Biocompatible non-toxic triblock copolymers having an A-B-A structure wherein each A is a hydrophilic, biocompatible end block and the B middle block is a hydrophobic desaminotyrosyl tyrosine polycarbonate or polyarylate. The copolymers spontaneously self-assemble to form low critical aggregation concentration nanospheres having utility as delivery vehicles for hydrophobic biologically or pharmaceutically active compounds.

An important issue facing the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is the limited availability of effective, non-toxic delivery systems for hydrophobic therapeutic compounds. For example, paclitaxel, the treatment of choice for tumors of the breast and ovary, is hydrophobic. Therefore, clinical administration of paclitaxel requires dispersion in an oil and ethanol excipient that has been linked to unwanted side effects.
Synthetic polymers have shown advantages as delivery vehicles for many pharmacological materials, providing increased solubility and stability of bound therapeutic compounds and the opportunity for targeted delivery to a restricted population of cells. Nanospheres, i.e., carriers with a size in the submicron range, are desirable for intravascular administration. For this purpose, the recent advances in supramolecular chemistry allow designing materials of superior characteristics.
For parenteral delivery systems, it has been shown that nano-sized particles and liposomes have great potential in cancer therapy due to their ability to extravasate from the leaky vasculature of tumors. To achieve this objective, various nano-sized particles or colloidal carriers such as nanospheres, polymeric micelles, liposomes, and surface modified nanoparticles have been proposed. However, the distribution of drugs and carriers in the body, undesirable side effects, rapid clearance by macrophage, thermal instability, structural fragility and low drug loading efficiency, among other factors, have limited these approaches and only a few such delivery systems have progressed toward clinical use.
For liposomal systems, their poor shelf stability and insufficient loading has been a substantial barrier. A number of polymeric systems have been investigated, with PLGA [poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)] and PLA-PEG [poly(D,L-lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol)] being the most widely studied because they are biodegradable, of low antigenicity, and approved for drug use but their reported drug incorporation levels have been generally quite low, thus making it difficult to encapsulate sufficient drug for therapeutic efficacy. Improved drug incorporation has been seen using cyanoacrylate polymers, but these systems show some toxicity. Another disadvantage of many of the nanoparticles produced using the nanoprecipitation/solvent extraction technique is the need for a surfactant during nanoparticle formation. Sufficient removal of the surfactant and/or residual solvent is always a problem.
Of particular interest are nanoparticles formed via the self-assembly of block copolymers. Similar to low molecular weight lipid or surfactant molecules, amphiphilic block copolymers consist of at least two parts, a hydrophilic block and a hydrophobic block. Such amphiphilic block copolymers, driven by their hydrophobicity, can self-assemble in aqueous solution. At high concentrations, they may build lamellar liquid crystalline phases whereas, in dilute aqueous solution, they may form superstructures of various shapes like micelles or vesicular structures.
A suitable neutral amphiphilic block copolymer forms spontaneously nanometer-sized, well-defined hollow sphere structures in dilute aqueous solution. These structures can be viewed as the high molecular weight analogues of lipid or surfactant molecules. However due to their slow dynamic, they form much more stable superstructures than conventional liposomes. Furthermore, liposomes, e.g., spherically closed lipid bilayers, are rapidly recognized by the immune system and cleared from the blood stream. Due to the wide variety of block copolymer chemistry one can prepare an entirely synthetic material to avoid immunogenic reactions.
Although it is well known that suitable block copolymers can form nanospheres, few were designed to self-assemble into biocompatible and biodegradable structures in dilute aqueous solution. One example of spontaneous aggregation of an amphiphilic block oligomer has been reported with a poly(methyloxazoline)-block-poly(dimethyl-siloxane)-block-poly (methyl-oxazoline), PMOXA-PDMS-PMOXA triblock oligomer. Injection combined with extrusion techniques leads to the formation of vesicles whose size can be controlled between 50 and 500 nm. However, there remains a need for non-cytotoxic, biodegradable triblock copolymer vesicles.
Block copolymer vesicles are of interest for drug delivery applications for a number of reasons. First of all, hydrophobic drugs can be physically entrapped in the core of block copolymer micelles and transported at concentrations that can exceed their intrinsic water-solubility. Secondly, the hydrophilic blocks, which are often composed of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), can form hydrogen bonds with the aqueous surroundings and form a tight shell around the micellar core. As a result, the contents of the hydrophobic core are effectively protected against hydrolysis and enzymatic degradation. In addition, the PEO corona prevents recognition by the reticuloendothelial system and therefore preliminary elimination of the micelles from the bloodstream.
Consequently, the use of polymeric nanoparticles for the advantages of stability, cost, and ease of formulation is more preferable. It is expected, that drug incorporation and control of drug release, could be altered by the introduction of moieties into the polymers, which could increase the level of interaction with the drug. This strategy requires biodegradable polymers to enable in vivo biodegradation and subsequent removal from the body.

Tri-block copolymers for nanosphere-based drug delivery


A process for avoiding formation of an Si—SiO2—H2 environment during a dissolution treatment of a semiconductor-on-insulator structure that includes a carrier substrate, an oxide layer, a thin layer of a semiconductor material and a peripheral ring in which the oxide layer is exposed. This process includes encapsulating at least the exposed oxide layer of the peripheral ring with semiconductor material by performing a creep thermal treatment; and performing an oxide dissolution treatment to reduce part of the thickness of the oxide layer. In this process, the semiconductor material that encapsulates the oxide layer has a thickness before the oxide dissolution that is at least twice that of the oxide that is to be dissolved, thus avoiding formation of an Si—SiO2—H2 environment on the peripheral ring where the oxide layer would otherwise be exposed.

In the area of structures of semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) type, it is known to apply thermal treatment to cause diffusion of at least part of the oxygen from the buried oxide layer through the thin semiconductor layer, so as to reduce or eliminate the thickness of this oxide layer.
This dissolution step can be applied to the entire structure, or it can be applied locally, i.e., to dissolve the oxide layer—in whole or in part—in determined regions of the SOI structure, corresponding to a desired pattern, while preserving the initial oxide layer in the other regions. This is termed "local dissolution" of the oxide layer.
The application of this dissolution thermal treatment or of any other type of thermal treatment, such as surface smoothing or an epitaxy step, may cause a phenomenon of de-wetting as mentioned in document WO 2007/048928. It was observed by the inventors of the present invention that this phenomenon was particularly triggered on the periphery of the structure and, more generally, at every point in the structure in which the buried oxide is exposed, i.e., in contact with the outside, or at every point in which the thin layer is so thin (a few tens of nanometers or less) that it becomes morphologically unstable when the structure is brought to high temperature, thereby exposing the buried oxide.
This de-wetting phenomenon is greater the thinner the thickness of the thin layer (for example, less than 100 nm).
It is accompanied by a phenomenon of etching of the buried oxide if this oxide is exposed to the treatment atmosphere and in contact with the thin layer in Si, for example, as per the reaction:SiO2+Si→(gaseous)2SiO
At the "three-point" contact of Si/SiO2/treatment atmosphere, the buried oxide (SiO2) reacts with the silicon of the thin layer to form volatile SiO complexes, which are carried into the treatment atmosphere.
It is recalled that in substrates of semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) type obtained by bonding, there is no bonding on the edge of the assembled substrates on account of the presence of peripheral chamfers on the contacted surfaces. Therefore, after transfer of the thin layer, in silicon, for example, the final substrate has a peripheral ring in which transfer did not take place and at which the buried oxide is exposed.
Phenomena of de-wetting and etching, which may occur during thin layer thermal treatments, lead to an extensive defective region over a distance of up to 1 cm on the periphery of the substrate when this substrate is exposed to thermal treatment, e.g., dissolution thermal treatment.
This defectiveness may also occur at any other point of the starting substrate, at which the buried oxide is directly exposed or lies under a thin layer of reduced thickness. The defect is possibly a through defect (also called "HF defect") in the thin layer and, therefore, exposes the buried oxide to the treatment atmosphere. It may concern regions of the substrate in which the thin layer is of much narrower thickness than the mean thickness of this layer, making exposure of the buried oxide to the treatment atmosphere possible if the thickness of the thin layer should be reduced during treatment.
These phenomena make the substrate unfit for uses in the usual areas of application of these substrates, such as the fabrication of electronic components (e.g., "memory" and "logic" components), in the regions in which such defects occur. Thus, improvements in these types of components are needed.

Process to dissolve the oxide layer in the peripheral ring of a structure of semiconductor-on-insulator type


Mixtures of isomeric decyl alcohols are obtained by hydroformylation of 1-butene- and 2-butene-containing mixtures in two stages to give aldehyde mixtures, condensation of the isolated and combined aldehyde mixtures to form an aldol mixture, and isolation and hydrogenation of the aldol mixture. The mixture of isomeric decyl alcohols, esterified with phthalic acid, gives a mixture of isomeric decyl phthalates which are useful as plasticizers.

