Integration of Tunable Capacitors and Bonded-Wires for Contactless RF Switch and Tunable Filter

論文發表人：陳世叡 (南加州大學電機所博士班)

 

http://www.transducers09.org/

 

本文提出由表面微機電加工可調式電容及黏合線所組成的非接觸式微機電射頻開關。這個微機電射頻開關在2.4GHz的窄頻範圍可以達到10dB的能量隔離及4比1的電容變化。採用黏合線的方法可以大幅的減少可調式電容中移動平板的變形需求。更可以進一步允許氧化鋅壓電薄膜被用於改變電容的空氣間隙。如此形成一個非接觸式微機電射頻開關。

 

This paper describes a contactless RF MEMS switch, composed of two surface-micromachined tunable capacitors and two bonded-wire inductors, which can achieve a power isolation ratio of 10 dB with a capacitance variation of mere 4:1 over a narrow bandwidth near 2.4 GHz.  This novel approach of using inductors eases the deflection requirement for the deformable bridge for the variable capacitor, and allows piezoelectric ZnO film to be used to deflect the capacitor bridge to vary the air gap, thus yielding a contactless RF switch.

 

A 2.89mW 50GOPS 16x16 16-Core MIMO Sphere Decoder in 90nm CMOS

論文發表人:  楊家驤 (加州大學洛杉磯分校電機所博士班)

 

http://www.esscirc2009.org/

 

在這篇論文中，我們以90奈米製程實作了一顆具有16核心適用於多重輸入多重輸出通道的球狀解碼器。這顆球狀解碼器晶片擁有高度彈性，能支援多種格規格：從2x2天線陣列到8x8天線陣列，BPSK到64-QAM的調變方式，並且支援16-128載波。操作在16MHz的工作頻率、16x16天線陣列、64QAM模式時，它能提供高達50GOPS的運算量。操作於321mV電壓時，其功率消耗僅2.89mW，產生高達17.3GOPS/mW的功率效率。而操作在256MHz頻率時，使用16MHz的頻率通道，它的最高資料輸出為1.5Gbps。

 

A 16-core multi-input multi-output (MIMO) decoder for agile communication systems is implemented in a low-VT 90nm CMOS technology. This chip implements the sphere decoding algorithm and is highly flexible to support multiple configurations: antenna arrays from 2×2 to 16×16, modulations from BPSK to 64QAM, and up to 128 data streams. Operating at 16MHz, the chip provides 50GOPS (12-bit add equivalent) in the 16×16, 64QAM mode. It consumes 2.89mW of power with a 321mV supply voltage, resulting in a power efficiency of 17.3GOPS/mW. At 256MHz, the peak data rate exceeds 1.5Gbps over a 16MHz channel.

 

A Software Tool to Process HIV Ultra-deep Sequencing Nucleotide Data

論文發表人: 羅健記 (新墨西哥大學 電腦科學所 碩士班)

 

http://cnls.lanl.gov/q-bio/index.html

 

由454生命科學公司所開發的焦磷酸測序技術是一種超高通量的DNA測序方式，其所產生大量的序列資訊內容可被用於不同的基因組研究。然而如此大量的數據是需要一個適當的處理方式，才能做後續的分析使用。因此，我們開發出一個工具來處理這樣的數據內容，使用者輸入超深度測序序列和參考序列的FASTA檔案，程式將會輸出精簡、壓縮，具有排序統計量和根據密碼子排列好的序列。此工具已成功地應用於最近的一份研究報告並投稿於PLoS One期刊(PLoS ONE 4(5): e5683)，該研究報告揭示HIV – 1病毒的動態基因序列及可能造成藥物治療失敗的可能機轉。

 

Massive sequence reads generated by 454 Life Sciences pyrosequencing technology enable a variety of applications on genome research. A method for processing the huge amount of datasets for subsequent analysis is necessary. We have developed a software tool for this purpose. Given input with ultra-deep sequencing sequences and a reference sequence in FASTA format, the program will output with compressed, identity-tallied and codon-aligned sequence alignment. This tool has been successfully applied on a recent study to reveal dynamic HIV-1 escape and large population shifts during drug treatment.

