Seminar on Lipid Metabolomics Expanding Role in the Omics Evolution

The Seminar entitled "Lipid Metabolomics Expanding Role in the Omics Evolution in Health, Nutrition, and Disease" was organized by Hong Kong Science and Technology Park Corporation (HKSTPC) and supported by CityU Business & Industrial Club (CUBIC) on 28 July 2014. The seminar aimed to share Omics evolution which began at the end of the 20th century with the cloning of the human genome.

In the beginning, Prof. Albert Cheung (Chairman of HKBIO and Chairman & CSO Hai Kang Life Corporation Limited) gave a welcome speech. Prof. Cheung expected Omics would develop new products in the future.

The first speaker was Dr. Nancy Gray (Director, Gordon Research Conferences) and her speech named “Introduction of Gordon Research Conferences (GRC)”. The GRC were initiated by Dr. Neil E. Gordon of the Johns Hopkins University who recognized in the late 1920s the difficulty in establishing good, direct communication between scientists, whether working in the same subject area or in interdisciplinary research. It promoted discussions and the free exchange of ideas at the research frontiers of the biological, chemical and physical sciences.

Dr. Gray mentioned average 122 participants and 145 participants in Hong Kong Conference in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Local supporting organizations were Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of HKSAR, Croucher Foundation and HKSTPC. She said about 13 Meetings & 3 Seminars would be held in Hong Kong in 2015 with different topics as the following diagram.

Prof. Edward A. Dennis (Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD)) was the second speaker and his topics included “LIPID MAPS and Fats in your Blood”, “Infection Generates Lipid Mediators & Fluxes”, “Fish Oil Omega-3 Fatty Acid Functioning” and “Influenza Virus Pathogenicity in Mice & Man”.

The first topic LIPID MAPS stated “Lipid Metabolites And Pathways Strategy”. The following diagram showed the paths from Genomics to Proteomics to Metabolomics and end to Lipidomics. Human Plasma Lipid Categories were mentioned and included Sterol Lipids, Glycerophospholipids, Glycerolipids, etc. Its metabolic syndrome was briefed.

The diagram named Macrophage Lipid Metabolism showed that people eat too much would cause increasing Sterols. Acetyl CoA would transfer to ATP or Fatty Acids.

The beneficial lipids in Fish Oil was mentioned and two important acids named Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). Many formulated mike powder claimed to contain DHA which was more abundant than EPA in the brain.

After that Prof. Dennis briefed the influenza history included Spanish Flu – H1N1 (1918/1919), Asian Flu – H2N2 (1957/1958) and Hong Kong Flu – H3N2 (1968/1969). There were different viral models. The experimental protocols were discussed.

The last slide demonstrated how Lipiomics (Identification of changes in lipid mediators) help to identify the treatment of severe influenza.

Q&A session

Before end of seminar, I took a photo with Prof. Dennis (Middle) and Prof. Mary WAYE (Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, CUHK) for memory.

During the Networking Coffee Break, I recognized Chris Lloyd (Operations Director, Leodan) and Chris Thomas (Managing Director, Leodan). They were applying to move in Hong Kong Science Park. Moreover, I found interesting in their product called LabMap which employed RFID technology for controlling laboratory samples at down to -86^oC.

Reference:
GRC - http://www.grc.org/home.aspx
HKSTPC - http://www.hkstp.org/en-US/Homepage.aspx
CUBIC - http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/kto/index.aspx?id=PG-1200026
Leodan - http://www.leodan.hk/

HKSQ AGM 2014 and IP Audit Seminar

A seminar named " Why an innovation-based business should consider IP audit? " was organized by Hong Kong Society for Quality (HKSQ) after HKSQ Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 25 July 2014. I would like to share both HKSQ AGM 2014 and Seminar below.

Mr. Karson Chui (Chairman, HKSQ) held the meeting and briefed the Chairman report to all members. Until now, HKSQ has 396 individual members, 6 student members and 12 corporate members (by invitation only). Then Karson reviewed HKSQ activities in last year.

