A semiconductor device comprises a substrate, an external terminal provided on the substrate, an internal wiring pattern electrically connected to the external terminal, a semiconductor chip mounted on the substrate and electrically connected to the internal wiring pattern, and an antenna pattern. The antenna pattern provided at each of adjacent two corner portions of the substrate and is grounded.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, for example, a semiconductor device used for an electronic card.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, IC cards and memory cards in which a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chip is buried in a card have come into wide use. In the following description, the above IC cards and memory cards, that is, cards in which the IC chip is buried are collectively called as an electronic card.
The electronic card can store large-capacity data as compared with existing magnetic cards and can be more readily downsized as compared with existing magnetic disks. From the above features, the electronic card is one of media having a possibility of being replaced with magnetic cards and magnetic disks in future.
In the field of the electronic card, high function and large capacity are required in addition to the above miniaturization, similarly to the IC chip. For this reason, the component mounting density of the IC chip in the electronic card is rapidly increasing. When the component mounting density becomes high, the distance from the card outer surface to the IC chip becomes narrow. As a result, this is a factor of increasing the possibility that an external surge is directly-inputted to the IC chip.
In the electronic card, a human carrying the electronic card has high possibility that he becomes a source of surge. A portion having high possibility that the surge is inputted is a portion where the human unconsciously picks up the electronic card. As depicted in FIG. 25A adjacent two corners of the electronic card are given as the above unconsciously picked-up portion. For example, two corner portions opposite to the side of the electronic card inserted into the electronic apparatus have attracted special interest.
As illustrated in 25B, the human are easy to unconsciously pick up the above two corner portions when inserting the electronic card-into the electronic apparatus or pulling out of there. Such a tendency appears more remarkably when the electronic card is downsized, for example, a width Wcard of the electronic card becomes small.
As described above, when the electronic card is downsized and high-density mountability is improved, the IC chip mounted in the electronic card has high possibility that the surge is directly inputted to there. For this reason, any suitable steps must be taken with respect to not only the electronic card but also IC chips mounted in the electronic card.

Semiconductor device, electronic card and pad rearrangement substrate


The present disclosed an improved process for the synthesis of ivacaftor starting from indole acetic acid ester which can be performed in batch as well as continuous flow synthesis. The present invention further disclosed to a continuous process for the synthesis of compound of formula (II) or formula (III) from compound of formula (I) in continuous flow reactor.

Quinolones have broad spectrum of biological activity like antitumor, cannabinoid receptor modulation, anti-HIV-1 integrase, etc. More precisely 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid and its derivatives have been used as antibacterial agents such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, lomefloxin, enrofloxacin, pefloxacin and danofloxacin for more than five decades. Very recently WHO approved fluroquinolone for the treatment tuberculosis (TB), and their use in multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB due to the fact that they have a broad and potent spectrum of activity and can be administered orally. But all the reported methods suffer from harsh conditions such as high temperature (>200° C.), use of fancy reagents etc. Ivacaftor, also known as N-(2,4-di-tert-butyl-5-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxamide, has the following formulas (IV and V):

Ivacaftor was approved by FDA and marketed by vertex pharma for the treatment of cystic fibrosis under the brand name KALYDECO® in the form of 150 mg oral tablets. Kalydeco® is indicated for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients age 6 years and older who have a G55ID mutation in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene. Recently, FDA approved Orkambi®, a combination therapy for treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). Orkambi is a combination of two categories of molecules, namely ivacaftor and Lumacaftor (known also as VX-809) both of which help in correcting the mutated genes in patients with cystic fibrosis.
WO2016181414 discloses a novel one pot two-step process for the synthesis of ivacaftor and related compounds of formula (I) and (II) its tautomers or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof starting from indole acetic acid amides.
Article titled "Breaking and Making of Rings: A Method for the Preparation of 4-Quinolone-3-carboxylic Acid Amides and the Expensive Drug Ivacaftor" by N Vasudevan et al. published in Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2015, pp 7433-7437 reports a simple and convenient method to access 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid amides from indole-3-acetic acid amides through one-pot oxidative cleavage of the indole ring followed by condensation.
WO2014118805 disclose a process for the preparation of ivacaftor and solvates thereof.
US patent application no. 2011064811 discloses a process for preparation of ivacaftor, which involves condensation of 4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-3-quinoline carboxylic acid with 5-amino-2,4-di-(tert-butyl)phenol in the presence of HBTU followed by the formation of ethanol crystalate, which is then treated with diethyl ether to yield ivacaftor as a solid.
US patent application no. 20100267768 discloses a process for preparation of ivacaftor, which involves the coupling of 4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-3-quinoline carboxylic acid with hydroxyl protected phenol intermediate in the presence of propyl phosphonic anhydride (T3P®) followed by deprotection of hydroxyl protection group and optional crystallization with isopropyl acetate. The publication also discloses the use of highly expensive coupling reagent, propyl phosphonic anhydride; which in turn results to an increase in the manufacturing cost.
WO2014125506 and purity by using novel protected quinoline carboxylic acid compounds as intermediates. The present invention further encompasses a process for the preparation of ivacaftor using novel protected quinoline carboxylic acid compounds as intermediates.
US patent application no. 20110230519 discloses solid state forms of N-[2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-5-hydroxyphenyl]-1,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinoline-3-carboxamide (Compound 1), pharmaceutical compositions thereof and methods therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,495,103 discloses modulators of ATP-binding cassette transporters such as ivacaftor and a process for the preparation of modulators of ATP-binding cassette transporters such as quinoline compounds. The process includes condensation of 4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-3-quinoline carboxylic acid with aniline in presence of 2-(1H-7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluoro phosphate methanaminium (HATU) as shown:
The reported approaches for the synthesis of ivacaftor suffered from several drawbacks such as harsh conditions, high temperature reactions, carried out in batch mode and use of large excess of polyphosphoric acid and corrosive phosphoryl chloride. Furthermore, synthesis of ivacaftor requires use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques for the separation of ivacaftor and their analogues.
Therefore, it is the need to develop a short, mild, environmentally benign and convenient method for the preparation of ivacaftor. Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved process for the synthesis of ivacaftor which can be carried out in batch and continuous mode of synthesis.

COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC & INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH


A system and method for computing an amount of timber that can be harvested from a plurality of trees is provided. An image related to a plurality of trees in a region may be obtained. A digital representation of the image may be analyzed to determine at least one of a presence, a location and/or a height of at least some of the trees. An inventory report related to an amount of timber that may be harvested may be generated based on at least one of the presence, location and/or a height of trees in the region.

Inventorying volume of substance in a specific region may be applicable to, and used in, a variety of fields. For example, inventorying volume of vegetal substance may be used for monitoring environmental changes, e.g., in order to calculate a growth rate of plants. Another example may relate to the construction industry, and more particularly, a demolition of existing buildings that may precede a construction project. For example, in order to anticipate efforts and/or resources that may be required in order to transfer material (e.g., debris) from a demolition site, the volume of existing material on site may need to be calculated. Accordingly, a system and method enabling determination of volume of substance (that may be distributed over large areas) may be highly appreciated in various fields, industries and/or disciplines.
In particular, with relation to the timber industry, it may be highly desirable to accurately determine the amount of timber that may be harvested from a specific region prior to deploying expensive harvesting equipment or facilitating transportation of timer from the harvesting site. However, currently, inventorying of timber volume that may be harvested from a forest in a given region is performed by manually measuring a sample of trees in the region and, based on such sample measurement, estimating the volume of timber. Typically, a fraction, e.g., three percent (3%) of the trees in the relevant area are randomly selected, the diameter of the trunk of the selected trees is measured at a predefined height from the ground and, combined with an estimation of a density (e.g., number of trees per acre) the volume of timber that may be harvested is estimated.
Evidently, current methods for calculating timber volume and/or other related parameters are lacking, the currently employed process requires deployment of personnel on site, it may be time consuming and, most importantly, the end result is a mere estimation of substance volume that may be far from accurate. There is therefore a need in the art for a system and method to enable accurate and efficient inventorying of substance such as timber over large areas.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity.

System and method for inventorying vegetal substance


A method of controlling arc welding with a consumable electrode includes repeating the following periods in sequence: a short-circuit welding period to perform short-circuit arc welding; a pulse welding period to perform pulse welding; and a cooling period in which the welding current output is zero.

