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This study aimed to explore pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety/tolerability of MT921, an injectable cholic acid, after a single subcutaneous administration to healthy volunteers. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single dose-ascending phase 1 study enrolled 24 subjects who were assigned to three groups (60 mg, 120 mg, and 150 mg) of MT921. Blood samples were obtained for a 24-h period before and after injecting MT921 to the submental fat area. Plasma concentrations of cholic acid and deoxycholic acid were determined for pharmacokinetic analysis. Levels of free fatty acid, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were measured for pharmacodynamic analysis. Safety and tolerability were assessed until 21 days post-dose. While systemic exposure to cholic acid tended to increase as the MT921 dose increased, pharmacokinetic profiles of deoxycholic acid were similar among dose groups without showing significant changes. Pharmacodynamic profiles were comparable when measured at baseline and post-dose. The most frequent adverse events were injection site pain and edema. All adverse drug reactions resolved without treatment. MT921 appeared to be well-tolerated after an injection to the submental area at a dose up to 150 mg. Systemic exposure to cholic acid increased as the dose increased. Blood lipid profiles and deoxycholic acid levels were not affected by MT921 treatment.

Three-dimensional microscopy provides more extended depth of penetration compared with conventional light microscopy and is known to be useful in clinical evaluation of thick biological specimens. Skin nerve biopsy together with the quantification of intraepidermal nerve fibers in multiple thick sections has been widely adopted for evaluating peripheral neuropathies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectivity of three-dimensional microscopy in reducing the required time and inter-rater discrepancies, especially in the case of personnel not familiar with the quantification methods. A total of six cryo-sectioned specimens were analyzed for the study and the skin samples were collected from one patient with postherpetic neuralgia who voluntarily participated in the study. Two investigators, a physician and non-physician assessed the intraepidermal nerve fiber densities and required analysis time using three different methods including direct visualization of tissue slides, and analysis with two- and three-dimensional images. Three-dimensional microscopy could produce images that enabled reliable evaluation of intraepidermal nerve fibers; the accuracy of analysis was statistically comparable between the physician and non-physician (p > .05). Three-dimensional microscopy also enabled the non-physician to proceed meaningfully faster evaluation compared with the direct visualization method (p = .03). Three-dimensional microscopy could be one of the useful methods to improve accuracy and convenience of the analysis of intraepidermal nerve fibers especially appropriate for unaccustomed physician or non-physician. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Three-dimensional microscopy is capable of producing images with more extended depth of penetration compared with conventional light microscopy and has been known to be suitable for clinical evaluation of thick biological specimens. Cutaneous nerve biopsy and the quantification of nerve fibers in thick sections has been widely adopted for evaluating peripheral neuropathies. Three-dimensional microscopy could be especially appropriate for unaccustomed physician or non-physician to improve accuracy and convenience of the analysis of intraepidermal nerve fibers.

Background The quantitative difference of the light reflected from a skin surface can be analyzed using parallel-polarized light (PPL) photography when combined with an analytic technique similar to colorimetric photography. Objective To improve the PPL photography technique as an assessment tool for the evaluation of skin condition using light-emitting diodes (LED) of different colors. Method Parallel-polarized light images were taken using white and green LED illuminators. The acquired images were transformed to CIELAB coordinates. An in-house skin conductance meter was constructed to assess skin hydration level. A dermatologist evaluated the clinical grading of dryness and glossiness. These clinical severities were also compared statistically with the CIELAB values. Results As with the green illuminator, the correlation analysis of whole sites showed that the L* value positively correlated with age (r = 0.18677, P