Esters of phthalic acid are used to a great extent as plasticizers, in particular for polyvinyl chloride. The principal alcohol components are primary alcohols having 8 to 10 carbon atoms; the most important of these is currently 2-ethylhexanol. Although phthalic esters of shorter-chain alcohols lead to plasticizers having good gelling capacity, their higher volatility is disadvantageous. Longer-chain esters, on the other hand, gel more slowly and have poorer cold resistance.
The properties of the phthalic ester plasticizers are influenced, not only by the size of the alcohol molecule, but also by the branching of the carbon chain. Thus, alcohols having little branching give ester plasticizers having high cold flexibility; substantially linear alcohols having 8 to 10 carbon atoms in the molecule are thus of increased importance as the alcohol components. A precondition for their use is that they are available in large amounts and at favorable cost.
According to German Patent 28 55 421, phthalates of nine carbon alcohols are used as plasticizers and are obtained by oxo reaction of eight carbon olefins, hydrogenation of the reaction product, and esterification of the resultant nine-carbon alcohols with phthalic anhydride. 3% to 20% by weight of the starting olefins have an isobutane skeleton in each molecule chain, less than 3% by weight of the olefins have quaternary carbon, and more than 90% by weight of the total amount of the olefins are present as n-octenes, monomethylheptenes, and dimethylhexenes. In addition, the weight ratio of the total amount of the n-octenes and monomethylheptenes to the dimethylhexenes is more than 0.8.
Phthalic esters based on ten-carbon alcohols are an object of European Patent Application 366,089. These alcohols are used in the form of a mixture which is obtained by hydroformylation of a butene fraction, aldol condensation of the resulting aldehyde mixture, and subsequent hydrogenation. The hydroformylation step is not subject to any restrictions, according to the process description. Thus, cobalt and/or rhodium can be used as catalysts, and the addition of an organic compound of trivalent phosphorus is not excluded.
Another route to obtain didecyl phthalate mixtures is described in European Patent Application 424,767. The preparation of the esters is carried out in a multi-stage process by dimerization of butene mixtures, hydroformylation and hydrogenation of the resulting octene mixture to give a nonanol mixture, dehydration of the nonanol mixture to form a nonene mixture, and hydroformylation and hydrogenation of the nonene mixture, thereby forming the desired decanol mixture.
From economic and industrial aspects, the known processes do not fulfill the requirements of a process carried out on an industrial scale. For example, the starting material may not be available in sufficient quantity, and/or may not be available at favorable costs, and/or the conversion of the starting materials into the alcohols may be associated with processes which are too expensive. In processes which start from butenes which are hydroformylated, the n-valeraldehyde content of the hydroformylation product should, in particular, be as high as possible, in order to promote the formation of straight- or only slightly branched-chain alcohols.

Decyl alcohol mixtures, phthalic esters obtainable therefrom and their use as plasticizers


The present invention allows an on-line user to specify the name by which that user is known when communicating with other target users, regardless of the name under which the sending user is currently logged-in. The invention also provides a mechanism to block messages from sending parties that are not willing to divulge their real identity.

In a virtual environment, alias names are used to preserve privacy, and yet there is often a need to know the identity of the real person with whom one is talking or interacting in order to hold meetings and conduct business. The inverse is also true, where an on-line user does not want to disclose a real name and wishes for disparate target parties to know the user under disparate on-line alias names. In modern society, most on-line users have multiple on-line alias names, some of which may include real identity data. As an example, a user's business e-mail address may contain a real name, where the same user may have additional email addresses, on-line gaming aliases, virtual world aliases, and the like, which often do not include identity data. As the world of on-line communication grows smaller, most of these environments provide external communication mechanisms, such as chat, so that an alias in one environment can communicate with an alias in a disparate environment. A problem arises, however, when an Avatar/alias needs to communicate to another on-line user, but does not wish to be known by the current on-line alias. As an example, a user currently playing World of Warcraft® may be logged-on using the alias MegaMonster. If that user has a need or desire to communicate with a business associate, it is unlikely that they would want to send an email, establish a chat session, or otherwise make contact using the identity of MegaMonster. This invention solves this problem by providing a system and method to control and manage identity presentation in on-line environments.
A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.
The world being computer-simulated typically appears similar to the real world, with real world rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication. Communication has, until recently, been in the form of text, but now real-time voice communication using VOIP is available. This type of virtual world is now most common in massively multi-player on-line games (Second Life®, Entropia Universe®, The Sims On-Line™, There™, particularly massively multiplayer on-line role-playing games such as EverQuest®, Ultima On-Line™, Lineage™, World of Warcraft®, or Guild Wars™. Second Life® and other on-line virtual environments present a tremendous new outlet for both structured and unstructured virtual collaboration, gaming and exploration, as well as real-life simulations in virtual spaces. These activities, along with yet to be disclosed new dimensions, in turn provide a wide open arena for creative and new marketing methods and mechanisms.
It should not be assumed that the utility of virtual worlds is limited to game playing, although that is certainly seen to be useful and valuable insofar as it has become a real economic reality with real dollars being exchanged. However, the usefulness of virtual worlds also includes the opportunity to run corporate conferences and seminars. It is also used to conduct virtual world classroom sessions. Governmental and instructional opportunities abound in the virtual world. Accordingly, it should be fully appreciated that the term "virtual" as applied to this technology does not in any way make it less real or less valuable than the "real" world. It is really an extension of current reality. Moreover, it is an extension that greatly facilitates human communication and interaction in a non-face-to-face fashion.

Preferred name presentation in online environments

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A composition and a process for catalyzing ethylene oligomerization employing the composition as catalyst are disclosed. The composition comprises a nickel compound, a phosphine compound, and a phosphated alumina where the phosphated alumina is both a component of and a support for the composition. The ethylene oligomerization process comprises (1) combining a nickel compound and a phosphine compound in a solvent to form a mixture; (2) combining the mixture with a phosphated alumina under ethylene pressure to form a catalyst system; (3) contacting ethylene with the catalyst system under oligomerization conditions to produce higher olefins having more than 2 carbon atoms.

Many catalysts containing a nickel compound are known to oligomerize ethylene to higher olefins. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,640 discloses a process for the oligomerization of ethylene using a homogeneous catalyst consisting essentially of a nickel compound, a phosphine compound, and an acid; U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,915 discloses an ethylene oligomerization catalyst comprising an atom of nickel chelated with a chelating ligand having a tertiary organophosphine moiety and a carbonyl ligand; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,564 discloses ethylene oligomerization in the presence of a catalyst comprising nickel(0) complexed with a fluorine-containing ligand.
While the catalyst systems discussed above are operable for ethylene oligomerization, they are either homogeneous catalyst systems that are not suitable for continuous processes or relatively expensive. Additionally, some of the known ethylene oligomerization processes require long reaction time, high temperature, or both, to achieve satisfactory results. Furthermore, by using a known ethylene oligomerization process, one has not always achieved high catalyst productivity and good product selectivity. Finally, because of the increasing importance of higher olefins in chemical industries, for example, 1-butene as industrial feedstock, 1-hexane as comonomer for polyethylenes production, and 1-decene as comonomer for high temperature polyolefins, processes and catalysts that make even slight improvements in the availability of these olefins over the known processes and catalysts are highly desirable.

Ethylene oligomerization and catalyst therefor


For the description of audio-visual data content in a multimedia environment, a binary representation of description structures is used. A binary identifier (BID) for each specified descriptor (D) and description scheme (DS) as well as a binary description definition language (DDL) represent the components. The advantages of a binary representation are a more compact encoding of description structures and thus savings in storage capacity and/or bandwidth. A faster parsing of the encoded data, especially in the context of dynamically varying descriptions, is thereby achieved.

In the context of the MPEG-7 multimedia description standard description structures for the description of audio-visual data content use textual representations for descriptors and description schemes, where the number of description elements can be variable. The language elements of the so-called description definition language (DDL) which is derived from an Extensible Markup Language (XML) are represented also in textual form. The descriptor values (DVs) itself are in a binary representation.

Method for description of audio-visual data content in a multimedia environment


A method of assembling and installing an underwing package to an underside of an aircraft wing is disclosed. In various embodiments, the method includes assembling the underwing package, comprising at least a pylon and an engine, using a build frame; attaching a transfer cart to the underwing package; lowering the underwing package and the transfer cart from the build frame; transporting the underwing package and the transfer cart to the underside of the aircraft wing; and transferring the underwing package from the transfer cart to the underside of the aircraft wing.

