Balanced energy allocation scheme for a solar-powered sensor system and its effects on network-wide performance

Solar power can extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), but it is a very variable energy source. In many applications for WSNs, however, it is often preferred to operate at a constant quality level rather than to change application behavior frequently. Therefore, a solar-powered node is required adaptation to a highly varying energy supply. Reconciling a varying supply with a fixed demand requires a good prediction of that supply, so that demand can be regulated accordingly. We describe two energy allocation schemes, based on time-slots, which aim at optimum use of the periodically harvested solar energy, while minimizing the variability in energy allocation. The simpler scheme is designed for resource-constrained sensors; and a more accurate approach is designed for sensors with a larger energy budget. Each of these schemes uses a probabilistic model based on previous observation of harvested solar energy. This model takes account of long-term trends as well as temporary fluctuations of right levels. Finally, this node-level energy optimization naturally leads to the improvement of the network-wide performance such as latency and throughput. The experimental results on our testbeds and simulations show it clearly.     

Inorganic Polymer Micropillar‐Based Solution Shearing of Large‐Area Organic Semiconductor Thin Films with Pillar‐Size‐Dependent Crystal Size

It is demonstrated that the crystal size of small‐molecule organic semiconductors can be controlled during solution shearing by tuning the shape and dimensions of the micropillars on the blade. Increasing the size and spacing of the rectangular pillars increases the crystal size, resulting in higher thin‐film mobility. This phenomenon is attributed as the microstructure changing the degree and density of the meniscus line curvature, thereby controlling the nucleation process. The use of allylhybridpolycarbosilane (AHPCS), an inorganic polymer, is also demonstrated as the microstructured blade for solution shearing, which has high resistance to organic solvents, can easily be microstructured via molding, and is flexible and durable. Finally, it is shown that solution shearing can be performed on a curved surface using a curved blade. These demonstrations bring solution shearing closer to industrial applications and expand its applicability to various printed flexible electronics.     

Mechanical property of magnesium alloy sheet with hardening deterioration at warm temperatures and its application for failure analysis: Part I - property characterization

The mechanical property of a thin AZ31B Mg alloy sheet (with the thickness of 0.5 mm) was characterized for its anisotropy, temperature-dependent hardening (including its deterioration) and strain rate sensitivity based on simple tension test data measured at 100 °C, 150 °C, 200 °C, 250 °C, respectively, in Part I. As for anisotropy, simple tension tests were performed along three (rolling, transverse and in-between) directions to calibrate the Hill1948 yield function. As for temperature-dependent hardening, the common practice is to characterize hardening only up to the uniform elongation limit and to extrapolate the data to cover the range beyond its limit. In this work, hardening as well as its deterioration (or softening) behavior observed beyond the uniform elongation limit was numerically characterized based on the inverse calibration method, in which strain rate sensitivity was also considered. The mechanical properties were confirmed to properly predict failure by strain localization for all the simple tension tests involved in the characterization procedure. Ultimately, the mechanical properties characterized in Part I were applied in Part II to analyze the failure by strain localization in the cross-shaped cup drawing tests developed as the benchmark problem for the NUMISHEET2011 conference [1].     

Crystallization of amorphous‐Si using nanosecond laser interference method

Laser crystallization of a 50‐nm thick amorphous‐Si (a‐Si) thin film on glass substrate was examined by a Nd:YAG (λ = 1064 nm) nanosecond laser and a two‐beam laser interference method. In spite of the low absorption rate of the laser wavelength in the a‐Si, crystallized Si ripple patterns were observed following a single laser pulse irradiation. The atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement revealed that surface ripple arrays are protruded as high as 120 nm at the positions corresponding to the maximum laser intensity and the ripples are composed of narrow double peaks with a separation of 1 μm. Raman image mapping was used to plot the spatial distribution of the crystallized Si phase. It was found that a 1064‐nm‐wavelength nanosecond laser could crystallize an a‐Si thin film into polycrystalline‐Si (poly‐Si) by nonlinear absorption under high laser energy irradiation.     

