The present invention aims to provide a polyvinyl acetal resin composition that is moldable by an extrusion method and capable of exhibiting excellent heat resistance after molding, an adhesive sheet containing the polyvinyl acetal resin composition, and a method for producing the adhesive sheet. The present invention relates to a polyvinyl acetal resin composition including: a polyvinyl acetal; a reactive diluent; and a photopolymerization initiator, the polyvinyl acetal resin composition having a storage modulus G′ at 200° C. before irradiation with light of 8×104 Pa or lower and a storage modulus G′ at 200° C. after irradiation with light of 8×103 Pa or higher, with the storage modulus G′ at 200° C. after irradiation with light being higher than the storage modulus G′ at 200° C. before irradiation with light.

Polyvinyl acetal is widely used for various applications such as coatings, wash primers, binders for ceramics, and interlayer films for a laminated glass, because of its excellent toughness, adhesiveness to inorganic substances, and solubility in organic solvents.
Typically, polyvinyl acetal is plasticized with a plasticizer and molded by an extrusion method before put to various uses (e.g., Patent Literature 1). Plasticized polyvinyl acetal, however, has low heat resistance after molding. Thus, when plasticized polyvinyl acetal is used to bond substrates together, for example, the resin composition may soften at high temperature and deform due to the weight of the substrates, causing a change in the positional relation between the bonded substrates (hereinafter, also referred to as "plate misalignment"). The polyvinyl acetal resin thus unfortunately cannot be used in applications that require durability at high temperatures, such as adhesive sheets for fixing interior components of automobiles or adhesive sheets for fixing house building materials.

Polyvinyl acetal resin composition, adhesive sheet, and method for producing adhesive sheet


A method and apparatus for testing an optical cable is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a receiver for receiving a received pulse train through the optical cable. The apparatus may further include a cross-correlation system in communication with the receiver. The cross-correlation system may be adapted to determine a cross-correlation of the received pulse train and matched filter to an expected pulse train. The apparatus may further include a comparator in communication with the cross-correlation system. The comparator may be adapted to compare the cross-correlation to a threshold. The apparatus may also include an output transmitter, in communication with the comparator. The output transmitter may be able to output a comparison-result output that includes the results of the comparator comparison of the cross-correlation against a threshold.

Electronic connectors may be used to assist in connecting and routing electronic transmissions into individual devices or vast networks. Electronic connectors may be used with electronic cables so that communication can occur between two or more devices. The use of electronic cables may allow for the communication between two or more devices across a great distance. The use of electronic cables may also allow for the creation of a network that may carry or transmit a multitude of signals to a variety of senders and receivers of such signals. For example, the use of a network cable and connector allows the signal being transmitted over the network cable to be routed through larger network systems that the connector may enable the network cable to interface with.

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention is an improved chip carrier assembly utilizing a cavity-down chip carrier with a pad grid array wherein the IC chip within the chip carrier is mounted against a surface opposite the PWB to which the chip carrier is attached such that heat transfer from the IC chip may occur along a short path to a heat sink such that a large heat transfer rate is possible. Furthermore, the apparatus utilizes an alignment and electrical connection means between the contact pads of the chip carrier and a PWB to which the chip carrier is attached to compensate for shrinkage variation which occurs during the chip carrier fabrication process. Furthermore, within the cavity of the chip carrier there is space for additional components such as a decoupling capacitors. This permits the design of an apparatus providing better heat transfer properties, more accurate contact pad locations and the option of including within the chip carrier components which in the past had been mounted outside of the chip carrier.

This invention relates to connections in electronic assemblies and more particularly to a surface mounted integrated circuit chip carrier.
Surface mounted devices (SMDs) are electronic components that are designed to sit on the surface of a printed wiring board (PWB) or another compatible substrate. Components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors and integrated circuits (IC) may be designed as SMDs and, as such, have either no leads but flat interfacing surfaces or very short leads. The interfacing surfaces or the short leads of these components serve as contact pads which align with corresponding electrical connections on a PWB.
Typically the components are mounted or fabricated within a ceramic or plastic carrier to provide a desired configuration having contact pads on the external surface of the carrier which are electrically connected to the component contained therein.
The advantages of SMDs are numerous. The size of these devices may be 30 to 60% smaller than the traditional leaded components they replace. The holes within the PWBs which accept the leads of leaded components are no longer necessary when utilizing SMDs. For this reason, not only may SMDs be mounted closer together, but SMDs may also be mounted on each side of a PWB. Because of these factors, the overall size and weight of a populated PWB is less than that of a PWB using leaded components.
One specific type of an SMD is an IC chip carrier. Because of the frailty and the inherently small size of an IC chip, the IC chip is typically mounted in a chip carrier which provides structural reinforcement for the chip and also provides a means for making external electrical connections to the IC chip. A chip in a sealed ceramic carrier has the further advantage of providing to the chip hermetic isolation from the outside environment.
Utilizing current chip carrier designs, problems arise when the IC chip is a high power device which generates substantial amounts of heat. First of all SMD technology the size of the chip carrier may be reduced but the necessary heat transfer from the IC chip remains the same. For this reason a chip carrier design is required that is more conducive to transferring heat from the IC chip, thereby permitting heat transfer from an IC chip within a smaller chip carrier.
Secondly, in the past decoupling capacitors used in conjunction with the IC chip were mounted elsewhere on the PWB and electrically connected to the IC chip or a capacitor was mounted to the exterior of the chip carrier, thereby requiring external connections from the chip carrier to the decoupling capacitor even though the decoupling capacitor was electrically connected only to the IC chip.
Thirdly, ceramic materials are used in the fabrication of the chip carrier and associated with the use of ceramic is some degree of shrinkage during the chip carrier fabrication. This becomes critical with SMD chip carriers because the contact pads on the outside of the carrier must be in a precise pattern to align with mating pads on the PWB. As the size of the distance between contact pads is reduced, precise patterns become even more critical.
FIG. 1 shows a cavity-up chip carrier with a pad grid array 10. The chip carrier 10 is comprised of a body 15 having an upwardly facing cavity 20. An IC chip 25 is mounted at the base of the cavity 20. The body 15 configuration is such that within the cavity 20 are a series of ledges 30. From the surface of a ledge 30, electrical strips known as traces 31 extend through the body 15 to vias 32 which then extend downward and are distributed within the body 15 such that each via 32 emerges through the bottom of the body 15 to connect with electrical contact pads 35 of the chip carrier 10. Bonding wires 34 extend from connections on the IC chip 25 to corresponding traces 31 on the ledge 30 of the body 15. With this arrangement, each chip connection from the IC chip 25 is electrically connected to a pad 35 at the bottom of the body 15. As a protective measure, a package lid 40 is secured to the body 15 to fully enclose the cavity 20. The arrangement of the pads 35 at the bottom of the body 15 may form a grid array which extends over the entire area of the bottom of the body 15 or may form a pad arrangement limited to a single row of pads around the perimeter of the body 15. With the number of connections from an IC chip remaining approximately constant and the size of chip carriers steadily reducing, the arrangement of pads in a single row around the perimeter of the body 15 may become impossible because of the necessity for a minimum pad 35 size and therefore it becomes necessary to utilize pads in a grid array arrangement to take full advantage of the area at the bottom of the body 15.
The chip carrier 10 is secured to a PWB 45 which has on its surface electrical interconnect pads (not shown) to which the pads 35 on the chip carrier 10 are aligned. The pads 35 may be secured to the PWB 45 using solder at each carrier pad/PWB interconnect pad interface or may be secured utilizing an external mechanical means to secure the chip carrier 10 to the PWB 45. A decoupling capacitor 50 typically associated with IC chips is attached to the PWB 45 at a proximate location to the chip carrier 10 and electrical connections are made between the decoupling capacitor 50 and the chip carrier 10. In some instances the decoupling capacitor 15 is externally mounted upon the chip carrier 10. Note that an electronic component other than a decoupling capacitor may also be mounted relative to the chip carrier in the same manner as that just described.
The body 15 may be made ceramic and as such during fabrication experiences shrinkage. Because of the tolerance required to fabricate a chip carrier 10 with precisely located pads 35, great care must be taken in designing and fabricating the body 15 such that after shrinkage, the location of the pads will be known. While the shrinkage of the ceramic material used to construct the body is uniform and there is a predictable error range of shrinkage, accurate determination of the locations of the pads 35, after the base has been fabricated, is very difficult.
Furthermore, oftentimes the IC chip 25 will generate substantial amounts of heat that must be effectively removed in order to avoid damage to the chip 25. Typically, the PWB 45 has associated with it a heat sink 55 secured to the PWB 45 through an adhesive interface 60. Heat generated by the IC chip 25 is first conducted through the body 15 and then conducted through each of the pads 35 to the associated PWB interconnect pads at the PWB 45. From here, the heat passes through the PWB 45 past an adhesive interface 60 to a heat sink 55, as indicated by arrows 57, where the heat is removed. For high power IC chips, this heat transfer path may not be adequate to remove all of the generated heat.
It is an object of this invention to provide a chip carrier design that effectively removes heat from a high powered IC chip.
It is another object of this invention to provide a chip carrier design in which the decoupling capacitors may be located directly within the chip carrier body.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a chip carrier design in which the locations of the external electrical contact pads on the chip carrier are known with precision.

