An independent suspension for a steerable wheel has a support member that is inclined so that the movement of the wheel as it travels over an obstacle includes a rearward vector. The steering spindle is positioned in such a way that it is not perpendicular to the support member, but is angled to provide the desired caster angle, which may vary between embodiments.

1. Technical Field
The present subject matter relates to an independent suspension for a wheeled vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
While early wheeled vehicles may have had a rigid coupling of the axel to the body of the vehicle, various suspensions have been used to decouple the bumps in the road encountered by the wheels from the body of the vehicle, thereby providing a smoother ride to the vehicle's contents and/or passengers. Many early vehicles had solid axles extending from a wheel on one side of the vehicle to a wheel on the other side, even for the steering wheels. A split axle for the steering wheels began to be used almost 200 years ago. The split axle allowed for each wheel to have an independent suspension and allows for the various aspects of the steering geometry to be managed.
Some of the independent suspensions that may be in current use provide for vertical movement of the wheel as it encounters an obstruction. This type of arrangement may transmit significant forces to the vehicle that may not be absorbed by the springs and or shock absorbers of the suspension. Some suspensions may tilt the suspension to allow the movement of the wheel to have some horizontal movement as the wheel rises to go over an obstacle, but tilting the suspension may change the caster angle and therefore the handling characteristics of the vehicle.


This invention relates to an apparatus and method that can provide a group of individuals with an experiential exercise. The apparatus can comprise a source of fluid flow and a channel formation connected to the source of fluid flow at at least two regions of the channel formation. The source of fluid flow can be a vacuum suction provided from, for example, a single vacuum source. The fluid flow can be airflow. The channel formation is adapted to receive at least one projectile therein, and the projectile is displaceable within the channel formation as a result of the fluid flow. The projectile can be, for example, a ball. A gate is located at each region and is movable between an open position and a closed position. When the gate is in the closed position it at least partially obstructs the fluid flow with the channel formation in that region. Further, at least one fluid flow regulator is provided in the channel formation to adjust the fluid flow in the channel formation.

This invention relates to a training and/or gaming apparatus. This invention also provides a method of training a group of individuals to communicate and cooperate with one another.
A challenge that many individuals can face in today""s workforce is the ability to communicate and cooperate with other individuals in the same organization or outside of the organization. One method employed to improve communication and cooperation between individuals is the use of experiential learning concepts.
Experiential programs place individuals in environments designed to reflect situations found in, for example, the workplace. The decisions the individuals make during the experience determine the outcome. During debriefing, the individuals"" experiences are linked to their real-world situations.
This invention relates to an apparatus that can provide a group of individuals with an experiential exercise. The exercise can be designed to, for example, but not limited to, aid individuals in forming teams, improving team performance, communication, and planning and implementing projects.
The apparatus of the invention is suitable for use in training exercises, such as experiential exercises, or for gaming. The apparatus can comprise a source of fluid flow and a channel formation, or a network of enclosed channels having at least two branches, connected to the source of fluid flow at at least two regions of the channel formation. The source of fluid flow can be a vacuum suction provided from, for example, a single vacuum source. The fluid flow can be airflow.
The channel formation is adapted to receive at least one projectile therein, and the projectile is displaceable within the channel formation as a result of the fluid flow. The projectile can be, for example, a ball.
A gate is located at each region and is movable between an open position and a closed position. When the gate is in the closed position it at least partially obstructs the fluid flow with the channel formation in that region. Further, at least one fluid flow regulator is provided in the channel formation to adjust the fluid flow in the channel formation.
The fluid flow regulator can be provided in the wall of the channel formation adjacent each of the gates. In particular, the gate can be positioned between the fluid flow regulator and the source of fluid flow.
The fluid flow regulator can be a closeable aperture provided in a wall of the channel formation to open the channel formation to the surrounding environment. For the embodiment disclosed, where fluid flow is airflow as a result of vacuum suction, the surrounding environment is the atmosphere and the opening in the channel formation allows air to enter the channel formation in response to the vacuum suction.
A stop can also be provided within the channel formation to prevent the projectile from passing through the gate. The stop can be provided within the channel formation between the gate and the closable aperture.
The source of fluid flow can be connected to the channel formation through a second channel formation. In particular, each region is a junction between the channel formation and the second channel formation. Moreover, the second channel formation can be connected to each region to form a continuous loop. Further, the channel formation of the apparatus can comprise a plurality of channel formations that are all in fluid communication with each other at one end and which terminate at an opposed end at the junctions with the second channel formation.
The channel formation of the apparatus can be translucent or transparent so that the projectile can be seen as it moves within the channel formation as a result of the fluid flow.
The apparatus of this invention also provides for a method of experiential training of a plurality of individuals. The method comprises providing a group of individuals with a challenge involving moving the projectile within the channel formation between the regions, having each individual assigned to a gate of the apparatus and at least one individual to the fluid flow regulator of the apparatus to control the movement of the projectile within the channel formation according to the challenge, and evaluating the performance of the group of individuals after the completion of the challenge. During this debriefing, the individuals"" experiences can be linked to their real-world situations.

Training and/or gaming apparatus and method

Eagle""s Flight, Creative Training Excellence Inc.


A method for mounting electronic parts on a printed board using a computer, an optical indicator controlled by the computer to optically indicate a position of insertion on the printed board into which an electronic part is to be inserted, and a parts locator having a plurality of pockets and controlled by the computer to rotate and open only one pocket is disclosed. Parts taken out at random from a parts box are put into opened pockets of a parts locator, or after the parts are inserted into the positions of insertion on the printed board indicated by the optical indicator, the remaining parts are put into the opened pockets of the parts locator. Subsequent mounting work can be performed only by taking out the parts from the pockets of the parts locator and inserting the parts into the optically indicated positions.

The present invention relates to a method for mounting electronic parts on printed boards.
With the recent remarkable progress in electronics, printed board units (electronic circuit packages) constructed by mounting electronic parts on printed boards have come to be widely used not only for electric products but also for other products in various fields and there is an increasing demand for the same. In the part insertion work in fabricating the printed board unit, when handling electronic parts with leads such as ICs, a dedicated automatic inserting machine is often used to have the leads of the parts inserted into the through holes made in a printed board. However, it is not always possible to insert parts into through holes automatically due to technical and economic limitations. Whenever automatic insertion is impossible, for example with such parts as special form parts and those in the dead space of the automatic inserting machine, or units of which the produced quantity is very small are assembled, the work is performed manually. For this reason, a highly efficient method for manually assembling printed board units is strongly demanded.
The method for mounting electronic parts on a printed board by manual operation in the prior art was performed following the procedures described below. First, the drawing number of a part (part number) is read from the part delivery slip attached to the part taken out from a parts box, the part of that number is detected from the parts list as shown in FIG. 1, and the corresponding part symbol is read. Then, reference is made to the list of sequence of insertion as shown in FIG. 2 and the position of insertion of the part with that part symbol is detected from a mounting drawing, not shown, and the electronic part is inserted into the position on the printed board.
An assembling method in which prearrangement work of electronic parts to be inserted is made in advance and then a plurality of printed boards are assembled was also practiced. Also in this assembling method, a parts list, list of sequence of insertion, mounting drawing, and so forth are prepared first. Then, the part drawing number of the part picked out from a parts box is read by the eye and the parts list as shown in FIG. 1 is searched for that part number. Then, a part symbol according to the parts list is attached to the part bag 1 that was taken out and the bag is put into a parts prearrangement box as shown in FIG. 3B, in the order of the part symbol. Then, the parts prearrangement boxes 3 are piled up in the order of insertion as shown in FIG. 3C, and thereby prearrangements of the parts according to the sequence of insertion are made. After such prearrangements have been made, a deficient parts list for insufficient parts is made, and thus the prearrangement work is completed. After the part prearrangements have been completed, the parts are taken out in the prearranged order from the part prearrangement box 3 for the first assembling process, and the parts are inserted into positions on the printed board with reference to the mounting drawing. These operations are repeated and thus assembly of the printed board is accomplished.
In the method of mounting electronic parts on printed boards by manual operation practiced in the prior art as described above, great man-hours were required for comparison of the parts with the parts list, location of the positions of insertion, and the like, and it was a problem with it that extremely long time is taken for assembling printed board units. In the method of mounting without making prearrangements, wrong insertion or the like was possible to be made and hence reliability on the insertion work was low. If the prearrangement work is made, the wrong insertion of parts can be prevented but extremely long time is required for the prearrangement work.
In order to overcome these defects, there is proposed a method for mounting electronic parts on a printed board using a computer, an optical indicator controlled by the computer for indicating a position of insertion of a part on a printed board, and a parts locator with a plurality of pockets rotatably controlled by the computer. In this mounting method, the parts to be inserted are sorted first and each of the sorted parts are put in their respective pockets of the parts locator. Then, while data of pocket numbers of the parts locator and data of kinds of the parts contained in the pockets are input to the computer, the data of kinds of the parts to be inserted into positions on the printed board and data of the positions of insertion are also input to the computer. When an insertion work starting signal is input to the computer, one pocket of the parts locator is opened and the optical indicator optically indicates the position of insertion of the part. The operator inserts parts one after another into optically indicated positions. When insertion of one kind of parts has been finished, the parts locator is rotated, whereupon the operator takes out other parts from the then opened pocket and inserts the parts into the positions indicated by the optical indicator. By the above described conventional method using the optical indicator and parts locator, the efficiency of the mounting work is greatly improved because the operator need not make comparison of the parts with a parts list, detection of the positions of insertion, and so forth. However, in the described conventional method, there was a problem that it was required first to sort parts to be put into each of the pockets and then to put the sorted parts into the pockets and it was also required to make laborious data inputting work each time to have the data of the pocket number of the parts locator and the data of kinds of the parts contained in each of the pockets input to the computer.