It has been desired that the frames of bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles should be welded with beautiful beads with a beautiful wave pattern (hereinafter, scaly beads) in recent years for their sophisticated appearance. Such scaly beads can be obtained by adjusting the heat input to the base material so as to control the bead geometry. One approach to obtain scaly beads is low pulse welding (e.g., Patent Literature 1) in which welding conditions such as welding current and welding voltage are changed at a frequency of several hertz between the peak and base conditions. This approach uses the difference in heat input between the peak and base conditions so as to reduce burn-through and insufficient melting when materials different in thickness are welded together.
Typical examples of the method of arc welding with a consumable electrode for low pulse welding include short-circuit welding and pulse welding, both of which are in practical use but have respective drawbacks.
First, short-circuit welding, in which the welding wire is short-circuited with the base material, makes the arc provide a low heat input to the base material. This is likely to form humped beads or to cause insufficient melting. Furthermore, the arc is so short that the droplet grown at the wire tip during the arc period tends to cause irregular short circuits such as minor short circuits, leading to spattering. Meanwhile, pulse welding provides a lower heat input than spray transfer at a constant current exceeding the critical current. However, the welding has a long arc to maintain stable pulse transfer. This tends to cause undercuts or burn-through in thin-plate welding or gap welding due to failure in the reduction of heat input.
A proposed approach to overcoming the above drawbacks is a method of arc welding in which a short-circuit transfer period and a pulse transfer period are alternated (e.g., Patent Literature 1). A proposed approach to reducing spattering in short-circuit welding is to feed the welding wire in alternating forward and backward directions (e.g., Patent Literature 2).

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A case includes a case main body, an exterior cover formed of a synthetic resin and mounted on an upper portion and an outer circumferential portion of the case main body to cover the upper portion and the outer circumferential portion, and a reinforcement member formed of a synthetic resin harder than the exterior cover and embedded in an inner surface of the exterior cover to prevent an inner circumferential side of the exterior cover from being bent back relative to the case main body.

The present invention relates to a case used for electronic devices, such as wrist timepieces, mobile phones and mobile information terminals, and to a timepiece having the same.
For example, as wrist timepiece cases, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-329869, a case is known, in which an exterior cover made of soft synthetic resin is provided on an outer circumference of an upper portion of a case main body made of metal and a pressing member made of metal is arranged on the exterior cover, so that the exterior cover is fixed to the case main body by the pressing member.
In this type of wrist timepiece case, the pressing member made of metal is attached to the case main body by a plurality of screws, so that the exterior cover is pressed against the case main body by the pressing member, thereby preventing the exterior cover made of soft synthetic resin from being bent back relative to the case main body.
However, in such a wrist timepiece case, it is necessary to press the exterior cover against the case main body using the pressing member made of metal, in order to attach the exterior cover in such a manner that the exterior cover made of soft synthetic resin is prevented from being bent back relative to the case main body. As a result, the number of components as additional components is increased.


A dual-wavelength laser system with intracavity, sum-frequency mixing including a bifurcated resonant cavity having a first arm, a second arm and a common arm; a first laser element located in the first arm for providing a first input laser beam of a first wavelength; a second laser element located in the second arm for providing a second input laser beam of a second wavelength; a nonlinear-mixing element in the common arm; and a beam combining device for combining the first and second beams and submitting them to the nonlinear-mixing element for providing an output laser beam of a third wavelength whose energy is the sum of the energy of the input laser beams.

Removal of vascular lesions such as port wine stains from human skin can be accomplished by irradiation with yellow laser light at 589 nm. Presently, yellow light lasers are implemented by dye lasers which are complex, costly, result in toxic waste production and require long patient exposure times due to the low pulse repetition rate of the dye laser. A solid state source has been suggested which uses a dual-wavelength laser that simultaneously generates 1064 nm and 1318 nm light in a single laser crystal and includes a nonlinear-mixing crystal inside the resonator. However, this approach makes it difficult to separately control the energy at each of the wavelengths in order to safely and efficiently obtain the necessary optical energy, approximately 300 millijoules, at 589 nm. Such devices have this shortcoming whether the nonlinear crystal is contained within or without the laser cavity and in configurations with variously polarized infrared beams. Also, in such devices, the outputs are limited to the wavelengths at which the single laser crystal can function.

Dual wavelength laser system with intracavity sum frequency mixing


Methods and related systems for estimating input power supplied to a fan motor of a climate control system are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes selecting an input power function of a fan motor class. Additionally, the method includes operating a fan of the climate control system to produce an airflow, wherein the fan includes the fan motor of the selected fan motor class. Further, the method includes measuring a speed and a torque of the fan motor, and estimating an input power of the fan motor by entering the speed and the torque of the fan motor into the selected input power function.

Climate control systems, such as heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) systems may generally be used in residential and/or commercial areas for heating and/or cooling to create comfortable temperatures inside those areas. Some climate control systems may be split-type air conditioning or heat pump systems. These systems typically have an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, which are capable of cooling a comfort zone by operating in a cooling mode for transferring heat from a comfort zone to an ambient zone using a refrigeration cycle. Heat pump systems are also generally capable of reversing the direction of refrigerant flow through the components of the climate control system so that heat is transferred from the ambient zone to the comfort zone, thereby heating the comfort zone. The indoor unit of a climate control system may include an indoor fan for providing airflow through the indoor unit and the outdoor unit of the system may similarly include an outdoor fan for providing airflow through the outdoor unit.

Systems and methods for estimating an input power supplied to a fan motor of a climate control system


Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses of providing content data and accessing content data. The method for providing content data comprises: receiving a first request for content data, the first request being originated from a first user equipment and comprising an indication of the requested content data and an indication from where the requested content data is accessible; identifying a local equipment that is in proximity to the first user equipment and has pre-stored the requested content data; and returning a first response directed to the first user equipment, by which the first user equipment is informed to access the requested content data from the local equipment via a first device-to-device communication with the local equipment. With the proposed solutions, network loads can be reduced.

As more and more users are equipped with smart devices, including smart phones, tablets etc., access to the Internet for gaining information and services has become convenient. As such, evolved mobile communications networks such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards are being developed in order to incorporate features which can facilitate connection to the Internet and transmission of content data to mobile communications terminals wirelessly. The content data may be any type of data which is providing services to a user. For example, the content data may be streams audio or video content or a web page, but these are just examples. Therefore, the term "content data" should not be limited to a particular type of data but is generally used to infer higher layer user data.
Nowadays, it is very common that when users are taking public transportation, they would like to access the Internet for gaining the same content data or the content data from the same content provider with their respective mobile communication terminals. Especially, during rush hours, the number of the users accessing the same content data such as streaming video data at the same time would be significantly large. According to the current implementation in e.g. LTE, in this case, all the relevant mobile communication terminals within the public transportation (e.g. bus) will establish its respective evolved packet service (EPS) bearer to obtain the content data from a content provider, imposing a heavy load to the network.
However, considering the commonalities among multiple users, it is really an inefficient way to have multiple EPS bearers transmit the same or similar content data from the same content provider, which can result in unnecessary heavy loads to the network. Therefore, there is a need to find an efficient way to provide content data to user equipments.

Methods and apparatuses for providing content data and accessing content data


A includes arranging a substrate in a working region of a first particle beam column and a second particle beam column; producing a desired target structure on the substrate by directing a first particle beam generated by the first particle beam column at a multiplicity of sites of the substrate to deposit material thereon or to remove material therefrom; repeatedly interrupting the production of the desired target structure and producing a marking on the substrate by directing the first particle beam onto the substrate and continuing the production of the desired target structure; and capturing positions of the markings on the substrate by directing a second particle beam produced by the second particle beam column onto the markings on the substrate, and detecting particles or radiation which are produced in the process by the second particle beam on the substrate.

A particle beam system, which includes two particle beam columns, the particle beams of which can be directed onto a common working region on an object, is traditionally used for structuring the object. Here, a particle beam, for example an ion beam or an electron beam, is used to form the structures on the object, while the other particle beam, for example an electron beam of an electron beam microscope, is used to monitor the process of structuring the object. The object is structured by way of depositing material on the object or by removing material from the object by way of directing the particle beam used for this purpose at a multiplicity of sites of the object. Depositing of material on the object and removing material from the object can be assisted by way of supplying a process gas. One example of a process in which an ion beam is used for structuring an object is the production of what is known as a TEM lamella, i.e. cutting a sample suitable for examination with a transmission electron microscope out of a substrate, such as for example a semiconductor wafer in production.
Such processes for structuring an object using a particle beam can take a few minutes, a few tens of minutes or even hours. During this time, drifts with respect to the sites at which the particle beam is incident on the object may occur, which influence the accuracy and reproducibility of the manufactured structures in a disadvantageous manner.
The drifts can also be caused by temperature changes or changes in the high voltage used during the operation of the particle beam column or the like.
Even if the process of structuring the object using a particle beam column is monitored by the other particle beam column and the process of structuring is performed in dependence on this monitoring, it is not possible to achieve the highest possible precision, because the locations of the two particle beam columns relative to one another is also subject to mechanical drift, and not all structures which are produced using the one particle beam column can be observed in optimum fashion by the other particle beam column because the particle beams which are generated by the two particle beam columns are incident on the object at different angles.

