A tape (1) with germinating units (9) comprising growth-suited parts of a plant, such as seeds, meristems or the like parts (10), which are able to develop into plants in the tape (1).The tape and the germinating units comprise at least one or two, respectively, biodegradable material layers (2, 4), such as paper, and are suited for a mechanical bedding out with the plants vertically arranged in a furrow in the ground. The tape (1) comprises furthermore a mixture (5) of a carrier (12) and additives permanently or loosely bound to said carrier in each germinating unit (9). The additives are suited for protecting the plant (10) against undesired effects and for controlling the moisture conditions about the plant and the development and growth of said plant in the tape (1). The parts of a plant (10) and the mixture (5) are attached to at least one of the material layers (2, 4), and the material layers (2, 4) are secured to one another in each germinating unit (9) about the parts of a plant (10) and the mixture (5) by means of a glue (6, 6xe2x80x2) and/or by being pressed into one another.

The invention relates to a tape with germinating units succeedingly arranged in the longitudinal direction of said tape, where the germinating units comprise growth-suited plant parts, such as seeds, meristems or the like parts, which are able to develop into plants in the tape, or where the tape comprises plants developed from said plant parts, the tape being placed edgewise, and where the tape and the germinating units comprise at least one or two, respectively, joined strips of paper being intended for mechanical bedding out in a furrow in the ground.
The above is known from the Applicant""s own application, cf. DK-171,407-B1.
EP 0 056 687-A3 discloses a seed tape comprising a strip of biodegradable material vertically bedded out in the soil, and whereby seeds are attached to the upper portion of said strip and concentrated fertilizers and optionally other chemicals are attached to the lower portion of said strip. As stated, this publication deals with a seed tape, and apparently no measures have been taken for making this tape with the germinated plants suited for a mechanical bedding out.
EP 0 097 735 A1 discloses a method of attracting and bedding out plants or radicles, where a cigar-shaped sleeve of paper, plastic sheet or the like biodegradable material is used for each plant. The cigar-shaped sleeve is filled with earth, peat or another growth substrate, in which a seed is placed. The sleeves are attached to a tape or a wire, and together with said tape or wire the sleeves are rolled or folded up into a package. The plants are developed in a greenhouse in the package before they are bedded out in the sleeve one by one or together with the tape.
The object of the invention is to provide a tape with germinating units, where the tape is inexpensive to produce, biodegradable and environmentally acceptable, where the plants can develop in the tape under the most favorable conditions while said tape is placed edgewise, where the tape with the germinated plants is suited for a mechanical bedding out with a permanent distance between the plants and at a correct height, and where the tape or the germinating units comprise the substances necessary for ensuring an optimum germination and continued favorable growth and protection of the plants.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tape prepared for a mechanical bedding out of the individual germinating units with plants.
A particular object of the invention is to provide a tape ensuring an optimum ratio of air (oxygen) to moisture about the plant parts and the roots of the plant both before, during and after the germination of said plants.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tape, where both the nature, the amount and the placing and release of the added substances ensure the most favorable effect on the development of the plants and the highest possible environmental protection consideration.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a package of the tape, which particularly ensures uniform and favorable germination and growth conditions, and which furthermore ensures an unproblematic and rational handling and mechanical bedding out of the tape.
The tape according to the invention is characterised in the features stated in the characterising clause of claim 1. As a result, each plant part or plant is contained in a germinating unit and attached to the tape together with the mixture or the mixtures in such a manner that said tape can stand up to a mechanical handling without said plants or plant parts being displaced in or falling out of said tape. The carrier ensures the attachment of the additives, and several mixtures render it possible to selectively place said additives relative to the plant part. In addition it is possible to control the release of the additives with the result that optimum germination and growth conditions can be ensured for the plants.
As the additives are placed locally about the germinating unit, it is possible to ensure that substances having a detrimental effect on the plant part when applying in high concentrations are placed at a distance from said germinating unit and thus only reach the plant part in a less concentrated form.
The carrier may according to the invention advantageously comprise one or more of the substances: vermiculite, perlite, zeolite, cellulose materials, such as wood fibres, sphagnum, burned clay, mineral fibres, such as rock wool or the like substances, whereby it is possible to obtain a desired degree of water retaining capacity, water conveying capacity, ion exchanging properties etc.
The additives may in principle comprise all substances compatible with the remaining selected materials and agents having a favorable effect on the storage, germination, and growth of the parts of the plant in question. The additives according to the invention may for instance comprise one or more of the substances: pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, especially systemic insecticides, fungicides, virae, cultures of bacteria, cultures of fungi, such as Trichoderma, fungus spores, microencapsulated fungicides, eggs from useful insects, such as predatory nematodes, fertilizers, hormones, enzymes, animal repellants, pH-adjusting agents, carbon, clay particles, trace elements, such as molybdenum, wood fibres or wood powder, kieselguhr, surfactants, water-absorbing agents, such as superabsorbing polymer (SAP) or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), silica and other additives with favorable effects on the germination and the growth of plants, where several substances are available in microencapsulated form with the result that they are protected against biodegradation and a controlled release thereof can be carried out.
According to the invention the binder may advantageously comprise polyvinyl alcohol or polyethylene glycol or another plant-compatible binder, such as water or water containing polysaccharide or mixtures thereof.
The plants or plant parts are advantageously placed at a specific distance from one rim, viz, the upper rim, of the tape, which corresponds to the ideal bedding out depth in the soil for the plant in question. The latter is of particular importance when the plants are to be bedded out in form of a coherent tape.
If the paper used is glazed and provided with a glue film on the side facing inwards in the tape, it is ensured that the two paper strips of the tape adhere to one another and that both the plant parts and the mixtures adhere to said strips. In addition it is ensured that air can easily circulate into and out of the interior of the germinating units and that the roots of the plants can cling to the burrs.
The paper used is advantageously of a weight not exceeding 80 g/m2, preferably not exceeding 50 g/m2, especially maximum 20 g/m2, whereby the material costs of the tape are as low as possible at the same time as a suitable strength of said tape is maintained. The paper can for instance be kraft paper.
One strip of material of the tape is made of crepe paper with the result that both a reduced frictional resistance and consequently also a reduced pull in the tape are obtained in connection with the mechanical bedding out of said tape.
The paper used is advantageously translucent in the moist state with the effect that light can penetrate to the seed during the germination process, said seed, such as a celery and tobacco seed, requiring a small amount of light during the germination process.
According to a particular embodiment of the tape, the germinating units may be closely juxtaposed, and cuts or weakening lines may be provided in the transitions between adjacent germinating units, said cuts or weakening lines allowing an easy separation of said germinating units, for instance by way of simply tearing off the outermost germinating unit in order to separately bed out said germinating unit.
According to the invention the growth-suited plant parts may be seeds or meristems.
According to the invention the tape may be adapted to be packed in a package, the tape being zigzag folded and placed in a bag or a box. Such a shape of the tape turned out to be very favorable both for ensuring a uniform space for the plants during the germination and the growth in the package and for ensuring a rational handling of the tape both in storage and transit as well as especially at the bedding out.
The invention also relates to a method of producing the tape according to the invention, and this method is characterised in the features stated in the characterising clause. This method turned out to be particularly advantageous for ensuring a reliable packing of the plant parts and the mixture in a closed germinating unit in such a manner that they are not displaced in or fall out of said germinating unit.
A particularly simple and reliable embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterised in that the pressing process is established by means of two co-acting profiled wheels or rolls, which optionally at the same time establish interrupted cuts or weakening lines in the lengths of material between the plant parts in the rows.
A further particularly simple embodiment of the method according to the invention is characterised in that the lengths of material secured to one another are longitudinally cut between the rows of plant parts and optionally transversely between said plant parts, whereby germinating tapes or separate germinating units are provided.
According to yet another particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention the tape resulting from the longitudinally cutting is folded up in a zigzag way into a package and subsequently placed in a germinating box with the rim side of said tape resting on a base, whereby an advantageous germination of the seeds into plants is carried out in said box, said plants being ready for a bedding out in vertical position together with the tape.
The invention relates furthermore to an assembly for carrying out the method according to the invention, and this assembly is characterised in the features stated in the characterising clause. This assembly turned out to be particularly efficient for carrying out the method according to the invention. In addition, the assembly does not take up much room, and the produced packages take up minimum room both in storage, in transit and during the germination. Moreover a significant advantage is found in the fact that the germinating boxes used for the germination can be used in transit as well as for the mechanical bedding out of the tapes by means of a bedding machine.

