Computer Science

Lingnan University held a Chinese New Year media reception today (27 February) at its Tuen Mun campus, where Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, together with Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation), who joined Lingnan in January; Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategy Research); Prof Lau Chi-pang, Associate Vice-President (Academic Affairs and External Relations); and Ms Margaret Cheung Wai-fong, Registrar, shared the latest developments of the University with the media.

To strengthen collaborative ties with prestigious institutions on the mainland, Lingnan University recently welcomed a delegation from Zhejiang University. The delegation, consisting of 31 outstanding students participating in the Morningside Cultural China Scholars Programme, along with three accompanying teachers, engaged with Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, who also delivered a keynote address titled "The Emerging Era of Data Science and AI".

AI records rare bird footage, Lighting up IoT and smart cities, Crystal language designs new materials, Detecting toxins with mobile phones, and Dragonfly wings for better aerodynamics. Plus join us for SciCom coffee. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Yokohama National University scientists are working towards creating a better tomorrow by addressing diverse challenges, from snow algae and tropical cyclones to AI cyberthreats, and much more.

A trained AI system learns to design cellular materials with specific target properties for a wide range of potential uses, including tissue engineering and energy storage.

We may not think about it while doing it, but our nervous system is directing our bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and more to move as efficiently as possible at varying speeds. Replicating this in robots is notoriously difficult. But now, Tohoku University researchers have created a model that makes this possible, thanks in large part to an innovative algorithm.

Non-Heisenberg-type approximant crystals have many interesting properties and are intriguing for researchers of condensed matter physics. However, their magnetic phase diagrams, which are crucial for realizing their potential, remain completely unknown. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers has constructed the magnetic phase diagram of a non-Heisenberg Tsai-type 1/1 gold-gallium-terbium approximant crystal. This development marks a significant step forward for quasicrystal research and for the realization of magnetic refrigerators and spintronic devices.

7000 forever chemicals (PFAS) and human PPARa binding properties predicted using AI technology

The Council of Lingnan University approved the Search Committee’s recommendation to appoint Prof Yao Xin as Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and concurrently Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, effective from 22 January 2024, for a term of five years. Prof Yao is also appointed as Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning and will oversee and steer the development of research, innovation and knowledge transfer at the University, and provide leadership for the research institutes and centres with the Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research). He will oversee the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer directly.

What actually happens is much weirder, and may help us understand more about quantum mechanics

Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence of Lingnan University, co-authored the research paper that has received the Best Paper, Chester W. Sall Memorial Awards 2024 from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. This honour was published in their monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal “IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics”. Only three Best Paper Awards are given each year, and the competition is extremely fierce.

A research team led by Lingnan University's School of Interdisciplinary Studies Assistant Professor Xiao Hang recently devised a “crystal language” that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to create new materials with desired properties (Figure 1). This groundbreaking discovery holds the potential for creating the next revolutionary semiconductor material that makes solar energy abundant and affordable, and opens possibilities for the development of novel superconductors that effortlessly transport clean electricity with zero losses. The findings of this breakthrough research have been published in the prestigious academic journal Nature Communications, which is also the first time Lingnan University scholar published a lead-author paper on the esteemed Nature series.

Researchers have developed a high-speed, high-sensitivity terahertz-wave detector operating at room temperature, paving the way for advancements in the development of next generation 6G/7G technology.

- Professor Sung-hoon Lim’s team at DGIST has developed a metric learning technology that increases 3D object estimation performance, a key self-driving technology - Commercialization of self-driving is expected due to the reduced self-driving framework installation cost

- Professor Sunghoon Im's team at DGIST has developed depth-sensing technology that can be reliably used in diverse environments by analyzing the relationship between the neural network structure and distance sensing in autonomous driving. - The new technology is expected to contribute to the development of a wide range of AI fields, such as autonomous driving, which must be performed safely in various urban settings and weather conditions

A research team at Osaka Metropolitan University has fabricated a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor using diamond, which of all natural materials has the highest thermal conductivity on earth, as a substrate, and they succeeded in increasing heat dissipation by more than two times compared with conventional transistors. The transistor is expected to be useful not only in the fields of 5G communication base stations, weather radar, and satellite communications, but also in microwave heating and plasma processing.