Recently, rubbing-free methods have been studied for liquid crystal (LC) alignment; layers generated via such methods have excellent electrical and optical characteristics compared with those obtained using the rubbing method. 1‐3 The rubbing method is a very simple process; however, this process leads to degradation of the surface quality of the alignment layer because of the direct contact of the rubbing machine fabric with the layer and the generation of electrostatic charges and debris between the sample and the rubbing machine fabric. 4‐6 In contrast, alternative methods based on non-contact process such as the ultraviolet (UV) photoalignment technique, 7 oblique deposition, 8 andion-beamirradiation 9‐12 inducefewsurfacedefectsof LC alignment layer compared with that fabricated using the rubbing method. Ion-beam irradiation is commonly used for both inorganic and organic materials; however, this technique is especially useful for inorganic alignment layers. Previously, our research group studied inorganic-based LC alignment layers using ion-beam irradiation; Ta2O5, 13 Al2O3, 14 and HfO2 15 were used for the LC alignment layer rather than rubbed-polyimide. ZrO2 has been studied for use in diverse applications such as gate insulators, sensors, and displays because of its high dielectric constant (∼25), large bandgap (∼5.1 eV), and low standard electrode potential (SEP) (−1.45 V). It has been reported that adding HfO2 to ZrO2 enhances the insulating characteristics of the material by reducing the amount of oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, ZrO2 and HfO2 have the same structure, are located in the same column in the periodic table, and have almost the same atomic radius; thus, their mixture causes no structural defects. 16 Conventional inorganic-based alignment layers typically require the use of sputtering equipment in a vacuum environment. 13‐15,17 In contrast, a solution-process offers the advantages of a relatively simple process, low cost, and easy composition ratio control of the multicomponent materials. 18 Especially, multicomponent materials with variousmoleratioscanbeeasilydepositedthroughtheirsimultaneous addition to the solvent under solution process. In addition, solutionprocessed ZnO has already been evaluated for use as an LC alignment layer in previous study and its performance was similar to that of ZnO deposited by sputtering. 19 In this study, we introduce solution-processed HfZrO-based LC cells created via ion-beam irradiation. The surface of the HfZrO film and optical characteristics of the LC cells for various Hf atomic mole ratios were investigated.

Background and purpose Cutaneous nerve biopsies based on two-dimensional analysis have been regarded as a creditable assessment tool for diagnosing peripheral neuropathies. However, advancements in methodological imaging are required for the analysis of intact structures of peripheral nerve fibers. A tissue-clearing and labeling technique facilitates three-dimensional imaging of internal structures in unsectioned, whole biological tissues without excessive time or labor costs. We sought to establish whether a tissue-clearing and labeling technique could be used for the diagnostic evaluation of peripheral neuropathies. Methods Five healthy individuals and four patients with small-fiber neuropathy (SFN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) were prospectively enrolled. The conventional methods of indirect immunofluorescence (IF) and bright-field immunohistochemistry (IHC) were adopted in addition to the tissue-clearing and labeling method called active clarity technique-pressure related efficient and stable transfer of macromolecules into organs (ACT-PRESTO) to quantify the intraepidermal nerve-fiber density (IENFD). Results The mean IENFD values obtained by IF, bright-field IHC, and ACT-PRESTO in the healthy control group were 6.54, 6.44, and 90.19 fibers/mm², respectively; the corresponding values in the patients with SFN were 1.99, 2.32, and 48.12 fibers/mm², respectively, and 3.06, 2.87, and 47.21 fibers/mm², respectively, in the patients with PHN. Conclusions This study has shown that a tissue-clearing method provided not only rapid and highly reproducible three-dimensional images of cutaneous nerve fibers but also yielded reliable quantitative IENFD data. Quantification of the IENFD using a tissue-clearing and labeling technique is a promising way to improve conventional cutaneous nerve biopsies.

Electrical performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs) is important for their applications. Solution-processed TFTs have low mobility and high sub-threshold swings (S.Ss) because there are many pores and pin-holes in the films. These characteristics are attributed to electron trapping in the YInZnO (YIZO) channel, the SiO2 gate insulator, or their interface. We fabricated hybrid YIZO TFTs with and without UV radiation, and observed that UV-curing of the film affected TFT performance through promoting a response to reactive mesogen (RM). The UV irradiated TFT showed better performance because of the alignment of the channel materials in the source-drain direction. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0031503ssl] All rights reserved.

We propose a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-doped liquid crystal (LC) device with enhanced electro-optical properties. MWCNT-doped LC cells were successfully operated as a twisted nematic LC device with high performance. The LC cells fabricated with MWCNT-doped LCs and a polyimide layer exhibited the best electro-optical properties, such as a low threshold voltage (1.60 V) and fast response time (13.95 ms). MWCNT doping decreased the pre-tilt angles of LC mixtures. Additionally, UV-visible transmittances and photomicrograph images of LC cells indicated LCD application potential with clear and uniform LC alignment.