Tape with germinating units and packing thereof, as well as a method and an assembly for their production


At least one embodiment of a liquid crystal display device including: pixels each of which includes a plurality of sub-pixels; and scanning signal lines provided in a display area, the scanning signal lines being divided into groups each of which includes a plurality of scanning signal lines, the groups being sequentially selected, the polarity POL of signal electric potentials being inverted when the selected group is changed from a preceding group to a succeeding group which is selected immediately after the preceding group, a plurality of (for example, two) dummy scanning periods being inserted between a horizontal scanning period corresponding to last horizontal scanning (scanning of G23) in the preceding group and a horizontal scanning period corresponding to first horizontal scanning (scanning of G2) in the succeeding group, and a scanning signal line (for example, G2) which belongs to a group selected after the preceding group being subjected to dummy scanning during each dummy scanning period so as to be made active for a predetermined period of time, and then deactivated. With the arrangement, it is possible to suppress horizontal-shaped unevenness that occurs in a case where block inversion driving is carried out in a multi-pixel mode liquid crystal display device.

Liquid crystal display devices have excellent features such as high definition, low profile, light weight, and low power consumption. In recent years, a market scale of liquid crystal display devices has been rapidly increasing. In liquid crystal display devices, dot inversion driving in which a polarity of signal electric potentials supplied to a data signal line is inverted every 1 horizontal scanning period has been widely employed. However, in the dot inversion driving, polarity inversion frequency of the data signal line becomes high. This results in occurrence of problems such as reduction in pixel charging rate and increase in power consumption. In view of this, Patent Literature 1 for example proposes block inversion driving in which a polarity of signal electric potentials supplied to a data signal line is inverted every plural horizontal scanning periods. This block inversion driving allows an improvement in pixel charging rate and suppression of power consumption and heat generation, as compared with the dot inversion driving.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an arrangement in which a dummy scanning period is inserted immediately after polarity inversion in block inversion driving as shown in FIG. 46. According to the arrangement, a dummy scanning period (third horizontal scanning period in FIG. 46) for pre-charging and a horizontal scanning period (fourth horizontal scanning period in FIG. 46) for main charging (writing) are assigned to data (n+2) that comes immediately after the polarity inversion. This allows an increase in charging rate of a pixel corresponding to the data (n+2).
As a measure for improving viewing angle dependence of gamma characteristics (for example, holding down excess brightness and the like in a screen), Patent Literatures 2 and 3 for example disclose an arrangement in which a plurality of sub-pixels in a pixel are controlled to have different brightness so that a halftone is displayed by an area coverage modulation of these sub-pixels (multi-pixel mode).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Liquid crystal display device, method for driving liquid crystal display device, and television receiver


The invention relates to a stack (200) comprising a plurality of stacked fuel cells (100), fixed and fluidically connected to a first head (210), which comprises: a feeding inlet (301) for a fuel flow and a corresponding outlet (302); a feeding inlet (303) for a comburent flow and a corresponding outlet (306); a feeding inlet (302) and a corresponding outlet (305) for a flow of a cooling heat-transfer fluid thermally coupled with the fuel cells (100) in order to remove at least part of the reaction heat at the fuel cells (100) themselves; the first head (210) comprising a feeding inlet (307) and a corresponding outlet (308) for a flow may pass, said volume being thermally coupled with the cooling heat-transfer fluid flow, so that the cooling heat-transfer fluid delivers at least some of the heat removed from the fuel sells (100) to the working heat-transfer fluid.

As known, stacks of this type are conveniently used to generate electric power using the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing only water and are, therefore, considered a source of clean energy from the environmental point of view. The number of cells stacked in series to form the stack determines the total voltage thereof.
A stack of this type is, typically, the main component of a power generator. For correct operation, within a power generator, the stack is typically fluidically connected to a feeding and discharge circuit of gaseous currents of reactants and products, and to a cooling system (comprising, in turn, a pump, pipes, dissipaters, etc.) through which a fluid passes, e.g. water, and designed to remove excess heat from the stack developed by the above mentioned electrochemical reaction. In addition, the stack is generally operatively linked to a control system adapted to monitor a number of critical physical quantities (temperature, flow, pressure, voltage of single cell, total voltage, etc.).
To take into account above all the particular employment conditions which are utilized at an increasing extent (for example, to account for the use of a fuel cell generator as a source of electric back-up power) there is, in the field, the need to reduce the overall size of the group formed by the stack and by the auxiliary components to which it is connected within the generator, so as to reduce, therefore, the overall size and weight of an electric power generator that uses the stack itself.
Increasingly, therefore, in the art there is a need to provide a stack of fuel cells in which an increased compactness is accompanied by an improved efficiency, for example in terms of thermal integration and energy exchanges, ensuring generally high standards of performance and reliability. Moreover, it is highly desirable to provide a fuel cell stack which is compact and efficiently controllable and which has reduced response times, in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of electric power users.

Stack of improved fuel cells and electric power generator comprising said stack


A cooled electrosurgical system includes an electrosurgical device having at least one electrode for applying electrical energy to tissue. In one embodiment, the electrode includes an internal cavity in which a cooling medium such as water is contained. The internal cavity is closed at the distal end of the device such that the cooling medium is contained within the electrode at the surgical site such that the cooling medium does not contact the tissue being treated.

Electrosurgery is commonly used to cauterize, cut and/or coagulate tissue. In typical electrosurgical devices, RF electrical energy is applied to the tissue being treated. Local heating of the tissue occurs, and, depending upon the waveform of the applied energy, the desired effect is achieved. By varying the power output and the type of electrical waveform, it is possible to control the extent of heating and, thus, the resulting surgical effect. For example, a continuous sinusoidal waveform is best suited for cutting, while a waveform having periodically spaced bursts of a partially rectified signal produces coagulation.
In bipolar electrosurgery, the electrosurgical device includes two electrodes. The tissue being treated is placed between the electrodes, and the electrical energy is applied across the electrodes. In monopolar electrosurgery, the electrical excitation energy is applied to a single electrode at the surgical site, and a grounding pad is placed in contact with the patient. The energy passes from the single monopolar electrode through the tissue to the grounding pad.
While tissue heating is the mechanism by which the various surgical treatments are realized, it can also cause various obstacles to optimum procedure performance. For example, the heat causes tissue fluids to evaporate. As the tissue is desiccated, the electrical resistance of the tissue increases, making it increasingly more difficult to supply adequate power to the tissue. Eventually, the resistance rises to such a high level that it is impossible to continue the procedure. This is such a well-known and common problem in prior electrosurgical devices that surgeons have become accustomed to it and have tailored their procedures to minimize its effects. Typically, surgeons operate prior electrosurgical devices at a very low power level. This prevents the electrode and the adjacent tissue from becoming too hot too fast. Unfortunately, it also requires the surgeon to perform the procedure much more slowly than he would if he could operate the device at full power. As a result, the procedure takes much longer, requiring more operating room time and longer exposure of the patient to dangerous anesthetics.
Heating also causes charring of the tissue. Like desiccated tissue, charred tissue is of very high resistance. Therefore, as the surface of the tissue being treated becomes charred, it becomes difficult, and eventually impossible, to continue delivering power to the tissue as desired. Once again, to avoid the problem, surgeons perform procedures much more slowly than is desirable.
Electrosurgical procedures are also hindered by adherence of tissue to heated electrodes. During electrosurgery, the heated tissue tends to transfer heat to the electrodes. As an electrode becomes hot, tissue tends to stick to it, resulting in various complications. First, the tissue stuck to the electrode can have a high resistance and can therefore hinder delivery of power to the tissue. In prior devices, while performing a procedure, a surgeon must periodically remove the device from the patient and clean it before continuing. In addition, surgeons typically perform the procedure at low power to reduce tissue adherence and thus the frequency of cleanings.
Tissue sticking can also cause unnecessary bleeding. During electrosurgical procedures, the tissue being treated often heats the electrode such that, when the electrode is removed from the tissue, a portion of the tissue sticks to the electrode and is torn away, which likely results in bleeding. Thus, as the surgeon is attempting to cauterize in order to stop bleeding, he is actually causing more bleeding. He must therefore make repeated attempts to cauterize the area, first cauterizing, then tearing away tissue, then recauterizing the torn tissue, etc. Once again, in an attempt to alleviate the problem, surgeons will typically operate at low power, resulting in a procedure requiring much more time to complete than is desirable.
Another problem caused by heated electrodes is the creation of steam and smoke in the proximity of the surgical site. As a result, the surgeon's visibility is reduced, and he must periodically interrupt the procedure to allow the steam or smoke to dissipate.
It has been recognized that cooling the surgical site during electrosurgery would be desirable. In response, systems have been developed which flush the surgical site with fluid during surgery. However, this results in much more steam being created at the surgical site and the associated reduction in visibility. Also, the fluid introduced at the site must be aspirated as the procedure is performed.


Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to control fluid flow in a data center are disclosed herein. An example method disclosed herein comprises sensing a condition of a fluid in a first contained aisle on a first side of data center equipment, the fluid in the first contained aisle substantially isolated from a second contained aisle on a second side of the data center equipment, and controlling a vent to alter the fluid flow between the first contained aisle and the second contained aisle based on the sensed condition.

