Abstract: An LED lighting apparatus includes an LED provided on a base, a rod-like light-guiding body having translucency that protrudes from the base, and a light reflector disposed in a vicinity of an upper end of the rod-like light-guiding body. Light from the LED is incident on a lower end of the rod-like light-guiding body, exits from the upper end via the rod-like light-guiding body, and is reflected by the light reflector.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for generating and applying image tone scale corrections with improved color fidelity.

Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and its writing method for reducing a writing rate variation without changing a voltage condition applied for each memory cell in writing operation is provided. The device comprises a memory cell array configuration where each drain of the memory cells on the same column is connected to a first bit line via a second bit line and a bit line contact, and the shortest distance from each drain of the memory cells to the bit line contact varies according to a location of the memory cell in the column direction. The method includes a writing operation carried out sequentially from the nearest memory cell to the bit line contact, upon writing continuously so that the memory cell current becomes small for all or some of the memory cells on the same column between the two adjacent bit line contacts in the column direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a liquid crystal display used as a display section of an electronic apparatus and provides a liquid crystal display having high chromaticity characteristics and viewing angle characteristics. A configuration is employed which includes substrates having electrodes on respective surfaces thereof opposite to each other, a liquid crystal sealed between the substrates, and a pixel region including a low effective voltage area in which an effective voltage applied to the liquid crystal is lower than a voltage applied between the electrodes, the low effective voltage area occupying part of the region in a predetermined area ratio, the pixel region having a threshold voltage that varies between the low effective voltage area and another area.

Abstract: Compounds of formula I: are potent inhibitors of gamma-secretase and hence find use in treatment or prevention of diseases associated with deposition of ?-amyloid.

Abstract: A driving circuit of display device includes digital/current converting (DCC) circuits one for each data line. The DCC circuit operates to charge a capacitor with a reference current according to a supplied signal from a shift register. The DCC circuit stores a current value of the reference current and outputs it to a data line via a switching element that has been turned on by a digital image data signal (H) of a single line supplied from a line latch. The output value of each DCC circuit is reset one after another in every select scan period in which an OFF signal is sent to all the data lines. In this way, the reset of the output value and the output of the image data signal can be successively carried out within one frame period, enabling the data to be applied to the pixel circuit with the DCC circuits provided one for each data line. This simplifies the driving circuit that drives the pixel circuits provided with an electro-optic element and disposed in a matrix.

Abstract: A stereo-view image sequence is coded in an H.264-based sub-sequence coding by coding a first view of the stereo-view image sequence into a base layer of a sub-sequence coding. The second view of the stereo-view image sequence is coded into an enhancement layer of the sub-sequence coding. Accordingly, the sub-sequence coding can be decoded by a baseline-profile-compliant H.264 decoder. In one exemplary embodiment of the decoder, the decoder decodes both the base layer and the enhanced layer of the sub-sequence coding. In another exemplary embodiment, the decoder decodes one of the base layer and the enhanced layer of the sub-sequence coding. Additionally, a Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) payload could be used for each frame to signal the relationship between the current view and the secondary view.

Abstract: In a digital broadcast receiving tuner, a down-converter unit converts a high-frequency signal into a baseband signal directly or by once converting it into an intermediate frequency signal. A gain adjuster unit properly adjusts the actual level of the high-frequency signal and/or the intermediate frequency signal in correspondence with an AGC (automatic gain control) controlling voltage supplied from an external source. An amplifier properly adjusts the actual level of the baseband signal. A controlling unit properly controls the actual gain of the amplifier in response to a specific signal independent of the AGC controlling voltage. This configuration makes it possible to constantly secure optimal performance characteristics in whatever condition the received signal may be.

Abstract: An input signal INDATA inputted to a sender-side interface portion is encoded by an encoder, and a transmission signal generated by the encoding is transmitted to a receiver-side interface portion through two signal transmission lines. The input signal INDATA is encoded in such a manner that the logic level of the transmission signal transmitted through at least one of the two signal transmission lines is changed in any two consecutive elementary periods. The receiver-side interface portion is provided with a clock receiver, and a clock signal is generated based on the change of the transmission signals supplied from the two signal transmission lines.

