Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reducing the level of uric acid in a subject, which comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of a fermentation product of Tenacibaculum sp. Also provided are a method of preventing and/or treating a disease or disorder related to hyperuricemia, a method of increasing the digestion of uric acid and a method of producing uricase.

Abstract: A multi-class object classifying method and system are disclosed herein, where the multi-class object classifying method includes the following steps: classes, first training images and second training images are received and stored, and first characteristic images and second characteristic images are respectively extracted from the first training images and the second training images; the first training images is used to generate classifiers through a linear mapping classifying method; a classifier and the second characteristic images are used to determine parameter ranges corresponding to the classes and a threshold corresponding to the classifier.

Abstract: A multi-class object classifying method and system are disclosed herein, where the multi-class object classifying method includes the following steps: classes, first training images and second training images are received and stored, and first characteristic images and second characteristic images are respectively extracted from the first training images and the second training images; the first training images is used to generate classifiers through a linear mapping classifying method; a classifier and the second characteristic images are used to determine parameter ranges corresponding to the classes and a threshold corresponding to the classifier.

Abstract: A method for inhibiting xanthine oxidase and for reducing uric acid levels using a pharmaceutical composition or a food product obtained by culturing Gluconacetobacter hansenii or Acetobacter pasteurianus in a medium. Also disclosed is a pharmaceutical composition and a food product that each include a metabolite of Gluconacetobacter hansenii or Acetobacter pasteurianus for reducing uric acid levels in a subject and methods for producing the pharmaceutical composition and the food product.

Abstract: A method for inhibiting xanthine oxidase and for reducing uric acid levels using a composition obtained by culturing Lactobacillus rhamnosus in a medium. Also disclosed is a composition including a metabolite of Lactobacillus rhamnosus for reducing uric acid levels in a subject and a method for producing the composition.

Abstract: A method for inhibiting xanthine oxidase and for reducing uric acid levels using a composition obtained by culturing Gluconacetobacter hansenii or Acetobacter pasteurianus in a medium. Also disclosed is a composition that includes a metabolite of Gluconacetobacter hansenii or Acetobacter pasteurianus for reducing uric acid levels in a subject and a method for producing the composition.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel monascuspurpurone compound of formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof as described in the specification, the process for preparation of the same, and the composition comprising the same. The uses of a monascuspurpurone compound for promoting adipocyte differentiation, for increasing the activity of PPAR? and/or C/EBP?, for lowering blood glucose, for preventing and/or treating a disease or disorder related to insulin resistance, and for preventing and/or treating metabolic syndrome or its complications are also provided.

Abstract: An image coding method including constructing a plurality of edge models with a Forward Discrete Cosine Transform (FDCT) algorithm; creating adjustment equations each matching one of the edge models; capturing an image comprising pixels; selecting the pixels of the image to define image blocks; detecting by block-edge detection (BED) a pattern collectively exhibited by the pixels in the each of the image blocks and then comparing the detected pattern with patterns of the edge models; changing the patterns of the image blocks to the patterns of the edge models and adjusting the dominating coefficient by the adjustment factor after determining that the patterns of the image blocks approximate to the patterns of the edge models; and performing a coding process on the edge models by LLEC to generate a compressed image corresponding to the edge models. An embedded system is applicable to the image coding method.

Abstract: The present invention concerns the uses of an azaphilone compound of formula (I): formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof as described in the specification for modulation of the activity of a nuclear hormone receptor and for prevention and/or treatment of a disease or disorder related to nuclear hormone receptor activity.

Abstract: A license plate recognition system and method recognizes a license plate attached to a vehicle and bears a license plate number. The system includes a database module, a reducing module, an image capturing unit, a sorting unit, and a recognizing module. The database module stores license plate position sample type-related data and license plate number sample type-related data whose quantity is reducible by the reducing module. The image capturing unit captures license plate images at different imaging resolutions to generate license plate position image eigenvalue and license plate number image eigenvalue. The sorting unit computes the license plate position image eigenvalue to generate license plate position type-related data and computes the license plate number image eigenvalue to generate license plate number type-related data. The recognizing module compares the license plate number type-related data with the license plate number sample type-related data, thereby recognizing the license plate number.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-touch sensing system capable of optimizing touch bulbs according to the variation of ambient lighting conditions and a method thereof. The system comprises an image capturing module, a computing module and a processing module. The image capturing module captures a touch image. The computing module converts the touch image into a histogram and selects a grayscale threshold to segment the histogram by dichotomy for generating a segmented image of touch bulbs, and then calculates a between-class variance and a total pixel variance of the segmented image to estimate the separability factor thereof. The processing module determines whether or not the separability factor conforms to a predetermined value; if yes, then the processing module performs an image binarization of the touch image to generate a binary image, or else the processing module repeats the aforementioned process until the separability factor conforms to a predetermined value.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reducing the level of uric acid in a subject, which comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of a fermentation product of Tenacibaculum sp. Also provided are a method of preventing and/or treating a disease or disorder related to hyperuricemia, a method of increasing the digestion of uric acid and a method of producing uricase.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a guide system having a function of a real-time voice response for the visually impaired and a method thereof. The guide system responds road conditions in real time using two processing modules performing image processing and voice responses, respectively. The guide system includes an visual sensing module sensing an image, a memory storing multiple training samples and multiple pieces of audio response information, an image processing module performing an image detection process to the image so as to create at least a segmented image, performing an object detection process to the segmented image, and performing an object recognition process so as to create a recognition signal, a system processing module creating an audio signal based on the recognition signal such that a speech voice is hearable by a user.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel monascuspurpurone compound of formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof as described in the specification, the process for preparation of the same, and the composition comprising the same. The uses to of a monascuspurpurone compound for promoting adipocyte differentiation, for increasing the activity of PPAR? and/or C/EBP?, for lowering blood glucose, for preventing and/or treating a disease or disorder related to insulin resistance, and for preventing and/or treating metabolic syndrome or its complications are also provided.

