Abstract: A signal processing apparatus for determining color conversion for converting a second color signal obtained through image pickup by a second image pickup device to be processed to a color signal approximate to a first color signal obtained through image pickup by a target first image pickup device, including a spectral difference calculating section that calculates a difference between spectral characteristics of the first image pickup device and spectral characteristics of the second image pickup device for each of spectral characteristics corresponding to a plurality of color signals making up a color signal and a processing determining section that determines linear conversion as color conversion when the spectral difference value is equal to or less than a determination reference value and determines non-linear conversion as the color conversion when the spectral difference value is greater than the determination reference value.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a baggage container with at least one loading platform for single items of hand baggage, said baggage items each having a base on which are two opposed lateral walls, said loading platform comprising reception methods for each base of said items of baggage in order to receive said items of baggage standing on the base thereof and organized such that said walls of said items of baggage are essentially parallel to each other. According to the disclosure, said reception methods have ways for holding each of said bases and said bases are designed to engage in said reception methods when the item of baggage is loaded into the container, such that said bases cooperate with said retainer methods to hold the item of baggage in a fixed opposition on said loading platform.

Abstract: An apparatus for optimizing an efficiency of a refrigeration system, comprising means for measuring a refrigeration efficiency of an operating refrigeration system; means for altering a process variable of the refrigeration system during efficiency measurement; and a processor for calculating a process variable level which achieves an optimum efficiency. The process variables may include refrigerant charge and refrigerant oil concentration in evaporator.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of treating cancers, especially those showing resistance to classical anti-pro liferative chemotherapy drugs. Further, the invention provides a specific interferon alpha sequential regimen for treating cancers, especially those showing resistance to classical anti-proliferative chemotherapy drugs such as stem cell driven cancers. More specifically, the invention relates to a use of IFN alpha for the preparation of a pharmaceutical formulation for the treatment of cancers wherein the pharmaceutical formulation is to be administered following a sequential administration pattern i.e. an induction period wherein a therapeutically effective amount of IFN alpha is administered, a period during which no IFN alpha is administrated and a chemotherapy period wherein a therapeutically effective amount of a chemotherapeutic agent is administered.

Abstract: A method for making a chalcopyrite-type compound includes reacting a reaction mixture in a solvent under reflux condition to form the chalcopyrite-type compound. The reaction mixture includes at least one first compound and at least one second compound. The first compound contains M1 and A. The second compound contains M2 and A. M1 is selected from Cu, Au, Ag, Na, Li and K, M2 is selected from In, Ga, Al, Ti, Zn, Cd, Sn, Mg, and combinations thereof, and A is selected from S, Se, Te, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A banking system for emerging market countries which includes a central flow control apparatus or system, is disclosed. The central flow control apparatus permits securitization of future flows receivables of two or more banks within an emerging market country. The central flow control apparatus may include an interface layer, an applications layer, and a presentation layer. The banking system may be comprised of a first bank account directly owned by a first emerging market bank and a second bank account which is owned by a trust (or other special purpose legal entity), wherein the emerging market bank is the beneficiary of the trust. The first bank account and the second bank account are bank accounts of a first international correspondent bank. The first bank account would typically be an onshore account which can be controlled by actions of a first emerging market government of the first emerging market country.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a vibration sensor that transmits a detection signal in response to a vibration pattern and a sheet feeder cassette unit that stores recording papers, is opened/closed by extraction/insertion, and generates a specific vibration pattern while being opened or closed. The image forming apparatus includes an open/close detector unit that detects an opened/closed state of the sheet feeder cassette unit when detecting a predetermined vibration pattern based on the detection signal of the vibration sensor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to 2-pyridyl-methylene-carboxamide derivatives of formula (I) in which the substituents are as in the description, their process of preparation, their use as fungicide active agents, particularly in the form of fungicide compositions, and methods for the control of phytopathogenic fungi, notably of plants, using these compounds or compositions:

Abstract: A substrate treating method comprising a step of preparing a semiconductor substrate (W, 11) which has an oxide film (13, 14) containing at least one of a rare earth oxide and an alkaline earth oxide, at least a portion of the oxide film (13, 14) being exposed, and a rinse step of supplying the oxide film (13, 14) on the semiconductor substrate (W, 11) with a rinse liquid made of an alkaline chemical or an organic solvent. Preferably, the alkaline chemical is an alkaline aqueous solution having a pH of more than 7. Further, preferably, the organic solvent is a high concentration organic solvent having a concentration of substantially 100%.