Method for structuring an object and associated particle beam system


A cigarette pack display container is disclosed. The container includes a cover member and a base member which are connected about a rim. The cover member has outwardly extending pockets. Between the pockets is a corner wall including a polygonal panel portion and a trapezoidal panel portion. The base member includes pockets and triangular facets spaced between the pockets. Between the rim below the triangular facet and the rim below the trapezoidal panel portion is an engaging element for reinforcing the cover member to the base member. The reinforcement means includes a lip of the cover member that overlaps and inserts beneath the bead of the base member. A receiving element also may be provided for holding complementary articles. In addition, the cover member may have a slightly recessed top wall for receiving a label for identifying the display.

This invention relates to a display container for cigarette packs. Display containers are commonly used to display a variety of cigarette packs. When the containers are stacked users commonly desire to remove the top most container. Heretofore, such a conventional stack of display containers became disrupted when a container unit was removed. In other prior instances, the members used were usually engaged too tightly and were difficult to open.
Conventional cigarette packs have different heights. Therefore, a prior typical display case containing these packs appeared asymmetrical and thus unpleasant aesthetically.
It would be advantageous to provide a cigarette display container that will prevent slippage of other containers in a stack when a top container is removed. Still further it would be advantageous to provide a cigarette display container that is easy to open to remove the cigarette packs. It would be further advantageous to permit cigarette packs of different heights to be displayed without lack of symmetry.


A unitary base for a torque limiting device is disclosed. The base accepting a plurality of swappable torque limiting fixtures (STLF), whereby a single unitary disposable plastic base may be utilized to form a variety of different specific torque limiting devices and a method to construct and configure such a device.

1. Field
This disclosure relates to a medical use driver tool and, in particular, to a torque-limiting driver base with selectable fixed torque modules, which driver disengages at a predefined torque limit.
2. General Background
Torque-limiting drivers are widely used throughout the medical industry. These torque-limiting drivers have a factory pre-set torque to ensure the accuracy and toughness required to meet a demanding surgical environment.
The medical industry has made use of both reusable and disposable torque-limiting drivers. In a surgical context, there is little room for error, and these drivers must impart a precise amount of torque.
Reusable drivers require constant recalibration to ensure that the driver is imparting the precise amount of torque. Recalibration is a cumbersome task, but must be done routinely.
Disposable drivers are an easy to use and reliable alternative to the reusable drivers. Typically, each implant, for example, is packaged with a disposable driver designed to the implant's specifications. Once the driver has been used, it can be discarded. Thus, a surgeon can have complete confidence that the disposable driver, packaged with an implant, will impart the precise amount of torque.

Base for disposable selectable torque limiting device


A safety net suspended from a shower curtain rod in addition to the shower curtain for safety in the event of a fall. The safety net provides a structure for someone to grasp during the fall to either slow the fall or stop it before injuries occur. The netting is preferably made of NYLON in a strength sufficient to support the weight of an adult, and has a band along one side with a series of grommets attached to it. The rod is made to be stronger than a typical shower rod, preferably of the type that has a channel running lengthwise in it for supporting of a series of carriers. The exposed end of each carrier has a button that will pass through one of the grommets so that the netting can be hung by the grommets from the carriers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety devices. In particular, the present invention is a device that can be used to stop or slow a fall of a person who loses his balance while taking a shower or to help a person get back up who has fallen.
2. Discussion of Background
Modem bathroom plumbing usually includes a shower bath comprising a bathtub for tub baths and a shower head for shower baths. In some cases, to save space, the bathtub is eliminated and replaced by a simple shower stall. For water control, a shower curtain is hung from a rod spanning the opening of the open side of a tub annex or the opening of the shower stall. The shower curtain prevents water from being sprayed or splattered outside the confines of the tub or stall.
Typically, the rod for the shower curtain is made of lightweight aluminum or chrome-plated steel tubing and the curtain is hung by loops or hooks from the rod. Because the shower curtain is typically made of lightweight plastic sheeting, the rod is not made to be very strong. Sometimes heavier rods or hooks are used when a decorative panel and the water control panel are both suspended from the same rod and their combined weight dictates a sturdier rod.
Because the standing surface of a shower stall and the bottom of a bath tubs are smooth and because water runs over them during the course of a shower, they are inherently slippery. Soap on the standing surface will make it even more slippery. Bath mats or textured appliques are sometimes applied to this surface to prevent slipping. However, both mats and textured appliques usually do not cover the entire standing surface.
Furthermore, the side of a bathtub presents a barrier to be surmounted by someone entering or leaving the shower bath and people are more vulnerable to falls stepping over the side of the tub. Travelers who are lodging in hotels may be especially susceptible to slipping and falling, from fatigue or jet lag for example. Finally, many people shower when they first get up in the morning or at night before going to bed; the water may be relaxing, even a little bit disorienting to some. All of these factors may contribute to a situation where the bather may lose balance and fall while showering or while entering or leaving the shower.
Upwards of 100,000 people fall in showers every year in the U.S. and have injuries serious enough to warrant doctor care. These injuries run from bruises, chipped teeth and bone fractures to death. In some cases, glass shower doors may provide more support to someone who might be about to fall; in other cases, glass doors may contribute to the injuries because they, too, are slippery and might break. In any case, when a person is falling, reaching out for something to grab onto for support is instinctive.


An artificial ankle system which is mounted within an artificial foot, such as a S.A.C.H. foot, with the ankle system comprising upper and lower plates, having a pair of spaced apart solid compressible members known as bonded rubber springs, which are attached to the upper and lower plates via gluing or the like, the rubber spring and plate system boltingly attached to the lower portion of the foot, and attached to a prosthesis to the upper prosthetic portion of the leg. This system further provides at least a posterior strap member secured around the upper and lower plate, the strap member serving as a means for compressing the posterior rubber spring to a certain degree, so that it is pre-compressed while being utilized in static or standing position, but allowing the rubber spring to also function in tension or elongation to a predetermined point. There may be further included an anterior strap, which likewise would compress the anterior spring as a strap that is fitted around the upper and lower plates. Those portions of the upper and lower plates resting above the anterior rubber spring.

1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to prosthetic feet and ankles. More particularly, the present invention relates to an artificial prosthetic device which provides multi-axial rotation for an artificial ankle mounted on an artificial foot.
2. General Background
In area of prosthetic limbs, artificial feet and ankles normally been constructed as a solid ankle cushion heel foot known as a S.A.C.H. foot attached or mounted to a limb along an approximate hinge axis taken through the ankle. It is critical that the foot and the ankle in artificial limbs operate as a single unit, in order to result in the proper bio-mechanics of the entire lower limb in assisting the wearer in walking and of the movement. The conventional S.A.C.H. foot has been the most widely prescribed artificial foot over the past thirty (30) years. The S.A.C.H. foot provides a stable base for a prosthesis, and addresses the concept of absorbing and storing energy as the heel of the foot strikes the surface and gradually releasing the energy through the remainder of the gate cycle. The newer S.A.C.H. foot has become known as a "energy storing foot". As new lightweight composite materials become available, energy storing feet become a practical alternative to the convention S.A.C.H. feet. Propulsion is provided by using a leaf spring mechanism inside a plastic shell of the artificial foot that stores and releases energy. This assists the amputee during the gait cycle by providing lift and thrust for the prosthesis.
Applicant has obtained U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,913 entitled "Dual, Ankle, Springs Prosthetic Foot and Ankle System", which provides a dual ankle spring foot/ankle system having a first and second helical springs attached to a top ankle plate and distally to a plantar base plate. The anterior and posterior springs are attachably engaged to the plates through a helical nut for helically engaging the spring around its body portion and attaching the spring to the plates themselves. The helical attachment loses no flexion as would occur with welding or the like. Further it provides the necessary propulsion and movement of the ankle in combination with artificial feet, such as the S.A.C.H. foot.

Multi-axial rotation system for artificial ankle


A cartridge for storing and transporting fiber-bundle-based preform charges includes a plurality of cells arranged within the housing, wherein each cell is physically adapted to receive a preform charge and prevent it from moving therein as the cartridge is transported. In some embodiments, the cartridge and preform charges it conveys are serialized.