Data centers often include aisles which are separated or isolated to achieve desired environmental conditions. For example, an aisle in which computing devices exhaust heat may be separated by walls, seals, or the like from an aisle from which the computing devices take in cooled air. Aisles that are separated from one another to substantially isolate their environmental conditions are referred to as "contained aisles." Data centers utilize contained aisles to prevent hot air exhausted by data center computing equipment from recirculating with cooled air applied to the intake side of the equipment. Prior techniques for achieving desired environmental conditions (such as temperature, pressure, etc.) in a contained aisle include adjusting an operation (such as fan speed, output temperature, etc.) of a cooling unit supplying the cooled air to the intake side of the equipment. Adaptive vent tiles employing remotely controllable dampers have also been used in the supply plenum (e.g., located in the floor of the contained aisle) to vary an amount of cooled air provided to the intake side of the equipment.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


In some examples, the disclosure describes an annuloplasty device that comprises a tube-like structure configured to extend around at least part of a circumference of an annulus of a cardiac or vascular valve of a patient, and at least one anchor configured to anchor the tube-like structure to the annulus. The tube-like structure is configured to decrease a distance between valve leaflets that extend from the annulus.

Some patient conditions can produce valvular insufficiency or regurgitation. Valvular insufficiency or regurgitation occurs when a valve in a heart of a subject does not close completely, allowing blood to flow backwards (e.g., from the left ventricle to the left atrium), which may adversely impact the functionality of the heart.
The mitral valve includes two leaflets (anterior and posterior) attached to an annulus (e.g., a fibrous ring). In a healthy heart, the mitral valve leaflets close, or coapt, during contraction of the left ventricle and prevent blood from flowing back into the left atrium. Mitral valve regurgitation is a condition in which the leaflets of a mitral valve of a subject do not coapt properly and, as a result, blood regurgitates back into the left atrium from the left ventricle. The regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium may result in a reduced ejection volume from the left ventricle, causing the heart of the subject to work relatively hard to supply the desirable volume of blood to the body. Mitral regurgitation may occur because of different patient conditions. For example, secondary mitral regurgitation, also referred to as functional mitral regurgitation, may occur when a left ventricle dilates and causes dilation of the mitral annulus of a subject.

Annuloplasty device including tube-like structure


A coupling device (100), particularly for liquid-tight coupling of at least one liquid line (10) to a fluidic system (20), is described, which comprises: at least one sealing device (30), which is implemented to receive an end region (11) of the liquid line (10) and has a first sealing surface (31) for placement on an external surface (22) of the fluidic system in such a way that the end of the liquid line (10) is laterally enclosed by the first sealing surface (31) and points toward an opening (23) in the external surface (22), and a clamping device (40), using which the sealing device (30) may be pressed against the fluidic system (20), so that the first sealing surface (31) produces a liquid-tight connection with the external surface (22).

The invention relates to devices for coupling liquid lines to fluidic microsystems, particularly a coupling device for liquid-tight coupling of at least one liquid line to a fluidic system, fluidic systems which are equipped with devices of this type, and methods for coupling lines to fluidic microsystems.
In biotechnology, analytics, medical research, diagnostics, and for pharmaceutical screening technologies, fluidic systems are used for handling suspended biological or synthetic samples. Miniaturized fluidic systems (micro-fluidic systems, fluidic microsystems), having typical dimensions of fluidic channels or compartments in the sub-millimeter range, are of special interest. Fluidic microsystems are particularly suitable for sample-specific single cell treatment or measurement and are equipped with microelectrode devices for this purpose if necessary. Typically, a fluidic microsystem is manufactured as a compact component (chip). The following technologies are known for charging the microsystems with the particular samples (e.g., biological cells, cell components, synthetic particles, and/or liquid media).
Firstly, receiving samples in pipette tips and applying them via tubing which is attached to the microsystem is known. Furthermore, continuously supplying microsystems with a transport or envelope stream into which the samples are introduced using pumps (e.g., syringe pumps, peristaltic pumps, piezoelectric pumps, and the like) is known. To attach tubing, providing permanent adhesive bonds, using plug-in adapters which are attached to the microsystem (see Reichle et al. "BBA", Vol. 1459, 2000, pp. 218-229), or producing an attachment using screw bushings are known.
Permanent attachment of tubing to microsystems is disadvantageous, since for most applications flexible adaptation of the microsystem to the sample supply and separate handling of the tubing and the microsystem, e.g., for cleaning purposes, is desired. The plug-in or screw connections, in contrast, have disadvantages for producing flow, since an undesired dead volume is formed at the location of a plug-in or screw adapter, at which the flow cross-section also changes in comparison to the attached tube.
The formation of a dead volume causes multiple problems. Firstly, quantitative sample introduction or quantitative sample removal is made more difficult or prevented at low cell counts and/or small sample volumes (e.g. <10 μl, <1000 cells/μl). The applications of conventional tube couplings are restricted to microsystems in which volumes in the higher μl to ml range may be accommodated as reservoir volumes and the flow speeds and volume flows are in the range >100 μl/hour and the speeds are in the range >500 μm/second and the retrieval rate of the sample assayed is not of overwhelming interest. However, this represents a significant restriction of the field of use of conventional microsystems. Furthermore, every dead volume is connected with extended pumping times. A tube having an internal diameter of approximately 250 μm has a volume of approximately 2 μl for 1 cm of tube length. At a desired flow speed of approximately 10 μl/hour, a dwell time of approximately 10 minutes results. With an equal dead volume, an undesired extension of the pumping time accordingly results. If multiple microsystems are coupled as required by an application, unacceptable process delays result.
It is especially critical that air bubbles may form or may adhere at substrate transitions and dead volumes. Particularly in the event of discontinuous operation ("stop and go"), these lead to non-reproducible pressure changes and thus to disadvantageous movement variations of the particles or cells in the microsystem.
The dead volume is usually also connected to a change of the flow cross-section, e.g., an expansion at a connection adapter. In the event of an expansion or accordingly after a narrowing, the flow speed is reduced. Samples or sample components may settle (sedimentation). For example, undesired loss of cells or a delay may occur until the cells are flushed further. Dead volumes therefore also generate a danger due to accumulation of impurities, through which susceptibility to microbes may arise.
A coupling device for microfluidic applications is known from WO 99/63260. A hollow body is fixed on a fluidic chip, in whose end pointing toward the fluidic chip an O-ring seal is integrated via an opening in the fluidic chip. For coupling, a liquid line having a profiled external wall is plugged into the hollow body having the O-ring seal. The free end of the liquid line is pushed toward the opening until the profiled external wall of the liquid line is seated in the O-ring seal. In this state, the O-ring seal is radially compressed in the hollow body, a liquid-tight connection being formed between the liquid line and the fluidic chip.
The coupling device according to WO 99/63260 has multiple disadvantages. Firstly, the coupling device is only usable with liquid lines having a profiled line end. The line end must be processed before use if necessary (e.g., by removing material or a heat treatment). A further disadvantage arises if, by plugging the end of the liquid line into the fluidic chip, a step arises in the particular opening of the fluidic chip because of the thickness of the wall material of the liquid line, through which the dead volume having the disadvantages described above is formed. Furthermore, it is problematic that the conventional technology is designed for relatively high operating pressures (e.g., 70 bar), which are impractical, however, in fluidic microsystem technology, in which fragile glass chips are used, for example.
An essential disadvantage is that according to WO 99/63260, a good seal is achieved between the liquid line and the radially clamped O-ring. However, there is only a relatively narrow contact surface between the O-ring and the fluidic chip, whose sealing function is fulfilled unreliably because of its small dimensions. In addition, the surface of the fluidic chip is loaded unevenly. High requirements are set on the stability of the fluidic chip. If correspondingly thicker wall materials are used, disadvantages result for the applicability of optical measurement methods to the fluidic chip.
The problems cited relate not only to the coupling of tubing, but rather also generally to other connections between liquid lines (e.g., capillaries) and fluidic microsystems.
Particularly if microsystems having small intrinsic volumes are used and/or for problems in cellular biology or medicine, the following requirements may arise. Small cell counts in the range from 1 to 500 cells are to be flushed through the microsystem with a retrieval rate >70% and are to be analyzed and manipulated therein according to different criteria (e.g., size, dielectric properties, optical properties, fluorescence properties). In this case, typical pumping speeds in the range from 100 to 500 μm/seconds or pump rates in the range from 2-20 μl/hour are to be implemented. Furthermore, it is desirable for specific applications to retrieve the cells quantitatively, possibly down to individual cells. For this purpose, applications exist for isolating clones originating from individual cells and for sample preparation for single cell technologies, such as single cell PCR, single cell CE, or the like, for example.
The object of the present invention is to provide improved devices for coupling liquid lines to fluidic microsystems, using which the disadvantages of conventional coupling technologies are overcome. The devices are particularly to be distinguished by an expanded field of application, high flexibility, and improved flow-technology properties, such as minimal dead volume and avoidance of steps in the flow cross-section. The object of the present invention is also to provide improved methods for coupling liquid lines to fluidic microsystems, particularly using devices of this type.

