An operating voltage of a control circuit controlling ON/OFF of a switching element of a power supply is supplied from a connection node between a primary winding of a transformer and the switching element. The control circuit includes: an output voltage detection circuit that obtains, from a voltage output from the wave-shaping circuit, a feedback voltage in proportion to a voltage output from the rectifier/smoothing circuit and generates a signal for PWM control of the switching element; and a bottom detection circuit that detects, from the voltage output from the wave-shaping circuit, a bottom level of a ringing voltage. The control circuit switches the switching element from OFF to ON in accordance with a signal output from an oscillator internal to the control circuit or a signal output from the bottom detection circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching power supply and a semiconductor device used therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel control system that can reduce the size as well as noise of a switching power supply.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a switching power supply is provided with a switching transformer, a switching element connected in series with a primary winding of the switching transformer; a control circuit that controls ON/OFF of the switching element; a rectifier/smoothing circuit connected with a secondary winding of the switching transformer; and an output voltage detection circuit that feeds a detection voltage, changing in accordance with an output voltage of the rectifier/smoothing circuit, back to the control circuit (see JP 3480462B, for example).
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a conventional switching power supply. This switching power supply is provided with a switching transformer 101 having a primary winding 101a, a secondary winding 101b and an auxiliary winding 101c. A switching element 102 is connected in series with the primary winding 101a, and a direct current (DC) voltage Vin is applied to the primary winding 101a and the switching element 102. The switching element 102 is subjected to the ON/OFF control (PWM control) by a control circuit 103, thus conveying electric power from the primary winding 101a to the secondary winding 101b of the switching transformer 101.
A voltage generated at the secondary winding 101b of the switching transformer 101 is rectified and smoothed by a rectifier/smoothing circuit 104 composed of a diode 104a and a capacitor 104b into an output DC voltage, which is fed to a load 105. This output DC voltage is detected by an output DC voltage detection circuit 106, and the detected voltage is fed back to the control circuit 103. The thus detected and fed-back voltage is then given to an ON duration control circuit 103a of the control circuit 103, and an output thereof is given to a pulse control circuit 103b. An output of the pulse control circuit 103b is given to a drive circuit 103c, and an output of the drive circuit 103c serves as a control signal (gate signal) of the switching element 102.
A voltage generated at the auxiliary winding 101c of the switching transformer 101 is rectified and smoothed by an output smoothing circuit 107 composed of a diode 107a and a capacitor 107b, which then is fed to the control circuit 103 as an operating voltage Vcc. Incidentally, at the time of starting prior to the ON/OFF control by the switching transformer 101, the operating voltage Vcc is fed from the DC voltage Vin through a resistor 108.
The voltage generated at the auxiliary winding 101c further is input to a ringing generation circuit 109 composed of a diode 109a, a resistor 109b, a capacitor 109c and a resistor 109d, and an output of the ringing generation circuit 109 is input to a comparator circuit 103d of the control circuit 103. A comparator CMP of the comparator circuit 103d makes a comparison of the input voltage with a reference voltage Vref, and an output of the comparator is given to the drive circuit 103c by way of a bottom counter circuit 103e and a delay circuit 103f. The ringing generation circuit 109, the comparator 103d, the bottom counter 103e and the delay circuit 103f are configured to generate a delay signal based on the number of the ringing occurring at the transformer during an OFF period of the switching element and makes the drive circuit 103c to delay an ON timing of the switching element in accordance with this delay signal. As the load changes from a heavy one to a light one, the number of the ringing increases. Thus, in accordance with the thus increasing number of ringing, the timing to turn ON the switching element can be delayed so as to increase an oscillation period of the switching element. In this way, as the load becomes lighter, the switching frequency can be made lower, thus obtaining the effect of decreasing a switching loss.
In the case where the primary side and the secondary side of the switching transformer have to be separated electrically, a photocoupler may be used in the output DC voltage detection circuit 106 to convey a fed-back signal to the control circuit 103.
The above-stated conventional switching power supply requires an output voltage detection circuit that is connected with the secondary side in order to detect an output voltage and feed back the same to a control circuit, which makes it difficult to downsize a switching power supply. Especially when the primary side and the secondary side are to be separated electrically using a photocoupler, it is difficult to downsize the switching power supply.
Furthermore, by virtue of the functions of the ringing generation circuit 109, the comparator circuit 103d, the bottom counter circuit 103e and the delay circuit 103f, the above-stated effect of suppressing a switching loss for a light load can be obtained. However, no countermeasures have been taken for reducing a switching noise.
Moreover, according to the conventional switching power supply, as a state of the load on the output side changes, the operating frequency of the switching element will change significantly. To cope with this, the size of the switching transformer 101 will increase, which makes it difficult to downsize a switching power supply.

Switching power supply and semiconductor device used therefor


A method of manufacturing an antivibration device for motor vehicles, the device comprising at least one metal insert having at least one fixing surface bonded to an elastomer, the method including a cleaning step during which the fixing surface is scanned with a laser beam that is sufficiently powerful to eliminate the impurities present on said surface.

The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing an antivibration device for motor vehicles, the device comprising at least one metal insert for bonding to an elastomer.
The term xe2x80x9cmetal insertxe2x80x9d is used herein to mean any piece made of metal for bonding to elastomer, and regardless of whether or not the piece is for embedding in the elastomer.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing an antivibration device for motor vehicles, the device comprising at least one metal insert itself having at least one fixing surface bonded to an elastomer (e.g. rubber), the method comprising the following steps:
a step of cleaning the fixing surface;
a coating step during which the fixing surface is covered in at least one layer of fixing material for making a bond between the insert and the elastomer, said material being based on rubber; and
a step of molding the elastomer onto the insert.
During the coating step it can be deposited in particular:
an activatable primary adhesive which is subsequently covered in a layer of secondary adhesive, which secondary adhesive subsequently reacts with the elastomer while the elastomer is being vulcanized; or
directly an adhesive which reacts on its own with the elastomer during vulcanization thereof (in which case it is constituted by the adhesive referred to as xe2x80x9csecondaryxe2x80x9d in the paragraph above).
In known methods of this type, the cleaning step consists in particular of dipping the metal insert in successive degreasing baths which require bulky and expensive infrastructure and which contain substances that are dangerous and polluting.
A particular object of the present invention is to mitigate those drawbacks.
For this purpose, according to the invention, in a method of the kind in question, the cleaning step is performed dry and comprises laser treatment which consists in scanning the fixing surface with a laser beam of sufficient power to eliminate the impurities present on said fixing surface.
By means of these provisions, there is no need to use degreasing baths for cleaning the surface of the insert, thereby simplifying the method of treatment, and making it less expensive and less dangerous for the environment. In addition, it is found that laser treatment also facilitates subsequent bonding of the insert with the elastomer. The fact that the fixing material is based on rubber also facilitates bonding with the elastomer.
In different implementations of the invention, use may also be made of one or more of the following provisions:
during the cleaning step, the laser beam delivers energy to the fixing surface at a mean density per unit area lying in the range 0.5 Joules per square centimeter (J/cm2) to 20 J/cm2;
a pulse laser is used;
the fixing surface is scanned by the laser beam at a treatment speed of at least 2 square centimeters per second (cm2/s);
a laser is used selected from excimer lasers emitting in the ultraviolet and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) lasers emitting in the infrared;
the insert is made of steel;
during the cleaning step the laser beam is used to deliver sufficient energy to the fixing surface of the metal insert to eliminate all traces of corrosion on said fixing surface;
the cleaning step is followed by a passivation step;
the cleaning step is followed directly by the coating step;
the coating step is implemented sufficiently quickly after the cleaning step to avoid any trace of corrosion reappearing on the fixing surface;
the coating step is implemented less than 24 hours after the end of the cleaning step;
during the cleaning step the laser beam is used to deliver sufficient energy to the fixing surface to etch said fixing surface to a small extent: in any event, this facilitates subsequent adhesion between the insert and the elastomer; in addition, this avoids a subsequent shot blasting step of the kind normally performed between the cleaning step and a step of applying anticorrosion protection; and
the elastomer is rubber.