Cavity-down chip carrier with pad grid array


In a focus detecting device, a plurality of distributions of quantity of light regarding the image of an object to be photographed are formed by optical means disposed on the image plane side of an objective lens by the use of light beams passed through different areas of the pupil of the objective lens. The relative positional relation between the plurality of distributions of quantity of light is found by light receiving means, and the in-focus state of the objective lens is found by the use of a signal from the light receiving means. The optical means has at least three pairs of secondary imaging lenses each forming a pair of light distributions corresponding to the image of the object to be photographed, and is constructed so that at least two of the light segments passing through the vertices of the lens surfaces of the pairs of secondary imaging lenses intersect each other and at least one other light segment does not intersect.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a focus detecting device suitable for a photographic camera, a video camera or the like, and more particularly to a focus detecting device suitable when detecting the in-focus state of an objective lens by dividing the pupil of the objective lens into a plurality of areas, forming distributions of a quantity of light regarding a plurality of object images by the use of light beams passing through the areas, and finding the relative positional relation between these distributions of the quantity of light.
2. Related Background Art
Among the light receiving type focus detecting systems utilizing a light beam passed through an objective lens, there is a system called the image deviation type.
This image deviation type system is proposed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Nos. 59-107311, 59-107313 etc.
FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings is a schematic view of the optical system of a focus detecting device using the prior-art image deviation system.
In FIG. 9, the reference numeral 61 designates an objective lens, and the reference numeral 62 denotes a field mask disposed near the predetermined imaging plane of the objective lens 61. The reference numeral 63 designates a field lens disposed near the predetermined imaging plane. The reference numeral 64 denotes a secondary optical system comprised of two lenses 64-1 and 64-2 disposed symmetrically with respect to the optic axis of the objective lens 61. The reference numeral 65 designates light receiving means having two light receiving element arrays 65-1 and 65-2 disposed rearwardly of said two lenses 64-1 and 64-2 correspondingly thereto. The reference numeral 66 denotes a stop having two opening portions 66-1 and 66-2 disposed forwardly of said two lenses 64-1 and 64-2 correspondingly thereto. The reference numeral 67 designates the exit pupil of the objective lens 61 which is comprised of two divided areas 67-1 and 67-2.
The field lens 63 has the function of imaging the opening portions 66-1 and 66-2 on the areas 67-1 and 67-2, respectively, of the exit pupil 67, and light beams transmitted through the areas 67-1 and 67-2 may form distributions of the quantity of light on the light receiving element arrays 65-1 and 65-2, respectively.
In the focus detecting device shown in FIG. 9, when the imaging point of the objective lens 61 lies forwardly of the predetermined imaging plane, the distributions of the quantity of light regarding the object images formed on the two light receiving element arrays 65-1 and 65-2 are close to each other, and when the imaging point of the objective lens 61 lies rearwardly of the predetermined imaging plane, the distributions of the quantity of light formed on the two light receiving element arrays 65-1 and 65-2 are far from each other. Moreover, the amount of deviation between the distributions of the quantity of light formed on the two light receiving element arrays 65-1 and 65-2 has a functional relation with the amount of out-of-focus of the objective lens 61 and therefore, if that amount of deviation is calculated by suitable calculating means, the direction and amount of the out-of-focus of the objective lens 61 can be detected.
The assignee of the present invention has further developed this art and has disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 62-138808 an arrangement in which a pair of secondary imaging lenses and a pair of light receiving element arrays are disposed not only horizontally but also vertically, thereby coping with a pattern which is otherwise unsuitable for detection.
The focus detecting device shown in FIG. 9 effects distance measurement for an object existing substantially centrally of the object range which is photographed by the objective lens.
In contrast, the applicant has previously proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-279835 a focus detecting device which selects any one distance measuring point from among a plurality of distance measuring points outside the central portion of the photographing range and effects focus detection.
FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings is a view of a focus detecting device for a plurality of distance measuring points proposed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application No. 62-279835. In FIG. 10, the reference numeral 71 designates a field mask, the reference numeral 72 denotes a field lens, the reference numeral 73 designates a stop having two openings 73-1 and 73-2, the reference numeral 74 denotes a secondary optical system comprising two lenses 74-1 and 74-2, and the reference numeral 75 designates a sensor. The objective lens 61 shown in FIG. 9 is omitted.
In FIG. 10, the field mask 71 has a plurality of openings 71a-71e corresponding to a plurality of fields of view to be distance-measured, and pairs of sensor arrays 75a1 and 75a2, 75b1 and 75b2, 75c1 and 75c2, 75d1 and 75d2, and 75e1: and 75e2 are provided as sensors 75 so as to receive pairs of the distributions of quantity of light which the light beam controlled by the field mask 71 forms by the secondary optical system 74.
In FIG. 10, distance measurement is effected at five areas, i.e., at the central portion of the photographing picture plane and four locations on both sides thereof. It is very important when the focus detecting device is applied to a camera that focus detection can be accomplished at a plurality of areas in the photographing picture plane by such a simple construction.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 62-189415 proposes various examples of the arrangement of sensor arrays, and a more concrete construction is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 62-78134. In this laid-open patent application, a long sensor array divided into two areas is disposed in an H-shape so as to be able to cope with a variety of objects to be photographed. However, even with this arrangement, it is necessary to pan the camera a little and effect detection by the use of the vertically arranged sensor array and return the direction of the camera to the original direction when the object at the center of the picture plane which is most often photographed is a pattern unsuitable for detection.
A technique related to the field lens of the focus detecting device is proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 266,804.

Focus detecting device having a plurality of detecting areas and camera provided with the same


Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a flexible canopy. In one embodiment, the flexible canopy includes a central shaft, a sliding collar, a plurality of supports, a plurality of tensioners, a tensioner connection hub, and a membrane. The sliding collar is slidably connected to and surrounds the central shaft. A first end of each of the supports is connected to the sliding collar, and a second end of each of the supports is connected to the membrane near the edge of the membrane. Each of the tensioners is connected at one end to a different one of the supports and at the other end to the tensioner connection hub. In one embodiment, the flexible canopy includes a handle connected to a first, lower end of the central shaft. In other embodiments, the first, lower end of the central shaft includes or is insertable into a base.

Canopies are well known, and are typically used to shield a user or users from sun, rain, sleet, snow, wind, and other weather conditions. Many known canopies include a membrane supported by a plurality of generally rigid foldable supports mounted to a central shaft. When the canopy is in a folded configuration, the membrane is folded upon itself such that the canopy may be easily stored. When the canopy is in an unfolded configuration, the membrane forms a domed or a flat shape that protects the user(s) from the elements.
Known canopies come in various shapes and sizes. One relatively large type of known canopy is sun canopy or a patio umbrella that includes a base or stand configured to hold the sun canopy in a generally upright orientation. In certain instances, the base or stand is movable, while in other instances the base or stand is immovable (such as encased in concrete). Such known sun canopies are normally configured to shield multiple users and/or furniture from sun, rain, and the like. One relatively small type of known canopy is a handheld umbrella that includes a handle. Such known handheld umbrellas are normally configured to be held by a single user to shield that user from sun, rain, and the like.
In certain instances when a typical sun canopy or a typical handheld umbrella is being used to shield its user(s) from the elements, such as during a thunderstorm, a strong gust of wind may cause the membrane to invert or otherwise deform, which often causes one or more of the generally rigid foldable supports to snap or bend. This renders the sun canopy or the handheld umbrella useless, requiring the user to throw it in the trash and either purchase a new sun canopy or handheld umbrella or brave the elements without one. Due to the widespread, frequent use of canopies such as sun canopies and handheld umbrellas, particularly for protection from the elements, there is a continuing need to provide new and improved canopies that resist breakage.

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLP


A method for sealing a porous membrane constructed, at least in part, of a PTFE based material to a support gasket constructed, at least in part, of a PTFE based material. The method includes providing such a PTFE porous membrane of a preselected shape and size and providing such a PTFE support gasket of a preselected shape and size. The method further includes positioning the membrane and the support gasket in a predetermined appositional relationship within a press. The press includes a press tool of a predetermined configuration and size. The method then includes sealing the membrane and support gasket together at a common seal-zone by pressing the press tool against the membrane and the support gasket with the pressing means at a predetermined pressure for a predetermined dwell to form the membrane/gasket assembly. The method lastly includes removing the membrane/gasket from the pressing means. The disclosed method provides a membrane/gasket assembly that is durable, easily handled, easily installed and sealed within an apparatus. The method is able to be performed without applying heat or adhesives to effect the sealing of the resulting membrane/gasket assembly.

