Abstract: Image data is subject to compression and decompression when it is respectively written to and read from a frame buffer. If a portion of the image data is identified as static (subject to less than a threshold amount of change for greater than a threshold time), then compression control parameters used for compression of that portion of the image are adjusted so as to increase the compression ratio achieved, hold the degree of lossiness substantially constant and increase the energy consumed while compressing that portion. The increased energy consumption during this high compression ratio compression is likely compensated for by a reduction in energy subsequently consumed when writing that frame-buffer image data to the frame buffer and reading that frame-buffer image data multiple times from the frame buffer. The compression characteristics varied may be to increase the block size used in the compression.

Abstract: A touch sensitive active matrix display device is provided. The device includes a display fabricated on a first flexible substrate, said display having a viewing surface. The device further includes a touch sensitive sensor including a second flexible substrate, under said display. The touch sensor is operated by touching said viewing surface of said display, and said combined display and touch sensitive sensor is flexible.

Abstract: A method of producing a transparent electrode suitable for use in an organic semiconductor photovoltaic device. First and second silanes (3) are deposited from the vapour phase on a substrate (1) and bind to the surface of the substrate. A metal film (4) is then deposited from the vapour phase and binds to both the first and second silanes so as to produce a transparent metal layer having a thickness which is no greater than about 15 nanometres. The first silane is a non-amino functional silane and the second silane is an aminofunctional silane. The electrode may be flexible, using a polymer substrate (1). The metal film (4) may be provided with a plurality of apertures (5), provided for example by masking the substrate with microspheres (2) while depositing the metal and subsequently removing the microspheres, and/or annealing the metal so that apertures appear.

Abstract: A method of monitoring a Mass Flow Controller (MFC) connected to a pressure chamber for supplying gas to the chamber, which is an unpumped condition, includes cyclically switching the MFC to create successive fill cycles for a test period and measuring the chamber pressure at intervals during the test period. The method is characterised in that the total switch time of the MFC is at least 10% of the fill cycle and in that the method includes obtaining the average of the pressure measurements and comparing them with historical data to determine whether or not the MFC is functioning properly.

Abstract: A touch sensitive active matrix display device is provided. The device includes a display fabricated on a first flexible substrate, said display having a viewing surface. The device further includes a touch sensitive sensor including a second flexible substrate, under said display. The touch sensor is operated by touching said viewing surface of said display, and said combined display and touch sensitive sensor is flexible.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of organic thin-film transistors (OTFT) with a gate insulator layer comprised of nanocomposites incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles coated by organic ligands and methods of fabricating such OTFTs. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Abstract: We describe an electronic document reader system for viewing electronic documents, in which the electronic documents are viewable on a removable electronic document reader display that is useable whilst removed from an electronic document reader display holder. The system comprises: a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable; a display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display, and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

Abstract: An intumescent composition which comprises a polymer selected from a silane-terminated polyurethane or a silane-terminated polyether, a plasticizer that is compatible with the polymer and an intumescent ingredient. Processes of forming a cured intumescent substance, and methods of fire protecting a building are also provided.

Abstract: A data path for a SIMD-based microprocessor is used to perform different simultaneous filter sub-operations in parallel data lanes of the SIMD-based microprocessor. Filter operations for sub-pixel interpolation are performed simultaneously on separate lanes of the SIMD processor's data path. Using a dedicated internal data path, precision higher than the native precision of the SIMD unit may be achieved. Through the data path according to this invention, a single instruction may be used to generate the value of two adjacent sub-pixels located diagonally with respect to integer pixel positions.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to an electronic document reading device, that is to a device such as an electronic book which presents a document to a user on a display to enable the user to read the document. A portable flex-tolerant electronic document reading device, the device including a flex-tolerant display coupled to a flex-tolerant layer of pixel driver circuitry, and wherein said device has a physical configuration comprising a planar display surface and a rear surface having a frame around its outer perimeter to stiffen the device, the frame defining a central region of relatively reduced thickness compared with a thickness of said frame.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of processing units (4 to 18; 32 to 38) executing respective streams of program instructions corresponding to respective processing threads. Exception control circuitry 20, 42 controls exception processing for a group of the processing unit in response to an exception triggering event. Each of the processing units moves only once and in sequence between normal, in-exception and done-exception states in response to a given exception event. A group of processing units moves in sequence between states normal, triggering and completing in response to the exception event. A counter value is used to track the number of processing units which have entered exception processing and then to track the number of processing units which have completed their exception processing.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing data 2 is provided including processing circuitry 24 controlled by an instruction decoder 20 in response to a stream of program instructions. There is also provided dedicated function hardware 12 configured to receive output data from the processing circuitry and to perform a dedicated processing operation. The instruction decoder 20 is responsive to an end instruction 54 and a software processing flag (blend_shade_enabled) to control the processing circuitry to end a current software routine, to generate output data and in dependence upon the software processing flag either trigger processing of the output data by the dedicated function hardware or trigger the processing circuitry to perform a further software routine upon the output data to generate software generated result data instead of hardware generated result data as generated by the dedicated hardware circuitry.