Integrated gate driver circuit technology with IGZO TFT for sensing operation

In this paper, we propose a new integrated gate driver circuit for random sensing operation of external compensated organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) display using oxide thin‐film transistor (TFT). Using this technology, we successfully launched 55‐inch and 65‐inch ultrahigh definition OLED TVs with gate in panel (GIP) circuit. The structure of the existing OLED TVs implemented gate signals through the gate integrated circuits (ICs) attached to the left and right sides of the panel. The structure using the gate IC was inferior to the panel structure using the GIP in terms of process and product design and cost. Thus, we propose a new oxide GIP circuit for OLED TV. Like the previous gate IC model, the proposed GIP circuit successfully implemented the random sensing function during the display operation. This GIP circuit is also designed to overcome the problems caused by the negative Vth characteristics of the oxide device.     

Real‐Time Human Shadow Removal in a Front Projection System

When a person is located between a display and an operating projector, a shadow is cast on the display. The shadow on the display may eliminate important visual information and therefore adversely affect the viewing experiences. There have been various attempts to remove the human shadow cast on a projection display by using multiple projectors. While previous approaches successfully removed the shadow region when a person moderately moves around or stands stationary in front of the display, there is still an afterimage effect due to the lack of consideration of the limb motion of the person. We propose a new real‐time approach to removing the shadow cast by a person who dynamically interacts with the display, making limb motions in a front projection system. The proposed method utilizes a human skeleton obtained from a depth camera to track the posture of the person which changes over time. A model that consists of spheres and conical frustums is constructed based on the skeleton information in order to represent volumetric information of the person being tracked. Our method precisely estimates the shadow region by projecting the volumetric model onto the display. In addition, employment of intensity masks that are built based on a distance field helps suppress the afterimage of the shadow that appears when the person moves abruptly. It also helps blend the projected overlapping images from different projectors and show one smoothly combined display. The experiment results verify that our approach removes the shadow of a person effectively in a front projection environment and is fast enough to achieve real‐time performance.     

FE analysis of the sensitivity of friction calibration curves to dimensional changes in a ring compression test

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the sensitivity of friction calibration curves to the frictional shear factor in a ring compression test. The main objective of this study is to examine the sensitivity of the FEA calibration curves of a ring compression test to the frictional shear factor. Different calibration curves were investigated by measuring dimensional changes at different positions of a ring specimen, including changes in the internal diameter at the middle and top section of the specimen, the outer diameter at the middle and top section, and the degree of surface expansion at the top surface. The initial ring geometries employed in the analysis maintain a fixed ratio of 6:3:2, i.e., the outer diameter: inner diameter: thickness ratio of the ring specimen, which is generally known as a ‘standard’ specimen, in order only to determine the sensitivity of the calibration curves for the measurement of dimensional changes at different positions to the frictional shear factor. A perfectly plastic material was modeled for the simulations using rigid-plastic finite element code. Analyses were performed within a definite range of friction as well as over the entire range of friction to uncover the different sensitivities of calibration curves to interfacial friction given different ranges of friction. The results of this investigation are summarized in terms of a dimensionless gradient. It was determined from the results that the friction calibration curves according to measurements of the dimensional changes at different positions of a ring specimen show different degrees of linearity and sensitivity to the frictional condition on the contact surface. Among these differences, the friction calibration curve upon changes in the degree of surface expansion at the contact boundary was found to be relatively linear and sensitive to the frictional condition over the entire range of friction.     

In the zone: Flow state and cognition in older adults.

The current study investigated the nature of the flow state among older adults. Flow is a pleasurable experiential state that occurs during full-capacity engagement in which an individual is performing at a level that is matched with the demands of the task. Each participant completed a scale assessing dimensions of flow in a particular activity selected by the participant. More cognitively demanding activities elicited higher levels of flow for those with higher fluid ability, but lower levels of flow for those with lower fluid ability. This pattern was reversed for activities that were low in demand. Our data highlight the potential importance of considering motivational states such as flow in understanding cognitive optimization in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)