Modern aircraft may utilize one or more gas turbine engines for propulsion. The engines may be housed in a nacelle, which may be wing-mounted, fuselage-mounted or tail-mounted or some combination thereof. Current methods of assembly and installation of engine systems typically involve multiple iterations of installing, rigging, removing for transport, reinstallation, checking and potentially re-rigging of large and expensive hardware. The process is expensive, potentially wasteful and may render hardware prone to damage. Additionally, the various large components of the engine systems, such as, for example, the thrust reverser and the fan cowls are not always rigged or positioned correctly in their final underwing configurations since the interface structure may not be present in a normal flight configuration (e.g., in a configuration that accommodates typical flexing of the wing and pylon).
In a typical installation of a jet engine to the underwing surface of an aircraft, or to a torque box located within the wing, several steps are undertaken. In a first step, it is conventional to attach a pylon to the wing. In a second step, the engine is attached to the pylon, without any of the surrounding structure—e.g., the inlet cowl, the left and right fan cowls and the thrust reversers. In a third step, the surrounding structure is attached to the engine. The pylon is a structural member that provides a structural connection between the wing and the engine and typically comprises a forward connection or attachment point and an aft connection or attachment point. During the second step, the engine is manipulated manually until the connection or attachment points between the pylon and the engine are correctly aligned, at which point the engine may be secured to the pylon. Engines are heavy, however, and manipulation of the engine with respect to the pylon and wing may become difficult and should be avoided, if possible. Out of tolerance errors with the connection or attachment points between the pylon and the engine may exacerbate the procedure, leading to costly delays due to multiple attempts or iterations at attaching the engine to the pylon and wing. Further exacerbating the procedure is the difficulty in manipulating the increasingly larger and heavier engines used on modern commercial or military aircraft.

Total underwing nacelle and engine installation


Systems and methods for avoiding interference are provided. Such systems and methods can include receiving wireless network information from a first access point, the wireless network information identifying any channels used by any WiFi networks detected by a first access point, identifying any second information channel sequences used by any second access points located within a predetermined distance of the first access point, identifying and allocating a first information channel sequence to be used by the first access point so that no channels in the first information channel sequence overlap with any of the channels used by the WiFi networks or with the second information channel sequences, identifying and allocating a first operating channel sequence to be used by the first access point based on the first information channel sequence, and transmitting the first information channel sequence and the first operating channel sequence to the first access point.

Increasing numbers of wirelessly connected devices are being installed or used in many buildings, structures, and homes. Indeed, many conventional devices, such as light switches, refrigerators, lamps, televisions, security sensors, locks, etc., are now wirelessly connected to wireless networks for the convenience of homeowners, business owners, or other users. Such devices are commonly called "Internet-of-Things" (IoT) devices.
As the numbers of wirelessly connected devices increase, the possibility for wireless interference also increases. In this regard, wireless interference is increasingly likely in densely populated areas or structures, such as condominiums, apartment buildings, or office buildings, where the numbers of wireless devices are even more concentrated. As such, there is a continuing need for improved systems and methods for avoiding wireless interference.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for allocating wireless communication channels


A premium package having an easily removable premium panel secured thereto and disposed therein, includes a parallelepiped carton defining an interior void and having a pair of opposed major side panels and a pair of opposed minor side panels connecting the major side panels. At one end of the carton, a major end panel is secured to one of the major side panels and defines a tuck flap, the major end panel being movable between a closed position wherein it closes the one end of the carton and an open position wherein it enables access to the carton void. A premium panel is secured to the other of the major side panels by a line of weakness and disposed within the carton void.

The present invention relates to a premium package and, more particularly, to a premium package having an easily removable premium panel secured thereto and disposed therein.
A premium package is an ordinary package which has thereon or therein a printed premium which acts as an additional inducement to purchase the package. The premium itself may have an intrinsic value and be, for example, a baseball or similar collector's card, a cooking recipe, or the like. Alternatively, the premium may have little or no intrinsic value, but be redeemable for an item of value, for example, by the purchaser removing the premium and mailing it to the manufacturer for a refund or prize. Still further, the premium may merely provide more space on which the packager may print advertising material or the like. Regardless of whether or not the premium has intrinsic value, there are common problems associated with premium packages.
If the premium is merely inserted into the package and is not secured thereto, then the premium may be forgotten or may be removed with the contents of the package and thereby lost. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a premium package where the premium panel is secured thereto rather than loosely disposed therein. On the other hand, when the premium is secured to the outer surface of the package, it is too easily removable by retail personnel and passing customers without purchase of the package, thereby defeating the purpose of the premium package and discouraging potential customers who desire the premium from purchasing the now premium-free package.
If the premium is a structural part of the actual package, for example, a coupon, emblem, or the like constituting a part of a package wall, then the premium is typically not easily removable from the package, requiring either the tearing of the package walls or the use of a knife or scissors. Furthermore, once the premium which formed a part of the package body is removed, the ability of the package to perform its intended function may be impaired as its integrity has been destroyed.
Finally, even if the premium were secured to and disposed within the package, separate and apart from the package structural walls, it would frequently be difficult to remove it from the package until all of the contents of the package were first removed.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a premium package having an easily removable premium panel secured thereto and disposed therein.
Another object is to provide such a package where the premium panel can easily be removed (without tools) prior to removal of the contents of the package in many instances and without destruction of the structural integrity of the package.


A solid state imaging device comprises a pixel unit, a first controller, and a second controller. The pixel unit has a two dimensional matrix of pixels and each of the pixels is arrayed in the matrix. The first controller independently controls the output unit row by row. The second controller independently controls the first reset unit row by row. The each of pixels comprises a photoelectric conversion element, a first reset unit, a charge retention unit, a transmitter, a second reset unit, and an output unit. The element converts incident light into a signal charge and accumulates the converted signal charge. The first reset unit resets the signal charge. The charge retention unit retains a signal charge output from the photoelectric conversion element. The transmitter transmits the signal charge to the charge retention unit. The second reset unit resets the signal charge. The output unit outputs a pixel signal in response to the signal charge to a vertical signal line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid state imaging device in which a plurality of pixels having a photoelectric conversion element, which converts input light into signal charges and accumulates the converted signal charges, are arranged.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-312726, filed Dec. 8, 2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, a Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) type solid state imaging device, which uses pixels having an amplification and reading function, is known. FIG. 5 shows the structure of a pixel of a MOS type solid state imaging device. As shown in FIG. 5, a single pixel 100a includes a photodiode 101, a transmission transistor 102, a charge retention (or Floating Diffusion (FD)) section 103, an FD reset transistor 104, an amplification transistor 105, and a selection transistor 106.
The photodiode 101 is photoelectric conversion element that converts input light into a signal charge and accumulates the converted signal charge.
The transmission transistor 102 sends the signal charge, accumulated in the photodiode 101, to the FD section 103. The FD section 103 maintains the signal charge, which is sent from the photodiode 101 by the transmission transistor 102. The FD reset transistor 104 resets the signal charge in the photodiode 101 and the FD section 103. The amplification transistor 105 amplifies the level of a voltage of the FD section 103 and outputs the amplified voltage as a pixel signal. The selection transistor 106 outputs the pixel signal to a vertical signal line 114 when the pixel 100a is selected as a pixel that reads out a signal charge. Herein, other components except for the photodiode 101 are shaded from light.
Inside the pixel 100a, a pixel power line 110, an FD reset line 111, a transmission line 112, and a selection line 113, as well as the vertical signal line 114, are arranged. The pixel power line 110 is a signal line for applying a supply voltage VDD, and is electrically connected to a drain side of the amplification transistor 105 and to a drain side of the FD reset transistor 104. The FD reset line 111 is a signal line for applying FD reset pulses φRMi (i=1 to m), which are for resetting FD sections 103 of one row, and is connected to gates of FD reset transistors 104 of one row.
The transmission line 112 is a signal line for applying row transmission pulses φTRi (i=1 to m), which are for sending signal charges of pixels of one row to the FD section 103 of each pixel, and is electrically connected to gates of transmission transistors 102 of the pixels of one row. The selection line 113 is a signal line for applying row selection pulses φSEi (i=1 to m), which are for selecting pixels of one row that read out pixel signals, and is electrically connected to gates of selection transistors 106 of the pixels of one row. Due to the structure of the pixel using the four transistors, a photoelectric conversion function, a reset function, an amplification and reading function, a temporary memory function, and a selection function are realized.
The MOS type solid state imaging device has a pixel array in which pixels having the above-described structure are arrayed in a matrix consisting of m rows×n columns. The MOS type solid state imaging device uses a typical XY address reading method, which reads pixel signals from all of the pixels by reading pixel signals in a per row by sequentially selecting each row from first row to mth row using a vertical scanning circuit and a horizontal scanning circuit (not shown).
In the typical XY address reading method, timings for sending signal charges to the FD sections 103 are different for each row. In more detail, in the first row in which the signal charges are initially read out and in the mth row in which the signal charges are read out for the last time, the greatest difference in the timings for reading the respective rows is as much as one frame. This causes a problem in that the image of a moving object is distorted if taken at high speed.
As an approach to solve the foregoing problem in the typical XY address reading method, there is a global shutter reading method. The global shutter reading method will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 6. First, photodiodes 101 of pixels of all of the rows are reset by simultaneously outputting FD reset pulses φRM1 to φRMm and row transmission pulses φTR1 to φTRm of all of the rows from a vertical scanning circuit (not shown). Subsequently, after a signal accumulation period (i.e., an exposure period) is passed, the row transmission pulses φTR1 to φTRm of all of the rows are simultaneously output from the vertical scanning circuit, and signal charges of the photodiodes 101 of the pixels of all of the rows, accumulated in the exposure period, are simultaneously sent to the FD sections 103. The operation of a global shutter is performed in the above described processing.
In addition, in the pixel structure as shown in FIG. 5, when strong light is incident on the photodiode 101, a signal charge equal to or more than the maximum amount of charge, which can be charged in the photodiode 101, is generated. This causes the problem of the so-called "blooming," in which the signal charge flows out from the photodiode 101 and spills into the FD section 103, adjacent pixels, or the like through the transmission transistor 102 or a channel stop area. The "blooming" also occurs in the case of performing a global shutter operation by once sending the signal charges obtained by the photodiodes 101 to the FD sections 103, simultaneously across all of the pixels.
When the "blooming" occurs, a white stripe shape or a white circular pattern is observed in a photographing image, thereby degrading image quality. In the case of performing the global shutter operation, after the signal charge is sent to the FD section 103, an excessive charge occurred in the photodiode 101 also overflows into the FD section 103 in the pixel thereof. The excessive charge is then added to the signal charge sent to the FD section 103, thereby destroying the signal. This, as a result, increases the influence of the blooming.
As a method for suppressing the blooming from occurring in the case of performing the global shutter operation, there are the following methods. Specifically, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-111590 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-42714 disclose a circuit structure shown in FIG. 7. With respect to the pixel 100a shown in FIG. 5, a Photodiode (PD) reset transistor 107, which directly resets the photodiode 101, is added to a pixel 100b, as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, a PD reset line 115, which applies a PD reset pulse φRPDi (i=1 to m) for resetting photodiodes 101 of one row, is added. The PD reset line 115 is connected to gates of PD reset transistors 107 of one row. In the disclosure of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-111590 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-42714, a charge occurred in the photodiode 101 is output to the pixel power line 110 by turning on the PD reset transistor 107 using such a circuit structure, except for the exposure period.
Below, the operation of this method is explained with reference to FIG. 8. First, PD reset pulses φRPD1 to φRPDm of all of the rows, output from the vertical scanning circuit (not shown), are simultaneously converted from "H" level to "L" level, and the reset of the photodiodes 101 of the pixels of all of the rows is canceled, so that accumulation begins. Subsequently, after a certain signal accumulation period (i.e., an exposure period) is passed, row transmission pulses φTR1 to φTRm of all of the rows are simultaneously output from the vertical scanning circuit, so that the signal charges, accumulated in the photodiodes 101 of the pixels of all of the rows in the exposure period, are simultaneously sent to the FD sections 103.
Afterwards, selection pulses φSEi are sequentially input row by row, and pixel signals are read out row by row using a horizontal reading circuit (not shown). Before these pixel signals are read out, the PD reset pulses φRPD1 to φRPDm of all of the rows are simultaneously converted from "L" level to "H" level. Accordingly, the photodiodes 101 of the pixels of all of the rows are reset, and the charges occurred in the photodiodes 101 are discharged to the pixel power lines 110.