Method of manufacturing a motor vehicle antivibration device comprising a metal insert for bonding to elastomer


In a microreactor in which a plurality of fluids L1 and L2 are led through their respective feed channels to merge in one reaction channel and react with each other while circulating, a spiral reaction channel is formed by cutting a spiral screw thread on either the outer surface of a round-bar-shaped core member or the inner surface having a circular cross section of an outer cylindrical member and engaging the outer surface of the core member in close contact with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microreactor, and more particularly, to an apparatus which manufactures materials and products using a reaction of fluids in the field of chemical industry and pharmaceutical industry or more specifically, to a microreactor which leads a plurality of fluids through their respective fluid feed channels to merge in one reaction channel and causes these fluids to react with one another while circulating.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the chemical industry or pharmaceutical industry involved in manufacturing of chemicals and reagents, etc., the development of a new manufacturing process using a microcontainer called a "micromixer" or "microreactor" is underway in recent years. A micromixer or microreactor is provided with a microspace (reaction channel) having an equivalent diameter (circle-equivalent diameter) of approximately several μm to several hundred μm when their cross section is assumed to be a circle, connected to a plurality of micro fluid feed channels and leads a plurality of fluids through their respective fluid feed channels to merge in the microspace to thereby mix the plurality of fluids or cause the fluids to react with one another as well as the mixture. The micromixer and microreactor have basically a common structure, but one which mixes a plurality of fluids may be particularly called a "micromixer," while one whose mixture of a plurality of fluids is accompanied by a chemical reaction may be called a "microreactor."Therefore, suppose the microreactor according to the present invention includes the micromixer, too.
Such a microreactor is disclosed, for example, in PCT International Unexamined Patent Publication No. WO00/62913, National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2003-502144 or Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-282682. All these microreactors lead two types of fluids through micro fluid feed channels as extremely thin laminar flows to a microspace, and mix and cause the two types of fluids to react with each other in the microspace.
Then, the difference between a reaction by the above described microreactor and a batch type mixture or reaction using a stirring tank, etc., will be explained. That is, a chemical reaction generally takes place when molecules meet together on an interface between reaction fluids, and therefore when a reaction takes place in a microspace, the area of the interface relatively increases and the reaction efficiency increases significantly. Furthermore, with regard to diffusion of molecules itself, the diffusion time is proportional to the square of the distance. This means that as the scale of the microspace is reduced, a mixture of fluids advances through diffusion of molecules without actively mixing the reaction fluids and a reaction is more likely to occur. Furthermore, the scale of the microspace is so small that the flow in the microspace is dominated by the laminar flow, and the fluids diffuse and react with each other in directions orthogonal to each other while flowing in a laminar flow state.
Compared to a conventional batch system using a large volume tank, etc., as a reaction field, the use of such a microreactor allows high accuracy control over the reaction time and reaction temperature between fluids. Furthermore, in the case of the batch system, a reaction advances on a reaction contact surface at the initial stage of a mixture between fluids whose reaction time is short and primary products generated by the reaction between the fluids further continue to be affected by reactions in the tank, and therefore there is a possibility that nonuniform reaction products may be produced. On the contrary, in the case of the microreactor, fluids hardly reside in a microspace but circulate continuously, and therefore primary products never continue to be affected by reactions in the microspace. Thus, it is also possible to extract pure primary products, which would be difficult in the prior arts.
Furthermore, when a small amount of chemical substances manufactured using experimental manufacturing equipment is manufactured in large quantity on an increased scale using large-scale manufacturing equipment, considerable time and manpower would be conventionally required to obtain reproducibility using batch type large-scale manufacturing equipment as opposed to experimental manufacturing equipment. However, based on a concept of numbering up with parallel manufacturing lines using a microreactor according to the amount of manufacturing, there is a possibility to drastically reduce time and manpower to obtain such reproducibility.
On the other hand, the microreactor handles various reactions including reactions at a low reaction rate and taking several tens of seconds to several minutes or a long time such as several hours to complete a reaction. Moreover, there are also reactions which advance in multiple stages and they also take a long reaction time. When the microreactor handles these reactions which take a long reaction time, it is necessary, from the standpoint of reaction control, to circulate fluids carrying out a reaction in the microreactor until the reaction is completed. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the volume of a reaction channel which constitutes a microspace of the microreactor so that the fluids reside for a long time. There are two types of concept when designing such a long residence time microreactor; one is a concept of securing the volume by increasing the cross-sectional area of the reaction channel and the other is a concept of securing the volume by lengthening the reaction channel. The former has a possibility of sacrificing the feature of the microreactor that the reaction channel should be a microspace, and therefore it is desirable to design the microreactor according to the concept of the latter. As a long residence time microreactor, for example, there is a proposal of forming a spiral reaction channel as disclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO 99/44736 or PCT International Publication No. WO02/089965.
However, with regard to the development of a long residence time microreactor with an extended reaction channel, no microreactor has been developed so far which could manufacture a reaction channel which constitutes a microspace easily and robustly and at the same time shorten its manufacturing period and reduce manufacturing cost. The reason is ascribable to the technology of manufacturing a microreactor; the microreactor requires special precision micro processing technology such as photolithography etching, electric discharge machining technology and stereo lithography method, etc., and takes a long manufacturing period and requires high manufacturing cost. Thus, it involves not only a problem that as the length of the reaction channel increases, the manufacturing period and manufacturing cost increase but also a problem that there is limitation to materials and machining dimensions handled by a special precision micro processing technology. On the other hand, attempting to manufacture a microreactor without using any special precision micro processing technology involves another problem that there is limitation to the width of the opening of a reaction channel that can be manufactured and it is not possible to manufacture a satisfactory microspace.
Furthermore, it is possible to realize a long residence time microreactor with an extended reaction channel by spirally winding a tube having an extremely small inner diameter, but lengthening the tube makes the tube easily bendable and causes the reaction channel to be clogged or makes the width of the opening of the reaction channel changeable, which makes it impossible to manufacture a robust apparatus and produces a problem with the accuracy of the apparatus.


Methods and systems for administering and playing a multi-player computer game are disclosed. During the multi-player computer game, players are either identified as a predator or as prey. The predator players attempt to catch the prey, and the prey-players attempt to evade the predator(s). When a prey is caught, the caught prey becomes an additional predator. During game play, predator players' display screens may display a directional arrow indicating the direction of the closest prey, and may also display a map indicating a position of each remaining prey. Predators may be displayed on each participants display screen with a first graphically depicted appearance (e.g., a police car), while prey may be depicted having a second graphically depicted appearance (e.g., a sports car). The game ends when no prey remain, and the last caught prey is the winner.

Computer games, video games, arcade games, and other forms of electronic games have advanced from simple games such as Breakout, Asteroids, and Space Invaders to complex, high-resolution games such as HALO®), published by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond Wash.
Game developers must consistently provide new ideas, dynamic gameplay, or advanced graphics in order to keep game players, also referred to as gamers, interested in new games. In an effort to keep game play dynamic and ever changing, many games offer one or more multi-player options. Traditionally a single multi-player option allowed two players to each play a given game in single-player mode, and the player with the highest score at the end of each player's game wins. As games advanced, multi-player games began to allow players to play the game simultaneously, each controlling a character or event in a common game space or simulated environment. For example, HALO has cooperative multi-player mode, where each player controls a character, and the two players must cooperate to accomplish the game objectives.
Other known multi-player game modes are competitive in nature, while still allowing the players to engage each other in the common game space. For example, first person shooter (FPS) games such as DOOM®, QUAKE®, HALO®, and UNREAL® each have one or more multi-player modes where each player controls a character in the common game space, or simulated environment, while each player attempts to kill (also referred to as 'frag') the other players' characters. These types of multiplayer game modes are typically referred to as 'deathmatch' game modes.
Known multiplayer competitive game modes include the following: Deathmatch (original): Every man for him or herself, and each player tries to frag other players. Players may have a limited or unlimited amount of lives, and the game may have a limited or unlimited amount of time. When lives are limited, the last player still alive wins. When time is limited, the player with the most kills (frags) wins. Yet another variation is where the first player to have a predetermined number of frags wins.
Team Deathmatch Players are divided into two or more teams. Each player tries to frag players on other teams. The team with the most frags at the end of the game wins.
Juggernaut: Similar to Deathmatch, but one player, the juggernaut, has increased weapons and/or defenses. All non-juggernaut players try to kill the juggernaut. When a player kills the juggernaut, that player becomes the new juggernaut and the killed juggernaut becomes a non-juggernaut player. The winner is the player who is the juggernaut for the longest period of time during the game, or the first player to accumulate a predetermined amount of time as the juggernaut.
Capture the Flag: Players are divided into two (or more) teams. Each team has a home base where a team flag is initially placed. Each team attempts to infiltrate the enemy team's home base, capture the enemy flag, and return the enemy team's flag to their own home base. The first team to successfully capture and return the enemy flag wins (variation: the first team to successfully capture the flag n times wins)
King of the Hill: A small portion of the game space is marked as 'the hill'. Each player attempts to control the hill by being the only player located within the hill's boundaries. The first player to control 'the hill' for a predetermined amount of time wins the game (variation: the hill moves periodically during the game).
Other variations of multiplayer games include providing only certain weapons during each game (e.g., only a sniper rifle or only a rocket launcher), or enabling or disabling certain game features (e.g., enabling or disabling a radar screen which indicates locations of enemy movement).
It would be an advancement in the art to provide a new multi-player game mode, and it would be a further advancement in the art to provide a new multi-player game mode for a computer/video game that can be applied to both FPS and non-FPS style games with rich feature enhancements.