Method for mounting electronic parts on printed boards


This invention involves a method for reducing neurotoxic side effects that can be caused when NMDA antagonists such as MK-801 are used as anti-convulsants, to prevent excitotoxic damage in the central nervous system, or for anesthetic purposes in human or veterinary medicine. This method involves the use of anti-cholinergic agents such as scopolamine, atropine, benztropine, trihexyphenidyl, biperiden, procyclidine, benactyzine, or diphenhydramine in conjunction with, or subsequent to, administration of an NMDA antagonist. These anti-cholinergic agents greatly reduce or eliminate the deleterious side effects that can accompany NMDA antagonists (such as convulsion potentiating effects, as well as vacuole formation, mitochondrial dissolution, and possible death of cingulate/retrosplenial cerebrocortical neurons), without interfering with the useful properties of the NMDA antagonists. The protective agents described herein may also reduce the neurotoxic, psychotoxic, and/or hallucinatory side effects associated with illegal use of drugs such as phencyclidine.. This invention also relates to mixtures of NMDA antagonists and anti-cholinergic agents. Such mixtures can be used for beneficial purposes, such as providing safe anesthesia or ameliorating neurological disease processes, while also preventing deleterious side effects that might otherwise be caused by the NMDA antagonists.

Receptors, Messenger Molecules, Agonists, and Antagonists
The surfaces of nerve cells in the central nervous system (the CNS, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and retina) contain various types of receptor molecules. In general, a receptor molecule is a polypeptide which straddles a cell membrane. When a messenger molecule interacts with the exposed extracellular portion of the membrane receptor molecule, it triggers a difference in the electrochemical status of the intracellular portion of the receptor, which in turn provokes some response by the cell. The messenger molecule does not bond to the receptor; instead, it usually disengages from the receptor after a brief period and returns to the extracellular fluid. Most receptor molecules are named according to the messenger molecules which bind to them.
An "agonist" is any molecule, including the naturally occurring messenger molecule, which can temporarily bind to and activate a certain type of receptor. An agonist can cause the same effect as the natural messenger molecule, or in some cases it can cause a more intense effect (for example, if it has a tighter affinity for the receptor molecule and remains bound to the receptor for a prolonged period).
By contrast, an "antagonist" is a molecule which can block or reduce the effects exerted by the natural messenger molecule. This can happen in several different ways. A "competitive antagonist" binds to a certain type of receptor without triggering it, thereby preventing the natural messenger molecule from reaching and activating the receptor. A "non-competitive antagonist" functions in other ways. For example, a receptor referred to as the PCP receptor, which is triggered by molecules such as PCP or MK-801, apparently can override the effects of a different type of receptor, the NMDA receptor (both receptors are discussed below). Therefore, PCP and MK-801 are regarded as non-competitive antagonists for the NMDA receptor.
The role a certain molecule plays as an agonist or antagonist must be viewed with regard to a certain type of receptor. For example, while MK-801 is an antagonist for the NMDA receptor, it is an agonist for the PCP receptor. Most agonists and antagonists are xenobiotic drugs, i.e., they do not exist naturally in the body.
For more information on neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, receptors molecules, and agonists and antagonists which interact with CNS receptors, see Adelman 1987 (complete citations are provided below).
The two main classes of excitatory receptor molecules are referred to as "cholinergic" receptors and "glutamate" receptors. Both types of receptors are present in the synaptic junctions that serve as pathways for impulses between CNS nerve cells. Most other types of receptors in the CNS involve inhibitory neurotransmitters.

Method for preventing neurotoxic side effects of NMDA antagonists


According to an aspect of an embodiment, a method may include receiving a digital data signal at an optical receiver. The method may further include measuring an eye quality of the received digital data signal. In addition, the method may include adjusting a decision threshold of the optical receiver based on the measured eye quality.

Telecommunications systems, cable television systems and data communication networks use optical networks to rapidly convey large amounts of information between remote points. In an optical network, information is conveyed in the form of optical signals through optical fibers. Optical networks often employ multi-channel optical networks, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) or dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) to increase transmission capacity. In multi-channel networks a number of optical channels are carried in separate optical fibers, in WDM and DWDM networks, a number of optical channels are carried in each fiber at disparate wavelengths, thereby increasing network capacity. In some instances, the channels in multi-channel, WDM or DWDM networks may experience crosstalk through electromagnetic interference (EMI) or through optical crosstalk between adjacent transmitter or receiver ports.
The subject matter claimed in the present disclosure is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one or more example technology areas where some embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced.


A nasal prong for sealing with a nasal passage of a patient includes a head portion structured to seal and/or sealingly communicate with the patient's nasal passage and a column or stalk structured to interconnect the head portion with a base. The nasal prong is structured to redirect air flow direction, diffuse air flow or create turbulence, and/or orient a prong orifice in order to reduce and/or eliminate air jetting effects.

Nasal prongs (also referred to as nasal pillows, nozzles and cannulae) used in the treatment of SDB are designed for sealing inside and/or against respective nasal passages of the patient, such as against the outer, exposed surfaces of the nares. Air or other breathable gas is supplied by a blower and passed along a flexible conduit to the nasal prongs.
A common problem with known nasal prongs is patient comfort. For example, one common problem is irritation or discomfort of the inside of the patient's nostrils caused by air flow irritation (referred to as air jetting or jetting effect) when high velocity air, e.g., pressurized up to 14 cmH2O or more, is passed through the nasal passages from the nasal prongs.
A known mask structured to minimize the sensation of air jetting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,965, for example.
There is a continuous need in the art to provide nasal prongs with a high level of comfort by reducing and/or eliminating air jetting.


An ink cartridge includes: a case; an ink accommodating unit; a moving body; a single detecting unit; and a storing unit. The ink accommodating unit is provided in the case and is configured to accommodate ink therein. The moving body is configured to move relative to the case. The single detecting unit is provided to the case and is configured to output a signal corresponding to a position of the moving body relative to the case. The storing unit is configured to store time length data indicative of a length of time to be taken by a value of the signal to change from a first prescribed value to a second prescribed value different from the first prescribed value.

United States patent application publication No. US2005/0068382A1 describes an ink cartridge housing an ink bag. A valve is attached to the ink bag. When the user mounts the ink cartridge into the recording device, an ink supply needle provided in the recording device opens the ink bag valve, allowing ink in the ink bag to be supplied to the recording device through the ink supply needle.
United States patent application publication No. US2005/0212874A1 describes an inkjet printer, in which a subsidiary tank is provided between a main tank and an inkjet head. The subsidiary tank is for separating air from ink and for generating a desired pressure head difference between the inkjet head and the subsidiary tank.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ink cartridge and recording device having ink cartridge detachably mounted therein