Device and method for coupling lines to fluidic microsystems


An apparatus for teaching defensive driving includes a hub unit removably attachable to an axle of a wheel of a vehicle, and a housing unit. The housing unit includes a swing arm member pivotally affixed therewithin, a wheel-height adjusting mechanism, and at least one wheel assembly swiveling along a vertical axis and affixed at a bottom end of the housing unit. The swing arm member includes a unit for fittingly engaging a portion of the hub unit and a height adjustable member. The height adjusting mechanism is operatingly coupled to the height adjustable member to adjust a height of the wheel relative to a surface of a road, thereby adjusting a friction level between the wheel and the road surface.

Experienced vehicle drivers know that even just a thin coating of rain, snow or ice can make roads slippery. In heavy rain, the tires of a vehicle may begin to actually ride on the water lying on top of the road pavement. This "hydroplaning" usually occurs at higher speeds, but it also can occur if the vehicle has tread worn or improperly inflated tires. Driving on roads covered with ice or snow can also lead to skids or drifts when the vehicle tires lose their grip on these weather affected roads. Skids or drifts can be caused by over steering, under steering, over braking, over accelerating, and/or driving too fast under these road conditions. As such, drivers can benefit from learning how to handle vehicle skids or drifts by driving a vehicle configured to simulate such driving conditions without the inclement weather conditions.

Apparatus for teaching defensive driving


An information processing apparatus includes a detection unit, a data acquisition unit, and a communication unit. The detection unit is configured to detect whether or not print target data based on a print job has been created in a format suitable for printing on a predetermined image forming apparatus. The data acquisition unit is configured to acquire, when the detection unit detects that the print target data has been created, the created print target data and accompanying print information extracted from the print job. The communication unit is configured to transmit print data containing the acquired print target data and accompanying print information to the image forming apparatus using a predetermined protocol applicable to the image forming apparatus.

The present disclosure relates to a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium with a communication program stored thereon, an information processing apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming apparatus and particularly relates to a technique for printing on the image forming apparatus print target data received from the information processing apparatus.
In public facilities in which an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus are installed to allow multiple users to share them, management relating to user's printing of print target data on the image forming apparatus is conducted, for example, in the following manners: (1) A manager accesses the information processing apparatus to select the image forming apparatus to be used for printing via the information processing apparatus. (2) If user's printing is permitted provided that a printing fee is charged to the user, a manager of the public facility collects the printing fee directly from the user. (3) There is also a management system that manages user's printing by printing print target data on the image forming apparatus via a print service server located on the Internet.

Computer-readable non-transitory storage medium with communication program stored thereon, information processing apparatus, image forming system, and image forming apparatus


The present invention provides a method for imparting bacteriostatic effect to a textile product by immersing the textile product for 20 minutes or more in an aqueous solution containing a cationic polypeptide at a concentration of 250 ppm or more, which solution has a temperature of 25° C. or more. By bacteriostatically treating a textile product in accordance with such method, the bacteriostatic effect is not reduced and thus retained even after the textile product is washed for a plurality of times.

Due to sweating and contaminants in the air, it is easy for bacteria to grow on those textile products that come into contact with human body, such as clothings, towels and bedclothes. As a result, such bacterial growth causes dermatopathy and unpleasant phenomenon due to the offensive odor generated by the decomposed matters of bacteria, as well as alteration, discoloration and deterioration of the fibers. Particularly, since synthetic fibers absorbs only a small amount of sweat, there is a problem that microorganisms are likely to grow on such textile product due to the sweat deposited when the textile product is worn.
Partly because of the recent increase in the recognition and orientation toward hygiene among consumers in general, a number of methods for imparting antimicrobial properties to a textile product have been devised. Examples of such methods include one in which the spinning solution is kneaded with an antimicrobial agent and spun into fibers and one in which fibers are impregnated with a solution of antimicrobial agent.
As the antimicrobial agent used in such the above-mentioned methods for imparting antimicrobial properties to a textile product, cationic polypeptides such as ϵ-polylysine and protamines, which are also used as food additives, are highly safe and useful. It is noted here that the term "protamine" collectively refers to histone-like peptides originated from fish sperm nucleus, and specifically, it is a peptide having an arginine-rich structure.
Examples where ϵ-polylysine was used so far include those in which a spinning solution, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, was kneaded with ϵ-polylysine and spun into fibers (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H10-310935, Japanese Patent No. 3596147); one in which ϵ-polylysine was graft-polymerized into a macromolecule (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-303287); and the method in which fibers are impregnated with a solution containing ϵ-polylysine solution and other components (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-314823, Japanese Patent No. 3883763, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-61639). In addition, examples where protamine was used include the method in which protamine is applied as an antifungal agent and allowed to adhere to a nonwoven fabric (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-166155).
Among these methods, since the bacteriostatically treating method in which an antibacterial agent is attached to fibers by impregnation or application is particularly simple, it is desired to generalize the use thereof.
However, in the treatment conditions of the aforementioned prior arts, the bacteriostatic effect cannot be maintained as the antibacterial agent is removed during washing; thus, components other than cationic polypeptide are allowed to exist during the treatment. That is, there has not been achieved a method for bacteriostatically treating a textile product in such a manner that the bacteriostatic effect of the antibacterial agent is not reduced and thus retained even after the textile product is washed for a plurality of times.


A monitor can sense the difference in temperature between the inside and the outside of an enclosure containing electrical power equipment. The monitor has a case adapted for mounting at the enclosure. Also included is a first and a second sensor for producing a first signal and a second signal, respectively. The first sensor is mounted at the case and is adapted for insertion through an opening in the enclosure. The second sensor is adapted to sense temperature at a location remote from the first sensor. Specifically, the case is mounted so that one of the sensors is inside the enclosure and the other is outside. The monitor also includes an alarm system mounted at the case and coupled to the first and the second sensor for producing a warning signal in response to the first and the second signals from the first and the second sensor signifying a temperature difference exceeding a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and techniques for detecting the temperature differential existing around various electrical power equipment and enclosures.
2. Description of Related Art
Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings typically have electrical panels in the form of a box or covered recess that may contain circuit breakers, power contactors, relays, fuses or other equipment designed to deliver or route primary utility current to locations in the building. Failure of such electrical equipment is typically preceded by a temperature increase. The temperature increase can be caused by excessive current, unbalanced load, oxidation or corrosion at contact surfaces, lossy contacts that generate heat, arcing, etc.
Measuring a temperature increase within an electrical panel is complicated by the fact that the temperature rise can be caused by equipment defects, or simply by a rise in the ambient temperature. For this reason equipment for detecting or anticipating equipment failure will measure a temperature difference, that is, the temperature at a piece of monitored equipment relative to ambient.
A disadvantage with measuring these temperature differences is the complexity associated with the equipment capable of performing such measurements. For example, monitoring the temperature inside a power panel will often require a skilled electrician who is able to remove the panel cover while energized and safely install a temperature sensor as well as wiring that leads to the outside of the power panel. Also, an external temperature sensor must be mounted outside the panel at a position appropriate for measuring ambient temperature. This external sensor must then be wired to a monitoring circuit that can perform the differential analysis and provide an appropriate warning signal. Being relatively complex, such systems often consume a fair amount of power and are therefore often connected to utility power lines, which adds to the complexity of the installation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,060 a temperature sensitive thyristor 34 energizes warning element 20 when high temperature is sensed at device 18, which is illustrated as a standard socket for house current. Warning element 20 can be a light or a flasher. A temperature reference can be provided to thyristor 34 by diode 64 of device 62, which is spaced a distance d from the thyristor 34.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,735 the temperature of lubricant in an axle housing is measured by sensor 26 and compared to the ambient temperature measured by sensor 30. An excessive temperature difference indicates a probable need for service and can illuminate light 36.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,803 a temperature difference is sensed by a sensor conductor and a reference conductor. In the embodiment of FIG. 17 a sensor conductor 174 is routed inside an appliance to compare the temperature inside the appliance to the temperature on the outside of the appliance. Power to the appliance is interrupted in response to excessive internal temperature. LEDs 32 and 33 indicate the status of the system as either "tripped" or "on."
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,652 a terminal of a circuit breaker (or the like) may glow hot if it has a poor, high resistance connection. Temperature sensing diodes 8 and 10 can sense the different temperatures and the magnitude of the difference determines whether the comparator will trip a circuit breaker coil.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,849 a device adhesively attached to an x-ray tube can operate a blinker 11 when resistance sensor 7 detects a high temperature.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,847,653 and 6,060,990 a heat alarm is attached to the face of an electrical panel by magnets or otherwise. A bimetallic switch senses temperature reaching 135° F. to illuminate an LED and operate an audible alarm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,367 a bimetallic temperature sensor is mounted inside an electrical panel to produce an audible alarm when the panel temperature exceeds 135° F.
In FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,888 temperature sensitive transistors Tr1 and Tr2 have different thermal time constants. Accordingly, a differential voltage will be produced in response to a rapid temperature increase. This differential voltage can trigger a temperature sensitive thyristor that can also trigger in response to high temperatures, without regard to the differential voltage. Once triggered, the thyristor operates an alarm 7.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,550 temperature sensors 10 and 11 are applied to differential comparator 30 to display a temperature difference on display 38. The device is described as useful for monitoring temperature differences at different positions on a diesel engine, a furnace, a solar collector, or at different positions around a building (including the inside and outside of the building). If the temperature difference exceeds a certain positive threshold the system activates an alarm 55. If the temperature difference exceeds a certain negative threshold, alarm 56 is activated instead.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,565 the temperatures at various locations on several electronic cards are monitored by sensors mounted on those cards. The measured temperatures are compared electronically to the ambient temperature measured at a fan. Components having a high temperature differential over the ambient temperature are deemed to be malfunctioning and the operator is given an alarm signal and is offered information in the form of a thermal map of the system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,359 a differential thermal sensor using thermopiles can detect temperature differences along a patient's spine, or in various industrial processes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,565 an indoor/outdoor thermometer uses a radio frequency connection to avoid cutting a hole through a building. Temperature is displayed by a numeric display.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,295 a thermocouple for measuring brake temperature is compensated so that changes in ambient temperature due to cold or hot weather do not affect the temperature measurement at the hot junction of the thermocouple. As temperature increases the system illuminates a warning light and then an overheat light.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,623 the hot junction of the thermocouple is placed near an automobile's catalytic converter. If the thermocouple measures a high temperature, reed switch 20 closes to illuminate light 26. The cold junction is responsive to the "circumferential temperature" but a temperature sensitive diode or thermistor is used to compensate for or cancel out the effects of the circumferential temperature.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,612 a thermopile is coupled with a thermocouple so that a measured temperature is referenced to a remote temperature sensed by the thermocouple. In some embodiments separate thermopiles measure temperatures at spaced positions to develop a differential temperature measurement.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,777 thermistors are mounted in junction boxes throughout a building. The measured temperatures can be displayed on a panel at a central station.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,230 a reference temperature signal is initially set at startup and is allowed to vary slowly if temperature increases. The difference between this reference temperature and the actual temperature as sensed by the sensor 10 is used to trigger an alarm, basically when the sensed temperature is rising so fast as to indicate the outbreak of the fire.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,194 a pair of thermostats produces a signal when the temperature falls between an upper and lower limit.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device for measuring temperature differences associated with electrical equipment that avoids the shortcomings and complexities of the prior art.