Abstract: An electrochemical device, such as a battery or power source, provides improved performance under stringent or extreme conditions. Such an electrochemical device for use in high temperature conditions may include at least a cathode, a lithium-based anode, a separator, and an ionic liquid electrolyte. This device also may include a current collector and housing that are electrochemically inert with respect to other components of the device. This electrochemical device may operate at temperatures ranging from 0 to 180, 200, 220, 240, and 260° C.

Abstract: There is provided a device comprising a body structure having one or more surfaces wherein at least one of the surfaces comprises a pH sensitive layer comprising a linear polymer, wherein the water solubility of the linear polymer increases from a first water solubility to a second water solubility at a pH trigger. A method of forming a device, and a method of preventing or mitigating infection is also described.

Abstract: A mailing envelope is disclosed, the envelope including an outer paper layer forming a pocket and an inner foil layer lining an inner surface of the outer paper layer within the pocket. The foil layer includes an aluminium foil having a thickness in a range of 6 to 10 ?m. Also disclosed is a mailing envelope including an outer paper layer forming a pocket and an inner foil layer lining an inner surface of the outer paper layer within the pocket, wherein the inner foil layer includes an aluminium foil coated with a lacquer.

Abstract: Inter-processor communication systems and methods that define within the instruction set of the microprocessor a command for directing the microprocessor to relinquish control over at least one of the microprocessor's internal registers. The microprocessor may then signal a communication interface that collects data from external sources. The communication interface takes control over the internal register released by the microprocessor and inputs the collected external data directly into the internal register of the microprocessor. Once data is place into the internal register, control of that register may be returned to the microprocessor.

Abstract: There is provided a non-water soluble drug delivery composition comprising a conjugate and a polymer matrix wherein exposure of the composition to electromagnetic radiation at a suitable pre-determined wavelength and intensity induces release of the active ingredient from the composition. The conjugate is attached to the polymer matrix through non-covalent interactions. There is also provided a drug delivery apparatus formed from the drug delivery composition.

Abstract: Systems and methods for recording instruction sequences in a microprocessor having a dynamically decoupleable extended instruction pipeline. A record instruction including a record start address is sent to the extended pipeline. The extended pipeline thus begins recording the subsequent instruction sequence at the specified address until an end record instruction is encountered. The end record instruction is recorded as the last instruction in the sequence. The main pipeline may then call the instruction sequence by sending a run instruction including the start address for the desired sequence to the extended pipeline. This run instruction causes the extended pipeline to begin autonomously executing the recorded sequence until the end record instruction is encountered. This instruction causes the extended pipeline to cease autonomous execution and to return to executing instructions supplied by the main pipeline.

Abstract: The invention relates to electronic devices, in particular consumer electronic devices, including an electrophoactive display, as well as to electronic document reading devices, sometimes called e-readers, such as electronic books. We describe an electronic device including an electroactive display and a light to illuminate said display, wherein said display has a viewing surface, and wherein said light is configured to illuminate said display from in front and to one side of an edge of said viewing surface, across said viewing surface and through a front-most surface of said display.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fish vaccine. More specifically the invention relates to a vaccine to protect salmon against infection by Piscirickettsia salmonis. The invention is based on or derived from the nucleic acid or amino acid sequence of antigens from Piscirickettsia salmonis. Nucleic acid and/or amino acid sequences may be used in the preparation of a vaccine to protect against infection by Piscirickettsia salmonis.