Solid state imaging device to reduce power consumption


The rapid thermal cycling of a material is targeted. A microfluidic heat exchanger with an internal porous medium is coupled to tanks containing cold fluid and hot fluid. Fluid flows alternately from the cold tank and the hot tank into the porous medium, cooling and heating samples contained in the microfluidic heat exchanger's sample wells. A valve may be coupled to the tanks and a pump, and switching the position of the valve may switch the source and direction of fluid flowing through the porous medium. A controller may control the switching of valve positions based on the temperature of the samples and determined temperature thresholds. A sample tray for containing samples to be thermally cycled may be used in conjunction with the thermal cycling system. A surface or internal electrical heater may aid in heating the samples, or may replace the necessity for the hot tank.

PCR is the gold standard for fast and efficient nucleic acid analysis. It is the best method for genetic analysis, forensics, sequencing, and other critical applications because it is unsurpassed in specificity and sensitivity. By its very nature the method utilizes an exponential increase in signal, allowing detection of even single-copy nucleic acids in complex, real environments. Accordingly, PCR systems are ubiquitous, and the market for a faster thermocycling method is significant. Recent advancements in microfluidics allow the miniaturization and high throughput of on-chip processes, but they still lack the speed and thermal precision needed to revolutionize the field.
Robotic-based PCR systems are very slow in reaction speed, and utilize heating technologies with much less precision and accuracy. These systems typically couple auto-pipettes with robotic manipulators to measure, mix, and deliver sample and reagents. Accordingly, these systems are complex, expensive, and difficult to miniaturize.

Methods and compositions for rapid thermal cycling

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC


A contact lens or phakic IOC lens is provided with a peripheral portion that has a power profile that provides optical control of peripheral vision images. Typically, the central portion of the lens is also provided with optical control. The power profile of the lens at the boundary of the central and peripheral portions meets certain boundary conditions that ensure that the lens provides a desired or selected vision correction. Because the peripheral portion of the lens provides optical control that defocuses the peripheral vision image relative to the retina, the lens can be used to prevent or inhibit growth of the eye, thereby preventing or inhibiting myopia or the effects of myopia.