Multiplayer game mode with predator feature


Provided is a simple and efficient method for producing 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate. More specifically, provided is a method for producing 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate, the method including the steps of: isomerizing 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-4-hexenoic acid ester (1) into 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenoic acid ester (2), reducing thus formed 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenoic acid ester (2) into 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenol (3), and butyrylating thus formed 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenol (3) into 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate (4),

Sex pheromones of insects are each a biologically active substance typically released from female individuals and having a function of attracting male individuals. They exhibit highly attractive activity even in small amounts. Sex pheromones have been used widely as means for forecasting the emergence or confirming geographical distribution (invasion into a specific area) of insect pests, or means for controlling insect pests. The means for controlling insect pests includes mass trapping, lure & kill or attract & kill, lure & infect or attract & infect, and mating disruption, which have been widely provided in practical use. Upon using sex pheromones, production of a necessary amount of each of the synthetic sex pheromones at a low cost is may be needed for basic research and moreover, for application.
A Japanese mealybug, Planococcus kraunhiae is an economically important insect pest distributed in Japan, China, Eritrea, and North America since it causes damage to many kinds of fruits. Sugie, et al., isolated the sex pheromone of this insect. The sex pheromone thus isolated coincided, in various spectra, with a compound (which is described as Compound A in the document) obtained in a yield of 0.2% under the acidic condition of the esterification reaction of 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-4-hexenol (lavandulol) with butyryl chloride, and also various spectra coincided between their derivatives. As a result, the sex pheromone was determined to be 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate (fujikonyl butyrate) (App. Entomol. Zool., 43, 369-375(2008)).
Control of the Japanese mealybug using mating disruption is expected to be promising because of difficulty in conventional control using a pesticide. For fundamental biological research or agricultural research and moreover, for providing for application or practical use, a sufficient amount of synthetic pheromone should be supplied. There is therefore an eager demand for the development of a highly efficient and highly selective production method in which an amount of isomeric byproduct is small so that no purification is required.
Tabata has reported the synthesis of 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate in which 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-4-hexenol as a starting material is subjected to an oxidation reaction with Dess-Martin reagent to form 2-isopropenyl-5-methyl-4-hexenal (lavandulal), the resulting aldehyde is isomerized under an acidic condition through migration of the double bond to form 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenal (another name: fujikonal), and the isomerized aldehyde is reduced and then esterified to form 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate (Appl. Entomol. Zool., 48, 229-232 (2013)).

Method for producing 2-isopropylidene-5-methyl-4-hexenyl butyrate

Abstract: wherein R represents a C1-10 hydrocarbon group.


A manually-operated portable lift which may telescopically raise its mast or post so as to raise a lifting platform above the lift's initial height. The lift may be folded up to a compact and easily-moved configuration for ease of transport and storage. The lift includes a base with built-in outriggers which can be easily snapped out to fixed extended positions and returned to their storage positions. The outrigger is automatically latched in either such position but not between them. The base portion forward of the post can be manually unlatched and folded up parallel to the post. The platform and its arms have provision for manually mounting the arms of the platform in a low lifting position, a high lifting position, and a compact storage position wherein the arms are adjacent the platform. An extension mast is provided in either a storage position adjacent the main mast or as an extension of that mast. A manual winch is provided with dual handles--one long and one short--for greater or lesser mechanical advantage and slower or faster operation.

Portable lifts are widely used in industry and construction for many lifting operations. The lift of the present invention is a hand-propelled and manually-powered lift, useful in lifting loads of the order of 500 to 1,000 pounds, although with heavier duty components, it can be used with greater loads. Lifts of this general type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,137, entitled PORTABLE MATERIAL LIFT, issued to Howard H. Vermette; in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,181, entitled PORTABLE LIFT, issued to Howard H. Vermette; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,209, entitled LIFT APPARATUS and issued to Howard H. Vermette and Andrew H. Daugherty, the present inventor. All of these patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
A telescoping lift is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,039. Commercial telescoping lifts are available from Genie Industries and described in the pamphlet entitled, "Genie Lifting Tools for the Construction Trades", 1984, available from Genie Industries, 18340 N.E. 76th St., P.O. Box 69, Redmond, Wash., 98073, and in the manual, "Operators Manual Series 75 Lift", May, 1985, published by Sumner Manufacturing Co., Inc., 2900 DeSoto, Houston, Tex., 77091.
Despite the acknowledged utility of such prior lifts, they are often difficult to handle or to move (e.g., through doorways or into a van), and they are often time-consuming to set up for use.


Provided herein is a pathway for adipocyte energy consumption regulation involving ARID5B, genetic variant rs1421085, IRX3, and IRX5. Compositions and methods for modulating the pathway in vitro and in vivo for anti-cachectic and anti-obesity effects are provided. Methods of identifying subjects at risk of developing a disorder mediated by a dysregulation of the energy consumption pathway are also provided.

Despite the growing number of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genetic signals have rarely been traced to the causal genetic variant explaining the mechanistic basis of the observed association. This is particularly challenging for non-coding variants, which constitute 93% of top-scoring GWAS single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), given still incomplete regulatory annotations, and uncertainty of the relevant cell types, target genes, or upstream regulators. The challenge is even greater for complex traits such as obesity or disorders such as cancer and associated disorders, that involve multiple organs, hormonally- and neuronally-regulated signals, strong environmental effects, and pleiotropic interactions with other complex traits.
Obesity affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is one of the leading contributors to common and severe disorders, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer (Guh, D. P. et al., BMC Public Health 9, 88 (2009); Adams, K. F. et al. N Engl J Med 355, 763-778 (2006); Wang, Y., Adv Nutr 2, 23-31 (2011)). Thus, considerable efforts have been made to define its causal mechanisms, as understanding the genetic cause of obesity could illuminate the causal genetic mechanism of other disorders. For example, the fatso/fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) locus has been shown to possess the strongest association with obesity risk (Frayling, T. M. et al., Science 316: 889-894 (2007); Dina, C. et al., Nat Genet 39, 724-726 (2007); Tan, L. J. et al. PLoS One 9, e96149 (2014)). Despite considerable efforts to define causal mechanisms, the functional variant remains uncharacterized among 82 highly-associated SNVs, and the molecular and cellular intermediate phenotypes, mechanisms, and biological processes leading to obesity remain unknown.

Compositions and methods for manipulation of adipocyte energy consumption regulatory pathway


A blade (8) for a pipe milling tool having a body (1) and a longitudinal axis (100) has a plurality of slots (12) extending both in a generally radial direction and in an intended direction of rotation of the milling tool about the longitudinal axis. Located in each slot (12) is at least one cutting element (13), the slot and the cutting element both having a greater depth in the blade in the intended direction of rotation than height in the longitudinal axis direction. The provision of such dimensions for the slot and cutting element affords the blade with improved life. The cutting elements may each have a negative axial rake angle (A) and the cutting elements are preferably brazed in each of the slots. In a preferred embodiment the slots and the cutting elements are both similarly decreasingly tapered from a forward (leading) face (221) to a rearward face (218) with respect to the intended direction of rotation of the tool by an angle in the range 1.degree. to 20.degree..