Imperial Terrains: Decolonization, Nationalisms and Diasporic Interventions in Diaoyutai Movement

王穎（加州大學聖地牙哥校區文學系）

 

http://www.cultural-typhoon.org/

 

透過重訪1969-72年席捲北美台灣留學生與台灣本島學生的保釣運動，本論文試圖論證兩點：其一，美國在冷戰時期對東亞無孔不入的干預，迄今猶有諸多空白等待結構性與歷史性的釐清；其二，戰後台灣在戒嚴前後由官方授意的國族史論述，實際上在對立與互補之間產生了許多問題，需要嚴肅細心地面對。本文藉由閱讀整理太平洋兩岸台灣學生保釣運動當時與事後的出版品、文學創作、自傳與回憶錄、座談發言等文獻，比較了北美和台灣兩地運動在背景和策略上的分歧，而正是在此一脈絡下，本文分析美國在冷戰時期所扮演的多重角色（尤其是帝國霸權的角色），如何顯著影響了太平洋兩岸與海峽兩岸對於「中國」的形塑與表述。進一步，本文指出，當今史論對於二戰之後渡海移植的中華民國與中共所建的中華人民共和國，或者對論戒嚴前與後的台灣，往往襲用既成二元框架，失之粗糙簡化，其中許多癥結顯見於當今台灣對於釣運同時並存的無感失憶與片面追憶之中。對此，如何有效介入權力與知識的循環使力，顯然是知識分子沈重而久遠的責任。

 

With the case of a phenomenal but ephemeral student movement that mobilized thousands of Taiwanese student in the US and at home to come to defense of Diaoyutai Islands from 1969 to 1972, this paper takes questions of the un(der)recognized powerful American presence in  Cold War East Asia and of interlocking problems constituted by state-endorsed national histories dominating postwar Taiwan. Revisiting how and why the movement erupted in 1969 across several cities and college towns in the US, and comparing differences of agenda and tactics between the transpacific interventions, the paper argues the multiple roles played America have significant impacts on varied formations of "China" across both the Pacific and Taiwan Strait. In reflections of the man-made bifurcations imposed on Chiang Kai-shek's transplanted Republic of China and Chinese Communist Party's establishment of People's Republic of China, Taiwan during and after Martial Law Period (1949-87), the presently coexisting oblivion to as well as partisan remembrance of Diaoyutai movement suggest many efforts are yet to be taken for coping with problems caused by the circular reinforcement of power and knowledge.

 

Vascular Fluid-Structure Interaction: Methodology and Application to Cerebral Aneurysms

論文發表人: 徐銘辰 (加州大學聖地牙哥分校結構力學所博士班)

http://usnccm-10.eng.ohio-state.edu/

近年來隨著影像擷取、模型製作、網格產生、計算方法以及視覺化技術的進步，針對特定病患之血流計算模擬也步入成熟階段。當今學界最先進之血管流計算研究為利用對大範圍人體心血管系統之流固耦合模擬，探索心血管疾病肇因進程與血液動力學之聯繫，預測外力介入之結果，並評估電子輔助醫療器具之影響。以上例子包含腹部及腦部之腫瘤模擬，及血管內硬化斑塊之形成與破裂。

本論文針對特定病患中大腦動脈分枝腫瘤進行計算模擬探討。我們提出一流體與固體結構完全耦合之模擬方法，並呈現支持此分析之網格生成技術。此流固耦合計算架構可預測實驗所無法獲得之血液動力數據並進行評估。我們並將其與純流體計算結果做比較，以分析於心血管計算模擬中考慮管壁彈性之重要性。

結果顯示血液與血管壁之交互作用改變了血液動力對管壁之施力。當心臟收縮血液流進腫瘤並衝撞管壁時，考慮管壁彈性將降低腫瘤內壁面剪應力並改變其分布。此結果彰顯了於針對病患之腦腫瘤計算模擬中，流固耦合之重要性。

In recent years patient-specific modeling of blood flow has matured immensely with the emergence of better imaging, modeling, mesh generation, computation and visualization technologies.
State-of-the-art vascular modelings involve fully coupled fluid-structure simulations of large portions of the human cardiovascular system, in an effort to investigate hemodynamic factors influencing the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease, to predict an outcome of an intervention, or to evaluate the effects of electromechanical assist devices. Examples of the first include
abdominal and cerebral aneurysms and formation and rupture of vulnerable plaque.