After that our Hon. Treasurer Mr. CP Chow presented HKSQ financial status in the official report on 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, as well as, unaudited report on 2013/2014. Ms. Minda Chiang (Hon. Secretary) reported all participants tonight and AGM agenda. The nominations of Office Bearers in 2014/2015 were shown below.
Chairman: Mr. Peter Fung
Vice Chairman: Ms. Angela Wong
Hon. Secretary: Ms. Minda Chiang
Hon Treasurer: Mr. C.P. Chow

After the AGM, Karson introduced the guest speaker Dr. TW Liu and he has more than 25 years of experience in the provision of consultancy services to industry. His expertise covers the area of intellectual property, in particular, in promoting the use of patent information databases, intellectual property protection and commercialization of innovations.

Firstly, Dr. Liu mentioned some misconceptions and IP rights did not assure quality. But he observed the countries had higher IP protection that countries also had higher innovation. Then Dr. Liu briefed the based concepts on Patent, Copyrights, Trademark and Trade Secret. (More details on reference)

Secondly, Dr. Liu stated the value of IP in different trade such as Coca-cola brand value, Google acquired Motorola for patents, Lenovo acquired Motorola Modbility patents, etc. Those Intangible assets in Innovation-based companies should be evaluation. Therefore, different types of IP Audits were needed included General Purpose, Event Driven and Limited Purpose Focused Audit.

During the IP audit, team composition was important and it involved different parties from CEO to different internal staff. The relationship was showed in the following diagram.

The IP Audit checklist sample was discussed. There were two standard to be reference which were “Innovation-Knowledge Enterprise IP Management Practice DB44/T 797-2010” and “Enterprise Intellectual Property Management GB/T 29490-2013”. After the IP Audit, we needed to perform IP Analysis for categorizing into 3 group such as “Important”, “Potential but Not necessary” and “No Value”.

After that the overall review of IP assets would come out IP Strategies either Offensive or Defensiveness, which based on SWOT analysis.

Q&A
I asked a question that IP audit was different employed in SME but only large corporation (e.g. MNC).

Mr. Karson Chui represented HKSQ to present a souvenir to Dr. TW Liu.

After the seminar, we had HKSQ AGM dinner.

Reference:
HKSQ - http://www.hksq.org/
20170715: HKSTP Seminar on IP Strategy for Start-Ups - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2014/07/hkstp-seminar-on-ip-strategy-for-start.html

ASQ InfVoices – Clear Vision

The July topic of ASQ Influence Voices is “Do You Have a Clear Vision?” At the end of this article, Bill Troy (CEO of ASQ) questioned about Vision that “Do we have the right focus and does everyone know it?” “How about your organization?” “Do you have a clear vision—and is it giving you the focus you need to succeed?”

I agreed with Bill Troy and believed that Vision is the soul of company. From strategic point of view, vision is the over-riding principle that guides the organization and is the image of the future it seeks to be or to create. The value of vision is giving organization a direction. Mission is the purpose, reason of the organization for being in existence. I would like to introduce the vision, mission and value of two technology leading corporations in Hong Kong below.

(Photo: I am working in Clear Room.)

The first corporation I would like to state is “Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC)”. HKSTPC is a statutory body set up by the HKSAR Government in 2001. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and services and programmes across five key technology clusters. Their vision, mission and five cole values are shown as follows:

Vision
Transforming innovation and technological advancement into value creation that benefits Hong Kong, Mainland – and the world

Mission
In propelling Hong Kong towards a world-class hub for selected technologies, we provide facilities, services and a dynamic environment that enable companies to nurture ideas, innovate and develop.

Core Values
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Safety
- Sustainability
- Commitment

I had mentioned above in previous article at “ASQ InfVoices - The Quality Culture in Hong Kong”.

