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We investigated the process and outcome of spiritually integrated psychotherapies (SIPs) with 34 Catholic therapists and 359 clients in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America using a practice-based evidence design. The three most frequently used spiritual interventions across all therapists were: "encouraging personal prayer," "affirming trusting God," and "encouraging listening to the heart," but "discussing hope" was also one of the top three in Asia and Africa, "self-control" in Asia, "spiritual confrontation" and "self-disclosure" in Latin America, and "listening to spiritual issues" in Europe. In addition, using growth curve analyses, we found a significant decrease in both spiritual and nonspiritual distress over the course of SIPs; the levels of spiritual and nonspiritual concerns were highly correlated (but distinct) at any given time point. Also, the nonspiritual outcomes at one session significantly predicted the subsequent session's spiritual outcomes, but not the other way around. Finally, a moderate number of spiritual interventions were associated with a faster decline in nonspiritual distress than was a low number, although we found mixed results regarding whether a high number of spiritual interventions was associated with a faster decline of clients' nonspiritual distress than a moderate number. Results suggest that therapists should attend to spiritual concerns in psychotherapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

In this article, a low power and compact scanning micromirror for LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system is designed, fabricated, and characterized. A 5 mm-diameter scanning micromirror is electromagnetically actuated with multi-turn copper winding formed on the gimbal and magnet assembly formed under the silicon substrate. A unique magnetic circuit that generates an asymmetric radial magnetic field has been designed and analyzed. A series-connected double spring-mass system consisting of a gimbal and a mirror plate has been used to amplify the deflection angle. An analytic model of the system has been developed and verified with finite element analysis. Also, a reinforcement rim structure is utilized to reduce the dynamic deformation of the reflective surface down to 19.3 nmrms. An optical scan angle of 30° is obtained at 690 Hz, 17.4 mArms input, and corresponding power consumption is 7.8 mWrms. A prototype scanning system with $180^{\circ } \times 30^{\circ }$ field-of-view has been demonstrated with fabricated scanning micromirror as the vertical scanner. The proposed approach provides a simple and compact design for a large diameter scanning micromirror, which can potentially be utilized in various LiDAR applications.

This study aimed to identify differences between physiological age-related and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related alterations in sleep and rest-activity rhythm. All participants (n = 280; 20–90 years) underwent clinical assessments, [11C] Pittsburgh compound B–positron emission tomography, and actigraphic monitoring. In cognitively normal adults without cerebral amyloid-β, older age was associated with earlier timing of circadian phase and robust rest-activity rhythm, but sleep quantity and quality were mostly unaffected by age. While preclinical AD was associated with earlier circadian timing, clinical AD exhibited later timing of daily rhythm and increased sleep duration. In conclusion, our findings suggest that older age itself leads to a more regular daily activity rhythm, but does not affect sleep duration. While preclinical AD made the effects of age-related phase advance more prominent, clinical AD was related to later circadian timing and increased sleep duration.

Antibody discovery by phage display consists of two phases, i.e., the binding phase and the amplification phase. Ideally, the selection process is dominated by the former, and all the retrieved clones are amplified equally during the latter. In reality, the amplification efficiency of antibody fragments varies widely among different sequences and, after a few rounds of phage display panning, the output repertoire often includes rapidly amplified sequences with low or no binding activity, significantly diminishing the efficiency of antibody isolation. In this work, a novel synthetic single-chain variable fragment (scFv) library with complementarity-determining region (CDR) diversities aimed at improved amplification efficiency was designed and constructed. A previously reported synthetic scFv library with low, non-combinatorial CDR diversities was panned against protein A superantigen, and the library repertoires before and after the panning were analyzed by next generation sequencing. The enrichment or depletion patterns of CDR sequences after panning served as the basis for the design of the new library. Especially for CDR-H3 with a higher and more random diversity, a machine learning method was applied to predict potential fast-amplified sequences among a simulated sequence repertoire. In a direct comparison with the previous generation library, the new library performed better against a panel of antigens in terms of the number of binders isolated, the number of unique sequences, and/or the speed of binder enrichment. Our results suggest that the amplification-centric design of sequence diversity is a valid strategy for the construction of highly functional phage display antibody libraries.