This work focuses on computation of several patient-specific aneurysm models at the middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation. A fully coupled simulation approach is reviewed and main aspects of mesh generation in support of the fluid-structure analysis are presented.  Quantities of hemodynamic interest, that are unattainable in  experiments, are studied to assess the relevance of fluid-structure  interaction (FSI) modeling as compared to rigid-arterial-wall simulations.

The results show that the interaction between the blood flow and wall deformation changes the hemodynamic forces acting on the arterial wall. When the blood flows straight into the aneurysm and impinges the wall during the systole, the maximum wall shear stress (WSS) at the dome decreases while the effect of the flexible wall is incorporated in the computation. The resulting WSS patterns are altered both qualitatively and quantitatively. Rigid versus flexible wall simulation results reinforce the importance of FSI in the patient-specific modeling of cerebral aneurysms.

Motion Vector (MV) Search Window Prediction in Memory-Constrained Systems

羅仲成 (南加州大學電機所博士班)

 

http://spie.org/x30491.xml

 

動作估計是影像壓縮過程中，最消耗計算量的步驟。對於一張畫面中的Macroblock，家用電腦可使用相當大的搜尋視窗來尋找參考畫面中的動作向量。然而對於移動式裝置，可使用的快取以及處理器資源相當有限；因此為了避免快取失誤，適當的搜尋視窗大小必須列入考量。為了解決這個問題，我們使用統計方法分析每個Macroblock中搜尋視窗的位置、大小、以及形狀。我們並且基於系統對於畫質衰減的需求，估計一個適當的搜尋視窗位置、大小、及形狀。搜尋視窗的大小形狀以及畫質衰減之間的平衡也會在此討論。這些分析的結果可用來大幅提升再記憶體受限的移動式裝置中，動作估計的的效率。

 

除此之外，此一分析亦可運用在另外一種電腦架構──多核心處理器。在多核心處理器中，每個核心可運用的快取相當有限。除了受限的記憶體之外，為了最佳化多核心處理器的平行處理效能，許多Macroblock會同時在多核心中分散運算，這造成許多常用的空間關聯性在多核心系統中將無法繼續運用。所以，針對動作向量搜尋視窗的精確預測對於系統效能的提升有關鍵性的作用。

 

Motion estimation is the most computationally expensive task in video compression. For a given macroblock in the target frame, the search window of its motion vector (MV) in the reference frame can be quite large in the PC platform. In contrast, the available cache of the CPU is limited in mobile devices. Thus, it is important to fetch a proper search window of MV in the reference frame to avoid cache miss. To solve this problem, statistical analysis of MVs for search window location/size/shape prediction is conducted on each macroblock. A proper search window location, size and shape will be estimated while meeting a certain distortion requirement. Trade-off between the search window size/shape and distortion will be examined. These analytical results can speed up the motion estimation process in memory-constrained mobile devices.

 

There is another architecture that will benefit from the proposed technique, i.e. the multi-core processor. Besides a limited cache size for each core, many macroblocks will be executed simultaneously in multi-core processors to exploit parallelism to the maximum degree. As a result, some of the commonly-used spatial dependency may no longer be utilized as the motion estimation predictor. Thus, accurate prediction of MV search window is also critical to the system performance.

