The present invention provides for vitamin A derivative selected from the group consisting of retinol, retinyl ester and any combination thereof incorporated into liposomes formed with alkylammonium fatty acid salts, and methods for manufacturing same. The liposomes of the invention may deliver vitamin A derivative materials at the occurrence of a preset triggering condition. Preferred liposomes of the invention are cationic liposomes. The preferred liposomes of the invention are formed with alkylammonium fatty acid salts, e.g., trialkylammonium fatty acid salts of long chain amides. The encapsulated vitamin A derivative is thus stabilized by the liposomes. The present invention thus also provides a method of stabilizing vitamin A derivative be encapsulation in such liposomes. The liposomes of the invention are used to provide topical skin treatment formulations useful in the treatment of skin.

Liposome formation is a natural result of the amphipathic nature of the molecules of which they are comprised. Amphipathic molecules are those molecules with distinct regions of the molecule having hydrophilic character and distinct regions of the same molecule having hydrophobic character. When dispersed in water, amphipathic molecules form three types of macro-molecular structure: micelles, hexagonal phase and lipid bilayers. The exact macromolecular structure which is formed depends on the relative sizes of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions of the molecule.
Micelle formation is favored when the cross sectional area of the hydrophilic region of the molecule is greater than that of the hydrophobic part of the molecule. Detergents are examples of such molecules, e.g., sodium palmitate. Detergents contain a hydrocarbon chain (the hydrophobic portion of the molecule) and an ionic base (the hydrophilic portion of the molecule), and act as emulsifying agents to bind water and oil phases. That is, detergents allow oil and water to be broken into tiny droplets suspended or dispersed in water. Particular detergents 1 may be classified as anions (negatively charged at the hydrophilic portion) and may be represented, as shown in FIG. 1, as having a hydrophilic head 2 with a hydrocarbon (hydrophobic) tail 4. FIG. 2 is a representation of a micelle structure 5 formed of a number of detergent molecules due to their hydrophilic/hydrophobic character.
In the opposite conformation, i.e., when the cross sectional area of the hydrophobic region of the molecule is greater than that of the hydrophilic part of the molecule, the formation of hexagonal phase structures is favored, e.g., dimyristoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE). FIG. 4A is a representation of a hexagonal phase structure, sometimes referred to as an inverse micelle.
For molecules in which the cross sectional area of the hydrophilic region of the molecule is slightly less than, or equal to, that of the hydrophobic part of the molecule, such as many phospholipids, the formation of bilayers is favored, e.g., dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Phospholipids are an amphipathic type of lipid which contain phosphate, that is, molecules containing one phosphate, a glycerol and one or more fatty acids. FIG. 3 is a simplified representation of a phospholipid molecule 6, including a hydrophilic head 8 (i.e., the phosphate and glycerol) and a hydrophobic tail 10 (i.e., the one or more fatty acids). FIG. 4 is a representation of a phospholipid bylayer 12, where the hydrophobic regions 14 of the phospholipid molecules are caused to turn inward due to the aqueous environment, and the hydrophilic portions 16 face outward. These bilayers are two dimensional sheets in which all of the hydrophobic portions, e.g., acyl side chains, are shielded from interaction with water except those at the ends of the sheet. An energetically unfavorable interaction of the acyl chains with water results in the folding of the bilayers to form three-dimensional, vesicles. These vesicles are referred to as "liposomes".
Liposomes may be formed as a single bilayer enclosing a single aqueous space (small unilamellar vesicles; SUVS) or may be composed of concentric bilayers with many aqueous spaces alternating with the bilayers (multilamellar vesicles; MLVS). Liposomes can be used to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic materials. Hydrophobic payloads are typically partitioned within the bilayers whereas hydrophilic payloads are typically trapped within the aqueous compartments. The advantages of using liposomes as a carrier/encapsulation system is that they are stable and can protect their payload from degradation, e.g., by oxygen, digestive enzymes, etc.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,971, issued May 15, 1976, discloses liposome-formed moisturizing units which are capable of moisturizing and improving flexibility, plasticity, and softness of keratinous matter, particularly mammalian skin. The liposomes within which the moisturizer is stored include a matrix of a ternary lipid mixture of lecithin, dicetyl phosphate, and a sterol, and include cavities disposed within the liposome. The cavities (lamellar space) contain an humectant, such as sodium pyroglutamate, in an aqueous medium. Moisturizing liposomes are also disclosed therein which function osmotically, serving as traps for water, which may be shared with the keratin constituents as required.
Liposomes also may be used for the timed delivery of a wide variety of materials including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and nutrients. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,100, issued Apr. 5, 1977, discloses a method of producing a pharmaceutical composition comprised of an aqueous suspension of an active agent entrapped in a spherule of a phospholipid (liposome) The composition, or drug delivery vehicle, is prepared by dispersing a phospholipid uniformly in water to give an aqueous phospholipid dispersion, adding a medicament to the aqueous dispersion and freezing the thus-obtained aqueous dispersion to entrap the medicament in lipid spherules formed. The frozen dispersion is then thawed to realize an aqueous suspension of spherules having diameters of less than 5.0 microns. The timed release of an active agent is directly related to the amount of active agent trapped in the liposomes. The greater the amount of active agent, the longer the release process lasts.
A goal of the liposome research has been the development of a liposomal delivery system that would deliver its payload not over time as in the '100 patent mentioned above, but on cue, i.e., a controlled release, for example, in a mammalian body. For example, a delivery system that delivers its payload when applied to the skin or when arriving at a tumor. A bulk of the research has been based on admixtures of liposomes and other biological macromolecules such as antibodies and lecithins. Various degrees of success have been achieved with these systems but none have produced a liposome that will release its payload, or not, depending on the prevailing conditions. The invention described herein is just such a liposome: the degree of, payload encapsulation may be altered by changes in pH and/or ionic strength of the surrounding medium thereby realizing a triggered delivery system in a form of a liposome.
Vitamin A derivatives are desirable ingredients in cosmetic formulations. Retinol (vitamin A) is an endogenous compound which occurs naturally in the human body and is essential for normal epithelial cell differentiation. Natural and synthetic vitamin A derivatives have been used extensively in the treatment of a variety of skin disorders and have been used as skin repair or renewal agents. Retinoic acid has been employed to treat a variety of skin conditions, e.g., acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, age spots and discoloration. See e.g., Vahlquist, A. et al., J. Invest. Dermatol., Vol. 94, Holland D. B. and Cunliffe, W. J. (1990), pp. 496-498; Ellis, C. N. et al., "Pharmacology of Retinols in Skin", Vasel, Karger, Vol. 3, (1989), pp. 249-252; Lowe, N.J. et al., "Pharmacology of Retinols in Skin", Vol. 3, (1989), pp. 240-248; PCT Patent Application No. WO 93/19743.
It is believed that the use of retinol and retinyl esters would be preferred over the use of retinoic acid in the treatment of skin due to the fact that retinol is both an endogenous compound found in the body and are considered much safer than retinoic acid.
Retinol and retinyl esters are known for their beneficial effects on the skin, in particular in topical application. Retinol and retinyl esters have for a long time been used in the treatment of acne. However, it is in the field of repair of damage caused either by age or by over-exposure to the sun that retinol has proven to be extremely active. Thus, the effects of retinol retinyl esters on cell differentiation make it possible to envisage their use thereof for effectively combating the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and for combating dryness, roughness and/or stiffness of the skin. In addition, they are active as antioxidants in the regeneration of tissues. Repeated application of cosmetic compositions containing retinol and/or retinyl esters have enabled wrinkles to be removed, the skin to be rendered smooth and small cracks in the epidermis to be repaired.
On account of these beneficial effects, it has for a very long time been sought to formulate retinol and retinyl esters in cosmetically acceptable compositions in a form which is stable over time at room temperature. However, retinol and retinyl esters have been shown to be unstable when stored over time and are thus difficult to formulate into cosmetic compositions. Particularly, retinol and retinyl esters are highly sensitive to elevated temperatures and result in significant color changes upon degradation.
Thus, although retinol and retinyl esters are considered safer to use than retinoic acid, they are less effective than retinoic acid at providing skin benefits due to their decreased stability which leads to inactivation. It would thus be highly desirable to stabilize the unstable vitamin A derivatives, retinol and/or retinyl esters, for use in the treatment of skin.
A number of methods have been adopted to stabilize the breakdown of vitamin A.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,858 discloses skin care compositions containing fatty hydroxyethyl imidazoline surfactants in combination with retinol and/or retinyl esters for use in stabilizing such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,109 discloses skin care compositions containing geranyl geraniol in combination with retinol and/or retinyl esters for use in stabilizing such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,556 discloses skin care compositions containing cyclic aliphatic unsaturated aldehydes, ketones alcohols or esters in combination with retinol and/or retinyl esters for use in stabilizing such compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,148 discloses skin care compositions containing emulsions of unstable retinol and/or retinyl esters in an oil phase for use in stabilizing such compounds.
Encapsulation of retinol into liposomes has also been shown to be effective in enhancing the stability of the encapsulated vitamin A derivatives, however, none of these liposomes incorporate the preferred cationic long chain alkylammonium fatty acid salt liposomes of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,374 discloses the encapsulation of retinol into two different types of liposome compositions which allow for the simultaneous action of two different active agents, one of which may be retinol and its derivatives. The different liposomes used provide for penetration into different areas of the skin, i.e. surface layers and deep layers. The liposomes used are not cationic liposomes and there is no enhancement of the stability of the retinol is shown.
WO 96/31194 discloses the encapsulation of retinoids into non-phospholipid, non-ionic liposomes which provide for increased chemical stability over a long period of time. However, the liposomes used are non-ionic and do not display the characteristics of the cationic liposomes of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,544 discloses the encapsulation of a retinoid compound into phospholipid liposomes with the concomitant incorporation of a pyrimidine derivative which is used to enhance stabilization.
It has now surprisingly been found that unstable vitamin A derivatives, when encapsulated in liposomes formulated with long chain alkylammonium fatty acid salts as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,105, issued Feb. 23, 1999, show a significant improvement in long term stability.

