Annual Report 2001–02

務，開展硏究項目，以及經特許使用形式作技術轉 移等。以下列舉一些例子。 發現首隻可克隆的天然橙色螢光蛋白 生物化學系溫志昌敎授的硏究小組最近從海洋生物 首度發現一種與天然綠色營光蛋白（ G F P ) 相似的 營光蛋白，是世界上第一種能克隆的天然橙色螢光 蛋白。該蛋白能發出最強相等於可見光光譜裡橙色 區域的螢光，剛好填補了 G F P 與天然紅色螢光蛋 白（ D s R e d ) 之間的空隙。該蛋白將有助科學家追 蹤及量化各種生物實體，並與現時廣泛應用於生物 化學、生物科技、分子生物學、細胞生物學及醫學 檢測等領域的螢光蛋白互補。大學正與一間美國生 化公司商討將該蛋白商品化。 人工智能沖壓過程在線監控系統 自動化與計算機輔助工程學系徐揚生敎 授 獲 創 新 及 科 技 基 金 、 威 佳工 業 有 限 公司及香港金屬製造業協會贊助，成功 硏製沖壓過程在線監控系統。該多功能 系 統 兼 具 人工 智 能 ， 運 作 可 靠 ， 適用 於配備漸進式模具連續沖壓的高生產力 機種，和大型單程沖壓式機種。這個監 察系統效率高兼成本低，可減少金屬沖 壓業的營運損耗，提升業界的競爭力。 應用納米結晶二氧化鈦薄膜表面處理技 術於水質處理 由化學系余濟美敎授開發的納米結晶二氧化鈦薄膜 表面處理技術，可應用於水質處理。該種薄膜利用 光催化原理，能吸收有害的紫外線，並分解污染物 和殺死細菌，且具有防霧及自清潔的功能。根據最 新的實驗結果顯示，應用該技術的水質處理系統， 比傳統的系統更為有效。經商品化後，該技術能惠 及海鮮供應商和飲食業。 A Novel Orange Fluorescent Protein from Marine Creature Prof. David Wan of the Department of Biochemistry and his team recently discovered a novel GFP-like fluorescent protein —t he first native orange fluorescent protein ever cloned. The protein has an emission maximum lined at the orange colour region of the visible light spectrum. It fits nicely into the missing spectral gap between native green fluorescent protein GFP and native red fluorescent protein DsRed. This cloned polypeptide will be an extremely useful tool for tracking and quantifying biological entities, complementing fluorescent proteins from other sources currently employed in the fields of biochemistry, biotechnology, molecular biology, cell biology, and medical diagnosis. The protein has attracted the interest of a US biotech company and will soon be commercialized worldwide. An Intelligent On-line Monitoring System for Metal Stamping Operations With the support of the Innovation and Technology Fund, Miko Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (HK), and the Ho ng Kong Metals Manufacturers Association, Prof. Xu Yangsheng of the Department of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering and his team developed a computer-based Stamping Operation Monitoring System (SOMS), which is a versatile, intelligent, and reliable on-line monitoring system specifically designed to monitor stamping operations of higher productivity (continuous stamping operation with complex progressive die) and larger work capacity (single-stroke stamping operations). SOMS provides a cost-effective solution to the metal stamping industry worldwide for enhancin g competitiveness. Nano-crystalline Titanium Dioxide (TiO 2 ) Thin Films Coating Technology for Water Treatment Prof. Jimmy Yu of the Department of Chemistry extended his research on the nano-crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) thin 硏究 r e s e a r c h 46