Embedded DiCAD Linear Phase Shifter for 57-65GHz Reconfigurable Direct Frequency Modulation in 90nm CMOS

論文發表人：劉怡君/ 加州大學洛杉磯分校/電機系

 

http://www.rfic2009.org/

 

現今被動和主動相移器用於直接頻率調變有非線性之相位控制及元件差異，並且對被動整合相位錯誤有高敏感度，造成錯誤向量的大小(EVM， Error Vector Magnitude)的降低。在此篇論文中，我們提出使用數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線來克服目前相移器組成之頻率調變器的問題。主要的困難點包括以下：1) 設計數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線在現今CMOS標準製程中； 2) 加入電晶體開關作為調整介電常數的控制閥；3) 使用數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線為相位器的單元物件；4) 實現四相位之相位及振幅調變器；5) 由以上設計的單元，建立可重配置調變器，避免使用數位類比轉換器、混頻器、類比濾波器、以及任何反射元件。本論文提出由數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線組成之可調變線性相移器可敏捷的轉換相位超過100度，藉由十六階的溫度計碼編碼器來控制人工介電不同傳輸線的特性。相移器和一個十六段可調變增益放大器整合在90nm CMOS製程上，整合電路提供可重配置的相位移以及直接的頻率調變在60GHz載波。相位器總共有256個狀態，相位角解析度為1.1^o，可調幅度解析度為0.0007。對於相位調變(PSK, Phase Shift Keying)以及正交振幅調變 (QAM，Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) 此相位器之靜態錯誤向量的大小為-31dB。本調變器主要面積為0.33mm²在90nm CMOS製程下。電路操作在1V供應電壓以及總共消耗 10mA電流。

 

Passive and active phase shifters for direct frequency modulation suffer from nonlinear phase control and device mismatches, and are sensitive to passive hybrid phase errors, all degrading error-vector magnitude (EVM) performance. In this paper, we employ digitally controlled artificial dielectric (DiCAD) open-stub differential transmission lines to circumvent prior phase shifter design issues for realizing a reconfigurable, direct frequency modulator. Key design challenges include: 1) design DiCAD differential transmission line structure in standard CMOS; 2) insert NMOS Pi-switch to control DiCAD permittivity; 3) create linear phase shift using DiCAD DTL; 4) realize quadrant phase and amplitude shifters using DiCAD for phase shift and amplifier impedance matching. 5) build reconfigurable modulator based on DiCAD QPAS without DAC, mixers, analog filters, quadrature LO hybrids, varactors and any reflective device.

A digitally controlled artificial dielectric (DiCAD) differential transmission line is designed to perform agile linear phase shift over 100deg with thermometer-coded 16step control. It also operates with a 16 gain-step VGA to enable re-configurable and direct-frequency modulation at 60GHz with 2562 states (1.1deg angular and 0.0007 magnitude resolutions) and -31dB static EVM for multiple PSK/QAM modulations. The modulator uses 0.33mm² core area in 90nm CMOS and consumes 10mA at 1V.

MICROFLUIDIC INTEGREATED OPTOELECTRONIC TWEEZERS

論文發表人:黃國威/加州大學洛杉磯分校機械工程研究所

http://www.transducers09.org/

 

在本篇文章中, 我們提出一個創新的光電鉗子, 它整合了 聚雙甲基矽氧烷的微流晶片和光電鉗子。主要的方法是在 聚雙甲基矽氧烷的表面上使用 金屬網格結構的電極。此電極具有 良好的導電性、透光性，也 可以輕易地與二氧化矽或玻璃材料接合。 成功地展現光操控單一人類細胞Nalm-6於 聚雙甲基矽氧烷的微流通道中。

英文摘要

 

We report on a novel optoelectronic tweezers (OET) that integrates with multilayer PDMS based microfluidic devices for the first time. This is realized by coating the PDMS channels with a Au mesh electrode capable of providing an electrically conductive and optically transparent surface that bonds with an OET surface as well.

Microfluidic integrated OET not only allows continuous delivery of biological samples such as media, cells, and particles into optical manipulation area but also on-chip microfluidic valves for fluid control.