Aim Most studies about the structures of the human skin have been on the general histologic features of the skin. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between the microrelief (MR) pattern and histologic structure of the human skin, and to find the usefulness of the three-dimensional reconstruction (3DR) technique of pathological skin tissue. Materials, Subjects, and Methods Human skin specimens were obtained from the medial forearm, abdomen, and volar aspects of the finger tips of cadavers. Two-dimensional surface-viewed images of the skin showing MR patterns were obtained using dry dermoscopy. Histologic structures of the skin were evaluated by 3D images obtained using the 3DR technique. Results MR was deeper and wider in the abdomen than in the medial side of the forearm. In the medial side of the forearm, 10.27 rete ridges were distributed in a plateau, on average. In the abdomen, about 14.37 rete ridges were distributed in a plateau. From 3DR technique, MR pattern thought to be a superordinate concept to rete ridges. Conclusion The 3DR technique was useful and may allow a better understanding of the pathogenetic changes in the skin surface in aging skin.

Aged skin is reported to be associated with unattractive skin color changes and solar elastosis. However, comparative studies have not documented the possible correlation between the two factors. This study investigated the plausible relationship between the facial skin color of elderly Asians and solar elastosis. A total of 22 skin specimens were collected from 22 Korean patients who underwent cheek skin biopsies. Skin color was quantitatively measured using colorimetric photography techniques to produce CIE L*a*b* values; the degree of solar elastosis was quantifiably assessed using a histologic grading scale. These values were used to investigate a correlation between the CIE L*a*b* coordinates and solar elastosis grade. The solar elastosis grade increased according to patient age (r = 0.67, p = .0006). However, the extent of solar elastosis was not statistically correlated with the CIE L*a*b* values, including L*, a*, and b* (r = 0.02, p = .95; r = 0.15, p = 0.50; r = -0.07, p = 0.76, respectively). The results showed that the solar elastosis grade increased, according to patient age, because of cumulative actinic damage. However, colorimetric skin color data did not correlate with the degree of solar elastosis. Therefore, cutaneous color changes and solar elastosis are separate, age-related phenomena. Physicians should be aware of the possible histologic changes in actinically damaged facial skin, regardless of the skin color.

An objective measurement of cutaneous topographical information is important for quantifying the degree of skin aging. Our aim was to improve methods for measuring microrelief patterns using a three-dimensional analysis based on silicone replicas and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Another objective was to compare the results with those obtained using a two-dimensional analysis method based on dermoscopy. Silicone replicas were obtained from forearms, dorsum of the hands and fingers of 51 volunteers. Cutaneous profiles obtained by SEM with silicone replicas showed more consistent correlations with age than data obtained by dermoscopy. This indicates the advantage of three-dimensional topography analysis using silicone replicas and SEM over the widely used dermoscopic assessment. The cutaneous age was calculated using stepwise linear regression, and the result was 57.40-9.47 × (number of furrows on dorsum of the hand) × (width of furrows on dorsum of the hand).

This report discusses homogeneously aligned liquid crystals (LCs) subjected to ion-beam (IB) irradiation of the amorphous(a)-Al2O3 alignment layer. We studied the relationship between LC alignment and IB alignment conditions acting on homogeneous surfaces. We attained homogeneous LC orientations on a- Al2O3 alignment layer by optimization between the van der Waals interactions caused by Al-O bonding breaking with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The voltage-transmittance characteristics of the twisted nematic – liquid crystal displays (LCDs) on the a-Al2O3 film indicate potential for use as the LC alignment layer in various LCD display applications.

This study demonstrates liquid crystal (LC) alignment on Al2O3 films using the ion-beam (IB) method as well as the optimization of the IB irradiation condition. Uniform LC alignment was achieved at an IB incident energy of 1800 eV with an IB incident angle of 45°, while inferior LC alignments were observed in other tested conditions. The pretilt angles and transmittances of the LC cell were also shown as part of the same trend for the LC alignment states. This result was subject to van der Waals forces which were caused by topographical changes during the IB process.