A "preform" is a structural precursor used in some molding processes to form a finished part. Using a preform simplifies certain molding processes because a preform is provided with a configuration that bears some relation to the intended final form of a part being molded.
Existing preforms are typically flat tapes or laminate sheets that are cut to a specific size and shape, consistent with a part being fabricated. In some cases, an assemblage of preforms is created, typically by layering the laminate sheets or flat segments of tape. After formation, the preforms or assemblages are placed into a mold cavity for forming a part. The use of the assemblages, as opposed to individual preforms, speeds the process of laying up the constituent materials in the mold cavity.
This sequence assumes that the molding process, as well as the apparatus that creates the preforms/assemblages, are integrated with one another or at least in the general proximity of one another. Yet, in certain business models, it is financially advantageous to decouple preform production from the molding process. Consequently, a need arises to transport material between suppliers and manufacturers in a reliable and consistent manner.

Preform-charge cartridges and serialization methods therefor


The invention relates to the control of gene expression. Specifically, the invention provides compositions and methods for the production and use of recombinant nucleic acid molecules that have the ability to specifically downregulate an expressed target gene in vivo. In some aspects, the invention provides methods for producing a hairpin DNA molecule where part of the molecule is derived from an mRNA that is a target for a small interfering RNA (siRNA) derived from the hairpin. In other aspects, the invention provides synthetic hairpin adapter oligonucleotides that are used in the construction of siRNA-producing cassettes. In other aspects, the invention provides methods for testing for the presence or absence of specific inhibitory activity of an RNAi trigger molecule, and in still other aspects, the invention provides methods for identifying an active RNAi trigger molecule from a library of RNAi trigger molecules. In still other aspects, the invention provides methods for identifying a polynucleotide from a plurality of candidate target polynucleotides that is specifically targeted by an RNAi trigger molecule. In other aspects, the invention provides epi-allelic series of hypomorphic RNAi trigger molecules specific for any gene of interest, where the series of RNAi trigger molecules have a variety of uses including analysis of gene function and drug target development.

The development of novel pharmaceutical therapeutics relies on the identification and validation of key regulators of disease processes ("drug targets"). New technologies, reagents and methods that contribute to risk-reduction with respect to predicting therapeutic efficacy in human patients is highly valued. This process of therapeutic target identification and validation ideally utilizes functional therapeutic mimetic technologies in models of human disease. In particular, approaches that emulate therapeutic modalities, where a specific gene-product is inactivated and demonstrated to ameliorate a disease state, are needed.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved cellular mechanism for regulating gene expression in all cells. RNAi-based technology has rapidly become a significant functional genomics tool and drug target validation approach for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. RNAi technology facilitates the directed inactivation ("silencing") of virtually any gene and thus the opportunity to associate specific gene-function with specific disease mechanisms.
Contemporary approaches to constructing RNAi trigger molecules (i.e., an siRNA molecule) build on empirically determined bioinformatic algorithms. Significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying in vivo RNAi, and furthermore, artificial RNAi-inducing molecules have been successfully constructed. However, significant challenges remain in the development of this technology, particularly in the context of pharmaceutical target validation.
Various methods are known in the literature for siRNA vector and library construction. For example, Sen et al., "Restriction enzyme-generated siRNA (REGS) vectors and libraries," Nature Genetics 36(2): 183-189 (2004) describes a "REGS" method for producing siRNA molecules. However, the REGS method has various drawbacks. The REGS method described in that publication produces shRNA molecules that are shorter than the optimal length for inducing RNAi, and which therefore function inefficiently. Furthermore, the yield at each step of the procedure is low so that prior to cloning the product must be amplified. The method of amplification described (i.e., rolling circle amplification by phi29 polymerase) is prone to bias (the preferential amplification of one product at the expense of amplification of other products), thereby resulting in a library that contains only a fraction of the potential diversity.
There is a need in the art for improved methods for generating and screening for biologically active molecules that induce RNAi, for example, shRNA or siRNA molecules. There is a need in the art for improved methods for validating candidate drug targets and predicting in vivo responses to inhibitor compounds. Further, there is a need to develop methods that aid in the validation of candidate drug targets, where the validation of drug targets can be done in a dose-dependent manner. The present invention provides compositions and methods that meet this need, overcome the limitations of the REGS method, and provide other benefits that will become apparent upon reading the present disclosure.

Methods for creating and identifying functional RNA interference elements


Among other things, we describe methods and apparatus for the ionization of target molecular analytes of interest, e.g., for use in mass spectrometry. In some implementations, a thin molecular stream is emitted in either single or a split mode and encounters both an electron-impact ion source and trochoidal electron monochromator placed sequentially or coincidentally. The first ion source emits high-energy electrons (˜70 eV) to generate characteristic positively-charged mass fragment spectra while the second source emits low-energy electrons in a narrow bandwidth to generate negative molecular ions or other ions via electron capture ionization. The dual ion source may be coupled to analytical instruments such as a gas chromatograph and to any number of mass analyzers such as a polarity switching quadrupole mass analyzer or to multiple mass analyzers.

Mass spectrometers (MS) are widely used in the field of analytical chemistry for the analysis of compounds in liquids and gasses and the study of reaction mechanisms. MS are often coupled with gas chromatographs (GC) for the analysis of complex mixtures of unknown chemicals and/or the quantification of known chemicals. Such instruments have been used extensively in forensic and environmental studies.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus for mass analysis of analytes by simultaneous positive and negative ionization


An easy-opening closure for hermetic sealing of the open end of a packaging container includes an end member for being double-seamed to the open end of the container and having an interior ledge portion defining a large central opening and a composite lidding member of at least two polymer layers defining a predetermined peel strength at an interfacial plane for controlled delamination of the two layers. The composite lidding member covers the central opening and is bonded to the ledge portion to define a bond strength greater than the peel strength of the two polymer layers. The lidding member has a continuous ring-shaped notch cut into the bottom polymer layer adjacent the ledge portion and a discontinuous ring-shaped notch cut into the top polymer layer and spaced inwardly from the first notch to define a small unnotched portion between its ends and to define with the first notch a ring member therebetween which is connected at the unnotched portion to the central portion of the lidding member. With this construction, the force required to open the closure from the inside of the container is greater than the force required to open the closure from the outside of the container. The closure is circumferentially opened by upward pulling of the bonded overlapping portion of the composite lidding member to cause delamination and peeling of the top polymer layer from the bottom polymer layer bonded to the end member in an area between the first notch and an outside circumference of the lidding member and removal of the ring member between the first and second notches.

Present commercial operations for hermetically sealing open-ended packaging containers, especially food containers, generally employ either (1) a conventional metallic end, with or without an easy-opening feature, which is double-seamed to a flange on the container, or (2) a film or foil lidding structure, which is attached by adhesive, thermal or other bonding means to a flange on the open end of the container.
With the increasing demand for convenience packaging and ready-to-eat food products, a growing need exists for shelf-stable microwavable food packages. A significant number of these are semi-rigid plastic packaging containers. Food packages for these applications are generally required to undergo a retort/sterilization process to insure that the product is sterile and safe for consumption. Because of the high temperatures and internal pressures associated with the retort process, it is an extremely critical part of the packaging operation to provide a packaging container and closure therefor which have great strength and integrity.
Conventional double-seamed metal ends or closures employed to seal these containers provide seal integrity throughout the retort process, and can provide a convenient easy-open feature for the consumer. The metal end, however, is not entirely appropriate for a package designed to be reheated in a microwave oven, due to arcing and localized heating which can occur during heating. The metal end is also generally not suitable for very wide containers, such as bowls or trays, for a variety of reasons, including the high cost of such an end, and the aesthetically negative appearance of such a package. Additionally, the metal end cannot be used at all in those instances where the heating method of retort comes from microwave energy, due to the very large metallic surface areas which would reflect energy and defeat the ability of the microwave energy to heat the package contents. Ready-to-eat packages which employ a metal end often have a sharp metal edge exposed after removal of the easy-open lid, which presents a possible consumer safety hazard.
Film or foil lidding systems as applied to retortable packages are the most sensitive materials used in the thermal processing. The adhesive or heat-sealed bond between the body of the packaging container and the lidding material is very fragile during the heat processing period. The bond strength can be reduced by as much as 80% at elevated temperatures. Pressures inside the sealed container can rise dramatically during heating, caused by expansion of the product and gases, which place further demands on the sealing area. An additional challenge to the processor is that many of the film/foil lidding systems are designed to have peelable seals to allow for easy opening. An improved type of flexible lidding systems is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,801,041; 4,858,780; 4,905,838 and 4,913,307, assigned to Idemitsu Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and commercialized as "MAGICTOP" and which overcomes some of the problems with prior flexible lidding systems. However, all of these flexible lidding systems are attached by bonding to the open end of the container and most processors who employ these types of flexible lidding system must perform extensive testing of seal integrity, including 100% inspection, and require very tight controls on retort conditions to insure against seal failure and/or spoilage of contents.
An improved flexible lidding system in the form of an easy-opening closure for hermetic sealing of an open end of a packaging container has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,355 and is disclosed in pending U.S. Patent application, Ser. No. 07/684,161 and filed Apr. 11, 1991, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In this issued patent and the pending application, a composite end member and a composite lidding member, respectively, are disclosed which respectively utilize two polymer layers defining a predetermined peel strength at an interfacial plane thereof for controlled delamination of the two layers. The end member is of desired construction for being double-seamed to the open end of the container and has an interior ledge defining a large central opening to allow access therethrough to the interior of the container. The lidding member is of desired configuration for covering the central opening and has a portion overlapping the ledge portion and is bonded to the ledge portion to define a predetermined bond strength greater than the peel strength of the two polymer layers. The closure is easily opened by upward pulling of the bonded overlapping portion of the lidding member to cause delamination and peeling of the top polymer layer of the composite end member bonded to the lidding member from the bottom polymer layer in the closure construction of U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,355 and to cause delamination and peeling of the portion of the top polymer layer from the bottom polymer layer in the composite lidding member bonded to the end member in pending U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 07/684,161. In both of these systems, although the peel strength of the two polymer layers of the respective lidding member or end member are greater than the bond strength of that member to the other of the members, the force required to open the container is not consistent since the containers are opened linearly and a greater area must be peeled at the beginning and at the end of the opening operation than in the intermediate part of the opening operation, as will be explained more fully below.