A contact lens is a thin plastic or glass lens that is fitted over the cornea of the eye to correct vision defects. Various types of contact lenses exist that are designed to treat various types of vision defects. A phakic IOC lens is a lens that is implanted behind a person's cornea and works in conjunction with the natural crystalline lens of the eye to provide vision correction. Phakic IOC lenses are typically made of a material called polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The term "phakic" means that the eye with which the phakic IOC lens is used possesses the natural crystalline lens of the eye.
Typical lenses, including both contact lenses and phakic IOC lenses, are designed and manufactured to provide only the central portion of the lens with optical control. The central portion of the lens is deemed most important because it affects central vision, which is much more accurate than peripheral vision. The "central portion" of the lens, as that term is used herein, is intended to denote the portion of the lens that is optically controlled to provide an intended optical effect on a person's central vision. The central portion of a typical soft contact lens extends from the center of the lens outwardly to a distance of approximately 3.5 to 4 millimeters (mm) at the periphery of the central portion. This corresponds to a radial distance, r, that ranges from r=0.0 mm at the center of the lens to r≈3.5 or 4.0 mm at the boundary where the central and peripheral portions of the lens meet. The peripheral portion of a typical contact lens has a peripheral portion that starts where the central portion ends (e.g., at r≈3.5 or 4.0 mm) and extends outwardly a radial distance from the lens center of r≈7.0. Thus, the typical soft contact lens has a total diameter of approximately 14.0 mm.
It is believed that central vision is more accurate than peripheral vision due to the relatively high density of photoreceptors in and around the center of the retina of the eye. These photoreceptors, also known as "cones", are responsible for daylight and color vision and are concentrated in a small depression near the center of the retina known as the fovea centralis. This dense concentration of cones provides this region of the retina with the greatest visual acuity. Acuity drops dramatically in the peripheral region of the retina. Central vision allows a person to distinguish smaller features that are near or at the center of the field of view, whereas features that are outside of the center of the field of view must be larger for the person to distinguish them through peripheral vision.
Soft contact lenses are not designed to provide optical control over the peripheral portions of the lenses because the peripheral portions do not affect the central vision of the eye. The light rays that pass through the peripheral portion of a typical soft contact lens are not focused in the central region of the retina, and thus do not affect the central vision of the eye. The peripheral portion of a typical soft contact lens sometimes includes a blending or transitioning portion that connects the central portion to the peripheral portion. This blending portion does not designed to provide optical control, and therefore does not provide vision correction except in cases where the pupils of the eye are small. The purpose of the blending portion is simply to connect the central and peripheral portions to each other.
Although an eye's corneal diameter typically ranges from about 11 mm to about 12 mm, the central portion of a typical soft contact lens typically ranges from about 7 mm to about 8 mm in diameter (i.e., r≈3.5 to 4 mm). The diameter of the central vision zone of the eye is generally defined as the region that provides central vision when the pupil is no larger than 7 mm in diameter under scotopic viewing conditions. The term "scotopic" means the ability to see in darkness or dim light, also referred to as dark-adapted vision. Although a typical soft contact lens is about 14 mm in total diameter, only the central 7 or 8 mm diameter portion provides vision correction. The peripheral portion, also commonly referred to as the lenticular portion, serves to stabilize the lens and fit the lens comfortably over the limbus of the eye.
While the peripheral portion of a typical soft contact lens is not designed to provide optical control over light entering the eye, it has been suggested that peripheral vision images may have important effects on the vision system of the eye. For example, it has been suggested that vision in the peripheral range drives myopia. Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. People with myopia see objects that are closer to the eye more clearly, while distant objects appear blurred or fuzzy.
The manner in which peripheral vision may affect the vision system of the eye is explained in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,460 to Smith, et al. Specifically, in Column 3, lines 42-47 of Smith et al. states:                "The present invention is based on new learning from our experiments that demonstrates that the peripheral retinal image (i.e. peripheral vision) plays a major role in determining overall eye length, and is an effective stimulus that promotes peripheral and total eye growth that results in axial elongation, an overall increase in eye size and myopia."
Smith et al. discloses various methods and devices for providing a visual image that has "a peripheral field image location that is positioned more anteriorly to (or in front of) the peripheral retina (i.e. toward the cornea or the front of the eye) than normally in the uncorrected condition, while the central field image location is positioned near the central retina (i.e. the fovea)". Smith et al. discloses that this arrangement minimizes or eliminates the stimulus for eye axial elongation leading to myopia.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,578 to Collins et al. discloses a method for treating myopia that uses a lens having a central portion (i.e., an optic zone) that causes paraxial light rays entering the center region of the central portion of the lens to be focused on the retina while causing light rays entering the peripheral region of the central portion of the lens to be focused in a plane between the cornea and the retina, thereby producing positive spherical aberration of the image on the retina. Collins et al. states that this positive spherical aberration has a physiological effect on the eye that tends to inhibit growth of the eye, thus mitigating the tendency of the myopic eye to grow longer.
Collins et al. also discloses an embodiment for mitigating hyperopia by using a lens having a central portion (i.e., an optic zone) that causes paraxial light rays entering the center region of the central portion of the lens to be focused on the retina while causing light rays entering the peripheral region of the central portion of the lens to be focused in a plane behind the retina, thereby producing negative spherical aberration of the image on the retina. Collins et al. states that this negative spherical aberration has a physiological effect on the eye that tends to enhance growth of the eye, thus mitigating hyperopia.
While Smith et al. and Collins et al. both recognize the importance of the peripheral vision image, these patents are directed to the effects that light rays passing through the periphery of the central portion of the lens have on the vision system of the eye. In other words, these patents are not directed to the effects that light rays passing through the peripheral portion of the lens (i.e., the portion outside the approximately 7 or 8 mm diameter central portion of the lens) have on the eye. Therefore, the effects that these light rays produce on the vision system are limited by the ability of the central portion of the lens to provide the necessary optical control.
For a variety of reasons, including those described in Smith et al. and Collins et al., it would be desirable to provide a lens having a peripheral portion that provides optical control. However, because the peripheral portion of the lens is used to stabilize the lens and to fit the lens to the surface of the eyeball, and is normally the same for every lens of a given lens series, the peripheral portion is normally not designed to provide optical control. If the peripheral portion were to be designed to provide optical control, it could not be kept the same for an entire lens series. Rather, the peripheral portion would need to be varied from lens to lens in order to ensure that the optical control it provides works with the optical control provided by the central portion. Consequently, the traditional view in the soft contact lens industry is that because central vision is most important, and because providing the peripheral portion of the lens with optical control would require that different lenses of the same series be manufactured with different peripheral portions, it is undesirable to design contact lenses to have peripheral portions that provide optical control.
Furthermore, increasing the diameter of the optical zone of a contact lens presents certain problems that would need to be solved by the contact lens industry. For example, for a typical lens series comprising lenses ranging in optical power from −10 D to +6 D and having 8 mm diameter central portions, the sagittal depth (SAG) difference for different lenses of the series is roughly 20 micrometers (μm) per Diopter. Therefore, both the thickness of the lens at the center of the central portion and at the edge of the central portion vary over a lens series. If the diameter of the central portion were to be increased, the SAG difference across the series would increase to an even greater extent. Because the front surface of the peripheral portion is generally constant across the power range of the series, increasing the diameter of the central portion would require that the slope and curvature of the blending portion be varied to an even greater extent from lens to lens across a given series. This presents even greater difficulties in terms of lens design and manufacture.
Accordingly, a need exists for a contact lens having a peripheral portion that provides optical control and that can be easily designed and manufactured.

Lens having an optically controlled peripheral portion and a method for designing and manufacturing the lens


A machine tool comprising:. a toolholder for holding a tool; PA0 a spindle for detachably supporting the toolholder; PA0 a spindle support for rotatably supporting the spindle; PA0 a drive means for driving the spindle supported on the spindle support; PA0 a stop means for preventing the toolholder from rotating relative to the spindle support; and PA0 a cutting oil supply means for supplying a cutting oil to the tool via the stop means.

When a cylindrical workpiece is, for example, intended to be turned and thereafter drilled, the workpiece is first set in the chuck of a lathe for turning with a cutting tool engaging its circumference. Then the work piece is detached from the lathe and reset on a drilling machine for drilling.
In this procedure the workpiece must be detached from the lathe and reset on the drilling machine. It takes time to detach and reset the workpiece. It is hard to machine the workpiece with high accuracy.


A method, computer program product and computer system are provided. A processor retrieves a target file for inspection of malware. A processor converts the target file to a time domain format. A processor determines one or more time-frequency domain features of the converted target file. A processor generates a malicious classification for the target file based on the one or more time-frequency domain features of the converted target file and one or more classification models.

The present invention relates generally to the field of computer security, and more particularly to malware detection.
Malware, or malicious software, are programs or executable code that when executed intend to compromise a computer's security or operation. Malware detection is the practice of inspecting files on a computer to identify malware before the malware can compromise the computer. Antivirus software scan files stored on the computer, inspecting each file for malware. Additionally, some antivirus software provides real-time protection by inspecting downloads and other network traffic to stop malware from being stored on the computer prior to execution.

Time and frequency domain analysis of bytecode for malware detection

International Business Machines Corporation


A leak proof lid for a beverage container has a rocker arm which may be moved between open and closed positions by one hand. The lid is provided with drinking and venting apertures and respective basins within the lid. The rocker arm includes venting and drinking seals for sealing the respective aperture when the rocker arm is in the closed position. The rocker arm is easily removable from an upper side of the lid to facilitate cleaning the venting and drinking aperture and seals on the rocker arm.