A SiC whisker-reinforced ceramic article produced by subjecting the SiC whiskers to acid- and/or base-washing; subjecting ceramic particles and SiC whiskers to fluid classification; forming a suspension of the powdered ceramic and SiC whiskers; consolidating the suspension to form a green compact; optionally infiltrating the green compact with an aluminum compound which is a precursor to Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, and pressureless sintering the green compact to produce an SiC whisker-reinforced composite having high relative density at high SiC whisker loading.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to silicon carbide whisker reinforced ceramic composites.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Silicon carbide (SiC) whisker reinforced ceramic composites have generated significant interest due to their improved fracture toughness, strength, and other mechanical properties. Commercial applications for these materials have been slow to materialize, however, because of the difficulties associated with developing efficient and economical methods of manufacturing the composites.
One of the primary difficulties facing the industry concerns the inherent inhibition of densification of the composite when whiskers are added to the matrix material. Accordingly, most studies reported in the literature utilize hot-pressing to achieve high densities [Becher et al, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., Vol. 63[12], pp. C-267-C-269 (1984); Wei et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 64[2], pp. 298-304 (1985); Gadkaree et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 65[2], pp. 370-376 (1986); Gac et al, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., Vol. 68[8], pp. C-200-C201 (1985); Chokshi et al, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., Vol. 68[6], pp. C-144-C-145 (1985); Shalek et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 65[2], pp. 351-356 (1986); Samanta et al, Ceram. Eng. Sci. Proc., Vol. 6[7-8], pp. 663-672 (1985); Homeny et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 66[2], pp. 333-338 (1987); Buljan et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 66[2], pp. 347-352 (1987); Porter et al, Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 66[2], pp. 343-347 (1987)].
Hot pressing, however, renders it extremely difficult to achieve control of the shapes and sizes of the ultimate ceramic article. Moreover, hot pressing techniques are notoriously cost-inefficient and time-consuming.
Recently, considerable attention has been paid to pressureless sintering techniques [Tiegs et al Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., Vol. 66[2], pp. 339-342 (1987); Takao et al, pp. 699-708 in Ceramic Powder Science, Advances in Ceramics, Vol. 21, Eds. Messing et al, American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio (1987); Barclay et al, J. Mat. Sci., Vol. 22, pp. 4403-4406 (1987); Sacks et al, J. Am. Ceramic. Soc., Vol. 71[5], pp. 370-379 (1988); Sacks et al, Ceram. Eng. Sci. Proc., Vol. 9[7-8], pp. 741-754 (1988); Sacks et al, pp. 440-451, Ceramic Powder Science II, A, Ceramic Transactions, Vol. 1, Eds. Messing et al, American Cer. Soc., Westerville, Ohio (1988); Sacks et al, pp. 175-184 in High Temperature/High Performance Composites, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., Vol. 120, Eds., F.D. Lemkey et al, Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, Pa. 1988.] Several approaches have been employed to enhance densification, including (1) using additives which promote liquid-phase sintering, (2) using whiskers with lower aspect ratios in order to reduce the tendency to form shrinkage-inhibiting whisker-network structures and (3) preparing compacts with improved green microstructural characteristics, e.g., higher green density, absence of agglomerates, etc.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,652,413; 4,774,209; 4,657,877 and 4,746,635 describe recent attempts to solve the problems inherent in achieving commercially attractive SiC whisker-reinforced ceramic composites; however, all are subject to one or more serious disadvantages. A primary disadvantage resides in the fact that it is virtually impossible, following conventional pressureless sintering techniques, to achieve anything approaching maximum relative densities, especially at high SiC loadings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel SiC whisker ceramic composites and improved methods for their manufacture which are not subject to the disadvantages attendant the prior art methods.

Alumina-or alumina/zirconia-silicon carbide whisker ceramic composites and methods of manufacture


Methods to reduce the inflammatory response critical in the pathogenesis of asthma and asthma exacerbations via the introduction of autologous Pla2g5-deficient suppressive macrophages into the airways of patients with asthma.

Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic disease characterized by persistent pulmonary inflammation, episodic bronchoconstriction, and airway remodeling. Alternaria Alternata is a common fungus that is a source of allergens associated with the development of asthma and asthma exacerbations. In mice, Alternaria allergens trigger accumulation of eosinophils and the development of airway hyperreactivity1, 2, each of which prominently involves effectors of the innate immune system1, 3, 4. Acute exposure of the airways of naïve mice to Alternaria causes the rapid release of IL-33 by epithelial cells, followed by the activation of group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2)3, 5. Longer term repetitive administration of Alternaria upregulates lung expression of IL-33, and promotes incremental ILC2-dependent lung eosinophilic inflammation1. ILC2s lack cell surface markers associated with major hematopoietic lineages (Lin)6-8. In the lung they express Thy1.2 (CD45+ Lin− Thy1.2+)9 and activation molecules including ST2 (IL1R1), Sca-1, CD278 (ICOS), CD25 (IL-2Rα), CD127 (IL-7Rα), CD117 (c-Kit), and IL-17RB (IL-25R)1, 10-12. Following activation, ILC2s produce IL-5 and IL-13 (as well as other cytokines), which mediate pulmonary eosinophilia, airway hyperreactivity1, 12, 13 and macrophage activation14. Although IL-33 in naïve mouse lung is principally derived from structural cells15, hematopoietic cell (including macrophages) can express IL-33 inducibly16, 17. Macrophages can activate ILC2 through an IL-33-dependent mechanism in a model of influenza-induced airway hyperreactivity10.

Use of PLA2G5-deficient suppressive macrophages in suppression of inflammation


Systems and methods for power state transitioning in an information handling system having a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory are disclosed. Dirty data in the volatile memory may be identified. The dirty data may include data that has not been stored in the nonvolatile memory. Dirty data may be written from the volatile memory to the nonvolatile memory. Transitioning to a reduced power state may be in response to a trigger event. Transitioning from the reduced power state may be in response to a wake signal. Data may be copied from the nonvolatile memory to the volatile memory. An operating system may be waked to a restored state.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to these users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may vary with respect to the type of information handled; the methods for handling the information; the methods for processing, storing or communicating the information; the amount of information processed, stored, or communicated; and the speed and efficiency with which the information is processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include or comprise a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Examples of information handling systems, including computers such as workstations, desktop computers and portable computers, may typically have a technique for limiting the amount of power consumed by the systems. One technique may involve placing a system in one or more reduced power states. For example, a system may have standby, hibernate and shutdown processes for placing the system in corresponding reduced power states.
Standby may involve, e.g., saving data and instructions to memory, such as volatile memory, and transitioning to a low power state. However, as memory densities and system capacities increase with advances in information handling systems, it may become increasingly important to power down volatile memory due to increasing power requirements. One example of this may be the increasing power requirements associated with refresh requirements of DRAM (dynamic random access memory).
Hibernate may involve, e.g., storing data and instructions to disk and transitioning to a lower power state. However, having different low power states from which to select, such as standby, hibernate and shutdown, may be often be confusing to end users who may have difficulty determining which mode to use. In addition, resuming from standby to a normal operational mode may involve relatively fast processes—e.g., on the order of seconds—but resuming from hibernate to normal operation may be significantly slower by comparison. Although hibernate may consume much less power than standby, the time required to resume from hibernate may be undesirable.


A device to measure power consumption includes a processor connected to a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory module, a switch for setting the power measurement device to measure either the power supplied to the CPU or the power supplied to the memory, and a display to show the results of such measurements.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a power measurement device.
2. Description of Related Art
The power supplied to components of an electronic device are usually obtained by multiplying a measured voltage and a measured current using a multimeter. However, the measurements taken by the multimeter is often inefficient and inaccurate. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A drive for a vehicle includes an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber delimited by a cylinder and a piston, a compressed gas storage connectable with the combustion chamber for storing a gas compressed in the combustion chamber, a separate expansion machine for expanding compressed gas from the combustion chamber or from the compressed gas storage by performing mechanical work, and devices for supplying gas from the expansion machine into the combustion chamber or into an intake passage of the internal combustion engine. The drive may, alternatively or in addition, also include devices for heating the compressed gas from the combustion chamber or from the compressed gas storage before the compressed gas enters into the expansion machine.

The present invention relates to a drive for a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, with an internal combustion engine and to a method for operating a drive for a vehicle, in particular a drive for a motor vehicle, with an internal combustion engine.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
A hybrid engine for a motor vehicle with a compressed air energy store, wherein air is compressed in the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine when the motor vehicle brakes and this compressed air is temporarily stored in a compressed air energy store, is known in the art. The compressed air can again be supplied from the compressed air energy store into the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine as needed, for example when the internal combustion engine is started. In conjunction with the compressed air, a larger quantity of the fuel can also be supplied into the cylinders for boosting the internal combustion engine during compression.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to obviate prior art shortcomings and to provide an improved drive for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an improved method for operating a drive for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, in particular a drive for a motor vehicle such that the energy contained in the compressed gas can be optimally utilized.

Drive with an internal combustion engine and an expansion machine with gas return


Provided is a toner dispersing mechanism arranged between a toner storage container and a developing device, for dispersing toner replenished from the toner storage container. The toner dispersing mechanism includes a housing, a toner dispersing member, and a projecting portion formed continuously at least at a part of an inner wall surface in a longitudinal direction of the housing. The housing includes a toner filling port communicating to the toner storage container, and a toner discharge port communicating to the developing device. The toner dispersing member includes a rotary shaft rotatably supported in the housing, and a large number of dispersing protrusions made of an elastic material and formed on an outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft. The large number of dispersing protrusions face the part and come into contact with the projecting portion.

