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The electrophoretic display (EPD) is the main solution to electronic papers, but most of them can display the image or text in black and white particles only. The users may prefer the EPD showing multiple colors rather than the black/white content only. In this paper, we introduce the driving system for a color EPD, which is composed of three kinds of particles. The system aims at optimizing the visual quality based on a new driving waveform by equipping with an optimization method for color and tone reproduction. The experimental result shows that the proposed EPD driving system can display three-color pictures with promising visual quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activated leukocyte attacked the vascular endothelium and the associated increase in VEcadherin number was observed in experiments. The confocal microscopic system with a prism-based wavelength filter was used for multiwavelength fluorescence measurement. Multiwavelength fluorescence imaging based on the VEcadherin within the aorta segment of a rat was achieved. The confocal microscopic system capable of fluorescence detection of cardiovascular tissue is a useful tool for measuring the biological properties in clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND There is no ideal procedure for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers. The use of platelet gel (PG) in this indication is raising interest. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new procedure combining allogeneic single-donor PG and fibrin glue (FG) to enhance skin graft take for treating recalcitrant ulcers. MATERIALS & METHODS Fifteen patients with 17 ulcers of various etiologies were enrolled. Skin ulcers were débrided, and the wounds covered with moist saline dressing. Three to 14 days later, the wound bed was sprayed with PG, a thin split-thickness skin graft with multiple slits was put on the wound bed, and FG was sprayed on the skin graft. A short leg polypropylene splint was used to immobilize the skin graft. RESULTS Most skin grafts took well. The interval between skin graft and complete wound healing ranged from 3 weeks to 2 months. No recurrence of ulcers was noted during the 3- to 18-month follow-up period. No adverse reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS The procedure provides advantages in skin grafting for recalcitrant ulcers because PG functions as a delivery system of powerful mitogenic and chemostatic factors and FG as a hemostatic tissue sealant that avoids the use of staples or sutures. The authors have indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract-Due to the advancement of microoptoelectromechanical systems and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies, novel display architectures have emerged. One of the most successful and well-known examples is the Digital Micromirror Device from Texas Instruments, a 2-D array of bistable MEMS mirrors, which function as spatial light modulators for the projection display. This concept of employing an array of modulators is also seen in the grating light valve and the interferometric modulator display, where the modulation mechanism is based on optical diffraction and interference, respectively. Along with this trend comes the laser scanning display, which requires a single scanning device with a large scan angle and a high scan frequency. A special example in this category is the retinal scanning display, which is a head-up wearable module that laser-scans the image directly onto the retina. MEMS technologies are also found in other display-related research, such as stereoscopic (3-D) displays and plastic thin-film displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of a high fill-factor, large scan-angle, two-axis scanner array. The two-axis microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) mirror is driven by electrostatic vertical comb-drive actuators through four motion amplifying levers. The maximum mechanical rotation angles are ±6.7° at 75 V for both axes, leading to total optical scan angle of 26.8°. The resonant frequency is 5.9 kHz before metallization. A linear fill factor of 98% is achieved for the one-dimensional (1-D) micromirror array. This 1D array of two-axis micromirrors was designed for 1 × N² wavelength-selective switches (WSSs). In addition to two-axis rotation, piston motion with a stroke of 11.7 µm is also attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work has developed an approach to construct a corner cube retroreflector (CCR). A twodimensional cutout pattern is first fabricated with wire electrical discharge machining process. It is then folded up into a three-dimensional CCR suspended on a cantilever beam. The folded-up CCR may be driven through external actuators for optical modulation; it can also mechanically respond to perturbation, acceleration, etc., to function as a sensor. Mechanical (static and dynamic modeling) and optical (ray tracing) analyses are also performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a novel low-power, large-displacement, vertical electrothermal actuator made of multiple materials, primarily silicon nitride, polysilicon, and nickel. The architecture of separated metal and nitride layers bypasses the limitation imposed by conventional bimorph actuators. A vertical tip displacement of 20 mcan be achieved at a driving current as low as 1.06 mA. The corresponding power consumption is 16.29 mW. Devices with different combinations of parameter values are characterized and compared. At the end of the work, we compare our device with several selections from the archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Gimbal-Less MEMS Two-Axis Optical Scanner Array With High Fill-Factor" that was published in volume 14, number 6, December 2005 issue is presented.