Easy-opening composite closure for hermetic sealing of a packaging container by double seaming


Cargo loads are frequently carried by being slung under a helicopter and carried by its cargo hook. One of the problems arising from this type of transportation is that the load is reasonably unstable relative to the helicopter, and its instability precludes certain operations which would otherwise be possible. The invention provides a device that creates the desired stability. There is described a load frame for external attachment to a helicopter by its cargo hook. The frame has a base from the upper face of which radiates a plurality of arms which engage the underside of the skids of the helicopter. By means of a winch mounted on the base, the load frame can be snugged up into a stable flight position beneath the helicopter with the arms firmly engaging the underside of the helicopter skids. There is also disclosed a reel for attachment to the load frame which conveniently can be used to pay out a fire hose or the like from the helicopter in flight.

Helicopters are equipped with an external cargo hook, mounted directly under the center of gravity of the helicopter for the purpose of transporting a load externally. This enables the helicopter to transport loads which will not fit inside the helicopter. It is also a speedy and convenient way of transporting large and cumbersome loads because it is not necessary to land the helicopter and load it and then to land to unload at a final destination. Also in operating in rough terrain there may not be a suitable landing area at certain pick-up points and thus if loads could only be transported internally in the helicopter it would be necessary to first transport the load to a suitable landing area for the helicopter.
A third advantage to carrying the load externally is that greater weights can be carried. All aircraft must be flown at weights which do not exceed their authorized gross weights and almost every helicopter has a higher authorized gross weight for external than for internal loading. This is in part because an external load can be instantly released, if necessary in an emergency and consequently it is considered acceptable to push the load carrying ability of the helicopter much closer to its limits. Also the limits of the authorized gross weights is dictated by the load carrying ability of the landing gear and since an external hook operation permits the load to hang beneath the helicopter the weight of the load is not imposed on the landing gear. Yet again, some dangerous loads pose a less potential danger to the aircraft and its occupants when carried outside, rather than inside, the aircraft.
Furthermore certain equipment is designed to perform its function only while connected to the cargo hook of a helicopter such as certain types of agricultural spray booms, water buckets and aerial ignition devices.
Present external helicopter loads must first be secured either by placing the load in a net or by otherwise attaching ropes or straps, then the ends of the ropes or the rings on the perimeter of the cargo net are attached to a strap called a lanyard. The helicopter then hovers slowly and carefully over the load while a hook-up man on the ground attaches the lanyard to the helicopter's cargo hook. The pilot then moves the helicopter slowly upward until the load is in the air. At this point the load hangs at whatever attitude is dictated by the center of gravity of its mass as the helicopter moves, wind forces are introduced on the load which responds according to its own aerodynamic characteristics. Some bulky and asymmetrical loads will rotate or swing fore and aft, or swing laterally or perform some combination of these movements which become more and more pronounced as airspeed increases thus necessitating much slower flight. At the destination point the helicopter slows down until a hover is established when the load hanging again directly beneath is lowered slowly to the ground and then disengaged by a switch on the pilot's flight control.


Described are methods, compositions, and devices for a concatemeric protein standard that behaves as a protein but transforms into single peptides upon digestion, which is optimized to function as a non-obtrusive process control for mass spectrometry analysis.

Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, which are often proteins contained within cells, tissues, or an entire organism. In order to study these proteins, scientists typically engage in the following four steps: (1) fractionate a complex mixture of unknown proteins; (2) digest those proteins into peptides; (3) utilize mass spectrometry to analyze the individual peptides; and (4) utilize bioinformatics methods to assemble the mass spectrometry data into identified proteins.
Several technologies exist for the absolute quantitation of peptides within a complex mixture. QconCAT technology is a recently developed technology for the absolute quantification of proteins of interest in a biological sample. QconCAT technology relies on artificially created proteins that are concatenations of multiple different, isotopically labeled peptides. The peptides are selected based on the proteins of interest. Genes encoding the QconCAT protein are normally expressed in Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) host cells in the presence of media supplemented with isotope-labeled amino acids. The expressed QconCAT protein is then added to the protein mixture and digested alongside the analytes to create a set of isotopically labeled reference peptides. Because these isotopically labeled peptides are all at a 1:1 ratio and correspond to naturally occurring peptides in the biological sample, each peptide can be used as a standard for the absolute quantitation of all proteins of interest at once.
Although the QconCAT technology has utility for quantitation of known peptides in a mixture, it is not helpful for scientists who need a proteomics standard (1) that can be spiked into a protein mixture at an extremely low level, (2) that can be co-purified during sample fractionation, and (3) that is optimized for ESI used in mass spectrometry. Thus, there exists a need for an ideal standard protein that is large enough to behave as a protein but consists of multiple, concatenated copies of the same peptide, which, upon digestion, amplifies (e.g., >10-fold) into a detectable peptide species.

PepCon proteomics standards and methods of use

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC


Apparatuses and methods for aligning lamella to charged particle beams based on a volume reconstruction are disclosed herein. An example method at least includes forming a reconstructed volume of a portion of a sample, the sample including a plurality of structures, and the reconstructed volume including a portion of the plurality of structures, performing, over a range of angles, a mathematical transform on each plane of a plurality of planes of the reconstructed volume, and based on the mathematical transform on each plane of the plurality of planes, determining a target orientation of the sample within the range of angles, wherein the target orientation aligns the plurality of structures parallel to an optical axis of a charged particle beam.

In many industries, samples are analyzed using various charged particle microscopes, such as transmission electron microscopes (TEM). However, to view samples in a TEM, lamella are formed from the sample with the lamella including specific structures/objects that are desired to be imaged in the TEM. In general, a lamella is a thin membrane that is at least partially electron transparent, and can have a thickness of 7 nm to 25 nm, and sometimes more. At such small dimensions, it is easy to remove the specific structures/objects of a study during lamella formation, especially when many lamella formation steps are manually performed. While there are some techniques available to address this issue, many of the techniques are still lacking in overall satisfaction and require highly skilled operators to either perform them or monitor them. As such, better techniques to align structures within the lamella to ensure those structures are not removed during lamella formation are desired.

Lamella alignment based on a reconstructed volume


A method for performing, by a terminal, a contention-based uplink transmission in a wireless communication system, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: selecting any one of a plurality of codewords and any one of a plurality of demodulation reference signals (DMRS), the plurality of codewords and the plurality of DMRSs being set in a contention resource area for a contention-based uplink transmission; and transmitting, through the contention resource area, uplink data that corresponds to the selected codeword, and the selected DMRS, wherein the DMRS is transmitted in an orthogonal multiple access (OMA) scheme, the uplink data is transmitted in a non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme, and the selected DMRS is one of the K DMRSs mapped to the selected codeword, wherein K may be an integer greater than or equal to 1, which is changed according to a DMRS collision occurring in the contention resource area.