The present disclosure relates to a toner dispersing mechanism, a developing device including the toner dispersing mechanism, and an image forming apparatus, the toner dispersing mechanism being mounted to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, and a facsimile, and dispersing toner to be replenished from a toner storage container such as a hopper and a container into a developing device.
Conventionally, for facilitation of maintenance, a developing device to be mounted to an image forming apparatus is filled in advance with a predetermined amount of toner, and the whole developing device is replaced after the toner is depleted. However, the developing device cannot be frequently replaced from an economic viewpoint, and hence a toner capacity is inevitably increased for performing image formation on somewhat many sheets. Thus, it is difficult to downsize the developing device configured as described above. Under the circumstance, in order to achieve downsizing of the developing device, there has been proposed a developing device of a type in which toner is supplied from an outside.
Disadvantageously, in the developing device of such a toner supply type, a lump of toner is sometimes replenished into the developing device when toner fluidity is reduced depending on use environments and the like. Thus, there is a risk that the mixing properties with respect to developer existing in the developing device is deteriorated and a developer thin layer to be formed on a developing roller is disturbed, with the result that image failures such as image-density unevenness and fogging occur.
Under the circumstance, there have been proposed various techniques for suppressing occurrence of the image failures through in-advance dispersion of the toner to be replenished into the developing device. For example, there has been known a developing device in which a matrix member (mesh) and a brush-like developer supply roller are arranged between a developer carrier and a developer storage portion. Further, there has been known another developing device including a toner-replenishing-port stirring member for stirring toner in a toner replenishing port of a toner hopper. Still further, there has been known a method in which a toner dispersing member formed of a core and a cylindrical foam member is arranged to close a replenishing port of a toner bottle, and toner is dropped little by little into a developing device by rotating the toner dispersing member.
Meanwhile, there has been known an image forming apparatus which includes an auxiliary stirring container for separately receiving toner to be replenished from a toner replenishing container and carrier to be replenished from a carrier replenishing container and for sufficiently mixing and stirring the toner and the carrier with use of a screw-like stirring-and-conveying member, and in which developer, which is stabilized in charging properties by being preliminarily mixed in the auxiliary stirring container, is supplied to the developing device.
However, as for the developing device in which the matrix member (mesh) and the brush-like developer supply roller are arranged between the developer carrier and the developer storage portion, in a case where toner has been aggregated depending on use environments or owing to mechanical stress, clogging of the mesh member and fusion of the toner are liable to occur, and hence it is difficult to replenish toner by a minute amount. Further, as for the developing device including the toner-replenishing-port stirring member for stirring toner in the toner replenishing port of the toner hopper, an advantage of smoothly conveying the toner by breaking a bridge formed by aggregation of the toner in the toner replenishing port can be expected. However, it is difficult to completely disperse the lump of toner, and hence the above-mentioned problem has not yet been completely solved even with this device.
Meanwhile, as for the method in which the toner dispersing member formed of the core and the cylindrical foam member is arranged to close the replenishing port of the toner bottle, and toner is dropped little by little into the developing device by rotating the toner dispersing member, the toner dispersing member is attached on the toner bottle side. Thus, the toner dispersing member is replaced simultaneously with replacement of the toner bottle, which leads to a problem of a cost increase. Further, the cylindrical foam member is used as the toner dispersing member, and hence toner clogs the foam member, which leads to another problem of deterioration of durability of the toner dispersing member.
Further, although the auxiliary stirring container including the screw-like stirring-and-conveying member has a function of efficiently mixing and stirring toner and carrier, an advantage of dispersing aggregated toner into particles cannot be expected. Thus, the auxiliary stirring container has not been usable as a toner dispersing mechanism.

Toner dispersing mechanism, developing device including the toner dispersing mechanism, and image forming apparatus


In a preferred embodiment, poly(4-phenylsulfone) is prepared by self-condensation of sodium 4-fluorophenyl sulfinate. The process is initiated by a small quantity of 4,4'-difluorophenylsulfone. The process is conducted in the presence of a dipolar, aprotic solvent such as dimethylsulfoxide. The reaction is conducted at a mildly elevated temperature, preferably within the range of from about 100.degree. C. to about 200.degree. C.

It has been known for about 30 years that poly(aryl ethers), poly(aryl thioethers) and simple aryl sulfones have high thermal stability. For example, it has been known that diphenyl sulfone can be heated to about 470.degree. C. before noticeable decomposition occurs. Also, it has been known that di-p-tolyl sulfone can be distilled at 430.degree. C. without decomposition. These observations have suggested that poly(aryl sulfones) will also have high thermal stability. Accordingly, there has been considerable effort expended in the art to prepare polymers of this type.
Prior workers have shown that the preparation of poly(aryl sulfones) is not an easy task. Several approaches have been taken by prior workers to overcome this problem.
One prior art approach is to use a sulfone which has two aromatic rings, and two halogens (one on each ring) as a monomer. This type of reactant is copolymerized with a disodium salt of a dihydric phenol. An example of this type of polymerization is the reaction of 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone with the disodium salt of Bisphenol A. As known in the art, the Bisphenol A salt can be substituted with salts of other dihydric phenols.
A problem with this type of reaction is the restriction to use of dihalodiarylsulfones as reactants. Furthermore, use of this type of reactant results in a copolymer having both the desired sulfonyl groups and less desired ether groups bridging aromatic rings. A third problem is that the reaction requires a comonomer amount of the aromatic dihalide.
Polysulfones have also been made by reacting aromatic sulfonyl halides using Friedel-Crafts catalysts, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,918 infra. Friedel-Crafts catalysts are moisture sensitive, and corrosive. For these reasons use of such catalysts also presents problems to be overcome.
A third prior art approach to preparing aromatic polysulfones is the use of an activated aromatic dihalide and an aromatic disodium disulfinate as reactants. Such a reaction is suggested by Sato et al in their 1982 publication cited below. A problem with this approach is the need of an activated co-reactant, such as bis(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl) sulfone. This approach also uses co-monomer amounts of each reactant, and requires use of a tetraalkylammonium salt as a catalyst.
A fourth approach suggested in the art is the preparation of a polysulfide, followed by oxidation to a polyarylsulfone. This type of process is set forth in the United States Technical Disclosure cited below. As can be seen by referring to the reference, this approach has been suggested for preparation of aromatic block copolymers. A problem with this approach is that it is not straightforward, since it requires two reactive steps and two product isolations. It also requires co-monomer amounts of reactants. The oxidation is conducted in the presence of glacial acetic acid, which can be corrosive if water is present. Also, poly(phenylene sulfide) is highly insoluble and difficult to contact with the oxidant in order to get complete reaction. Furthermore, peroxide oxidants used in this procedure must be correctly stored and used to prevent problems from occurring.
This invention solves the prior art problems noted above. It does not require two reactant materials present in about nearly equal molar amounts. It can prepare products which are devoid of oxygen linkages. It does not use a Friedel-Crafts catalyst or an onium catalyst, and it does not require two reaction steps or an oxidant.
Thus, by means of this invention there is provided a convenient, one-step synthesis of poly(aryl sulfones) which does not require a catalyst that is difficult to use or handle. Furthermore, by means of this invention there is provided for the first time a process for the self-condensation of a haloaryl sulfinate salt. Also, there is provided for the first time an initiator for starting the self-condensation of such salts. Stated another way, this invention comprises the discovery of initiation properties in certain, known types of compounds. It comprises (i) a self-condensation, and (ii) an aromatic nucleophilic substitution.


An electrical connector for electrically connecting an IC package to a circuit board includes an insulating housing having a plurality of receiving holes and a plurality of contacts received in the receiving holes. Each of the contacts includes a retaining portion engaging with the insulating housing, and a spring arm deforming freely in a certain range, wherein the spring arm includes an elastic deformation portion, a recess portion protruding downwardly from the elastic deformation portion for contacting with a ball grid array (BGA) package and a protrusion portion protruding upwardly from the recess portion for contacting with a land gird array (LGA) package.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector for connecting an IC package with a circuit board, and particularly to an electrical connector having low profile contact for either ball gird array (BGA) package or land grid array (LGA) package.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, electrical connector is widely used to electrically connect central processing unit (CPU) with printed circuit board (PCB). According to the difference of the terminals in the CPU, the CPU can be classified as pin gird array (PGA) package, ball gird array (BGA) package and land grid array (LGA) package. The PGA package has a number of pins disposed on a bottom surface of the package, the BGA package has a number of solder balls disposed thereon while the LGA package has a number of pads disposed thereon. Corresponding to different types of package, the electrical connectors have different contacts for contacting the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,463 issued to Hsiao, et al. on Aug. 29, 2006 discloses a related electrical connector for connecting a BGA package to a PCB. The electrical connector comprises an insulating housing and a number of contacts received in the insulating housing. Each of the contacts comprises a connecting portion, a solder pad extending from a bottom end of the connecting portion, and a cantilever extending aslant from a top end of the connecting portion. The cantilever has a concave portion near a free end thereof. When the BGA package with a multiplicity of solder balls is attached onto the connector, the concave portions of the contacts cover bottom portions of the solder balls. Therefore, a reliable connection between the BGA package and the PCB is established.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,113 issued to Liao, et al. on May 19, 2009 discloses a contact for LGA package. The contact comprises a retention portion, a spring arm extending above the retention portion and a tail portion extending downwardly from the retention portion. The spring arm comprises a contacting portion for contacting the LGA package, and the tail portion is used to be soldered on a PCB so that an electrical connection can be established therebetween.
However, each of the contacts mentioned above can just be used into one determined type of CPU only. When contacting the other type of CPU, the electrical connector can not be used any more, another electrical connector must be needed which result in much more additional costs.
In view of the above, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the problems mentioned above.

