LeviSense: A platform for the multisensory integration in levitating food and insights into its effect on flavour perception

Eating is one of the most multisensory experiences in everyday life. All of our five senses (i.e. taste, smell, vision, hearing and touch) are involved, even if we are not aware of it. However, while multisensory integration has been well studied in psychology, there is not a single platform for testing systematically the effects of different stimuli. This lack of platform results in unresolved design challenges for the design of taste-based immersive experiences. Here, we present LeviSense: the first system designed for multisensory integration in gustatory experiences based on levitated food. Our system enables the systematic exploration of different sensory effects on eating experiences. It also opens up new opportunities for other professionals (e.g., molecular gastronomy chefs) looking for innovative taste-delivery platforms. We describe the design process behind LeviSense and conduct two experiments to test a subset of the crossmodal combinations (i.e., taste and vision, taste and smell). Our results show how different lighting and smell conditions affect the perceived taste intensity, pleasantness, and satisfaction. We discuss how LeviSense creates a new technical, creative, and expressive possibilities in a series of emerging design spaces within Human-Food Interaction

Electron spin-lattice relaxation of Yb3+ and Gd3+ ions in glasses

The electron spin-lattice relaxation rate (T1 -1) was measured in two glass samples: (i) a phosphate glass doped with 1 wt% Yb2O3 and (ii) a Li2Si4O9 glass sample doped with 0.2 wt% Gd2O3. In the Yb3+-doped glass sample, T1, was measured by an electron-spin-echo technique from 4.2 to 6 K, by the modulation method from 10 to 26 K and by the EPR linewidth from 30 to 100 K. It was found that (T1 -1) ∝ Tn with n = 9 in the range 4.2-6 K. n decreased gradually as the temperature was increased and tended towards 2 above 40 K. Over the entire temperature range 4.2-100 K, (T1 -1) was fitted to AT + BT9J8 (ΘD/T) (where A and B are two temperature-independent constants, J8 is the well-known Van Vleck integral and ΘD is the Debye temperature). The value of ΘD (= 46.3±0.9 K) so determined is in good agreement with that of Stevens and Stapleton from their T1, measurements in the range 1.5 to 7 K. In the Gd3+-doped glass, it was observed that (T1 -1) ∝ T over the range 50-150 K. The data for Ye3+-doped glass sample were accounted for by assuming that the phonon modulation of the ligand field is the dominant mechanism, associated with a low Debye temperature in accordance with the published data obtained by using other techniques to study lattice dynamics. On the other hand, the data on the Gd3+-doped glass sample were explained to be predominantly due to a mechanism involving Two-Level-Systems (TLS). © Springer-Verlag 1996 Printed in Austria

Cinema-going trajectories in the digital age

The activity of cinema-going constantly evolves and gradually integrates the use of digital data and platforms to become more engaging for the audiences. Combining methods from the fields of Human Computer Interaction and Film Studies, we conducted two workshops seeking to understand cinema audiences’ digital practices and explore how the contemporary cinema-going experience is shaped in the digital age. Our findings suggest that going to the movies constitutes a trajectory during which cinemagoers interact with multiple digital platforms. At the same time, depending on their choices, they construct unique digital identities that represent a set of online behaviours and rituals that cinemagoers adopt before, while and after cinema-going. To inform the design of new, engaging cinemagoing experiences, this research establishes a preliminary map of contemporary cinema-going including digital data and platforms. We then discuss how audiences perceive the potential improvement of the experience and how that would lead to the construction of digital identities

Réponse d'un échantillon métallique à structure fractale à une excitation électrique à fréquence variable

