Abstract: A bistable cholesteric liquid crystal switchable window has two stable states in the absence of an applied voltage. A first stable state is a planar state which is transparent or reflective for visible light. A second stable state is a focal conic state which is opaque for visible light. The window can be switched from the first stable state to the second stable state via a first voltage pulse and from the second stable state to the first stable state via a second voltage pulse. The first voltage pulse and the second voltage pulse may have the same frequency.

Abstract: The invention relates to systems and methods for observing materials, such as living cells or organisms, wherein the systems and methods utilize a microscopy system having an illumination source and an objective lens. A specimen including a predetermined amount of a liquid medium and a predetermined amount of an extracellular strongly absorbing dye is positioned for observation using the microscopy system. The illumination of the specimen correlates to the spectral region around the peak of the dye absorbance for the dye used in the system, such that live cells and organisms appear in contrast over a dark background for observation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating real-time, personalized recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method operates upon an electronic data collection organized as a network of vertices and edge connections between the vertices. The method provides the recommendations includes iteratively traversing across edges that satisfy search criteria to a new set of vertices and filtering each new set of vertices to satisfy the search criteria. At the conclusion of the traversing and filtering, a final set of vertices represents the recommended entities. In some embodiments, a control vector describes a sequence of relationships between a requester and the items to be recommended. The method can assign scores to candidate recommendations and select the recommendations having the highest scores. Advantageously, the method provides flexibility and rapid execution of recommendation queries without the need to precompute intermediate results.

Abstract: Ink-jet printable compositions including nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains and a single solvent exhibiting a single evaporation rate and having a specifically defined viscosity and surface tension that result in uniform and printable alignment layers for liquid crystal materials. Patterned liquid crystal-containing cells are also disclosed including one or more layers including the same or different nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains printed on a surface of a substrate or even another nanoparticle-containing layer. Methods for producing the cells are also disclosed, including the step of printing a pattern on one or more portions of a cell surface utilizing a composition comprising the capped nanoparticles. Devices including the cells are also disclosed.

Abstract: A solution-cathode glow discharge (SCGD) spectrometry apparatus may comprise an SCGD source and a mass or ion mobility spectrometer. A method for ionizing a molecular analyte may comprise contacting the molecular analyte with a plasma discharge to form ions and separating the ions in a mass spectrometer or ion mobility spectrometer. The contacting step may occur under atmospheric pressure and/or ambient conditions. The molecular analyte may be fragmented by the plasma discharge.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring normal and shear stress at a surface. The apparatus includes a substrate; and a plurality of sensing units on the substrate. Each sensing unit includes a mechanical transducer having a receiving surface and a sensing surface; and a plurality of normal force sensors between the sensing surface and the substrate.

Abstract: A photoalignment method includes photoaligning a first liquid crystal cell and using the photoaligned first liquid crystal cell as a mask in the photoalignment of a second liquid crystal cell. The method may increase spatial dynamic range or decrease pitch.

Abstract: Star block copolymers having 3 to 8 arms are formed as a 3D foam scaffold having tailor-made pore sizes that mimic an actual cell size of a specific animal and/or human tissue and/or organs. The pore sizes are made within the elastomeric foams via a salt leaching process wherein a salt of a specific particle size is blended within the star block copolymers and crosslinked as by polyisocyanate compounds. Water or other suitable solvent are utilized to dissolve and leach out the salt leaving an open pore system. Animal and/or human cells are then injected into the 3D elastomeric foam scaffold that contains pendant liquid crystals on the star block copolymer whereby with the aid of nutrients, cells are formed within the pore system that are viable for at least three months. The size of the pore is predetermined to produce a desired cultured cell having a desired size.

Abstract: A display panel and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. Each pixel of the display panel includes a transmission region and a reflection region, and the display panel includes a first polarizer, a first base substrate, a first alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer, a second base substrate, and a second polarizer. A reflection layer is provided between the second alignment layer and the second polarizer in the reflection region. The liquid crystal layer in the reflection region includes nematic liquid crystal and a polymer network. The liquid crystal layer in the transmission region includes a liquid crystal mixture including the nematic liquid crystal and polymerizable monomers. The polymer network in reflection region is formed by polymerizing the polymerizable monomers in the liquid crystal mixture.

Abstract: A biosensing platform capable of high throughput mechanochemical biosensing comprising a DNA origami nanostructure having a plurality of slots into which recognition elements are strategically placed and apparatus that senses a change in the origami nanostructure in response to the introduction of a target where the apparatus includes a signal transduction unit and signal sensor which exploits mechanical signals in a recognition element which signal includes one or more mechanical tension or mechanochemical rearrangement event. The nanostructure is preferably a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional arrangement of tiles linked by locking elements, such as aptamers that will open in response to an event such as exposure to a drug molecule, DNA, RNA or protein target.