Porous membranes are typically sheets of preselected material having certain characteristics that are optimal for a particular application. For example, porous membranes made of polymers are often used to filter solids from liquids. Recently, thin porous membranes made of polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE, having the characteristic of being hydrophobic, have been found to be suitable for use in certain scientific laboratory apparatuses to prevent the passage of water while allowing other liquids to pass through the membrane. An apparatus referred to as a liquid-liquid hydrophobic concentrator/extractor is one such apparatus that employs a thin hydrophobic PTFE membrane to block the passage of water in one section of the apparatus while allowing other liquids, such as organic solvents, to pass downstream to other sections of the apparatus for subsequent processing.
A problem encountered with using porous PTFE membranes in laboratory apparatuses is the membrane is typically very thin and fragile making it prone to being damaged while being transported, stored, and handled. The thin fragile membrane is thus difficult to install in apparatuses such as the above discussed hydrophobic concentrator/extractor without damaging or mis-positioning the membrane. The additional care and time taken to install the membrane in an apparatus leads to extra expenses for a laboratory, especially if the laboratory has a limited number of such apparatuses. An additional problem with using porous PTFE membranes in various apparatus is the porous membranes have a tendency to wick liquids to the periphery of the membrane and beyond the clamped joint, or coupling, in which the membrane is installed. Thus, the wicking tendency makes it difficult to obtain an adequate seal about the membrane without possibly over stressing the joint, the clamping mechanism, or the surrounding structure of the apparatus containing the membrane.
There are various known methods of sealing, or bonding, gaskets about thin porous membranes to facilitate handling and sealing of the membrane within an accommodating apparatus. Such methods include bonding the periphery of the membrane to the gasket by the application of adhesives to regions common to the membrane and the gasket. However, the use of such adhesives on membranes positioned in apparatuses in which organic solvents are used for processing liquid samples, such as a liquid-liquid concentrator/extractor apparatus, may cause the adhesive to degrade and contaminate the fluids being processed within the apparatus.
It is also known that polymer membranes may be sealed to polymer gaskets by applying sufficient heat to a preselected common region of the membrane and the gasket to form a fused bond therebetween. However, the amount of heat applied to the region must be carefully controlled so as not to exceed the optimal heat sealing temperatures of the membrane and/or the gasket.

Method of forming PTFE membrane/gasket assembly


A resistance adjustment device for an exercise apparatus includes first and second swing arms connected pivotally and respectively to a front support frame, and two brake devices connected respectively to the first and second swing arms. When an adjustment knob is operated, a first cable can be loosened and pulled so that the first and second swing arms can move the brake devices away from and toward a flywheel, thereby adjusting magnitude of resistance to rotation of the flywheel. When a brake lever is operated, a second cable can be swiftly pulled so that the first and second swing arms can move the brake devices toward the flywheel so as to effect an instant brake.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an exercise apparatus, more particularly to an exercise apparatus with a resistance adjustment device for adjusting magnitude of resistance to rotation of a flywheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional exercise apparatus 10 is shown to include a front support frame 11 having two fixed upright rods 111, a rear support frame 12, a bottom connecting rod 13 interconnecting the front and rear support frames 11, 12, a seat assembly 14 mounted adjustably on the rear support frame 12, a handle assembly 15 mounted on the front support frame 11, a flywheel 16 mounted rotatably between the upright rods 111 of the front support frame 11, a pedal unit 17 mounted on the rear support frame 12 for actuating rotation of the flywheel 16, and a resistance adjustment unit 20 for adjusting magnitude of resistance to rotation of the flywheel 16.
The adjustment unit 20 includes a fixed seat 21 mounted fixedly between the upright rods 111 and located above the flywheel 16, a pivot shaft 22 mounted on the fixed seat 21, two brake arms 23, 24 sleeved rotatably on the pivot shaft 22, two brake shoes 25 connected respectively to the brake arms 23, 24 and flanking the flywheel 16, an adjustment knob 26 disposed operably on the front support frame 11, and a cable 27 disposed between the adjustment knob 26 and the brake arms 23, 24. When the knob 26 is operated to loosen or tighten the cable 27, the brake arms 23, 24 are actuated to move the brake shoes 25 away from or toward the flywheel 16 so that adjustment of the magnitude of the resistance to the rotation of the flywheel 16 can be effected.
Although the adjustment unit 20 of the conventional exercise apparatus 10 can achieve its intended purpose, it has the following disadvantages:
1. The adjustment unit 20 is not designed to have an instant brake function. During pedaling exercise, two pedals 171 (only one is visible in FIG. 1) of the pedal unit 17 cannot stop rotation unless the flywheel 16 stops so that injury to users due to movement of the pedals 171 cannot be avoided.
2. Since each of the brake shoes 25 is connected to the respective one of the brake arms 23, 24 by means of a single screw-and-nut fastener 251, the brake shoes 25 can easily deflect so that contact with the flywheel 16 is not complete, thereby leading to ineffective adjustment of the magnitude of resistance to flywheel rotation.
3. Since tolerances exist during production and assembly of the brake arms 23, 24, and since the brake shoes 25 are directly connected to the brake arms 23, 24, when positions of the brake arms 23, 24 deflect, the brake shoes 25 cannot accommodate the position deviation. As such, the brake shoes 25 cannot contact the flywheel 16 completely.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a resistance adjustment device for an exercise apparatus that permits adjustment of magnitude of resistance to flywheel rotation at different speeds and that can permit an instant brake so as to enhance safety.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a resistance adjustment device for an exercise apparatus which includes brake shoes that can be brought into complete contact with a flywheel so as to effectively brake the flywheel.
According to this invention, a resistance adjustment device is to be adapted for use with an exercise apparatus. The exercise apparatus includes a front support frame having two fixed upright rods, a rear support frame, a handle assembly mounted on the front support frame, a flywheel mounted rotatably between the upright rods of the front support frame, a seat assembly mounted on the rear support frame, and a pedal unit for actuating rotation of the flywheel. The resistance adjustment device comprises first and second swing arms, two biasing units, two brake devices, a first adjustment unit, and a second adjustment unit. The first and second swing arms are adapted to be connected pivotally and respectively to the upright rods of the front support frame, are adapted to flank the flywheel, and are rotatable toward and away from the flywheel. Each of the biasing units is adapted to be disposed between a respective one of the upright rods and a respective one of the first and second swing arms so as to bias the first and second swing arms to rotate away from the flywheel. The brake devices are connected respectively to the first and second swing arms, and are located on two sides of the flywheel. The first adjustment unit has an adjustment knob adapted to be mounted rotatably on the front support frame, a tubular first guiding member connected fixedly to the first swing arm, a first fixing member connected fixedly to the second swing arm, and a first cable fastened to the adjustment knob at one end and to the first fixing member at another end. The first cable has an intermediate portion extending through the first guiding member. The second adjustment unit includes a brake lever adapted to be mounted operably on the handle assembly, a tubular second guiding member connected fixedly to the second swing arm, a second fixing member connected fixedly to the first swing arm, and a second cable fastened to the brake lever at one end and to the second fixing member at another end. The second cable has an intermediate portion that extends through the second guiding member. When the adjustment knob is operated, the first cable can be loosened and pulled so that the first and second swing arms can move the brake devices away from and toward the flywheel, thereby adjusting magnitude of resistance to rotation of the flywheel. When the brake lever is operated, the second cable can be swiftly pulled so that the first and second swing arms can move the brake devices toward the flywheel so as to clamp the flywheel to effect an instant brake.

Resistance adjustment device for an exercise apparatus

No. 24, Alley 52, Lane 154, Chung-Ching Rd.


A high accuracy surface mount inductor device is comprised of first and second parallel planar spiral conductive patterns mounted over a rectangular substrate. The outermost conductive traces of the respective patterns extend to opposite edges of the device and are contacted by terminations extending over the ends of the device. The terminations are U-shaped and include legs extending over parts of the upper and lower surfaces adjacent the ends. The legs overlie the outermost traces and preferably terminate at a position coincident with or not extending inwardly beyond the innermost portions of the outermost traces.

The present invention is in the field of inductive devices and relates more particularly to a chip type inductive device characterized in its being surface mountable, of small size and low profile, high power handling capacity and, most especially, readily adapted to be designed to extremely tight tolerances.
Devices of this sort are employed in connection with cellular phones, personal communication networks, cable TV, global positioning systems, vehicle location systems, all types of high frequency filters and all similar high frequency equipment, to frequencies of 2400 MHz.
Prior Art
Conventional miniaturized inductors have heretofore been of two general types, namely wire wrapped chips and monolithic ferrite chips. The wire wrapped chips exhibit poor mechanical properties, are generally far larger than desirable, and are poorly designed for use in surface mounting applications. More particularly, in current circuit applications it is highly desirable for a component to be of low profile, and the wire wound chips are, in all instances, high profile devices.
A second type of inductor is formed of a monolith of ferrite. Chips of this sort exhibit poor high frequency performance.
It has been proposed in various prior art references to provide a miniature inductor suitable for high tolerance applications. By way of example, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,821, which discloses a printed inductance device formed on a foldable substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,152 is directed to a miniaturized electrical coil comprised of a plurality of spiral coils with multiple connectors between the coils, the coils being configured to minimize capacitance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,553 relates to a chip type inductor comprised of a multiplicity of magnetic layers, each layer having only a portion of an inductive pattern, the layers being interconnected to form a continuous coil. Terminations may be formed on the end faces to render the chip suitable for surface mounting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,843 discloses a transducer for an automobile and including a coil on a ceramic substrate which is located adjacent a moving magnet for use in sensing various crankshaft positions. The coil of this device is comprised of one or more superposed flat layers which are spirally wound and which are formed by metal deposition techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,816 discloses a flat coil assembly comprised of a series of spiral conductive coils on a insulative slab having jumpers connecting the inner ends of the coils, the outer ends of the coils being connected to pads on the slab.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,114 is directed to a delay line comprised of a multiplicity of circuits stacked one atop the other. Each delay circuit is formed of a solid sheet of conductive material etched to a spiral configuration, the ends of successive layers being connectable in series via separate contact pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,543 is directed to a laminated transformer comprised of a plurality of ferrite sheets on which conductive patterns are formed and which are sintered to define the transformer. Each layer includes a partial coil which is connected to the adjacent layer to define a completed circuit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,292 is directed to a thin film printed circuit inductive device comprised of a conductive spiral having resistive links connected between adjacent turns to minimize inherent resonances.