ObjectivesTo clarify the relationships between sleep-wake cycle and cerebral β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in cognitively normal (CN) older adults, focusing primarily on the moderating effects of the APOE ε4 allele.MethodsThe present study included 133 CN older adults who participated in the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early Diagnosis & Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease cohort. All participants underwent [11C] Pittsburgh compound B-PET imaging to quantify Aβ deposition in the brain and blood sampling for APOE genotyping. Sleep and circadian parameters were measured using actigraphy for 8 consecutive days.ResultsThe APOE ε4 allele had moderating effects on the associations of sleep latency (SL), mesor, and acrophase with cerebral Aβ deposition, and the interactions between APOE ε4 status and SL and between APOE ε4 status and acrophase remained significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. In APOE ε4 noncarriers, shorter SL, higher mesor, and advanced acrophase were associated with Aβ positivity. In contrast, APOE ε4 carriers showed a relationship between delayed acrophase and Aβ accumulation that approached but did not reach significance. After the Bonferroni correction, the associations of shorter SL and higher mesor with Aβ positivity remained significant for APOE ε4 noncarriers.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the APOE ε4 allele may act as a moderator in the relationship between the sleep-wake cycle and Aβ accumulation in CN older adults. Thus, APOE ε4 status needs to be considered as a key factor when designing related research or interventions.

Objective/Background: In the present study, we compared differences in brain activity during the Stroop task between patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID) and good sleepers (GS). Furthermor...

Copper (II) tungstate (CuWO 4 ) has better light absorption and selectivity for a photochemical water-splitting reaction than those of its binary oxide counterpart. In this work, we report a facile single-step hydrothermal method to grow CuWO 4 with a bitter gourd shape directly on a transparent conductive substrate for the first time. CuWO 4 was synthesized via the condensation of a stable aqueous precursor solution of peroxopolytungstic acid and a copper precursor. The proposed method uniformly deposited CuWO 4 on fluorine-doped tin oxide with strong adhesion. The obtained CuWO 4 films showed a superior photocurrent density of 0.6 mA/cm 2 at 1.23 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode in a 0.1 M Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte, which was relatively higher than the values recently reported for CuWO 4 photoanodes. The optimized CuWO 4 exhibited an incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 30% at 350 nm for the photoelectrochemical oxidation of water. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy valence band edge analysis revealed an increase in the valence band edge position in the CuWO 4 , along with a decrease in the band gap compared to those in WO 3 . The procedure proposed here provides a promising approach for the design of an efficient CuWO 4 photoanode for water splitting.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of quetiapine XR and lithium on actigraphy-measured circadian parameters in patients with bipolar II depression. METHODS/PROCEDURES This was an 8-week, open-label, prospective, randomized comparative study. The assessments included the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score and actigraphic measures concerning the previous 7 days, collected at each visit (weeks 0 [baseline], 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8); the actigraphic data were analyzed with a cosinor analysis. FINDINGS/RESULTS Medication, time, and the interaction between medication and time were significantly associated with acrophase for the entire group (Ps = 0.003, 0.020, and 0.042, respectively). More specifically, acrophase was significantly delayed at weeks 1 and 6 (Ps = 0.004 and 0.039, respectively) in the quetiapine XR group. The F statistics significantly increased over time for the entire group (P < 0.001), and there was a significant increase in F statistics on weeks 4 and 6 in the quetiapine XR group (Ps = 0.016 and 0.020, respectively) and on weeks 4 and 8 in the lithium group (Ps = 0.001 and 0.016, respectively). In addition, scores on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were significantly associated with the F statistics during 8 weeks for the entire group (P = 0.008). IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS Both quetiapine XR and lithium affected several circadian parameters, including peak activity time and robustness of circadian rhythm, but exerted different effects on acrophase in patients with bipolar II depression. In particular, clinical depressive symptoms were associated with robustness of circadian rhythm during the course of the 8-week treatment.