The invention relates to removable lids for beverage containers. More specifically, the invention relates to selectively openable push button lids for insulated beverage containers.
Thermally insulated beverage containers have become increasingly popular with the public for use with hot beverages, such as coffee. Containers of this type may also be used for cold beverages as well. Hot beverages, such as coffee and tea, impose the most demanding thermal requirements on such a container. As a result, consumers have come to appreciate that double-walled, vacuum-insulated containers perform this function best. Such containers have sidewalls often manufactured from metal, particular stainless steel, to withstand the high mechanical loading due to atmospheric pressure. Thermally insulated beverage containers designed for keeping cold beverages from becoming warm typically place a lower thermal load on the beverage container. As a result, such containers are often manufactured with a plastic double wall, wherein the interstitial space between the inner and outer walls is either thermally insulated with air or a foamed material.
In either case, it is highly desirable to provide a selectively openable lid for the beverage container. The lid performs at least two functions, the first of which is to prevent the beverage from spilling out of the container when the user is not actually drinking the beverage. This feature is particularly important when a hot beverage is in the container so as to prevent the user from becoming burned if the container tips over. As a second function, the lid should provide for drinking the fluid at a constant rate to prevent splashing or dribbling when the beverage is being drunk from the container. The lids for such containers are therefore typically provided with an open position, a closed position, and a third position in which the entire lid can be removed from the beverage container for cleaning.
Lids of this type generally fall into either the rotatable twist type lid, or the push button type lid. An example of a travel mug having a three-position, rotatable lid of the type described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,703 to Karp. That patent discloses a travel mug having two inwardly directly circumferential ears defining a gap region therebetween. A rotatable lid, having radially directed arms emanating from a central region at the bottom of the lid which adapted to pass through the gaps in the ears, and when rotated with the lid engage an underside of the circumferential rim of the lid with the radially inwardly directed ears. The rim is provided with diametrically opposed apertures to permit fluid to egress from the mug while air enters in through the remaining aperture to equalize pressure within the mug. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. One particular problem with this prior art design is that the drinking vessel must be specially manufactured with dedicated structure to engage the arms of the lid. In addition, although the lid is substantially splashproof when the lid is in the closed position, it is not leakproof if the mug is tipped over. Variations of the rotatable lid design are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,951 to Feltman, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,173 to Mason, et al. These designs employ a two piece rotating structure with seals therebetween. These designs are therefore substantially more spill and leak proof than the device disclosed by Karp. Nevertheless, the two pieces are not easily separable resulting in the interstitial zones being difficult or impossible to maintain in a hygienic condition. Furthermore, almost all of the rotatable designs are difficult to operate with one hand, a serious disadvantage when using mugs having the lid and driving a car or truck.
It has become increasingly common for users to employ thermally insulated beverage containers, particularly of the type best adapted for insulating hot beverages such as coffee, in moving vehicles, such as automobiles. One design branch in the prior art has attempted to overcome the above-noted deficiencies of the twist type lid by providing a lid for such containers which is easily operated by a single hand between an open and closed position so that the user does not inadvertently spill a hot beverage on herself while driving her car. Lids of this type often employ a push bottom mechanism having a normally closed position. Examples of such prior art devices are shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,173 to Nergard; U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,631 to Albert; U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,748 to Albert; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,642 to Nergard. With respect to the lids disclosed in the above-identified patents, the user typically depresses a button near the rim of the lid to remove a stopper-like device from an aperture in the lid. Releasing the button returns the stopper to its normally closed position. Although devices of this type perform their intended function well, they have a significant unanticipated drawback. Specifically, the position of a stopper in a normally closed position provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria in the junction between the stopper and the lid drinking aperture. In order to properly clean a lid of this type which quickly becomes fouled with such bacterial growth, the user must manually clean the lid by holding the mechanism open while using a brush or the like. It has been found that merely placing such lids in a dishwasher or the like will not adequately clean the area of contact between the stopper and the lid. Most users of this type of device find the requirement to manually wash the lid so inconvenient that they frequently will not purchase a second product of the same design. Furthermore, while push button lids discussed above are substantially spill proof due to the urging of the stopper like device against a value seat (typically by spring pressure), such designs are far from leak proof when used in a book bag or backpack environment.
Therefore a need exists for a splashproof and leakproof lid for an insulated beverage container which provides a truly leakproof and spillproof design in both an open and closed position, which does not encourage bacterial growth between moveable parts of the lid, which is easily cleaned by the user and which can be operated with a single hand.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a removable lid for an insulated beverage container having leakproof and spillproof open and closed positions.
It is yet another object of the invention to achieve the above-described object with a removable lid which does not encourage bacterial growth between moving parts of the lid.
It is yet another object of the present invention to achieve the above objects in a removable lid which is easy to clean.
The invention achieves these objects, and other objects and advantages which will become apparent from the description which follows, by providing a selectively openable lid for a drinking vessel having a main body or base member and a rocker arm pivotally connected to an upper side of the base member. The base member has drinking and venting apertures or bores. The rocker arm carries corresponding flexible fluid seals for receipt in their respective bores such that the rocker arm is pivotable between a first, closed position and a second, open position. The fluid seals in the preferred embodiment have resilient laterally extending flanges or fingers having dimensions slightly larger than the bores to provide substantial fluid and air conduits through the respective venting and drinking bores in the base member when the rocker arm is in the second, open position, and to seal the bores in the base member when the rocker arm is in the first, closed position.
The rocker arm is preferably provided with resilient arms which are engaged with corresponding detents on the main body or base member so that the rocker arm and base member are disengagable and so that they may be cleaned by immersion in a dishwasher or the like without the need for an individual to physically maintain the members in a separate condition against spring pressure or the like.
The rocker arm and main body or base member can be provided with substantially any external geometric appearance, however a circular appearance is preferred to coincide with the substantially circular cross-sectional dimension of most beverage containers. In addition, the drinking end of the rocker arm is preferably curved and the main body is preferably provided with a depressed region surrounding the drinking aperture bore so as to form a drinking basin for the user.

One hand openable lid for beverage container


In various embodiments, a light emitting diode (LED) tube lamp is provided along with a method of installing the LED tube lamp into a lighting fixture. In various embodiments, the LED tube lamp comprises: a tube; at least one LED positioned within the tube; and a passage formed through at least a portion of the tube, the passage configured to receive there-through a set of electrical connecting wires, wherein a first end of the electrical connecting wires comprises at least one of a two- or three-prong polarized plug. Various embodiments may further comprise a driver circuit positioned within the tube, the driver circuit comprising a second end of the electrical connecting wires. In various embodiments, the LED lamp tube may further comprise at least one end cap disposed on an end of the tube and at least one pin secured thereon wherein the pin is electrically isolated from the LED.

Progress in the field of engineering and manufacturing light emitting diodes (LEDs) has resulted in an increased interest in employing LED lamps in general lighting applications. Particularly, an interest exists in replacing fluorescent lamp tubes with LED lamp tubes. LED lamp tubes offer several advantages over traditional fluorescent lamp tubes. For example, LED lamps have a significantly longer life than fluorescent lamps and do not contain the dangerous chemicals that fluorescent lights depend upon for their fluorescence. Fluorescent and LED lamps, however, have different electrical requirements for the fixtures into which they will be installed.
Fluorescent lamp tubes generally have an end cap located at each end of the fluorescent lamp tube. Electrodes located on the end caps, commonly referred to as "pins," are used to electrically and mechanically connect the fluorescent tube lamp into the fixture. Having electrodes at both ends of the tube allows the electrical power to flow across (i.e., through) the lamp tube, causing the lamp tube to fluoresce. Thus, the fixture into which a fluorescent lamp tube is installed will maintain the first end of the tube as electrically positive and the second end of the tube as electrically negative.
LED lamps, on the other hand, require a low voltage source. Indeed, LEDs generally provided within LED lamps require a direct current (DC) voltage. Thus, LED lamps configured in this manner require driver circuitry which regulates the voltage passed to the LEDs. However, conventionally configured driver circuitry does not require the first end of the tube to be electrically positive and the second end to be electrically negative. As a result, a fixture designed for fluorescent lamp tubes may not be readily appropriate for use with LED lamp tubes, without some degree of modification, such as the non-limiting examples of replacing lamp holders, rewiring existing lamp holders, and the like, so as to convert the fixture for use with LED lamps. Notwithstanding the above, certain LED lamps may incorporate alternating current (AC) voltage components; however, modifications remain likewise necessary in that context, as with DC voltage sourced lamp tubes.
Because a huge number of fluorescent light fixtures are currently in use, converting and/or modifying each fixture, whether DC or AC sourced, in one or more of the manners described above would involve a considerable amount of effort and money. Therefore, if various advantages of LED lamp tubes over fluorescent lamp tubes are to be fully realized, a need exists for an LED lamp tube that can be readily installed and used with existing fluorescent light fixtures, without expensive modifications or replacement of the fixtures.

Linear LED lamp tube with internal driver and one or more electrically isolated pins


Convertible receiver hitch cover that fits at least first and second receiver tubes having respective first and second bores of respective first and second cross-sections. The cover includes a faceplate having a periphery, a front side and a backside. A shaft extends from the backside of the faceplate, wherein the shaft has a first end proximal to the faceplate and a second end distal from the faceplate. The shaft has a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the first bore of the first receiver tube. A removable spacer is adapted to fit over the shaft and has a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the second bore of the second receiver tube.

A receiver hitch cover is used to cover an automobile's Class II or Class III receiver hitch tube when the towing drawbar is not in place. A hitch cover improves the aesthetics of the hitch tube covering the unsightly empty, and typically rusty, hitch tube. The cover also protects the tube from debris, dirt, etc. that might enter the tube from the rear of the vehicle. Often, covers include information in the form of graphics and/or text to further enhance aesthetics. For example, logos, clever slogans, graphics depicting special interests, and the like are often printed onto the cover, applied as a decal, or otherwise affixed to the cover.
The graphics and text information applied onto the cover is susceptible to damage from the elements as well as dirt and debris that can strike the cover with some force when a vehicle carrying the cover is driving down the roadway. Salt, ice, harsh weather, and the sun, in particular, can degrade the quality of the graphics and text in a relatively short time. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a clear, abrasion resistant, weather resistant, ultraviolet light resistant protective coating over the information. However, providing a protective coating that has all of these desirable properties has been challenging. Many conventional protective coating materials degrade in sunlight. Others are not sufficiently waterproof. Still others do not adhere well to the cover. Another problem concerns excessive expansion and contraction with seasonal temperature changes. Too much expansion and contraction can cause the protective coating to crack.
The respective sizes of the Class II and Class III hitch tubes are specified by industry standards and are different from each other. The Class II receiver hitch tube is generally square-shaped, with the tube being about 11/4 inches square. The Class III receiver hitch is also square-shaped, but is a little bigger. Its tube is about 2 inches square.
Manufacturers of receiver hitch covers previously made two different sized covers to fit the Class II and III hitches, respectively. This requires the manufacturers to establish and run separate manufacturing lines for each cover, separate packaging designs, separate inventory tracking systems, and the like. This double investment is costly and inefficient. It would be desirable to find a way to make a hitch cover that would fit both Class II and Class III hitches to avoid such duplication. The manufacturer would benefit directly from reduced manufacturing and distribution costs, and these cost savings could be passed onto the consumer.