The present invention is a field effect transistor having a strained semiconductor substrate and Schottky-barrier source and drain electrodes, and a method for making the transistor. The bulk charge carrier transport characteristic of the Schottky barrier field effect transistor minimizes carrier surface scattering, which enables the strained substrate to provide improved power and speed performance characteristics in this device, as compared to conventional devices.

The present invention relates to devices for regulating the flow of electric current, and has specific application to the fabrication of these devices in the context of an integrated circuit ("IC"). More particularly, it relates to a transistor for regulating the flow of electric current having a Schottky-barrier source and/or drain.
One type of field effect transistor ("FET") known in the art, a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ("MOSFET"), is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the MOSFET device 100, typically includes a silicon substrate 110, an impurity doped source 120, and an impurity doped drain 130, separated by a channel region 140. Atop the channel region 140 is a gate insulating layer 150, which typically consists of silicon dioxide. A gate electrode 160, made from electrically conductive material, is located on top of the insulating layer 150. An insulating layer 170 typically surrounds the gate electrode 160. A field oxide 180 electrically isolates devices 100 from one another. When an appropriate voltage Vg is applied to the gate electrode 160, current flows between the source 120 and drain 130 through the channel region 140. This current is referred to as the drive current, or Id.
One consideration in the design of current regulating devices is the charge carrier mobility or ease with which charge carriers (i.e., electrons or holes) travel through the substrate lattice in the channel region 140. From conventional MOSFET theory, drive current scales linearly with carrier mobility. Channel regions 140 that have higher charge carrier mobilities allow charge carriers to travel in less time between the source 120 and the drain 130, and also to dissipate less power in the carrier transport process. This directly results in devices operating at higher speeds and consuming less power. One known technique for increasing the charge carrier mobility of the channel region 140 is to employ a strained substrate. For example, the mobilities of electrons and holes in strained silicon can be enhanced by factors of approximately two and ten respectively, compared to unstrained silicon. (M. V. Fischetti, S. E. Laux, Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 80 no. 4, 15 Aug. 1996, pp. 2234-52.) As a result, MOSFET devices with strained silicon channel regions 140 are expected to demonstrate power and speed performance characteristics superior to conventional, unstrained silicon devices.
Another known substrate used to fabricate MOSFET devices is a silicon-on-insulator ("SOI") substrate. This semiconductor substrate includes a buried oxide layer to reduce source-to-drain leakage currents and parasitic capacitances. The prior art includes fabrication of MOSFET devices on a semiconductor substrate having a strained SOI layer. (B. Metzger, "Silicon Takes the Strain for RF Applications," Compound Semiconductor, vol. 7, no. 7, August 2001; T. Mizuno, "Design for Scaled Thin Film Strained-SOI CMOS Devices with Higher Carrier Mobility," IEDM Proceedings, December 2002, p. 31.)
Experimental results, however, for MOSFETs having impurity doped sources and drains and strained silicon channels, show that the devices do not fully benefit from the improvement in carrier mobility. For example, in one study, a 70% improvement in electron mobility led to only a 35% improvement in drive current. (K. Rim, S. Koester, M. Hargrove, J. Chu, P. M. Mooney, J. Ott, T. Kanarsky, P. Ronsheim, M. Ieong, A. Grill, H. -S. P. Wong, Proceedings of the 2001 IEEE VLSI Symposium, Kyoto, Japan (2001).) Because drive current scales linearly with mobility, the net improvement of 35% in drive current implies that the effective mobility for electrons only improved 35% for this example.
There is a need in the art for a FET having a strained substrate, demonstrating an improvement in effective mobility, and therefore improvement in drive current closer to that of the improvement in carrier mobility.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Field effect transistor having source and/or drain forming Schottky or Schottky-like contact with strained semiconductor substrate


In a digital inking system having an anilox member that carries a patterned metered layer of ink to a digital imaging member, and a doctor blade that removes excess ink from the surface of the anilox member resulting in the patterned metered layer, an overfill form roller in rolling contact with the anilox member adds an overcoat layer of ink on the patterned metered layer for transfer of both layers of ink to the digital imaging member. The overcoat layer of ink uniformly covers all regions of the anilox member and the mattered metered layer of ink, including lands of the anilox cell walls to make the combined layers of ink pattern-free.

In related art digital offset lithographic printing systems, a dampening system applies a thin layer of fountain solution onto a surface of a digital offset imaging plate. An imaging system then evaporates the fountain solution film in an image area using a high power laser. A latent image is formed on the surface of the digital offset imaging plate. The latent image corresponds to a pattern of the applied fountain solution that is left over after evaporation.
An inking system may be used to apply a uniform layer of ink over a surface layer of the imaging plate. Typically, ink supplied on an inker form roll of the inking system is depleted from the form roll as the ink is transferred from the form roll onto the imaging plate. As a portion of the imaging plate surface containing the latent image passes through the inking system, the ink deposits onto the plate regions where the laser has vaporized the fountain solution. Conversely, ink is rejected by the plate regions where fountain solution remains. The resulting ink image is then transferred to paper or other print media via pressure.
Ink from the inker form roll may split onto the imaging member during ink transfer, leaving behind some ink on the form roll that may lead to uneven ink thereon. During the supplying of ink onto the form roll, not all areas on the form roll are covered with the same thickness of ink. Printing irregularities can result if an ink layer on the form roll is uneven and has areas of barely-layered ink that cause corresponding lighter areas in image prints.
To offset this problem, the inker form roll may be an anilox member, such as an anilox roll. However, one drawback for anilox rolls is non-uniform ink deposition on a micro scale. Since ink is transferred out of the cells of an anilox roll, if the ink does not spread after deposition, a pattern of the anilox cells will be visible in the deposited ink. This is largely due to the fact that most of the ink transfers out of the center of the cell and little ink transfers from the lands (top surface of the cell walls) of the anilox cells.
Current anilox inking systems may set up the metering blade such that ink uniformly hydroplanes underneath the blade. That is, the metering blade is spatially separated from the anilox roll to allow ink to coat the roller surface, including the lands thereof. Operating an inker in this manner results in better solid area uniformity, but is somewhat difficult to control temporally, since the amount of ink that hydroplanes underneath the blade is sensitive to many factors (e.g., ink temperature, ink viscosity, amount of ink in the inker, blade pressure, blade angle).
As such, there is a need to overcome the deficiencies of conventional printing technology for printing variable data. It would be beneficial to produce digital prints of high image quality with pattern-free inking of the print media (e.g., print substrates). Ink-based digital printing is understood to refer to ink-based printing of variable image data for producing images on media that are changeable from one image to a next image with each subsequent printing on the media in an image forming process.

Pattern-free anilox inking system and method


The present invention provides a method and communication system for sending a data response from a called phone to a calling phone in response to a call request from the calling phone. The calling phone sends a call request to the called phone. The call request is a request to establish a communication between the called phone and the calling phone on a call path. If the called phone decides not to answer the call request, the called phone can send a data message to the calling phone. If the calling phone is data-capable, the data message is sent directly to the calling phone. If the calling phone is not data-capable, the data message is sent to a server that converts the data message to a voice message and sends the voice message to the calling phone. The calling phone can send a message back to the called phone in response to the data message sent from the called phone. If the calling phone is not data-capable, the response message is sent to a server that converts the voice message to a data message and sends the data message to the called phone. If the calling phone is data capable, the calling phone sends the response data message directly to the called phone.

