiscretization in time of
parabolic equations by implicit A-stable Runge-Kutta methods and A(α)-stable multistep methods. However, the current
theory for fully discrete finite element solutions is limited to parabolic equations with real symmetric diffusion coefficients
and A-stable time discretization methods. This rules out many interesting nonlinear problems as well as high-order multistep
methods for time discretization. Extending the results to high-order multistep methods as well as to parabolic equations with
non-symmetric coefficients has both theoretical and practical values.
We establish maximal Lp-regularity for fully discrete finite element solutions of parabolic partial differential equations with
possibly complex and non-symmetric coefficients, and apply the theory to A(α)-stable multistep methods for nonlinear
parabolic equations. In particular, the following several aspects will be considered.
For parabolic equations with real and symmetric coefficients, we shall prove discrete maximal Lp-regularity of fully discrete finite
element solutions with A(α)-stable multistep BDF methods up to order 6. This is equivalent to characterizing the angle of analyticity
and R-boundedness (uniform with respect to the mesh size of the finite elements) of the semigroup generated by a discrete
elliptic operator (discretized by the finite element method) with complex and non- symmetric coefficients. In the mean time, we
shall also obtain maximal Lp-regularity of fully discrete finite element solutions with A-stable time discretizations for parabolic
equations with complex and non-symmetric coefficients.
As an application of the above result, we present analysis for the stability and accuracy of the finite element solutions of
nonlinear parabolic equations describing gradient flows with strongly nonlinear energy functionals, including minimal sur-
face flow and regularized total variational flow, by high-order multistep BDF methods linearized by Newton’s method. We investigate
the convergence rate of the fully discrete finite element solutions given by a fixed number of Newton iterations at each time step.
As an application of discrete maximal Lp-regularity, we shall study fully discrete finite element methods for the partial
differential equations governing miscible displacement in porous media with the commonly-used Bear-Scheidegger
model of diffusion-dispersion tensor. All existing optimal-order error analysis for fully discrete finite element methods
required the diffusion- dispersion tensor to possess bounded second-order mixed partial derivatives, while the Bear-Scheidegger
diffusion-dispersion tensor is only Lipschitz continuous with respect to the solution. We shall fill in the gap between existing
numerical experiments and error analysis by using the discrete maximal Lp-regularity of finite element solutions.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 135
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr LI Xun
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6939
Email [email protected]
Education Ph.D. The Chinese University of Hong Kong
M.Phil. Shanghai University
Research Interests Stochastic Control and Applied Probability with Financial Applications
ORCiD 0000-0003-0493-417X
Publication 64
H-index 13
Sum of the Times Cited 648
Publications (selected) •• Cui X.Y., Li X. and Li D., Unified framework of mean-field
formulations for optimal multi-period mean- variance
•• Li X., Sun J.R. and Xiong J., Linear quadratic optimal portfolio selection, IEEE Transactions on Automatic
control problems for mean-field backward stochastic Control, 59 (2014), 1833-1844.
differential equations, accepted by Applied Mathematics
& Optimization, 2017. •• Huang J., Li X. and Yong J., A mixed linear quadratic
optimal control problem with a controlled time horizon,
•• Cui X.Y., Li X., Li D. and Shi Y., Time consistent Applied Mathematics & Optimization, 70 (2014), 29-59.
behavioral portfolio policy for dynamic mean-variance
formulation, Journal of the Operational Research Society, •• Cui X.Y., Gao J.J., Li X. and Li D., Optimal multi-period
68 (2017), 1647-1660. mean-variance policy under no-shorting constraint,
European Journal of Operational Research, 234
•• Cui X.Y., Li D. and Li X., Mean-variance policy for (2014), 459-468.
discrete-time cone constrained markets: The
consistency in efficiency and minimum-variance •• Elliott R., Li X. and Ni Y.H., Discrete time mean-field
signed supermartingale measure, Mathematical stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control problems,
Finance, 27 (2017), 471-504. Automatica, 49 (2013), 3222-3233.