The second corporation is the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) which was founded by the Government of Hong Kong SAR in 2000 with a Mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.
Their goals and values are shown as follows.

Goals are:
- performing relevant and high quality R&D for transfer to industry
- enhancing Hong Kong's technological human resources development
- acting as a magnet to attract international R&D talent to work in Hong Kong
- acting as spawning ground for technology entrepreneurs
- promoting greater application of technology in industry
- providing a focal point for industry-university collaboration in R&D.

Values
- Innovation
- Respect
- Tenacity
- Service
- Accountability

Before the end of this article, I would like to share Hong Kong Society for Quality (HKSQ) mission below.

Hong Kong Society for Quality is a not-for-profit organization established to promote greater awareness of the need for quality in Hong Kong to ensure product and service excellence through continuous improvement of quality and customer satisfaction, and to provide continuing education to professionals involved in quality and reliability.

Reference:
A View from the Q - http://asq.org/blog/
HKSTPC - http://www.hkstp.org/
ASTRI - http://www.astri.org/
HKSQ - http://www.hksq.org/

反佔中簽名の二次創作

「佔中公投」不代表我！支持普選不一定支持佔中。（不要犯非黑即白的謬誤。）
支持「反佔中」親身簽名由 7.19 開始，至 8.17。
詳情寫在《保和平保普選反暴力反佔中簽名大行動》

因為傳媒的不公、雙重標準及網上媒體一面倒的評論，本人嘗試用二次創作來表達「反佔中」的信息，以作平衡。

反佔中の來自星星的你

(上太空社漫圖 - http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1024938#)

反佔中の天與地

反佔中の問誰未訓醒
《問誰未訓醒》
原曲：《Do You Hear the People Sing?》/《問誰未發聲》
*試問誰還未訓醒　都走去佔中圍我城
香港繁榮有基本法作主　我要簽名發聲
試問誰能未訓醒　聽真那政棍在奏鳴
激起佔中違法的那份無知和應

為何普選會是個夢　還要佔中成泡影
只有黑與白這非與是　邏輯謬誤來做證
為香港要有未來　要及時頭腦清醒
**Repeat
無人有權佔中　剝奪大家自由變了質
用我心再用我筆　去簽名反佔中力拼
眾香港人　有責任以基本法決定普選
***Repeat

反佔中の斗轉星移
以彼之道，還施彼身
學民仔給林鄭月娥的DSE「成績單」不合格。其實他們自己又一樣不合格。
對基本法的閱讀理解攞U。其他大部份泛民（包括律師）都不合格。所以中國語文科真是「死亡之卷」！但他們追擊局長和佔中體育就拿5**。

反佔中の簽名發聲
請泛民不要雙重標準，你們投票是民意，我們簽名也民意。
佔中在前筆在手，簽名發聲我自由。

反佔中の自由法則
學生犯法所為何事？剝奪他人的自由來達到自己以為是公義之事，用不義的手段去爭取正義就會成為一個不擇手段的社會。　這違反康德所提出的 “自由法則”，在不妨礙別人的自由這個前提下，我們可以盡量爭取我們的自由。

反佔中の絕對冰封
沈默的民眾再不發聲，佔中就理直氣壯地發生，結果是不可逆轉的。他們的公民抗命，原來是抗拒「基本法」的。連香港繁榮的最後一根稻草都壓倒了，香港就真真正正提前完了。所以今次大家不得不發聲，要用民意來冰封「佔中」！

簽名體會
今天下午三時在旺角，到九龍社團聯會簽名。在旗艦簽名站中，有義工說明簽名程序，核對身份證及要本人親自把簽名紙放入簽箱，算是程序嚴謹。所有義工是穿著反佔中的制服。但我發覺要上樓的簽名站相比街上的人少得多。

