Abstract: A pixel structure includes a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode. The second pixel electrode is configured around the first pixel electrode. The first pixel electrode is coupled to a first voltage and the second pixel electrode is coupled to a second voltage. The second voltage is higher than the first voltage. The area of the first pixel electrode is larger than that of the second pixel electrode.

Abstract: A transesterification process of methyl acetate is provided. The process comprises: (a) performing a first reactive distillation of a methyl acetate solution and a first alcohol to generate a first ester and a first mixture; (b) performing a first distillation of a first part of the first mixture to generate a second mixture; and (c) performing a second reactive distillation of a first part of the second mixture and a second alcohol to generate a second ester; wherein the respective one of the first and second alcohols is a limiting reagent. The transesterification process provided in the present invention could highly reduce the investing production cost of the transesterification of the by-product, methyl acetate, in the conventional polyvinyl alcohol plants.

Abstract: A data processing system performs a procedure including respective tasks, each respective task including one of producing and processing a respective data object. The system comprises memory; and a processor having program instructions for maintaining a respective data structure for each respective one of the tasks. The data structure includes instructions and parameters for performing the respective task. The processor also has program instructions for determining whether to save the respective data object in memory or to purge the respective data object based on usage and capacity of the memory; and, where the respective data object has been purged and is now needed again, reconstructing the purged data object using the respective data structure.

Abstract: The present invention provides screening methods for identifying agents that modulate the activity of mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (AldDH2), as well as agents identified by the screening methods. The present invention further provides methods of reducing ischemic tissue damage or free-radical induced damage in an organ, the methods generally involving contacting the organ with an agent that increases AldDH2 levels and/or activity. The present invention further provides methods of treating solid tumors, the methods generally involving administering an agent that decreases AldDH2 levels and/or activity.

Abstract: An engineered composite building material, such as fiber cement, having one or more engineered sub-surface regions designed to provide the building material with improved moisture ingress resistance, paint adhesion, and other mechanical properties is provided. The sub-surface region has a cement-polymer matrix formed by introducing an impregnating agent into the pores of the substrate. The composite building material may be formed by applying impregnating agents to the subsurface regions of the substrate to form chemical and/or mechanical bonds with the matrix of the building material, the reinforcement fibers, and/or the surface coatings applied to the material. The thickness of the sub-surface regions may be controlled by varying the viscosity and porosity of the building material substrate. The cement-polymer building material has enhanced durability, weather resistance, strength, and stiffness.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for high throughput mass spectrometry are provided. The methods involve sample preparation in an off-line parallel purification system. Such methods include but are not limited to the use of an appropriate buffer when generating samples or the use of a solid support for tagged components. The samples prepared in this way do not then need to be column separated. The apparatus provided includes a cell growth plate for growing cells and generating products and/or reactants, an off-line parallel purification system, a mass spectrometer, and an automatic sampler that transports samples and injects them into the mass spectrometer of the apparatus. The methods and apparatus described are used, for example, in screening enzyme reaction pathways.

Abstract: A composite bump suitable for disposing on a substrate pad is provided. The composite bump includes a compliant body and an outer conductive layer. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the compliant body is between 5 ppm/° C. and 200 ppm/° C. The outer conductive layer covers the compliant body and is electrically connected to the pad. The compliant body can provide a stress buffering effect for a bonding operation. Furthermore, by setting of the CTE of the compliant body within a preferable range, damages caused by thermal stress are reduced while the bonding effect is enhanced.

Abstract: Novel proteins are provided herein, including proteins capable of catalyzing the acetylation of glyphosate and other structurally related proteins. Also provided are novel polynucleotides capable of encoding these proteins, compositions that include one or more of these novel proteins and/or polynucleotides, recombinant cells and transgenic plants comprising these novel compounds, diversification methods involving the novel compounds, and methods of using the compounds. Some of the novel methods and compounds provided herein can be used to render an organism, such as a plant, resistant to glyphosate.

Abstract: A method of modifying a Ziegler-Natta type polyolefin catalyst comprises contacting the Ziegler-Natta catalyst with olefin monomer to form a prepolymerized catalyst. The prepolymerized catalyst can comprise a reduced number of catalyst particles having a size of 40 microns or less. The prepolymerized catalyst can be used in a polymerization process to produce polymer fluff particles with a reduced number of polymer fluff fines than the Ziegler-Natta type catalyst.

Abstract: A pixel structure to be disposed on a substrate is provided. The pixel structure includes a common line having a capacitor portion, an active device, a pixel electrode electrically connected to the active device and covering the capacitor portion, and an alignment layer covering at least the common line. The alignment layer has an alignment direction and the capacitor portion extends along a first direction that is substantially perpendicular to the alignment direction.