•• Ni Y.N., Li X. and Zhang J.F., Indefinite mean-field •• Li X., Shen J. and Song Q.S., Saddle points of discrete
stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control: From finite Markov zero-sum game with stopping, Automatica, 48
horizon to infinite horizon, IEEE Transactions on (2012), 1898-1903.
Automatic Control, 61 (2016), 3269-3284.
•• Li X., and Zhou X.Y., Continuous-time mean- variance
•• Huang J., Li X. and Wang T.X., Mean-field linear- efficiency: The 80% rule, Annals of Applied Probability,
quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) games for stochastic integral 16 (2006), 1751-1763.
systems, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 61
(2016), 2670-2675. •• Li X., Zhou X.Y. and Ait-Rami M., Indefinite stochastic
linear quadratic control with Markovian jumps in infinite
•• Sun J.R., Li X. and Yong J.M., Open-loop and closed- time horizon, Journal of Global Optimization, 27 (2003),
loop solvabilities for stochastic linear quadratic optimal 149-175.
control, 54 (2016), 2274-2308.
•• Li X., Zhou X.Y. and Lim A.E.B., Dynamic mean- variance
•• Choi T.M., Li X. and Ma C., Search-based advertising portfolio selection with no-shorting constraints, SIAM
auctions with choice-based budget constraint, IEEE Journal on Control and Optimization, 40 (2001),
Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: 1540-1555.
Systems, 45 (2015), 1178-1186.
•• Ni Y.H., Zhang J.F. and Li X., Indefinite mean-field
stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control, IEEE
Transactions on Automatic Control, 60 (2015),
1786-1800.
•• Ni Y.H., Elliott R. and Li X., Discrete time mean-field
stochastic linear-quadratic optimal control problems II
-- Infinite horizon case, Automatica, 57 (2015), 65-77.
136 Research at FAST
Research Grants (selected) Department of Applied Mathematics
f(x)• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Optimal Stopping Problems for Path-Dependent Forward-Backward Stochastic
Systems with Financial Applications, 2015-2018
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Optimal Controls of Mean-Field Regime-Switching Stochastic Systems with Financial
Applications, 2014-2017
• Principal Investigator, RGC Grant, Optimal Control and Stopping Problems for Stochastic Systems with Financial
Applications, 2013-2016
Research Overview
Optimal stopping problems have important applications in many fields such as management science, engineering, economics,
and financial investment. The theory in this area has been well developed for forward stochastic dynamic systems over the
past decades. However, in studying financial derivatives such as American-style exotic options, backward stochastic systems
with pre-determined terminal states must be incorporated. In the current research project, we investigate dynamic optimization
problems featuring stochastic controls and optimal stopping with random coefficients. The research project aims to develop a
general approach, largely different from the common probabilistic one in the literature, to cope with the high difficulty involved.
Moreover, we shall apply the theoretical results to a challenging, yet practically relevant and important, decision-making model
in financial investment. In this model, investors attempt to choose the right time to sell their assets in order to achieve the
maximum return over a finite time investment horizon.
1
0.98
0.96
0.94
0.92
0.9
0.88
0.86
0.84
0.82
0.80 1 2 3 4 5 6
x
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 137
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Prof. LIN Yanping
Professor and Associate Head of Department
Phone Number (852) 2766 6944
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. Washington State University
ORCiD
Publication M.S. Washington State University
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.S. Northeastern Institute of Technology
Partial Differential Equations and Numerical Analysis
0000-0002-2461-7166
127
27
2428
Award •• X. He, J. Li, Y. Lin and J. Ming, A Domain Decomposition
Method for the Steady-State Navier- Stokes-Darcy
•• McCalla Professorship from the University of Alberta, 2004 Model with Beavers-Joseph Interface Condition,
SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, 54(4), (2015),
Editorial Service (selected) 2013-2050.
•• Editor in Chief: International Journal of Numerical Analysis •• Y. Lin, M. Yang and Q. Zou, L2 Error Estimates for a
and Modeling Class of Any Order Finite Volume Schemes Over Quad-
rilateral Meshes, SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis,
Research Grants (selected) 53 (4), (2015), 2030-2050.