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.

Autologous fat injection is widely used procedure for various functional and aesthetic purposes. However, it could result in many immediate or delayed complications including dystrophic calcifications. Almost all of the case reports about dystrophic calcification after autologous fat injection were result from the iatrogenic tissue trauma of breast augmentation. This is a report of a 30-year-old patient who developed pathologically proven multiple dystrophic calcifications on the face after autologous fat injection.

Excess subcutaneous fat causes not only cosmetic issues, but also substantial systemic health problems. Cryolipolysis has been reported to provide non-invasive fat reduction that significantly reduces subcutaneous fat cells with controlled, localized cooling.This study is intended to determine whether a cryolipolysis device can effectively reduce subcutaneous fat without damaging the overlying skin or causing significant side effects and ultimately produce improved cosmetic results.A total of 15 patients participated in this study and they were treated unilaterally in a split-body trial manner with a non-invasive cryolipolysis device (Micool(™), Hironic Co., Seongnam, Korea). The degree of improvement was assessed by both objective and subjective assessments. Complications and side effects were recorded at every visit.The results of both objective and subjective assessments showed significant improvements in subcutaneous fat reduction without any meaningful complications.Non-invasive selective cryolipolysis has been reported to be a safe and effective treatment modality for the reduction of excess adipose tissue. Therefore, cryolipolysis is a promising technology that could be an appropriate and safe therapeutic option for subcutaneous fat reduction.

We first investigated the alignment characteristics of tin (IV) oxide (SnO(2)) thin films deposited by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. This study demonstrates that liquid crystal (LC) molecules could be aligned homogeneously by controlling the Ion Beam (IB) irradiation energy densities. We also show that the pretilt angle of the LC molecules has a close relation with the surface energy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates that a non-stoichiometric SnO(2-x) surface converted by ion beam irradiation can horizontally align the LC molecules. The measured electro-optical (EO) characteristics showed high performance, comparable with those of rubbed and ion-beam irradiated polyimide (PI) layers.

A compact white light optical tracking novelty filter is demonstrated. Based on the use of two inexpensive liquid crystal televisions, a filtered and collimated white light source, digital delay, and video recorder, this portable white light device performs two major image comparison operations, a real time image subtraction and novelty tracking operations. Some preliminary experimental results are presented.

Optical register transfer microoperations are proposed. Based on an optical holographic associative symbolic substitution, a hybrid optical word-parallel bit-serial register transfer processor architecture is described. Preliminary experimental results are included.

A new fast binary multiplication scheme based on a nonholographic optical content-addressable memory (CAM) is presented. By using a sign/logarithm number (SLN) system, the multiplication operation is performed through a binary logarithmic addition. A three-stage CAM-based multiplication scheme is proposed in which the first CAM converts input binary numbers to SLN’s, the second CAM performs a fixed-point binary addition, and the third CAM converts this SLN result back to the binary number system. The design and experimental demonstration of a 7-bit nonholographic optoelectronic CAM-based multiplier are presented.

Tinea incognito is a dermatophytic infection induced by immunosuppressive agents that lacks the classic features of a typical fungal infection. Although the treatment of tinea incognito is simple and relatively easy, its clinical manifestation varies and can masquerade as various skin disorders, causing misdiagnosis and thus preventing prompt and appropriate treatment. Here, we report an interesting case of tinea incognito occurring after topical steroid administration in an immunosuppressed patient with dermatitis artefacta. A 40-year-old female patient who had been taking systemic glucocorticoid for 4 years for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy presented with itching multiple erythematous erosive lesions on the face and upper chest for 2 months. Initial biopsy produced nonspecific findings. The skin lesion was aggravated and became polycyclic and erythematous; after azathioprine was added, her chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy became aggravated. A second biopsy confirmed hyphae in the cornified layer. Complete remission was achieved after admonishing oral terbinafine and topical amorolfine.