Stabilizing vitamin A derivatives by encapsulation in lipid vesicles formed with alkylammonium fatty acid salts


An unlocking jig (40) is fit on a female housing (10) from below. As a result, a guide groove (43A) on a bottom portion (43) of the unlocking jig (40) engages a convexity (22C) on a lower surface of the female housing (10) and a guide groove (43B) on an arm (45) engages a convexity (22B) on a side surface of the female housing (10). The unlocking jig (40) has unlocking claws (a1, a2) that engage short locking pieces (38B, 38C) when the unlocking jig (40) is moved and unlock the short locking pieces (38B, 38C) from locks (22B, 22C) on the housing (10).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an unlocking jig for unlocking a plurality of flexing pieces from locking projections that prevent separation between a housing and a member mounted on the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,962 and FIG. 10 herein disclose a waterproof connector. With reference to FIG. 10, the waterproof connector includes a female housing 1 with opposite front and rear ends, and receives female terminal fittings 2 that are mounted to ends of electric wires 3. A waterproof rubber seal 4 is mounted on the rear side of a female housing 1 for waterproofing the electric wires 3 and is held in place by a hold-down member 5 that is installed on the female housing 1. More particularly, locking projections 6a and 6b are formed on the side surfaces at the rear of the female housing 1 and flexing pieces 7a and 7b project from the hold-down member 5 at locations aligned with the locking projections 6a and 6b. The hold-down member 5 is pressed against the female housing 1 so that the flexing pieces 7a and 7b elastically deform and ride over the locking projections 6a and 6b. The flexing pieces 7a and 7b then return resiliently to lock the locking projections 6a and 6b. In this manner, the waterproof rubber seal 4 is sandwiched between the hold-down member 5 and the female housing 1.
The flexing pieces 7a and 7b must be unlocked from the locking projections 6a and 6b to remove the hold-down member 5 from the female housing 1. In the conventional method, a flat blade screwdriver is inserted between the side surface of the female housing 1 and the inner side of the flexing pieces 7a and 7b to unlock the flexing pieces 7a and 7b from the locking projections 6a and 6b. In this method, the flexing pieces 7a and 7b are unlocked one by one. However, one of the unlocked flexing pieces 7a or 7b may be locked again while the other flexing piece is being unlocked. Therefore the conventional method is inconvenient.
The invention has been made in view of the above-described problem. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an unlocking jig capable of unlocking a plurality of flexing pieces from locking projections easily and efficiently.


A seat back suspension assembly for a vehicle, disposed in a seat back frame inside a vehicle seat, may include a main wire including side wires extending in a vertical direction at left and right side thereof; at least one first support wire extending in a horizontal direction between the side wires at both sides thereof to allow both ends thereof to contact the side wires; at least one second support wire disposed to be spaced from the first support wire and extending in a horizontal direction between the side wires at both sides thereof to allow both ends thereof to contact the side wires; and a side guide injection-molded to cover the side wire and end portions of the first and second support wires contacting the side wire.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat back suspension assembly for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the seat back suspension assembly. Particularly, the present invention relates to a seat back suspension assembly for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the seat back suspension assembly, which is disposed at a seat back frame inside a vehicle seat to support passenger's waist and back.
Description of Related Art
Generally, seats are installed in a vehicle to allow passengers to sit thereon. These seats include a seat cushion supporting passenger's hip, a seat back supporting passenger's back, an armrest on which a passenger can put his/her arms, and a headrest supporting passenger's head.
A seat back frame is installed inside the seat back to support the seat back, and a seat back suspension assembly is installed inside the seat back frame to support passenger's waist and back.
A typical seat back suspension assembly includes a main wire having a plurality support wires disposed in a horizontal direction of the seat back frame and side wires disposed in a vertical direction at both ends of the support wire to fix the plurality of wires. In this case, since both ends of each support wire need to be wound around the wire to be fixed, the workability and the assembling efficiency are reduced.
Also, a portion of the support wires is cut to have an appropriate extra portion at the both ends thereof such that the support wires are wound around the side wires and then are fixed to the seat back frame, and the other portion of the support wires are cut without the extra portion after being wound around the side wire to be fixed. In this case, due to sharp end portions of the support wires that are cut without an extra portion, a worker or a passenger may be injured during the suspension assembling or in a vehicle accident.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Seat back suspension assembly for vehicle and method of manufacturing the same


There is provided a controller for aiding a pilot to control an airplane's track over the ground. While the airplane is in the air, a lateral control subsystem is provided for automatically holding the aircraft aligned with a desired track angle. Control is initiated when the pilot places the airplane in a wings level condition and centers his roll axis controller (e.g., wheel or stick). An in-air track rate control subsystem is also provided. While the airplane is on the ground, a directional control subsystem is provided which enables the pilot to command track rate or heading rate with rudder pedal inputs. The track/heading rate commands are integrated to generate track/heading angle commands. Feedback control is used to position the rudder and nosewheel steering as required to make the airplane's actual track/heading follow the track/heading commands. Provisions are made to initialize the in-air lateral and on-ground directional control subsystems to provide smooth transitions during takeoff and landing.

The ability to maintain a selected track in flight is a desirable feature in an aircraft. An aircraft travelling along a given ground track from point A to point B may be subjected to in-flight crosswinds which can blow the aircraft off track unless corrections are made by the flight crew. The corrections typically require the aircraft to be headed into the wind to the extent necessary to maintain the aircraft along the desired ground track. An angle between the actual track of the aircraft and true north or magnetic north is known as the true track angle or magnetic track angle, respectively. An aircraft flying along a straight line ground track will maintain a constant track angle.
Conventional autopilot control systems include provisions for holding an aircraft at a fixed track angle. The flight crew select the numerical value of the desired track angle at an autopilot mode control panel. Certain aircraft such as the Boeing 737 also feature an autopilot having a conventional automatic track angle hold system. In this system when control wheel steering (CWS) is selected, wheel force inputs by the pilot command aircraft roll rate. When the pilot removes all wheel force and the airplane is close to a wings level attitude, track angle hold is automatically engaged. A disadvantage of this conventional CWS control is that the pilot must remove any applied force (essentially take his hands off the control wheel) in order to engage track angle hold. This may be impossible if, for example, the pilot is attempting to hold a pitch attitude. In addition, during certain asymmetric or dynamic flight conditions, zero wheel force may not correspond to zero wheel position (ailerons neutral). For example, during forward slip flight the wheel position must be nonzero because the ailerons need to be deflected even for zero roll rate flight. This is a disadvantage because the pilot sometimes will need to release wheel force when the wheel is not centered in order to engage track angle hold.
Other conventional control systems have been disclosed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,013 by Perkins discloses an autopilot system which maintains an aircraft track defined by a radio beam.
U.S. Pat. No 3,361,392 by Doniger et al discloses a control system which performs a crosswind "decrab" maneuver to automatically align an aircraft with a runway prior to landing flare.
The ability to maintain a desired track also is a desirable feature while the aircraft is on the ground. For example, during takeoff roll and landing rollout the desired track normally is along the runway centerline. A crosswind may cause the aircraft to deviate from the runway centerline unless the flight crew make appropriate corrective control inputs. Other environmental conditions such as runway ice can aggravate the crosswind problem by increasing the tendency of the aircraft to deviate from the runway centerline.
Conventional autopilot systems have provided landing rollout control and takeoff flight director guidance. However, in conventional systems when the pilot uses the rudder pedals for on-ground directional control, rudder and nosewheel steering deflections are commanded rather than track or heading rates. This can place a large workload on the pilot when controlling aircraft direction during adverse conditions such as during crosswinds, icy runway, or engine failure conditions.