The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to a method for sending a response from a called phone to a calling phone.
In current wireless communication systems, when a call request is received for a wireless phone, the wireless phone is located and sent a paging message. If the user of the wireless phone is near the wireless phone and has the phone turned on, he can answer the call request, thereby completing the call on the call path requested by the communication system.
There are times when a user of a wireless phone may receive a call request at a time or in a location in which the user cannot conveniently answer the call request but would like to communicate with the calling party. For example, the user may be in a meeting or in a court room. In these situations, the user has to either answer the call, which is an intrusion, or not answer the call, which can lead to a missed opportunity to communicate with the calling party.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and communication system for allowing a user to communicate with a calling party without answering the call request and establishing a call path between the calling phone and the called phone.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and communication system for a user of a called phone to communicate with a calling party without answering a call request from the calling party. The response is preferably a data response that can be sent directly from the called phone to the calling phone or can be a data response that is converted to voice (speech) by a server if the calling phone is not capable of receiving data communications. The present invention also contemplates the sending of a response data message from the calling phone to the called phone in response to the data message received at the calling phone from the called phone. This response message can be a data message that is sent directly from the calling phone to the called phone, or can be a voice message that is sent from the calling phone to a server that converts the message to a data message and forwards the response data message to the called phone.
The invention works as follows. A calling phone sends a call request to a called phone. The call request is a request to establish a communication between the called phone and the calling phone on a call path. Upon receiving the call request, a user of the called phone decides not to answer the call in the usual manner. Rather, the called phone sends a response message to the calling phone, without answering the call request, which would have established a call path between the called phone and the calling phone. In this manner, a message can be sent to the calling phone without completing the call request. The user of the called phone may be in a setting that is not conducive to completing and carrying on a conversation, such as a court room, but may want to communicate a message to the calling phone.
The called phone responds to the call request with a data message. This message is sent to the calling phone without completing the call, and therefore the call path is not established. If the calling phone is data capable, the data message is preferably sent directly to the calling phone. If the calling phone is not data capable, the data message is converted to a voice (speech) message by a server, which sends the converted voice message to the calling phone. The server can be sent the message intentionally by the called phone, or can intercept the data message intended for the calling phone, convert it to a voice message, and then forward the converted voice message to the calling phone. Alternately, the user may be engaged in a current conversation when the call request arrives.
The calling phone can respond to the data message with a data message of its own. If the calling phone is data capable, the calling phone can send a data message directly to the called phone. If the data message is not data capable, it can send a voice message to a server (which may or may not be the server that performs the data-to-speech conversion), which translates the voice message to a data message. This data message is then sent to the called phone.
Thus, the present invention provides a method and communication system for allowing a user to communicate with a calling party without answering a call request from the calling party. In this manner, communication can occur between a calling phone and a called phone without completing the call path between the two phones.

Method and system for sending a data response from a called phone to a calling phone


Compounds of formula (I), and their use as in the treatment of infections involving viruses of the Pneumovirinae sub-family (RSV) are disclosed. In the formula ring (A) may be phenyl, pyridyl etc., (B—C) may be CH2—CH2 etc., (R1) may be phenyl and substituted forms thereof, (R2) may be assorted substituents.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in adults and in young children. In the western world approximately all children have been infected by the age of two. In most cases the RSV infections will only cause minor upper respiratory illness with symptoms resembling that of the common cold. However, severe infection with the virus may result in bronchiolitis or pneumonia which may result in hospitalization or death. Infants who have been born prematurely or have a pre-existing lung disease are a high risk of severe infection and complications.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a member of the order Mononegalirales, which consists of the non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses in the Families Paramyxoviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Filoviridae. RSV of humans (often termed RSV or HRSV) is a member of the Pneumovirus genus of the sub-family Pneumovirinae within the Family Paramyxoviridae. Other members of the Pneumovirus genus include viruses such as bovine RSV (BRSV), ovine RSV (ORSV) and murine pneumonia virus (MPV) amongst others. The sub-family Pneumovirinae also includes the genus Metapneumovirus which contains the recently identified and important human pathogen human metapneumovirus.
In addition to the genome features described above, Family characteristics include a lipid envelope containing one or more glycoprotein species considered to be associated with attachment and entry, of the host cell. Entry is considered to require a process by which the viral envelope fuses with the membrane of the host cell. Fusion of infected cells with, for example, their neighbours, can also result in the formation of fused multinucleate cells known as syncytia in some cases. The fusion process is believed to be glycoprotein mediated and is a feature shared with diverse enveloped viruses in other taxonomic groups. In the case of the Paramyxoviridae viruses of all genera characteristically express a fusion glycoprotein (F) which mediates membrane fusion
The only drug currently approved for the treatment of severe RSV is the antiviral medication, Virazole, also known as Ribavirin. This agent has a broad spectrum antiviral with virustatic effects, and acts by inhibiting RSV replication. It also improves arterial blood oxygenation. Unfortunately, the agent is toxic so that administration of the agent is confined to a hospital setting. Its administration is further complicated by the need to follow a strict procedural process when administering the agent in order to minimise the likelihood of certain adverse affects. The agent has a number of adverse effects including sudden deterioration of respiratory function (bronchiospasm). The efficacy of the agent has remained controversial and thus there is a real need to find an alternative agent for the treatment of RSV infection.
A number of agents are known to inhibit RSV. Published patent applications WO 01/95910 and WO 02/26228 (Bristol Myers Squib Company), the contents of which are incorporated by cross reference, describe a number of different types of compounds which exhibit anti-RSV activity in their description of the background art. Moreover, these applications describe compounds having antiviral activity against RSV of the formula

There are also a number of patent specifications that disclose imidazo-[2,1-a]-isoindole derivatives for uses other than treating RSV. U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,863 describes a number of polycyclic compounds that have anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsive activity. These compounds have the following general structure
where A is —NH—, —O— or —S—, and n is 1-3.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,766 describes polycyclic compounds that have antidepressant activity, and have the following general structure
where R3 is selected from various aromatic substituents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,529 discloses anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsive activity polycyclic compounds of the general formula A, and includes compounds of the formula B where R2 is hydrogen or lower alkyl group (including amino substituted groups) and n is 1-3.

CH 482,697 (Graf) discloses a number of compounds of the general formula B above, where R2 is —CO—CHR—N3 and R is hydrogen or alkyl, and intermediates where R2 is —CO—CHR—NH2, —CO—CHR—OH or hydrogen. Likewise U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,043 (Graf) relates to compounds of the formula B where R2 is —CO—CHR—NR′R″. In this document n is 1 to 3, R is H or lower alkyl, R′ and R″ may be lower alkyl or benzyl or together form a piperidinyl or morpholinyl ring. The Graf compounds may have anti-inflammatory uses.
WO 02/066479 (Banyu Pharmaceutical) lists some compounds of the general formula B, where R2 is lower alkyl, —CO—C2H5 and selected other moieties. It also appears to suggest a compound of formula B where the fused phenyl ring has been replaced with pyridyl and R2 is methyl. It is not clear whether all of these compounds have been made. The compounds are for use in the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes.
GB 1,038,735 discloses anti-inflammatory compounds of the general formula B, where n is 1 to 3, R2 is lower alkyl or, for example, an dimethylaminoethyl group.
Canadian patent application no. 2,108,899 (also see family member WO 92/16207) discloses various oxazolo-[2,3-a]-isoindole and imidazo-[2,1-a]-isoindole derivatives for use in antiviral medicaments, particularly for use in the treatment of AIDS and HIV. There are marked differences between HIV and RSV viruses, the diseases they are associated with, and the respective modes of action of the disclosed compounds. The specification generally describes compounds of the structure below where R is C1-C6 alkyl group or C1-C6 acyl group, and specifically discloses compounds where R is —COCH3 or —CH3.

A number of documents disclose compounds of the above formula or substituted forms thereof, where R is hydrogen. See for example the herbicidal compounds disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,726,838 and 4,846,876.

Polycyclic agents for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus infections


The present disclosure relates to a backlight module, a display device and a control method thereof. The display device includes a first edge, a second edge, and N display areas. The N display areas are disposed between the first edge and the second edge and are arranged along the first direction; the first edge and the second edge are arranged along the first direction; the method includes: in response to a first control instruction for entering an anti-peeping display mode, controlling the display device to enter the anti-peeping display mode, wherein after the display device enters the anti-peeping display mode, among the display areas disposed between a central axis of the display device and the first edge, brightness of a display area closer to the first edge is lower than brightness of a display area closer to the central axis, and among the display areas disposed between the central axis and the second edge, brightness of a display area closer to the second edge is lower than brightness of a display area closer to the central axis, where the central axis is parallel to the first edge.

In the related art, in order to realize an anti-peeping function of a display device, a dedicated anti-peeping element has to be provided on the display device. The anti-peeping element is, for example, a dimming film between a display panel and a collimated backlight, an anti-peeping film between the display panel and the backlight module, or an optical structure between the display panels, and so on. However, such configuration can increase the thickness and weight of the display device, which is not desirable to the thinning of the display device.

Backlight module, display device and control method thereof

Chongqing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A deflection circuit for providing magnetic deflection of a cathode ray tube including resonant retrace, including circuitry to minimize the variations in intensity of the image at the beginning of the deflection period after the end of the retrace period, which variation may be caused by parasitic resonances excited by slow turn on of the flyback deflection clamping diode. The circuit enables the flyback clamping diode to begin conduction prior to the end of the retrace period so that the deflection clamping diode is substantially fully conducting and the voltage across the magnetic deflection coil is substantially constant at the end of the retrace period. Thus, a uniform transition is made from retrace to linear deflection and screen intensity variations are avoided.