Oil and gas wells are usually lined with a steel pipe forming a casing which may hang freely or may be cemented in position by pumping a cement slurry between the outer surface of the pipe and a bore hole in which the pipe is located. In certain circumstances it may be necessary or desirable to cut the casing by milling at a distance from the well surface and to mill away a substantial length of pipe. Milling may be required, for example, to remove cemented casing so that a well can be redrilled or to remove a section of the casing to improve or permit oil and gas production at a desired elevation in a well.
It is known to use milling tools having either fixed or hydraulically radially expandable cutting blades. Known fixed diameter mills usually have a plurality of fin like cuttingblades radially projecting outwardly from a tubular body and the fins may be welded, brazed or bolted to the mill body. Known hydraulically activated mills have a plurality of cutting blades, often called `knives`, that are circumferentially disposed about a mill body and are pivotally attached to the body at an upper end of the blades so that the lower end of the blades may be swung radially outwardly when the mill has reached a desired location within the casing at which milling is to commence. A usual manner of radially opening the blades is by a reciprocally operable piston located within a longitudinal bore within the mill body, the piston being operable by circulation of drilling mud to force the piston downwardly. The piston is arranged to contact a cam surface on the blades to pivotally rotate the lower, in operation, end of the blades radially outwardly and thereby wedge the blades into contact with the casing to be milled. The mill body is connected to a drill string and the string is rotated to effect milling, the blades being maintained in the open position by the hydraulic action of the drilling mud on the piston.
Another type of milling tool is that known as a washover shoe which is a fixed diameter mill having a tubular body with cutting elements disposed around the lower periphery of the body. A washover shoe is used to mill away tool obstructions such as stabiliser ribs, reammer cutters, expanded packers and bit bodies which may be retaining a drill string downhole. By using a number of wash pipes, the rotatable washover shoe is passed over the drill string and lowered to the position of the obstruction so that, in effect, the washover shoe cuts an annulus.
It has been conventional to use fragments of crushed tungsten carbide secured in a layer of brazing alloy on the part of the blade which, during rotation thereof, is the leading face i.e. that portion of the blade which is forwardly facing during rotation. The brazing process leaves particles of carbide in a more or less randomly distributed fashion and orientation in the brazing alloy. Such random orientation of the tungsten carbide fragments and hence the cutting edges of the fragments significantly limits the milling efficiency of the tool and creates mainly undesirably long cuttings which may cause the mill or the drill string to become stuck. The total amount of tungsten carbide fragments available for milling is limited by the need to have a supporting matrix of brazing alloy.
So as to overcome the problems associated by the random orientation and distribution of the tungsten carbide fragments, mills have been constructed with geometrically shaped cutting elements and such a mill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,074 assigned to Smith International Inc. In such a mill the blades have a leading cutting edge on which is secured tungsten carbide cutting elements across the leading face of the blade in a radial row and there being a plurality of rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the axis of the milling tool. The total number of cutting elements that can be used on such a milling blade is limited to the surface area of the radial cutting blade. The cutting elements have a rectangular cross section in the longitudinal, axial, direction with the depth of each element in the rotational direction being significantly less than the height of each element in the longitudinal axial direction. The leading face of the elements is either parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mill body or tilted such that the upper edge in use of each element is inclined forwardly of the lower edge of said element to provide what is known as negative axial rake. The provision of such negative axial rake is believed to provide more efficient cutting and to provide shorter cuttings that can be circulated out of the well more conveniently by drilling mud. The tungsten carbide elements are usually secured to the front, i.e. leading, face of the mill by brazing but the complete front face of the cutting elements is unprotected against axial, torsional and radial shocks that are frequently encountered during casing milling operations. The tungsten carbide elements therefore tend to crack and break off the cutting blades which, it will be realised by those skilled in the art, limits the distance that can be milled with a single mill and which can be milled in a continuous operation.

Pipe milling tool blade and method of dressing same


A cutting machine includes: a machine body; a hollow piston; a first shaft extending into the piston, co-movable with the piston relative to the machine body along a first axis, and rotatable about the first axis relative to the piston; a second shaft rotatable about a second axis and coupled to the first shaft when the first shaft is disposed at a first axial position; a rotary cutter holder rotatable about the first axis and coupled to the second shaft; a third shaft rotatable about the first axis and coupled to the first shaft when the first shaft is disposed at a second axial position; and a driving unit for driving rotation of the first shaft about the first axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cutting machine, more particularly to a cutting machine including a splined shaft rotatable about an axis and movable along the axis for switching to different operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional cutting machine 10 is shown to include a machine body 11, a driving unit 12 mounted on the machine body 11, a first piston unit 13 mounted on the machine body 11 and movable along a first axis defined by the first piston unit 13, and a rotary cutter holder 14 mounted rotatably on an outer side of the machine body 11. The cutting machine 10 further includes a first shaft 111 mounted in the machine body 11. The first shaft 111 has one end provided with a shaft gear 1112 meshing with a driving gear 121 of the driving unit 12 for power transmission, and an opposite end extending into the first piston unit 13 and formed with a male spline gear 1111. The first piston unit 13 includes a piston 131, a tubular sleeve 132 journalled and extending into the piston 131 and formed with a long female spline gear 1321 having a portion engaging the spline gear 1111, and a first transmission gear 133 radiating from an outer end of the tubular sleeve 132. The rotary cutter holder 14 includes a holder housing 140, a second shaft 141 extending into the holder housing 140 and having a driven end extending into the tubular sleeve 32 and provided with a male spline gear 1411 engaging another portion of the female spline gear 1321, and a cutter shaft 142 mounted in the holder housing 1401 and coupled to the second shaft 141 and a cutter 143. In such a manner, the first shaft 111 is operable to drive the second shaft 141 and thereby further drive the cutter shaft 142 for driving rotation of the cutter 143. The cutting machine 10 further includes a third shaft 112 mounted in the machine body 11, a second transmission gear 113 mounted to an end of the third shaft 112, an outer race 114 coupled fixedly to the rotary cutter holder 14 and the third shaft 112, an inner race 115 fitted coaxially into the outer race 114 and fixed to the machine body 11, a meshing piston 116 movable to couple the outer and inner races 114, 115 so as to lock the third shaft 112 against rotation, and a driving shaft 117 for driving movement of the meshing piston 116 to thereby decouple the outer and inner races 114, 115 so as to permit rotation of the third shaft 112. The piston 131 is powered by a hydraulic system (not shown) to move away from the rotary cutter holder 14 so as to disengage the female spline gear 1321 of the tubular sleeve 132 from the male spline gear 1411 of the second shaft 141, and to engage the first transmission gear 133 with the second transmission gear 113 to thereby enable the first shaft 111 to drive the third shaft 112. When the driving shaft 117 drives the meshing piston 116 to decouple the outer and inner races 114, 115, the third shaft 112 is operable to rotate the rotary cutter holder 14. On the other hand, when the driving shaft 117 drives the meshing piston 116 to couple the outer and inner races 114, 115, the rotary cutter holder 14 is locked to the machine body 11 through the inner race 115.
Since the female spline gear 1321 is relatively long so as to be able to engage simultaneously the male spline gear 1111 of the first shaft 111 and the male spline gear 1411 of the second shaft 141, it tends to deform and requires a high mechanical strength to prevent deformation from occurring. As such, manufacturing cost thereof is increased and the cutting precision deteriorates after a period of use.

The Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chang-Hua University of Education


A connector is provided which can confirm full insertion of an object to be connected by feeling at insertion manipulation and can temporarily hold the object to be connected surely. Each of lock portions is formed by a non-elastic member. On both ends in the terminal arranging direction of a connector body is provided a temporary holding member which is elastically deformed upward in contact with an upper face of a flexible cable inserted into the connector body and recovered while urging the flexible cable downward when a notch portion of the flexible cable is fitted with the lock portion. By this, when each of the notch portions of the flexible cable is fitted with each of the lock portions, the feeling that the flexible cable urged by the temporary holding member is fitted with each of the lock portions while being pressed downward can be obtained through the flexible cable. Therefore, incomplete insertion of the flexible cable can be surely prevented.

As this type of connector, such a connector is known that is provided with a connector body to which one end of an object to be connected can be inserted at a predetermined position, a plurality of terminals in contact with the object to be connected which was inserted into the connector body, and a pressing member for pressing the object to be connected which was inserted into the connector body on each of the terminals side and in which removal of the object to be connected from the connector body before being pressed by the pressing member or occurrence of contact failure due to displacement is prevented by providing a temporary holding member for temporarily holding the object to be connected at a contact portion between a conductive portion provided on the object to be connected and the terminals.
However, with this connector, it is not possible to confirm that the object to be connected has been temporarily held by the temporary holding member, and there is a case that the conductive portion of the object to be connected is brought into contact with and electrically connected with each of the terminals in the state where the object to be connected is not fully inserted into the connector body. At this time, there are problems that the object to be connected is withdrawn from the connector body before being pressed by the pressing member to the terminal side and that displacement between the object to be connected and each of the terminals results in contact failure or breakage such as streaks on the conductive portion of the object to be connected.
Then, such a connector is known in which an elastic support piece for locking the object to be connected is provided on both ends within the connector body in the terminal arranging direction so that a notch portion provided on both side ends of the object to be connected is fitted with the elastic support piece when the object to be connected is inserted into the connector body and the object to be connected is temporarily held by the locking with the elastic support piece to regulate movement of the object to be connected in the direction opposite to insertion (See the Patent Document 1, for example).
However, even in the state where the object to be connected is temporarily held by the connector body with the elastic support piece, when the object to be connected is withdrawn in the direction opposite to insertion, the elastic support piece is elastically deformed and fitting with the object to be connected is released. By this, the object to be connected becomes capable of movement within the connector body. Therefore, since the object to be connected is temporarily held in the insufficient state as mentioned above, withdrawal of the object to be connected from the connector body or breakage such as streaks on the conductive portion of the object to be connected can not be prevented.
[Patent Document 1]: Japanese Patent Publication 2003-100370
The present invention was made in view of the above problems and has an object to provide a connector which can confirm full insertion of an object to be connected by feeling at insertion manipulation and can temporarily hold the object to be connected surely.

Connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board


An exercise device for improving thumb strength in a user of a thumb-driven throttle machine is provided. The exercise device comprises a shaft component, a grip component, and the throttle component, and generally resembles a right side of a handle of a vehicle having a hand throttle mechanism. The exercise device allows a user to exercise a thumb by moving a throttle component from a relaxed position to a position under tension.

For a user of a snow machine, all-terrain vehicle, snow mobile, and the like, or any other device using a thumb-pressed throttle, the constant pushing required by a thumb to keep the machine in motion can lead to significant discomfort over time. Whether the user is new to these types of machines or is just out of practice, the pressure on an untrained thumb can lead to a sore, stiff, and injured digit. The thumb may tire in just a few minutes, as thumb fatigue quickly inhibits keeping the throttle engaged to move the vehicle. This often requires the user to either stop the vehicle or to continue on risking further discomfort and/or injury. Even at rest, the fatigued thumb may continue to ache, making for a less enjoyable experience.
Therefore, a thumb training and/or exercise device to build up the muscle strength required to operate thumb-pressed throttle driven devices would be advantageous. The proposed invention allows a new or out of practice user to get their thumb in condition to operate thumb-pressed throttle driven devices. The invention has the same look and feel of the right side of a handlebar with a throttle mechanism. The device is completely portable, so that the user may exercise his or her thumb at their convenience. Individuals who desire a pain-free experience when using throttle-controlled vehicles will benefit from the training facilitated by the device.


A hand-held device for applying a film to a substrate, especially a cover film to a paper substrate, by pressing a carrier foil provided with the film against the substrate with an applicator foot, provides that individual segments of the pressing edge of this foot can be individually deflected resiliently to allow the foil and the film to be accommodated to irregularities of the substrate and differences in the yieldability thereof.

Applicators for the manual application of a film to a substrate utilizing the principles described above are, in turn, described in the German patent document 37 36 367 and the corresponding U.S. copending application identified above.
The device described in this latter application has small dimensions and is easily handled by the user and can provide an accurate positioning, easily ascertained orientation and covering of the substrate with a film peeled from its carrier foil as that film is pressed by the foot against the substrate.
The supply spool may be provided in a rapid-replacement cassette in the latter device and the take-up spool may be driven by the rotation of the supply spool as the ribbon or strip is drawn across the substrate which is usually a paper sheet.
The film which is transferred to the substrate can be an adhesive film which can be constituted of a contact or pressure-sensitive adhesive enabling photographs or other items to be mounted on the substrate through the intermediary of the adhesive film.
The transferred film may be a cover or correction film which can be opaque to cover incorrect printing or typing, for example, and may thus have a color corresponding to the color of the substrate to which it is applied. The use of a hand-held device for applying such cover films, allows whole lines of typewriting symbols to be covered and overtyped if desired.
Conventional hand-held devices have been used primarily for application of adhesive films to the substrate. In general when a cover film is to be applied, problems are encountered which may not be present when an adhesive film is to be provided, due primarily to irregularities in the surface of the substrate.
In general, the adhesive film is somewhat flexible and tacky so that it adheres readily to the substrate even when the substrate may manifest surface irregularities in the form of rises or depressions. With a cover film, however, irregularities which may result from surface distortions, differences in yielding characteristics of the substrate when the foot is pressed thereagainst and irregular surfaces below the paper sheet serving as the substrate, or the like, may result in transfer of the cover film only from part of the carrier foil, irregular emplacement of the cover film on the substrate and less adhesion of the cover film, where transferred from the carrier foil, in some places than in others.
As a consequence, there may be strip-like or local retention of the cover film on the carrier foil or only an irregular or intermediate emplacement of the cover film on the substrate as a consequence of these irregularities.
Typical of a result which one finds in earlier systems for the application of such cover films is that depressions or recesses in the path of movement of the device may remain uncovered by the film while high points are indeed capable of stripping the cover film from the carrier foil, thereby providing an irregular pattern in the application of the cover film to the substrate.

Hand device for transferring a film from a carrier foil to a substrate


The amount of manganese in the weld fumes generated by an arc welding process can be reduced without reducing the concentration of manganese in the weld deposit ultimately obtained by supplying the manganese to the weld site by the hot wire welding electrode of a hot wire welding process.

A common problem associated with arc welding is fume production. Because of the high temperatures involved, both the metallic and inorganic ingredients involved in the welding operation can vaporize into the atmosphere. Some of these ingredients such as manganese, chromium, nickel, cadmium and lead, for example, are deleterious to health. As a result, recent environmental regulations limit the amounts of these deleterious elements that can be present in the weld fumes produced by a typical welding operation.
One approach for reducing the amount of these deleterious elements in welding fumes is to reduce the concentration of these deleterious elements in the weld deposits that are ultimately produced. Normally, this is done by reducing the amount of these deleterious elements in the welding wires used to form these weld deposits. See, for example, U.S. 2013/0313240 and U.S. 2014/0083981 to Amata et al., which describe techniques for reducing the amount of manganese in welding fumes by using low-manganese welding wires to form low-manganese weld deposits.
Although such approaches may be effective in reducing the amount of deleterious elements in weld fumes, they are disadvantageous in that the weld deposits they produce are deficient in these very same elements.


A structure for a rear part of a vehicle body includes a rear sub-frame supported by rear side frames. The rear sub-frame includes left and right longitudinal members, and a front lateral member mounted across the left and right longitudinal members. The left and right longitudinal members each have front and rear fastening sections fastened to each of a pair of left and right rear side frames, and left and right bent sections each bent inward in the vehicle width direction between the front and rear fastening sections. The front lateral member is positioned relative to the left and right longitudinal members at the intermediate portions of the left and right bent sections. The intermediate portions of the left and right bent sections are joined to the pair of rear side frames while the left and right longitudinal members are held by the lateral member.

A structure for the rear part of a vehicle body includes a pair of left and right rear side frames extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle, and a rear sub-frame supported by the rear side frames. As a similar technique, a suspension frame mounting structure includes a pair of left and right front side frames (front side members) extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle, and a front sub-frame (suspension frame) mounted on the front side frames. In this technique, the front sub-frame has front and rear fastening sections to be fastened with the front side frames, and the positions of the rear fastening sections are aligned in a height direction with the center of the cross-section of the front side frames.
With such a suspension frame mounting structure, it is possible to input load to the center of the cross-section of the front side frames from the front sub-frames when the front sub-frames are moved (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).
A rear sub-frame (suspension sub-frame of the vehicle) used in the structure for the rear part of the vehicle body may include left and right longitudinal members extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, a front lateral member extending in a vehicle width direction and stretched between the left and right longitudinal members, and a rear lateral member extending in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle rear part behind the front lateral member and stretched between the left and right longitudinal members (e.g., see Patent Literature 2).
Upper and lower support sections that support an upper link and a lower link, respectively, are provided on the front lateral member. An arm support sections that supports the lower arm is provided on the rear lateral member. As in the suspension frame mounting structure of Patent Literature 1, the pair of rear side frames extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the rear sub-frame includes front and rear fastening sections formed on the left and right longitudinal members of the rear sub-frame, with the front and rear fastening sections being mounted on the rear side frames. In the rear sub-frame mentioned above, at least one of the support sections of the upper and lower support sections is formed as a separate member other than the front lateral member.
Since at least one of the support sections of the upper and lower support sections is formed as a separate member other than the front lateral member in the rear sub-frame disclosed in Patent Literature 2, it is possible to improve measurement accuracy and rigidity of the support sections.
In the suspension frame mounting structure of Patent Literature 1, a portion between the front end of the front side frame and the front fastening section is set as a collision stroke portion when a front collision load is acted from the front of the vehicle. A portion between the front and rear fastening sections is set as a crush preventing portion (portion not to be crushed) to prevent crush when the front collision load is acted.
However, if the front part of the vehicle body of the vehicle is not long enough to secure sufficient collision stroke portion from the front end to the front fastening section of the front side frame, some means have to be provided to absorb the front collision load from the front of the vehicle.
As in the suspension frame mounting structure of Patent Literature 1, the structure for the rear part of the vehicle body that supports the rear sub-frame of Patent Literature 2 also includes the collision stroke portion set between the rear end and the rear fastening section of the rear side frame to absorb impact when the rear collision load is acted from behind the vehicle, and a crush preventing portion (portion not to be crushed) set between the rear fastening section and the front fastening section to prevent crush when the rear collision load is acted. However, if the vehicle cannot secure sufficient collision stroke portion from the rear end to the rear fastening section of the rear side frame, some improvements have to be made to sufficiently absorb the rear collision load from behind the vehicle.
Further, in the structure for the rear part of the vehicle body in which the pair of rear side frames extend in the front-rear direction of a vehicle and the rear sub-frame is supported by the rear side frames, a filler pipe that supplies fuel to a fuel tank is arranged in the collision preventing portion between the rear fastening section and the front fastening section, with the filler pipe being protected in the collision preventing section. If, however, the vehicle cannot secure sufficient collision stroke portion from the rear end to the rear fastening section of the rear side frame, some improvements have to be made to protect the filler pipe.