Apparatus and methods for automatically maintaining aircraft track angle


An ortho-nitrobenzyl ester compound including a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, and a positive photosensitive resin composition including the same are provided.

A conventional positive photosensitive resin composition is generally prepared by mixing a resin with a phenol-type hydroxy group easily dissolved in an alkali aqueous solution and a photosensitizer suppressing dissolution of the resin during non-exposure and promoting development of the resin or suspending the suppression of dissolution of the resin during exposure, thus making patterning of the resin possible. The resin may include a novolac resin prepared by condensation-polymerizing a phenol-based compound and formaldehyde and a poly(4-hydroxy)styrene resin, polyhydroxy amide as a polybenzoxazole precursor, and the like. The photosensitizer may include a diazonaphthoquinone compound including sulfonic acid ester and amide at the 4- or 5-position.
The positive photosensitive resin composition may have dissolution-suppressing performance depending on capability of a photosensitizer suppressing dissolution of a non-exposed part, capability of the photosensitizer easily dissolved after the exposure, and capability of recovering or promoting a dissolution rate of the resin due to the dissolution. A conventional diazonaphthoquinone compound may have excellent photodissolution rate and light absorption but not good capability of inhibiting dissolution of a non-exposed part. Accordingly, typical compositions include increased amounts of diazonaphthoquinone compound to secure an appropriate residual film ratio for patterning. The increased amount of diazonaphthoquinone compound is dissolved to pattern an exposed part, which can require a higher exposure dose and resulting relatively low sensitivity.
Therefore, there is a need for a photosensitive assistant which can inhibit dissolution of a non-exposed part.

Ortho-nitrobenzyl ester compound and positive type photosensitive resin composition including the same


An area-efficient capacitor-free low-dropout regulator based on a current-feedback frequency compensation technique is disclosed. An implementation of a current feedback block with a single compensation capacitor is used to enable capacitance reduction. The resultant low-dropout regulator does not generally require an off-chip capacitor for stability and is particularly useful for system-on-chip applications.

Conventionally, an off-chip output capacitor is required for achieving low-dropout regulator (LDO) stability, as well as good line and load regulations. However, the off-chip capacitor is the main obstacle to fully integrating the LDO in system-on-chip (SoC) applications. With the recent rapid development of SoC designs, there is a growing trend towards the integration of integrated circuits systems and power-management circuits. Local, on-chip and capacitor-free LDO regulators are important for future SoC applications. The capacitor-free feature significantly reduces system cost and board space, and also simplifies system design since external off-chip capacitor is eliminated.
Generally, for high-precision applications, a high low-frequency gain of the LDO regulators is required. A particular problem is that as the power supply voltage is scaled down in the current trends, the threshold voltage is not necessarily scaled down in the same way. At low supply voltages, cascade topology is no longer suitable for achieving high low-frequency gain. Instead, multi-stage approach is widely used by cascading several stages horizontally. However, the stability and the bandwidth of the LDO regulators with cascaded approach are both limited by the existing frequency compensation techniques. Currently, due to the stability issue, state-of-the-art capacitor-free LDO regulators need a minimum load current, typically around 10 mA, to be stable under normal operation. However, this minimum load current requirement is a major obstacle to applying capacitor-free LDO regulators in system-on-chip applications.

Area-efficient capacitor-free low-dropout regulator

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


A debris filter bottom nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly is spaced below the lowermost grid, supports the guide thimbles, and is adapted to allow flow of liquid coolant into the fuel assembly. The debris filter bottom nozzle includes an enclosure defining a coolant flow chamber therethrough, and an upper transverse nozzle structure composed of a consolidated array of elongated cylindrical sections disposed across the chamber of the enclosure in side-by-side relation to one another, extending axially in the direction of coolant flow through the chamber, rigidly connected together and to the enclosure, and having tubular cross-sectional configurations defining passages for the coolant flow through the chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nuclear reactors and, more particularly, is concerned with an enhanced debris filter bottom nozzle for a nuclear fuel assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During manufacture and subsequent installation and repair of components comprising a nuclear reactor coolant circulation system, diligent effort is made to help assure removal of all debris from the reactor vessel and its associated systems which circulate coolant therethrough under various operating conditions. Although elaborate procedures are carried out to help assure debris removal, experience shows that in spite of the safeguards used to effect such removal, some chips and metal particles still remain hidden in the systems. Most of the debris consists of metal turnings which were probably left in the primary system after steam generator repair or replacement.
In particular, fuel assembly damage due to debris trapped at the lowermost grid has been noted in several reactors in recent years. Debris enters through the fuel assembly bottom nozzle flow holes from the coolant flow openings in the lower core support plate when the plant is started up. The debris tends to become lodged in the lowermost support grid of the fuel assembly within the spaces between the "egg-crate" shaped cell walls of the grid and the lower end portions of the fuel rod tubes. The damage consists of fuel rod tube perforations caused by fretting of debris in contact with the exterior of the tube. Debris also becomes entangled in the nozzle plate holes and the flowing coolant causes the debris to gyrate which tends to cut through the cladding of the fuel rods.
Several different approaches have been proposed and tried for carrying out removal of debris from nuclear reactors. Many of these approaches are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,032 to Mayers et al. Others are illustrated and described in the U.S. patent applications cross-referenced above. While all of the approaches described in the cited patent and patent applications operate reasonably well and generally achieve their objectives under the range of operating conditions for which they were designed, a need still exists for a fresh approach to the problem of debris filtering in nuclear reactors. The new approach must be compatible with the existing structure and operation of the components of the reactor, and at least provide overall benefits which outweigh the costs it adds to the reactor.

Enhanced debris filter bottom nozzle for a nuclear fuel assembly


Optical systems and methods of data reading with collection systems having improved depth of field. One configuration is directed to an image-based optical reading system with a plurality of sensor arrays, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) arranged in a compact configuration to minimize the overall package size while providing extended read range. In an example configuration, two CCD arrays are placed back to back to minimize height and overall package size with fold mirrors providing the optical path to a backward facing array.

The field of the present invention relates to data capture devices, such as scanners and optical code reading devices. In particular, optical readers and methods of reading are described herein which employ imaging technology to capture optical codes.
A common type of optical code is a barcode such as the omnipresent UPC label. A barcode label comprises a series of parallel dark bars of varying widths with intervening light spaces, also of varying widths. The information encoded in the barcode is represented by the specific sequence of bar and space widths, the precise nature of this representation depending on which particular barcode symbology is in use. Typical methods for reading barcodes comprise generation of an electronic signal wherein a signal voltage alternates between two preset voltage levels, one representing a dark bar and the other representing a light space. The temporal widths of these alternating pulses of high and low voltage levels correspond to the spatial widths of the bars and spaces. It is this temporal sequence of alternating voltage pulses of varying widths which is presented to an electronic decoding apparatus for decoding.
In one method of reading, referred to as "scanning," an illumination beam is moved (i.e., scanned) across the barcode while a photodetector monitors the reflected or backscattered light. For example, the photodetector may generate a high voltage when a large amount of light scattered from the barcode impinges on the detector, as from a light space, and likewise may produce a low voltage when a small amount of light scattered from the barcode impinges on the photodetector, as from a dark bar. The illumination source in spot scanners is a typically a laser, but may comprise a coherent light source (such as a laser or laser diode) or non-coherent light source (such as light emitting diode). A laser illumination source may offer advantages of higher intensity illumination which may allow barcodes to be read over a larger range of distances from the barcode scanner (large depth of field) and under a wider range of background illumination conditions.
Another method of reading is referred to as the "imaging" method whereby light reflecting off a surface is detected by an array of optical detectors, commonly a charge-coupled device (CCD) or CMOS. The scan surface is typically illuminated by some uniform light source, such as a light-emitting diode (LED), incandescent light, or laser illumination. Alternately, the illumination may be provided by ambient light such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,803 hereby incorporated by reference. In such an imaging technique, as with a scanning laser, an electrical signal is generated having an amplitude determined by the intensity of the collected light.
In either the scanning laser or imaging technique, the amplitude of the electrical signal has one level for dark bars and a second level for light spaces. As the label is scanned, positive-going and negative-going transitions in the electrical signal occur, signifying transitions between bars and spaces. Techniques are known for detecting edges of bars and spaces by detecting the transitions of the electrical signal. Techniques are also known for determining the widths of bars and spaces based on the relative location of the detected edges and decoding the information represented by the bar code.
In data reading devices, a return light signal from the object or symbol being read is focused onto a detector or detector array. In the example of a data reader reading the bars and spaces of a typical bar code, there needs to be sufficient difference in signal intensity between the signal corresponding to the light space and the signal corresponding to the dark bar in order for the processor to differentiate therebetween. In either type of data reading system, depth of field plays an important role in effectively detecting the an image at the sensor. Thus in data reading applications there has been demand for increased depth of field, i.e., the range of distance over which the scanner can effectively scan.
There are several methods for improving depth of field, but there are essentially two areas which may be controlled, namely (1) outgoing beam generation and (2) collection. This application focuses on methods for improving depth of field and signal differentiation from the collection side.