Background: Pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPD) are a spectrum of disorders characterized by a distinct purpuric rash. Although PPD can be easily diagnosed, the disease entity remains an enigma and a therapeutic challenge. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics and clinical manifestations of PPD and to elucidate the relationship between assumed etiologic factors and the clinical manifestations of PPD and treatment responses. Methods: Retrograde analyses were performed to identify appropriate PPD patients who visited Korea University Medical Center Anam Hospital from 2002 to 2012. Results: Information on 113 patients with PPD was analyzed, and 38 subjects with skin biopsy were included for this study. Schamberg's disease was the most frequent clinical type (60.5%). Concomitant diseases included hypertension (15.8%), diabetes (10.5%), and others. Associated medication histories included statins (13.2%), beta blockers (10.5%), and others. Possibly associated etiologic factors were recent upper respiratory infection (5.3%), high orthostatic pressure due to prolonged standing (2.6%), and strenuous exercise (2.6%). A total of 36 patients (94.7%) were treated with one or more treatment methods, including oral antihistamines, pentoxifylline, topical steroids, and/or phototherapy. There was no significant difference in disease progress according to underlying diseases, medications, or association factors (p＞0.05). Conclusion: Our overall results were grossly consistent with the existing literature, excluding several findings. Although a possible relationship between PPD and cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular medication was proposed at the beginning of the study, no statistically significant correlations were found according to the specific clinical types and treatment responses (p＞ 0.05). (Ann Dermatol 27(4) 404∼410, 2015)

We explore the robustness of a sensor fusion system as a function of failed sensors. Neural networks are applied to classify data from a sensor suite. Two dissimilar sensor types are used to produce three spectral patterns (in red, green, and blue wavelength regions) per sensor location (three sensor locations were used). The main goal of this effort is to improve the sensor fusion confidence level by introducing several realizations of a neural network. Each specific neural network realization is activated upon a specific sensor failure configuration during the recognition stage. In such a case, the number of NN realization is equal to the number of failed sensor combinations. To reduce the number of NN realizations, fuzzification of the NN weights is proposed. An experimental demonstration of the proposed concept is also included.

Background: The rapid development of information and communication technology has replaced traditional books by electronic versions. Most print dermatology journals have been replaced with electronic journals (e-journals), which are readily used by clinicians and medical students. Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine whether e-readers are appropriate for reading dermatology journals, to conduct an attitude study of both medical personnel and students, and to find a way of improving e-book use in the field of dermatology. Methods: All articles in the Korean Journal of Dermatology published from January 2010 to December 2010 were utilized in this study. Dermatology house officers, student trainees in their fourth year of medical school, and interns at Korea University Medical Center participated in the study. After reading the articles with Kindle 2, their impressions and evaluations were recorded using a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The results demonstrated that gray-scale e-readers might not be suitable for reading dermatology journals, especially for case reports compared to the original articles. Only three of the thirty-one respondents preferred e-readers to printed papers. The most common suggestions from respondents to encourage usage of e-books in the field of dermatology were the introduction of a color display, followed by the use of a touch screen system, a cheaper price, and ready-to-print capabilities. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study demonstrated that current e-readers might not be suitable for reading dermatology journals. However, they may be utilized in selected situations according to the type and topic of the papers. (Ann Dermatol 26(6) 700∼705, 2014)

This paper describes the development of real-time non-contact metrology based on holographic interferometry and neural network fringe analysis software to detect defects in composite materials. The object under inspection is illuminated by a high-power solid-state laser, and the light scattered from the material surface is recorded in real time using a double-exposure holographic interferometer, which can detect minute surface deformation caused by defects in the material. Thermal stimulation of the object creates a non- uniform time-varying material reaction, which causes surface deformation that is characteristic of the material's internal structure. This deformation in turn creates time-varying interference patterns, which are recorded by a real-time holographic interferometric system and displayed on the computer monitor through a CCD camera. The system allows real- time, in-depth non-contact inspection of composite materials used in aircraft and other military vehicles. A genetic algorithm has also been developed for fast data processing in a non-laboratory environment. The sophisticated neural network recognizes the types of defects at high speed.