Electrical connector having contact for either BGA or LGA package


Physical systems modeled by matrix equations may simultaneously be simulated for multiple excitations using, for example, an adaptive Krylov iterative recycling method.

The behavior of physical systems in response to excitations can often be modeled with a linear system of equations. For example, electronic or electrical circuits or networks may be modeled by Kirchhoff's laws, which relate the currents through and voltages across the network components (such as, e.g., resistors, capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, etc.). Excitations of the systems may be characterized in terms of input currents and/or voltages provided by current/voltage sources and/or fixed at terminals of the network. Similarly, other physical networks, such as, e.g., pneumatic or hydraulic networks, may be modeled reasonably well by appropriate linear equations for the associated physical quantities. The linear system of equations, typically expressed as a system matrix equation, may be used to simulate the way the physical quantities associated with the system behave or evolve over time.
Physical fields, i.e., physical quantities defined at each point within a user-defined domain (e.g., a surface or volume specified geometrically, and generally corresponding to a two-, or three-dimensional region of a physical object), can likewise often be simulated using a system matrix equation. For that purpose, the fields are modeled by field-governing equations and applicable boundary conditions, which, together, describe the behavior of the field within and at the boundaries of the domain. For example, Maxwell's equations describe the behavior of an electromagnetic field, and the heat equation describes the behavior of a temperature field. The field values at the domain boundaries, as well as any source (or sink) terms in the equations, constitute the "excitations" of the system. To facilitate computational solution of the problem, the field-governing equations and boundary conditions are then discretized, resulting in a (typically large) linear system of equations. Discretization facilitates finding approximate solutions of differential or integral equations (such as, e.g., Maxwell's equations), i.e., it enables problems lacking exact mathematical ("analytical") solutions to be approximated computationally ("numerically"). A numerical technique such as, for example, a finite difference, finite volume, and/or finite element method may be used to accomplish the discretization.
To numerically simulate the physical system (e.g., the network or field), the system matrix equation may be solved with a direct or iterative solver, depending on the size and characteristics of the linear system. (A "solver," as the term is used herein, denotes a method for solving a system of equations, or a computer program implementing such a method, as determined by context.) Whereas a direct solver typically factorizes the system matrix into a product of special matrices (such as, e.g., the upper and lower triangular portions of the system matrix) and, thereafter, solves the equations by forward and/or backward substitution, an iterative solver solves the equations simultaneously in steps, with each step refining a previous approximation to more closely approach the exact solution. For large problems (e.g., three-dimensional electromagnetic problems defined over a large domain), direct solvers potentially require prohibitive amounts of memory and suffer poor parallel scalability. Therefore, iterative solvers typically present the only practical means for solving large systems. The iterative process is typically interrupted when a "residual vector" that quantifies the deviation of the approximation from the exact solution falls below a user-defined error, indicating the acceptability of the approximation—i.e., convergence of the solution. In order to increase the convergence rate of the system so that fewer iterations are needed to reach the acceptable approximation, the matrix may be "preconditioned" by applying a "preconditioner" matrix to the system matrix.
Many problems can be solved efficiently using a sub-class of iterative solvers usually referred to as "Krylov subspace iterative solvers." In Krylov subspace methods, the solution is sought in a vector subspace whose dimensionality grows by one with each iteration. Conceptually, as the dimensionality of the subspace is gradually increased, the error components of the approximation correspondingly decrease. The Krylov subspace is spanned by Krylov vectors, which may be chosen to be, or based on, the residual vectors associated with each iteration. Since the residual vectors depend on the excitation, problems with multiple excitations are conventionally solved by constructing the Krylov subspace, and computing the solution vector therein, for each excitation independently. This generic approach is, however, often computationally more expensive than necessary. For example, certain types of problems, such as, e.g., monostatic scattering problems or other implicit time domain methods (where an iterative solver is used in each time step), have linearly dependent excitations—a property that conventional methods fail to exploit. Even if the excitations are linearly independent, their corresponding Krylov subspaces sometimes overlap. It is desirable to utilize this overlap to decrease the total number of iterations required to solve linear problems with multiple excitations.

Simulations of physical systems for multiple excitations


An electric connection box in which cassettes of different kinds can be attached to side walls of one casing, and by doing so, the casing can have a design for common use, and also the degree of freedom of arrangement of the cassettes can be enhanced. In electric connection box, a casing (1) includes at least one casing-side retaining portion (5); at least one cassette (10; 11) is attachable to the casing (1), the cassette (10; 11) includes an attaching-side portion having a cassette-side retaining portion (16; 19); and at least two pairs of casing-side fitting guide portions (4, 14) are formed in a projected manner on a side surface of the casing (1). When the cassette (10; 11) is attached to the casing (1), the attaching-side portion is guided by one of the two pairs of casing-side fitting guide portions (4, 14), and the cassette-side retaining portion (16; 19) is engaged with the casing-side retaining portion (5).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connection box in which cassette-like electric parts can be attached in a module-like manner to side surfaces of a casing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric connection box in which cassettes of different sizes and shapes can be fixed to common positions.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-39291, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a recent automobile provided with various electric equipments, there is used an electric connection box by which a plurality of electric circuits are connected together in a concentrated manner so as to transmit signals between the electric equipments.
An electric connection box, shown in FIG. 10, comprises a box-like casing 100 whose interior is divided in longitudinal and transverse directions into a plurality of sections by partition walls 1a, and a plurality of relay cassette fitting portions 2 formed respectively on inner surfaces of the sections, divided by the partition walls 1a, and opposite outer side surfaces of the casing. Each of the cassette fitting portions 2 has a cassette bracket construction for fixedly holding a module-like relay cassette.
In many cases, the number and kind of electric equipments to be mounted varies depending on the kind of a car and even on the grade of the car of the same kind, and therefore because of this variable factor, the casing 100, which is the essential part, is used in common for the various kinds of cars. The required number of cassettes are attached to the casing in accordance with the electric equipments to be used, and by doing so, the required electric equipments are mounted on the car in accordance with the kind and grade of the car. In the illustrated electric connection box, up to 6 cassettes can be attached to the outer side surfaces of the casing if necessary.
Each of the cassette fitting portions 2, formed at the outer side surfaces of the casing 100, includes a pair of vertically-extending partition bars 3 (to be disposed respectively on opposite sides of the cassette) formed on the outer side surface of the casing 100, a pair of fitting guides 4 and 4 which are formed between the pair of partition bars 3 in parallel relation thereto, and have fitting grooves, respectively, for guiding the sliding movement of the cassette, and a lock pawl 5 which is formed between the pair of fitting guides 4 and 4 so as to retain the inserted cassette against withdrawal.
For attaching the cassette, the front end portion of the cassette is inserted into the cassette fitting portion from the lower side of the casing, and then is moved upward along the fitting guides, and when the cassette slides over the lock pawl 5, the cassette is fixed by the lock pawl against withdrawal.
In the casing 100 of the above construction, however, only one kind of cassettes (for example, relay cassettes) can be attached thereto, and cassettes of different sizes and kinds can not be attached to the casing.
And besides, the kinds of cassettes, varied in number depending on the kind and grade of the car, include fuse cassettes in addition to the above relay cassettes, and the fuse cassette and the relay cassette are slightly different in size from each other, and therefore it is necessary to prepare another casing having fitting portions for respectively holding the fuse cassettes. Therefore, there have been encountered drawbacks that the degree of freedom of wiring connection between the casings, as well as the degree of freedom of arrangement of the cassettes, is low, and that the size of the electric connection box is increased.


A system of localized general lighting, embodied in a table lamp, the table lamp has more than one lamp, and lights emitted by each lamp define a light illumination tier; wherein the system has a first illumination tier and a second illumination tier, the first illumination tier is positioned below the second illumination tier; the first illumination tier illuminates lights having homogeneous intensity, low illumination height, strong illuminance and small area coverage; the second illumination tier is positioned above the first illumination tier; the second illumination tier illuminates lights having homogeneous intensity, high illumination height, weak illuminance and large area coverage; the area coverage of the lights illuminated by the second illumination tier superimposes the area coverage of the lights illuminated by the first illumination tier so that the lights from the second illumination tier and the lights from the first illumination tier are mixed at a predetermined ratio.