Abstract: A method for producing a photostable reactive mesogen alignment layer includes infusing an anisotropic dye into a microcavity so as to coat the an surface of the microcavity with the anisotropic dye; illuminating the anisotropic dye with polarized light so as to form an anisotropic dye layer aligned with respect to the inner surface of the microcavity; infusing a reactive mesogen and the liquid crystal material into the microcavity; illuminating the reactive mesogen at a wavelength selected to cause polymerization of the layer of the reactive mesogen so as to form a polymerized reactive mesogen layer; aligning the liquid crystal material with respect to the anisotropic dye layer; and bleaching the anisotropic dye layer.

Abstract: A thermochromic fabric utilizing cholesteric liquid crystals includes a fabric material or garment formed therefrom. The liquid crystal material is patterned with a plurality of different liquid crystal formulations, whereby each formulation has high thermal sensitivity over a narrow temperature range. As a result, the aggregate pattern of liquid crystal material formed on the thermochromic fabric allows the thermochromic fabric to have high thermal sensitivity over a broad temperature range. As such, the fabric or garment may be worn on specific body parts of a patient, such as his or her feet, to assist in making a medical diagnosis.

Abstract: An optical magnification system comprises two Pancharatnam lenses, and provides a first magnification for left-hand circularly polarized light and a second magnification different from the first magnification for right-hand circularly polarized light. An optical magnification system comprises two lenses, each having different focal lengths for left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light, respectively, and configured to provide a first magnification for left-handed circularly polarized light and a second magnification different from the first magnification for right-handed circularly polarized light.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of placing a plate fixation device in a foot comprising the steps of: plantarly placing a reverse locking plate on the foot; and utilizing a locking guide to dorsally place reverse locking screws into the foot to mate with the reverse locking plate.

Abstract: A polymeric scaffold contains pendant liquid crystal side chains and has fully interconnected pores. Such a polymeric scaffold will preferably be 3D in nature and elastomeric, biocompatible and biodegradable. Such 3D liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) scaffolds can be used for various biomedical applications, including cell culture applications. A method for the production of such a polymeric scaffold containing liquid crystals and having interconnected pores is also disclosed that uses a metal foam sacrificial template as a scaffold to produce the polymeric smart response scaffold of the present invention. Consistent and controlled pore sizes result from etching the sacrificial metal foam template away from the polymeric scaffold, permitting the incorporation of growth factors, when needed, for enhancing cell viability and proliferation.

Abstract: Controlled biodegradable smart responsive scaffold (SRS) materials enhance attachment and viability of cells, i.e. actively guiding their expansion, proliferation and in some cases differentiation, while increasing their biomechanical functionality is an important key issue for tissue regeneration. Chemically build-in functionality in these biodegradable SRS materials is achieved by varying structural functionalization with biocompatible liquid crystal motifs and general polymer composition allowing for regulation and alteration of tensile strength, surface ordering, bioadhesion and biodegradability, bulk liquid crystal phase behavior, porosity, and cell response to external stimuli. Liquid crystal modification of such polymeric scaffolds is an ideal tool to induce macroscopic ordering events through external stimuli.

Abstract: A single-molecule mechanoanalytical real-time sensing device (SMART) comprising a molecular trawl and a DNA stem-loop structure that serves as a molecular dipstick, said trawl and said DNA stem-loop structure anchored by handles to two optically-trapped bead templates; said molecular trawl comprising multiple analyte recognition elements that exist in each of two separate DNA (pair) strands that act as two pincers, said pincers each having a nucleobase capable of catching an analyte in a media; said DNA stem-loop structure comprising a plurality of nucleotides in said loop and multiple base pairs in said stem; and wherein said DNA stem-loop is located generally opposite to said molecular trawl that is capable of reporting an amount of bound analyte target via mechanochemical transient events.

Abstract: A stereoscopic display device is provided for displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image as viewed by eyes consisting of a left eye and a right eye. In the display device, a single display screen, or separate left and right display screens, present a left image to the left eye but not the right eye, and present a right image to the right eye but not the left eye. A gaze distance tracker is configured to track gaze distance of the eyes. Variable-power lenses include a left variable-power lens arranged to provide eye accommodation for the left eye, and a right variable-power lens arranged to provide eye accommodation for the right eye. An electronic eye accommodation controller is configured to control the power of the variable power lenses to allow the image from the display to be focused on the retina, while the biological eye lens is accommodated to the gaze distance.

Abstract: Ink-jet printable compositions including nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains and a single solvent exhibiting a single evaporation rate and having a specifically defined viscosity and surface tension that result in uniform and printable alignment layers for liquid crystal materials. Patterned liquid crystal-containing cells are also disclosed including one or more layers including the same or different nanoparticles capped with a protective layer of hydrocarbon chains printed on a surface of a substrate or even another nanoparticle-containing layer. Methods for producing the cells are also disclosed, including the step of printing a pattern on one or more portions of a cell surface utilizing a composition comprising the capped nanoparticles. Devices including the cells are also disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for determining the shortest distance between vertices in relatively large graphs. In an embodiment a method includes identifying an original graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, identifying a plurality of hub nodes from within the original graph, creating a hub matrix comprising the plurality of hub nodes and the shortest distance between the plurality of hub nodes, and determining a shortest distance between the at least two nodes using the original graph and/or the hub matrix.