Embedded DiCAD Linear Phase Shifter for 57-65GHz Reconfigurable Direct Frequency Modulation in 90nm CMOS

論文發表人：劉怡君/ 加州大學洛杉磯分校/電機系

 

http://www.rfic2009.org/

 

現今被動和主動相移器用於直接頻率調變有非線性之相位控制及元件差異，並且對被動整合相位錯誤有高敏感度，造成錯誤向量的大小(EVM， Error Vector Magnitude)的降低。在此篇論文中，我們提出使用數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線來克服目前相移器組成之頻率調變器的問題。主要的困難點包括以下：1) 設計數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線在現今CMOS標準製程中； 2) 加入電晶體開關作為調整介電常數的控制閥；3) 使用數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線為相位器的單元物件；4) 實現四相位之相位及振幅調變器；5) 由以上設計的單元，建立可重配置調變器，避免使用數位類比轉換器、混頻器、類比濾波器、以及任何反射元件。本論文提出由數位訊號控制的人工介電不同傳輸線組成之可調變線性相移器可敏捷的轉換相位超過100度，藉由十六階的溫度計碼編碼器來控制人工介電不同傳輸線的特性。相移器和一個十六段可調變增益放大器整合在90nm CMOS製程上，整合電路提供可重配置的相位移以及直接的頻率調變在60GHz載波。相位器總共有256個狀態，相位角解析度為1.1^o，可調幅度解析度為0.0007。對於相位調變(PSK, Phase Shift Keying)以及正交振幅調變 (QAM，Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) 此相位器之靜態錯誤向量的大小為-31dB。本調變器主要面積為0.33mm²在90nm CMOS製程下。電路操作在1V供應電壓以及總共消耗 10mA電流。

 

Passive and active phase shifters for direct frequency modulation suffer from nonlinear phase control and device mismatches, and are sensitive to passive hybrid phase errors, all degrading error-vector magnitude (EVM) performance. In this paper, we employ digitally controlled artificial dielectric (DiCAD) open-stub differential transmission lines to circumvent prior phase shifter design issues for realizing a reconfigurable, direct frequency modulator. Key design challenges include: 1) design DiCAD differential transmission line structure in standard CMOS; 2) insert NMOS Pi-switch to control DiCAD permittivity; 3) create linear phase shift using DiCAD DTL; 4) realize quadrant phase and amplitude shifters using DiCAD for phase shift and amplifier impedance matching. 5) build reconfigurable modulator based on DiCAD QPAS without DAC, mixers, analog filters, quadrature LO hybrids, varactors and any reflective device.

A digitally controlled artificial dielectric (DiCAD) differential transmission line is designed to perform agile linear phase shift over 100deg with thermometer-coded 16step control. It also operates with a 16 gain-step VGA to enable re-configurable and direct-frequency modulation at 60GHz with 2562 states (1.1deg angular and 0.0007 magnitude resolutions) and -31dB static EVM for multiple PSK/QAM modulations. The modulator uses 0.33mm² core area in 90nm CMOS and consumes 10mA at 1V.

Lipid peroxidation in living cells promotes membrane electropermeabilization

 

論文發表人: 吳雨軒 (南加大化學工程與材料工程研究所博士班)

 

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/index.asp

 

脈衝電場技術廣泛的使用在癌症治療, 基因工程和細胞生物學上. 為了最佳化脈衝療程, 進一步了解影響細胞在脈衝作用下的敏感度是必須的.  在這個研究中, 我們借由分子模擬和細胞實驗調查了細胞膜氧化程度對電脈衝造成的細胞模穿透率的影響. T 淋巴白血病细胞被過氧化處理, 然後在細胞培養液中施加30 ns, 3 MV/m 的電脈衝.  培養液添加了YO-PRO-1(YP). YP 通常不會進入健康細胞, 然而一但細胞穿透率增加, YP 會進入細胞, 發綠色螢光.實驗結果顯示過氧化處理明顯的增加脈衝穿透引起的細胞模穿透率. 分子模擬結果顯示, 和含有低含量脂分子的系統相比, 當系統中含較高濃度的氧化脂分子時, 更少的時間和更低的電場就可以形成電場引起的親水性孔洞. 實驗結果和模擬結果相符合.

