The invention relates to an isolated antigenic polypeptide comprising an epitope for binding an MCM2 monoclonal antibody, wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) the amino acid as shown in FIG. 1; and (b) the amino acid sequence wherein said sequence is a variant polypeptide modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one amino acid residue as represented in FIG. 1.

Cancer is an abnormal disease state in which uncontrolled proliferation of one or more cell populations interferes with normal biological function. The proliferative changes are usually accompanied by other changes in cellular properties, including reversion to a less organised state. Cancer cells are typically referred to as "transformed". Transformed cells generally display several of the following properties: spherical morphology, expression of foetal antigens, growth-factor independence, lack of contact inhibition, anchorage-independence, and growth to high density. Cancer cells form tumours and are referred to as "primary" or "secondary" tumours. A primary tumour results in cancer cell growth in an organ in which the original transformed cell develops. A secondary tumour results from the escape of a cancer cell from a primary tumour and the establishment of a secondary tumour in another organ. The process is referred to as metastasis and this process may be aggressive, for example as in the case of hepatoma or lung cancer.
Previous studies have identified minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCM) as key regulators in the cell cycling process of epithelial tissue (see WO99/21014 and Gonzalez et al; Nature Reviews/Cancer, Vol 5: pp 135-141, February 2005). MCMs were identified as useful biomarkers of "cell cycle state", i.e. whether a cell is capable of proliferating rather than being quiescent or senescent. Expression of all 6 MCMs (MCM2-7) is seen throughout all phases of the cell cycle and is down regulated following exit from the cell cycle into quiescence, differentiation or senescence. A monoclonal antibody to an MCM such as MCM2 is known to have utility in the diagnosis of some cancers such as cervical cancer (WO2006/116442) prostate (WO2009/156711) and bladder (WO2012/093251) cancer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a novel and effective monoclonal antibodies capable of specifically binding to MCM2.


A substantially entirely fibrous ceramic which may have dual porosity of both micro and macro pores. Total porosity may be 60-75% by volume. A method of spraying a slurry perpendicularly to an ambient stream of air is disclosed along with a method of removing binders without altering the fiber morphology. Adding fine ceramic particulates to the green ceramic fibers enhances the sintering characteristics of the fibers.

This invention relates to a process for producing ceramic fibers and structures made with materials produced thereby.
Ceramic fibers have a variety of industrial uses including bioceramics such as bone implants, composite materials useful to enhance the high temperature properties of metals such as aluminum, catalysts, battery separators such as electrolyte supports, high temperature gas filters where porous structures are required to withstand high temperatures and in molten carbonate fuel cells.
Ceramic compositions having chemical stability and electronic conductivity at temperatures in the range of from about 500.degree. C. to about 700.degree. C. are important in the molten carbonate fuel cell. Molten carbonate fuel cells include an anode such as porous nickel, a cathode such as the porous materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,567 issued Jan. 14, 1986 to Kucera and Smith, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, and an electrolyte such as combinations of lithium carbonate, potassium carbonate with lithium aluminum oxide particles.
Particularly useful in molten carbonate fuel cells are porous ceramic structures wherein the porous ceramic has a dual porosity. That is the ceramic has both large or macropores and small or micropores. The micropores are used to store electrolyte whereas the macropores are used to permit flow of gases through the cell. In such a ceramic for an electrode, it is desired that the micropores be present in a range of from submicron in size to no greater than about 5 microns. The macropores are preferably in the size range of from about 10 microns to about 150 microns. The macro porosity has been obtained in the prior art with the use of pore formers as shown in the patent in Swarr et al. issued Mar. 24, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,411. In the Swarr patent, spherical agglomerates were produced and spray dryed in air at elevated temperatures. Because spherical agglomerates can pack more closely than fibrous agglomerates, the Swarr et al. method required the use of pore formers in order to provide the required macro porosity for use in a molten carbonate fuel cell. Pore formers are disadvantageous because they may leave residue and they do not always result in interconnected pores adequate for conducting gases through the structure.
Heretofore, ceramic fibrous materials have not been made without inclusion of a substantial majority of particulates. For instance, Paul A. Lessing reported in the paper entitled "High Temperature Fuel Cell Research And Development" published May, 1980, by The Montana Energy and MHD Research and Development Institute, Inc., a fibrous ceramic material. However, upon later testing by Professor R.E. Tressler, his photomicrographs show that the material was only 10% or less fibrous and the balance being bonded particulate material of random agglomerates. The present invention reverses the ratios, resulting in material which is more than 95% fibrous, that is substantially entirely fibrous.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method of making ceramic fibers and the various products produced thereby.
Another object of the invention is to develop ceramic compositions useful in forming electrodes for molten carbonate fuel cells and particularly cathodes requiring dual porosity.