•• PI, Numerical Study of Maxwell Equations with Integrals in •• T. Lin, Y. Lin and X. Zhang, Partially penalized
Metamaterial Modeling, RGC GRF immersed finite element methods for elliptic interface
problems, SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, 53 (2),
•• PI, Numerical Analysis of Integro-Differential Maxwell (2015), 1121-1144.
Equations, RGC GRF
•• J Li, Y Lin, A priori and posteriori error analysis for time
•• PI, Theoretical and Numerical Study of Non-monotone dependent Maxwell’s equations, Computer Methods
Traveling Waves for Time-Delayed Reaction Diffusion in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 292, (2015),
Equations, RGC GRF 54-68.
Publications (selected) •• X. He, T. Lin and Y. Lin, A selective immersed discon-
tinuous Galerkin method for elliptic interface problems,
•• C. Bi, C. Wang and Y. Lin, A Posteriori Error Estimates Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, 37 (7),
of Two-Grid Finite Element Methods for Nonlinear Elliptic (2014), 983-1002.
Problems, journal of Scientific Computing, Vol 74,
(2018), 23-48. •• CK. Lin, CT. Lin, Y. Lin and M. Mei, Exponential stability
of non-monotone traveling waves for Nicholson’s
•• C. Ma, L. Cao and Y. Lin, Error estimates of Crank–Nicolson blowflies equation, SIAM Journal on Mathematical
Galerkin method for the time-dependent Maxwell Analysis, 46 (2), (2014), 1053-1084.
Schrödinger equations under the Lorentz gauge, IMA
Journal of Numerical Analysis, (2017).
•• W. Li, D. Liang and Y. Lin, Global energy-tracking
identities and global energy-tracking splitting FDTD
schemes for the Drude Models of Maxwell’s equations
in three-dimensional metamaterials, Numerical
Methods for Partial Differential Equations, 33, (2017),
763-785.
•• Y. Lin, Q. Zou, Superconvergence analysis of the
MAC scheme for the two dimensional stokes problem,
Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations,
32, No 6, (2016), 1647-1666.
138 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
My research is devoted to the mathematical analysis and scientific Computing for mathematical models using partial
differential equation arising from engineering applications. Namely these are the evolution equations with interfaces,
Maxwell equations and equations in mathematical biology. I mainly focus on the stability and error estimates of numerical
methods which include finite element methods, finite volume methods and related techniques.
The Immersed Finite Element Methods for Interface Problems
The development, analysis, implementation, and application of efficient numerical methods for interface problems have been
one of central focuses for years both in mathematical and engineering communities. The interfaces are characterized
by the presence of discontinuities and/or singularities on surfaces, which may be moving or stationary, due to abrupt changes in
materials or build up of charges or other effects. The better numerical methods with accurate resolutions of the interfaces allow
a better understanding of the physical phenomena associated with moving or stationary interfaces.
Maxwell Type of Equations with Nonlocal Effects
Numerical simulation of metamaterials offers many challenges in terms of mathematical and numerical issues. For example the
lossy Drude polarization and magnetization models are often used to simulate wave propagation in metamaterials, which can
be described by Maxwell integro-differential equations.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 139
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr LIU Chunling Catherine
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6931
Email [email protected]
Education Ph.D. The University of Hong Kong
M.Phil. Wuhan University
Research Interests Incomplete Data Analysis - Missing, Censoring, and LOD,
Longitudinal/ multivariate/ high- or ultrahigh- dimensional/ functional
ORCiD Data Analysis, Survival Modeling, Baysian Analysis, Applied Statistics
Publication 0000-0003-3410-445X
H-index 30
Sum of the Times Cited 7
198
Awards and Honours (selected) •• Predictors of success in selective laser trabeculoplasty
for Chinese open-angle glaucoma. JWY Lee, C Liu, JCH
•• Honorary Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthal- Chan, SM Lai Journal of Glaucoma 23 (5), 321-345.