 

Pulsed electric field technology is used in cancer therapy, genetic engineering, and cell biology. To optimize pulsing protocols, a better understanding of the factors affecting the susceptibility of cells to electric pulse exposure is needed. In this work, the effects of membrane oxidation on electropermeabilization sensitivity are investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and in vitro cell experiments. Jurkat T lymphoblast cells were gently peroxidized and then exposed to 30 ns, 3 MV/m pulses and also to conventional electroporation pulses in medium containing YO-PRO-1 (YP), a membrane-impermeant dye that fluoresces significantly only when cell membranes become permeabilized. The results reveal that peroxidation significantly increases electroporative and nanopulse-induced influx of YP into Jurkat cells. In MD simulations we applied electric fields to phospholipid bilayers containing varying concentrations of oxidized lipid species. Systems with higher concentrations of oxidized lipids form hydrophilic electropores in significantly shorter times and at lower electric fields than do systems with lower oxidized lipid concentrations. Sites of water defect formation and electroporation appear to coincide with the clustering of oxidized lipids in the bilayer. In large-area simulations containing localized high oxidized lipid concentrations, pores formed preferentially in these oxidized regions. The presence of aldehyde and hydroperoxy oxygens on an otherwise nonpolar lipid tail appears to facilitate the penetration of water into the bilayer interior.

Video Copy Detection by Fast Sequence Matching

論文發表人: 葉梅珍(加州大學聖塔芭芭拉分校電機工程學系博士班)

http://www.civr2009.org/

 

序列配比的方法用於比對視訊資料是有效的。然而，現有的方法需要大量的計算，因此不適用於大規模應用。在本文中我們將視訊拷貝偵測問題視為一個兩序列間局部校準的問題，並且提出一個新的方法來大幅加速配比過程。首先，我們使用一個「詞彙樹」來對數據庫中所有擷取影像建立索引。在這個步驟中，我們視每個視頻資料為一組無序的影像。這個索引架構不僅提供豐富的詞彙量，並且可用來快速計算視頻間的相似度。基於上述的方法，在這一階段詞彙樹過濾了一部分非拷貝的視頻資料。其次，基於過濾掉不相似影像間的比較，我們提出第二階段的快速配比方法。這個步驟可使二次方序列長度的運算時間降低到線性的運算時間。運用MUSCLE VCD公認測試標準的實驗，我們顯示這個方法是有效且快速的。我們提出的加速方法比原始的序列配比算法提高18倍效能。這個技術可被應用於其他影像檢索的工作。舉例來說，我們顯示這個方法可以使用於搜尋MPEG-7輪廓數據庫並達到大幅加速。

 

Sequence matching techniques are effective for comparing two videos. However, existing approaches suffer from demanding computational costs and thus are not scalable for large-scale applications. In this paper we view video copy detection as a local alignment problem between two frame sequences and propose a two-level filtration approach which achieves significant acceleration to the matching process. First, we propose to use an adaptive vocabulary tree to index all frame descriptors extracted from the video database. In this step, each video is treated as a "bag of frames." Such an indexing structure not only provides a rich vocabulary for representing videos, but also enables efficient computation of a pyramid matching kernel between videos. This vocabulary tree filters those videos that are dissimilar to the query based on their histogram pyramid representations. Second, we propose a fast edit-distance-based sequence matching method that avoids unnecessary comparisons between dissimilar frame pairs. This step reduces the quadratic runtime to a linear time with respect to the lengths of the sequences under comparison. Experiments on the MUSCLE VCD benchmark demonstrate that our approach is effective and efficient. It is 18X faster than the original sequence matching algorithms. This technique can be applied to several other visual retrieval tasks including shape retrieval. We demonstrate that the proposed method can also achieve a significant speedup for the shape retrieval task on the MPEG-7 shape dataset.