The present invention relates to the field of lighting, and more specifically relates to a system of localized general lighting, a control method thereof, and a table lamp using said system of localized general lighting.
As known, a table lamp currently available in the market focuses the lights on a small area to facilitate working and studying. Incandescent bulbs, energy saving bulbs or LED light beads are generally used by the table lamp. The table lamp produces great light contrasting effect with respect to the surrounding environment which may easily lead to eye fatigue after a long period of use, thereby causing eye diseases. In particular, youngsters using such a table lamp of such high illumination for a long period of time may suffer from eye fatigue which in a long run will be developed into short-sightedness. As the customers are having higher and higher standard for eye protection, a kind of eye protection table lamp has emerged to reduce irritation to user's eyes by its way of adjusting the brightness of the lamp. However, the light contrast with respect to the surrounding environment is still great in this kind of eye protection table lamp. Regardless of the type of table lamp, the deficiency of eye fatigue is still present.

System of localized general lighting, a control method thereof, and a table lamp using said system of localized general lighting


DNA sequences encoding epitopes to which sporozoite-neutralizing antibodies are directed are provided. Recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides containing Cryptosporidium parvum epitopes for inducing an antigenic response are described.

We have cloned and characterized gene fragments encoding epitopes to which sporozoite-neutralizing antibodies are directed. Recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides containing these epitopes are useful for the ability to induce an antigenic response or protection following immunization.
Cryptosporidiosis, caused by the protozoal agent Cryptosporidium parvum, has emerged as an important enteric disease of humans and animals. C. parvum was originally described in 1912, but not recognized as a human pathogen until 1976 [Tyzzer, E. E., Arch. Protistenkd., 26, 394-412 (1912); Meisel, J. L. et al., Gastroenterol., 70, 1156-1160 (1976); Nime, F. A. et al., Gastroenterol., 70, 592-598 (1976)]. The subsequent emergence of AIDS revealed the devastating impact of opportunistic infectious agents, including C. parvum, in immunocompromised hosts.
C. parvum infects intestinal epithelial cells and induces diarrhea, the duration and severity of which are determined by the immunological competency of the host [Current et al., N Engl. J. Med. 308, 1252-1257 (1983); Fayer and Ungar, Microbiol. Rev. 50, 458-483 (1986); O""Donoghue, Int. J. Parasit. 25, 139-195 (1995)]. Immunocompetent persons become infected following ingestion of a few hundred C. parvum oocysts [DuPont, H. L. et al., N. Engl. J. Med., 332, 855-859 (1995)]. Diarrhea lasts 1 to 14 days and ceases with the clearance of infection, a process dependent on CD4+ T lymphocytes [Ungar, B. L. P. et al., J. Immunol., 147, 1014-1022 (1991); Aguirre, S. A. et al., Infect. Immun., 62, 697-699 (1994); Perryman, L. E. et al., Infect. Immun., 62, 1474-1477 (1994)]. Immunocompetent hosts that recover from infection are generally resistant to reinfection. In contrast, immunodeficient hosts lacking sufficient CD4+ T lymphocytes develop persistent infections accompanied by severe, life-threatening diarrhea [See, e.g., Petersen, C., Clin., Infect. Dis., 15, 903-909 (1992); Flanigan, T. et al., Ann. Int. Med., 116, 840-842 (1992)]. The management of these patients is complicated by absence of efficacious drugs to control parasite replication [O""Donoghue, supra]. Consequently, investigators have evaluated oral administration of sporozoite- and merozoite-neutralizing antibodies to resolve C. parvum infection in hosts lacking sufficient CD4+ T lymphocytes [Watzl, B. et al., Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 48, 519-523 (1993); Fayer, R. et al., J. Parasitol., 75, 151-153 (1989); Fayer, R. et al., J. Parasitol., 75, 393-397 (1989); Fayer, R. et al., Infect. Immun., 58, 2962-2965 (1990); Doyle, P. S. et al., Infect. Immun., 61, 4079-4084 (1993); Riggs, M. W. et al., Infect. Immun., 62, 1927-1939 (1994); Cama, V. A. and Sterling, C. R., J. Protozool., 38, 42S-43S (1991); Arrowood, M. J. et al., Infect. Immun., 57, 2283-2288 (1989); Bjorneby, J. M. et al., Infect. Immun., 59, 1172-1176 (1991); Perryman, L. E. et al., Infect. Immun., 58, 257-259 (1990); Perryman, L. E., et al., Infect. Immun., 61, 4906-4908 (1993); Tilley, M. et al., Infect. Immun., 59, 1002-1007 (1991).
The demonstrated importance of the immune response in prevention and recovery from C. parvum infection has stimulated investigators to define protective immune mechanisms and the characteristics of antigens which induce protective responses. Monoclonal antibodies C6B6, 17.41, 18.44, and 5C3 have been shown to diminish infection by C. parvum in neonatal mice. C6B6 reacts with p23; mAb 17.41 reacts with carbohydrate moieties on glycoproteins of 28 to 98 kDa; mAb 18.44 binds to a glycolipid conjugate termed CPS 500; and mAb 5C3 defines glycoproteins of 15 and 60 kDa [Arrowood, M. J. et al., Infect. Immun., 57, 2283-2288 (1989); Tilley, M. et al., Infect. Immun., 59, 1002-1007 (1991); Arrowood, M. J. et al., J. Parasitol., 77, 315-317 (1991); Riggs, M. W. et al., J. Immunology, 143, 1340-1345 (1989)]. Other partially protective mAb react with sporozoite proteins and glycoproteins ranging in molecular mass from 25 to  greater than 900 kDa (unpublished observations).
A first aspect of the present invention is an isolated DNA molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding Cryptosporidium parvum p23 protein or an antigenic fragment thereof.
A further aspect of the present invention is an isolated DNA molecule encoding a peptide comprising amino acid sequence Gln Asp Lys Pro Ala Asp Ala Pro Ala Ala Glu Ala Pro Ala Ala Glu Pro Ala Ala Gln Gln Asp Lys Pro Ala Asp Ala) (SEQ ID NO:4).
A further aspect of the present invention is a method of inducing an antigenic response to Cryptosporidium parvum, by administering an antigenic protein or peptide according to the present invention, in an amount sufficient to induce an antigenic response.
A further aspect of the present invention is an antigenic peptide comprising the amino acid sequence: Gln-Asp-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp (SEQ ID NO:9).
A further aspect of the present invention is a method of inducing an antigenic response to Cryptosporidium parvum, by administering to a subject an antigenic peptide comprising the amino acid sequence: Gln-Asp-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp (SEQ ID NO:9), in an amount sufficient to induce an antigenic response in said subject.
A further aspect of the present invention is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the synthetic peptide Gln-Asp-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp (SEQ ID NO:9).
A further aspect of the present invention is a method of providing passive immunity to Cryptosporidium parvum to a subject, by administration of a monoclonal antibody that binds to the synthetic peptide Gln-Asp-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp (SEQ ID NO:9).
A further aspect of the present invention is a method of providing passive immunity to Cryptosporidium parvum to a subject, by administration of polyclonal antibodies that specifically bind to a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence: Gln-Asp-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp (SEQ ID NO:9), in an amount sufficient to produce passive immunity in the subject.
Nucleotide sequence data reported in this work are available from the GenBank(trademark) data base with the accession number U34390.

Neutralization-sensitive epitopes of Cryptosporidium parvum


A system and method is disclosed herein that provides a multi-device, multi-screen experience where original content, other content, and associated data can interact and flow between a primary display device and one or more secondary devices. More particularly, the system and method disclosed herein provides for the delivery and management of digital media content to an end user by providing the multi-device, multi-screen experience where original content, other content, and associated data can interact and flow between devices. The system and method enables an individual to create a virtually universal home commerce and monitoring ecosystem by integrating a device into their home Wi-Fi and content consumption systems.