As more communication devices have required higher communication capacity, scenarios of a next-generation communication system (e.g., a fifth generation (5G) or New radio access technology (RAT) system) have been discussed recently. The scenarios under discussion include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable machine-type communications (uMTC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). eMBB is a next-generation mobile communication scenario having characteristics of high spectrum efficiency, high user experienced data rate, and high peak data rate. uMTC is a next-generation mobile communication scenario having characteristics of ultra-reliability, ultra-low latency, and ultra-high availability and includes, for example, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services, emergency services, and remote control services. mMTC is a next-generation mobile communication scenario having characteristics of low cost, low energy, short packet, and massive connectivity and may include, for example, Internet of things (IoT).
FIG. 1 illustrates key 5G performance requirements for IMT 2020 and an association between each service scenario and the 5G performance requirements. Particularly, a uMTC service has a very limited over-the-air (OTA) latency requirement and requires high mobility and high reliability (OTA latency<1 ms, mobility>500 km/h, and block error rate (BLER)<10−6).
As described above, New RAT considering eMBB, mMTC, and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) has been discussed for next-generation wireless communication.

Method for transmitting or receiving signals in wireless communication system and apparatus therefor


A sound reproducing apparatus is capable of reproducing a stereo or a voice signal and adding thereto effect sounds, such as an initial reflected sound, and reechoed sound during the reproducing. Each of the effect sounds is added with a delay time depending on a change of the sound source signal. To obtain the delay time, the sound source signal is converted into a three-value signal, and then the time in which the auto-correlation of the three-value signal decreases to a predetermined value is determined. Thus the effect sounds can be added automatically with a desired delay time due to the sound source signal. Therefore manual adjustments are unnecessary, and the circuit structures of the entire apparatus can be simplified.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sound reproducing apparatus such as a stereo reproducing apparatus and a voice reproducing apparatus, and more particularly to a sound reproducing apparatus in which an initial reflected sound and a reechoed sound can be added.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a typical conventional apparatus for adding an initial reflected sound and a reechoed or reverberated sound. In FIG. 2, control signals are supplied to an initial reflective sound generator 3 and a reechoed sound generator 4 from a control signal generating unit 2 under the control of an operating unit 1. In an adder 5, the outputs of these two generators 3, 4 are added to a stereo signal inputted from an input terminal 6.
The operating unit 1 is composed of a plurality of adjusting knobs for adjusting a delay time of the initial reflected sound, an addition ratio, a delay time of reecho or reverberation, a reduction ratio, etc.; as the individual adjusting knob is turned, the resistance value of a variable resistor varies The initial reflective sound generator 3 is composed of a delay unit 3a for giving a delay time to a first initial reflected sound, a reducer 3b for giving a mixing ratio, another delay unit 3c for giving a delay time to a second initial reflected sound, and another reducer 3d for giving a mixing ratio. This illustrated example is the case in which a sound signal is a one-channel signal. Alternatively, in the sound signal could be a two-channel signal like a stereo signal. Designated by 7 is an output terminal from which a stereo signal or a voice signal is to be outputted.
In operation, a sound signal, i.e., one channel of a stereo signal inputted from the input terminal 6, is branched into two partial signals. One partial signal is delayed a predetermined time and is reduced at a predetermined rate in the initial reflective sound generator 3. The other partial signal is shaped into a reechoed sound having a predetermined delay time and a decay gradient by the reverberation generator 4. The individual reechoed signals processed in the initial reflective sound generator 3 and the reverberation generator 4 are added to the original sound signal at the adder 5 to form a composite signal, which is outputted from the output terminal 7.
At that time, for instance, when the user turns the delay-time-of-initial-reflected-sound adjusting knob at the operating unit 1, the resistance value of its associated variable resistor varies to create a voltage proportional to the resistance value. This voltage is inputted to the control signal generating unit 2. In the control signal generating unit 2, a control signal is given to the delay unit 3a which then generates a delay time control signal, depending on the voltage, to vary the delay time of the initial reflected sound, the mixing ratio of the initial reflected sound, and the decay time and the decay gradient of the reechoed sound. For setting an optional value, the user turns a correspond adjusting knob to vary the mixing ratio, the delay time, decay reduction gradient or other parameter.
Thus in the conventional apparatus, the user must to set the initial reflected sound and the reechoed sound by manipulating the various adjusting knobs by himself/herself. The setting and adjusting of the initial reflected sound and the reechoed sound are made dependent upon the user's hearing while a sound source such as a music or a voice is being reproduced. During that time, the user must repeat attempted adjustments by trial and error, actually listening the sound source. Further, since the most preferred values of the initial reflected sound and the reechoed sound vary remarkably depending on the kind of a music, it is necessary to make an adjustment for each and every item of played music. When the adjustment is not proper, an instrument sound would be apparently doubled and is hence acoustically unnatural, thus giving an uncomfortable auditory impression to the listener.
According to some studies on acoustics, it is a common knowledge that a reflected sound and subsequent reflected sounds arriving behind a direct sound are significantly influential on the sense of hearing. In another acoustics study, a composite sound field, which is composed of a direct sound and a single reflected sound as a music and a voice are reproduced by a speaker, is evaluated in terms of preference (comfortability on the hearing sense of a human being). According to the principles of acoustics, when the level of a reflected sound was varied in the range of .+-.6 dB of a direct sound, upon having obtained the auto-correlation function l.rho.(.tau.) of the regulated sound source signal, it was found that the most preferred delay time .vertline.l.sub..rho. (.tau.).vertline. of its reflected sound corresponded to a time equivalent to 1/10 of the level A.sub.1 of the first reflected sound. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the time .tau..sub.d (the x-axis), when this preference .vertline.l.sub..rho. (.tau.).vertline. is equivalent to 1/10 of the level A.sub.1 of the first reflected sound, and the delay time .tau..sub.m (the y-axis) of the single reflected sound, when the preference is maximal. The illustrated range shows the delay time when the preference is lower than the maximal value by 0.1. In FIG. 3, a circle indicates A.sub.1 =6 dB; a dot, A.sub.1 =0 dB; a square, A.sub.1 =-6 dB. Specifically, assuming that the time in which .vertline.l.sub..rho. (.tau.).vertline. is 1/10 of l.sub..rho. (0) is called .tau..sub.e (0.1), .tau..sub.d =.tau..sub.e (0.1) where A.sub.1 =0 dB. It is apparent from FIG. 3 that .tau..sub.d is very coincident with the delay time .tau..sub.m of the single reflected sound when the preference is maximal.
Further, it was reported that the auto-correlation function of a sound source also in a close connection with the most preferred reverberation time. The results of measurement are shown in FIG. 4, in which the x-axis is the above-mentioned .tau..sub.e (0.1) the y-axis is the central value [T.sub.sub ].sub.d of the preferred reverberation time. Here "reverberation time" is defined as the time necessary until the signal of the reverberation part decreases to 60 dB, rather than the time in which the direct sound decreases by 60 dB. In FIG. 4, each of A, B and E indicates the case of a music, while S indicates the case of a voice; it is possible to obtain an approximation by the function EQU [T.sub.sub ].sub.d .apprxeq.(23.+-.10).tau..sub.e (0.1).
In the same method of measurement, the most preferred conditions, for the delay time of the second reflected sound in the sound field where two reflected sounds exist, was obtained as follows: The delay time of the first reflected sound is .DELTA.t.sub.1 =20, 30, 40 ms; the differential between the delay time of the second reflected sound .DELTA.t.sub.2 and the delay time of the first reflected sound .DELTA.t.sub.1 is .DELTA.t.sub.2 -.DELTA.t.sub.1 =10, 20, 30 ms; and these are combined. As a result of the same measurement of preference, preference curves shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) were obtained. FIG. 5(a) shows the preference curves as measured where the levels of the first and second reflected sounds were -4.2 dB and -6.2 dB, compared to the direct sound. FIG. 5(b) shows the preference curves as measured where the levels of the first and second reflected sounds were equal to the level of the direct sound. From FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), it is apparent that if the delay time difference of the first and second reflected sounds .DELTA.t.sub.2 -.DELTA.t.sub.1 is about 0.8 times of the maximal delay time of the first reflected sound [.DELTA.t.sub.1 ].sub.p, the preference is largest. Consequently it is understood that the most preferred delay time of the second reflected sound [.DELTA.t.sub.2 ].sub.p may be approximately expressed by the following equation: EQU [.DELTA.t.sub.2 ].sub.p .apprxeq.1.8[.DELTA.t.sub.1 ].sub.p.
In the foregoing conventional apparatus, the most preferred delay time of the initial reflected sound, the most preferred reverberation time, etc. can be obtained from the auto-correlation of the sound source signal. Generally, however, a great amount of calculation is necessary to calculate the auto-correlation, and therefore it is difficult to finish the calculation within a practical time in a public welfare equipment such as a stereo reproducing apparatus.