我拍了聯會及程序的照片留念

參考：
20130915: Parody Exemption Seminar (戲仿豁免研討會) - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2013/09/parody-exemption-seminar.html
20130604 - ＶＩＩＶ２４之公民抗命（Civil Disobedience）- http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2013/06/civil-disobedience.html
20140302 - 反暴力 ● 反佔中 - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2014/03/blog-post.html
20140604: 傳媒的操守（Conduct of Media）- http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2014/06/conduct-of-media.html
20140701: 非理性的世界，不穩定的世代。 - http://qualityalchemist.blogspot.hk/2014/07/blog-post.html
幫港出聲 website - http://www.silentmajority.hk/index.do
幫港出聲 facebook - https://zh-tw.facebook.com/silentmajorityhk

HKSTP Seminar on IP Strategy for Start-Ups

The Seminar entitled "Developing an IP Strategy that helps your company get funded" was organized by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporate (HKSTP) on 15 July 2014. The seminar aimed to assist Start-Ups focusing on securing, maintaining and expanding their company patent portfolio and increased the chances of success in getting investor funding.

The guest speaker was Dr. Jasemine Choy Chambers (OF COUNSEL, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Professional Corporation) and she would like to share “What is Intellectual Property (IP)?”, “IP Strategy for Start-Up Companies” and “Practical Tips for Filing Patent Applications”.

Firstly, Dr. Chambers quoted Harvey S. Firestone (American businessman) that ideas are the most important in business. Then she introduced four forms of IP that were Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets.

Trademark (e.g. Coca Cola, 7-up etc.) is a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party form those of others. (Where service mark is the source of a service rather than goods)

Copyright protects works of authorship such as writings, music and works of art that have been tangibly expressed.

Trade Secret (e.g. Coca Cola formula) is a formula, practice, design, instrument, pattern or compilation of information that is not known by competitors or customer to keep an economic advantage.

Patent (included limited term and fix term) conveys the right to exclude others from making, using or selling the claimed invention for the term of the patent.

The following diagram showed more information on “Patents” and usually the term of a patent had 20 years (roughtly) from filing. Moreover, Dr. Chamber emphasized the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which provided a unified procedure for filing patent applications to protect inventions in each of its contracting states. A patent application filed under the PCT would be called an international application.

There were several requirements for patentability below:
- New/Novel (Don’t publish before filing!)
- Useful or Industrial Applicable
- Non-obvious or Inventive Step which is a function of time and early filing limits the amount of prior art
- It should be described to the world how to make or use the invention (Freedom of Operate)
- It should also tell the world the BEST way to make or use that invention.

Then Dr. Chamber quoted the famous example of high value technology patents through Apple against Samsung.

Dr. Chamber then explained why IP was so important to start-ups. It was because IP was start-ups most valuable asset for their most early-stage. Therefore, focusing on securing, maintaining, and expanding a company’s IP portfolio substantially increased the chances of business success. When investors decided to fund a company, they would examine three main factors:
1. Potential profitability of the company’s product(s)
2. Breadth of the IP portfolio covering the product
3. Freedom to Operate (FTO) (which means determining whether a particular action, such as testing or commercialising a product, can be done without infringing valid intellectual property rights of others.)

The following diagram showed the value of IP to a start-up.

Finally, Dr. Chamber introduced the IP Strategy for a Start-up as following:
1. Integrating IP strategy into business plan
2. Building an IP estate (Filing/Buying/In-licensing patents)
3. Performing IP Due Diligence (Check inventorship/ownership/scope of patent protection)
4. Conducting Freedom to Operate (FTO)
5. Teaming with IP Counsel

Q&A
Many incubatees asked question about IP filing. Dr. Chamber gave some tips before you file your patent application below:
- Do not publish a description of your invention.
- Do not sell your invention or offer it for sale more.
- Do not allow your invention to be in public use.