System and method of optical reading with enhanced depth of field collection


A nursing bottle (1) formed of a large volume container, incorporating a vent tube (3) that extends inwardly of the container, having a vent port (4) arranged approximately at the volumetric midpoint (12) of the container, so as to allow for venting of pressure, whether of excessive or vacuum, to the atmosphere, at all times. The volumetric capacity of the nursing bottle container may be formed of a spherical shape (1), hemispherical shape (40), cylindrical shape (18), or to other configurations that provide for the internal volumetric capacity so that any formula placed therein will be prevented from blocking the vent port (4), the vent tube (3), regardless of the angular disposition undertaken by the nursing bottle during usage. The vent tube (10), with its disposed vent port (12), may either extend upwardly within the container, or extend downwardly (3) from its connection with the vent insert (7), operatively associated with a collar (6), that holds both the vent structures and the nipple (5) to the wide rimmed opening (19) for these type containers. In addition, as an alternative, the vent tube may be integrally formed, or connected by a flange, through the surface of the nursing bottle container, either at its bottom (14), or along a side (74), and either extend upwardly, or obliquely radially inwardly (82), so as to dispose its vent port (84) at that desired location approximately at the volumetric midpoint of the nursing bottle.

This invention relates generally to a nursing bottle, that incorporates enhanced features and parameters that provide for its full venting during both usage and storage.
Nursing bottles of a multitude of designs are available in the prior art. In many instances, as is well known in the art, frequently a vacuum will be generated within the bottle during dispensing of its contents, as when nursing the infant, and which is believed can cause various physiological impairments to the child when subjected to this type of condition over prolonged feedings. It is theorized that the vacuum generated within the bottle, due to the infant's sucking, can cause pressure imbalance at the location of various features of the body, such as in the ear canal, or perhaps elsewhere, and which may possibly lead to the generation of infection, illness, or other predicaments. Thus, the presenting of a nursing bottle that incorporates air venting means, so as to prevent the creation of a vacuum inside the bottle, has been considered a desirable development in the field of infant serving products. Such can be seen in the applicants' prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,071 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,769, wherein the reservoir tube that provides for venting, externally of the bottle cap, at an upper proximity, extends into the lower portion of the container, to function as a vent while the contents of the bottle are being consumed, when partially or fully inverted.
Other attempts have been made to provide a nursing bottle with an air vent, to enable the ambient air to enter the container during usage, and to dilute or prevent the generation of any vacuum. For example, the United States patent to Roderick, U.S. Pat. No. 598,231, discloses one such nursing bottle with a U-shaped air tube. Other patents show related types of technology, and provide means for venting air from the interior of its shown container, as can be seen in the United States patent to Van Cleave, U.S. Pat. No. 927,013. In addition, the patent to Davenport, U.S. Pat. No. 1,441,623, in addition to the prior patent to Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,477, show other means for venting of air from within a nursing bottle.
The current invention, on the other hand, provides means for venting of any air pressure within the bottle, and to prevent the generation of any vacuum or pressure therein, regardless whether the nursing bottle is being used, stored in an upright position, or partially or fully inverted as during consumption of its contents.
Other United States patents that relate to the subject matter of this invention include the United States patent to Briere, U.S. Pat. No. 189,691; U.S. Pat. No. 345,518, to Lelievre; U.S. Pat. No. 679,144, to Hardesty; U.S. Pat. No. 834,014, to Lyke; U.S. Pat. No. 1,600,804 to Donaldson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,313, to Schwab; U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,275, to Schwab; U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,755, to Gits; U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,168, to Panetti; U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,696, to Blackstone; U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,707, to Wilkinson, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,796, to Brown, et al. In addition British patent No. 273,185; and, British patent No. 454,053, show related development.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A display device comprising at least one light modulation panel and at least two projection elements, wherein, in operation, an image having a relatively high resolution in a relatively small field of view is presented to a first eye by means of the first projection element, while an image having a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view is presented to a second eye by means of the second projection element. The second projection element is provided with means for masking a part of the large field of view, which part substantially corresponds to the small field of view.

The invention relates to a display device comprising at least one line modulation panel and at least two projection elements, in which, in operation, an image having a relatively high resolution in a relatively small field of view is presented to a first eye by means of the first projection element, while an image having a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view is presented to a second eye by means of the second projection element.
In such a display device, which is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,650, an image having a relatively high resolution for a relatively small field of view or an image having a relatively low resolution for a relatively large field of view is alternately generated by means of the light modulation panel. The display device is provided with means for alternately presenting the first or the second image to the first or the second eye. Thus, images having a relatively high resolution in a relatively small field of view are observed by one eye, while images having a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view are observed by the other eye.
The images presented to both eyes are combined in the human brain to an image having a relatively large field of view with a relatively low resolution in which a relatively small field of view with a relatively high resolution is located.
The display device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,650 has, however, a plurality of drawbacks. The light modulation panel is to be controlled alternately for generating an image with a relatively high resolution in a relatively small field of view and for generating an image with a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view. Consequently, the control of the light modulation panel is relatively complicated. Moreover, also the part corresponding to the small field of view is illuminated by the second projection element, which part is replaced in the human brain by the image having a relatively high resolution and formed by means of the first projection element.
Consequently, an optimal illumination is not obtained.
It is an object of the invention to provide a display device in which images having a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view are generated in a simple manner, while a relatively small field of view having a relatively high resolution is located in the large field of view.
In the display device according to the invention, this object is achieved in that the second projection element with the large field of view is provided with means for masking a part of the large field of view, which part substantially corresponds to the small field of view.
Since the part of the large field of view corresponding to the small field of view is masked by means of the second projection element, both projection elements can be optimized for the function to be performed by the relevant projection elements, namely for generating an image with a relatively high resolution in a relatively small field of view, or for generating an image with a relatively low resolution in a relatively large field of view, with one image being presented to one eye and the other image being presented to the other eye.
An embodiment of the display device according to the invention is characterized in that each projection element is provided with a separate light modulation panel in which the image for a relatively small field of view can be generated by means of the first light modulation panel, while the image for the relatively large field of view can be generated by means of the second light modulation panel.
In this way, images can be continuously presented to both eyes.
A further embodiment of a display device according to the invention is characterized in that the second projection element is provided with the light modulation panel, a lens preceding the light modulation panel, a concave mirror surrounding the light modulation panel and a layer preceding the lens, which layer is reflective to light beams from the lens towards the concave mirror, said layer being provided with a masked part for masking the desired part of the large field of view.
A relatively large field of view can be generated in a simple manner by means of such a projection element which is provided with a concave mirror. The part to be withdrawn from the large field of view is effectively masked by the masked part provided on the layer.
Moreover, the masking prevents light rays from the light modulation panel from directly reaching the eye. These light rays do not contribute to the formation of the image on the retina of the eye. They disturb the image. This is also referred to as stray light.
In principle, a 100% transmission for the light rays from the light modulation panel to the pupil of the eye can be obtained by the masking effect.
These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.


A liquid loop cooling apparatus includes: an evaporator thermally coupled to a heating element; a condenser configured to be cooled by an airflow; a pump configured to circulate a refrigerant between the evaporator and the condenser; a first piping configured to couple the evaporator and the condenser; a second piping configured to couple the condenser and the pump; and a third piping configured to couple the pump and the evaporator, wherein the first piping is arranged on a destination side of the airflow, and the second piping is arranged on a source side of the airflow.

Along with the promotion of enhancement in the performance of servers and other electronic instruments, the amount of heat generation of an electronic part, such as a central processing unit (CPU), tends to increase.
An example of related art is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-146830 or Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-30744.

Liquid loop cooling apparatus, electronic instrument, and method for manufacturing liquid loop cooling apparatus


A food ingredient delivery system for delivering food ingredients during manufacture of a food product comprising a multi-phase emulsion including a pumpable oil1 within water or aqueous solution within oil2 emulsion wherein the oil1 comprises solid milk derived fat droplets sequestered in an aqueous phase with the aqueous phase being dispersed in the oil2, the oil2 comprising a liquid, continuous vegetable based fat matrix.