This paper presents a new type of piezoelectrically actuated scanning micromirror using bulk PZT (lead zirconate titanate) plate and an integrated electromagnetic deflection angle sensor. Proposed actuation mechanism utilizes a commercially available bulk PZT plate attached to a silicon substrate using adhesive. Fabricated device is experimentally characterized and analyzed using finite element analysis. An optical scan angle of 45° at 28.4kHz has been achieved at 50V pp square wave input. Moreover, a simple deflection angle sensing method using integrated coil and external permanent magnet has been proposed and verified.

Central venous catheters are used for various purposes in the operating room. Generally, the use of ultrasound to insert a central venous catheter is rapid and minimally complicated. An advanced venous access (AVA) catheter is used to gain access to the pulmonary artery and facilitate fluid resuscitation through the internal jugular vein. The present report describes a case in which ultrasound was used in a 43-year-old man to avoid complications during insertion of an AVA catheter with a relatively large diameter. The sheath of the catheter was so thin that a dilator was essential to prevent it from folding upon insertion. Despite the use of ultrasound guidance, the AVA catheter sheath became folded within the patient’s internal jugular vein. Mechanical complications of central venous catheter insertion are well known, but folding of a large-bore catheter in the internal jugular vein has rarely been reported.

Linalool is a natural product present in fruits and aromatic plants with biological activities. Researchers have reported that the inhalation of linalool exerts anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of linalool on airway inflammation and mucus overproduction in mice with allergic asthma. Oral administration of linalool significantly inhibited the levels of eosinophil numbers, Th2 cytokines and immunoglobulin E (IgE) caused by ovalbumin (OVA) exposure. Linalool exerted preventive effects against the influx of inflammatory cells and mucus hypersecretion in the lung tissues. Linalool also dose-dependently decreased the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and protein kinase B (AKT) activation in the lung tissues. Linalool effectively downregulated the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) caused by OVA exposure. Furthermore, linalool exerted inhibitory effect on OVA-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In the in vitro study, the increased secretion of MCP-1 was attenuated with linalool treatment in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated H292 airway epithelial cells. In conclusion, linalool effectively exerts a protective role in OVA-induced airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion, and its protective effects are closely related to the downregulation of inflammatory mediators and MAPKs/NF-κB signaling.

This paper firstly reports a MEMS-based particle size magnifier. By growing nanoparticles to a diameter greater than 1 μm, the proposed device enables optical methods to detect the individual nanoparticles which cannot be seen optically due to their small size. The proposed device shows the potential of realizing a compact and low cost nanoparticle sensor which can measure ultra-low nanoparticle concentration, while the recent MEMS-based particle sensors are only applicable for high particle concentration environment.

To clarify the relationships between sleep-wake cycle and cerebral β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in cognitively normal (CN) older adults, focusing primarily on the moderating effects of theThe present study included 133 CN older adults who participated in the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early DiagnosisPrediction of Alzheimer's Disease cohort. All participants underwent [TheOur findings suggest that the

We present the characteristics of titanium dioxide (TiO2) inorganic film deposited by RF magnetron sputtering for liquid crystal display applications in this paper. TiO2 films supported vertically aligned liquid crystal (LC) molecules based on ion-beam (IB) irradiation time dependence. Uniform alignment was obtained only when the incident time was two minutes with 1.8 keV of incident energy and an incident angle of 45°. Energy from uniform high-density plasma by IB irradiation affected the interaction between the TiO2 layer and LC molecules to produce vertical alignment of the LC molecules.

We studied the state of the dual liquid crystal (LC) alignment which displays both homeotropic and homogeneous alignment on blended polyimide (PI) layer. The research was conducted using rubbing method at different imidizing temperatures and the blended PI was made using homeotropic PI having an alkyl side chain and homogeneous PI without the side chain. The uniform LC alignments were achieved, and have thermal stability. The results of contact angles were similar to that of pretilt angles.

The controllable pre-tilt angle of liquid crystals was investigated using a blend of horizontal and vertical polyimide prepared using a rubbing method. Various pretilt angles ranging from 0° to 90° were achieved as a function of the vertical polyimide content. We observed uniform liquid crystal alignment on the rubbing-treated blended polyimide layer. A no-bias-bend (NBB) pi cell with an intermediate pretilt angle of 47.8° was manufactured. This cell had no initial bias voltage and a low threshold voltage, which indicates that it has low power consumption. In addition, the response time of the NBB pi cell was rapid.

