Abstract: Preforms and methods of processing 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) polymers, such as poly(ethylene-2,5-furandicaboxylate (PEF), to produce preforms and articles, such as containers. The present invention also includes preforms with superior processing characteristics and containers, such as PEF beverage bottles, with superior performance properties.

Abstract: An isotropic imaging filter is provided that includes a photonic crystal slab, where the photonic crystal slab includes a square lattice of air through holes, a dielectric constant, a thickness (d), a through hole radius (r), and a lattice constant (a), where the square lattice of air holes are separated according to a value of the lattice constant, where the thickness is configured according to d=M(a), where the through hole radii is configured according to r=N(a), where the thickness and the hole radii are configured to generate isotropic bands of guided resonances of an incident image.

Abstract: Provided is a method for preparing a diol. In the method, a saccharide and hydrogen as raw materials are contacted with a catalyst in water to prepare the diol. The employed catalyst is a composite catalyst comprised of a main catalyst and a cocatalyst, wherein the main catalyst is a water-insoluble acid-resistant alloy; and the cocatalyst is a soluble tungstate and/or soluble tungsten compound. The method uses an acid-resistant, inexpensive and stable alloy needless of a support as a main catalyst, and can guarantee a high yield of the diol in the case where the production cost is relatively low.

Abstract: A pupil replication waveguide for a projector display includes a slab of transparent material for propagating display light in the slab via total internal reflection. A diffraction grating is supported by the slab. The diffraction grating includes a plurality of tapered slanted fringes in a substrate for out-coupling the display light from the slab by diffraction into a blazed diffraction order. A greater portion of the display light is out-coupled into the blazed diffraction order, and a smaller portion of the display light is out-coupled into a non-blazed diffraction order. The tapered fringes result in the duty cycle of the diffraction grating varying along the thickness direction of the diffraction grating, to facilitate suppressing the portion of the display light out-coupled into the non-blazed diffraction order.

Abstract: Steviol glycoside blends comprising rebaudioside A, rebaudioside M, rebaudioside D and rebaudioside B that have aqueous solubility at relevant beverage concentrate concentrations are provided herein. Blends comprising steviol glycoside blends of the present invention and compositions comprising glucosylated steviol glycosides are also provided. Beverage syrups and beverages made from these blends are also provided.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method for a hybrid multiple access wireless communication system. The apparatus comprises: a parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire a relevant parameter of a hybrid multiple access wireless communication system; and a sub-carrier allocation unit configured to use the relevant parameter to allocate sub-carriers to each user equipment with the purpose of optimizing overall communication quality of the hybrid multiple access wireless communication system.

Abstract: An example intent-recognition system comprises a processor and memory storing instructions. The instructions cause the processor to receive speech input comprising spoken words. The instructions cause the processor to generate text results based on the speech input and generate acoustic feature annotations based on the speech input. The instructions also cause the processor to apply an intent model to the text result and the acoustic feature annotations to recognize an intent based on the speech input. An example system for adapting an emotional text-to-speech model comprises a processor and memory. The memory stores instructions that cause the processor to receive training examples comprising speech input and receive labelling data comprising emotion information associated with the speech input. The instructions also cause the processor to extract audio signal vectors from the training examples and generate an emotion-adapted voice font model based on the audio signal vectors and the labelling data.

Abstract: A waveguide display includes a first substrate having two opposing sides, a grating on a first side of the two opposing sides of the first substrate and configured to couple display light into or out of the first substrate, a first antireflection layer on a first surface of the grating and configured to reduce reflection of visible light at the first surface of the grating, and a second antireflection layer on a second side of the two opposing sides of the first substrate and configured to reduce reflection of the visible light at the second side of the first substrate.

Abstract: A waveguide display includes a waveguide, an input coupler configured to couple display light into the waveguide, and a surface-relief grating on the waveguide and configured to couple the display light out of the waveguide towards an eyebox of the waveguide display on a first side of the waveguide. The surface-relief grating is formed in a plurality of grating layers having uniform or non-uniform thickness profiles. The plurality of grating layers is characterized by a refractive index modulation that increases and then decreases as the distance of the grating layer from the waveguide increases.

Abstract: A diffraction grating includes a substrate and a plurality of fringes supported by the substrate. The fringes run parallel to each other in a first direction. A refractive index of a material of the plurality of fringes is anisotropic, whereby a refractive index contrast of the diffraction grating depends on direction of electric field of an impinging light beam, and through that dependence is a function of an azimuthal angle of the impinging light beam. A dependence of the diffraction efficiency on the azimuthal angle is affected by the dependence of the refractive index contrast on the direction of electric field of an impinging light beam. A pupil-replicating waveguide may use such a diffraction grating as a coupler for in- our out-coupling image light.