mology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong,
2013-2015 •• Semiparametric Estimation For Regression Coefficients
In The Cox Model With Failure Indicators Missing At
•• Intramural Research Trainee Award, National Institute Random. C Liu, Q Wang Statistica Sinica 20, 1125-1142.
of Child Health and Human Development, National
Institutes of Health, USA, Oct 2008-Jul 2010 •• A Rank-Based Test for Comparison of the mis-substitution
bias and some remedies. Multidimensional Outcomes. A
•• Travel Award, ENAR Workshop for Junior researchers Liu, Q Li, C Liu, K matics Yu, KF Yu Journal of American
in Health Studies, 2010 Statistical Association 105 (490), 578-587.
Professional Services •• Pancreatic beta-cell function and type 2 diabetes
risk: Quantify the causal effect using a Mendelian
•• Associate Editor for the Journal of Computational randomization approach based on meta-analyses.
Statistics and Data Analysis Y Song, E Yeung, A Liu, TJ Vanderweele, L Chen,
C Lu, C Liu, ... Human Molecular Genetics 21 (22),
•• Associate Editor for the Journal of Statistics and Its 5010- 5018.
Interface
•• Prevalence estimation subject to misclassification:
•• Guest Editor of the special issue Biostatistics for the the mis-substitution bias and some remedies. Z
Journal of Computational Statistics and Data Analysis Zhang, C Liu, S Kim, A Liu Statistics in medicine
33 (25), 4482-4500.
•• Reviewer for the Journals of Biometrics, Biometrika,
Statistics, Statistics in Medicine, Statistics and Its Interface •• Adjusting for misclassification in a stratified
biomarker clinical trial. C Liu, A Liu, J Hu, V Yuan,
Publications (selected) S Halabi, Statistics in medicine 33 (18), 3100-3113.
•• Corneal changes after a single session of selective laser
trabeculoplasty for open-angle glaucoma. JWY Lee, JCH
Chan, RT Chang, K Singh, C Liu, R Gangwani, ...Eye
(Basingtoke) 28 (1), 47-52.
•• A Min-Max Combination of Biomarkers to Improve Diag-
nostic Accuracy. C Liu, A Liu, S Halabi Statistics in Medi-
cine 30 (16), 2005-2014.
•• A threshold sample enrichment approach in a clinical trial
with heterogeneous subpopulations. A Liu, C Liu, Q Li, KF
Yu, V Yuan Clinical Trials 7 (5), 537-545.
•• Optimality of group testing in the presence of misclassifi-
cation. A Liu, C Liu, Z Zhang, P Albert Biometrika 99 (1),
245-251.
140 Research at FAST
Research Grants (selected) Department of Applied Mathematics
Ongoing
• PI: Statistical inference for complex epigenetic survival outcomes Analysis. Dec 2016-Nov 2019; $488,501; General
Research Grant (GRF), Research Grants Council, Hong Kong.
Completed
• Co.I: Randomized control trial on the effectiveness of collagen cross-linking on bullous keratopathy. May 2015-Apr 2017;
$890,840; Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF)
• PI: Some testing problems for irregular and sparse longitudinal/ functional data. Jan 2015-Dec 2017; $280,000; National
Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
• Co.I: Randomized control trial on the neuroprotective effects of oral Wolfberry supplement in the treatment of
normal tension Glaucoma. Nov 2014-Nov 2017; $937,976; Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF)
• PI: Rank-Based Procedures for Comparison of Multivariate Longitudinal Data in Biomedical Studies. Dec 2011-Apr 2015;
$544,000; General Research Grant (GRF), Research Grants Council, Hong Kong
Research Overview
My current research has focused on two branches. One is in functional data analysis. Functional data have come to the second
generation, and thus the modeling and methodology is becoming more challenging. Besides the traditional principle component
analysis, it calls for raw ideas, more complicated modeling and interaction with other techniques in clustering, classification,
and dimension reduction. The other is in survival modeling. Survival data analysis is a well- established discipline. However, the
co-existing of survival data under high- and ultrahigh- dimensional data setting arising from frontier epigenetics studies raises
new challenges. To extend traditional statistical methods cannot solve new problems due to complexity of the data. It deserves
exploration for effective methodology and algorithm which are particularly computational expedient.