Abstract: An exemplary backlight module (20) has a light guide plate (24), and a frame (28) receiving the light guide plate. The light guide plate has a light incident surface (244), two side walls (241, 242) respectively adjoining the light incident surface. The frame has two grooves (288, 289) corresponding the two side walls. Each side wall of the light guide plate has a protrusion part (250) and a plane surface part (247) between the light incident surface and the protrusion part, the protrusion part is received in the corresponding groove, which has a length in a range from one third to two third the length of each corresponding side wall.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (200) includes a transparent substrate (25), a light guide plate (28) disposed under the substrate, and a light source (29) disposed above the light guide plate at a thin side of the substrate. The light guide plate includes a top surface (280). An area of the top surface corresponding to the light source defines a light incident area, and another area of the top surface corresponding to the substrate defines a light emitting area.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal (LC) layer, a common electrode and a pixel electrode. The first substrate is disposed opposite to the second substrate, and the LC layer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The common electrode is disposed between the first substrate and the LC layer and is formed with at least one first jagged pattern having a first main slit and a plurality of first fine slits disposed at both sides of the first main slit. A sum of a width of each of the first fine slits and an interval between the adjacent first fine slits is greater than or equal to 3 microns and smaller than 7 microns. The pixel electrode is disposed between the second substrate and the LC layer and is located opposite to the common electrode.

Abstract: A fuser assembly of an electrophotographic printing device for fusing toners on a medium. The fuser assembly includes a fuser roller, a driving mechanism, a fuser substrate and a heating source. The driving mechanism connected to the fuser roller drives the fuser roller to rotate and thus the medium is moved by the fuser roller. The fuser substrate, being stationary and disposed opposite the fuser roller, is in sliding contact with the medium. The heating source heats the fuser substrate such that the fuser substrate fuses the toners on the medium.

Abstract: A method and system for automatic MR brain scan planning is disclosed. The method utilizes a set of 2D orthogonal localizer images to determine scanning planes for 3D diagnostic MR scans. A location of the mid-sagittal plane (MSP) is detected in each of a transversal localizer image and a coronal localizer image. A sagittal scanning plane is determined based on the location of the MSP in the transversal and coronal localizer images. A diagnostic sagittal MR scan is then acquired based on the sagittal scanning plane. The corpus callosum CC is segmented in a sagittal MR image slice resulting from the diagnostic sagittal MR scan. A transversal scanning plane can be determined based on a location of the CC in the sagittal MR image slice and the location of the MSP in the coronal localizer image, and a coronal scanning plane can be determined based on the location of the CC in the sagittal MR image slice and the location of the MSP in the transversal localizer image.

Abstract: An image processing device according to the present invention includes a similarity factor calculating portion locally comparing pixels that compose an image so as to calculate a similarity factor of the pixels in a predetermined direction, and includes an analyzing portion analyzing the structure of the image in accordance with the similarity factor calculated by the similarity factor calculating portion. In particular, the similarity factor calculating portion selects and changes pixels to be compared in accordance with color shift of the image to calculate the similarity factor. As a result, a similarity factor can be calculated with suppressing influence of color shift.

Abstract: Signal processing methods and systems for cross-color suppression. A chrominance signal extracted from a composite TV signal by s Y/C separator is provided to a chroma demodulator to produce a baseband chrominance signal. A chroma regulator regulates the baseband chrominance signal to obtain a regulated baseband chrominance signal. The baseband chrominance signal and the regulated baseband chrominance signal are provided to a chroma mixer to determine a final chrominance signal. The chroma mixer determines the final chrominance signal according to image similarity calculated by an image similarity calculator.

Abstract: A bonding structure of panel and back-plate is made by coarsening the surface of the rear plane of silicon die, and then the LCoS panel may bond with the back-plate module more tightly. The coarse structure increases contact surface when bonding the back-plate module with the LCoS panel, as a result of increasing stickiness on both and reducing manufacturing process defects caused by position shifting between the back-plate module and LCoS panel, and solving the position problem before the bonding of the LCoS panel with the back-plate module.

Abstract: Embodiments include a system for performing dispersion compensation on an electromagnetic signal received over a communication channel, the electromagnetic signal bearing information at a symbol rate. An interleaved analog to digital converter (“ADC”) block may be used, wherein the interleaved ADC block may be configured to generate a plurality of digitally sampled signals from the electromagnetic signal. An interleaved equalizer block may be configured to digitally process each of the digitally sampled signals generated by the ADC block to generate a plurality of digitally equalized signals. A multiplexer may be configured to aggregate the digitally equalized signals into a composite output signal.

Abstract: Described herein is a novel intracellular estradiol binding protein (“IEBP”), as well as a polynucleotide encoding this protein and various cells and cell lines producing and/or overexpressing it. IEBP is believed to play a role in the modulation of estrogen signaling and in the physiological resistance to the same. Abnormally elevated or decreased levels of IEBP may thus be a component of the etiology of diseases generally correlated with estrogen signaling, such as, by way of example, breast cancer and osteoporosis. Various embodiments of the present invention are believed to provide important tools for developing treatments for these conditions, such as, for example, by providing means for screening therapeutic compounds and identifying a genetic target for therapy.