Abstract: A nitride semiconductor laser element includes a lower clad layer, a lower adjacent layer, a quantum well active layer, an upper adjacent layer and an upper clad layer in this order. The quantum well active layer includes a plurality of well layers formed of undoped InGaN, and an undoped barrier layer sandwiched between the well layers. The barrier layer includes a first layer formed of InGaN, a second layer formed of GaN, and a third layer formed of InGaN. The In composition ratio of the first layer and the In composition ratio of the third layer are less than half the In composition ratio of the well layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device has an active layer which is divided into two regions in the direction of a resonator, i.e., a light-amplifying region and a saturable absorber region. The light-amplifying region and the saturable absorber region are produced to allow the semiconductor laser device to be in a bistable state. For the light-amplifying region and the saturable absorber region respectively, p-electrodes are separately and independently formed. N-electrodes are provided in relation to the p-electrodes. From one of the p-electrodes, a current which is modulated with noise added thereto is injected.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided with a developer collecting device which collects developer removed from an image bearing member and an intermediate transfer body by a cleaning section. The developer collecting device comprises a positioning frame for determining a mounting position of the image bearing member onto an image forming apparatus main body; a waste developer container detachably mounted on the positioning frame 4, for accommodating waste developer collected by the cleaning section; and an integrated container detection section for detecting whether or not the waste developer container is mounted on the positioning frame and whether or not the waste developer container is filled up with the waste developer.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first wiring layer having a first wiring, a second wiring layer having a second wiring formed over the first wiring layer, and a first insulating layer interposed between the first and second wiring layers, wherein the second wiring layer or an upper layer thereof has a fine projection, and the diameter of a circle circumscribing the projection in a plane or sectional view is 40 nm or less.

Abstract: A scan description language (SDL) system and method are provided for managing a scan job. The method comprises: scanning a document at a scanning device; constructing a scan job using SDL commands; partially performing the scan job at the scanning device in response to the SDL commands; and, partially performing the scan job at a node connected to the scanning device in response to the SDL commands. The scan job can be constructed at a scanning device front panel, a connected web page, or a client connected to the scanning device. Likewise, the scan job can be initiated from a front panel of the scanning device, a connected client, or a connected web page. Further, the scan job may be partially performed a locally connected client, a network-connected client, a network-connected server, a locally connected server, another scanning device, or a telephone network-connected client.

Abstract: A backlight unit has a light source, a reflection sheet, a light guide plate, an air space, and a diffuser, wherein the reflection sheet, the light guide plate, the air space, and the diffuser are overlaid in this order. The light source is configured to arrange individual light sources having different spectra or different light emission quantities near an incident plane of the light guide plate, and on a plane facing the reflection sheet of the light guide plate, scatter dots are disposed which take light propagating through the light guide plate out of the reflection sheet side. The backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device including the same have excellent display quality.

Abstract: The present invention provides the substrate for a display device, comprising a scan line, a signal line and a switching element on an insulating substrate, and further comprising an interlayer insulation film and a pixel electrode, the switching element is provided at an intersection of the scan line and the signal line, and have a gate electrode connected to the scan line, a source electrode connected to the signal line, and a drain electrode connected to the pixel electrode, the interlayer insulation film has a contact hole for connecting the drain electrode of the switching element to the pixel electrode, and a protective layer is provided above the scan line and/or the signal line in the substrate for a display device.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel and a parallax barrier with a barrier light-shielding layer patterned on a barrier glass, bonded with an adhesive layer composed of an ultraviolet curing resin, provided with an area without a light-shielding layer on the peripheral portion of the parallax barrier, and a sealing material is arranged between a TFT substrate and a CF substrate with at least a portion thereof overlapping with the area without the light-shielding layer. Thus, peeling on the bonding surfaces between the parallax barrier and the liquid crystal display panel does not easily occur, and the occurrence of display non-uniformity due to strain of the CF substrate is prevented.

Abstract: A dual-view liquid crystal display device (1) includes: screen scaling-down sections (32, 42) for forming child screens (11a, 12a), i.e., screens obtained by scaling down parent screens (11, 12); and screen combining sections (33, 34) for combining the child screens (12a, 11a) with the parent screens (11, 12), respectively. This makes it possible to know the content of one screen while viewing the other screen.

Abstract: In a server, there are stored (i) identification information of a reference image and (ii) a common process rule applied to input image data determined as being similar to the reference image which common process rule is set regardless of users. In a card, there is stored a merged process rule obtained by merging the common process rule with an individual process rule which is indicative of a process applied to the input image data determined as being similar to the reference image and which is set for each user or to attribute of the user. Further, in case where a version of the merged process information is identical to a version of the common process information, a process based on the merged process information corresponding to the reference image determined as being similar to the input image data is carried out, and in case where these versions are not identical to each other, the process based on the merged process information is not carried out for the input image data.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus and a drive apparatus having the same are provided. Second light-receiving elements or third light-receiving elements for receiving ±first-order diffraction light beams from a polarization hologram are arranged outwardly of a circular region having the optical axis of a zero-order diffraction light beam on a light detector as its center, a radius of which is expressed by (2×t/n)×(f2/f1), where f1 denotes a focal length of an objective lens, f2 denotes a focal length of a coupling lens, t denotes a maximum value of a light transmitting layer thickness, n denotes a refractive index of a light transmitting layer.