Le grand intérêt suscité par les matériaux à structure fractale ces dernières décennies nous a conduits à étudier tout particulièrement le comportement électrique d'échantillons métalliques dont les motifs sont du type “Arbre fractal”. Les caractéristiques singulières de ces structures telles l'autosimilarité et la dimension fractionnaire Df confèrent des propriétés physiques particulières à ces matériaux. L'analyse de ces structures est envisagée en réalisant un condensateur de type MIS (Métal-Isolant-Semi-conducteur) dont une des armatures présente une dimension fractionnaire, l'autre est plane et l'isolant est un oxyde de silicium (SiO2). Les simulations et les mesures effectuées ont permis de mettre en évidence sur l'impédance d'une telle structure, une évolution fréquentielle étroitement corrélée à la structure même de l'échantillon. Ce comportement que l'on qualifiera par la suite de “fractal”, peut se résumer ainsi : soumis à une excitation électrique à fréquence variable, cet échantillon se caractérise par une impédance complexe qui, à partir d'une fréquence caractéristique, présente une phase constante c'est-à-dire que ses parties réelle et imaginaire ont la même loi de dépendance fréquentielle. L'étude que nous présentons concerne d'une part, la mise en évidence de ce comportement et d'autre part, les conditions permettant d'ajuster la plage de fréquence sur laquelle ce comportement apparaît

RESONANCE PARAMAGNETIQUE ELECTRONIQUE DES MANGANITES DE NICKEL

Quand la température décroît de 300 à 40K, la forme, la largeur et le facteur g de la raie de R.P.E en bande X des manganites de Nickel subissent des variations remarquables. La coexistence au sein de ces matériaux de quatre espèces paramagnétiques qui tendent à s'ordonner, explique bien les variations observéesWhen temperature decreases from 300 to 40K, the shape, the width and tne g-factor of the X-band ESR line in nickel manganites show noticeable changes. The simultaneous presence of four paramagnetic species becoming gradually ordered, well accounts for the experimental data

Temperature and orientation dependences of the E.S.R. linewidth in T.M.M.C.

We present new data concerning the E.S.R. linewidth of T.M.M.C: as temperature and orientation are varied. The results obtained are in good agreement with theory in the whole temperature range investigated (30 to 300 K). Typical 1-d behaviour is observed in a very pure, recently grown crystal while some 3-d characteristics occur after fast thermal changes.Nous présentons de nouveaux résultats sur la dépendance de la largeur de raie électronique du T.M.M.C. en fonction de l'orientation et de la température. Les données expérimentales sont en bon accord avec la théorie sur toute la gamme de températures utilisées (30 à 300 K). Le comportement typiquement 1-d apparait avec un cristal très pur et de préparation récente alors qu'on observe certains caractères 3-d après l'application de forts gradients de température

ESR in a 1D-system with a ferromagnetic coupling

We have measured the angular dependences of the ESR linewidth and g -factor at X-band and room temperature in cyclo-hexyl-ammonium-trichlorocuprate (II) (CHAC). The temperature dependence of the linewidth between 30 and 300 K has also been determined.Nous avons mesuré les dépendances angulaires de la largeur de raie de RPE et du facteur g en bande X et à la température ambiante dans le trichlorure cuivrique de cyclo-hexyl-ammonium (ou CHAC). Nous avons déterminé également la dépendance de la largeur de raie avec la température entre 30 et 300 K

Influence of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly (styrenesulfonate) in polyfluorene-based light-emitting diodes: Evidence of charge trapping at the organic interface

International audienceAlthough the improvement of the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode by PEDOT:PSS has often been reported in literature, the origin of it is not well known. In this paper, we investigate polyfluorene-based devices with a relatively high work function (Al) cathode by electroabsorption (EA) spectroscopy and thermally stimulated current (TSC) techniques. A 0.9 V increase of built-in voltage evidenced by EA in PFV-based devices was similar to that obtained previously in PFO-based devices. It was inconsistent with the work function difference between ITO (4.9 eV) and PEDOT:PSS (5.2 eV). The formation of new types of traps related to the presence of the PEDOT:PSS layer was detected by TSC in PF-N-Ph based devices, confirming that the PEDOT:PSS/PF contact layer acts as an electron trapping surface. We conclude that the TSC technique should allow a deeper characterization of charge traps created at the electrodes and a better modelling of charge injection in future studies