Functional Data Analysis
In presence of scalar or vector covariates, we propose a new class of functional regression models with incomplete functional re-
sponse. We set up a missing mechanism which incorporates the covariates into modeling. Then we develop a conditional FPCA
based on novel methods to solve the estimation of conditional mean function and conditional covariance function.
Survival Modeling
After the feature screening and variable selection for ultra-
high- and high- dimensional data, we still need to do delicate
statistical inference. We study a robust semiparametric single
index model. This single-index structure is designed to achieve
both model interpretability and dimension reduction, though at
the cost of complicating the statistical inference.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 141
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr LOU Yijun
Associate Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 3980
Email [email protected]
Education Ph.D. Memorial University of Newfoundland
M.Sc. Zhejiang Normal University
Research Interest Applied Dynamical Systems, Differential Equations, Mathematical
Epidemiology and Mathematical Biology
ORCiD 0000-0003-3864-2001
Publication 33
H-index 9
Sum of the Times Cited 287
Awards •• Y. Lou and J. Wu, Tick seeking assumptions and their
implications for Lyme disease predictions, Ecological
•• Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies in Memorial Complexity, 17(2014), 99-106.
University of Newfoundland
•• X. Wu, V. R. Duvvuri, Y. Lou, N. H. Ogden, Y. Pelcat
•• The MITACS Network of Centres of Excellence and J. Wu, Developing a temperature-driven map of
Postdoctoral Fellowship (CAD$55000*2) the basic reproductive number of the emerging tick
vector of Lyme disease Ixodes scapularis in Canada,
Publications (selected) Journal of Theoretical Biology, 319(2013), 50-61.
•• K. Liu, Y. Lou and J. Wu, Analysis of an age struc- •• Y. Lou and X.-Q. Zhao, A reaction-diffusion malaria
tured model for tick populations subject to seasonal model with incubation period in the vector population,
effects, Journal of Differential Equations, 263(2017), Journal of Mathematical Biology, 62(2011), 543-568.
2078-2112.
•• Y. Lou and X.-Q. Zhao, A climate-based malaria
•• Y. Lou and X.-Q. Zhao, A theoretical approach to transmission model with structured vector population,
understanding population dynamics with seasonal SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 70(2010),
developmental durations, Journal of Nonlinear Science, 2023-2044.
27(2017), 573-603.
•• D. Gao, Y. Lou, D. He, T. C. Porco, Y. Kuang, G.
Chowell and Shigui Ruan, Prevention and control of
Zika as a mosquito-borne and sexually transmitted
disease: A mathematical modeling analysis, Scientific
Reports, 6(2016), 28070.
•• J. Fang, Y. Lou and J. Wu, Can pathogen spread keep
pace with its host invasion?, SIAM Journal on Applied
Mathematics, 76(2016), 1633-1657.
•• Q. Wu and Y. Lou, Local immunization program for SIR
epidemic model in social networks, Chaos, 26(2016),
023108.
•• J. Fang, S. A. Gourley and Y. Lou, Stage-structured
models of intra- and inter-specific competition within
age classes, Journal of Differential Equations,
260(2016), 1918-1953.
•• S. Gourley and Y. Lou, A mathematical model for the
spatial spread and biocontrol of the Asian longhorned
beetle, SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics,
74(2014), 864-884.
142 Research at FAST
Research Overview
• Research Projects: (a) Theory of Asymptotically Periodic Systems and Its Applications to Impulsive Biological Systems;
(b) Mathematical Aspects of Structured Populations Subject to Seasonal Effects: Modelling, Analysis and Applications
• My research involves two aspects: (a) using mathematical arguments to address ecological and epidemiological
problems; and (b) developing mathematical theories arising from the biological problems. In particular, theories on
dynamical systems will be developed and applied to investigate the biological problems. Current research
mainly focuses on understanding the age-structured population dynamics subject to seasonal temperature
variations and investigating disease transmission on networks.