This invention relates to a delivery system for delivering a milkfat component to dough and in particular delivering a milkfat component to dough through the use of an emulsion deliverable in liquid form
Emulsions are mixtures of two immiscible substances. One substance, known as the dispersed phase, is dispersed in the form of droplets into the second substance referred to as the continuous phase. Two of the most common emulsions are either an oil in water emulsion or a water in oil emulsion. In an oil in water emulsion (o/w), water is the continuous phase and oil is the dispersed phase, thus droplets of oil are dispersed in an aqueous solution. Conversely, in a water in oil (w/o) emulsion, oil is the continuous phase and water is the dispersed phase. These emulsions with two phases are referred to as primary emulsions. Examples of emulsions include butter, margarine, milk and cream. In butter and margarine, fat surrounds droplets of water (a water-in-oil emulsion). In milk and cream, water surrounds droplets of fat (an oil-in-water emulsion).
The two components of an emulsion are (typically) chemically unreactive and therefore, emulsions have low thermodynamic stability. Emulsifiers are often added to emulsions to stabilize them. Both hydrophilic and lipophillic emulsifiers are known in the art and can be used based on the type of emulsion formed.
Multiple emulsions are also known in the art and are more complex than primary emulsions. In multiple emulsions, a primary emulsion is formed first and subsequently dispersed into another continuous phase. In other words, droplets of the primary emulsion are dispersed in a continuous phase that is different than the continuous phase of the primary emulsion. For example, in an oil in water in oil multiple emulsion, an o/w primary emulsion is dispersed in an oil continuous phase. In multiple emulsions, the internal and external phases are similar (but not necessarily identical) and an intermediate phase separates the two like phases. The intermediate phase is immiscible with the two similar phases. Multiple emulsions are generally formed in a two step process.
There are multitudes of crackers in the marketplace today with a variety of bases and flavors. All of these generally contain a starch, such as flour, and a fat source. The amount and type of fat, the type of flour and the additional ingredients added to a cracker dough distinguishes the many types and flavors of crackers from each other. The cracker dough is generally made by blending melted fats, flavor components and flour into a mixture to achieve maximum materials handling benefits and product quality.

Multiphase oil continuous flavor and ingredient delivery system


Various embodiments of a die carrier package and a method of forming such package are disclosed. The package includes one or more dies disposed within a cavity of a carrier substrate, where a first die contact of one or more of the dies is electrically connected to a first die pad disposed on a recessed surface of the cavity, and a second die contact of one or more of the dies is electrically connected to a second die pad also disposed on the recessed surface. The first and second die pads are electrically connected to first and second package contacts respectively. The first and second package contacts are disposed on a first major surface of the carrier substrate adjacent the cavity.

IMDs for monitoring a physiological condition and/or delivering a therapy can include one or more physiological sensors. Such sensors can provide one or more signals related to one or more physiological conditions of a patient state. Examples of such IMDs include heart monitors, pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), myostimulators, neurological stimulators, drug delivery devices, insulin pumps, glucose monitors, etc.
Optical sensors may be employed in IMDs as physiological sensors configured to detect changes in light modulation by, for example, a body fluid or tissue measurement volume due to a change in a physiological condition in the body fluid or tissue. Such optical sensors can be used, for example, to detect changes in metabolite levels in the blood, such as oxygen saturation levels or glucose levels, or changes in tissue perfusion. A typical optical sensor can include one or more light sources and one or more detectors that are adapted to detect light emitted by the light sources and modulated by, e.g., body fluid or tissue measurement volume.
Monitoring such physiological conditions provides useful diagnostic measures that can be used in managing therapies for treating a medical condition. For example, a decrease in blood oxygen saturation or tissue perfusion may be associated with insufficient cardiac output or respiratory function. Thus, monitoring such conditions may allow an implantable medical device to respond to a decrease in oxygen saturation or tissue perfusion, for example, by delivering electrical stimulation therapies to the heart to restore normal hemodynamic function.

Die carrier package and method of forming same


A method of establishing one or more puzzles from candidate deals of a card game such as poker, for supporting an exercise in guessing an opponent's concealed card holdings. The method may use random dealing, archived actual deals, and other manufactured or sourced material to source an inventory of candidate deals. To qualify a deal from the inventory of candidate deals, the method may quantify one or more parameters of a candidate card deal. Quantified parameters may be weighted or otherwise mathematically treated, then evaluated to arrive at a determination of suitability for establishing a puzzle based on the candidate deal. The puzzles may be used as the basis of an exercise or game wherein the participant must guess the nature of concealed card holdings. Where the invention is regarded as the resultant game, guesses may be mathematically quantified to arrive at a score.

It is well known that many card games, which are seemingly games of chance and in which success is seemingly dependent upon the power of cards dealt to a player, are actually games of skill. One of the primary skills of winning players in any card game is accurately assessing, or reading, opponents and extracting favorable outcomes from any given card holding or game situation by acting accordingly. In some games, this is done in conjunction with betting.
One such game is poker, a game which utilizes a deck of cards of which some are distributed to each player, with a goal of each player to identify any weaknesses in his or her opponent's card holdings or game play and extract maximum value, typically in the form of money or tokens such as chips, from opponents by exploiting those weaknesses. To do so, players may elect to bet, raise, call, fold, or check, and if entitled to, may adjust bet or raise sizes accordingly. Identifying the particular action that leads to an outcome of maximum value requires many poker skills, one of which requires players to make educated guesses as to the card holdings of his or her opponents. Because a player cannot see some or all of the cards held by his or her opponents, that player must, as all players must, draw inferential conclusions as to the power or standing of his or her opponents' card holdings, or range of card holdings, based on any information from the current deal or other information known about the opponent.
Further, an important aspect of poker is that of acting as though a player has a more powerful, or less powerful, holding than is actually the case. This is called bluffing. One of the requisite skills for poker players then is to be able to bluff when adventurous, or mathematically advantageous, and also to discern when other players may be bluffing. This exponentially increases the difficulty of discerning an opponent's card holdings, as an opponent may have a very strong holding yet act weak, or alternatively, an opponent may be holding weak cards yet act strong.
Developing an advanced ability to read poker players and poker situations, bet appropriately, bluff, and detect bluffing on the part of opponents at the table may be achieved by actual experience gained while playing poker. However, this may take a considerable amount of time, and may further entail risking money because of betting.
It is desirable then to find a way of accelerating the process of learning poker strategy and other aspects of poker playing, such as reading poker players and game situations, other than by actual play over a potentially long period of time and potentially at great financial expense. A game or training exercise which would enable players to learn poker strategy from actual games, about actual players, of real game situations encountered in live play without the risk of financial losses is highly desirable. In addressing such needs, this invention discloses a method of producing such training game exercises for a known card game such as poker.

Poker based puzzle and method of creation


The present invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for online negotiations and transactions for electronic commerce spanning international boundaries and includes means for incorporating the effects of the associated uncertainties and risks into decisions related to the assignment of items and the determination of their prices and further means for mitigation of some of these uncertainties and risks. These uncertainties and risk may include those originating from price changes, currency fluctuations, counterparty default, non-conformance to quality and quantity specifications and shipment and payment delays.