In this study, transparent polystyrene (PS) was replaced with conventional polyimide material. As a non-contact process, an ion beam (IB) bombardment process was applied to align the homogeneous liquid crystal (LC) material on the PS surfaces. Confirming the atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, the chemical compositional changes of the IB-irradiated PS surfaces were determined as a function of the IB exposure angle although there was no effect of modulation of the physical geographic characteristics on IB-irradiated PS surfaces. Using this analysis, the optimal IB bombardment condition was determined at the IB exposure angle of 45°. Finally, the electro-optical properties of an LC cell suggest the use of PS in conventional LC alignment materials.

The aligned liquid crystals (LCs) display on SiNx thin films using ion-beam (IB) irradiation was studied with controllability of pretilt angle depending on incident energies of the IB. The LCs alignment property for the SiNx thin films were observed to verify the practical application potential. A good LCs alignment of vertical alignment LCs cells on SiNx thin film surfaces irradiated with incident IB energy of 1800eV was achieved. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of LCs on SiNx thin film surfaces irradiated with IB energy was used for the surface analysis.

We studied homogeneous liquid crystal (LC) alignment properties on ion-beam (IB) irradiated TiO2 films deposited by the electron beam evaporation method. Stable homogeneous LC alignment on a TiO2 surface resulted from IB irradiation energy over 1800 eV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that Ti4+ 2p3/2 and Ti4+ 2p1/2 peaks were increased with increasing IB energy. Assuming that the increased peaks produced anisotropy dipole fields in the direction of the IB exposure process, we confirmed that the increasing IB energy induced strengthened the surface energy for entirely clear and stable LC molecule orientation. The voltage-transmittance characteristics of the twisted-nematic cell on the TiO2 surface indicate that the TiO2 film has potential for use as the LC alignment layer.

We investigated liquid crystal (LC) alignment as a function of ion beam (IB) incident angles and electro-optical (EO) characteristics of twisted nematic (TN)-liquid crystal displays (LCD) on polyimide (PI) surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis showed that the intensity of C=O chemical bonding decreased, while that of C–O chemical bonding increased for increasing IB incident angles. This indicates that the dipole-dipole interaction between C–O chemical bonding and the LC molecules has a chemical alignment effect. A good uniform alignment of nematic LCs on PI surfaces by the IB irradiation was observed, and good EO properties of IB-aligned TN-LCDs on PI surfaces were achieved.

This paper introduces the homogeneously aligned liquid crystal (LC) display using ion beam (IB) bombardment of a new silicon oxynitride (SiON) alignment layer for the first time. The pretilt angle was shown to be a function of the IB incident energy, and possible mechanisms of LC alignment were investigated with physical and chemical methods. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the LC alignment on the IB-bombarded SiON inorganic surface was due to the reformation of Si–O bonds as a major factor. The electro-optical characteristics were comparable to those of rubbed polyimide films.

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible enhancement of com-passion in college students as a result of participating in community-basedlearning immersion trips. In two separate experiments, a total of 123 collegestudents were given a series of questionnaires immediately before and afteruniversity-sponsored immersion experiences to measure compassion andrelated constructs. In Experiment I, 19 participants on college immersiontrips as well as 20 comparison students not attending immersion trips wereevaluated. In Experiment II, the same questionnaires were administered to45 immersion participants and 39 comparison students. Results of Experi-ment I suggest that immersion participants had higher posttrip empathyscores and less stress. In Experiment II, results indicate a significant increase in compassion scores among students who participated in an immersion experience compared to those who did not. Because community -based learning seeks to increase student and community engagement andconnection to those in greatest need, it is likely that compassion and related constructs such as empathy are nurtured through these now popu-lar experiential learning opportunities.