Fabrication of dual porosity electrode structure

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


Disclosed and claimed herein are spiral torsion springs, non-linear torsion springs, and non-linear torsion spring assemblies. These devices are useful in damping applications, orthotic joint applications and servo control applications.

A torsion spring is a type of spring that stores mechanical energy when a twisting force (torsion) is applied. These include torsion bars where the torsion is resisted by shear stresses, and spiral torsion springs wherein the torsion is resisted by bending stresses about the axis of their curvature. A spiral torsion spring has a coil portion with one or more coils usually forming a generally circular annulus with a coil axis and a transverse diameter generally perpendicular to the coil axis. When a torque is applied to a spiral torsion spring, an angular displacement between the first and second loading points is created, the coil deflects, and the material from which it is made is placed under stress. Spiral torsion springs may form a helix; a spiral; be flat, conical, spherical or volute in shape; or be less than a full coil; and are differentiated from compression and extensions springs by their application in resisting torsion.
A torsion spring can be linear or non-linear. In a linear torsion spring, the applied torque is directly proportional to the angular displacement via an unchanging variable called the spring rate. That is, the ratio between applied torque and angular displacement is constant. In a non-linear torsion spring, the applied torque and angular displacement are not proportional. There are two types of non-linear torsion springs, hardening and softening. In a hardening torsion spring, the ratio between applied torque and angular displacement grows such that with the application of an additional degree increase in angular displacement, more additional torque will be required than would be required for a linear spring. For example, in the simplest hardening spring, the ratio between applied torque and angular displacement equals k1+k2·Θ where k1 and k2 are constants and Θ is the angular displacement. In a softening torsion spring, the amount of applied torque grows less than linearly.
Some systems provide a torsion spring having a series of holes along the spring axis that can be fixed to an end plate used to apply torque to the spring. This scheme allows a one-time adjustment of the length of the spring and thus its effective spring rate. While useful for matching the torque range to a particular application, the spring's applied torque is still directly proportional to the angular displacement because the spring's length does not change with applied torque.
Torsion springs are useful in a wide variety of applications including supplying power to mechanical devices such as clocks and toys, absorbing shock during motor startup and the like. While most torsion spring applications employ linear torsion springs, non-linear torsion springs are more suitable for some applications. For example, compound hunting bows, truck suspensions, and positioning applications in conjunction with servo controls where avoiding mechanical overshoot is desired, benefit through the non-linear properties while linear torsion springs generally do not help address the mechanical deficiencies.
Torsion springs provide for a relationship between torque and angular displacement. They can be used to simulate the relationship between torque and angular displacement of an existing mechanical system. Linear torsion springs can only replicate systems whose relationships are linear, while systems whose relationships are non-linear can only be replicated by non-linear torsion springs. As an example, a truck suspension employing a non-linear torsion spring is replicating an alternative system of compression springs, dampers, and linkages. Another system that has a non-linear relationship between torque and angular displacement is the human knee during ambulation with the torque provided by the quadriceps. In persons with deficient quadriceps, ambulation becomes difficult or impossible due to an inability to provide the necessary torque at sharper knee angles (larger angular displacements). Therefore, there exists a need for a system that can provide the non-linear relationship between torque and angular displacement of the human knee during ambulation. Further, there exists a need for a means of providing the non-linear relationship between torque and angle of the human knee during ambulation to those whose quadriceps are unable to provide that relationship.


An endoscope in which moving and still picture image pickup operations are alternatively carried out, and a light source emits either a continuous light or a pulsed light in the moving or still picture image pickup operations, a detector detects illuminances of moving and still picture images in the moving and still picture image pickup operations to obtain an illuminance ratio between the moving and still picture images, and the illuminance ratio is adjusted to a certain value by an adjuster on the basis of the illuminance ratio detected by the detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope including a device for adjusting an illuminance ratio between moving and still picture images.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a conventional endoscope, when picture images are picked up by using continuous light, reproduced picture images are blurred by a freezing operation, and the resolving power of the reproduced picture images is extremely reduced. In order to solve this problem, a pulsed light is used in the freezing operation. That is, in this case, when a moving picture image pickup is carried out, continuous lighting is performed by applying a DC current to a light source, and a time width of one frame is coincident with a radiation time width of the same. In turn, when a still picture image pickup is carried out in response to a freezing operation, a light pulse extending over the boundary between adjacent odd and even fields is emitted by a light source every one frame.
In this case, when the moving and still picture images are picked up and the illuminance of the moving picture image is equal to that of the still picture image, there is no difference in brightness between the moving and still picture images on a display, and thus it is very convenient and easy for an operator to observe the displayed picture images.
In order to adjust the luminous energy or illuminance ratio between the moving and still picture images to be the same or close to each other, one of predetermined values of a tube current to be applied to a lighting tube such as a xenon lamp of a light source is elected to change the light intensity of the light source. That is, in this case, the light intensity of the light source during pickup of the moving picture image is determined by selecting one of the fixed tube current values.
However, after the lighting tube of the light source has been used for a long period of time, its light output becomes gradually lowered, and thus a change arises in the light intensity ratio initially determined at an entrance end of a light guide of a scope between the continuous DC current lighting for picking up the moving picture image and the pulsed lighting for picking up the still picture image in the light source. Hence, a change in brightness between the moving and still picture images appears on the monitor, and the difference in brightness between the moving and still picture images is gradually increased.