Abstract: In a reel furnace having a strip reeling device, the strip reeling device comprising a reel shaft, a reel drum supported on the reel shaft and at least one stirrup clamp, the reel shaft passing through a furnace wall delimiting the inner space of the reel furnace and being supported rotatably in supporting bearings outside the reel furnace, the reel drum and the at least one stirrup clamp being positioned with respect to one another by means of a connection element, and a gap for receiving a strip head being set between the reel drum and the at least one stirrup clamp. The useful life of the reel drum is appreciably increased and a strip thickness-dependent setting of the entry gap for the hot-rolled strip is ensured when the reel drum is designed as a closed body and the connection element is designed as an actuating device for fixing a specific gap width between the reel drum and the stirrup clamp and for clamping a strip head which has entered the gap.

Abstract: A system for maintaining thermal stability of a motion stage driven by a motor comprises a motion current generator operative to produce a motion current to drive the motion stage to move and a thermal current generator operative to produce a thermal current to dissipate heat in the motion stage for controlling a temperature of the motion stage without producing corresponding movement of the motion stage. A summation controller is operative to combine the motion current with the thermal current, and to produce a combined current output to the motor.

Abstract: A mobile information terminal has a front surface on which a display surface of a display device is arranged and a rear surface on which a plurality of operation keys are arranged. The mobile information terminal further has a half-depressing sensor for detecting that each of the operation keys is half-depressed and/or a touch sensor for detecting that each of the operation keys is touched. A control section executes a processing operation to cause the display device to display an image showing the arrangement of said operation keys and to change an icon which corresponds to a key of operation keys when a control section determines, according to an input signal from the half-depressing sensor or the touch sensor, that the finger of the operator is placed on this key of operation keys.

Abstract: An apparatus for identifying a user in a service robot for domestic use is provided, the apparatus comprising a feature vector classifying unit for classifying feature vectors converted from a user voice signal for statistics into a feature vector not causing a user identification error and a feature vector causing the user identification error to thereby set user modes corresponding to the respective feature vectors for each user, and an identifying unit for identifying the user by utilizing the classification result of the feature vector classifying unit as data for the user identification. Accordingly, time restriction caused when the service robot for domestic use identifies who a user is can be overcome, and, the degradation of the user identification due to the lack of absolutely needed data amount when the user is identified only by the user's short voice can be solved.

Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a conductive polymer solution comprising: a freeze-drying step in which an aqueous conductive polymer solution containing a complex that includes a ?-conjugated conductive polymer and a polyanion is freeze dried to thereby obtain a solid complex; and a dispersion step in which an organic solvent having a water content of 4% by mass or less and an amine compound are mixed to the solid complex, followed by a dispersion treatment.

Abstract: Data overhead of mesh-based multicast ad hoc routing protocols are controlled by adaptively adding redundancy to the minimal data overhead multicast mesh as required by the network conditions. The computation of the minimal data overhead multicast mesh is NP-complete, and therefore an heuristic approximation algorithm inspired on epidemic algorithms is employed to increase tractability of a solution. A mobility-aware and adaptive mesh construction algorithm based on a probabilistic path selection is provided, which is able to adapt the reliability of the multicast mesh to the mobility of the network. Simulation results show that the proposed approach, when implemented into On-Demand Multicast Routing Protocol (ODMRP), is able to offer similar performance results and a lower average latency, while reducing data overhead between 25 to 50% compared to the original ODMRP.

Abstract: A two-wire load control device for control of power delivered to an electrical load from a source of AC voltage, comprising a first controllably conductive device adapted to be operatively coupled to the source of AC voltage and to the electrical load for controlling the power delivered to the load; a microprocessor coupled to the first controllably conductive device for controlling the first controllably conductive device; and a power supply adapted to be coupled to the source of AC voltage and coupled to the microprocessor for generating a DC voltage to power the microprocessor, the power supply including an energy storage element and a second controllably conductive device for controllably storing energy in the energy storage element; wherein the microprocessor is operatively coupled to the second controllably conductive device to control the second controllably conductive device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a magnetic tunnel junction structure having perpendicular anisotropic free layers, and it could be accomplished to reduce a critical current value required for switching and maintain thermal stability even if a device is fabricated small in size, by maintaining the magnetization directions of the free magnetic layer and the fixed magnetic layer constituting the magnetic tunnel junction structure perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: A solid-state image pick-up device and a method of reading out a pixel signal thereof are provided, and the solid-state image pick-up device provides a large dynamic range without an increase in the area of a pixel. Plural pixels are arranged therein.