When Foreign Brides Became a Mother: Immigrant Women' Motherhood and Exercising of Agency in Taiwan

陳姿憓(亞利桑那州立大學教育心理系博士生)

 

http://www.aera.net/

 

本質性研究應用黑人女性主義及迪索託(de Certeau)的理論來研究台灣的"外籍新娘"在有了孩子之後，如何建構母職的認同，及實踐母親的角色。15位由東南亞嫁來台的新移民女性受訪，受訪內容包括她們對母職的信念與實踐、及孩子對她們的生命產生的改變。研究發現新移民女性藉由反省母職與性別、階級、種族的關係，主動的建構了特殊的母職認同與教育方式。

 

This qualitative study investigates how "foreign brides" in Taiwan construct their mother role, exercise their agency from and in their mother role, and arrange their educational practices for their children. Fifteen "foreign brides" from Southeast Asia were interviewed about their mothering beliefs and practices and life changes after they became a mother. This study applies Collin's (2000) Black feminist theory on motherhood and de Certeau's (1984) idea about tactics to explore such a process. The results illustrates how these women negotiated the meaning of mothering and exercising their agency by incorporating and improvising their cultural models (Chao, 1995) in arranging their educational practices for their children through their struggles over gender, class, race, and ecology surrounding them.

MEMS-Based MHz Integrated Ultrasonic nozzles with applications to Nano/Bio Technology

論文發表人: 林士凱(加州大學爾灣分校電機與資訊工程研究所博士班)

 

http://www.aiche.org/AcceleratingBio.aspx

 

我們利用Silicon Based微機電系統的技術來製作一個傅立葉波形之超音波霧化噴嘴(ultrasonic nozzle)，這個超音波噴嘴可以產生大量粒徑均勻的小水滴，其直徑可以達到5微米以下。目前許多商用噴霧器裝置也可以產生大量的小水滴，但是那些小水滴的粒徑分布是很廣的，很難產生大量粒徑均勻的粒子。目前雖有少數裝置可以達成此目的，但是它們有一些像是體積龐大及費用昂貴的缺點。而以Silicon Based製作之超音波霧化噴嘴可以很容易達成可攜式的目標，並且可以降低製作的成本。這樣的噴嘴裝置可以用在將藥物運送到肺部的研究上，像是治療氣喘的藥。此噴嘴可以產生大量粒徑均勻的水滴，且其粒徑目前可以小到約3微米，如果提高超音波之頻率可以產生更小之粒徑均勻水珠。在目前的研究上，這樣大小的粒子可以更有效率的穿過嘴巴到達肺部。

 

Monodisperse micron-size aerosol generation is ideal for alveolar delivery in clinical medical application. This paper reports pulmonary delivery of monodisperse aerosol of medicinal droplets generated by MHz silicon-based ultrasonic nozzles using an anatomically realistic upper airway model. The MHz ultrasonic nozzle is fabricated using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology, and comprised of a piezoelectric drive section and a silicon resonator of multiple Fourier horns. The dissolved medication is pumped into a central channel inside and exits at the nozzle tip that vibrates along the nozzle axis at the nozzle resonant frequency. 

(In)visible Bodily Doubleness of Domesticity and Disabilities in Transnational Marriages: The Vietnamese Brides in Taiwan

論文發表人: 林建廷 (加州大學聖地牙哥分校文學系博士班)

 

http://www.na-tsa.org/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

 

    根據台灣內政部入出國及移民署的數據統計，台灣目前的外籍配偶已經超過四十萬人，而當中越南籍的外籍配偶佔最多數。自八十年代以來，從東南亞前往台灣的移民日漸增多，當中牽涉的不僅是地緣政治的因素，也反映出全球化人口，資本或者文化流動過程中的階序不平等，換言之，這些外籍移民工的流動軌跡說明了全球資本主義的不對等發展下的在地結果與歷史過程，亦即，為了資本快速的累積和市場的擴張，於是大量的仰賴廉價勞動力的輸入，加上地理位置上的親近性，台灣成了東南亞移民工的重要移入地。面對這種新興的移民現象，該論文特別著重在跨國婚姻的移民身分與建構，分析婚姻移民相關的文化社會現象，並以電視劇「別再叫我外籍新娘」的文化身份建構為例，檢視domesticity(家務/馴服) 和 disabilities(殘疾/無能化)的身體疊影，如何透過虛構敘事和文化大眾想像交互作用，進而探討以下幾個面向: 第一，婚姻移民所呈現的身體政治與全球化的性別關係；第二，父權角色在性別與身體形構上的位置，最後反省跨國婚姻當中的家務性和殘疾性的意識形態連結與相互建構過程的雙重壓迫與歧視。