Abstract: An image coding method including constructing a plurality of edge models with a Forward Discrete Cosine Transform (FDCT) algorithm; creating adjustment equations each matching one of the edge models; capturing an image comprising pixels; selecting the pixels of the image to define image blocks; detecting by block-edge detection (BED) a pattern collectively exhibited by the pixels in the each of the image blocks and then comparing the detected pattern with patterns of the edge models; changing the patterns of the image blocks to the patterns of the edge models and adjusting the dominating coefficient by the adjustment factor after determining that the patterns of the image blocks approximate to the patterns of the edge models; and performing a coding process on the edge models by LLEC to generate a compressed image corresponding to the edge models. An embedded system is applicable to the image coding method.

Abstract: A controller chip for controlling a motor device includes a first input port, a first output port, a controller, and a signal processing circuit. The first input port is arranged to receive a motor control input. The first output port is arranged to generate a motor control output. The controller is arranged to generate an output signal according to an input signal, and has a second input port for receiving the input signal and a second output port for outputting the output signal. The input signal is derived from the motor control input, and the motor control output is derived from the output signal. The signal processing circuit has a target interconnection configuration selected from a plurality of candidate interconnection configurations each including an interconnection between the first input port and the second input port and an interconnection between the first output port and the second output port.

Abstract: A license plate recognition system and method recognizes a license plate attached to a vehicle and bears a license plate number. The system includes a database module, a reducing module, an image capturing unit, a sorting unit, and a recognizing module. The database module stores license plate position sample type-related data and license plate number sample type-related data whose quantity is reducible by the reducing module. The image capturing unit captures license plate images at different imaging resolutions to generate license plate position image eigenvalue and license plate number image eigenvalue. The sorting unit computes the license plate position image eigenvalue to generate license plate position type-related data and computes the license plate number image eigenvalue to generate license plate number type-related data. The recognizing module compares the license plate number type-related data with the license plate number sample type-related data, thereby recognizing the license plate number.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a guide system having a function of a real-time voice response for the visually impaired and a method thereof. The guide system responds road conditions in real time using two processing modules performing image processing and voice responses, respectively. The guide system includes an visual sensing module sensing an image, a memory storing multiple training samples and multiple pieces of audio response information, an image processing module performing an image detection process to the image so as to create at least a segmented image, performing an object detection process to the segmented image, and performing an object recognition process so as to create a recognition signal, a system processing module creating an audio signal based on the recognition signal such that a speech voice is hearable by a user.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a vehicle tracking system and method, and the tracking method comprises the steps of capturing a bright object from an image by the bright object segmentation; labeling the bright object by a connected component labeling method and forming a connected component object; identifying, analyzing and combining the characteristics of the connected component object to form a lamp object by the bright object recognition; tracking the trajectory of the lamp object by a multi-vehicle tracking method; and identifying the type of a vehicle having the lamp object by the vehicle detection/recognition and counting the number of various vehicles.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-touch sensing system capable of optimizing touch bulbs according to the variation of ambient lighting conditions and a method thereof. The system comprises an image capturing module, a computing module and a processing module. The image capturing module captures a touch image. The computing module converts the touch image into a histogram and selects a grayscale threshold to segment the histogram by dichotomy for generating a segmented image of touch bulbs, and then calculates a between-class variance and a total pixel variance of the segmented image to estimate the separability factor thereof. The processing module determines whether or not the separability factor conforms to a predetermined value; if yes, then the processing module performs an image binarization of the touch image to generate a binary image, or else the processing module repeats the aforementioned process until the separability factor conforms to a predetermined value.