This paper describes an Opto-Silicon Adaptive Imaging (OSAI) system capable of operating at low light intensities with high resolution, high accuracy, wide dynamic range, and high speed. The system consists of three major subsystems: (1) an adaptive imaging system in which a liquid crystal wavefront corrector measures image quality based on statistical analysis of a speckle field; (2) an image quality analyzer (IQA); (3) an opto-silicon multi-chip module combining a high-resolution ferroelectric liquid crystal SLM, CCD photodetector array, field-programmable gate array, and digital signal processor. The OSAI wavefront control applies adaptive optoelectronic feedback for iterative wavefront restoration and distortion compensation, suing an image quality metric based on statistical properties of the speckle field produced by moving a diffuser in the Fourier transform plane of a IQA optical system. A prototype IQA system was designed, manufactured, and tested using an input liquid crystal SLM, a Fourier lens, a light-shaping diffuser, and an output photodiode.

This work addresses the problem faced by an aircraft that is off its nominal flight path. The goal is to find the optimal trajectory to safely and efficiently return the aircraft to its proper path in rugged terrain. The authors approach to this problem is to consider the space of possible trajectories as a series of linked maneuvers, so that a particular trajectory can be described by the ordered list of parameters specifying the maneuvers. A penalty function is minimized with respect to variations of the maneuver parameter list. The work considered trajectories of up to three straight flight segments linked by turns. The penalty function includes terms penalizing elapsed time for the measure, distance climbed, and closest approach to the ground as well as distance from the nominal flight path at the end of the maneuver. Minimization is performed by means of an adaptive fuzzy-logic-enhanced genetic algorithm.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

In this paper a new algorithmic and hardware approach to real-time processing, computing, compression and transmission of multi-media (video, imagery, audio, sensor, telemetry, computer data) information, in the form of synchronized data, was proposed. The proposed approach, called Soft Computing and Soft Communication, leads to multi-media throughput minimization and data homogenization.

Soft computing is a set of promising computational tools for solving problems that are inherently well solved by humans but not by standard computing means. This paper presents an overview of R and D activities at Physical Optics Corporation in the area of soft computing. The company has been involved in soft computing for over ten years, and has pioneered several soft-computing methodologies, including fuzzied genetic algorithms and neuro-fuzzy networks. Several practical implementations of soft computing are discussed.

This paper presents a real-world application of neurofuzzy processing to a security system with multiple sensor. Integrating fuzzy logic with neural networks, the authors have automated the tasks of sensor data fusion and determination of false/true alarms, which currently rely solely on human monitoring operators, so that they operate in a way similar to human reasoning. This integrated security system includes a set of heterogeneous sensor. To take advantage of each sensor's strengths, they are positioned and integrated for side, accurate, economical coverage. The system includes real-time tracking cameras functioning as true digital motion detectors with the capability of approximating the size, direction, and number of intruders. The system is also capable of real-time image segmentation based on motion, and of image recognition based on neural networks.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

An autopilot algorithm that controls a fighter aircraft in simulated aerial combat is presented. A fitness function, whose arguments are the control settings of the simulated fighter, is continuously maximized by a fuzzied genetic algorithm. Results are presented for one-to-one combat simulated on a personal computer. Generalization to many-to-many combat is discussed.

Physical Optics Corporation has developed a unique technology and processes to fabricate a 3D display system that does not require wearing glasses or other eyewear. The authors present the result of true 3D (T3D) monitor development, the third generation T3D being based on a holographic multiplexing screen. The monitor displays 3D autostereoscopic information to three viewers. Holographic multiplexing allows a large number of viewers to see the 3D effect without compromising resolution or having to wear any type of special glasses or goggles. The 3D monitor can deliver high resolution graphics -- 1024 X 480 pixels -- as well as NTSC video in both composite and S-video formats.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Holographic recording techniques have been applied to implement synthetic estimation filters (SEF) for pose estimation of a docking spacecraft. Each SEF is a weighted combination of Fourier-plane hologram exposures of different target attitudes. These particular attitudes represent a span of the attitudes among which the SEFs will ratiometrically interpolate the attitude of the target in an input image. The pose is estimated by comparing the correlation peak intensities for all the filters with previously stored reference intensity peaks.