Abstract: A teeth whitening system that emits electromagnetic radiation onto surfaces of a user's teeth and may also dispense a tooth whitening material for contact with the user's teeth. In one aspect, the teeth whitening system includes a mouthpiece comprising a wall and a bite platform extending from the wall that collectively define a first channel for receiving a user's teeth and an electromagnetic radiation source coupled to the mouthpiece and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation onto surfaces of the user's teeth that are positioned in the first channel. The teeth whitening system may also include an opening in the wall through which a tooth whitening material may be dispensed into the channel. The tooth whitening system may alternatively include apertures in the wall or bite platform through which a tooth whitening material can be dispensed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to determining node embedding using multi-view graphs for analyzing electronic content.

Abstract: A keyboard includes a base plate, a plurality of key structures, and a light emitting assembly. The base plate includes a body and a plurality of optically transmissive members. The body has a plurality of hollow portions. The optically transmissive members are contained in the hollow portions, respectively. Each of the optically transmissive members has a light guiding portion and a plurality of connecting structures. The key structures correspond to the optically transmissive members, respectively. One of the key structures is connected to the connecting structures of one of the optically transmissive members. The light emitting assembly includes a driver circuit board and a plurality of light emitting units. The light emitting units are located on the driver circuit board. The driver circuit board is located on one of the surfaces of the base plate. The light emitting units are contained in the light guiding portion, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed is an acid-resistant alloy catalyst comprising nickel, one or more rare earth elements, stannum and aluminum. The acid-resistant alloy catalyst is low-cost and stable, and does not need a carrier, and can be stably used in continuous industrial production, thus achieving a low production cost.

Abstract: This disclosure provides effective methods for expanding the processing window for poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) and poly(ethylene furanoate) co-polymer (PEF co-polymer) polyester preforms, such that these preforms can be beneficially used in the fabrication of bottles and containers, including bottles for carbonated soft drinks. The processing window is expanded by, for example, pre-conditioning the PEF or PEF co-polymer preform prior to stretch blow-molding by contacting the PEF or PEF co-polymer preform with water or high (>50%) relative humidity air for a desired time period and at a temperature greater than or equal to ambient temperature, to take advantage of the unique and unexpected properties afforded the preform by water sorption at these temperatures.

Abstract: A pupil replication waveguide for a projector display includes a slab of transparent material for propagating display light in the slab via total internal reflection. A diffraction grating is supported by the slab. The diffraction grating includes a plurality of tapered slanted fringes in a substrate for out-coupling the display light from the slab by diffraction into a blazed diffraction order. A greater portion of the display light is out-coupled into the blazed diffraction order, and a smaller portion of the display light is out-coupled into a non-blazed diffraction order. The tapered fringes result in the duty cycle of the diffraction grating varying along the thickness direction of the diffraction grating, to facilitate suppressing the portion of the display light out-coupled into the non-blazed diffraction order.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a multi-layer speech recognition transcript post processing system may include a data-driven, statistical layer associated with a trained automatic speech recognition model that selects an initial transcript. A rule-based layer may receive the initial transcript from the data-driven, statistical layer and execute at least one pre-determined rule to generate a first modified transcript. A machine learning approach layer may receive the first modified transcript from the rule-based layer and perform a neural model inference to create a second modified transcript. A human editor layer may receive the second modified transcript from the machine learning approach layer along with an adjustment from at least one human editor. The adjustment may create, in some embodiments, a final transcript that may be used to fine-tune the data-driven, statistical layer.

Abstract: An isotropic imaging filter is provided that includes a photonic crystal slab, where the photonic crystal slab includes a square lattice of air through holes, a dielectric constant, a thickness (d), a through hole radius (r), and a lattice constant (a), where the square lattice of air holes are separated according to a value of the lattice constant, where the thickness is configured according to d=M(a), where the through hole radii is configured according to r=N(a), where the thickness and the hole radii are configured to generate isotropic bands of guided resonances of an incident image.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides method and apparatus for processing a message. A statement sentence message and a message processing parameter associated with a user's session message are obtained. One or more first statement sentence nodes that are semantic-matched with the statement sentence message are determined in the knowledge map. One or more second statement sentence nodes corresponding to the message processing parameters are obtained from the knowledge map, based on the node relationship properties of the first statement sentence nodes. A response is generated based at least in part on statement sentences of the one or more second statement sentence nodes. The generated response is provided to the user.