Electronic commerce over the Internet is rapidly increasing day by day and is poised to constitute a significant portion of overall commerce worldwide in the coming years. Significant advances in the areas of computer and communication technologies have made possible a seamless exchange of information between electronic devices, which may be located all over the world. Online mechanisms for buying and selling over the Internet (for example, catalogue sales, auctions of various kinds, and two-way trading) have come into existence and are being widely used. These have led to the creation of online shops, online auction markets and other online marketplaces for buying and selling various kinds of components and goods. Newer forms of electronic marketplaces with different market structures and business models are being created almost everyday.
Despite the technological developments and the increasing popularity of the Internet as a medium for doing commerce, much of the electronic commerce remains confined to localized geographical groups and within respective countries. One of the important reasons for this phenomenon is the fact that an electronic commerce transaction is faced with a number of uncertainties and risks, which are not adequately handled by the existing systems and methods for electronic commerce. These uncertainties and risks may originate from price changes, currency fluctuations, counter party default, nonconformance to quality and quantity specifications, shipment and payment delays and many other such sources.
The changes in the price of the underlying item being sold over the duration of the online negotiations and the horizon preceding delivery and payment constitutes a risk for the buyer as well as the seller. Risk mitigation mechanisms for item price risk have been in use for hedging in the off-line world for a long time. These include various kinds of derivatives like forwards, futures and options on the underlying item. However, the online marketplaces do not provide any known means whereby the presence of such hedging means can be effectively utilized for price discovery and subsequent mitigation of the item price risk. There is also an absence of understanding on how such means in electronic marketplaces would differ from the corresponding means in the off-line world.
Similar to item price risk is the risk posed by fluctuating currency exchange rates which becomes particularly important for trans-national commerce. When the two counterparties to an online negotiation have different currencies, the fluctuation of currencies exposes at least one of them to foreign exchange risk. This is a serious impediment in the successful internationalization of e-commerce. The existing electronic marketplaces have not addressed this problem adequately. The prior art on currency risk provides with third party services which present transactable exchange rate offers to clients. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,402 (Method and System for Performing Automated Financial Transactions Involving Foreign Currencies) issued on Jul. 28, 1998 to Potter et al. describes one such system. The prior art also discloses some simple forms of exchange risk mitigation means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,598 (System and Method for Generating and Executing Insurance Policies for Foreign Exchange Losses) issued on Oct. 3, 2000 to Walker et al. describes the use of an insurance policy for this purpose. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,621 (System and Method for Multi-Currency Transactions) issued on Apr. 27, 1999 to Boesch et al. describes a system and method whereby the two counterparties transact in their respective currencies and the risk is borne by an intermediary who charges for this service. This is also similar to twin-insurance, one issued to buyer and one to seller. The prior art does not provide for a means by which the negotiation and matching process can itself take into account, the currency fluctuation effects and can effectively make use of the third party services (such as those providing contractable rates for present and future dates) for matching and price setting as well as for hedging.
Another source of uncertainty and risk in cross-border e-commerce is related to the fact that the counterparties do not know each other and have no direct way of making inferences about each other's creditworthiness and reliability with regard to adherence to quality and other specifications. A method of risk classification of buyers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,400 (System and Method for Risk-Based Purchase of Goods) issued on Mar. 24, 1998 to Mandler et al. which describes means for utilizing an online repository of credit information for a risk classification of the buyer, followed by the determination of a discount-fee based on this risk classification. However, this is a stand-alone system and furthermore, considers only one aspect of counterparty risk, namely the risk of the buyer defaulting in making payment. There is a need to take into account the seller-side risks (related to delivery and quality aspects) and also the need to incorporate the risk classification and discount-determination module into a larger system where the final price determination may need to take into account many other factors. Further, the discount fee should be determined before deciding on a transaction so that the fee information can be utilized in making better matching decisions.
Many other uncertainties and risks also exist in e-commerce negotiations and transactions. For example, those related to delivery and payment delays, damage/loss of goods etc. For many of these risks (for example, damage/loss), the insurance approach is commonplace. However, for others, there is a need to provide means for enabling buyers, sellers and electronic marketplaces to allow them to take their implications into account adequately for making buying, selling and pricing decisions.
In summary, the prior art does not provide adequate means for e-commerce negotiations and transactions across international borders wherein the various uncertainties and risks associated with these negotiations and transactions can be adequately taken care of and their effects incorporated into making of the decisions related to assignment of items and determination of their prices.

Online e-commerce transactions incorporating effects of uncertainty and risk factors

International Business Machines Corporation


Backlight system in which colors are generated sequentially by coupling short-wave radiation from a source (2) into a waveguide (4) via an optical shutter (6) which sequentially excites luminescent materials (5) radiating at different wavelengths.

The invention relates to a backlight system for sequential illumination in at least two wavelength ranges, comprising materials luminescing in said wavelength ranges.
The invention also relates to a display device comprising such a backlight system.
Display devices of this type are used in, for example, televisions, monitors but also in, for example, projection devices.
Such a backlight system for an LCD is described in Research Disclosure January 1991, page 74 and is based on field emission. By using such a backlight system, in which red, green and blue phosphors are activated alternately, color filters in the LCD may be dispensed with.
A drawback of the backlight system shown are the high voltages (>1000 V) which are not compatible at all with those used in LCDs (up to 10 to 20 V). The phosphor patterns are also provided in a strip-shaped pattern, which leads to a non-uniform illumination.

Backlight system and display device comprising such a system


Disclosed are compositions of matter, treatments and protocols useful for reduction of expression and/or activity of indolamine 2,3 deoxygenase (IDO). In some embodiments the invention teaches the administration of a therapeutic combination of ingredients comprising of pterostilbene, Nigella sativa, sulforaphane, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to a mammal at possessing an increased expression and/or activity of said IDO in which reduction of number and/or activity is desired. In another embodiment, the invention teaches administration of said therapeutic combination to a mammal infected with viral and/or bacterial infections and/or neoplasia. In some embodiments dosage of said therapeutic combination is based on inflammatory and/or immunological parameters observed in patients.

It is known that tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid required for the biosynthesis of proteins, niacin and the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). The enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (also known as INDO, IDO or IDO1) catalyzes the first and rate limiting step in the degradation of L-tryptophan to N-formyl-kynurenine. In human cells, a depletion of Trp resulting from IDO activity is a prominent gamma interferon (IFN-.gamma.)-inducible antimicrobial effector mechanism. IFN-.gamma. stimulation induces activation of IDO, which leads to a depletion of Trp, thereby arresting the growth of Trp-dependent intracellular pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydia trachomatis. IDO activity also has an antiproliferative effect on many tumor cells, and IDO induction has been observed in vivo during rejection of allogeneic tumors, indicating a possible role for this enzyme in the tumor rejection process.
Recently, an immunoregulatory role of Trp depletion has received much attention. Several lines of evidence suggest that IDO is involved in induction of immune tolerance. Studies of mammalian pregnancy, tumor resistance, chronic infections and autoimmune diseases have shown that cells expressing IDO can suppress T-cell responses and promote tolerance. Accelerated Trp catabolism has been observed in diseases and disorders associated with cellular immune activation, such as infection, malignancy, autoimmune diseases and AIDS, as well as during pregnancy. For example, increased levels of IFNs and elevated levels of urinary Trp metabolites have been observed in autoimmune diseases; it has been postulated that systemic or local depletion of Trp occurring in autoimmune diseases may relate to the degeneration and wasting symptoms of these diseases. In support of this hypothesis, high levels of IDO were observed in cells isolated from the synovia of arthritic joints. IFNs are also elevated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients and increasing IFN levels are associated with a worsening prognosis. Thus, it was proposed that IDO is induced chronically by HIV infection, and is further increased by opportunistic infections, and that the chronic loss of Trp initiates mechanisms responsible for cachexia, dementia and diarrhea and possibly immunosuppression of AIDS patients. To this end, it has recently been shown that IDO inhibition can enhance the levels of virus-specific T cells and, concomitantly, reduce the number of virally-infected macrophages in a mouse model of HIV.
It is known that IDO plays a role in the immunosuppressive processes that prevent fetal rejection in utero. More than 40 years ago, it was observed that, during pregnancy, the genetically disparate mammalian conceptus survives in spite of what would be predicted by tissue transplantation immunology. Anatomic separation of mother and fetus and antigenic immaturity of the fetus cannot fully explain fetal allograft survival. Recent attention has focused on immunologic tolerance of the mother. Because IDO is expressed by human syncytiotrophoblast cells and systemic tryptophan concentration falls during normal pregnancy, it was hypothesized that IDO expression at the maternal-fetal interface is necessary to prevent immunologic rejection of the fetal allografts. To test this hypothesis, pregnant mice (carrying syngeneic or allogeneic fetuses) were exposed to 1MT, and a rapid, T cell-induced rejection of all allogeneic concept was observed. Thus, by catabolizing tryptophan, the mammalian conceptus appears to suppresses T-cell activity and defends itself against rejection, and blocking tryptophan catabolism during murine pregnancy allows maternal T cells to provoke fetal allograft rejection.
Further evidence for a tumoral immune resistance mechanism based on tryptophan degradation by IDO comes from the observation that most human tumors constitutively express IDO, and that expression of IDO by immunogenic mouse tumor cells prevents their rejection by preimmunized mice. This effect is accompanied by a lack of accumulation of specific T cells at the tumor site and can be partly reverted by systemic treatment of mice with an inhibitor of IDO, in the absence of noticeable toxicity. Thus, it was suggested that the efficacy of therapeutic vaccination of cancer patients might be improved by concomitant administration of an IDO inhibitor. It has also been shown that the IDO inhibitor, 1-MT, can synergize with chemotherapeutic agents to reduce tumor growth in mice, suggesting that IDO inhibition may also enhance the anti-tumor activity of conventional cytotoxic therapies.

Nutraceuticals for suppressing indolamine 2,3 deoxygenase

Therapeutic Solutions International, Inc.