Structural modifications to a person's face in a reference image are captured and automatically applied to the person's face in another image. The reference image is processed to compute landmark information on the person's face and apply a mesh to the reference image. When structural modifications are made to the person's face in the reference image, the mesh is modified, and the modified mesh is stored in association with the landmark information. Another image is analyzed to compute landmark information on the person's face in that image and apply a mesh to the image. A transformation matrix is computed using the landmark information from the reference image and current image, and the modified mesh from the reference image is transformed using the transformation matrix. The mesh in the current image is modified using the transformed mesh, thereby applying the structural modification to the person's face in the current image.

Image editing tools are available that allow users to enhance various aspects of images, such as brightness, lighting, contrast, saturation, and the like. Some current image editing tools also allow users to structurally modify portions of a person's face in an image. For instance, some common structural modifications made by users include widening of eyes, thinning/thickening of eyebrows/lips/cheeks, and restructuring of nose or ears, to name a few. Such structural facial modifications are often made by users when sharing images on social media platforms. Some users consistently make a particular structural modification to their face each time an image is shared. Current image editing tools require a user to make the same structural modification to a face in each image. To get the correct result, a user has to spend significant effort to make the same structural modification every time the user shares another image.

Structural facial modifications in images


A test wafer is placed inside a baking module and is baked. Via one or more temperature sensors, a cumulative heat amount delivered to the test wafer during the baking is measured. The measured cumulative heat amount is compared with a predefined cumulative heat amount threshold. In response to the comparing indicating that the measured cumulative heat amount is within the predefined cumulative heat amount threshold, it is determined that the baking module is qualified for actual semiconductor fabrication. In response to the comparing indicating that the measured cumulative heat amount is outside of the predefined cumulative heat amount threshold, it is determined that the baking module is not qualified for actual semiconductor fabrication.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the complexity of IC processing and manufacturing.
As the scaling down process continues, heat uniformity control becomes more important in semiconductor fabrication. To ensure tools such as hot plates can produce satisfactory heat uniformity performance, qualification testing may be done to the hot plates. Unfortunately, existing methods of qualification testing have not been able to predict the heat uniformity performance of the hot plates with optimal accuracy.
Therefore, while conventional qualification testing for hot plates has been generally adequate for its intended purposes, it has not been entirely satisfactory in every aspect.

Using cumulative heat amount data to qualify hot plate used for postexposure baking

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A connector (500) for operably coupling a medical lead to an implantable medical device includes first and second pivotably coupled elongate members (510, 520). Each of the first and second elongate members has (i) a proximal end portion (512, 522), and (ii) a distal end portion (514, 524) for engaging the lead. The lead has a proximal end portion having a shoulder. The first and second elongate members are pivotably coupled such that the distal end portions of the first and second elongate members are moveable to allow insertion of the lead proximally past the distal end portions of the elongate members and to allow the distal end portions to engage the lead distal the shoulder.

Implantable medical devices are used to treat a variety of diseases, and their use is increasing. Many implantable medical devices employ medical leads to deliver electrical therapy to a patient or to monitory patient parameters. The leads are connected to an active device, which is typically implanted in a subcutaneously in the patient, and extend from the implanted active device to a target location of the patient. Such devices generate or receive electrical signals that are transferred to or from a patient's tissue through electrodes disposed on a distal end portion of a lead. The proximal end portion of a lead typically contains a number of contact rings corresponding to the number of electrodes. Conductors run within and along the lead body and electrically couple the contact rings to the electrodes. The proximal end portion of the lead is inserted into a connector of the active medical device such that electrical contact is made between discrete contacts in the connector portion and the contact rings of the lead. The lead is then often secured to the connector portion of the signal generator via a set screw, which provides a compressive force on the lead, typically at one of the connector rings.
The set screw is typically tightened with a torque wrench to ensure proper tightening of the set screw. If the screw is tightened too loosely, the lead may come loose from the active device following implantation in the patient. If the screw is too forcefully tightened, damage to the lead may result. Accordingly, a good amount of time and care is taken to ensure proper tightening of the set screw.
Improved connectors for securing a lead relative to an implantable medical device would be desirable.


An information playback apparatus which can perform scan playback capable of being performed with finer settings. When a unit cycle B and a playback time A within the unit cycle B are specified and the start of the scan playback of playback data recorded in a DVD is specified, playback control data having address information and information of the playback order appended to each piece of data in the smallest basic units of the playback data is read out from the DVD, whereby the scan playback of the playback data is performed by managing the playback time A in every unit cycle B. Also, when access-inhibited data is present within the playback data, the scan playback of playback data is performed except the access-inhibited data.

The present invention relates to an information playback apparatus for reading out and playing back information recorded in an information recording medium, such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a CD (Compact Disc), and an MD (Mini Disc).
The present application claims priority from Japanese Application No.2001-281629, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
Recently, attention is being given to a DVD as an example of a large-capacity information recording medium capable of recording contents, such as long-playing movies and music. Also, an information playback apparatus for reading out and playing back information from the DVD is furnished with multiple functions to enhance the convenience of the user or the like, and for example, there is known a type furnished with a function called xe2x80x9cscan playback.xe2x80x9d
When the user or the like selects the scan playback, the information playback apparatus starts partial playback of the contents (referred to as titles in the case of a DVD), such as a movie recorded in the DVD, by jumping from one portion to another instead of performing continuous playback.
Hence, when the user or the like selects the scan playback, as schematically shown in a block (a) of FIG. 11, data in some portions of a movie or the like is skipped, and as shown in a block (b) of FIG. 11, partial playback is performed by playing back only the data in the remaining portions by jumping from one portion to another, which offers an advantage that the user or the like can have an overview of the movie or the like in a short time.
Incidentally, according the conventional scan playback, when a DVD is played, for example, skipping and partial playback are performed on the basis of a chapter unit or a track unit preset by a producer of the DVD or the like. In other words, because titles, such as a movie, are made up of a set of one or more chapters or tracks, a time length of the skip portions and a time length of partial playback portions are determined in such a manner that they are always natural number times the length of the chapter unit or the track unit.
Hence, there are problems that it is impossible to perform skipping and partial playback in units divided into a shorter time than the chapter unit or the track unit, and further, it is impossible to perform skipping and partial playback for a time length other than natural number times the length of the chapter unit or the tack unit.
To be more concrete, there is a problem as follows. That is, when the pre-set chapter unit or track unit is long, so are the respective skip portions illustrated in the block (a) of FIG. 11 by way of example. Hence, when the scan playback is performed as shown in the block (b) of FIG. 11, since the skip portions are too long, much of the story is missing between the respective playback portions #1 though #n, which poses a problem that the user or the like cannot readily follow the plot from the videos derived from the scan playback.
Also, as illustrated in a block (c) of FIG. 11 by way of example, when all the titles, such as a movie, are recorded in a single chapter, there is a problem that the user or the like cannot practically use the conventional scan playback. In such a case, when the scan playback is performed, no skipping is performed as shown in a block (d) of FIG. 11, and a movie or the like is played from beginning to end as a playback portion. As a result, there is a problem that the substantial advantage of the scan playback cannot be attained.
The present invention has been devised to solve the above conventional problems, and therefore, has an object to provide a more convenient information playback apparatus capable of, for example, setting finer playback portion and skip portion than a chapter unit or a track unit.
In order to achieve the above and other objects, an information playback apparatus of the present invention is an information playback apparatus for playing back playback data recorded in an information recording medium as a set of data in predetermined smallest basic units, including: playback device for playing back playback control data including address information and information of a playback order of all the data in the smallest basic units and recorded in the information recording medium to perform playback control of the playback data, and for playing back the playback data according to the playback control data; and control device for, upon being specified by a playback time for every unit cycle, setting the playback time for every unit cycle as desired playback times to perform playback of the playback data and managing the desired playback times according to the address information, and for controlling the playback device to playback, of all the data in the smallest basic units, only the data corresponding to the desired playback times.
According to the information playback apparatus of the present invention arranged as above, when the user or the like specifies the playback time for every unit cycle, the playback data is divided into unit cycles, and a playback time within each divided unit cycle is set as a desired playback time. Then, of all the playback data, only the data corresponding to the desired playback times is played back based on the playback control data, whereby scan playback can be performed. When scan playback is performed for the playback data made up as a set of data in the smallest basic units, divided times by a unit time and the desired playback times are managed based on the address information of all the data in the smallest basic units, and only the data within the desired playback times is played back seamlessly. In this manner, by performing playback deeming the data in the smallest basic units (which are the basal elements of the playback data) as the subjects of playback, it is possible to realize accurate scan playback. Moreover, it is possible to set non-playback portions and playback portions of so-called titles accurately and freely.
Also, with the information playback apparatus of the present invention, after the data in the smallest basic units corresponding to one of the desired playback times is played back, and when access-inhibited data is present at a start position of a next desired playback time, the control device controls the playback device to continue to perform playback except said access-inhibited data.
According to the above arrangement, in a case where the access-inhibited data is contained in the playback data, after the data in the smallest basic units corresponding to one of the desired playback times defined by the unit cycles is played back and when scan playback is being performed and the access-inhibited data is present at the start position of a next desired playback time, playback is performed by omitting the access-inhibited data from the objects of playback. Consequently, for example, even when the access-inhibited data is set by an edit function of the information recording medium or the like, it is still possible to realize scan playback which does not go against the standard of information recording media by omitting the access-inhibited data from the objects of scan playback.
In addition, with the information playback apparatus of the present invention, when the access-inhibited data is present at the start position of the next desired playback time, the control device controls the playback device to omit the next desired playback time and then to continue to perform playback from a further next desired playback time.
According to the above arrangement, when the access-inhibited data is omitted, the unit cycle itself which contains the access-inhibited data is omitted, so that playback is continued from the next unit cycle, thereby realizing scan playback which does not go against the standard of the information recording media.