A joined body includes: a thin plate including through holes; first members each including: a base portion and a protruding portion inserted into one of the through holes; and a second member placed oppositely to the base portion via the thin plate and made of a material that is of a same kind as a material of the first members. The thin plate is made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than the materials of the first and the second members. The second member and an end portion of the protruding portion are connected together by melt-solidification. A post-joining hardness difference in a range of 30% along a direction orthogonal to a joint interface between the second member and the protruding portion, the range being centered on the joint interface, is equal to or less than 90% of a pre-joining hardness difference.

For weight reduction of various parts used in automobiles, replacement of iron-based materials with aluminum-based materials has been investigated in recent years. While aluminum-based materials are suitable for the weight reduction, the replacement with aluminum-based materials makes those parts difficult to have sufficient product strength. Partial replacement of iron-based materials with aluminum-based materials has thus been investigated. When an iron-based material is replaced with an aluminum-based material, joining between the iron-based material and the aluminum-based material is needed.
Various techniques have been proposed for reduction of production of intermetallic compounds that cause reduction in joint strength in weld-joining between iron-based materials and aluminum-based materials (as described in, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2). According to Patent Literature 1, after a part of a rivet is caused to penetrate an aluminum-based material by the rivet being pressed into the aluminum-based material, the rivet and an iron-based material are spot-welded together. According to Patent Literature 2, projections are formed by formation of plural dents in a long member (a fastener), the projections are inserted into holes formed in one of two members made of materials different from each other, and welding is performed in a state where the projections have been brought into contact with a base portion of the other member.


A method for the detection and localization of breast microcalcification through a precise method of ultrasound impacting and ultrasound frequency wave detection which will enable the system to detect not only if there is a microcalcification in the breast, but the precise location of the microcalcification and the mass of the microcalcification. The invention is also a method and system that provides bi-modal guided stimulation of a targeted mass within the breast to determine the location and nature of the microcalcification within the breast.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the diagnosis of medical conditions and in particular to medical diagnosis of abnormalities within a female breast which is performed through the use of non-invasive ultrasound techniques to determine whether or not there is any microcalcification in a female breast and further, to determine the location where the microcalcification is located as well as the size of the microcalcification.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, breast screening for cancer and microcalcification detection have been performed using different imaging modalities in the prior art and there are several techniques that are currently in active use. The techniques are as follows:
X-Ray Mammography
To date, X-ray mammography is the method of choice and the "gold standard" for breast screening and diagnosis with which other technologies are compared. In order to perform this test a breast is exposed to an X-ray beam whose transmission is measured. The breast is rather strongly compressed between an X-ray sensitive screen and a transparent plate to:                Obtain a uniform thickness,        Reduce the total thickness in order to facilitate operation in the range of lower photon energy levels and higher contrast between tissues, to obtain a clearer image, and        Reduce overlapping of the different inner breast tissues to increase clarity of the image and better sensitivity.
X-ray mammography was first pioneered by Warren in 1930 but it has been widely used only for the last 30 years. The identification of a breast lesion relies on the imaging of radiographic density changes caused by the lesion and associated changes in breast architecture, vascularity or skin contour. Radiographically, benign lesions are usually less dense than those that are malignant, and in general they have smooth outlines. Malignant lesions, on the other hand, have irregular outlines. When the breast is glandular it is more difficult to image its architecture than when the breast contains large amounts of fat. The breast might be so radiographically dense that breast structure cannot be imaged with sufficient clarity to identify a discrete mass. In the fatty breast the tumor may be clearly visible, as well as changes in vascularity and skin contour. Although, larger tumor in a dense breast can be seen less clearly, it may be identifiable by micro-calcifications. In vivo radiographic studies on the incidence of micro-calcifications show that they can be detected in 40% to 50% of malignant tumors and in about 20% of benign tumors, and histological sections show even higher percentages. Several randomized controlled studies undertaken in different countries to assess the value of screening mammography have demonstrated a clear benefit of screening mammography for women over age 50 or even over the age of 40 in some countries. Although the results for women younger than age 50 are still controversial.
During the last fifteen years, mammography screening has reduced the mortality rate among women with breast cancer considerably1, by detecting approximately 85% to 90% of breast cancers. The reported sensitivity of X-ray mammography varies from 83% to 95%. The reported specificity of X-ray mammography varies from 90% to 98%. However, the reported positive predictive value (PPV) which includes the prevalence of detecting the disease is quite poor, varying from 10% to 50%. 1 "Preventing Chronic Diseases: Investing Wisely in Health Screening to Prevent Cancer Deaths", U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In many developed countries, the film-screen mammography (FSM) is being gradually replaced by full-field digital mammography (FFDM) which is identical to FSM except for the electronic detector that captures and facilitates display of the X-ray signals on a computer or laser-printed film. Although the resolution of the new FFDM instruments is not higher than the traditional FSM technique, additional data processing may help to find tumor marks with higher accuracy.
Two and Three Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging
Conventional ultrasound imaging utilizes megahertz frequency sound waves which reflect at boundaries between tissue with different acoustic impedance, which is the product of the penetrating sound velocity and material density. The time interval of arrival of these reflections is proportional to the depth of field (boundaries of a targeted area). Thus, ultrasound can map acoustic tissue boundaries.
Traditionally, 2-dimensional ultrasound imaging is used as an adjunct to X-ray mammography in the identification and differentiation of cysts or solid masses. Ultrasound imaging of the breast may also help radiologists to evaluate some lumps that can be felt but that are difficult to see on X-ray mammogram, especially in dense breast or implants. It is also in wide use in guided biopsy since it allows real time imaging of the breast. 3-Dimensional ultrasound imaging is seldom used in breast screening due to very limited added information.
Evaluation of the ultrasound technique in distinguishing malignant from benign tumors has shown the accuracy of benign condition detection to be 99.5%. Reportedly, a combination of ultrasonography and standard X-ray mammography has yielded a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 98%. With recent advancements in ultrasound platforms, some earlier-stage, clinically occult tumors, that were missed by screening mammography, could be detected. Since the speed of sound in fatty and less fatty breast tissues are approximately the same, ultrasound possesses a promising role in the future screening of younger women with dense breast and high risk factors. However, traditional ultrasound has poor calcification detectability.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MR images are created by recording the signals generated after radiofrequency excitation of hydrogen nuclei (or other elements) in tissue exposed to a strong static magnetic field. The signals have characteristics that vary according to the tissue type (fat, muscle, fibrotic tissue, etc.).
The method has minimal hazards from magnetic field effects and does not use ionizing radiation. The first MRI results of the human breast were disappointing, but subsequent use of an intravenous gadolinium based contrast agent has offered a clear advance and increased sensitivity. Reportedly, the sensitivity of contrast-enhanced MRI in detection of suspicious breast lesions varies from 88% to 100% (average reported sensitivity of about 95%). However the specificity of the contrast-enhanced MRI has been quoted as rather variable, ranging from 37% to 100%. This is mainly because of considerable exceptions and overlaps in contrast agent uptake and kinetics between benign and malignant tumors. The prevalence of cancer by MRI screening in high risk women is significantly greater than that reported in a similar population screened by ultrasound (4% vs. 1.3%)2. However, neither the technique nor the interpretive criteria are standardized as of to date, leading to variability in performance and in results interpretation. In addition, MRI can only be performed in a setting in which it is possible to perform biopsy of lesions detected solely by MRI. 2 E. A. Morris, L. Liberman, D. J. Ballow et al. 2003 "MRI of Occult Breast Carceonoma in a high risk population", ARJ 2003; 181:619-626.
Despite its high accuracy in detecting malignancies in breast, MRI is not recommended as a routine examination for the differentiation of benign and malignant lesions/tumors. MRI is a prohibitively expensive modality and it is unsuitable for large-scale screening programs. A US survey conducted by market research firm IVM has revealed that not more than 17% of US imaging facilities provide MRI imaging on site. Nonetheless, where available, MRI can be used as a complementary methodology to assist in differential diagnosis of uncertain lesions.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
To conduct a PET scan, a short-lived radioactive tracer isotope, which decays by emitting a positron (chemically incorporated into a metabolically active molecule), is injected into the blood circulation. There is a waiting period while the metabolically active molecule becomes concentrated in tissues of interest; then the patient is placed in the imaging scanner where the positron encounters an electron, producing a pair of photons moving in almost opposite directions. These are detected when they reach a sensitive material in the scanning device, creating a burst of light which is detected by photomultiplier tubes.
Optical Mammography and Spectroscopy of Breast
In the past decade, optical imaging techniques using near-infrared light (NIR) have attracted considerable interest. Characterization, differentiation and localization of different lesions are possible due to the presence of optical absorption contrast between tumors and healthy tissues due to an increased hemoglobin concentration as a result of angiogenesis. The hemoglobin oxygen saturation of suspicious sites can be reconstructed by spectroscopic analysis and can additionally serve as a criterion for diagnosing malignancies. Optical imaging techniques incorporate detection of photons that propagate through the breast with light propagation models to reconstruct the optical properties of the illuminated tissue. By altering the wavelength of the optical source, the spectroscopic dependence of optical properties can be obtained.
An early trans-illumination platform for breast lesion detection demonstrated low sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. The optical imaging techniques can be split into three groups:    Continuous wave (CW)    Time-domain    Frequency-domain
Each group has its own strengths and weaknesses. Optical imaging techniques have some advantages and drawbacks. The notable advantages are that they:    Are relatively inexpensive    Use NIR and do not impose ionizing radiation    Have potential for portability
The major drawback associated with optical imaging remains light propagation in biological tissue, which is highly scattered, resulting in poor resolution. Improving spatial resolution and discriminating between absorption and scattering remain the biggest challenges that are faced by optical imaging.
Optical mammography has yet to demonstrate its potential to be a stand-alone imaging modality, mainly because of its poor specificity and sensitivity. Nevertheless, it may supplement existing breast imaging techniques by characterizing lesions in suspicious cases, resulting in a reduction of the number of unnecessary biopsies.
Thermo/Photo-Acoustic Breast Imaging
Thermo-acoustics exposes the breast to short pulses of externally applied electromagnetic energy. Differential absorption induces differential heating of the tissue followed by rapid thermal expansion. This generates sound waves that are detected by acoustic transducers positioned around the breast. Tissues that absorb more energy expand more and produce higher amplitude sound waves. The time-of-flight, amplitude and duration of acoustic pulses recorded on the tissue surface possess information regarding the location, absorption and dimensions of the source, thereby permitting a 3-dimensional reconstruction of the targeted absorber.
When the incident electromagnetic energy is visible or NIR light, the term "photo-acoustics" is used instead of thermo-acoustics. Photo-acoustics combines the advantages of two techniques. First, like optical mammography, photo-acoustics probes the optical contrast of the tumor site with respect to surrounding tissue. Secondly, all information about optical absorption inhomogeneities is carried to the breast surface by ultrasound waves which have low attenuation and scattering in soft tissue and thus, resulting in poor sensitivity. Similar to thermo-acoustic techniques, photo-acoustics retain 3-dimensional structural information of the targeted area.
One of the major disadvantages of these techniques is the difficulties in displaying and analyzing the 3-dimensional information retained from the targeted area. Therefore, the time and cost required for image retrieval and analysis of the thermo/photo-acoustic techniques are potentially greater when compared with that of X-ray mammography and ultrasound. Moreover, these techniques have yet to demonstrate reproducibility, adequate sensitivity, specificity and practicality.
A summary of the prior art which will be more understandable after the detailed description of the preferred embodiment is set forth in Table 1 which compares the present invention IDUS technology with leading diagnostic imaging modalities. Also, reference is made to Table 2 at the end of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment which sets forth competing imaging technologies and the strengths and weaknesses of competing imaging technologies as compared with the present invention IDUS system.
There is a significant need for an improved method which will be able to determine not only whether a microcalcification is present in the female breast, but also be able to evaluate the size the location of the microcalcification and through a preset series of information, determine and evaluate whether or not the microcalcification is possibly malignant which would result in further medical treatment and biopsy to remove the microcalcification.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Application of image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography (IDUS) in detection and localization of breast microcalcifcation