With the continued development of portable media players, social networking services, "smart" internet connected devices, improved wired/wireless data transmission speeds, and the like, individual users continue to have more methods and mediums to create, share, discover and consume more and more digital media content. Today, there exist numerous electronic devices that are used by a consumer to interact with digital media content for entertainment, education, and commerce purposes. These electronic devices include media devices that obtain digital media content from the Internet, cable, satellite, etc., and present or stream the digital media content to the user via audio and/or video display(s), which can be a component of the media device or a separate device, such as a television. Some examples of these media devices include set top boxes, video streaming devices (e.g., Apple TV® and Roku®), smart televisions, and gaming consoles (e.g., Sony PlayStation® and Xbox One®). Other well-known electronic devices used to gather information include laptop and desktop computers, tablets, netbooks, and smartphones. These devices are often used to watch streaming videos, listen to music, chat with friends, engage in social networking, shop, and generally surf the Internet.
Moreover, many consumers often use two or more of these devices concurrently. For example, while watching a live streaming football game on a television, a user may use a tablet or smartphone to check the ranking of his or her fantasy football team, purchase a jersey of his or her favorite player, text a friend telling them to turn on the game, etc. Moreover, there are other ways in which the user may enhance the consuming experience of the content on the television. For example, while watching the football game, the user may perform an online search on the topic relating to the game (e.g., current playoff standings) using a computer, netbook, tablet, smartphone or the like, and then navigate to a site that has additional information on the topic.
Currently, in order to obtain additional information relating to current media content being presented to the user on one device such as the user's television, the user has to exert a significant amount of effort to obtain this additional information on that device or on a secondary device. For example, the user would have to formulate Internet search terms, review the search results, navigate to the selected site to determine whether the information is the information sought by the user, and the like. The user may have to repeat this process several times before finding the precise information he/she desires. This process can be tedious and inconvenient. The two devices are distinct and independent without the digital media content from one flowing to the other.
Moreover, while the consumption of digital media content on multiple devices can be coordinated by a user, the disparate digital media content cannot be simultaneously presented to the user on a single device. For example, if a user is viewing primary source content, such as a live broadcast, on a television, but then wants to view secondary digital media content using a video streaming device, such as Apple TV®, the user must switch between source inputs of the television since the set top box receiving the live broadcast is connected to a first high-definition multimedia interface ("HDMI") input of the television while the video streaming device is connected to a second HDMI input and the television is generally incapable of concurrently displaying content received by two separate inputs. In other words, because the set top box and video streaming device are connected in parallel to the user's television, the parallel configuration only allows for the replacement of the original content by switching source inputs, such that the digital media content from the two devices cannot be consumed by the user simultaneously and/or synchronously.

Digital media content management system and method


Devices and techniques are generally described for fraud detection. A machine learning model is used to determine a first fraud risk score for a first transaction. The machine learning model includes a first set of weights. A first covariance matrix is determined for the machine learning model based at least in part on the first fraud risk score. A second set of weights for the machine learning model is determined. The second set of weights is determined based on the first set of weights and the first covariance matrix. In various examples, the machine learning model with the second set of weights is used to determine a second fraud risk score for a second transaction. A fraud decision surface is determined and the second fraud risk score is compared to the fraud decision surface. Data indicating that the second transaction is fraudulent is sent to a computing device.

Online transactional fraud attempts continue to grow year-over-year, putting pressure on retailers to innovate in order to protect customers and revenue. The field of online fraud detection can be categorized as an adversarial environment, where those with intentions to commit fraud are pitted against those endeavoring to prevent and deter such activity. This "arms race," as it is often referred to, involves continuous adaptation, as tactics of the opponents evolve over time.

Machine learning optimization for fraud detection


A grommet for an opening of a sheet member includes a shank, a head and at least a flexible locking tab. The shank includes, in a region adjacent the head and outside the locking tab, a shoulder to be placed below an edge of the opening when the shank is rotated an angle about the axis of the opening after being inserted therein. The shoulder and the locking tab prevent withdrawal of the grommet from the opening. The shank further includes an inclined outer surface section connecting the shoulder and the lower surface of the head. The inclined outer surface section engages the edge of the opening and draws the shank into the opening upon rotation of the shank.

Expandable nuts or so-called grommets of a plastic material have become known in most varied designs. Commonly, they are snappingly inserted into the opening of a sheet-like support by means of a shank. The shank has snapping means to retain the grommet in the opening. Furthermore, the grommet has a flange-like head which sealingly comes to bear against the side of the support that faces it when the shank has been snappingly seated in the opening. The head frequently has a flange-shaped portion of another plastic material which is softer than that of the shank and has a better sealing effect. The shank has an inner axial receiving bore into which a member having a male thread can be screwed to fix another member to the support.
The receiving holes in the support member frequently are of a square shape. Accordingly, the shank is also of a square shape in cross-section. In this context, it has also become known to provide shoulders at the outside of the shank at least on diagonally opposed sides close to the head. The shank and the receiving opening are profiled and dimensioned so as to allow to rotate the shank about a certain angle. As a result, the surface of the shoulders gets under the support member on the side opposing the head so that it is no longer possible to draw the shank out of the opening. At this stage, the surface portions above the shoulders cooperate with the edge of the opening to clampingly retain the grommet in the rotated position in the receiving opening.
Naturally, the sheet of the support member is with tolerances. In addition, the support members are of different thicknesses which depend on their application. The distance between the shoulder and the underside of the head cannot be prevented from being larger than the thickness of the support member. This can cause the grommet, when under a load, to come loose from the support member. Besides, this endangers the water tightness, safe function, and freedom from rattling, which are required particularly for the manufacture of automobiles.


The microscope (2) is substantially similar to the configuration of a conventional microscope. The microscope (2) comprises a foot element (4) on which a column (6) sits. An arm (8) is mounted or shaped onto the column (6). Located in the vicinity of the front end (10) of the arm (8) is an optical unit (12) that defines an optical axis (16). One or more of the objectives (18) or (22) mounted on the revolving nosepiece (20) are configured as so-called xe2x80x9cobjectives for scanning electron microscopyxe2x80x9d (electron beam objectives). The size of the electron beam objectives is comparable to the size of objectives for conventional microsopes. Because the objectives (18) and (22) are arranged on a revolving nosepiece (20), on a slider, or on another mechanical and/or electromechanical component, it a quick and easy matter to change among different magnifications or illumination types.

This invention claims priority of a German patent application DE 100 07 650.5-33 which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a microscope having an electron beam for illumination. In particular, the invention concerns an electron microscope that is similar in its configuration to a conventional microscope. The objectives are arranged on a revolving nosepiece so that the objective having the desired magnification can be pivoted into the beam path.
2. Background of the Invention
The article entitled xe2x80x9cElectron beam microcolumnxe2x80x9d by T. H. P. Chang et al. which appeared in Microelectronic Engineering 32 (1996), pp. 113-130, underlines the importance of scanning electron microscopy at low voltages. Applications exist in surface inspection, metrology, and lithography. Electron-optical columns are manufactured using the micropatterning technique, and are multiple-layer systems made up of layers having different electrical properties. The electron-optical columns produced in this fashion are operated at a voltage of approx. 1 keV.
Scanning electron microscopy is known and extensively developed. The resolution of scanning electron microscopy exceeds the resolution of optical systems by several orders of magnitude: a resolution of a few nanometers can easily be achieved with it. U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,064 discloses an electron microscope with which samples can be examined in a chamber provided especially for the purpose. The gas pressure in the chamber is kept at between 10xe2x88x922 and 50 torr. The configuration of the electron microscope comprises at least four different vacuum zones that create a pressure difference of 10xe2x88x9210 torr between the electron gun and the sample chamber. The various pressure regions are created in the electron-optical column that is placed on the sample chamber. A rapid and convenient change in magnification is not, however, possible with this system. In addition, the configuration of a scanning electron microscope of this kind is large, expensive, and difficult to manipulate.
It is the object of the present invention to create a microscope that achieves the resolution of conventional scanning electron microscopes and possesses an economical configuration. The microscope should differ very little from the overall size of conventional light microscopes.
This object is achieved by a microscope which is characterized in that at least one objective that can be arranged in the optical axis is configured as an electron beam objective.
One advantage of the invention is that in one specific embodiment, the samples can be examined under standard environmental conditions. The electron beam objectives used are comparable, in terms of their size, to the objectives of conventional light microscopes. This miniaturization is made possible by advances in micropatterning technology, and in this case in particular by silicon processing technologies. A further advantage of the invention is that electrostatic charging of the samples is avoided. This is due on the one hand to the fact that the electron beam is generated in the electron beam objectives using low acceleration voltages (on the order of 1 keV). On the other hand, ambient air is ionized at the transition from the electron beam objective to the sample, thus making it possible to dissipate the charge. A microscope according to the invention can be configured in particularly versatile fashion. For example, the electron beam objectives can be mounted on a revolving nosepiece, allowing a rapid changeover between different magnifications. Moreover, an optical objective can be provided in addition to the electron beam objectives, making possible, in the working position, purely optical observation of the sample at a lower resolution. Since the microscope can also be used for purely optical imaging, an optical unit which defines an optical axis is provided. An electron beam objective can be arranged in alignment with the optical axis, e.g. can be introduced by way of the revolving nosepiece into the optical axis and into the so-called working position. In the working position, the electron beam objective, comprising an electron microscope column, is arranged symmetrically about the optical axis. For many applications, it is particularly advantageous if the electron beam objective is spaced slightly away from the surface of a sample being examined. The samples can thus be examined under standard environmental conditions, thereby eliminating any complex preparation or even damage. The electron beam objective can thus be arranged in such a way that standard air pressure is present between the sample and the electron beam objective. In one possible configuration of an electron beam objective, it comprises a first housing that encloses a second housing. The electron microscope column is arranged in the second housing, symmetrically about the optical axis. Also provided are appropriate vacuum devices which maintain in the first housing a lower air pressure than in the external environment. In the second housing, a vacuum is created that is even more greatly improved as compared to the first housing.