Horizontal deflection circuits as may be used in television and higher speed cathode ray tube (CRT) display devices typically employ high frequency sweep rates, which are most efficiently provided when the deflection or flyback circuit is operated to provide a resonant retrace mode. Accordingly, the deflection coil or flyback inductor is resonated with a selected capacitor to form a circuit wherein the voltage across the deflection or flyback inductor during the retrace interval is a half sine voltage waveform. At the end of the retrace interval, a flyback deflection clamping diode is used to inhibit the voltage polarity reversal, thus causing a flow of current through the inductor to provide the initial portion of the linear deflection. However, the flyback clamping diode typically exhibits a finite turn-on time which causes a delay in the inhibition of the opposite polarity voltage across the deflection coil until the diode becomes fully conductive. The duration required to cause the clamping diode to conduct is typically long enough to cause significant voltage to develop across the diode and short enough to provide a high energy pulse having high frequency components. As the diode begins to conduct, energy of the diode generated voltage pulse is dissipated throughout the deflection circuit. However, the deflection coil typically exhibits a self resonance 10 to 20 time the sweep period, and becomes shock excited by the flyback clamp diode produced pulse. The result of this shock excited self resonance appears as intensity variations in the displayed image. When the circuit is used for horizontal deflection, this intensity variation appears as vertically extending regions or bands of alternating enhanced and reduced intensity for several cycles at the edge of the CRT screen.
Heretofor the suppression of the unwanted high voltage pulse has been addressed by attempting to manufacture a diode having a reduced turn-on time for this application. However, the improvement provided by decreasing turn on times is negated by the trend to increase deflection rates, and the problem persists.

Magnetic deflection circuit with stabilized retrace


The inventive concept provides a nozzle for dispensing a treatment liquid in which plasma is generated. The nozzle includes a body having an interior space, a liquid supply unit that supplies the treatment liquid into the interior space, and electrodes that generate the plasma in the interior space. The liquid supply unit supplies the treatment liquid in a bubbling state into the interior space, or causes the treatment liquid to bubble in the interior space.

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to a nozzle, a substrate processing apparatus including the same, and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, relate to a nozzle for dispensing a treatment liquid onto a substrate to process the substrate, a substrate processing apparatus including the nozzle, and a substrate processing method.
With high-density, high-integration, and high-performance of semiconductor elements, scaling-down of circuit patterns rapidly proceeds. Therefore, contaminants such as particles, organic contaminants, metal contaminants, or the like remaining on a surface of a substrate greatly affect characteristics and production yield of semiconductor elements. Due to this, a cleaning process of removing various types of contaminants adhering to a substrate surface is emerging as a major issue in semiconductor manufacturing processes. The cleaning process is performed before and after each unit process of manufacturing semiconductor elements. The cleaning process is performed by dispensing a cleaning solution onto the rotating substrate by a dispensing nozzle.
As the critical dimension (CD) between patterns formed on a substrate becomes narrower, it is difficult to appropriately remove impurities between the patterns formed on the substrate or impurities adhering to the surface of the substrate.
To remove the impurities adhering to the surface of the substrate, a chemical is dispensed onto the surface of the substrate. The chemical is a substance having a chemical property suitable for removing the impurities adhering to the surface of the substrate. However, the chemical may decrease efficiency of work because the chemical requires special attention when handled. In addition, the chemical may cause environmental pollution. Accordingly, an environmentally-friendly substrate cleaning method for improving efficiency in removing impurities adhering to a surface of a substrate is required.

Nozzle, substrate processing apparatus including the same, and substrate processing method


An internal combustion engine is described that includes an expansion cylinder adjacent to a first combustion cylinder (or power cylinder). Combustion gases from the first cylinder are directed to the expansion cylinder to act on the piston in the expansion cylinder. The expansion cylinder has a larger bore (i.e. larger diameter piston) and/or a longer stroke than the first cylinder. The longer stroke also results in a much larger crankshaft arm resulting in a significantly improved mechanical advantage (i.e. torque). In addition, the expansion cylinder includes a check valve that is designed to automatically open the expansion chamber to atmosphere if a negative pressure develops due to the varying amount of exhaust gases at different speeds. In one embodiment, two power cylinders can be connected to one expansion cylinder.

An internal combustion engine operates at relatively low efficiency. One indicator of this is the relatively high temperature and pressure of exhaust gases at the output indicating a significant amount of energy from the combustion process is being lost.
One attempt at increasing the efficiency of an internal combustion engine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,977.


A new and novel seedling Gardenia jasminoides plant, named `Star Bright` is disclosed and is particularly characterized by its large, single flowers of pure white petal color. Petals have elongated claws, which are covered at their articulation with the corolla tube, by normally strongly reflexed golden-yellow, elongated anthers which assume an adpressed position over the basal petal connections. Petals and anthers are inferior to the lobed stigma which is of a slightly lighter color than that of the anthers. The classic, simple, single white flowers stand out conspicuously over the lush, deep green leaves. The plant is a multi-stemmed rounded shrub of medium canopy density which attains a height and span of two or more meters when growing under conditions to which it is adapted.

In the course of gardening activities in my home garden near the west side of Gainesville, Fla., about 1980, I harvested a seed pod resulting from the Open Pollination of a dwarf Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis). From seed removed from the pod of the parent plant, six plants were obtained. All of the seedlings were later moved to another location in the same general area, and two were observed to bloom in 1991. In the evaluation of the plants as they grew and developed, it became apparent that one plant, the selection which is the subject of this description, strongly departed from the characteristics of the seed parent, and combined a number of characteristics which made it a highly desirable candidate for use as a landscape appointment. The seed parent plant, which is no longer available, was a dwarf, double flowered plant, with small, white, fragrant flowers and small leaves. Flowers were about two to four centimeters in size and leaves were lanceolate and about four centimeters long and one centimeter wide.
The plant here described forms an attractive shrub which can attain a height and spread of about two meters, or more, has much larger foliage than the parent plant, and forms a attractive shrub. This plant has a canopy of medium density, composed of large attractive, deep green leaves. Flowers are attractive, large, single, normally have six, but occasionally seven or eight, white petals, and an alluring fragrance. Upon realizing the novelty and desirable characteristics of this plant, I immediately took steps to preserve and multiply it. With the recognition that this plant has numerous advantageous traits, has very large, perfect flowers, is fertile, and has accessible reproductive organs, it became my intention to employ it as a parent plant in a planned breeding program. With the above noted traits, after further culture and observation, it was noticed that this plant also exhibits resistance to insect infestations, which is a particularly advantageous characteristic in culture of this plant where it is adapted to grow in the open. Finally, this plant is uniquely suited for landscape use due to its vigor and characteristic ability to produce an abundance of large, fragrant, strikingly attractive star-shaped flowers which contrast pleasingly with the lush, deep green foliage. In recognizing the unusual characteristics of this plant, I have denominated it `Star Bright`.
I have asexually reproduced this plant by rooting softwood cuttings in my home garden in the area the west side of Gainesville, Fla. With the observation of approximately fifty clones of this plant, I have concluded that the distinguishing characteristics of clonal offspring are substantially identical to those of the original specimen and conclude that the plant is stable.


A millimeter wave beacon includes a millimeter wave transmitter that produces at least one signal and plurality of antennas, coupled to the millimeter wave transmitter, that each emit millimeter wave radiation in response to the at least one signal. In one embodiment, the antennas are constructed and oriented to produce an overlapping signal field in which millimeter wave radiation emitted from multiple of the antennas can be detected. The millimeter wave radiation can be pulsed to encode various information of interest. Determination of the direction of approach to the beacon is facilitated by multiple antennas transmitting signals having different pulse encodings and/or different frequencies.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to millimeter wave energy emissions and, in particular, to the transmission of millimeter wave energy emissions by a beacon and the passive reception of millimeter wave energy emissions by a receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
All materials at temperatures above absolute zero (0xc2x0 K) radiate electromagnetic energy as a function of their temperatures. For terrestrial objects, this radiation, often referred to as xe2x80x9cblackbody radiation,xe2x80x9d peaks in the infrared band at wavelengths of 5-25 microns and falls off rapidly at shorter wavelengths through the visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma ray and cosmic ray spectrums. At longer wavelengths, through the far-infrared, submillimeter wave, and millimeter wave (MMW) spectrums, ambient radiation again falls off, but much less rapidly. Passive imaging at these wavelengths from ambient blackbody radiation is possible if radiation levels are sufficient for available detectors to detect and process.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the terrestrial environment, atmospheric gases and compounds such as water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen absorb blackbody radiation in much of the MMW spectrum to such an extent that observable signal strength is below detectable levels. However, as indicated at reference numerals 10 and 12, blackbody radiation at certain frequencies within the MMW spectrum can be detected with currently available MMW detectors due to decreased atmospheric absorption. In particular, observation windows for atmospheric blackbody radiation are present at approximately 35, 95, 140, and 220 GHz.
MMW detection and imaging are similar to conventional infrared imaging in that the received signal strength observed utilizing each technology is a function of the temperature of the elements composing the observed scene. Thus, the observation of an object through detection of its blackbody radiation depends upon the existence of a sufficient temperature contrast with the surrounding environment. As depicted in FIG. 2, terrestrial MMW temperatures range from approximately 30xc2x0 K to 300xc2x0 K, with the coldest temperatures within a cone of approximately 40xc2x0 centered on the zenith and the warmer temperatures produced by the surrounding terrestrial environment. This large temperature differential of 270xc2x0 K provides sufficiently high contrast for MMW detection and imaging. Although there is some solar heating, it should be noted that this temperature differential is relatively independent of sunlight and therefore present during both day and night observations.
Currently, several companies, such as TRW of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Thermo Trex Corporation of San Diego, Calif., manufacture passive MMW cameras for applications such as all weather aircraft take-off and landing, airborne surveillance and reconnaissance through fog, cloud, dust, smoke and camouflage, concealed weapon detection, vehicle navigation, and other applications where enhanced vision is desired. Although promising because of the low attenuation of MMW versus higher frequency radiation (e.g., IR), MMW camera technologies are subject to inherent limitations in image resolution and angular resolution due to the relatively longer wavelengths of MMW radiation. Consequently, the present invention recognizes that a need exists for an improved method and system for determining the presence and location of an object within a field of interest by detecting its MMW signature.
In view of the foregoing and additional needs recognized by the present invention, object detection from millimeter wave emissions is enhanced by incorporating a millimeter wave beacon within an object of interest. In accordance with the present invention, the millimeter wave beacon includes a millimeter wave transmitter that generates at least one signal, and a plurality of antennas, coupled to the millimeter wave transmitter, that each emit millimeter wave radiation in response to the signal(s) generated by the millimeter wave transmitter. In one embodiment, the antennas are constructed and oriented to produce an overlapping signal field in which millimeter wave radiation emitted from multiple of the antennas can be detected. The millimeter wave radiation can be pulsed to encode various information of interest. Determination of the direction of approach to the beacon is facilitated by multiple antennas transmitting signals having different pulse encodings or different frequencies.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed written description.

