Newsletter No. 332

No. 332, 19.2.2009 IEEE院士總人數續冠全港 Total IEEE Fellows Number at CUHK Continues to Lead in Hong Kong 機 械與自動化工程學系劉雲輝教授（ 上圖 ）及訊息工 程學系湯曉鷗教授（ 下圖 ），獲國際權威組織電機 及電子工程師學會（IEEE）推選為院士，以表揚他們分別 研究「多指機械手抓取技術與視覺伺服控制系統」及「模 式識別與視頻處理技術」的重大成就。迄今中大的IEEE院 士總數為十九人，續為香港院校之冠。 劉雲輝教授發展了一套演算 方法，能即時分析機械手如 何抓取不同形狀的物件，可 大幅減省分析時間，提升抓 取的穩定性，並應用至義手 的領域。劉教授亦開發視覺 伺服控制系統，能透過鏡頭 自動追蹤指定的靜態或動態 物件，並作出相應動作。劉 教授將此技術應用到小型直 升機上，使之能自動跟蹤地 面的指定目標；又用於顯微 鏡上，俾能自動搜尋病菌如 肺結核菌，並快速自動對焦，提升化驗效率。 湯曉鷗教授研發的模式識別技術已被用於MSN.com的圖 片搜尋功能。其他網上搜尋器只能以圖片的相關字眼來搜 尋，湯教授的模式識別技術卻能以圖片中的顏色、形狀或 人臉輪廓進行快速比對，從而更準確地搜尋相關圖片。湯 教授的視頻處理技術亦被微軟公司採納，應用於半年前推 出市場的電腦視像鏡頭及MSN上。此技術能準確追蹤人 臉不同角度的移動，並按使用者的選擇，在人臉上加上帽 子、面具及哈哈鏡等特別效果，為視像對話增添趣味。 P rof. Liu Yunhui (above) of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering and Prof. Tang Xiaoou (below) of the Department of Information Engineering have been elected Fellows of the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for their extraordinary accomplishments in ‘robotic multi- fingered grasping and adaptive visual servo systems’ and ‘pattern recognition and video processing’respectively. With the two newly- elected fellows, CUHK continues to rank top among all local universities with a total of 19 IEEE Fellows. 首千例大腸癌篩查發現隱形個案 Bowel Cancer Screening Finds Cases with No Symptoms 醫 學院消化疾病研究所去年獲香港賽馬會慈善信託 基金捐助，推行為期五年的「香港大腸癌：教育、 宣傳及篩查」計劃，並成立香港中文大學賽馬會大腸癌教 育中心，為一萬名五十歲以上沒有大腸癌病史的人士提供 免費檢驗。中心於2月3日公布首千例篩查結果，初步顯示 四名參加者被診斷患有大腸癌。 由2008年5至8月期間，中心邀請了超過1,200人出席大腸 癌健康講座，從中招募了1,037名符合資格的人士參與篩 查。當中597人（58%）選擇每年進行大便隱血測試直至 2012年，餘下的440人選擇進行大腸鏡檢查。 至今有4人（0.4%）確診患上大腸癌、27人患有後期腺瘤 （2.6%），另有151人患有大腸腺瘤（14.6%）。他們均能 治癒。大部分參加者在進行大腸鏡檢查後沒有發生任何併 發症。 消化疾病研究所主管沈祖堯教授（ 圖左二 ）指出：「篩查可 以及早發現大腸癌，並在大腸腺瘤發展成大腸癌之前立即 清除。事實上，大腸癌篩查需要在沒有出現任何徵狀前進 行，適合年齡介乎五十歲至七十歲，兼過去五年沒有進行 過任何大腸癌檢查的人士參與。」觀乎逾九成參與大便隱 血測試者能依從正確程序收集樣本，並準時交回收集管， 可見此測試程序簡單便捷，為大眾接受。 T he Institute of Digestive Disease of the Faculty of Medicine launched the five-year ‘Bowel Cancer in Hong Kong: Education, Promotion, and Screening’ project with a generous donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust last year. The programme Prof. Liu Yunhui developed a real-time algorithm for stability analysis in robotic multi-fingered grasping. This algorithm greatly improved computational efficiency and grasping stability. The technique can be applied to artificial hands to improve their nimbleness. Prof. Liu also developed an adaptive visual servo system that can automatically track a specified still or moving object and respond accordingly. Applying this technique to a small helicopter and a microscope separately, the helicopter will be steered automatically to approach moving targets on the ground, while the microscope can automatically identify bacteria, like tubercle bacillus , and make rapid adjustments in focus, which greatly improve the efficiency of laboratory tests. Prof. Tang Xiaoou’s pattern recognition technique was adopted by MSN.com in its image search function launched recently. While other search engines can only search images by using related keywords, Prof. Tang’s invention can provide a more accurate search result by rapidly comparing colours, shapes and faces in pictures. Prof. Tang’s video processing technique was also used by Microsoft in MSN Messenger and web cameras launched about six months ago. This technique can accurately trace the web camera user’s face as it moves, to add special effects on the user’s face for fun, such as putting on hats, masks, or showing a distorted mirror image. allows 10,000 asymptomatic individuals aged over 50 to undergo a free bowel cancer screening test. Subsequent to the establishment of the programme, the CUHK Jockey Club Bowel Cancer Education Centre was set up. The centre released the preliminary results of the first 1,037 participants under its screening programme on 3 February. Four cases of bowel cancers were diagnosed from apparently healthy subjects so far. Over 1,200 participants were invited to attend the bowel cancer health talk between May and August 2008. Among them, 1,037 qualified participants took up the offer of bowel screening. A total of 597 participants (58%) chose fecal occult blood testing and agreed to undergo a yearly stool test until 2012, and 440 participants chose colonoscopy and underwent the procedure. To date, the programme has identified four cases of colorectal cancer (0.4%), 27 cases of advanced neoplasm (2.6%) and 151 cases of adenoma (14.6%). All cases identified with colonic diseases were successfully treated. There was no complication arising from the screening procedure for most of the cases. Prof. Joseph Sung (2nd left), director of the Institute of Digestive Disease, said, ‘Screening allows bowel cancer to be detected early and bowel adenoma to be removed before developing into cancer. Screening should be conducted in subjects before symptoms arise. Bowel cancer screening benefits those who are aged between 50 and 70 with no screening test performed within five years.’ Over 90% of participants who chose the stool test complied with the procedures and returned the test in time, showing that test is simple, convenient, and found acceptable by the general public.