Monitor and method for sensing temperature differences


Immunogenic compositions comprising microparticles with adsorbed toxoid antigen and/or polysaccharide-containing antigen are disclosed. The immunogenic microparticle compositions comprise (a) polymer microparticles comprising a biodegradable polymer; (b) an antigen adsorbed to the microparticles selected from (i) a toxoid antigen, such as a tetanus toxoid, a diphtheria toxoid, or a combination thereof, and/or (ii) a polysaccharide containing antigen, such as a Hib polysaccharide antigen, a Hib conjugate antigen comprising polysaccharide and polypeptide regions, a meningococcal polysaccharide antigen, a meningococcal conjugate antigen comprising polysaccharide and polypeptide regions, a pneumococcal polysaccharide antigen, and a pneumococcal conjugate antigen comprising polysaccharide and polypeptide regions or a combination thereof; and (c) a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. The biodegradable polymer can be, for example, a polymer selected from a poly(α-hydroxy acid), a polyhydroxy butyric acid, a polycaprolactone, a polyorthoester, a polyanhydride, and a polycyanoacrylate. Also disclosed are methods of immunization against infection by a pathogenic organisms and methods stimulating immune responses, which comprise administering such compositions to host animals. Methods of producing such microparticle compositions are also disclosed which comprise forming a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion that contains water, organic solvent and biodegradable polymer, followed by removal of the organic solvent from the emulsion to form microparticles, after which toxoid and/or polysaccharide containing antigens are adsorbed on the microparticles.

The emergence of subunit vaccines, including polypeptide, polysaccharide, conjugate, and DNA vaccines, has intensified the need for safe and effective adjuvant-containing compositions.
Currently, the most commonly used adjuvants in the United States are alum adjuvants (i.e., aluminum salts such as aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate). Only alum is currently approved for human use by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For example, various diphtheria-tetanus vaccines are available in which diphtheria toxoids and tetanus toxoids are adsorbed to aluminum salts. Although aluminum adjuvants have a demonstrated safety profile of many years, these adjuvants are nonetheless occasionally associated with local reactions. For example, post-vaccination granulomas are a well-known reaction associated with aluminum-adsorbed vaccines.
Particulate carriers have been used with adsorbed or entrapped antigens in attempts to elicit adequate immune responses. Such carriers typically present multiple copies of a selected recombinant protein antigen to the immune system and promote trapping and retention of antigens in local lymph nodes. The particles can be phagocytosed by macrophages and can enhance antigen presentation through cytokine release.
For example, commonly owned International patent application WO 98/33487 and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/015,652, filed Jan. 29, 1998, describe the use of antigen-adsorbed and antigen-encapsulated microparticles to stimulate immunological responses, including cell-mediated immunological responses, as well as methods of making the microparticles. Polymers used to form the microparticles include poly(lactide) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide), also referred to herein as "PLG".
Commonly owned International patent application WO 00/06123 and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/715,902 disclose methods of making microparticles having adsorbed macromolecules, including DNA, polypeptides, antigens and adjuvants. The microparticles comprise, for example, a polymer such as a poly(alpha-hydroxy acid) (e.g., PLG), a polyhydroxy butyric acid, a polycaprolactone, a polyorthoester, a polyanhydride, and the like and are formed using, for example, cationic, anionic or nonionic detergents. Microparticles containing anionic detergents, such as PLG microparticles with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), are proposed for the use of positively charged macromolecules, such as polypeptides. Microparticles containing cationic detergents, such as PLG microparticles with CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide), are proposed for the use of negatively charged macromolecules, such as DNA. The use of such microparticles to stimulate immunological responses, including cell-mediated immunological responses, is also disclosed.

Immunogenic compositions containing microparticles comprising adsorbed toxoid and polysaccharide-containing antigens