Low probability of intercept (LPI) millimeter wave beacon


A method and user interface which allow users to make decisions about how to pronounce words and parts of words based on audio cues and common words with well known pronunciations. Users input or select words for which they want to set or modify pronunciations. To set the pronunciation of a given letter or letter combination in the word, the user selects the letters and is presented with a list of common words whose pronunciations, or portions thereof, are substantially identical to possible pronunciations of the selected letters. The list of sample, common words is ordered based on frequency of correlation in common usage, the most common being designated as the default sample word, and the user is first presented with a subset of the words in the list which are most likely to be selected. In addition, the present invention allows for storage in the dictionary of several different pronunciations for the same word, to allow for contextual differences and individual preferences.

The invention disclosed herein relates generally to user interfaces and, in particular, to graphical user interfaces for use with text-to-speech and automated speech recognition systems.
Voice or speech recognition and generation technology is gaining in importance as an alternative or supplement to other, conventional input and output devices. This will be particularly true with continued improvements and advances in the underlying software methodologies employed and in the hardware components which support the processing and storage requirements. As these technologies become more generally available to and used by the mass market, improvements are needed in the techniques employed in initializing and modifying speech recognition and generation systems.
A few products exist which allow users to process files of text to be read aloud by synthesized or recorded speech technologies. In addition, there are software products used to process spoken language as input, identify words and commands, and trigger an action or event. Some existing products allow users to add words to a dictionary, make modifications to word pronunciations in the dictionary, or modify the sounds created by a text-to-speech engine.
However, users of these products are required to understand and employ specialized information about grammar, pronunciation, and linguistic rules of each language in which word files are to be created. Moreover, in some of these products the means of representing pronunciations requires mastery of a mark-up language with unique pronunciation keys not generally used in other areas.
As a result, these products make text-to-speech and automated speech recognition technology inflexible and less accessible to the general public. They require users to become experts in both linguistic rules and programming techniques. The inflexibility arises in part because these products use general rules of the language in question to determine pronunciation without regard to context, such as geographic context in the form of dialects, or individual preferences regarding the pronunciation of certain words such as names.
Further, the existing products generally provide less than satisfactory results in pronunciations or translations of pronunciations. The products do not perform well with respect to many types of words including acronyms, proper names, technological terms, trademarks, or words taken from other languages. Nor do these products perform particularly well in accounting for variations in pronunciations of words depending on their location in a phrase or sentence (e.g., the word "address" is pronounced differently when used as a noun as opposed to a verb).
As a result, there is a need for a user interface method and system which expresses pronunciation rules and options in a simple way so that nonexpert users can take fuller advantage of the benefits of text-to-speech and speech recognition technologies.

Graphical user interface and method for modifying pronunciations in text-to-speech and speech recognition systems


An aerosol dispenser utilizes a vertical container filled with a pressurized liquid. An actuator which has a nozzle is positioned on the valve stem which is located on the top of the container. The actuator when pressed vertically or horizontally allows a jet flow of liquid to spray from the nozzle. The dispenser is provided with apparatus for preventing formation of a residual liquid film after termination of the jet flow spray which would otherwise clog the nozzle.

An aerosol dispenser employs a vertical container filled with pressurized liquid. An actuator is positioned on the valve stem which is located on the top of the container and part of the overall valve components. The actuator is used to dispense the product and consists of internal channels and an orifice to allow product application. The valve stem may be vertically or horizontally actuated depending on the internal valve design. The valve stem is inserted into a valve housing which is attached to a valve cup. The valve cup is crimped to the container and forms the primary seal to the package. The valve housing is designed with internal channels to allow material that is in the container to be feed up through a dip tube into the valve housing. Moving the actuator in accordance with the valve design moves the sealing surface of the valve stem from a sealing gasket located in the valve housing. This action allows the pressurized materials to flow out of the valve stem and into the actuator. The actuator will then dispense the pressurized materials from the container. Removal of actuation pressure will allow the valve to return to its normal sealed position and will stop the flow of materials out the actuator. In certain types of products with insoluble or high levels of materials or film formers there can be a build up of residual liquid that dries into a clogging film in and over the actuator orifice. This film must be removed before the dispenser can be reused and sprayed with a desired spray pattern and droplet size. The partial clog usually results in an imperfect spray pattern or stream, while a full clog will prevent spraying altogether. Typically, the film is removed by rinsing with water or by wiping manually. The present invention discloses apparatus for automatically removing the film, thus preventing clogging.


A gear shift operation mechanism capable of achieving reduction in size and weight, reduction in power consumption, simplification and reduction in number of component parts, and cost reduction is provided. A screw shaft that configures a ball screw, a motor that rotates the screw shaft, a nut that is screwed onto the screw shaft, a clutch that is disposed on the screw shaft, and a select lever that is integrated with the screw shaft by switching on the clutch, and has restraint cancelled with respect to the screw shaft by switching off the clutch are included, one end of a main lever is engaged with the nut, the other end is engaged or connected with a shaft, and the select lever is engaged with the main lever.

As a gear shift operation mechanism that performs a select operation and a shift operation of a transmission, there has been conventionally known a gear shift operation mechanism which includes both a selecting motor and a shifting motor (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example). The selecting motor is attached to one end portion of a housing of the gear shift operation mechanism, and a shift shaft is disposed coaxially with a motor shaft of the selecting motor. Further, the shifting motor is attached to the other end portion of the housing, and a motor shaft of the shifting motor is disposed to be orthogonal to the above described shift shaft.


The disclosure discloses a method for preparing a γ′-Fe4N soft magnetic material by using liquid nitrogen through high-speed ball milling, and belongs to the field of the soft magnetic material. According to the method of the disclosure, high energy in the liquid nitrogen is used for obtaining a nanometer material FexN with a nitrogen atom supersaturation degree through cryogrinding. At a low temperature, the material is very brittle, and a surface volume ratio is very high, so that a content of nitrogen atoms adsorbed on a surface of a sample is as high as 22%. Through 300° C. post-annealing, γ′-Fe4N is directly obtained from α-Fe through phase change, so that a nanometer crystal γ′-Fe4N soft magnetic material is prepared. The method of the disclosure has the advantages that an operation is simple and convenient, the cost is low, the large-scale industrialized production can be realized, and the method belongs to a novel alternative method for preparing a high-grade soft magnetic material with ideal magnetism. The γ′-Fe4N soft magnetic material prepared by the method of the disclosure has the advantages of high Ms, low coercivity and high surface resistivity, and can be used for a transformer and an inductor operated in a high-frequency semiconductor switch.