Reference:
HKSTP - http://www.hkstp.org
WSGR - http://www.wsgr.com/WSGR/Default.aspx

IRCA & CQI Seminar on Risk Based Audit

The Seminar entitled "Risk Based Audit" was organized by International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA) and the Chartered Quality Institute - Hong Kong Branch (CQI-HK) on 14 July 2014. The seminar aimed to examine the value of management approach to construction and engineering business critical areas, including the governance benefits to be derived from risk based auditing. Firstly, Ir. Mohamed Hasan Isa (Sr. QA/Env Manager, Chun Wo-CRGL-MBEC JV) gave welcome speech and introduced speaker to us.

Before the seminar started, I met two old friends from Hong Kong Society for Quality (HKSQ) and we took a photo for memory.
(Left: Mr. K.W. LEE (HKSQ Exco member 2002 to 2005), I and Mr. Ricky Or (HKSQ member))

Then Mr. Mark Divers (Branch Honorary Chair, CQI HK Branch) introduced CQI to all participants. CQI’s vision is “To place quality at the HEART of every organisation”.

Our guest speaker was Mr. Richard Green (Head of IRCA Technical Services; CQP and IRCA QMS Principal Auditor) and his topic entitled “Risk Based Auditing – Engineering and Construction”.

In the beginning, Mr. Green briefed some excellence buildings like Millau Viaduct, Apeiron Hotel Dubai, and Concorde. Then he mentioned some disasters as comparison such as “Hyatt Regency Skywalk Collapse – Kansas City July 1981”, “Deepwater Oil Spill – Gulf of Mexica April 2010”, “Sampoong Department Store collapse – Seoul June 1995” and “Rana Plaza Factory – Bangladesh April 2013”. He identified some common themes in accidents that people died unnecessarily, management system failures; and someone, somewhere decided to take a risk!

Then Mr. Green used ISO 31000 to define risk to be “effect of uncertainty on an expected result”. He emphasized risk was not talking about probability but considered it impact. Therefore, he defined risk into Event, Cause and Effect. (See the following table.)

Gross risk = Probability of event x Severity of Impact of event
GR = P(E) x S(I) (where P(E)>0 and P(E)<1)
Net risk = GR x ability to manage
If our ability to manage risk is strong, net risk is reduced.
Mr. Green introduced the basic risk assessment matrix using Probability / Impact grids with Risk Tolerance.

The risk management overall process was shown in the flow chart below. However, risk perceptions, appetites and tolerances vary from individual to individual and organization to organization. Therefore, organization had own risk management framework.

The project risk owners would be in different position and activities. The following matrix showed the project risk responsible person in different parties. After that Mr. Green classified different categories of risk in construction projects included “Political”, “Financial”, “Construction”, “Design”, “Environmental”, “Legal/Contractual”, “Physical”, “Economical”, “Technical” and “Operational”.

In second section, Mr. Richard Green explained Risk Based Auditing (RBA) in which focused to your limited audit resource and ensured appropriate audit resource to be assigned. RBA worked successfully was based on the organization understood its risks and be able to rank them. The following audit programs compared the procedure audit and RBA.

Finally, Mr. Richard Green shared two case studies on risk based audit in which one was Engineering focus (i.e. Rolls Royce) and the other one was Construction focus (i.e. Caterpillar). Companies’ risk criteria for audit plan were consolidated to be considered the impacts on “Brand/Reputation”, “Customers”, “Profit”, “Product Safety”, “People Safety”, “Business Continuity”, “Product/Service Process”, “Cost of Poor Quality” and “Business Strategy”.

Eventually, Mr. Green introduce IRCA to participant that its vision were “To make a positive and profound contribution to the business management systems audit profession”; “To inspire and empower auditors and auditor training organisations worldwide to achieve excellence”; and “To promote the value auditors add to businesses”.

We took a group photos before the end of seminar.
CQI members

IRCA auditors

Reference:
IRCA – www.irca.org
CQI-HK Branch – www.thecqi.org.hk
CQI-UK – www.thecqi.org