Convertible cover assembly for receiver hitch


A standardized system for developing hardware platforms and operating systems for computer systems. The system comprises: (1) a first standardized protocol for developing hardware platforms, wherein the first standardized protocol requires each hardware platform to include a bios program having: a first system for setting up a plurality of control features on the hardware platform; and a second system for collecting a standardized set of abstraction information and storing the abstraction information in a standardized format; and (2) a second standardized protocol for developing operating systems, wherein the second standardized protocol: requires each operating system to include an interface call to obtain the abstraction information in the standardized format; and requires each operating system to be operational on a target hardware platform with the abstraction information.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to designing embedded systems, and more particularly relates to an interface protocol for simplifying the development of embedded systems.
2. Related Art
Effective development of embedded computer systems often requires hardware (i.e., a CPU and related control features) and software (i.e., the operating system, bios, etc.) to be developed simultaneously. This is particularly the case in fast moving technologies such as video processing where the demand for new features drives the need to quickly and regularly update and or redesign existing systems. One example of such a fast moving technology involves set-top boxes. A set-top box is a device that enables a television set to become a user interface to the Internet and also enables a television set to receive and decode digital television (DTV) broadcasts. A set-top box is necessary to television viewers who wish to use their current analog television sets to receive digital broadcasts. It is estimated that 35 million homes will use digital set-top boxes by the end of 2006, the estimated year ending the transition to DTV.
In an embedded system, an operating system is required to drive the operation of the hardware platform. In particular, present methodologies require the operating system to both provide a user interface and to "set-up" the control features associated with the hardware platform. Typical set-up operations include initializing clock registers, initializing external bus interface unit controllers and memory controllers, initializing general purpose I/Os, initializing xilinx configurations and cache configurations, loading and executing the operating system, etc. Accordingly, whenever a new hardware platform is developed, the operating system must know certain specific details of the hardware so that the set-up can be accomplished. However, because the operating system is often developed separately from the hardware, delays can be encountered, for instance, whenever design specifications change by either of the hardware or software developers.
Moreover, operating system code is generally not easily portable from one platform to another since it contains platform specific code. Accordingly, a need exists for a more standardized mechanism that will eliminate development delays when hardware and software are simultaneously developed.

Hardware abstraction for set-top box operating systems


A cassette for accommodating substrates may include a cassette body for accommodating the substrates; a door for selectively sealing the cassette body; magnetic units for primarily coupling the door to the cassette body; and latch units for secondarily coupling the door to the cassette body. Since the door completely contacts the cassette body, penetration of a contamination source from an external environment may be fundamentally prevented. Also, since the door is double coupled to the cassette body by the magnetic units and the latch units, firm coupling may be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette, and more particularly, to a cassette for accommodating substrates to prevent contamination when the substrates are transferred or stored.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, flat display devices such as an organic light emitting display (OLED) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) use large-sized mother glass for convenience in the manufacturing process.
When a flat display device is manufactured, a cassette for accommodating substrates is used to transfer or store a plurality of sheets of mother glass. The cassette accommodates substrates such as a plurality of sheets of mother glass.
In most cases, a clean room for manufacturing flat display devices has air cleaning equipment. However, when substrates accommodated in a cassette are transferred and stored, foreign substances adhered to a worker or floating in the clean room may easily penetrate into the cassette, and may adhere to surfaces of the substrates. As such, the flat display devices may deteriorate. Accordingly, the inner space of the cassette needs to be selectively sealed.


A cooktop includes a horizontal cooking surface having boundary sides and preferably a plurality of cooking locations. A narrow control surface is disposed at an angle relative to the cooking surface along at least one of the boundary sides of the cooking surface. The control surface slopes upwardly, is oriented toward the cooking surface and directly adjoins the cooking surface in a flush manner, at least substantially seamlessly. Operating and/or indicator devices and at least one heating element are provided for the at least one cooking location. A cooktop frame supports the cooking and control surfaces, the at least one heating element, and the operating and/or indicator devices.

1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to a cooktop or rangetop, including a horizontal cooking surface preferably having a plurality of burners or cooking locations, a narrow control surface disposed at an angle relative to the cooking surface along at least one boundary side of the cooking surface, operating and/or indicator devices for the burners or cooking locations, and a cooktop frame supporting the surfaces as well as heating elements and the operating and/or indicator devices and the like.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In household cooktops, it is known (from German Petty Patent DE-GM 88 14 158) for the back of a closed frame which carries a glass ceramic plate that has burners or cooking locations and surrounds the glass ceramic plate, to be provided with a podium-like raised portion, with a control panel that slopes upward relative to the cooking surface, with the control panel being a component of the frame and carrying the indicators and operating elements for the burners or cooking locations. A frame-like strip for joining a glass ceramic cooking area to a control part is also known (from Petty Patent DE-GM 91 06 359), in which the framelike strip includes a profiled part encompassing end surfaces of the cooking area and of the operating part. The profiled part, protruding above the surface of the cooking area and the operating part, forms a functional and visually perceptible boundary for the cooking area on one hand, and for the operating part on the other hand, on the order of a frame of the first type discussed above. It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a cooktop, which improves upon the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type in terms of its use and manufacture and last but not least in terms of its appearance as well.

Cooktop with upwardly angled control surface


Generally described, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to switch assemblies and methods for switching from one state to another. In some examples, a switch assembly may switch from one electrical contact to another electrical contact by moving a conductive spring or member from a first conductive contact on a printed circuit board (PCB) to a second conductive contact on the PCB. For instance, in one embodiment, a conductive member moves within a slot in the PCB. In another embodiment, a compression force applied to a conductive spring is reduced while the conductive spring moves from a first conductive contact to a second conductive contact.

Electrical measurement instruments, such as digital multimeters (DMMs), can often be configured to measure a variety of electrical parameters, such as voltage, current, and resistance. Many DMMs are able to switch between various sets of inputs, with each set of inputs or channels supporting most measurement functions of the DMM. Electrical measurement instruments, therefore, typically include an electrical switch for selecting between the various channels.
In some electrical measurement instruments, an external switch may be installed onto a printed circuit board (PCB) for selecting between channels. In other instruments a PCB of the electrical measurement instrument may be configured to form a switch. In general, such a PCB switch comprises a plurality of contacts on a surface of the PCB and one or more conductive springs configured to make electrical contact with one of the respective plurality of contacts when pressed there against. In order to place the electrical measurement instrument in a first state, at least one of the conductive springs is compressed against a first contact formed on the PCB. In order to place the electrical measurement instrument in a second state, the conductive spring is translated to a second position, which for example, presses the conductive spring in contact with a second contact. As the conductive spring moves across the PCB from the first contact to the second contact, the free end of the conductive spring scrapes along the surface of the first and second contacts as well as the PCB. Thus, in such switches, switching from one state to another state may cause wear to the conductive springs therein due to frictional forces applied to the conductive springs. The wear caused to the end of the conductive spring may also potentially damage the contacts and the PCB.


Systems and methods for dynamically generating computer executable technical support procedures, as well as updating/augmenting such executable procedures, by tracking and processing sequences of actions (execution traces) that are taken by experts (or users) when performing a procedure or when executing an executable procedure.

Currently, technical support is provided either in-person or remotely, whereby individual problems are addressed by technical support staff. When the same problems or similar problems are encountered, the same solution procedures or similar solution procedures are repeatedly executed to solve such problems.
When a procedure needs to be executed on a large number of machines, e.g., to upgrade portions of the operating system on all machines belonging to an organization, it is customary to script the procedure (i.e., build a program in an appropriate high-level language that executes the procedure). The process of building such scripts, however, is extremely expensive in terms of costs associated with design, development and testing, although the costs associated with design and development time are usually negligible as compared to the costs associated with test time.
In contrast to regular end-user applications that are easily portable across different versions of the same operating system and across different configurations of the same operating system, maintenance and upgrade procedures often modify inner layers or parameters of the operating systems. Therefore, maintenance and upgrade procedures must be tested on a wide variety of operating system versions and configurations. This requires a substantial time investment as well as a large, well-equipped testing facility.
Due to the costs associated with scripting procedures, other methods may be used for enabling maintenance or upgrades. For instance, one method is to produce a document having instructions that guide a user through the necessary maintenance and upgrade steps. However, much like general software documentation, these instructions are often difficult to follow. For example, the instructions may read "if you have version XX of the operating system, go to step 5, otherwise go to step 3. To determine which version of the operating system your machine is running go to step 13." This instruction can be confusing even for an expert user, and does not cover all possible situations. Therefore, the alternate solution using instructive documents has a hidden cost in that users for whom the documentation is too difficult or incomplete to understand are forced to call a support center and must be assisted on an individual basis.
Other disadvantages associated with conventional methods that use scripted procedures or documentation is that such methods suffer from obsolescence. For example, as newer versions of operating systems, applications, and hardware components become available, scripted procedures must be updated to accommodate the newer versions and such updates are often very costly. Similarly, instructive documentation must be appropriately revised by adding new sections and such revisions only render such documents more confusing for end-users.
A need therefore exists for improved systems and methods for generating and disseminating technical support procedures that enable maintenance and upgrades of various systems, which overcome the problems associated with conventional methods.