From the early 1950s, people have studied iron nitride materials, and they originally intended to study a nitridation phenomenon on an iron and steel surface for improving hardness and anti-oxidization capability of the iron and steel surface. With further study on the iron nitride materials, people discovered that the iron nitride materials have characteristics of excellent ferromagnetic performance, good anti-abrasion performance, good anti-corrosion performance, good anti-oxidization performance and the like, and are good candidate materials of a high-density magnetic recording medium and a thin film magnetic head. Therefore, people started further study on the iron nitride materials. Because nitrogen contents in the iron nitride materials are different, the iron nitride materials have different crystal structures, many phases exist, particularly in phases with strong ferromagnetism, γ′-Fe4N, α″-Fe16N2 and ε-Fe3N are included, and the phases have been deeply studied for more than 50 years. Although predecessors found through measurement that an α″-Fe16N2 phase is a "giant magnetic phase" long ago. However, up till now, whether the α″-Fe16N2 has a great magnetic moment or not is still open to debate, mainly because the α″-Fe16N2 is a metastable phase, and it is relatively difficult to prepare single-phase α″-Fe16N2. Due to its easy-to-decompose performance, although a pure α″-Fe16N2 material is prepared, great limitation may exist in practical application. A saturation magnetization intensity of the γ′-Fe4N is only second to a maximum saturation magnetization intensity value of the α″-Fe16N2, but the γ′-Fe4N has high thermal stability and low coercivity, belongs to an ideal material with soft magnetic characteristics, has the advantages of good anti-abrasion performance, anti-corrosion performance, high hardness, high resistivity and the like, and belongs to a potential magnetic storage medium and a magnetic head material.
However, it is challenging to prepare the γ′-Fe4N. Till now, most material preparation work is prepared based on a thin film material. Although there are some reports about particle material preparation, the purity of the γ′-Fe4N prepared by used methods is low. Most γ′-Fe4N is mixed with other iron nitride phases or other nonideal forms and granularities. In the used methods, an ammonia gas is generally used as a nitrogen source to provide nitrogen atoms. A nitrogen content of an obtained material is generally about 6%, and does not exceed 10%. The material is a mixture with a low content of the γ′-Fe4N, a pure phase is difficult to reach, and the excellent soft magnetic characteristics of the γ′-Fe4N are seriously influenced. According to atom proportion requirements of the γ′-Fe4N, the content of nitrogen atoms in the γ′-Fe4N should be about 20%, but a solid solubility of the nitrogen atoms in iron is only 11.7%. Therefore, by a conventional nitrogen doping method, the γ′-Fe4N with a maximum purity of about 50% can be obtained, that is, the greatest obstacle troubling the preparation of the material is a nitrogen atom content problem. How to overcome the defect of solid solubility of the nitrogen atoms in the iron and improve the purity of the γ′-Fe4N is a bottleneck of the preparation of the material. However, for practical application of the γ′-Fe4N to a power electronic device, the nanometer γ′-Fe4N with a high volume-phase ratio is required to show high magnetic conductivity and low loss at a high frequency, and a smaller device such as a transformer and an inductor operated in a high-frequency semiconductor switch can be finally realized. Therefore, there is an urgent market demand for a pure-phase nanometer γ′-Fe4N soft magnetic material with high saturation magnetization intensity, high magnetic conductivity, low coercivity and high resistivity.

Method for preparing soft magnetic material by using liquid nitrogen through high-speed ball milling


An aeroponic column comprises a base, a planter section attached to the base, wherein the planter section defines a hollow interior, a channel and plant holder openings adapted to receive a plant holder, a nutrient distributor attached over the planter section with fluid openings adapted to allow fluid to flow down the planter sections, and a conduit assembly operatively connected between the base and the nutrient distributor, and adapted to carry fluid from the base to the nutrient distributor. The conduit assembly comprises a conduit formed separate from the planter section, the conduit extends through the channel of the planter section, and the conduit has a male threaded first end and a female threaded second end.

Aeroponic devices are used for plant cultivation, often in the form of generally vertical columns where horizontal space is limited, as can be the case in an urban environment or a residential setting, for example. Known aeroponic devices have a rotatable modular planting column wherein each module includes a unitary fluid conduit, and the column is mounted in a vertical orientation to circulate a nutrient rich fluid for growing plants in a medium, often a soil-less growth medium. Such vertical columns generally include a lower reservoir for holding nutrient rich fluid to be feed to plants, a planting column for holding the plants, and a watering system running through the column which pumps the fluid upward to the top of the column where it is directed back down to the column interior for watering the plants. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,282 to Bryan, Ill.
However known aeroponic and hydroponic columns have several problems. They can be relatively difficult to assemble and disassemble, and can have relatively complex structure. Also, known columns may need extra structural reinforcements to hold elements together properly, resist torsional stresses and to reduce the likelihood of leaking, and this makes assembly much more complex. It would be desirable to provide an aeroponic column which is of a simple and strong modular construction, which is easy to assemble and disassemble, and which is aesthetically attractive.


A cost-effective, scalable technique for producing microspheres loaded with biologically active solid proteins is provided. The microspheres degrade over time and release biologically active VEGF, as demonstrated by the proliferation of HUVECs in vitro compared to negative controls. A defined concentration of microspheres can deliver a quantifiable level of VEGF with known release kinetics. The invention can be used with other growth factors and applied to tissue engineering applications such as the regeneration of peripheral nerve, bone, adipose tissue, and solid organs. The method of the invention includes the steps of dissolving a polymer with an organic solvent to produce a polymer solution; adding a biologically effective amount of a bioactive substance to the solution to produce a mixture of the polymer and the bioactive substance; vibrating the mixture to produce a bioactive substance-polymer complex; emulsifying the mixture to produce an emulsion comprising the bioactive substance-polymer complex; and extracting the organic solvent from the emulsion to produce microspheres comprising the polymer-bioactive substance complex, wherein the bioactivity of the bioactive substance is usefully preserved.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with tissue engineering and angiogenesis as an example. Further, for purposes of the ensuing discussion, description and claims of the present invention, the terms "protein", "polypeptide" and "peptide" may be used interchangeably, although it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that biological distinctions may be drawn between them and, as such distinctions do not affect the operation of the present invention, such distinctions as may be drawn are contemplated by the scope of the present invention.
The advent of recombinant DNA and protein technology makes possible the production of significant quantities of both DNA and proteins for use in the clinical setting. The appeal of recombinant therapeutics is enhanced by delivery systems that provide controlled pharmacokinetics of the desired therapy. Paramount to the development of such a delivery system is the assurance that the biological activity of the material is preserved throughout manufacturing, storage, delivery, and release. Biodegradable microspheres have the potential to meet these requirements.
Methods are known to encapsulate various proteins within biodegradable microspheres. In particular, polypeptides have been incorporated into Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres with varying degrees of success. PLGA is a polymer that has been used for many years as a biodegradable suture material. PLGA is biocompatible and degrades by hydrolytic cleavage into nontoxic molecules that are easily eliminated from the body (namely, lactic acid and glycolic acid). In addition to polypeptide microencapsulation, sustained delivery of polypeptides is also possible through the use of biodegradable microspheres. A non-exhaustive list of such polypeptides includes nerve growth factor, alpha, beta and gamma interferon, growth hormone, insulin erythropoietin, transforming growth factor beta, epidermal growth factor interleukin-2, basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor. PLGA has been described, therefore, as a desirable polymer for use as a drug delivery system. Preserving the biological activity of the microencapsulated polypeptide, however, has proven to be problematic and has retarded the development of microencapsulation drug delivery.
The double-emulsion technique is the most commonly reported method for manufacturing microspheres. According to this technique, protein dissolved in an aqueous solution is then emulsified in an organic solvent containing the dissolved PLGA. The aqueous-organic emulsion is then further emulsified in an aqueous alcohol phase to create an aqueous-organic-aqueous double emulsion. The alcohol phase extracts the organic solvent away from the PLGA in approximately one hour, leaving the protein entrapped in discrete droplets within solid microspheres. The process of emulsifying the aqueous protein solution in the organic solvent, however, can easily denature the protein.
Protein may be encapsulated into microspheres by known methods either in solution or as a solid. The incorporation of solid protein into a microsphere has previously been accomplished by the atomization-freeze (AF) process. The AF process requires the use of an ultrasonic atomizer with a custom designed spray nozzle. A description of the atomization-freeze technique is found in Putney S. D., Burke P. A., "Improving Protein Therapeutics with Sustained-release Formulations," Nat. Biotechnol 1998; 16:153-157.
Another method for the encapsulation of solid proteins is described in Cao X., Schoichiet M. S., "Delivering Neuroactive Molecules from Biodegradable Microspheres for Application in Central Nervous System Disorders," Biomaterials 1999; 20:329-339. Briefly, Cao and Schoichet dispersed ovalbumin powder in a solution of PLGA in chloroform using a Polytron homogenizer. The protein-polymer dispersion was added to an aqueous solution of 1% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and homogenized again to form an emulsion. The emulsion was added to more PVA solution and stirred continuous to evaporate the organic solvent. The microspheres were centrifuged, washed and freeze dried.
One problem with the method of Cao, et al., is the use of a single polymer species such as PLGA alone, or a PLGA/poly(eta-caprolactine) to fabricate the microspheres. Certain advantages in the release kinetics of the microspheres may be achieved by using a mixture of polymers rather than a single polymer species to fabricate the microspheres. Release kinetics are determined, in part, by the amount of bioactive substances loaded, the polymer or polymers used and the conditions of manufacture. The particle size of the microspheres is determined to a large extent by the manufacturing conditions such as polymer viscosity and the method of physical shearing used to produce the microspheres. Methods of shearing include but are not limited to homogenization with a tissue homogenizer or blender, ultrasound sonication, or vibrating with the use of a VORTEX® mixer. Smaller particles have a faster rate of degradation due to the increased ratio of surface area to volume. Thus, for microspheres composed of PLGA alone, the release of protein is generally regulated only by the physical erosion of the polymer, particularly where the protein/polymer ratio of the microsphere is low. Another problem with the Cao, et al., method is the use of a tissue homogenizer to form the polymer emulsion. In terms of commercial scale-up of microsphere production, a tissue homogenizer is impractical. Homogenizers have parts such as blades, rotors and containers that require cleaning and sterilization between each batch. The care and maintenance of homogenizers renders them problematic for the large scale production of pharmaceutical microspheres.

Compositions and methods for biodegradable microspheres as carriers of bioactive substances

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System