A semiconductor device includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion photodiodes provided on a silicon substrate, and a refractive index matching film provided on each of the photodiodes. The refractive index matching film is composed of an insulating compound layer represented by SiOxNy (0≦x and y) assuming that the molar ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen of the compound layer is 1:x:y. The oxygen content of the compound layer is the lowest at the silicon interface with each photodiode and the highest in an upper portion of the compound layer, and the nitrogen content is the highest at the silicon interface with each photodiode and the lowest in the upper portion of the compound layer. Therefore, multiple reflection can be decreased to improve light receiving sensitivity, as compared with a case in which a SiN single layer and a SiO2 single layer are laminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a semiconductor device suitably used for a photoelectric transducer such as a photocoupler or the like, a solid-state imaging device or field-effect imaging device comprising a semiconductor image sensor which receives light incident on an on-chip lens formed on a color filter, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, and an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor.
More specifically, a refractive index matching film is provided on a photoelectric conversion light-receiving element, and a composition composed of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen which constitute the refractive index matching film is adjusted so that the refractive index of a compound layer constituting the refractive index matching film continuously changes from the refractive index of a silicon oxide film of 1.45 to the refractive index of a silicon nitride film of 2.0. As a result, reflection from the light receiving element can be minimized, and light receiving sensitivity can be improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a video camera and a digital still camera have been increasingly used in many schools, homes and broadcast stations. Such a camera requires a solid-state imaging device. The solid-state imaging device comprises CCD (Charge Coupled Device) imaging devices arranged as photoelectric transducers in a two-dimensional form. The CCD imaging device means a semiconductor device having a structure in which unit elements each comprising a photodiode and a MOS capacitor are regularly arranged. The solid-state imaging device has the function to move a group of charges stored in the surface of a semiconductor substrate along the array direction of electrodes of the MOS capacitors.
Namely, the solid-state imaging device comprises pluralities of photodiodes, MOS capacitors, vertical transfer registers, horizontal transfer registers, and charge detecting amplifiers, which are provided on the semiconductor substrate. When light is applied to a light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device, the light is converted into signal charges by the photodiodes, and then stored in the MOS capacitors. The signal charges stored in the MOS capacitors are transferred by the vertical transfer registers (referred to as "vertical CCD sections" hereinafter) and horizontal transfer registers, and finally detected by the charge detecting amplifiers and read as analogue received signals.
FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a solid-state imaging device 10 of a first conventional example. As shown in FIG. 14, a semiconductor buried layer (P-WELL) 1 is formed on a N-type silicon substrate 11, the P-WELL 1 comprising photodiodes PD each having a N-type impurity region (impurity diffused layer) 2, and vertical CCD sections 12 each having a N-type impurity region (impurity diffused layer) 3. The P-WELL 1 further comprises transfer gate sections 13 for reading out signal charges from the photodiodes PD to the vertical CCD sections 12, to isolate the silicon substrate 11.
The N-type impurity region 2 constituting each of the photodiodes PD is isolated from the N-type impurity region 3 constituting the corresponding vertical CCD section 12 by a channel stopper 4 comprising a P-type impurity region. Furthermore, a transfer electrode 17 is provided on each of the vertical CCD sections 12 through a gate insulating film (silicon oxide film) 14.
The transfer electrodes 17 of the vertical CCD sections 12 are covered with a shielding film 19 composed of aluminum or tungsten through an interlayer insulating film 18. The shielding film 19 has apertures formed above the photodiodes PD to define light-receiving windows 21. The shielding film 19 is coated with a cover film 22 comprising a silicon oxide film of PSG or the like. Furthermore, a planarizing film 23, a color filter 24, and microlenses 25 are formed in order on the cover film 22.
The material of the cover film 22 is not limited to the silicon oxide film, and an example using a silicon nitride film is also known. For example, the technical document, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 60-177778, discloses that a plasma silicon nitride film is formed on a transparent electrode composed of polycrystalline silicon. However, in such a structure in which a silicon nitride film is deposited, an increase in short-wavelength sensitivity is expected due to a multiple interference effect.
Therefore, in the structure shown in FIG. 14 in which the silicon interfaces of the photodiodes PD are covered directly with the cover film 22, a loss of incident light is increased due to surface reflection from the N-type silicon substrate 11 to fail to obtain sufficient light receiving sensitivity.
In addition, in the structure in which the plasma silicon nitride film is formed below the planarizing film 23, ripple occurs in spectral transmittance due to an interference effect between a silicon nitride film serving as the interlayer insulating film 18 and a silicon nitride film serving as the gate insulating film 14 provided below the interlayer insulating film 18. Therefore, the spectral characteristics of the color filter layer 24 easily vary.
In order to solve the above-described problem, for example, Patent Publication No. 3196727 discloses a technique for forming an anti-reflection film on photodiodes PD. FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing an example of a construction of a solid-state imaging device 10′ of a second conventional example.
The solid-state imaging device 10′ shown in FIG. 15 comprises a N-type silicon substrate 11 on a surface of which photodiodes PD are formed for obtaining signal charges. Each of the photodiodes PD comprises a N-type impurity region (impurity diffused region) 2.
Furthermore, a silicon oxide thin film serving as a gate insulating film 14 is formed on the silicon substrate 11, and a silicon nitride film serving as an anti-reflection thin film 15 having a refractive index higher than that of the silicon oxide film 14 and lower than that of the silicon substrate 11 is formed on the silicon oxide thin film 14. The refractive index of the silicon oxide film 14 is about 1.45, and the refractive index of the silicon nitride film is about 2.0. Assuming that the refractive index is n, the thickness t of each of the silicon oxide film and the silicon nitride film is set to satisfy the relationship 350/(4n) nm≦t≦450/(4n) nm. These films 14 and 15 are formed for preventing a dark current.
When the thickness of each of the silicon oxide film and the silicon nitride film is set as described above, the anti-reflection film 15 having relatively flat reflection in the visible light region can be obtained. By appropriately setting the thickness of each of the silicon oxide film and the silicon nitride film, reflectance can be suppressed to an average of about 12 to 13%, and is thus suppressed to about ⅓ of the reflectance of the conventional silicon substrate 11 of about 40%.
Like in the first conventional example, transfer electrodes 17 are formed on the vertical CCD sections 12 through a silicon oxide film. Furthermore, a shielding film 19 composed of aluminum or tungsten is deposited through an interlayer insulating film 18, the shielding film 19 having apertures respectively formed above the photodiodes PD.
A cover film 22 is formed on the shielding film 19. The cover film 22 comprises a PSG film serving as a silicon-based passivation film, and has a refractive index of about 1.46. In addition, a planarizing layer 23, a filter layer 24, and microlenses 25 are formed on the cover film 22. The refractive index of the color filter layer 24 is about 1.5 to 1.6, and is thus substantially the same as the passivation film.
However, the solid-state imaging device (simply referred to as the "semiconductor device" hereinafter) 10′ of the second conventional example shown in FIG. 15 has the following problems:
(1) The refractive index of the cover film 22 formed above the anti-reflection film (silicon nitride film) 15 is about 1.4 to 1.6, and is greatly different from the refractive index 2.0 of the silicon nitride film serving as the anti-reflection film 15. Therefore, reflection occurs between the anti-reflection film 15 and the cover film 22.
(2) The reflection between the anti-reflection film 15 and the cover film 22 is associated with reflection from the photodiodes (light receiving elements) PD, thereby causing a smear and inhibiting an improvement in light receiving sensitivity.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor imaging device having a refractive index matching layer


The present disclosure provides a method for image capturing, a method for image capturing control and associated apparatuses. The method for image capturing includes: obtaining Region Of Interest (ROI) information of a target ROI corresponding to a current frame of image; buffering captured pixel data of the current frame of image; obtaining, when determining that the pixel data of the current frame of image has been buffered completely, pixel data associated with the target ROI from the buffered pixel data of the current frame of image based on the ROI information if the ROI information of the target ROI corresponding to the current frame of image can be obtained; and outputting the pixel data associated with the target ROI.

With the development of technical fields such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ships, self-driving, Virtual Reality (VR), three-dimensional (3D) scanning, robotic obstacle avoidance and Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM), cameras are widely used in these technical fields. Since these fields have high requirements on a camera' resolution, in the related art, a camera having high resolution (for example, 4096*4096) is typically used for capturing images. However, due to such high resolution, the amount of data to be transmitted by the camera is so large that the transmission speed of the image data is relatively slow. Accordingly, how to capture image data with high resolution while improving its transmission speed has become a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art.
In addition, in order to adapt image data outputted by a camera to human eyes, Image Signal Processing (ISP) is typically integrated in the camera, as shown in FIG. 1A, or provided separately from the camera, as shown in FIG. 1B. An image sensor of the camera transmits captured pixel data to the ISP for processing, and the ISP processes the pixel data before outputting it. However, in fact the ISP may lose some detail information in the pixel data when processing the pixel data. Hence, the image data processed by the ISP may still have a problem of information loss to some extent.

Method of controlling image acquisition and other related tools

BEIJING TUSEN ZHITU TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A method for determining electrical conduction path information in a chamber wall of a ventricle of a patient is provided. A three-dimensional magnetic resonance image data set is recorded showing the ventricles using a recording technology which allows an assignment of an electrical conductivity to a voxel based on the magnetic resonance image dataset. The chamber wall is segmented in the magnetic resonance image dataset. Conductivity determined from the image data is assigned to sub-regions of the chamber wall corresponding to individual voxels of the magnetic resonance image dataset. A model of the chamber wall is created as a function of the conductivities and segmentation. A conduction path information item is determined describing an electrical conduction path running from a start point to a destination point through the chamber wall in the model.