In a method and an apparatus for the optical transmission of data by a pulse-width modulated light source (LED), in which a set dimming factor (N) is replaced with a cycle-dependent dimming factor (NI), the cycle-dependent dimming factor is modulated for encoding the data to be transmitted and corresponds to the set dimming factor over a time interval which is resolvable for the human eye.

The wide distribution of mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones, for example, demands fast data transmission via wireless interfaces and local wireless data networks. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be used for lighting rooms in buildings. Light-emitting diodes, also referred to as LEDs, feature low energy consumption and long service life. Light-emitting diodes provided for lighting rooms inside buildings are dimmed in order to enable the luminance level within a room to be set according to the respective requirements.

Method and apparatus for optically transmitting data

Fraunhofer Gesellscaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.


A telemeter is used to measure the distances between a sequence of points on a target surface. The telemeter includes an emitting source provided with a pulsed laser sending out a pencil of light energy in a determined direction of sight, a contra-rotating wedge communicating, to the pencil, a deflection along an epicycloidal type of scanning pattern in a plane perpendicular to the axis of sight, and a receiver including the same contra-rotating wedge and a photodiode. The disclosed device can be applied more particularly to a system for the detection of obstacles of a wire-shaped type.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a telemetry device and can be applied especially to a system for the detection of obstacles, especially obstacles constituted by wire-shaped objects such as high-voltage cables. It relates notably to obstacle detection systems for helicopters.
The presence of cables or wire-shaped objects makes the piloting of helicopters at low altitudes a very vulnerable operation. This is especially true at night when the standard means of vision, of the infrared camera or light intensifier type, cannot be used to detect such targets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many approaches have been proposed to resolve the problem of the detection of such obstacles. Some of these approaches may be cited by way of non-restrictive examples.
The article by P. Condom, Evitement d'obstacles pour helicopteres: une solution en ondes millimetriques (Obstacle Avoidance For Helicopters: A Solution Using Millimetric Waves) in Interavia 5, 1985, pp. 459-460, describes a millimetric wave radar.
This system has the drawback of showing reduced sensitivity when the angle of incidence between the cable and the line of sight is great. This limitation must be considered in direct relation to the range of the wavelength used. For millimetric wavelengths, it is the specular reflection that is preponderant. This means that there are no lateral scattering cones.
Measurements of laser equivalent surfaces of electrical cables at the wavelengths of the infrared range have shown that this range of wavelengths is well suited to the detection of cables. Indeed, the scattered reflection makes it possible to obtain echos at the high values of incidence.
A CO.sub.2 laser emitting at the 10.6 .mu.m wavelength can be used as an active source. The LOTAWS project may be cited here. The detection of cables is done at this wavelength. This project is described in a U.S. Army report entitled: "Laser Obstacle Terrain Avoidance Warning System", R&D technical report ECOM-0145.3, ECOM-72-0145.4, ECOM-0145.2, U.S. Army Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J., 1972-1973. However, problems related to the amount of space occupied considerably restrict the use of a laser source such as this on board a helicopter.
Devices based on a television type scanning system have also been proposed. A first device of this type is described in the article by M. Eibert: "Laser Radar Based Obstacle Avoidance System For Helicopters", ERF91-20, pp. 185-193. This device uses laser diodes emitting at 0.8 .mu.m.
The scanning of the line of sight is obtained mechanically and electronically with television type scanning pattern. The electronic scanning is obtained in one direction by the use of an array of diode lasers that emit sequentially. Similarly, at reception, an array of detectors is used, working in phase with the array of laser diodes. The scanning in the other direction is obtained mechanically by means of an oscillating mirror. This device has the drawback of using multiplexing techniques to place the emitting diode and the corresponding detector temporally in phase. Furthermore, the mechanical scanning, namely the oscillating mirror, introduces accumulations of dots at the ends.
A second device of this type is obtained in a sales brochure of the firm Northrop. This system is called OASYS (Obstacle Avoidance System) and is described in the article by B. Nordwall, "Army Seeks To Detect Wires, So Helicopter Pilots Can Fly Fast, Low"; Aviation Week & Space Technology, Jan. 22, 1990, pp. 77 to 81.
The device uses a laser diode emitting on a wavelength of 0.9 .mu.m. The scanning of the line of sight is obtained with a holographic scanning. The pattern described is also a television type scanning pattern. This system implies the use of a hologram having a diameter that is twice that of the reception pupil. Only the equivalent of 25% of the power, therefore, is recovered at the reception pupil.
Passive detection systems may also be cited. In this case, the cable is detected by means of the magnetic field created by the current. The detection is therefore possible only when the electrical cables are under voltage, and this considerably limits the field of use. A method such as this is described in the article by K. E. Potter et al., "Technique For Overhead Wire Detection", IEEE Proc., Vol. 128, No. 7, December, 1981, pp. 427-432.