Prof Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, and Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence, have been elected Fellows of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HKAES) for the year 2023. This recognition highlights their exceptional contributions and expertise in the field of engineering.

Lingnan University and Manchester University co-hosted a two-day China and Higher Education Conference 2023 on 13-14 December, exploring the theme "New Spaces and Places in Education: Technology and Innovation in Chinese Higher Education". The conference brought together distinguished representatives from the global academic community. The keynote address by Prof S. Joe Qin, the President of Lingnan University, at this event was particularly noteworthy, adding a touch of brilliance to the entire proceedings.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, has been elected a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) in the Technical and Environmental Sciences class, making him the first scholar from Lingnan to receive this prestigious honour. Prof Klaus Mainzer, President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, extended his congratulations to President Qin. This recognition follows Prof Qin's election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, marking another distinguished membership in a globally renowned scientific academy.

Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of California, Santa Barbara have shown a proof-of-concept of an energy-efficient computer compatible with current AI.

The Distinguished Scholars Seminar Series organised by Lingnan University’s School of Graduate Studies presented its fourth session on 7 December “Creating a better future: harnessing AI for social and environmental responsibility” was delivered by Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence and Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) at Lingnan University. Prof Kwong was recently on the “Highly Cited Researchers 2023” list and in the seminar, he analysed how the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and robots in recent years will affect human work and daily life.

Lingnan University held the opening ceremony for Lingnan@WestKowloon and Lingnan Arts Biennale 2023 Digital Art Exhibition “Digital Matter” at M+ Tower of West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) today (7 December). The unveiling ceremony of it was officiated by Council Chairman Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Council Treasurer Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay, Chairman of the Court Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong, and Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University. They marked the launch of the Lingnan@WestKowloon by presiding over the switching-on ceremony.

On 14 November 2023, Lingnan University and the Shenzhen Technology and Innovation Commission signed an agreement at the 2023 Assembly of Shenzhen Virtual University Park, announcing that Lingnan University will officially become a member of the Shenzhen Virtual University Park.

They say two heads are better than one. But in the world of fish, it appears two fins are better than one. Researchers have produced a theoretical model that demonstrates the underlying mechanisms behind how fish will synchronize their fin movements to ride each other’s vortices, thereby saving energy.

Osaka University and NEC Corporation are jointly developing a data infrastructure called RED-ONION to accelerate open science by reducing the burden on researchers to record the research process, share research data and publish them on the data aggregation platform. They are currently engaged in the R & D of three elemental technologies: (1) Technology to integrate a data aggregation platform and data publication platform, (2) Technology to generate research process information on supercomputers, and (3) A high-speed data transmission function. These research results will be showcased at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC23) scheduled to be held from November 12 to 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.

- A demonstration was held on September 21 at the Goheung Drone Center in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do - This anti-drone radar, developed only with domestic technology, has the world’s highest level of technology... K-defense proudly making its inroads in the world

- Professor Park’s research team at DGIST successfully develops AI for pathological image analysis that can accurately segment overlapping cell nuclei using only rough labels - Improved efficiency in diagnosing diseases and predicting the prognosis of patients by analyzing the microenvironment of pathological images... published in MICCAI, a top journal in the field of artificial intelligence

- Professor Sung-hoon Im’s research team at DGIST has developed automated search technology that can find an optimal deep learning network architecture by learning the relationship between tasks. - It is expected to greatly contribute to advances in AI technology, such as autonomous driving, which simultaneously performs multiple tasks, including object detection, lane recognition, and distance estimation.

- Successfully developed federated learning AI, which can enable large-scale model learning and work without violating privacy with only a single model transfer - Collaborated with Stanford University on a model for generating high-quality brain MRI images... Published 2 papers in MICCAI

- DGIST developed an image sensor technology that automatically analyzes phenomena in cardiac muscle cells, such as calcium dynamics and impulse patterns, based on multi-mode images combining holograms and calcium. - This technology can be used to examine characteristics of calcium dynamics and cellular motility depending on drugs inserted, thus being a core technology for new drug development customized for patients.