Different diseases are known, in which the normal operation of the heart is disrupted by aberrant conduction paths in ventricles, such as the atrium, which can cause serious physical problems.
One of the best known of these diseases is atrial fibrillation, which affects several million people per year at least temporarily in the US alone. The aberrant conduction paths mentioned above occur in the atria of the heart so that electrical signals, which control the musculature of the atria, circulate and for example stimulate the muscles at such a high frequency that the regular pumping activity of the atrium no longer takes place.
This means that the pumping activity of the heart is generally reduced without the atrial contribution. Also the blood flow in the atria decreases, so that blood clots can form, which are then transported in the circulation through the body. Finally it is possible for the heart rate to increase, when electrical signals are conducted to the heart at too high a frequency. Arrhythmias can then result.
The reason for the occurrence of aberrant conduction paths in the atrium or in the right or left ventricle is frequently damage to the inner walls of the chambers, for example due to ischemia or inflammation. The damaged tissue has different electrical properties and conducts the electrical signals more effectively. Of significance is the formation of so-called reentry circuits, in which the stimulus circulates, and ectopic foci, which generate pulses at high frequency outside the normal stimulus formation system (sinus node, AF node, etc.). Ectopic foci are generally located in the region where the pulmonary veins open into the atrium.
In order to treat such diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, it has been proposed that the aberrant conduction paths should be interrupted by ablation and the ectopic foci should be isolated. A high-frequency catheter for example can be used for this purpose, being positioned on the inside of the chamber wall and modifying this by specific application of an alternating current, so that electrical conductivity is reduced. An attempt is hereby made to isolate the openings of the pulmonary veins specifically from the remainder of the atrium. The problem arises here of assessing whether the treatment was successful or how likely it is that atrial fibrillation will recur. Diagnostic questions are also relevant, when for example methods are sought for determining the course of conduction paths.
To assess a therapeutic treatment of atrial fibrillation, it was proposed in the article "Detection of Pulmonary Vein and Left Atrial Scar after Catheter Ablation with Three-dimensional Navigator-gated Delayed Enhancement MR Imaging" by D. C. Peters et al., Radiology, Volume 243, 2007, page 690-695, that so-called delayed enhancement recording technology should be used to show up scars resulting from high-frequency ablation of the right atrium. It is proposed here that the proportion of the periphery of the atrium ablated should be determined as an assessment variable.
The delayed enhancement imaging method is described in more detail by U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,349 B1. After a magnetic resonance contrast agent has been administered here, there is a delay for a predetermined time period before T2-weighted magnetic resonance image data is recorded, in which damaged myocardial tissue can be clearly distinguished from normal myocardial tissue.
In a different approach US 2010/0160765 A1 and US 2010/0160768 A1 describe a method for determining the likelihood or risk of recurrence. It is proposed here that a global parameter should be determined, for example the ratio of ablated surface to non-ablated surface or the ratio of diseased to healthy tissue, with an increased likelihood of recurrence being assumed when a limit value is exceeded.
When assessing a treatment and also for diagnostic approaches however the described methods fall short, as they only consider the ablated surface or distance on a periphery around the pulmonary veins globally. This does not exclude the possibility of still-functioning aberrant conduction paths being present, as a narrow strip is sufficient for these. It should also be noted here that it is complex and generally barely possible for a diagnosing physician to make an image-based assessment, as possible conduction paths are very difficult to identify in the reconstructed slice images.
US 2008/0077032 A1 relates to methods, which provide diagnostic information and use endocardial surface data of a heart of a patient. In this process a model of the endocardial surface is used to determine measurements which have diagnostic relevance, for example the three-dimensional partial shortening of the left ventricle. Other examples allow characteristic variables of heart movement to be determined from heartbeats. It is also discussed in conjunction with pacemakers that the electrical progression of signals can be modeled, by applying an initial stimulus at a specified location of a network model.
An article by Olaf Dossel et al., "A Framework for Personalization of Computational Models of the Human Atria", 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS, Boston, Massachusetts USA, 2011, page 4324-4328, relates to the step by step personalization of a calculation model for human atria. First CT or magnetic resonance data is used to create an anatomical model, over which a fiber structure is placed on the basis of a rule-based method. Late enhancement magnetic resonance imaging is proposed for displaying fibrotic tissue. Regions with a high signal level segmented there can be input into the geometric model of the atrium as additional labels.

Method for determining electrical conduction path information in a chamber wall of a ventricle


An improved method and apparatus for hierarchically integrating help information across multiple applications is disclosed. In a computer system having a first application program including a first set of help files and a second application program including a second set of help files, the integrated help utility of the present invention includes a process for displaying selected information in the first and second help files, the process comprises the steps of: 1) providing a first help directory associated with the first set of help files, the first help directory includes a first plurality of topic items corresponding to information provided in the first set of help files; 2) providing a second help directory associated with the second set of help files, the second help directory includes a second plurality of topic items corresponding to information provided in the second set of help files; 3) displaying the first plurality of topic items concurrently with the second plurality of topic items; 4) selecting a selected one of the topic items from either the first plurality of topic items or the second plurality of topic items; 5) accessing an individual help file of either the first set of help files or the second set of help files, the accessed individual help file corresponds to the selected one of the topic items; and 6) displaying information contained in the individual help file.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of user interactive computer systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to the manipulation and the display of help information on a computer display.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional computer systems usually provide help information to a user in some form. Typically, help files are initially installed in a computer system and made accessible to a computer user in various ways. In some systems, the installed help files are simply listed for selection by a user. In other systems, a context sensitive help utility displays specific help information as a particular command or menu item is selected. In still other systems, the cursor position and the particular region of the display in which it is located is used to activate a particular help file related to that portion of the display screen.
In addition to various help utility implementations, conventional computer systems typically provide a means for running multiple application programs, usually under a single operating system program. In some cases, multiple operating systems are supported. In most cases, these application programs and/or operating systems are developed and distributed by more than one software vendor. As a result, it is not uncommon to encounter various help utility implementations. In most cases, the help utility implementations are incompatible between various applications and/or operating systems. Thus, help utilities tend to be application or operating system specific. Because various operating systems and applications have different user interface functionality, different organizational structures, and different help file naming conventions, providing an integrated help utility that operates across more than one application has proven difficult. Because conventional help utilities are application specific, prior art help utilities cannot provide a hierarchical organizational structure that spans multiple independent applications.
Thus, a hierarchical integrated help utility that integrates help information across multiple independent applications is required.

Hierarchical integrated help utility for a computer system


A hairpin type of stator coil forming apparatus includes a first forming machine configured to form a vertex in a material coil so that a central portion of the material coil protrudes upward, and to form inclined portions inclined to both sides of the vertex, a second forming machine configured to receive the material coil bent-formed by the first forming machine and to form a front/rear bent portion in the material coil by bending one inclined portion and a portion of the other inclined portion based on the vertex, and a third forming machine configured to receive the material coil bent-formed by the second forming machine and to roundly form the inclined portions in front and rear directions.

Generally, a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle called an environmentally-friendly vehicle may generate driving force by an electric motor (hereinafter referred to as a "driving motor") that obtains rotational power from electrical energy.
The hybrid vehicle may be driven in an electric vehicle (EV) mode, which is a pure electric vehicle mode that uses only the power of the driving motor, or in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode, which uses rotational power of both an engine and the driving motor as a power source.
In addition, a general electric vehicle travels using the rotational force of the driving motor as a power source.
For example, most of the driving motors used as the power source of the environmentally-friendly vehicle are permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs).
As such, the driving motor as a permanent magnet synchronous motor used as a power source for an environmentally-friendly vehicle basically includes a stator generating a magnetic flux, a rotor that is spaced apart from the stator by a predetermined gap and performs rotational movement, and a permanent magnet installed at the rotor.
Here, the stator is provided with a plurality of slots formed at an inner circumferential side of a stator core, and a stator coil is wound in each slot.
When an alternating current is applied to the stator coil, a rotating magnetic field is generated in the stator, and rotation torque may be generated in the rotor by the rotating magnetic field.
The driving motor may be classified into a distributed winding type of driving motor and a centralized winding type of driving motor according to a winding method of the stator coil, and a stator of the distributed winding type of driving motor may be classified into a segment coil stator and a distributed winding coil stator according to a coil winding method.
In this case, the segment coil stator is a stator made by a method in which a coil is previously formed in a predetermined shape and then inserted into a slot of the stator core, and the distributed winding coil stator is a stator made by a method of inserting a bundle of coils into the slot of the stator core.
Meanwhile, an output of the driving motor is known to be proportional to the number of turns of the coil wound on the stator core.
However, when the number of turns of the coil is increased, a size of the stator core or driving motor inevitably increases, which makes it difficult to downsize the driving motor.
Therefore, a method of increasing a stacking factor of the coil wound on the stator core may be considered in order to improve the output of the driving motor without increasing the size of the driving motor.
In other words, a method of increasing the stacking factor of the coil by minimizing a dead space between the stator core and the winding coil or a dead space between respective coils may be considered.
In the above aspect, in place of using a ring-shaped coil (referred to as "ring-shaped wire" in the art) having a circular section as a coil winding, a method of using a flat coil (referred to as "flat wire" in the art) having a square section has been actively studied.
The flat coil may reduce the dead space and improve the stacking factor due to a shape of a section thereof as compared with the ring-shaped coil.
However, the flat coil has a difficulty in coil winding work as compared with the ring-shaped coil.
This is because the flat coil is manufactured to have a wide cross-section as compared with the ring shaped coil in order to maximize the stacking factor so it is difficult to use a winding machine.
Accordingly, as a method of easily performing coil winding work of the flat coil in the segment stator of the distributed winding driving motor, a method in which a plurality of separate hairpin type (substantially U or V shape) of stator coils (also referred to as "conductors" in the art) are inserted into each slot of the stator core, and in which the stator coil adjacent to a radial direction in the slot is welded such that the coil winding of the stator core is continuously formed, has been proposed.
The driving motor having the stator of the hairpin winding type manufactured by the method mentioned above is also referred to as a "hairpin driving motor" in the art.
According to the structure of the stator coil winding of the above-described hairpin driving motor, it is possible to overcome limitations caused by a winding machine, and to relatively easily perform winding work even in the case of the square coil, and further, it is possible to implement a miniaturized motor with high power by increasing the stacking factor of the coil.
On the other hand, a process of forming the stator coil of the hairpin type as described above to have a predetermined shape may be substantially classified into a computer numerical control (CNC) forming method and a press forming method, and since there are several types of hairpins in one hairpin driving motor, the CNC forming method that may be applied to multiple models is advantageous.
However, according to the CNC forming method that may be applied to various models, a production speed of one hairpin is about 6 seconds, which is somewhat slow; while according to the press forming method of a fast speed, a production speed of one hairpin is about 3 seconds, which is a speed providing twice the productivity of the CNC forming method, but the press forming method may produce only a single model.
Therefore, research and development on a method for forming the hairpin is necessary.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Hairpin type stator coil forming apparatus


The invention is directed to a light curing device, in particular for dental restoration materials, having a light source and a control device for the light curing device, which control device is capable of switching on the light source at different levels of power. The light curing device includes an actuation element which can be used to switch on the light curing device upon actuation by the user at a reduced dosage of light for pre-curing the dental restoration material. The control device in particular signalizes the reduced dosage.

