Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of preparing a polymer, which includes: adding an alkyl-substituted aromatic vinyl-based monomer and a vinyl cyanide-based monomer to a reactor and initiating polymerization; and performing polymerization while continuously adding an alkyl-substituted aromatic vinyl-based monomer and a multifunctional initiator to the reactor, wherein the continuous addition of the alkyl-substituted aromatic vinyl-based monomer and the multifunctional initiator is initiated when a polymerization conversion rate is 10 to 30%, and the continuous addition of the alkyl-substituted aromatic vinyl-based monomer and the multifunctional initiator is terminated when a polymerization conversion rate is 70 to 80%.

Abstract: An embodiment apparatus for fabricating a membrane-electrode-subgasket assembly includes a feeding unit including a sheet feeding roller configured to feed a membrane-electrode assembly sheet having catalyst layers provided on both surfaces thereof, a cutting unit including a cutting roller and a support roller configured to rotate in engagement with the cutting roller, wherein the cutting roller is configured to punch portions outside each of the catalyst layers, a first pressing unit including a suction roller and a first hot roller, and a second pressing unit including second hot rollers.

Abstract: Provided is a method for preparing an oligomer including: supplying a monomer stream and a solvent stream to a reactor to perform an oligomerization reaction to prepare a reaction product; supplying a discharge stream from the reactor including the reaction product to a separation device and supplying a lower discharge stream from the separation device to a settling tank; adding an organic flocculant to the settling tank to settle and remove a polymer and supplying the lower discharge stream from the separation device from which the polymer is removed to a high boiling point separation column; and removing a high boiling point material from the lower portion in the high boiling point separation column and supplying an upper discharge stream including an oligomer to a solvent separation column.

Abstract: An aerosol generating device may include a heater configured to heat an aerosol generating material, a battery configured to supply power to the heater, and a controller. In addition, the aerosol generating device may further include a user input detection sensor configured to receive a user's input and a pressure detection sensor configured to sense pressure. The controller may, in response to the user's input being sensed by using the user input detection sensor, obtain an initial pressure sensing value by using the pressure detection sensor. In addition, the controller may determine a reference pressure value based on the initial pressure sensing value and determine whether a puff of the aerosol generating device has occurred based on the reference pressure value.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing an oligomer, the method including: supplying a monomer stream and a solvent stream to a reactor to perform an oligomerization reaction to produce a reaction product; supplying a discharge stream of the reactor to a separation device, and supplying an upper discharge stream of the separation device including an unreacted monomer to the reactor and supplying a lower discharge stream of the separation device to a settling tank; settling a polymer in the settling tank and removing the polymer, and supplying the lower discharge stream of the separation device from which the polymer is removed to a high-boiling point separation column; removing a high-boiling point material from a lower discharge stream of the high-boiling point separation column and supplying an upper discharge stream of the high-boiling point separation column including an oligomer to a solvent separation column; and separating a solvent and the oligomer in the solvent separation column.

Abstract: An embodiment apparatus for fabricating a membrane-electrode-subgasket assembly includes a feeding unit including a sheet feeding roller configured to feed a membrane-electrode assembly sheet having catalyst layers provided on both surfaces thereof, a cutting unit including a cutting roller and a support roller configured to rotate in engagement with the cutting roller, wherein the cutting roller is configured to punch portions outside each of the catalyst layers, a first pressing unit including a suction roller and a first hot roller, and a second pressing unit including second hot rollers.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device comprises forming a mask pattern over an etch target layer, forming an ion implantation region in the mask pattern through an ion implantation process, and forming an ion non-implantation region within the mask pattern, removing the ion implantation region on a top surface of the ion non-implantation region, removing the ion non-implantation region, and patterning the etch target layer by using spacers that comprise the ion implantation region as an etch mask.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device comprises forming a mask pattern over an etch target layer, forming an ion implantation region in the mask pattern through an ion implantation process, and forming an ion non-implantation region within the mask pattern, removing the ion implantation region on a top surface of the ion non-implantation region, removing the ion non-implantation region, and patterning the etch target layer by using spacers that comprise the ion implantation region as an etch mask.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding a digital video signal to reduce a transmission rate of the digital video signal, which comprises a feature point based motion compensation circuit for selecting a set of feature points from the reconstructed reference frame to detect a set of motion vectors between a current frame and a original reference frame corresponding to the set of feature points by using a feature point based motion estimation, and for generating a second predicted frame based on the set of motion vectors and the reconstructed reference frame. The feature point based motion estimation employs a convergence process in which a displacement of each of the feature points are given to a motion vector thereof and the six triangles of each of the hexagon are affine-transformed independently using the displacements of their vertex feature points. If the displacements provide a better PSNR, the motion vector of the subject feature point is sequentially updated.

Abstract: A method for determining feature points comprises a step for (a) providing directional gradients and a gradient magnitude for each pixel in the video frame, (b) normalizing the directional gradients by dividing the directional gradients with the gradient magnitude, (c) generating a first edge map having the gradient magnitude for each pixel, (d) generating a second edge map having the normalized direction gradients for each pixel, (e) dividing the first edge map into a plurality of blocks of an identical size, (f) providing, for each of the pixels included in each of the blocks, normalized directional gradients for a set of a predetermined number of pixels from the second edge map, (g) obtaining a variance for each of the pixels included in each of the blocks based on the provided normalized directional gradients, (h) determining a feature point for each of the blocks based on the gradient magnitude and variance corresponding to each of the pixels therein.

Abstract: An image processing system for processing a video signal includes an encoder and a decoder, wherein the encoder comprises a frame decimator for selecting a plurality of frames from the video signal, a unit for creating M number of candidate frames for each of the non-selected frames, i.e., skipped frames by using M number of skipped frame prediction factors, and a unit for comparing each of the N skipped frames with each of the candidate frames to transmit a skipped frame prediction factor for each of the N skipped frames to the decoder; and the decoder comprises a unit for deciding each of the N skipped frames between the previous frame and the reconstructed current frame by using the transmitted skipped frame prediction factor.

Abstract: A video signal encoding apparatus determines quasi-feature points on the current frame based on selected feature points on the previous frame. A predicted current frame is obtained based on a number of triangle regions formed by the quasi-feature points. After determining a frame difference signal by subtracting the predicted current frame signal from the current frame signal, a plurality of processing regions are selected from the frame difference signal based on the magnitude of average pixel difference values corresponding to the triangle regions. Only the selected processing regions are then encoded for transmission to thereby reduce a transmission rate. A video signal decoding apparatus comprises corresponding circuits for decoding the selectively encoded video signal.

Abstract: An inventive apparatus determines true motion vectors between a current and its previous frames for feature points selected from the previous frame wherein a selected feature point is surrounded by its neighboring four feature points to form a previous rhombus having a set of four triangles based on the selected feature point. A motion vector displacement generator gives a predetermined N number of displacements to an initial motion vector for its corresponding feature points to thereby produce a subset of N candidate motion vectors and a motion prediction block provides a current rhombus corresponding to the previous rhombus by the initial motion vectors, wherein the current rhombus has N sets of four triangles due to the N candidate motion vectors.