Department of Applied Mathematics
Human movement do affect the diseas risk (a) when there is no human The pattern of human movement also affect the disease risk. Effect of phase
movement, the disease persists in patch 1 but dies out in patch 2; (b) when shift for movement rates between two patches on disease risk (malaria
human movement presents, the disease persists in both patches, and will prevalence). From: DCDS-B-2014.
stabilize in a seasonal pattern).
Temperature in one year. The corresponding development duration needed for parasite maturation. From:
JNS-2017.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 143
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr PANG Zhen
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 2766 6927
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. National University of Singapore
ORCiD
Publication M.Sc. Beijing University of Technology
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.Sc. Soochow University
Big Data, Model Selection, Robustness, Random Effects Modeling
0000-0002-3430-7532
19
6
75
Research Grants (selected) •• Huang Z, Pang Z, and Hu T. Testing structural change
in partially linear single- index models with error-prone
•• Statistical inference for massive data via bootstrapping linear covariates. Computational Statistics and Data
(RGC) Analysis, 59:121–133, 2013.
•• Stability Selection with Information Criteria in High •• Pang Z. and Xue L., Estimation for single-index models
Dimensional Data Analysis (PolyU) with random effects. Computational Statistics and Data
Analysis, 56:1837–1853, 2012.
•• Efficient Semiparametric Models for Large Complex
Data (PolyU) •• Field C., Pang Z., and Welsh A., Bootstrapping robust
estimates for clustered data. Journal of the American
Publications (selected) Statistical Association, 105:1606–1616, 2010.
•• Lin, B., Pang Z., and Wang, Q., Cluster feature selection •• Pang Z. and Kuk A., Test of marginal compatibility and
in high dimensional linear models. Random Matrices: smoothing methods for ex- changeable binary data with
Theory and Applications, 7:1750015 (23 pages), 2018. unequal cluster sizes. Biometrics, 63:218–227, 2007.
•• Lin, B., Wang, Q., Zhang J. and Pang Z., Stable prediction •• Pang Z. and Kuk A., A shared response model for clustered
in high-dimensional linear models. Statistics and binary data in developmental toxicity studies. Biometrics,
Computing, 27:1401–1412, 2017. 61:1076–1084, 2005.
•• Lin, B., Pang Z., and Jiang, J., Regularization parameter
selections via bootstrap- ping. Australian and New
Zealand Journal of Statistics, 58:335–356, 2016.
•• Lin B. and Pang Z., Tilted correlation screening learning
in high dimensional data analysis. Journal of Computational
and Graphical Statistics, 23:478–496, 2014.
•• Xue L. and Pang Z., Statistical inference for a single-
index varying-coeffcient model. Statistics and Comput-
ing, 23:589–599, 2013.
•• Lin B., Pang Z., and Jiang J., Fixed and random effects
selection by REML and pathwise coordinate optimiza-
tion. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics,
22:341–355, 2013.
•• Huang Z, Pang Z, and Zhang R. Adaptive profile-
empirical-likelihood infer-ences for generalized
single-index models. Computational Statistics and
Data Analysis, 62:70–82, 2013.
144 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
In genetic, medical and financial studies, many data are high dimensional nowadays. Among these high dimensional
predictors, it often happens that only few of them are related to the response variable we are interested in. A popular
approach is to use the regularization penalty to model the high dimensional data. In high dimensional data, it may also happen
that there are highly correlated predictors which may distort the true relationships. The common correlation screening method is
fast but may mistakenly eliminate true positive predictors. We aim to propose efficient methods to detect the truly predictors and
select the true model structure.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 145
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Dr PONG Ting Kei
Assistant Professor
Phone Number (852) 3400 3330
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interest Ph.D. University of Washington
ORCiD
Publication M.Phil. The Chinese University of Hong Kong
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.Sc. The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Continuous Optimization
0000-0001-5862-2986
25
9
363
Award • Gouveia, G. and Pong, T. K. “Comparing SOS and
SDP relaxations of sensor network localization” Com-
• Early Career Award 2015/2016, the Research Grants put. Optim. & Appl. 52, 2012, pp. 609-627.