  

According to the report by the National Immigration Agency, the number of foreign spouses has exceeded 400 thousands in Taiwan, among which the number of Vietnamese women occupies the top. The increasing number of new migrants from Southeast Asia to Taiwan since 1980s involves not only the particular geopolitics in the Asian context but also reflects the hierarchical order of globalization in terms of various global flows, especially the movement of people, capital and culture. In other words, the migrant route of these domestic laborers, construction workers and "foreign brides" from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, or Indonesia to Taiwan is the local/historical as well as social consequences of uneven development in a greater context of the expanding global capitalism. Under the ideology of capitalist developmentalism, the expanding demands for cheaper labour supply provide the primary condition for the expansion of the global market and for the sake of capital accumulation. The geographical proximity among these Asian countries and the rising prosperity of East Asia in the eighties to the nineties has made Taiwan become one of the popular destinations for these migrant workers and marriage immigrants.

With regards to this newly developed diasporic phenomenon in Taiwan, this research mainly focuses on the transnational marriage of Taiwanese men and Vietnamese women as represented in the Taiwanese television drama entitled The Vietnamese Brides in Taiwan (『別再叫我外籍新娘』). By analyzing the socio-cultural phenomenon of immigrant women along with the example of The Vietnamese Brides in Taiwan, I reflects on the interplay of domesticity(the domestic women) and disability(the disabled men) in the construction of transnational marriages through the fictional narratives and popular representation by asking these questions of body politics and globalization in the case of immigrant women, the role of patriarchy in gender and corporeal configuration of bodies, and the ideological linkage of domesticity and disability that comes into play in the transnational marriage in the shade of double-discrimination.

 

Method and Architecture Design for Motion Compensated Frame Interpolation in High-Definition Video Processing

 

論文發表人: 李彥霖 (加州大學聖地牙哥分校電機與資訊工程研究所博士班)

http://www.iscas2009.org/

在這篇論文當中，一個新穎且快速低複雜度的方法被應用在高清(HD)影像增幀的處理上。不像以往傳統高複雜及耗費高度的時間上，這個被提出的方法使用快速一維方向處理且無來回處理來解決高複雜度的問題在高清後處理上。在這個方法當中，使用一個獨特尋找真實動態(True Motion)的引擎來探搜可能的動態候選，再藉由空間上和時間上的統計資料加以判斷取得在高清影片中的真實動態，利用這個真實動態達到增幀的後處理。此外，這個方法上也需用適應性重疊式方塊比對來增加搜尋的正確性及視覺品質。一個以這個方法設計的架構也在此被提出，這個架構在實驗上被驗證可以比傳統的方式提供更高的影像品質，並可以在180 MHz下處理HD1080p 30fps的影片或是在83 MHz下處理 HD720p 30fps的影片。

In this paper, a novel, fast, and low complexity method is proposed for motion compensated frame interpolation (MCFI). Unlike previous works involving high complexity and complicated time-consuming iterations, the proposed method adopts one-pass and low-complexity approach without any repeated iteration and is capable of dealing with high definition (HD) video processing. The proposed method employs a unique true motion engine that explores at most nine motion candidates with different motion directions and then determines one true motion by referring to neighboring spatial information as well as temporal information. Besides, the proposed method introduces an adaptive overlapped block matching algorithm to enhance the searching accuracy and visual quality. An architecture design is also proposed, which employs a modified multi-level successive eliminate algorithm (MSEA) and has capability to reduce the heavy computation of full search. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provides better video quality than conventional methods and shows satisfying performanc e for HD1080p 30fps at 180 MHz or HD720p 30fps at 83 MHz.