Abstract: The present invention provides polymeric nanoparticles comprising triblock and optionally diblock copolymer chains. The architecture of the polymeric nanoparticles may be controlled, resulting in nanoparticles having non-spherical shapes. The present invention also provides a method of preparing the polymeric nanoparticles and a rubber article such as a tire manufactured from a formulation comprising the polymer nanoparticles.

Abstract: Cationic techniques can be used to polymerize monomers that include a class of hydroxyaryl compounds so as to provide polymers that exhibit desirable properties including, but not limited to, reduced hysteresis. Compositions such as vulcanizates in which such polymers can be utilized and products such as tire components that incorporate and/or are manufactured from such compositions also are provided.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a block interpolymer comprising at least one diene block and at least one butyl block, wherein the at least one butyl block comprises residue from a functionalizing agent on at least one end adjacent to the diene block(s). The disclosure also relates to methods of making such block interpolymers. Also disclosed is a rubber composition comprising: (a) a block interpolymer comprising at least one diene block and at least one butyl block, and (b) a filler, wherein said at least one butyl block comprises residue from a functionalizing agent on at least one end adjacent to said diene block(s).

Abstract: A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising the steps of (i) polymerizing conjugated diene monomer by employing a lanthanide-based catalyst to form a reactive polymer, and (ii) reacting the reactive polymer with an azine compound.

Abstract: A polymer includes at a terminus a cyclic amine radical bonded to the polymer through a ring nitrogen atom. The polymer can be provided by using a lithiated version of the cyclic amine to initiate polymerization of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers. The polymer can be used in the production in a variety of vulcanizates.

Abstract: An initiator compound comprising an aryl or heteroaryl thioacetal including a substituent defined by the formula where x is an integer from 1 to about 5, y is an integer from 1 to about 5, the sum of x and y is from about 3 to about 6, ? is carbon, sulfur, oxygen, silicon, or an amino group, and each R1 is individually hydrogen or a monovalent organic group or where two or more R1 groups may join to form one or more rings.

Abstract: Vulcanizates with desirable properties can be obtained from compounds incorporating polymers that include hydroxyl group-containing aryl functionalities. The functionalities can be incorporated by using any or all of appropriate initiators, monomers and optional terminating compounds. Such polymers exhibit excellent interactivity with both conventional and non-conventional fillers.

Abstract: A functionalized polymer includes a polymer chain and, bonded thereto, an functional group having the general formula —NHAR1 where A is an oxygen atom, a sulfinyl (thionyl) group, a sulfonyl group, a quaternary phosphonium group, or a secondary amino group and where R1 is a hydrogen atom or a moiety of the general formula —CH2Z where Z is H or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkenaryl, aralkenyl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group. The material can be the reaction product of a living polymer and a compound that includes protected imine functionality. The functional group can interact with particulate filler such as, e.g., carbon black.

Abstract: A functionalized polymer includes a polymer chain and, bonded thereto, a functional group having the general formula —NQOR1 where R1 is a hydrogen atom or —CH2Z where Z is a hydrogen atom or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkenaryl, aralkenyl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group and where Q is a moiety connected to the nitrogen atom of the functional group through a C, N, O, or S atom. The material can be the reaction product of a living polymer and a compound that includes nitroso functionality. The functional group can interact with particulate filler such as, e.g., carbon black.

Abstract: A video encoder and a decoder analyze the spatial content video data in an H.264 stream using the discrete cosine transform (DCT). Although the DCT is computed as part of the H.264 encoding process, it is not computed as part of the decoding process. Thus, one would compute the DCT of the video data after it has been reconstructed by the video decoder for video post-processing or enhanced video encoding. A method for accelerating the computation of the DCT at the decoder side when transmitting intra-mode macroblocks uses information computed by the encoder and transmitted as part of the H.264 video stream.

Abstract: A method of encoding a video frame is disclosed in which video slices of the video frame are initially encoded in parallel using both interframe encoding and intraframe encoding. Then, after a first predetermined minimum amount of the video frame has been encoded, the method includes periodically determining whether the amount of intraframe encoded information for the frame achieves a first threshold, and when the first threshold is achieved, encoding the remainder of the video frame using only intraframe encoding. The method may include determining whether a lower second threshold is achieved based on relative complexity of the frame and quantization. The method may include performing similar comparisons on a slice by slice basis in which any one or more of the processing devices skips motion estimation and interframe encoding for corresponding video slices. A video encoder is disclosed which includes multiple processing devices and a shared memory.

Abstract: A composition that includes functionalized polymers and particulate filler is provided. The composition includes at least three components: (1) a polymer that includes a first type of functionality such as a functional group including a primary or secondary amine functionality, (2) a polymer that includes a second type of functionality such as an alkoxysilane or other silica interacting functionality, and (3) at least two types of particulate filler. One of the functionalized polymers can be made in the presence of the other.