Council of Hong Kong
• Lu, Z. and Pong, T. K. “Minimizing condition number
Publications (selected) via convex programming” SIAM J. Matrix Anal. A. 32,
2011, pp. 1193-1211.
• Li, G. and Pong, T. K. “Calculus of the exponent of
Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz inequality and its applications • Pong, T. K. and Tseng, P. “(Robust) Edge-based semi-
to linear convergence of first-order methods” Found. definite programming relaxation of sensor network lo-
Comput. Math. In press. calization” Math. Program. 130, 2011, pp. 321-358.
• Wen, B., Chen, X. and Pong, T. K. “Linear convergence • Pong, T. K., Tseng, P., Ji, S. and Ye, J. “Trace norm
of proximal gradient algorithm with extrapolation for a regularization: reformulations, algorithms, and multi- task
class of nonconvex nonsmooth minimization problems” learning” SIAM J. Optim. 20, 2010, pp. 3465-3489.
SIAM J. Optim. 27, 2017, pp. 124-145.
• Li , C ., N g, K . F. and Pong, T. K. “ C onstraint
• Li, G. and Pong, T. K. “Douglas-Rachford splitting for qualifications for convex inequality systems with
nonconvex optimization with application to nonconvex applications in constrained optimization” SIAM J.
feasibility problems” Math. Program. 159, 2016, Optim. 19, 2008, pp. 163-187.
pp. 371-401.
• Li, C., Ng, K. F. and Pong, T. K. “The SECQ, linear
• Pong, T. K., Sun, H., Wang, N and Wolkowicz, H. regularity, and the strong CHIP for an infinite system of
“Eigenvalue, quadratic programming, and semidefinite closed convex sets in normed linear spaces” SIAM J.
programming relaxations for a cut minimization problem” Optim. 18, 2007, pp. 643-665.
Comput. Optim. & Appl. 63, 2016, pp. 333-364.
• Li, G. and Pong, T. K. “Global convergence of splitting
methods for nonconvex composite optimization” SIAM
J. Optim. 25, 2015, pp. 2434-2460.
• Friedlander, M., Macedo, I. and Pong, T. K. “Gauge
optimization and duality” SIAM J. Optim. 24, 2014,
pp.1999-2022.
• Pong, T. K. and Wolkowicz, H. “The generalized trust
region subproblems” Comput. Optim. & Appl. 58,
2014, pp. 273-322.
• Lu, Z. and Pong, T. K. “Computing optimal experimen-
tal designs via interior point method” SIAM J. Matrix
Anal. A. 34, 2013, pp. 1556-1580.
• Fazel, M., Pong, T. K., Sun, D. and Tseng, P. “Hankel
matrix rank minimization with applications in system
identification and realization” SIAM J. Matrix Anal. A.
34, 2013, pp. 946-977.
146 Research at FAST
Research Overview Department of Applied Mathematics
My research area is continuous optimization. My recent focus is on the development and convergence analysis of fast solution
methods for problems arising from various engineering fields and machine learning, such as sensor network localization, system
realization / identification, outlier detections and compressed sensing. These problems are typically large-scale, but fortunately,
the models involved are highly structured. By exploiting the underlying structure (convexity, difference-of-convexity, prox-regularity,
partial smoothness, etc), we develop efficient first-order methods (that employ only first-order information such as gradients and
proximal mappings) and analyze their global convergence properties and local convergence rates.
Sensor Network Localization
We consider the problem of identifying m unknown sensors given positions of other n-m sensors and some (but not all)
pair-wise distance measurements. This problem arises from wireless communication and is NP-hard in general. We
analyze the efficiency of various convex relaxations. Specifically,
• We analyzed an Edge-based SDP (ESDP) relaxation, and derived an accuracy certificate for identifying correctly
positioned sensors.
• We showed that a sparse SOS relaxation is stronger than the ESDP relaxation.