Amplifier embodiments are provided that are well suited for systems which require high signal gains and high transient currents that can drive various loads (e.g., capacitive loads). At least one amplifier embodiment is realized with a cascoded complementary differential input stage, a complementary differential output stage, and a bias controller. The output stage includes lower and upper differential pairs of transistors that respectively have lower and upper coupled back gates and the bias controller is configured to provide bias voltages for the lower and upper coupled back gates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to signal amplifiers and applications thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The accuracy of many electronic systems is degraded if critical amplifiers cannot supply transient currents that are sufficient to accurately amplify input signals. For example, signal amplifiers are often required to drive loads which partially or wholly comprise a capacitive load. To generate an accurate amplified version of an input signal across these capacitive loads, the amplifier must provide high transient currents which can accurately alter the output signal's amplitude. Limitations in these transient currents leads directly to degraded performance.
An exemplary amplifier is an amplifier in a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) of a pipelined analog-to-digital converter system. Such systems are configured with successive converter stages which each convert an analog input signal to respective digital bits of a final digital code that corresponds to the analog input signal. Except for a final converter stage, each converter stage also passes a residue signal to a succeeding stage for further conversion processing.
The residue signal is the difference between the analog signal presented to the stage and the analog equivalent of this stage's respective digital bits. Errors in generation of the residue signal cannot be corrected and, accordingly, they contribute directly to errors in the corresponding digital code.
Integrated circuit MDACs are often configured with capacitors that are switched in a first portion of each sample period to receive a charge from the residue signal of the preceding converter stage and switched in a second portion of each sample period to transfer this charge to an output capacitor. These charging and transferring processes are generally accomplished with the aid of an MDAC amplifier and the accuracy of these processes is dependent upon the ability of this amplifier to provide high-level transient currents to the MDAC capacitors. This is but one example of a need for amplifiers having enhanced transient performance.

Amplifier structures that enhance transient currents and signal swing


According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk having a first area, and a second area to which data is temporary written, a head including a write head which writes data to the disk, and an assisting element which generates energy which improves write performance of the write head, and a controller which writes data to the first area by supplying energy having a first value to the assisting element, and writes data to the second area by supplying energy having a second value different from the first value to the assisting element.

To realize high recording density and high recording capacity of a magnetic disk device, a microwave assisted magnetic recording (MAMR), a thermally assisted magnetic recording (TAMR) and the like have been developed. The microwave assisted magnetic recording is a technology which uses a magnetic head including a recording magnetic pole (main magnetic pole) and a high-frequency oscillator generating a recording magnetic field when subjected to and excited by a recording current, and reduces, by applying a high-frequency magnetic field generated by energizing the high-frequency oscillator to a disk, the coercivity of the part of the disk subjected to the high-frequency magnetic field. The thermally assisted magnetic recording is a technology which uses a magnetic head including a light-emitting element emitting light toward a disk, and reduces, by emitting light from the end of the light-emitting element to a disk and locally heating the disk, the coercivity of the part of the disk heated.

Energy-assisted magnetic recording device

TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION


A stacked trench capacitor including a first trench formed in a semiconductor substrate, an insulating material, preferably BPSG, substantially filling the first trench to thereby define an isolation region of the substrate, a second trench formed in the first trench, the second trench being much narrower and shallower than the first trench, a storage electrode formed on the sidewalls and bottom surface of the second trench, a thin dielectric film formed on the storage electrode, and a plate electrode formed on the thin dielectric film. In a preferred embodiment, the isolation region serves to separate and electrically isolate adjacent memory cells of a semiconductor memory device, each of the memory cells including a MOSFET transistor and a stacked trench capacitor constructed as described above. An impurity region is formed in the substrate adjacent an outer sidewall of the second trench to a depth preferably substantially equal to that of the second trench, the conductivity type of the impurity region being opposite that of the substrate. An upper portion of the impurity region preferably serves as the source region of the MOSFET transistor of the memory cell.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor memory devices and methods for making the same, and more particularly, to a novel stacked trench capacitor especially suitable for semiconductor memory devices having increased cell packing density, and a method for making the same.
It is generally well-known that significant advancements have been made in recent years with respect to increasing the cell packing density or integration level of semiconductor memory devices, such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). As a general rule, the memory capacity of DRAMs has been quadrupled approximately every three years. At the present time, 4 Mb DRAMs are in mass production, 16 Mb DRAMs are about to enter into mass production, 64 Mb DRAMs are in a later stage of development, and 256 Mb DRAMs are in an earlier stage of development.
In general, the chip surface area of semiconductor memory devices is increased by approximately 1.4X for each 4X increase in cell packing density thereof, which results in an approximately 1/3 reduction in the surface area available for each memory cell. Therefore, for each new generation of semiconductor memories, it has become necessary to increase the capacitance to surface area ratio of each memory cell in order to achieve sufficiently large memory cell capacitance. Past techniques for achieving this can be broadly classified into the following three categories:
(1) decreasing the thickness of the dielectric film of the memory cell capacitors;
(2) increasing the dielectric constant of the dielectric film; and,
(3) increasing the effective area of the storage electrode of the memory cell capacitors.
With respect to the first technique enumerated above, the lower practical limit of dielectric film thickness is approximately 100 .ANG., because the reliability of the memory cells becomes unacceptably degraded when the thickness of the dielectric film is less than 100 .ANG., due to the creation of Fowler-Nordheim currents. With respect to the second technique enumerated above, the most promising high dielectric constant dielectric film material is tantalum pentoxide (Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5), which provides good coverage with respect to three-dimensional memory cell structures having a high aspect ratio. However, tantalum pentoxide exhibits a high leakage current and a low breakdown voltage in a thin film state, thus limiting its utility with respect to the ultra-high capacity memories currently under development.
Consequently, the bulk of the current development efforts have been focused on the third technique enumerated above, namely, increasing the effective area of the storage electrode of the memory cell capacitors. Historically, as the need for memory cells having a large capacitance to surface area ratio has increased in parallel with the continuing development of memories having increased cell packing densities, the structure of memory cell capacitors has evolved from planar-type capacitors to three dimensional stack-type and trench-type capacitors, culminating at the present time in a stacked trench-type capacitor which is a hybrid of the stack-type and trench-type capacitors.
Since the stacked trench-type capacitor constitutes the current state-of-the-art in the field of memory cell capacitors, a pair of adjacent memory cells each including a capacitor of this type are depicted in FIG. 1, and will now be described with reference thereto. More particularly, each of the two memory cells depicted in FIG. 1 includes a transistor and a stacked trench capacitor, with the adjacent memory cells being separated by an isolation region of a P-type semiconductor substrate 100. As can be readily seen, the transistor of each memory cell is comprised of a drain region (only partially shown), a source region 3', and a gate electrode 2 separated from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 by a thin gate oxide layer 1, and spanning the separation between the source and drain regions, which defines the channel region of the transistor. The source and drain regions are formed in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 and define an active region of the semiconductor substrate 100. A field oxide layer 102 formed in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 between the adjacent memory cells defines the isolation region of the semiconductor substrate 100. An insulating layer 5 is formed on the gate electrode 2 of each memory cell and over the active and isolation regions of the semiconductor substrate 100.
Each memory cell further includes a stacked trench capacitor C constructed as follows. A trench 30 is formed in the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 100 so as to extend to a predetermined depth below the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 100. An N.sup.+ doped region 3 is formed in the surface portion of the semiconductor substrate 100 defining the trench 30 of each memory cell capacitor C, so that the doped region 3 extends along the interior surface of the trench 30 from the source region 3' of the transistor to the field oxide layer 102 between the adjacent memory cells. Next, a storage electrode SE is formed on the bottom surface and sidewalls of the trench 30 of each capacitor C, and on the insulating layer 5 of each transistor, to thereby provide a generally U-shaped storage electrode SE in contact with the N.sup.+ doped region 3. Then, a thin dielectric film 20 is formed on the entire outer surface of the storage electrode SE of each capacitor C. Finally, a plate electrode PE is formed on the thin dielectric film 20 of each capacitor C, and on the insulating layer 5 of each transistor, to thereby complete the stacked trench capacitor structure.
In the above-described semiconductor memory device utilizing conventional stacked trench type memory cell capacitors, if the length S of the isolation region between adjacent memory cells is shortened, the distance between the adjacent trenches 30 is commensurately reduced, thereby increasing the leakage current between adjacent memory cells and degrading the isolation characteristics of the overall semiconductor memory device. Further, the formation of the trenches 30 is achieved by etching, which can cause damage to the surface of the semiconductor substrate 100. Additionally, the N.sup.+ doped regions 3 are disadvantageously wide, thereby unduly increasing the leakage current from the capacitors C to the semiconductor substrate 100, which ultimately degrades the performance and reliability of the overall semiconductor memory device.
Based upon the above and foregoing, it can be appreciated that there presently exists a need in the semiconductor memory art for a semiconductor memory device which eliminates the above-described drawbacks and shortcomings of the presently available semiconductor memory devices. The present invention fulfills this need.