A cantilever sensor integrated with an on-tip micro spherical reflecting mirror (MSRM) exhibits a larger optical beam displacement than a conventional one, i.e., the system sensitivity/responsivity is enhanced. In this paper, it is employed as a surface tension and concentration gauge that only requires 0.5 µL of solution. The MSRM-integrated cantilever is first set above a sodium chloride-water droplet carried by a glass substrate, and then the droplet is moved up gradually. Once the cantilever is touched by the droplet, it is pulled and bent down as the droplet reshapes. The cantilever deformation amount is related to the surface tension of the solution, which increases with the molar concentration of sodium chloride. According to our experiments, the surface tension varies from 72.1 to 77.7 mN/m as the molar concentration of sodium chloride in water increases from 0 to 3.13 M. Therefore, by measuring the bending amount of the cantilever, the surface tension as well as the concentration of the NaCl-water solution can be determined. We also perform the experiments on the alcohol (ethanol)-water mixture, whose surface tension, conversely, reduces from 71.4 to 57.5 mN/m as the alcohol molar concentration increases from 0 to 0.81 M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on novel polysilicon surface-micromachined one-dimensional (1-D) analog micromirror arrays fabricated using Sandia's ultraplanar multilevel MEMS technology-V (SUMMiT-V) process. Large continuous DC scan angle (23.6° optical) and low-operating voltage (6 V) have been achieved using vertical comb-drive actuators. The actuators and torsion springs are placed underneath the mirror (137 × 120 µm²) to achieve high fill-factor (91%). The measured resonant frequency of the mirror ranges from 3.4 to 8.1 kHz. The measured DC scanning characteristics and resonant frequencies agree well with theoretical values. The rise time is 120 µs and the fall time is 380 µs. The static scanning characteristics show good uniformity (< ±3.2%) for a 1 × 10 array with a mirror pitch of 150 µm. The mechanical crosstalk between adjacent mirrors is less than 37 dB. These micromirror arrays have applications in 1 × N wavelength-selective switches and N × N wavelength-selective crossconnects in wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different electrothermally-actuated MEMS micromirrors with Cr/Au-Si bimorph actuators are proposed. The devices are fabricated with the SOIMUMPs process developed by MEMSCAP, Inc. (Durham, NC, USA). A silicon-on-insulator MEMS process has been employed for the fabrication of these micromirrors. Electrothermal actuation has achieved a large angular movement in the micromirrors. Application of an external electric current 0.04 A to the bending-type, restricted-torsion-type, and free-torsion-type mirrors achieved rotation angles of 1.69°, 3.28°, and 3.64°, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper describes the applications of dental optical coherence tomography (OCT) in oral tissue images, caries, periodontal disease and oral cancer. The background of OCT, including basic theory, system setup, light sources, spatial resolution and system limitations, is provided. The comparisons between OCT and other clinical oral diagnostic methods are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower extremity ulcers in diabetic patients are difficult to treat. Recently, the use of human blood platelet-derived components in this indication has been raising interest. In this study, we have evaluated the safety and efficacy of the combination of autologous platelet gel (PG) and skin graft for treating large size recalcitrant ulcers. Eight consecutive diabetic patients aged 25 to 82 with nine nonhealing lower extremity ulcers (median size of 50cm²; range 15-150cm²) were treated. Skin ulcer was debrided, and the wound was sprayed after 7 to 10 days with autologous platelet-rich plasma and thrombin. Thin split-thickness skin graft with multiple slits was then applied on the wound bed and fixed with staples or cat-gut sutures. There were no adverse reactions observed during the study. Eight out of 9 skin grafts took well. The interval between skin graft and complete wound healing ranged from 2 to 3 weeks in the 8 successful cases. No ulcer recurrence was noted in those patients during the follow-up period of 2 to 19 months. In this study, the combination of autologous platelet gel and skin grafting has proven beneficial to heal large-size recalcitrant ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]