Telemetry device and application thereof to a system for the detection of obstacles


A fuel injector includes a solenoid coil, which cooperates with an armature acted upon by a restoring spring, the armature forming an axially displaceable valve part together with a valve needle. A valve-closure member, which forms a sealing seat together with a valve-seat body, is provided on the valve needle. Furthermore, a reliable sealing of a thin-walled valve sleeve or of the magnetic coil exists that is made of a sealing body that is secured beneath the magnetic coil. The sealing body is tetragonal in cross-section, in particular, it has a trapezoid-like shape, and is put in between the magnetic coil and a valve housing. In its installed state, the sealing body is clamped and compressed. In its compressed state, the sealing body assumes an elliptical or egg-shaped cross-section.

German Patent Application No. DE 40 03 227, for instance, describes a fuel injector which includes a core surrounded by a solenoid coil, an armature by which a valve-closure member cooperating with a fixed valve seat is actuable with the aid of a connecting tube welded to the armature; a tubular metal intermediate part which, by welding, is sealingly connected to an end of the core facing the armature via its one end, and to a tubular connecting part via its other end; and at least one bracket-type conducting element, which overlaps the solenoid coil and, by welding, is connected to the connecting part by its end facing the valve-closure member, and to the core via its other end. In each case the welding of two overlapping components of the fuel injector is implemented in a region of reduced cross-section of one of the two components to be welded together.
A particular disadvantage of this fuel injector is that the production of the connections between the individual components of the fuel injector is complicated and therefore time-consuming and cost-intensive. Furthermore, the welded points are thermally stressed and thus lose strength and flexural stiffness, which can result in considerable resonances due to housing parts having varying thickness and in an associated generation of noise when operating the fuel injector. In addition, a support ring, which is injection-molded underneath the seal on the side of the intake manifold, has the effect that contact points between the housing and valve sleeve are not reliably sealed, which may lead to problems due to poor sealing, especially during turbo-operation of the internal combustion engine.


A drive system for an hydraulic elevator operated at a constant output power for any load during elevator car travel in the upward direction. The maximum nominal speed in the upward direction is selected for a load which typically occurs most frequently and the drive is designed accordingly. The car speed is reduced correspondingly for higher loads and increased correspondingly for lower loads. The variable car speed is achieved either through the use of an adjustable pump of variable displacement volume controlled by a pressure regulating valve or through the use of a positive displacement pump of constant displacement volume which is driven by a frequency regulated electrical motor.

The present invention relates generally to an hydraulic drive for elevators and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for reducing the electrical energy required to drive an hydraulic drive pump in an elevator system.
To ascertain the power output requirements for the drive of an hydraulic elevator, a maximum carrying capacity and a speed of travel in the upward direction are selected for the elevator car. For a total mass "P" consisting of car weight, carrying capacity and possible additional weights and a predetermined desired travel speed "v" in the upward direction, a maximum power requirement "N" is calculated by the formula: EQU N=P.multidot.v
It is evident from this formula that the power requirement of an elevator drive is directly dependent on the mass to be moved and on the speed or elevator car.
However, the maximum power of the drive is utilized only when the elevator car is loaded to the full carrying capacity. For smaller loads, the drive operates with poorer efficiency and thus with relatively high energy consumption.
An hydraulic elevator having relatively low energy consumption is shown in the German patent document DE-OS 40 34 666. This elevator is driven by an inverter energy source and includes a main cylinder with a piston connected to an elevator car and an auxiliary or balancing cylinder with a fixed balancing weight and a selectable balancing weight. The cylinders are connected together by an hydraulic pump. The fixed balancing weight corresponds normally to the weight of the elevator car, while the selectable balancing weight corresponds to approximately one half the maximum load in the elevator car. Thereby, the pressure difference between the main cylinder and the balancing cylinder is kept as small as possible for all loads. The design of the size of the drive thus depends on the difference between the loading of the balancing cylinder and the main cylinder. The output power during downward travel without a load is calculated by the formula: EQU N=[(A+B+0)-(C+B+w/2)].multidot.v+(A-C-w/2).multidot.v
(when C=A): PA1 N=-(w/2).multidot.v PA1 (when C=A): PA1 N=+(w/2).multidot.v
The output power during downward travel at full load is calculated by the formula: EQU N=[(A+B+W)-(C+B+w/2)].multidot.v=(A-C+w/2).multidot.v
In each formula above, "N" is the output or driving power, "A" is the mass of the car, "B" is the mass of the piston, "W" is the mass of the maximum car load, "w/2" is the mass of one half of the car load, "C" is the mass of the fixed balancing weight (here C=A) and "v" is the lifting speed.
A disadvantage of this hydraulic elevator is that an additional auxiliary cylinder with a fixed and a selectable balancing weight, the necessary connecting line and a relatively expensive inverter energy source are required.

Method and apparatus for saving electrical energy in an hydraulic elevator drive


A method performed by a block-storage server, of storing data is described. The method includes (1) receiving, from a remote file server, data blocks to be written to persistent block storage managed by the block-storage server; (2) receiving, from the remote file server, metadata describing a placement of the data blocks in a filesystem managed by the remote file server; and (3) organizing the data blocks within the persistent block storage based, at least in part, on the received metadata. An apparatus, system, and computer program product for performing a similar method are also provided.

Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software in which storage processors are coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, electronic flash drives, and/or optical drives. The storage processors service storage requests arriving from host machines ("hosts"), which specify blocks, files, and/or other data elements to be written, read, created, deleted, etc. Software running on the storage processors manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data elements on the non-volatile storage devices.
Some storage systems separate filesystem management from block storage. Thus, a file server manages file-based requests, such as Network Attached Storage (NAS) requests. The file server then transmits block-based requests to a block storage server (e.g., across a Storage Area Network or SAN) to effect persistent storage on disk. The block storage server may expose logical disks to the file server.

File layer to block layer communication for block organization in storage


Provided herein is technology relating to theranostic agents and particularly, but not exclusively, to compositions comprising cell-specific theranostic agents and associated methods and systems for using the cell-specific theranostic agents to treat subjects.

Many diseases are caused by cell-specific (e.g., tissue specific, organ specific, etc.) problems in the patient. Oftentimes, drugs and other treatment agents that act to counter diseases in these cells, tissues, and organs that are associated with the disease also cause unwanted side effects due to their actions in other cell and tissue types or due to general systemic activity in the patient.
For instance, aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid receptor agonist that promotes inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists provide one of the few therapeutic approaches to treat heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. The mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists spironolactone and eplerenone inhibit the mineralocorticoid receptor driven inflammatory modules and are effective in inhibiting sodium reabsorption and decreasing blood pressure in the cardiovascular system, thus aiding the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, despite these clinical benefits on the heart and blood vessels, traditional mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists also produce unwanted side effects such as gynecomastia and mastodynia in men due to off-target effects on steroid receptors and hyperkalemia due to off-target actions in the kidney. As another example, conventional chemotherapies (e.g., for cancer) are administered systemically. While killing of only the cancer cells (e.g., of a tumor) is desirable, systemic administration exposes healthy, non-cancerous cells to these powerful and toxic chemotherapeutic agents, often producing sickness and other symptoms such as hair loss.
Thus, there is a need for agents that direct small molecules (e.g., drugs and other therapeutic agents) to specific cells, tissues, or organs for treatment, thereby minimizing or preventing the delivery of these small molecules to other cells, tissues, and organs and, consequently, reduces or eliminates off-target and generalized side effects.

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN


A drive device includes a first clutch mechanism that couples or decouples power transmission systems for front and rear wheels, a first electric motor disposed on a front or rear wheel side and coupled to the first clutch mechanism, a second electric motor disposed on the other of the front and rear wheel sides and coupled to the first clutch mechanism, a second clutch mechanism that couples or decouples the first electric motor and front drive shafts, a planetary gear mechanism that distributes output of the first electric motor to the first and second clutch mechanisms, and a third clutch mechanism that limits a difference between a first rotational element that transmits the output of the first electric motor to the first clutch mechanism and a second rotational element that transmits the output of the first electric motor to the second clutch mechanism.

The disclosure relates to a drive device for an electric-motor four-wheel drive vehicle.
Four-wheel drive electric vehicles that use output of an electric motor as a driving force have been recently under development. Non-limiting example styles of driving such electric-motor four-wheel drive vehicles include an in-wheel motor style where drive motors are respectively provided inside of wheels, and a style where output of an electric motor is transmitted to wheels via a power transmission mechanism. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2016-92995 discloses, for example, an in-wheel-motor four-wheel drive vehicle. JP-A No. 2018-70076 discloses a twin-motor four-wheel drive vehicle where two drive motors separately drive front wheels and rear wheels.

Drive device for four-wheel drive vehicle