Information playback apparatus for playing back data recorded in an information recording medium


A mobile station can be used in both public cellular systems and private cellular systems, the private cellular system using select allocated frequency bands from the public cellular systems. There is disclosed herein a system for manually searching for one of the private cellular systems. The system comprises a memory storing information on select frequency bands. A transmitter and receiver is provided for communicating in the public cellular systems and the private cellular systems. An input initiates a manual search for one of the private cellular systems using the stored information on one of the select frequency bands. A programmed processor is operatively coupled to the memory, the transmitter and receiver and the input for operating the transmitter and receiver to search for the one private cellular system using the one of the select frequency bands.

This invention relates to autonomous private cellular systems operating in public cellular system frequency bands and, more particularly, to a system and method for manually searching for autonomous private systems.
A wireless communication system, in the form of a cellular system, is designed to cover a large geographic area. The system is divided into numerous cells providing air interface between mobile stations and land-based systems. Each cell includes a base station for communicating with mobile stations. These wireless communication systems maintain a set of frequencies that are used for traffic channels and control channels. Frequency planning is necessary in order to determine which of the frequencies should be used at any given time.
Recently, cellular-based system design is used as a foundation for smaller systems, such as private cellular or wireless office systems. These private cellular systems may share the frequency spectrum with the public cellular systems. The private cellular system user must be defined as a normal cellular subscriber in the subscriber database of the public cellular system, and the user""s mobile station must be defined in both the private cellular system and the public cellular system. These are preconditions to enable the mobile station to roam between the public and private cellular system and to perform authentication. It will also be required for the mobile station to find the private cellular system. Use of neighbor cell pointers from the public system to the private system is not desirable, since it will increase the administration of the public system. Instead, a mechanism based on stored information in the terminal is preferred. Such a mechanism is defined in ANSI-136.
A frequency re-plan is usually performed to give more capacity or to improve coverage. Since the public cellular systems have a limited spectrum based on the licensed frequency band, capacity is increased by increasing the number of frequencies in each cell site and/or installing more cell sites. Both methods bring new frequencies in use in the area affected. Since frequencies are re-used, other cell sites frequency use is also affected and they may have to re-tune their transceivers to other frequencies to accommodate the first change. This produces a rippling effect. The private cellular systems monitor the public cellular system and avoid frequencies used nearby in the public cellular systems. A change in the public cellular system""s frequency use thus changes the frequency use of the private cellular systems.
A mobile station will not automatically find an autonomous private cellular system if a frequency re-plan of the control frequency has taken place in either the private or public cellular systems. Also, the first time a mobile station wants to acquire service from a private cellular system, the appropriate parameters, such as the public service profile/private operating frequency (PSP/POF) parameters in the ANSI 136, Rev. A standard are not defined in the mobile station and it will not automatically find the private cellular system.
If the mobile station cannot automatically find the private cellular system, due to, e.g., the stored PSP/POF information is not correct due to a frequency re-plan, then a manual search must be invoked. Presently, the ANSI-136 Rev. A standard outlines a manual search procedure to find a private cellular system. However, the search is limited to the frequency band the mobile station is presently camping on. As a result, autonomous private cellular systems operating on other bands cannot be found. In a publication entitled xe2x80x9cGlobal Operators Forum Implementation Guide: Non-Public Mode Operation in TIA/EIA-136-A Compliant Mobile Stationsxe2x80x9d, Version 4, December 1998, a modified manual search is proposed. In this proposal, the mobile station searches all bands if the private system is not found in the frequency band the mobile station was last camping on. Searching all bands can take more than fifteen minutes, resulting in substantial inconvenience for the end user. A mobile station designed according to ANSI-136 Rev. A can also be configured to find a private cellular system during a power-up scan. However, doing so limits the usage of the intelligent roaming database (IRDB) for public cellular system and provides undesirable behavior, such as long scanning times whenever a power-on is performed in the public cellular system and limited roaming capabilities.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems discussed above in a novel and simple manner.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a unique and more robust manually initiated search procedure for private cellular systems in a mobile station, independent of the frequency band the mobile station was last camping on.
Broadly, there is disclosed herein in a mobile station for use in both public cellular systems and private cellular systems, the private cellular system using select allocated frequency bands from the public cellular systems, a system for manually searching for one of the private cellular systems. The system comprises a memory storing information on select frequency bands. A transmitter and receiver is provided for communicating in the public cellular systems and the private cellular systems. An input initiates a manual search for one of the private cellular systems using the stored information on one of the select frequency bands. A programmed processor is operatively coupled to the memory, the transmitter and receiver and the input for operating the transmitter and receiver to search for the one private cellular system using the one of the select frequency bands.
It is a feature of the invention that the memory stores a directory of the private cellular systems including identification information and a frequency band for each private cellular system. The input selects from the directory of private systems and the programmed processor operates the transmitter and receiver to search for the one of the private cellular systems on the stored frequency band for the selected private cellular system. It is another feature of the invention that the input can be used to update the directory.
It is another feature of the invention that the memory stores plural predefined frequency bands. The input selects from the plural predefined frequency bands and the programmed processor operates the transmitter and receiver to search for the one of the private cellular systems on the selected predefined frequency band for one of the private cellular systems.
It is another feature of the invention that the programmed processor is operated to initially search using strongest control channels found in the selected predefined frequency band.
There is disclosed in accordance with another aspect of the invention the method of operating a mobile station used in both public cellular systems and private cellular systems, the private cellular systems using select allocated frequency bands from the public cellular systems, for manually searching for a private cellular system. The method comprises the steps of storing information on select frequency bands; initiating a manual search for one of the private cellular systems using the stored information on one of the select frequency bands; and operating a transmitter and receiver communicating in the public cellular systems and the private cellular systems to search for the one private cellular system using the one of the select frequency bands.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the specification and from the drawings.

Robust manual search for autonomous private systems


A scroll compressor includes a crankshaft, a suction chamber, a back pressure chamber, a communication path, a back pressure control means, and a base plate. The base plate intermittently connects the communication path by opening and closing an opening on a back pressure chamber side of the communication path. The crankshaft drives an orbiting scroll, and mutually engages a stationary scroll having a whirlpool shape and the orbiting scroll.

A screw compressor of the related art is described for example in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-163655 (Patent Literature 1). This technology of the related art includes: "a non-orbiting scroll member, an orbiting scroll member forming a suction chamber or a compression chamber by orbital motion engaging with the non-orbiting scroll member, a back pressure chamber to apply a pressing force against the non-orbiting scroll member to the scroll member, a back pressure chamber fluid inflow means to flow a fluid into the back pressure chamber to maintain the back pressure serving as the compression chamber pressure, and a back pressure chamber fluid outflow means to flow the inflow fluid into the suction chamber or back pressure chamber. The back pressure fluid outflow means includes in a series arrangement: a back pressure control valve to control the upstream and downstream pressure differential, and a throttle flow path, and an intermittent flow path intermittently connecting by way of the orbital motion of the orbiting scroll member along the back pressure chamber fluid outflow path connecting the back pressure chamber and suction chamber or compression chamber.

Scroll compressor having a back pressure control valve for opening and closing a communication path in a stationary scroll