Single‐substrate encapsulated cholesteric LCDs: Coatable,drapable, and foldable

Abstract— The first ever, reflective cholesteric liquid‐crystal displays (ChLCDs) on single textile substrates made with simple coating processes have been developed. A novel approach for fabrication of ultra‐thin encapsulated ChLCDs with transparent conducting polymers as bottom and top electrodes will be reported. These displays are fabricated from the bottom‐up by sequential coating of various functional layers on fabric materials. Encapsulation of the cholesteric liquid‐crystal droplets in a polymer matrix and the mechanical flexibility of the conducting polymers allow for the creation of durable and highly conformable textile displays. The development and status of this next‐generation display technology for both monochrome and multicolor cholesteric displays will be discussed.     

Hierarchical Structure and Word Strength Prediction of Mandarin Prosody

We use Stem-ML to build an automatic learning system for Mandarin prosody that allows us to make quantitative measurements of prosodic strengths. Stem-ML is a phenomenological model of the muscle dynamics and planning process that controls the tension of the vocal folds. Because Stem-ML describes the interactions between nearby tones or accents, we were able to use a highly constrained model with only one accent template for each lexical tone category, and a single prosodic strength per word. The model accurately reproduces the intonation of the speaker, capturing 87% of the variance of the speech's fundamental frequency, f ₀. The result reveals strong alternating metrical patterns in words, and suggests that the speaker uses word strength to mark a hierarchy of sentence, clause, phrase, and word boundaries.     

Real‐Time Consensus‐Based Scene Reconstruction Using Commodity Graphics Hardware†

We present a novel use of commodity graphics hardware that effectively combines a plane‐sweeping algorithm with view synthesis for real‐time, online 3D scene acquisition and view synthesis. Using real‐time imagery from a few calibrated cameras, our method can generate new images from nearby viewpoints, estimate a dense depth map from the current viewpoint, or create a textured triangular mesh. We can do each of these without any prior geometric information or requiring any user interaction, in real time and online. The heart of our method is to use programmable Pixel Shader technology to square intensity differences between reference image pixels, and then to choose final colors (or depths) that correspond to the minimum difference, i.e. the most consistent color. In this paper we describe the method, place it in the context of related work in computer graphics and computer vision, and present some results. ACM CSS: I.3.3 Computer Graphics—Bitmap and framebuffer operations, I.4.8 Image Processing and Computer Vision—Depth cues, Stereo     

On the Relation Between Maternal State of Mind and Sensitivity in the Prediction of Infant Attachment Security.

Attachment theorists assume that maternal mental representations influence responsivity, which influences infant attachment security. However, primary studies do not support this mediation model. The authors tested mediation using 2 mother-infant samples and found no evidence of mediation. Therefore, the authors explored sensitivity as a moderator, studying the (a) interaction of mental representation and sensitivity as it predicts infant attachment security and (b) level of sensitivity in mothers whose infants' attachment security is either concordant or discordant with their own. The interactional analyses were not significant. But the match-mismatch data showed that when mother-infant attachment strategies were discordant, maternal sensitivity was more consistent with infant than maternal attachment strategy. These findings are congruent with an interpretation of sensitivity as a moderator that can block transmission of attachment strategy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child Well-Being in an Era of Welfare Reform: The Sensitivity of Transitions in Development to Policy Change.

This study examined the age-specific pattern of effects of welfare policies on child achievement. Drawing from 7 random-assignment welfare and antipoverty evaluations that provided more than 30,000 observations of children's achievement, this study found that times of developmental transition are the only periods sensitive to the changes in families brought about by these policies. More specifically, small positive effects of welfare and antipoverty policies were found for children making the transition into middle childhood, and small negative effects of these same policies were found for children making the transition out of middle childhood and into early adolescence. Effects were robust across various program groupings and could not be attributed to family characteristics that differ for children of different ages. This research informs the understanding of how changes in employment and income for low-income parents affect development across childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflective cholesteric displays: From rigid to flexible

Abstract— Bistable reflective cholesteric liquid‐crystal displays are low‐power displays that are suitable for a variety of applications ranging from signage to high‐resolution electronic books. Recent advancements have included higher brightness, full color, black and white from a single layer, and lighting solutions. Cholesteric displays also lend themselves to simple integration into flexible materials since they may be coated and printed. We have developed reflective cholesteric displays on thin flexible plastic substrates, as well as other unconventional substrates such as paper and drapable fabrics. This paper serves as a review for recent advances in the cholesteric‐display technology at Kent Displays.     

Charakterisierung des strukturviskosen Verhaltens von Schmierstoffen durch Kombination von Experiment und EHD-Simulation mithilfe des Carreau-Modells

In the present work, the fluid friction in the gap between two discs was examined under full fluid film lubrication conditions. The investigation was both experimental and simulative, whereby input variables for the simulative investigation were obtained from the experimental test series. The experimental examination of fluid friction was carried out on the MEGT’s twin-disk-machine, whereby the load and slide-to-roll-ratio were varied at constant hydrodynamic velocity and oil inlet temperature. The reference oil FVA-3 was used as lubricant. As a result of the experimental investigation, traction curves are obtained which show the change in the coefficient of friction or the shear stress as a function of the slide-to-roll-ratio. The maximum and critical shear stress can be determined from the measured traction curves. These represent input variables for the simulative determination of friction in the gap.     

New horizons in spectroelectrochemical measurements: optically transparent carbon electrodes

Given the useful electroanalytical properties of carbon electrodes, having an optically transparent material could lead to new measurement paradigms that combine electrochemical and spectroscopic measurements.     

Electrochemical preparation of Fe-Mn alloy film in organic bath

Fe-Mn alloy films have been prepared by electrodeposition in an organic bath containing FeCl₂ + MnCl₂ in dimethyl formamide. The electroreduction of Mn(II) was irreversible and the diffusion coefficient of Mn(II) was calculated to be 8.0 × 10^− 11 m² s^− 1 at 298 K. An amorphous film of Fe-Mn was obtained by potentiostatic electrolysis. The Mn content varied from 4.8 at.% to 72.3 at.% with increase in the applied cathodic potential. Scanning electron microscope investigation showed that the deposited film was homogeneous and consisted of spherical particles. Nano-sized pores were observed in the surface of these particles. After heat treatment at 773 K, large crystal grains formed and X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that solid solution of Mn in γ-Fe occurred. The alloying temperature of the Fe-Mn film was determined to be 1013 K using differential thermal analysis.