Microscope having an electron beam for illumination


A method for representing an extended color gamut digital image on a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut comprising the steps of adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within the limited color gamut of the output medium to form a limited color gamut digital image, producing a limited color gamut output print from the limited color gamut digital image on the hard-copy output medium, determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image, and encoding the residual image on the output print using a digital encoding means such that the residual image and the limited color gamut output print are adapted to be used to form a reconstructed extended color gamut digital image.

The present invention relates to the field of digital imaging, and more particularly to representing an extended color gamut digital image with a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut.
In digital imaging systems, it is frequently desirable to produce hard-copy prints of a digital image. Such hard-copy prints will be limited to the range of colors and tones that can be produced on the particular device and output medium used to produce the image. This range of colors and tones that can be produced on the particular device and output medium is commonly referred to as the color gamut. In many cases, the range of colors that may be present in an original digital image may be significantly larger than the color gamut of the hard-copy print. As a result, information must be discarded in the process of producing the hard-copy print. For example, if the image contains a highly saturated blue sky that is more colorful than any blue that can be produced on the hard-copy print, the color of the blue sky must be clipped to fit within the color gamut of the hard-copy print. Likewise, an original image may also contain a luminance dynamic range (range of brightnesses) that is larger than that which can be produced on the hard-copy print. Therefore, the brightness values in the original image would need to be clipped, or otherwise compressed, to fit within the luminance dynamic range of the hard-copy print.
One example of particular importance is for images which originate on photographic negatives. This image capture means is capable of capturing a particularly large luminance dynamic range and color gamut. Some color negative systems can capture a scene luminance dynamic range of 8,000:1 or more. Typical hard-copy prints made from photographic negatives can only retain the information from a scene luminance dynamic range of about 100:1 or less. As a result, a large amount of information must be discarded in the process of producing the hard-copy print.
For example, consider the case where a photograph is taken of a person in a dimly lit room sitting in front of brightly lit window. The photographic negative has sufficient luminance dynamic range to record both the indoor part of the scene and the outdoor part of the scene. However, when a hard-copy print is produced, it is necessary to select which portion of the luminance dynamic range should be printed. A print can be made where the indoor part of the scene is well exposed, or alternatively, a print can be made where the outdoor part of the scene is well exposed. When photographic prints are produced, an automatic algorithm is typically used to guess at which part of the scene is most important and to adjust the exposure accordingly. However, many times the algorithm may guess incorrectly. In this case, the only recourse is to have another print made from the original photographic negative where the printing parameters are adjusted appropriately to properly expose the important parts of the scene.
However, a problem with this approach is that the original photographic negatives may be discarded or lost, or may be very difficult to find. As a result, it is not always possible to retrieve the extended color gamut information from the negative. In this case, it is generally not possible to make a significantly improved image from the hard-copy print alone since it does not retain any of the extended color gamut information beyond that which can be produced on the hard-copy print.
Another case where the limited color gamut of a hard-copy print can cause serious restrictions is for hard-copy images produced from digital images that are stored in a color space other than a color space specifically associated with the hard-copy output device. For example, many digital images may by stored in, or may originate in, a video RGB color space. FIG. 1 shows a comparison of a typical video RGB color gamut 10 and a typical hard-copy print color gamut 12. In this case, a*-b* cross-sections of the color gamuts are shown in the CIELAB space at an L* of 65. The colors that are inside the boundary are within the gamuts of the respective devices, while those that are outside the boundary cannot be reproduced, and are therefore referred to as xe2x80x9cout-of-gamutxe2x80x9d colors. It can be seen that there is a large set of color values that are within the video RGB color gamut 10, but are outside the hard-copy print color gamut 12. As a result, if an image in the video RGB color space was used to make a hard-copy print, it would not be possible to encode this color information. Therefore, if it were desired at a later time to make a hard-copy print on a different hard-copy output device that had a larger color gamut, it would be impossible to recover the information about the colors that were outside the color gamut of the first hard-copy print.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,885 to Neff et al. has disclosed a system and method of storing a digital record which is representative of an image on the print. This approach could be used to store a record of an extended color gamut representation of the image to address the present need. However, a serious shortcoming of the method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,885 is that a relatively large amount of information would need to be recorded on the print, thereby making this solution impractical in many cases for storing a full-resolution extended color gamut image.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the limitations of the prior ail by permitting the retention of extended color gamut information using a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut.
This object is achieved in a method for representing an extended color gamut digital image on a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut comprising the steps of:
a) adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within the limited color gamut of the output medium to form a limited color gamut digital image;
b) producing a limited color gamut output print from the limited color gamut digital image on the hard-copy output medium;
c) determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image; and
d) encoding the residual image on the output print using a digital encoding means such that the residual image and the limited color gamut output print are adapted to be used to form a reconstructed extended color gamut digital image.
The present invention has the advantage that the extended color gamut information associated with an original extended color gamut image can be retained on a hard-copy output print having a limited color gamut. This makes it possible to obtain the benefits associated with the original extended color gamut image source without requiring that it be archived separately.
The present invention has the additional advantage that the amount of digital data that must be recorded is substantially smaller than would be required to the entire extended color gamut digital image.
The present invention has the additional advantage that the extended color gamut information can be used, together with the original limited color gamut output print, to produce a reconstructed extended color-gamut digital image that can be used to produce improved output prints.
The present invention has the additional advantage that the extended color gamut information can be used, together with the original limited color gamut output print, to produce an improved image on an output device with a color gamut different than that of the original limited color gamut output print.

Method for representing an extended color gamut digital image on a hard-copy output medium


A process is provided for forming a thin film resistor (TFR) in an integrated circuit (IC) device. A TFR film is formed and annealed over an IC structure including IC elements and IC element contacts. An oxide cap is formed over the TFR film, which acts as a hardmask during a TFR etch of the TFR film to define a TFR element, which may eliminate the use of a photomask and thereby eliminate post-etch removal of photomask polymer. TFR edge spacers may be formed over lateral edges of the TFR element to insulate such TFR element edges. TFR contact openings are etched in the oxide cap over the TFR element, and a metal layer is formed over the IC structure and extending into the TFR contact openings to form metal contacts to the IC element contacts and the TFR element.

Many integrated circuit ("IC") devices incorporate thin film resistors (TFRs), which provide various advantages over other types of resistors. For example, TFRs may be highly accurate, and may be finely tuned to provide a very precise resistance value. As another example, TFRs typically have smaller parasitic components which provides advantageous high frequency behavior. In addition, TFRs typically have a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), e.g., after a suitable annealing process to "tune" the TCR to a near-zero value, which may provide stable operation over a wide range of operating temperatures. A TFR anneal may be performed at above 500° C., e.g., in the range of 500-525° C., to optimize the TCR value.
A TFR may include any suitable resistive film formed on or in an insulating substrate. Some common IC-integrated TFR resistive film materials include SiCr, SiCCr, TaN, and TiN, although any other suitable materials may be used. Fabricating integrated TFRs typically requires the addition of numerous processing steps to the backend IC integration flow, such as several expensive photomask processes. It would be advantageous to reduce the number of such steps, in particular the number of photomask processes, to reduce the cost of integrated TFR fabrication.
Another problem relates to forming and annealing TFRs in IC devices that use aluminum interconnect layers (e.g., interconnect layers formed from aluminum, aluminum copper, or aluminum silicon copper), due to the relatively low melting point of aluminum. A common aluminum interconnect layer is formed as a layer stack, for example, a Ti layer, followed by a TiN layer, followed by an AlSiC layer (or AlCu or Al layer), followed by a second Ti layer, and finally a second TiN layer. A typical TFR anneal, which may involve temperatures at or above 500° C., may negatively affect such an aluminum interconnect, which has an accepted anneal temperature limit of about 450° C. For example, in an aluminum interconnect layer stack described above, when a TFR if formed and annealed (e.g., at a temperature at or above 500° C.) after forming an aluminum interconnect, TiAl3 may form at grain boundaries within the interconnect layer stack, which increases sheet resistance of the interconnect (e.g., by a factor of 50 or more), which may cause electromigration problems in the IC structure.
Yet another problem with certain TFR integration processes involves the formation of heavy polymer residue from a polymer photomask used for a TFR etch, e.g., during the formation of the TFR itself. It is typically difficult to prevent or fully remove such polymer residue, as a chemical clean process to remove such polymer residue may damage sensitive structures in the area, such as IC element contacts (e.g., tungsten vias) exposed to the chemical clean.

Thin film resistor (TFR) formed in an integrated circuit device using an oxide cap layer as a TFR etch hardmask