Abstract: A liquid-crystal display device comprising a liquid-crystal cell with plural domains and a transparent film comprising at least two domains that differ in in-plane retardation (Re) and/or thickness-direction retardation (Rth) for a visible light wavelength ? nm is disclosed. The domains of the transparent film and the domains of the liquid-crystal cell have no correlation in terms of their arrangement and/or size.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display is disclosed. The display comprises a pair of substrates disposed facing each other and at least one of which has an electrode, a liquid-crystal layer being sandwiched in between the pair of substrates and comprising liquid-crystal molecules aligned along with a first alignment axis and a second alignment axis respectively formed on facing surfaces of the first and second substrates, a pair of polarizing plates disposed sandwiching the liquid-crystal layer, and at least an optically anisotropic layer disposed between the liquid-crystal layer and either of the polarizing plates, and comprising at least one liquid crystal compound which is aligned along with a third alignment axis and is fixed in the alignment state.

Abstract: An optical film is provided and contains at least one of a polycarbonate copolymer and a blend containing the polycarbonate copolymer. The polycarbonate copolymer contains specific repeating units. The optical film satisfies the following formulae (1) to (4). 0.1<Re(450)/Re(50)<0.95??(1) 1.03<Re(650)/Re(550)<1.93??(2) 0.4<(Re(450)/Rth(450))/(Re(550)/Rth(550))<0.95??(3) 1.05<(Re(650)/Rth(650))/(Re(550)/Rth(550))<1.

Abstract: A restart method for restarting an operating system in a computer in which a failure has occurred, the restart method includes the steps of, upon occurrence of a failure in an active computer in which an operating system (OS) is in operation, ordering disconnection of an OS storing storage device from the active computer by using a processor, ordering connection of the OS storing storage device to a stand-by computer by using the processor, restarting the operating system in the OS storing storage device by using the stand-by computer, and outputting dump information to a dump information storing storage device, by using the active computer, in parallel with restart of the operating system conducted by the stand-by computer.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and programs for current position information management store map data and detect a current position of a vehicle using dead-reckoning navigation. The systems, methods, and programs monitor, based on the detected current position, a left-right position of the vehicle relative to a lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The systems, methods, and programs add up an amount of movement in the left-right direction and detect a lane change by comparing the added up amount of movement with the lane's width.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and programs for determining whether a vehicle is off-road or on-road, store map data, determine the vehicle's current position; and obtain information about an area around the current position of the vehicle from the stored map data. The systems, methods, and programs obtain information related to a road-side zone of a road from the obtained information about the area around the current position of the vehicle, and determine that the road-side zone is crossed. The systems, methods, and programs may make an off-road determination if the determined current position of the vehicle was on-road before the crossing of the road-side zone and make an on-road determination if the current position of the vehicle was off-road before the crossing of the road-side zone.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display is disclosed. The display comprises a pair of substrates disposed facing each other and at least one of which has an electrode, a liquid-crystal layer being sandwiched in between the pair of substrates and comprising liquid-crystal molecules aligned along with a first alignment axis and a second alignment axis respectively formed on facing surfaces of the first and second substrates, a pair of polarizing plates disposed sandwiching the liquid-crystal layer, and at least an optically anisotropic layer disposed between the liquid-crystal layer and either of the polarizing plates, and comprising at least one liquid crystal compound which is aligned along with a third alignment axis and is fixed in the alignment state.

Abstract: In an information processing system including host computers and disk devices, each of an execution-node host and a standby-node host includes an I/O request unit and an access-right change command unit. The I/O request unit issues an I/O request. The access-right change command unit transmits an access-right change command. The access-right change command results from causing I/O-enable/disable information and the host identification information to correspond to each other. The disk device includes an access control table, an access control unit, and an access-right change unit. The access control table stores information of the access-right change commands from the hosts. The access control unit judges the execution enablement/disablement for the I/O requests from the host identification information and the access control table.