Abstract: A localized content adaptive filter system including a tile buffer having an output providing first image information, a frequency analyzer providing a frequency information signal based on frequency content of the first image information, and an adaptive filter which is adjusted based on the frequency information signal. The frequency analyzer may include a wavelet transform filter and a frequency content analyzer. The adaptive filter may include filter select logic which receives the frequency information signal and second image information associated with the first image information, and which provides filtered image information. The filter select logic determines a filter based on the frequency information signal and the determined filter filters the second image information to provide the filtered image information.

Abstract: A functionalized polymer includes a polymer chain and, bonded thereto, an functional group having the general formula —NHAR1 where A is an oxygen atom, a sulfinyl (thionyl) group, a sulfonyl group, a quaternary phosphonium group, or a secondary amino group and where R1 is a hydrogen atom or a moiety of the general formula —CH2Z where Z is H or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkenaryl, aralkenyl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group. The material can be the reaction product of a living polymer and a compound that includes protected imine functionality. The functional group can interact with particulate filler such as, e.g., carbon black.

Abstract: A fast motion estimation system that determines a reference macroblock or sub-block combination within a reference frame for a current macroblock in a current frame includes a memory, a reference macroblock search circuit, a sub-block combination search circuit, and a comparator circuit. The reference macroblock search circuit determines a motion vector, multiple difference values, and a cost value for each macroblock within the reference frame according to a fast motion estimation search pattern, and stores the motion vector and the difference values in the memory. The sub-block combination search circuit searches the motion vector and the difference values in the memory for determining a corresponding one of multiple lowest cost sub-block combinations for each of multiple sub-block motion modes. The comparator circuit determines a lowest cost macroblock and selects from among the lowest cost macroblock and the lowest cost sub-block combinations to determine the reference macroblock.

Abstract: An optical input apparatus including light sources, light receiving areas, and processing circuits. The light from the sources can be reflected by fingers into the receiving areas where the incident light can trigger electrical signals. The processing circuits can process the signals and transmit corresponding data entry or pointing information to host computer or other electronic systems. The light receiving areas can be arranged and assigned functions to perform keyboard and mouse functions. Additional touch/pressure-triggered switch can be included to assist selection of keys. This invention enables fast and touchless operation of keyboard and mouse that avoid repetitive strain injuries and pains. It also enables fast and more convenient use of small size keyboard.

Abstract: An image processing system is disclosed which uses gain information from an input image to determine a threshold value used to filter the input image. The gain information is indicative of the amount of illumination of the input image and thus the noise level. The image processing system includes an image processor, a converter and a filter. The image processor receives and processes first image information into second image information and extracts the gain information from the first image information. The converter converts the gain information into a filter threshold, which is used by the filter to filter the second image information to provide filtered image information. The converter may include a lookup table storing noise characteristic estimates or the threshold values. The threshold values may further be based on subband size. The filter may be a wavelet-based transform denoising filter.

Abstract: A vulcanized rubber composition comprising the vulcanization product of a functional polymer, where the functional polymer is defined by the formula where R is selected from C1 to C6 trialkyl-silyl groups, C1 to C20 alkyl groups, C4 to C20 cycloalkyl groups, C6 to C20 aryl groups, thienyl, furyl, and pyridyl groups; and R may optionally have attached thereto any of the following functional groups: C1 to C10 alkyl groups, C6 to C20 aryl groups, C2 to C10 alkenyl groups, C3 to C10 non-terminal alkynyl groups, ethers, tert-amines, oxazolines, thiazolines, phosphines, sulfides, silyls, and mixtures thereof; where R1 is selected from C2 to C8 alkylene groups, where X is NR, and where ? is a polymer chain.

Abstract: Sequential video data frames are encoded using cores including a first core and a second core. A first beginning frame is divided into slices. The first core is assigned to process a first slice. The second core is assigned to process a second slice. The first beginning frame is processed using the cores which results in a first ending frame in which the first slice was partitioned into a third slice and a fourth slice. The third slice was processed by the first core. The fourth slice and the second slice were processed by the second core. A second beginning frame, which immediately follows the first ending frame, is divided into a second plurality of slices. The first core is assigned to the third slice. The second core is assigned to a fifth slice which has a size equal to a sum of the second and fourth slices.

Abstract: The embodiments of the invention relate to a multifunctional lithiated amine-containing compound comprising at least two molecules of lithiated amine in a molecule of the compound. In one embodiment, the compound has a formula where x is an integer of 1 or more, Q is (a) an element selected from the group consisting of O, S, N, P and Si or (b) an alkylene group having from 1 to 20 methylene groups, and R1 and R2 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of alkyls, cycloalkyls and aralkyls containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms. In another embodiment, the compound comprises cyclic lithio amines and has a formula: where x is 1 or more, R3, R4 and R5 are the same or different and represent alkylene groups containing from 3 to 20 carbon atoms.