An optical communication/switching system with data speeds well beyond any state-of-the-art electronic board-to-board computer interconnect is proposed. This interconnect is based on the use of microprism arrays to achieve large-scale, wideband interconnections for optoelectronic systems.

Fractal image processing technology has been recognized as having great potential in automatic target recognition (ATR) and image compression. In this paper, Physical Optics Corporation demonstrates the feasibility of using a fractal image processing technique as a new and efficient approach for signature, pattern, and object recognition. Using optical Fourier transform and a ring-wedge detection technique, we generate and measure the power spectral density of an input scene. The log-log plot of the power spectral density vs. spatial frequency provides a very valuable signature for each input. Experimental results show that we can successfully discriminate man-made objects from natural objects in input scenes by analyzing signatures obtained this way.

An all-optical reconfigurable crossbar switch is implemented by unique integration of dynamic photopolymer technology, simple geometry optics, and waveguide technology. This all-optical crossbar switch provides high reconfigurability, large fanout, and radiation hardening. These characteristics are essential for both parallel/distributed processing and high-bandwidth communication, especially for B-ISDN.

The search for a dynamic recording medium that can be used in real time without the need for processing has become a critical issue in the development of practical neural network systems, correlators, all-optic switches, image and signal processors, and optical storage devices. A typical optical material respond to changes in the intensity, polarization, or wavelength of the illuminating light. The optical material developed and used for neural network applications responds to changes in the polarization of blur or green laser light. Implementing a neural network or performing optically-controlled acoustic beam steering requires a high-speed read/write/erase optical memory. POCs erasable dye polymer material offers a high read/write/erase data rate, nondestructive reading, fast data access, high storage density, overwrite capability, and long cycle life.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Optical interconnects have been designed, fabricated, and tested, and a graphics processor based on field-programmable gate arrays has been designed. The board-to-board connection approach is based on multi-channel integrated optical waveguides with novel optoelectronic active connectors, allowing multiple simultaneous data transfers among many boards. Data is transferred from chip to chip through optical data channels within an integrated chip. For electronic processing systems, we developed a preliminary design for a multiprocessor system suitable for both single instruction multiple data and multiple instruction multiple data, and using video random access memory and static random access memory for main memory, look-up table processing, and display interface.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Artificial neural networks have proven to be powerful tools for sensor fusion, but they are not adaptable to sensor failure in a sensor suite. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) presents a new sensor fusion algorithm, applying fuzzy logic to give a neural network real-time adaptability to compensate for faulty sensors. Identifying data that originates from malfunctioning sensors, and excluding it from sensor fusion, allows the fuzzy neural network to achieve better results. A fuzzy logic-based functionality evaluator detects malfunctioning sensors in real time. A separate neural network is trained for each potential sensor failure situation. Since the number of possible sensor failure situations is large, the large number of neural networks is then fuzzified into a small number of fuzzy neural networks. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed approach -- the system correctly recognized airplane models in a computer simulation.

Optoelectronic SAR signal processing for real-time parallel adaptive on-board wide area surveillance and ATR applications is described. The signal processing architecture consists of a coarse ATR processor that performs early detection of small targets to select regions of interest in a large field of view, and a fine ATR processor for accurate classification of selected targets. Both coarse and fine ATR processors apply circular correlation-based algorithms implemented with optical joint transform correlators. Together with associative memory and genetic algorithm composite filtering, this discriminates among similar targets and rejects cluttered backgrounds.

Physical Optics Corporation has developed an autostereoscopic 3D display system that does not require viewers to wear goggles. This system is based on a stationary holographic projection diffuser fabricated using volume multiphase holographic optical elements. Design and development of the prototype are also described.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

We describe here a holographic non-destructive inspection (NDI) technology developed by Physical Optics Corporation. It is based on real-time holographic dye polymer materials and a shearographic camera, with neural network defect classification software. Holograms can be recorded in or erased from the new dye polymer material in a millisecond without wet processing, making real-time holographic NDI feasible. The shearographic NDI system, based on laser speckle interferometry, compensates for low-light conditions. Both holographic and shearographic fringes are input to the neural network system to perform automatic defect type classification.