Stacked trench capacitor and a method for making the same


The object of the invention is to provide a ceramic tile which is rectangular in shape and has an opening near one of its ends. The corners have grooves, while at the other end, it is cut off to form a skirt. The tile is fabricated by means of moulding ceramic stoneware in two pressings. A step is created around the opening during the first pressing, which descends and runs peripherally all along the edge of the tile. The tile has grooves on its parallel sides which form the casing for the retention heads, from which the tiles hang when they are placed on the roof. The entire piece is shaped in the course of the second pressing which maintains the descending steps of the grooves and forms in a hidden side of the part an orthogonal striation which is above the step and the grooves, whose length defines the maximum and minimum overlapping of the tile. The outer side of the tile and the borders are glazed with a synterized enamel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fabrication of ceramic tile and more particularly to a ceramic tile obtained with a stonework base and furnished with a glazed, metallized layer which is resistant to acid rain, absorbs a lesser amount of water than tile traditional tiles and weighs less than them as well.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information disclosed under 37 C.F.R. .sctn.1.97-1.99.
There have traditionally been two types of tiles, those called Arabic tiles and the Roman ones, both of which are obtained from baked clay which form, when they overlap laterally and longitudinally, a grooved or fluted roofing in the direction of the slope, which directs rainwater towards the eaves.
Another type of covering for the roof consists of slate slabs. The slates also called clay schists are rocks which are easily subdivided into sheets or laminas according to the parallel planes between them called schistose planes.
The slate rocks come from the transformation by hardening and lamination of clays which, after having undergone great pressures during the intense movements of the earth's crust, have lost their plastic nature, their colour and texture, due to the high content of carbon and bituminous substances. As a result of their relative light weight and their resistance, they are used in the making of roofs.
Eventually, mosaic roofs have also been covered with bright colours, but such coverings have sought and obtained an ornamental, decorative effect within Modernist architecture in which the mosaic plays a major role. A practical effect was never sought beyond the decorative one and its implantation was always carried out in a traditional manner, that is, the placement with mortar or cement, as if it were pavement.
The Roman and Arabic tiles commonly used in the southern countries, have in their favour, their diffusion, their proven effectiveness and their easy placement. Their negative aspects are their heavy weight, about forty kilos per square meter, a high humidity absorption index (about 16%) and a limited resistance to frost which in the best of the cases does not exceed 25 cycles of freezing - defrosting continually. In addition, they absorb a great deal of heat,and their resistance to pressure is about 100 Deca-Newtons for a thickness of between 15 and 20 millimeters. And finally, they require roofs which do not have a great deal of inclination and their traditional aspect only suits very classic constructions.
The slate used in the slabs in the coldest, rainy areas and with greater incidences of snowfalls and a freezing - defrosting system, turns out to be expensive and laborious to obtain, calibrate and place. It should be homogenized in terms of thickness and therefore needs to be defoliated with meticulous care, then cut and finally drilled.
Leaving aside the fact that the surface area to be covered must be carefully prepared, for example, with a copper plate base and that the slabs have to be run through and then anchored afterward s with hooks, the slate has always been more expensive than the tile due to its unit cost and the laborious nature of its placement.
The s late has, on its behalf, a greater water-proofing ability than the tile, it admits inclinations almost to a vertical position and has a high resistance to freezing - defrosting effects, but as a disadvantage, it costs more. In addition, it is less resistant to wind and requires very specialised manpower from the initial process of its obtainment until the final placement.
The greatest virtue of me tile in relation with the slate slab lies in the fact that the former one is obtained from an industrial process, in which the clays, moulding type, baking temperatures, have all been selected and stabilised to finally produce a homogenous product in terms of its characteristics, dimensions and costs. Slate, to the contrary, depends on the deposit of the rocks, the pressure of the formation and the contents of its composition.
Attempts have been made to replace the slate tile with slabs obtained through an industrial process, using pressed layers of materials with resins, glues or cement as the binding matter. However, a product capable of successfully meeting the costs of the tile and the services of the slate slab has not yet been achieved.


An extractor tool used to remove the quill shaft unique to the General Electric T-700 series turboshaft engine when used as the powerplant for the AH-64A & D model Apache Helicopters. The extractor incorporates an alignment housing coupled with an extractor unit. The alignment unit consists of a top plate with alignment holes for the 2 pullers as well as a bottom plate that has mounting holes unique to the T-700 turboshaft engine with both plates held together by spacer sleeves. The extractor unit incorporates a threaded shaft with a machined point that is threaded through a crossbar. The crossbar holds 2 individual jaws that slide onto the crossbar and are used to grasp and remove the quill shaft when the quill shaft is mounted in the T-700 Series engine and installed for use as the primary powerplant in the AH-64A & D model Apache Helicopters.

The method currently in use to perform the task of removing a Quill Shaft from the engine of an Apache Aircraft requires more then one mechanic and is considered a job that require alertness and caution. The Quill Shaft Extractor for the 700 Series Aircraft is relatively simple to manufacture and use. The current removal method of extracting the Quill Shaft requires two to three personnel in order to remove the Quill Shaft. It has also taken as long as one to five hours to remove the shaft depending how dry the O-rings on the shaft are. TM-1-11520-238-23 par 6.36 Item K states:                1. Pull shaft (23) straight out to remove from engine (22)        2. Remove and discard three packings (24) and packing (25) from shaft        3. Procedure for removing shaft are;                    (a) strap a sling or a rope to the quill shaft            (b) tie the sling or rope to a wooden 2×4            (c) at this time you are ready to start pulling the quill shaft out, using the nose gear box fiber glass cover for leverage to pry the shaft out
There are two main problems with this method:                1. Safety Hazard;                    (a) The engine gear box is located about 8 to 9 feet above the ground level. You must make sure that your footing is secure to safe guard from a fall and a potential injury.            (b) If there is not a good grip on the quill shaft once the quill shaft releases it could fall to the ground and break the shaft of hit someone on the ground causing a potential injury.            (c) Employees have had back injuries from pulling out the quill shaft.                        2. Loss of time and money                    (a) This method requires two to three employees for one to five hours time to pull out the quill shaft.            (b) Should there be an injury from a fall, strained back or from being hit by a dropped object this will cause loss of work for the employees and their medical bills.            (c) Should the quill shaft fall to the ground and break you lose the time spent pulling the quill shaft out and the money it takes to replace the quill shaft.
Upon removing the engine gear nose box from the engine we have realized that many quill shafts have been jammed in place. This is due to heat expansion and other dynamics. To remove the shaft from the engines is the issue. One must grasp the quill shaft splined edges and pull from a position on the Armament wing, 8 to 9 feet off of the ground. The mechanic can lightly tap on the shaft with a dead blow hammer and attempt to loosen it, but mainly it takes a series of good hard pulls and some luck to remove the quill shaft from the engine. The Quill Shafter Extractor has significantly reduced the time required to remove the shaft and considerably reduced the exposure to injury to the employee. Additionally by utilizing the quill Shaft Extractor it reduces the chances for damage to the quill shaft, the engine and the airframe. Typically on most engine types, there are components that must be released from their lodging through the use of an extractor or other pull-type implement. These tools are an essential part of any mechanics tools and equipment.

Quill shaft extractor for the 700 series aircraft


A contact is provided for latching in a contact chamber of a plug connection element. The contact has a contact box having an upper wall, a lower wall, and two opposing side walls. A primary locking lance protrudes resiliently diagonally outward from the upper wall. To protect the primary locking lance against harmful plastic deformations due to externally attacking forces, at least one of the side walls, in an area laterally adjoining the primary locking lance, is configured to protrude outward beyond a plane of the upper wall. An outside edge is bent toward the primary locking lance, so that it overlaps a side edge of the primary locking lance so that it counteracts outward bending of the primary locking lance in a form-locked manner.

In particular for automobile applications, plug connection elements are frequently used, in which multiple contacts are each inserted into a contact chamber of a plug, which is configured as a plug connection element, or a bush and fixed therein. The plug connection element is used as a contact carrier.
On each of the contacts, which are provided in a front area with a cuboid contact box, for example, which is designed for contacting a matching counter contact, first an electrical line in the form of a cable is fastened, for example, by crimping onto a rear end of the contact, for example. Subsequently, the contact is inserted into one of the contact chambers of the plug connection element.
A so-called primary locking lance provided on the contact may be used for the purpose of latching the contact in the contact chamber. The primary locking lance protrudes outward from the contact box in this case and may be displaced resiliently toward the contact box. During the insertion of the contact into the contact chamber, the primary locking lance first compresses until a suitable recess in the contact chamber is reached, in which the primary locking lance then decompresses and thus latches the contact within the contact chamber in a form-locked manner.
A conventional electrical contact, which is provided with a protruding primary locking lance, for plug connections is described in DE 10 2009 054 705 A1.
A primary locking lance, which protrudes outward and which may be freestanding, is at risk, however, of being damaged by externally acting forces. For example, forces acting from above, below, or laterally on the primary locking lance may act during the manufacturing and during the handling of the contact and may plastically deform and damage the primary locking lance. Strong forces may also be exerted on the primary locking lance in a state latched in a contact chamber, for example, in the event of tension on a cable crimped onto the contact, whereby the primary locking lance latched in the contact chamber may be deformed excessively outward and damaged in the process.

Latchable contact having a primary locking lance overlapped by a side wall