The Hybrid Color Film: Multiplicity of Space, Time, and Matter

Hybrid color films of the 1920s such as The King of Kings (Cecil B. DeMille, 1927)—that is, films comprising a mix of different historical color processes—are a particularly fruitful resource for the comparison of the silent era’s various color technologies. This article analyzes these cinematic hybridizations and argues that this type of film is much more than the sum of its parts. In embodying a multiplicity of layers of space, time, and color on a literal and metaphorical level, hybrid color films are not only symptomatic of the transformation of the medium in the 1920s but also symbolic of current approaches to film historiography based on media archaeology.

Assessment of Stress in the Soil Surrounding the Axially Loaded Model Pile by Thin, Flexible Sensors

Foundation piles transfer the applied vertical load to the surrounding soil by skin friction and base resistance. These two components induce stress in the soil. The load transfer is still not fully recognized, and some pile load tests analyses have raised many doubts. The present paper aimed to measure the stress levels during pile load tests in laboratory conditions. This research examined the possibilities of using thin, flexible sensors in measuring the stress in soil. Two sensors were used: tactile pressure sensor with mapping system and color film pressure sensors with digital analyzing. Calibration and preliminary tests of the sensors have been described. This calibration proved that this kind of sensor could measure the stress in the soil in laboratory conditions. The results of stress distribution in the soil, shown as pressure maps, have been presented. Significant stress changes were observed in pile load tests. Rough and smooth piles were compared in the analyses. Stress distribution was the result of simultaneous interaction of pile skin and base. The knowledge about stresses surrounding the pile allows us to carry out a deeper analysis of the pile–soil interaction.

Restaging Zhu Yingtai in Early Communist China

In 1953, Shanghai Film Studio produced a Shaoxing opera film version of The Butterfly Lovers as the first color film of the People’s Republic of China. Noted for its immense popularity in the Sinophone sphere throughout the 1950s, the film actually exemplifies a history of Shaoxing opera that is connected to urbanization and nationalism as well as women’s liberation and the cultural politics of early communist China. It is an early example of how Chinese opera and modern media technology contribute to transnational negotiations and imaginations of Chinese identities.

Structural color for wood coloring: A review

The color, texture, and natural defects of wood are important factors affecting its commercial value. Change of wood’s surface color is a primary way to improve its value. This study analyzes and summarizes the development status and existing problems of the traditional wood dyeing process and induced discoloration process. It is proposed that color improvement with photonic crystal structure color is a clean and pollution-free ecological biomimetic coloring technology. Its research status in the fields of fiber, fabric, wood, wood-based panel surface color improvement, new coatings for wood, and lignocellulose nanocrystalline structure color film are reviewed. The following aspects were studied: 1) construction and mechanistic study of the wood surface structure color film, 2) light response and interface mechanistic study of the wood surface structure color film, 3) large-scale application technology study of the wood surface biomimetic structure color film, and 4) preparation and functional development of structural color films of lignocellulose nanocrystal.

Quantifying the thickness of each color material in multilayer transparent specimen based on transmission image

Combing the color transmission image and the Beer–Lambert law shows a great application prospect in quantifying each material in multilayer specimen. Here, a novel, low-cost, and efficient optical algorithm is proposed to predict the thickness of each color material in a multilayer specimen from the color transmission image based on the Beer–Lambert Law. In this work, a normal scanner is employed to achieve the color transmission image of the monochrome transparent films. RGB values represent the transmitted intensity. A linear relationship between the optical depth and physical thickness is observed under different monochromatic lights. It is supposed that for a multilayer transparent film which consisted of different monochrome transparent films, the optical depth is related to the physical thickness of each monochrome transparent component. Therefore, an estimating equation is proposed to predict the thickness of each color material in the multilayer specimen. According to the result, the standard deviation of predicted thickness and practical thickness of each color film in the multilayer specimen is 0.93%. Fairly good agreement and high accuracy are obtained between the practical and predicted values, and the validity of this method is confirmed.