The nematic liquid crystal alignment capability and electro‐optical (EO) performance characteristics of in‐plane switching (IPS) cells were first demonstrated on organic hybrid overcoat layers via ion beam irradiation. Usually the organic hybrid overcoat is used as the material for making a plate alignment layer in a colour filter process. To characterise the organic hybrid overcoat layer, we analysed the surface composition of the organic hybrid overcoat by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the intensity of C = O and C–O bonding undergoes a change corresponding to the changes in energy of the ion beam exposure. Moreover, EO performance characteristics of IPS cells on the organic hybrid overcoat layer via ion beam irradiation were observed to have similar characteristics to the polyimide.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among morningness-eveningness, impulsivity and anger in the general population. A total of 1000 community-dwelling subjects (500 males) aged 20-77 years (mean± SD age: 39.6 ± 11.6 years) completed the morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS), Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed to determine whether the relationship between two variables depended on the third variable, referred to as a moderator, and whether the third variable, known as a mediator, was associated with the other two variables establishing causation. The MEQ scores exhibited significant negative associations with BIS (p < 0.001) and STAXI (p < 0.001) scores, and high scores on the BIS were associated with high scores on the STAXI (p < 0.001). Impulsivity, as measured by the BIS, played a role as a moderator (p < 0.001) in the relationship between MEQ and STAXI, and anger, as measured by the STAXI, acted as moderator (p = 0.030) in the association between MEQ and BIS. However, after controlling for the interaction of the BIS and MEQ, the MEQ scores did not significantly predict STAXI scores (p = 0.070). Additionally, the effect size of the mediating effect of the BIS scores on the relationship between the MEQ and STAXI (percent mediation: 53.2%) was larger than that of the STAXI scores on the association between the MEQ and BIS (percent mediation: 31.8%). The present results demonstrate that morningness-eveningness was closely related with both impulsivity and anger in the general population. Furthermore, these findings suggest that impulsivity may exercise a great influence on the association between morningness-eveningness and anger in two ways: as a moderator by modulating this relationship based on the level of impulsivity and as a mediator by acting as an intermediary factor.

A novel polymer-layer-free system for liquid-crystal alignment is demonstrated by various shaped indium tin oxide (ITO) patterns. Liquid crystals are aligned along the ITO line pattern and secondary sputtering lithography can change the shape of the ITO line pattern. Different shapes can control the direction and size of the pretilt angle. This effect eliminates defects and reduces the response time.

We investigated the electro-optica](EO) performances of the super twisted nematic liquid crystal display(STN-LCD) on the polyimide(PI) surface using polymer film. The NLC(Nematic Liquid Crystal) pretilt angles generated are about 18by the rubbing alignment method on thin plastic substrates. However, the pretilt angle are at about 13 lower on the glass substrate than on thin plastic substrate. Monodomain alignment of the plastic STN-LCD can be observed. A stable voltage-transmittance(V-T) curve of the plastic STN-LCD was observed on the polyimide(PI) surfaces using polymer film. Also, a faster response time for the plastic STN-LCD on the polyimide(PI) surfaces using polymer film can be achieved.

In this paper, we synthesized a new photo-crosslinkable polyitaconimide containing a cinnamoyl moietys by radical polymerization. Also, the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) aliging capabilities on these photopolymer surfaces and the EO performances in the photoaligned TN-LCD by photoalignment method were studied. The good LC alignment can be obtained with UV exposure on the polyitaconimide surfaces. The homeotripic alignment using UV exposure for short time was observed on polyitaconimide with a cinnamoyl group connected to a hexylene group. However, The homogenous alignment can be obtained using UV exposure for long time on the polyitaconimide surface. We can consider that the LC aligning ability on the polyitaconimide depends on intensity of UV exposure on the photopolymer surface. Also, good V-T curves and response time can be achieved by UV exposure on the photopolymer surface for 1 min.

We have investigated the generation of pretilt angle for a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) with rubbing alignment method on polyimide (PI) surfaces using thin plastic substrates. The NLC pretilt angles generated are about 3° by the rubbing alignment method on thin plastic substrates. However, the pretilt angles are at about 1.7° lower on the glass substrate than on thin plastic substrate. We obtain that AFM (atomic force microscope) image of rubbed PI surface with polymer film has formed the micro-groove structure at the low curring temperature (120°C). However, no grooves are obtained on the glass substrate at the same temperature. The tilt angle increases with increasing baking temperature for making PI layer using glass substrate. Also, EO characteristics of the TN-LCD with a rubbed PI surface based on polymer are almost the same as that of the TN-LCD with a rubbed PI surface based on glass. However, the transmittances of the TN-LCD with a rubbed PI surface based on polymer is less than that with a rubbed...