Light curing devices are typically operated at predefined exposure times during which times a polymerization of the dental materials to be polymerized takes place.
The exposure time has typically been considered as being decisive in order to ensure that the dental material which has previously been applied to or inserted into the restoration site has been cured sufficiently without becoming brittle.
Polymerizable dental materials can be cured both by light and by heat and by combinations thereof. In the development of dental materials of this type it has been strived to ensure that the material is cured as uniformly as possible. In trying to achieve this homogenization, they have also accepted longer curing times which actually did not produce bad results at the beginning of the nineties using halogen lamps which were used frequently at that time; however, they required uncomfortably long treatment periods for patients.
In order to achieve a better control of a full curing but also to minimize strain on the patient, pre-curing processes were developed at the end of the nineties as can, for instance, be seen from EP 1 046 381 A1. Pre-curing processes of this type made it possible to reduce the main curing time. Surprisingly, in some cases it was not possible to reduce the main curing time without the risk of an incomplete curing. On the other hand, an incomplete curing process evokes the danger that free radicals are present whose carcinogenic effect cannot be excluded at present.
It is known that light-curable dental materials such as polymethyl methacrylate tend to reduce their volume in light curing, i.e. to shrink—albeit to a slight extent. In order to prevent marginal gaps from occurring due to the shrinkage of dental material, attempts have been made to counteract the shrinkage to that effect that initially the deep layers of the dental material are cured, then the subsequent layers and eventually the top layers.
Curing of this type is, however, only possible by curing the dental materials layer by layer, which is correspondingly time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Furthermore, it has already been suggested to provide light curing devices with a predefined performance sequence, for instance switching on the light curing device at reduced power, subsequently a period of time without power and then a period of time at full power. This solution was to reduce the formation of edge gaps. However, this solution is only suitable for dental restorations of relatively small depth because light curing at reduced power cures basically primarily the surface of the dental restoration while the output of light at high power also penetrates deeper layers of the dental restoration. In this respect, a predefined sequence of this type has a rather unfavorable effect.
In the 2000s, the luminous power of LED chips increased significantly, and in particular light-emitting diodes were developed, the emission peak of which corresponded to, or which deviated at least only to a small degree from, the spectral sensitivity peak of camphorquinone, the preferred photo initiator for PMMA. This allowed for a considerable reduction of the time necessary for one polymerization cycle. Due to the increasing power, overcuring became more critical at the same time such that the producers of dental devices have started to predefine fixed periods for the polymerization process, i.e. for instance 5, 10 or 15 seconds, with the proviso that corresponding adjustments are made depending on the size of the dental restoration.
Contrary to this, the invention is based on the task of providing a light curing device for dental restoration materials which makes possible to improve adjustment possibilities, in particular with large and deep dental restorations.

Light curing device for dental restoration materials and method of curing dental restoration materials


A stimulation device for the determination of the temperature perception of the skin of a patient by means of a stimulator, which is arranged in a casing and which can be heated up or cooled down by a Peltier element. The stimulator (1) is arranged moveably along an axis (5) in the casing (4) and shows a projection (14) in relation to the casing (4) in the starting position. A first pressure device (6) cooperates with said stimulator (1) in such a way that said stimulator (1) can be shifted along said axis (5) by expenditure of force until said projection (14) is at zero. The force is predefined or adjustable by said first pressure device (6).

In numerous diseases, as, for example, in diabetic neuropathy, the examination of temperature perception and pain sensation is used for early diagnosis as well as for controlling the courses of disease and therapy. The warm-cold-perception as well as the faculty of perceiving pain caused by heat are examined, both of which reflect the functional status of the little nerve endings. The stimulator is brought into contact with a suitable part of the patient's body. Starting from a mean temperature the temperatures of the stimulator are raised or lowered. The patient states at what time he notices a change in temperature (warm-cold-perception) or when he first feels pain (pain sensation). In a patient with, for example, diabetic neuropathy the warm-cold-perception as well as the pain sensation is shifted to higher values. The same applies to other diseases with an impairment of the thin nerve endings, so that in these cases a diagnosis and therapy valuation can be performed with the above mentioned method.
A stimulation device of the kind described at the beginning is known from a prospectus of the firm Medelec Ltd., entitled "TTT". The stimulator is arranged in and firmly connected to the casing. The Peltier element is heated up or cooled down in correspondence with the direction of the current supplied to the Peltier element. The stimulator is connected to the Peltier element in such a way that the heat is transmitted to the stimulator correspondingly. The stimulation device is brought into contact with a suitable part of the patient's body, for example, with the hand or with the foot. In the following examinations it turned out to be a disadvantage that the test results depend on the bearing pressure of the stimulator. The bearing pressure cannot be adjusted exactly in the devices known up to now. This increases the measuring error, thus reducing the reliability of measurements. The DE-OS 33 09 093 describes a device for measuring the function of blood circulation of the skin, where a certain part of the skin is heated up and the course of temperature is measured on a spot that was not heated up in the midst of the heated-up area. The device comprises a casing, in which a fluid-operated piston supported by a recuperating spring is arranged movably, which carries a component of the Peltier element, thus making the contact of the Peltier element with the patient's skin possible. The reaction force of the pneumatic pressure acting upon the casing requires that the weight of the casing is great enough for this reaction force to develop and that the casing is not lifted from the patient's skin. This construction further requires that the casing can only be put on the patient's skin from the top pointing vertically downwards. A reverse positioning, or even the positioning on a vertical part of the patient, as, for example, on the cheek or on part of the foot, is not possible. In any case, however, the patient is exposed to the considerable weight of the casing, so that, there is the risk that the area to be examined is excessively compressed by this weight leading to a reduced blood circulation of the resp. area and thus, of course, to a distortion of the measuring result.
The DE-OS 29 12 349 describes a device for the determination of the moisture state of the human skin, in which an electrode holder is mounted to a spring and has a projection in relation to a casing and which can be attached to and pressed against the patient's skin against the resistance of the spring, until the projection has disappeared. Obviously, the pressing against the human skin is carried out manually and is therefore variable and not reproducible with regard to the pressure.


A roof element 1 which is designed to close an opening which is made in the roof of a motor vehicle having a translucent pane which is to be permanently connected to the contact surface which borders the roof opening, especially for a contact surface originally designed to receive a sheet metal panel instead of a glass pane roof element. The roof element has at least one transition element which is joined permanently to the inner peripheral surface of the pane, and has a support surface which is parallel to the part of the contact surface on which the indicated support surface is to be superimposed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a translucent roof element which is designed to close an opening made in the roof of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known that the roof of a motor vehicle can be formed at least partially by a transparent or translucent pane, especially of glass or plastic material. In the known manner, the opening made in the roof is bordered by a stop which forms a contact surface and a terminating surface which is designed to hold the peripheral edge of the glass pane.
Generally, the opening extends in the transverse direction between the side roof elements of the body and in the lengthwise direction between the front roof element which separates the inside roof lining and the windshield, and the rear roof element which separates the inside roof lining and the rear window or rear hatch. The side roof elements, the front roof element and the rear roof element each have a separate peripheral stop on their edge which is located opposite the opening. The combination of these four individual peripheral stops forms the contact surface which makes it possible to hold the peripheral edge of the glass pane, permanent connection of which takes place in the known manner by cementing.
In practice, a motor vehicle with a glass roof is simply a derivative of a traditional model with a sheet metal roof. This means that the glass pane must be cemented onto a standard body, i.e., therefore, onto a contact surface which is not specifically designed for this purpose. Since at this point this contact surface in the form of a stop is designed fundamentally for welding on a sheet metal roof, it need not meet any special requirements with respect to flatness or continuity. This is a major disadvantage in the case of cementing on a glass pane.
The technique of permanent joining by cementing requires a regular, continuous contact surface which runs essentially parallel to the element which is to be permanently joined. If there are defects of flatness and/or if there are interruptions, it is such that the regularity and continuity of application of the cement are no longer ensured. This results in a major risk of leaks once the pane has been attached. If this defect is to be remedied and/or the distance between the contact surface and the surface of the element to be connected has major deviations, there can be an attempt to apply additional cement. Unfortunately, it is well known in the technical field of cementing that an excess of cement cannot be absolutely linked to good attachment.

Light-permeable roof element for motor vehicles