Systems and methods for generating and distributing executable procedures for technical desk-side support


A drive axle shaft for use in a full floating axle assembly includes a spline formed at an inner end thereof and a flange formed at an outer end thereof. A majority of the shaft body between the spline and the flange is of an increased diameter which is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of a reduced inner diameter portion of an axle housing through which the drive axle shaft extends. A pair of tapered portions form the transition between the increased diameter portion and the shaft ends to provide an axle shaft of increased torsional yield strength and torsional fatigue life.

The present invention relates in general to a vehicle axle shaft and, in particular, to a high torque capacity full floating axle shaft for use in vehicles.
During use, vehicle drive axle shafts are subjected to sudden torsional loads applied through both the differential and through attached wheels. After a vehicle has been designed and built, there is a tendency to increase the demands made on the vehicle components through, for example, increases in vehicle speed, increases in vehicle weight and increases in vehicle load capacity. Furthermore, there is also a demand for reliable and long-lived components by vehicle owners and users. It is difficult and expensive to redesign a component to meet new demands and such a redesigned component often requires that other related components be changed. The present invention allows the torque capacity of the full floating axle shaft to be increased without changing the axle housing spindle inner diameter or the shaft diameter within the spindle.


A system for performing strategic planning. At least one processor and memory are configured to, based on user input, provide a plurality of roadmaps, and link a data point of a first roadmap to a data point of a second roadmap to integrate at least portions of the first and second roadmaps. “Intelligent” roadmapping can be provided wherein the system scans relationships in data from different sources and loads related categories and data points onto a combined roadmap.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
An enterprise may use roadmaps for strategic planning, e.g., in planning business strategy, computing strategy, business process evolution, computing technology, technology usage, and/or application evolution. Roadmapping data sources can exist in many forms in an enterprise. Data useful in roadmapping also may be provided by enterprise partners, suppliers and/or developers.

Apparatus and methods for strategic planning by utilizing roadmapping


Power FETs having a load at the source side require a gate voltage lying above the drain voltage in order to be driven completely conductive. This can occur with a known pump circuit. In the drive circuit disclosed, the diode connected to the gate terminal of the power FET is a depletion FET whose substrate terminal is applied to the oscillating voltage that is required for the operation of the pump circuit. The cut off voltage is thus synchronously set relative to the oscillating voltage such that low losses arise when loading C.sub.GS and an adequately high inhibit voltage can be built up when loading the pump capacitor.

The invention is directed to a drive circuit for a power MOSFET with a load at the source side having first and second diodes connected following one another, at whose junction a first terminal of the capacitor is connected. An oscillating voltage is applied to the second terminal of this capacitor. The second diode is connected to a gate terminal of the power MOSFET. The first diode connects to a voltage source.
Such a drive circuit, for example, has been disclosed by European Patent 0 236 967, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,667. In an integrated arrangement of this type, the diodes cannot be manufactured in a self-insulating technique because of parasitic transistor effects when inhibiting or blocking voltages higher than 0.5 . . . 0.7 V must be provided. The conducting voltage of 0.5 . . . 0.7 V inherent in the diodes, moreover, leads to losses that can no longer be left out of consideration when the operating voltage amounts, for example, to only 5 V.

Drive circuit for a power MOSFET with load at the source side


The invention provides devices and methods for linked multimodal measurements of individual particles using a mass sensor and an additional sensor.

Cancer is a global health issue that causes millions of deaths annually worldwide. While a cure is the ultimate goal, a more practical near-term goal is to focus on disease management. Other positive outcomes include complete or partial remission in which the cancer has responded to a treatment and is either significantly reduced (partial remission) or undetectable via radiological imaging or histological examination (complete remission).
Unfortunately, remission is often temporary, and cancer often recurs or progresses after initially responding to treatment and maintenance therapies. Cancer cells can change through continued mutation and cancers can often develop resistance to previously-effective therapies. While there is some effort to tailor treatment, there is limited ability to effectively predict how an individual patient will respond to a particular treatment. Moreover, traditional methods for measuring cancer biomarkers after treatment do not provide the requisite precision necessary to drive therapeutic choice, which may lead to extended periods of time in which a patient endures a treatment that simply isn't working as intended.
Cellular mass and density and changes in cellular mass and density have emerged as critical biomarkers of cell disease and response to treatment. Suspended microchannel resonators (SMR) are an ideal means by which to obtain these cellular measures at a single cell resolution. However, due to the configuration and operation of SMRs, there have not been measurement devices and methods that provide multimodal measurements, which combine single cell measurements performed by SMR sensors with other sensor types and measurement modalities of single cells.

Cellular measurement, calibration, and classification


Data transmission system including a proxy connected to the Internet network and at least a content server to which a user can gain access by the intermediary of the proxy, the proxy being associated with authentication means adapted to perform form-based authentication of the user when receiving a user request for Internet resources therefrom and wherein the proxy transmits the user request to the content server which sends back a response to the proxy. The authentication means comprise a Single Sign-On (SSO) server adapted to obtain a login form from the content server when receiving the user request from the proxy, to fill the login form by using the credentials associated with the user and to send back the filled login form thereby, playing the role of the user regarding the content server, so that the content server can provide the requested information after authentication of the user.

The service provider market has moved up the value chain from pure connectivity services to deliver value-added and revenue generating services. The business model of a service provider, which was initially driven by minutes of use, is being increasingly replaced by data traffic, generated by users that access either internal services owned and maintained by the service provider itself or external services not maintained by the service provider but accessed through the service provider platform. In addition to growing their customer bases, service providers are now looking to increase the average revenue per user to boost revenues. More compelling services such as content, commerce, and other applications promise higher profit margins, improved customer retention, and greater customer satisfaction. However, managing and distributing these third-party services or content services present significant challenges to service providers. Therefore, the service provider plays a key role since it is the intermediary between the end-user and the internal or external services. Its privileged position allows the service provider to not only provide just "simple" access but added value services such as security, single sign-on, billing, location, etc. at the condition that it cannot be "bypassed" by the user.
In most cases, external services and partners that provide resources will do it for authenticated users only, meaning that they maintain and enforce the authentication and authorization of these users using their own user registry. Therefore, multiple authentication points may exist thus requiring the end-user to maintain multiple user IDs and passwords, and be prompted to authenticate multiple times in order to be able to access his personalized services. Obviously, this represents a fastidious step for the end-user to enter several times username(s)/password(s) in order to access the Web services. As such, the service provider might loose any credibility towards its end-users if it does not provide a solution to this problem. A solution is to provide a "Single Sign On" feature to their end-users giving them the possibility to use the same User Id and password for all services, whether internal or external, that require authentication. With this feature, user authentication only needs to be done once to access services requiring a user Id and password.
At connection time, the service provider asks the end-user to identify himself as an authorized user by responding to a username/password prompt displayed on the user device in order to give end-users the benefit of personalized services and resources according to the end-users choices and preferences. As already mentioned, these personalized services and resources can be either internal services managed and maintained by the service provider or external services provided by content provider partners.
The service providers and content providers partners have to come to an agreement on how end-user credentials should be passed from the service provider to the partners. The HTTP protocol is the transport protocol used for each communication involved, in one hand in the exchanges between the device being used to access the internal or external services provided by the service provider which is typically a Web browser and the service provider platform, and in other hand between the service provider and its service and the partners. Different techniques exist today such as the Basic HTTP Authentication exchange defined in the HTTP standard, HTTP cookies, customized HTTP headers, etc. These techniques can be used to perform such integration around a single sign-on. Unfortunately, these solutions require business development and cost on each side if partners are to directly trust the authentication done by the service provider platform.
The service provider is the intermediary between the end-user and the internal or external services. Thanks to its privileged position, the service provider uses in most cases an HTTP proxy component deployed in its infrastructure, which all end-users must go through, and which acts as a central authentication point for all end-users who wish to access personalized internal and external services and resources.
Two well known and spread authentication methods on the Internet are the HTTP Basic Authentication and forms-based authentication (e.g., an HTML form sent to the end-user prompting the user to enter a username/password), both over a normal or secure encrypted connection. Although performing single sign-on with Basic Authentication is relatively easy (and most of the HTTP proxies in the market already support single sign-on to back-end application servers representing external services or content provider partners using the HTTP Basic Authentication as described in the HTTP specification) most servers choose not to use it as a means of authentication, primarily because the user interface is unsophisticated and set by the Web browser and also because it is limited to a single hostname. Forms-based authentication is much more widely used because it is more flexible. Unfortunately, it is this very flexibility that makes single sign-on to form-based systems so difficult to handle insofar as the forms being used are various and different in function of the servers, thereby requiring a development cost.

Method and system for accessing internet resources through a proxy using the form-based authentication