• We developed a fast distributed algorithm for solving the ESDP relaxation.
We show below approximate sensor positions (in blue) obtained by our ESDP solver, and those identified by our certificate to be
“accurate”. They are joined to their true positions (in green) by blue lines. Known sensor positions are marked by circles.
Feasibility Problems Efficient Solution Methods for Compressed
Sensing/ Machine Learning Applications
These ubiquitous problems consist in finding a point in the
intersection of two nonempty closed possibly nonconvex sets. Many practical problems in machine learning can be modeled
While solution methods are abundant in the convex case, most as optimization problems where one minimizes a smooth loss
of those methods are not directly applicable in the nonconvex function together with a typically non-smooth regularization
case. We study to what extent those methods can be extended function for inducing desirable structures in the solution:
to the nonconvex case.
We show below two classical methods for feasibility problems Here h has a Lipschitz continuous gradient, P is a proper closed
for finding the intersection of the axes: the alternating projection function, and the objective function is not necessarily convex.
method and the Douglas Rachford splitting method. One concrete example is:
We adapt and analyze methods for solving these convex/non-
convex problems, including
• Proximal gradient algorithm and its accelerated/
extrapolated variants.
• Alternating direction method of multipliers and its
semi-proximal variants.
• Splitting methods and their adaptation to nonconvex
instances.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 147
Our Researchers
Department of Applied Mathematics
Prof. QI Liqun
Chair Professor of Research
Phone Number (852) 2766 4591
Email
Education [email protected]
Research Interests Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison
ORCiD
Publication M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison
H-index
Sum of the Times Cited B.S. Tsinghua University
Optimization, Spectral Theory of Tensors, Spectral Hypergraph Theory
0000-0002-1112-5250
283
43
7368
Honours and Awards Publications (selected)
• Microsoft Academic Search: Top authors in Mathematics: • L. Qi, H. Chen and Y. Chen, Tensor Eigenvalues and
No. 283 among 401671 authors Their Applications, Springer, New York, 2018.
• Microsoft Academic Search: Top authors in Optimization • L. Qi and Z. Luo, Tensor Analysis: Spectral Theory and
and Control: No. 16 among 27011 authors Special Tensors, SIAM, Philadelphia, 2017.
• The First Class Science and Technology Award of • L. Qi, C. Xu and Y. Xu, “Nonnegative tensor factorization,
Chinese Operations Research Society in 2010 completely positive tensors and a hierarchically elimination
algorithm”, SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and
• ISI Most Highly Cited Scientist in the period of 1981-2008 Applications 35 (2014) 1227-1241.
• The President’s Awards for Excellent Performance/ • M. Ng, L. Qi and G. Zhou, “Finding the largest
Achievement 2003/2004, based upon Research and eigenvalue of a non-negative tensor”, SIAM Journal
Scholarly Activities, The Hong Kong Polytechnic Uni- on Matrix Analysis and Applications 31 (2009) 1090-1099.
versity
• L. Qi, “Eigenvalues of a real supersymmetric tensor”,
Research Grants Journal of Symbolic Computation 40 (2005) 1302-1324.
• Win the Hong Kong Research Grant Council Grants in 18 • L. Qi, D. Sun and G. Zhou, “A new look at smoothing
consecutive years since coming to Hong Kong Newton methods for nonlinear complementarity problems
and box constrained variational inequalities”, Mathematical
Academic Membership and Programming 87 (2000) 1-35.
Editorial Positions
• L. Qi and J. Sun, “A nonsmooth version of Newton’s method”,
• Editor or Associate Editor of ten international journals Mathematical Programming 58 (1993) 353-368.
• Member of the Physical Science Panel of The Hong Kong • L. Qi, “Convergence analysis of some algorithms for
Research Grant Council (JRS) (2014-2020) solving nonsmooth equations”, Mathematics of Operations
Research 18 (1993) 227-244.
• Member of the Physical Science Panel of The Hong Kong
Research Grant Council (2007-2012)
148 Research at FAST
The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.
Research at FAST 2018
Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search