The Video-On-Demand Trial in Taiwan: A Partially DAVIC Compliant System

This paper reviews the Video-On-Demand technical trial conducted by Computer & Communication Research Laboratories in Taiwan. This trial is one of the key realization of Taiwan's National Information Infrastructure. The primary goal is to provide a testbed and platform for new product development, interoperability test, and interactive multimedia applications. It also explores the technical difficulties from which experiences can be gained for future large scale deployment. Open system and end-to-end system are the most important requirements of the VOD system in this trial. Open system allows a variety of video servers and set-top boxes to be integrated into the system while end-to-end system requires system integration know-how.An overview of the Video-On-Demand system is provided in this paper. The architecture of the video server, delivery network and set-top box will be examined. The system integration issues including content preparation will also be discussed.     

A new preparation method for cross-sectional TEM specimens

This article presents a new and more time-saving method for the preparation of cross-sectional TEM specimens from coated materials. The preparation procedure includes prepreparation, mounting, embedding, mechanical thinning, and ion-beam thinning. Some special techniques used are also discussed. The main features of the method are as follows: (a) The sample was sandwiched between silicon sheets and then cast in a 3-mm-diameter brass tube with epoxy. The mounted specimen was cured, and then thin slices were cut from the tube. (b) The slice was reinforced on one side with a thin slit disc of beryllium-copper alloy. (c) The assembly was ground, prethinned, and then ion-beam thinned to perforation. This technique has been applied to prepare various interfaces. The specimens prepared by this technique were investigated by TEM, and the results are presented to illustrate the performance of this technique.     

Strategy for determination of in vitro protein acetylation sites by using isotope-labeled acetyl coenzyme A and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Acetylation of proteins on specific lysine residues by acetyltransferase enzymes is a post-translational modification for biologically relevant regulation. In this study, we proposed a strategy to determine the in vitro acetylation sites of proteins by tracing isotope-labeled acetyl groups using mass spectrometry. Isotope-labeled and unlabeled acetyl groups transferred onto the substrates in vitro result in a specific "mass difference" that can be measured by MS analysis and utilized for localization of potential acetylated peptide signals. The identification of acetylation site is facilitated by conducting MS/MS experiments on those selected signals. Acetylation reactions of substrates were performed in the presence of acetyltransferase and equal molar of isotope-labeled acetyl coenzyme A ([(13)C2-2-D3]-acetyl-CoA) and unlabeled acetyl-CoA. After enzymatic digestion, the resulting peptide mixture was fractionated by off-line, reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and the accurate mass measurement of peptides was achieved by a quadrupole/time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Signals with 5-Da (or their multiples) mass differences and equal responses were selected out by program computation. Those potential acetylated peptide signals were subjected to MS/MS analyses for determination of acetylation sites. We have used histone H3 peptide (aa 1-20), histone H2B peptide (aa 1-21), histone H2A, and histone H2B proteins as the model compounds to demonstrate the applicability of this analytical scheme for the characterization of in vitro acetylation sites.     

Electropolishing behavior of pure titanium in sulfuric acid–ethanol electrolytes with an addition of water

The electropolishing behavior of commercially pure Ti was studied in sulfuric acid–ethanol electrolytes with a small amount of H₂O. The experimental results showed that commercially pure Ti could be electropolished well in the 3 M H₂SO₄–ethanol electrolyte, while inadequately electropolished in 0.5 and 1 M H₂SO₄–ethanol electrolytes. However, the brightening effect on the Ti surface could be clearly observed by the addition of a few volume percent of H₂O to the 0.5 and 1 M H₂SO₄–ethanol electrolytes. The effect of a small amount of H₂O in the H₂SO₄–ethanol electrolytes on the electropolishing behavior of pure Ti was discussed.     

Influence of Si content on microstructure of TiAl alloys

A systematic study of four ternary TiAl-based alloys with constant Ti content of 52.2at.% and variable Si content ranging from 0.3 to 2.7at.% (Al in balance) was conducted. The alloys were prepared from elemental powders via a route including powder mixing, precompaction, cold extrusion, and reactive hot-isostatic pressing. All investigated alloys contain the intermetallic compounds γ-TiAl, ₂-Ti₃Al, and ζ-Ti₅(Si,Al)₃. The microstructure can be described as a duplex structure (i.e., lamella γ/₂ regions distributed in a γ matrix) containing ζ precipitates. With increasing Si content, the number of primary ζ precipitates increased and the γ grain size became finer while the lamellar volume fraction decreased slightly.     

Microstructure study of the hardening mechanism of Cr–Ni alloy deposits after flame heating for a few seconds

Cr–Ni alloy deposits with different chemical compositions could be obtained from a bath with trivalent Cr and divalent Ni ions. With a plating current density above 20 A dm^? 2, amorphous Cr-rich alloy deposits were obtained, and crystalline Ni-rich deposits were achieved with an electroplating current density lower than 15 A dm^? 2. The hardness of the Ni-rich deposit decreased gradually with increasing flame-heating time. On the contrary, the hardness of Cr-rich alloy deposit could be significantly increased from 550 Hv to 1450 Hv after flame heating for 3 s. The results of a microstructure study show that the precipitation of nano-sized carbon-related particles, possibly diamond-like particles, could be the main hardening mechanism of flame-heated Cr-rich alloy deposit. These particles have particularly high hardness values, and they distort the nearby Cr-rich lattice, which leads to obvious strain fields in the flame-hardened Cr-rich alloy deposits.     

Profitability decided by patent quality? An empirical study of the U.S. semiconductor industry

The investment in research and development (R&D) for semiconductor industry is never small as the technology cycle time (TCT) is relatively short comparing to other industries, thus a semiconductor company requires lots of technological innovations and capital offerings to maintain. The semiconductor industry contributes primarily part of the micro-electronic industries. Advancing technology and patent application are the centre of attention within the semiconductor sector. This research examines the relationship between patent quality and the profits a patent creates for a company in this selected field. This study distinguishes itself from prior research by including cross-sectional data, time series data to simultaneously collect and analyze. The study result shows that some indicators of patent quality are statistically significant to return on assets.