Pretilt angle generation and liquid crystal (LC) aligning capabilities for a nematic (N) LC with obliquely polarized UV exposure on a homeotropic polyimide (PI) surface by an in-situ photoalignment method were studied. The high pretilt angle of 30θ for NLC with obliquely polarized UV exposure on the PI surface for 20 min can be achieved. The pretilt angle generated in NLC by the in-situ photoalignment method was higher than that generated by a conventional photoalignment method on a homeotropic alignment layer. Also, we suggest that the generation of pretilt angle in NLC with obliquely polarized UV exposure during imidization of the polymer for homeotropic alignment is a promising method to generate a high pretilt angle. Lastly, the good electro-optical (EO) characteristics of the photoaligned vertical alignment (VA)-liquid crystal display (LCD) by UV exposure on the PI surface for 10 min were observed.

The nematic liquid crystal (NLC) aligning capabilities using a-C:H thin film deposited at the three kinds of rf bias condition were investigated. A high pretilt angle of about 11° by the ion beam alignment method was observed on the a-C:H thin film (polymer-like carbon) deposited at 1 W rf bias condition, and the low pretilt angle the NLC than 1 W rf bias conditions was observed on the a-C:H thin film (diamond-like carbon) deposited at rf 30 W and 60 W bias condition. Consequently, the high LC pretilt angle and the good aligning capabilities of LC alignment by the ion beam alignment method on the a-C:H thin film deposited at 1 W rf bisa condition can be achieved. Also, the good thermal stability of LC alignment by the IB alignment method on the a-C:H thin film as working gas at rf bias condition can be achieved.

The liquid crystal(LC) aligning capabilities of a nematic liquid crystal(NLC) on a homeotropic polyimide(PI) surface using a new ion-beam method were studied. Exposure ion-beam of incidence angle shows a good LC alignment of the NLC on the homeotropic PI surface. Also, on the homeotropic PI surface, the tilt angle of the NLC by exposure ion-beam of incidence angle had a tendency to decrease as increased ion-beam energy density. And, on the homeotropic PI surface, the alignment character of the NLC with respect to ion-beam energy was good at 1500 eV. And we achieved satisfactory result for EO character.

We introduce the characteristics of the titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) inorganic film deposited by rf magnetron sputtering for liquid crystal display applications. The TiO(2) films demonstrated vertical alignment (VA) of the liquid crystals (LCs) obtained by using ion-beam (IB) bombardment. As observed by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the chemical structure of the TiO(2) was changed by IB bombardment, altering the Ti-O bonding of the Ti 2p spectra to lower intensity levels. Breaking Ti-O bonding by IB bombardment created pretilt angles between the TiO(2) film and LC molecules. The better voltage-transmittance characteristics of the VA LCDs based on TiO(2) film were measured and compared with the same characteristics of polyimide film.

Electro-optic performance of a liquid-crystal (LC) system is enhanced by TiO(2) nanoparticle dispersed in nematic liquid crystal (NLC). The 2.5 V threshold voltage of LC for device operation is lowered to 0.5 V through TiO(2) nanoparticle mixing up to 2 wt.%. To characterize the shape and size distribution of the nanoparticles, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy is employed. Transmittance spectra for the TiO(2) dispersed LC structure and nondispersed LC structure showed that transparency of the TiO(2) dispersed LC is similar to that of pure liquid LC.

Recently, the relationship between surface energy and tilt angle on vertical polyimide (PI) was studied. The study showed that ion beam (IB) exposure using argon gas changes the surface energy of vertical PI as a function of exposure time. This characteristic induces the transition of vertical liquid crystal (LC) orientation from vertical to homogeneous. In this study, we applied the property to fabricate liquid crystal displays (LCD) with both vertical alignment (VA) and twisted nematic (TN) LCDs on vertical PI. The study revealed correlations between various IB exposure energies and surface energies with the same exposure time on vertical PI. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic spectra were analyzed to prove the correlations and transmittance curves via applied voltage to VA, and TN LCDs were evaluated to observe the LC driving performance on IB-irradiated vertical PI.