Digital Microfluidics for Manipulation and Analysis of a Single Cell

The basic structural and functional unit of a living organism is a single cell. To understand the variability and to improve the biomedical requirement of a single cell, its analysis has become a key technique in biological and biomedical research. With a physical boundary of microchannels and microstructures, single cells are efficiently captured and analyzed, whereas electric forces sort and position single cells. Various microfluidic techniques have been exploited to manipulate single cells through hydrodynamic and electric forces. Digital microfluidics (DMF), the manipulation of individual droplets holding minute reagents and cells of interest by electric forces, has received more attention recently. Because of ease of fabrication, compactness and prospective automation, DMF has become a powerful approach for biological application. We review recent developments of various microfluidic chips for analysis of a single cell and for efficient genetic screening. In addition, perspectives to develop analysis of single cells based on DMF and emerging functionality with high throughput are discussed.     

Compiler compatible 5.66 Mb/mm2 8T 1R1W register file in 14 nm FinFET technology

1-read/1-write (1R1W) register file (RF) is a popular memory configuration in modern feature rich SoCs requiring significant amount of embedded memory. A memory compiler is constructed using the 8T RF bitcell spanning a range of instances from 32 b to 72 Kb. An 8T low-leakage bitcell of 0.106 μm² is used in a 14 nm FinFET technology with a 70 nm contacted gate pitch for high-density (HD) two-port (TP) RF memory compiler which achieves 5.66 Mb/mm² array density for a 72 Kb array which is the highest reported density in 14 nm FinFET technology. The density improvement is achieved by using techniques such as leaf-cell optimization (eliminating transistors), better architectural planning, top level connectivity through leaf-cell abutment and minimizing the number of unique leaf-cells. These techniques are fully compatible with memory compiler usage over the required span. Leakage power is minimized by using power-switches without degrading the density mentioned above. Self-induced supply voltage collapse technique is applied for write and a four stack static keeper is used for read Vmin improvement. Fabricated test chips using 14 nm process have demonstrated 2.33 GHz performance at 1.1 V/25 °C operation. Overall V_min of 550 mV is achieved with this design at 25 °C. The inbuilt power-switch improves leakage power by 12x in simulation. Approximately 8% die area of a leading 14 nm SoC in commercialization is occupied by these compiled RF instances.     

微流控分析芯片制作中的低温键合技术

微流控分析芯片制作方法的研究是微流控分析的基础。制作性能良好的微流控分析芯片时,基片与盖片的键合技术十分重要。本文针对近年来发展迅速的低温键合技术,对各种方法进行了评价,并对其发展前景进行了展望。     

The influence of plastic properties on chip formation

A two-dimensional finite-element model of the chip formation process is used to study the influence of the material law determining plastic flow on chip formation of titanium alloys at high cutting speeds. For simplicity, friction and thermo-mechanical properties of the tool are neglected in the simulations. Titanium chips are strongly segmented and therefore especially suitable to study the role of segmentation for the cutting force and other cutting parameters. Of special interest is the influence of the thermal softening parameter in the material law. Increasing thermal softening leads to a drastic decrease in the cutting force and a corresponding increase in chip segmentation. A variation of the hardening exponent is also performed. It is shown that the simulation results can be understood by using adiabatic flow stress curves. The variation of the hardening exponent leads to strongly differing chip shapes, although the cutting force stays nearly constant. This shows that mean cutting forces should not be used as simulation verification parameters.     

The Role of Test Protocols in Automated Test Generation for Embedded-Core-Based System ICs

Modular testing is an attractive approach to testing large system ICs, especially if they are built from pre-designed reusable embedded cores. This paper describes an automated modular test development approach. The basis of this approach is that a core or module test is dissected into a test protocol and a test pattern list. A test protocol describes in detail how to apply one test pattern to the core, while abstracting from the specific test pattern stimulus and response values. Subsequent automation tasks, such as the expansion from core-level tests to system-chip-level tests and test scheduling, all work on test protocols, thereby greatly reducing the amount of compute time and data involved. Finally, an SOC-level test is assembled from the expanded and scheduled test protocols and the (so far untouched) test patterns. This paper describes and formalizes the notion of test protocols and the algorithms for test protocol expansion and scheduling. A running example is featured throughout the paper. We also elaborate on the industrial usage of the concepts described.     

Mechanization techniques for poplar development in Turkey

Annual commercial poplar wood production in Turkey is about 3.6 million cubic meters, half of which comes from hybrid poplar I-214. The poplar plantation areas of Turkey are 70% of the poplar plantation areas of the Near and Middle Eastern countries, and nearly 5% of the world. In this study, unit times of standard operations were investigated in poplar nurseries and plantations in which new mechanical technology was applied and compared with traditional methods. Analyses of unit times were made on 11 treatments for poplar nurseries and nine treatments for poplar plantations; some new methods are also recommended. Mechanization methods based on new technologies give promising results in poplar nurseries and plantations.     

Using the MC68901 multifunction peripheral

First-generation microprocessor peripheral chips were each dedicated to specific functions (e.g. serial interface, parallel interface, timer). Some of today's peripherals are designed to carry out a wide range of functions. The 68901 multifunction peripheral (MFP), for example, combines the functions of a serial interface, a parallel interface, a timer and an interrupt generator. It is not possible to go into detail about the MFP here — its data manual is the size of a small book. Instead, this note illustrates the design of a complete single-board microcomputer built around the 68901 and the 68008 microprocessor.     

原位TiCp/Fe复合材料的切削力及切屑形状

从退火态原位TiCp／Fe复合材料的切削力和切屑形状方面分析了其切削性能。研究结果表明其切削力及切削力的波动范围都小于铸态45钢，其切削性能比45钢好。TiCp／Fe复合材料的切屑为C形屑、长紧卷屑和发条状卷屑，在机加工中，产生这几种切屑是比较理想的。从切屑方面看，TiCp／Fe复合材料的切削性能较好。     

A methodology for assessing gamebird use of short rotation coppice

Gamebirds provide a considerable incentive to plant and manage new woodlands. The supplementary income thus generated can improve their overall value. Other studies suggest that Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) crops may provide an attractive habitat for some gamebird species and could increase the value of the crop. To investigate this, the use by pheasants and partridge of different types of SRC at one site was assessed.

A method using sand quadrats to record gamebird footprints and hence relative use was developed. Pheasant footprints were recorded more frequently in the quadrats alongside the willow coppice, whereas partridge footprints occurred more frequently alongside the poplar coppice. Footprint analysis offers a reliable method of investigating how gamebirds use different types of SRC within small areas. The results are considered in terms of the placement of short rotation coppice plantations in the landscape to improve their ecological design.     

瓶级聚酯切片中乙醛含量的控制

对瓶级聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(PET)原料中的乙醛含量、第三组份(间苯二甲酸)含量、原料比表面积以及工艺参数控制等对产品中乙醛含量的影响进行了讨论，得出了合适的工艺操作条件，并注意到预结晶单元和冷却单元的工艺参数控制对产品乙醛含量的影响最显著，从而为生产乙醛含量小于1．0μg/g的瓶级高粘度PET切片提供了参考。