Endoscope having illuminance ratio adjusting device between moving and still picture images


An image forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a font cache storage portion and a first determination portion. The font cache storage portion is configured to store a character image by an LRU method. The first determination portion is configured to determine whether to store the character image at a position of a head of the font cache storage portion, on the basis of a used state of the character image.

The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus having a cache memory area (hereinafter, referred to as "font cache") in which bitmap graphics of character fonts are stored.
A typical image forming apparatus that is a printer, a multifunctional printer, multifunctional peripheral equipment, or an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) such as a multifunction machine or the like prints print data received from a PC (personal computer) or print data generated on the basis of document data of a read document from a reader, on a paper sheet or the like, thereby performing output (printout). The typical image forming apparatus converts a character font of the print data to bitmap graphics (raster-format data) and performs imaging (hereinafter, referred to as "rasterization"). However, when rasterization is performed each time a character font is converted to bitmap graphics, the processing takes much time. Thus, the typical image forming apparatus has a font cache, and bitmap graphics (hereinafter, referred to as "character images") of character fonts are stored in the font cache. If a character image corresponding to a character font of print data has been stored in the font cache, it is possible to take out the character image from the font cache. Only if the corresponding character image has not been stored in the font cache, rasterization of the character font is performed. As described above, in the typical image forming apparatus having a font cache, storing of frequently-used character images in the font cache reduces the processing time in rasterization of a character font and allows for high-speed printout.
Such widespread use of a font cache in an image forming apparatus allows for high-speed printing. For example, a printer has been known in which: when print data is inputted from an external information processing apparatus, it is determined whether the print data falls within a character pattern formation range; and if the print data falls within the character pattern formation range and a character pattern of the print data has not been formed, the character pattern is formed and stored, and the same character pattern is prevented from being formed again, thereby increasing a printing speed. In addition, a printer has been known in which after data of a certain unit (e.g., 1 page) is received, it is checked how many times each font data is used in the page, and it is determined whether to create a cache/font, on the basis of the frequency of use, whereby it is possible to effectively create a cache/font. Moreover, a controller or a method has been known in which a buffer for LRU (Least Recently Used) delay processing is provided, update of a font cache is delayed, and deletion of a character pattern that is possibly used again in the near future is prevented, thereby improving printing performance.


There is described herein the use of mirtazapine in methods for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, autoimmune disease, and PBC.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a prototypic autoimmune disease, characterized by immune-mediated destruction of small bile ducts within the liver1. This immune attack, mainly mediated by activated T cells, contributes to hepatocyte injury and the slowly progressive development of liver fibrosis1. The bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has been the only available therapy for PBC for over two decades. Unfortunately, 30% to 40% of patients with PBC do not fully respond to UDCA and are at risk of progressing to cirrhosis, liver failure, and death2.

Use of mirtazapine in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, autoimmune disease and PBC


In a telecommunication system, a gateway receives a first burst packet and a second burst packet, both encoded with a unique word associated with a color, a value, and an associated time slot. The gateway associates the second burst packet to the first burst packet based on the color and value associated with the unique word used to encode the second burst packet and a received time slot at which the second burst packet is received. A terminal generates the burst packets by generating the first burst packet with a group header and the second burst packet without the group header, encoding the first burst packet and the second burst packet with the unique word, and transmitting the encoded first burst packet and the encoded second burst packet to the gateway.

Wireless communication protocols include Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Scramble Code Multiple Access (SCMA). TDMA generally allows multiple terminals to communicate with a receiver at a particular frequency but at different times to avoid or minimize interference. CDMA generally allows multiple terminals to communicate with a receiver over a single channel using a spread-spectrum technique and coding scheme. SCMA involves allowing different terminals, sharing a bandwidth, to communicate with a receiver by using specific scrambling sequences.


A muffler for enhanced arc protection is described. In the case of an internal arc event in an electrical enclosure, the muffler exhausts arc gas and plasma parallel to the enclosure surface, instead of directly forward where persons may be located. The muffler includes perforated plates and baffle plates in its interior space. The perforated plates have offset perforation patterns from one another, and the baffle plates are provided on opposing walls, causing the plasma and gas to make multiple directional changes. The perforated plates also filter the arc gas and plasma. These directional changes and filtering result in an energy reduction from the exhaust, which provides an increased margin of safety. In addition, the muffler provides an adequate level of ventilation in the enclosure, thus keeping the components cool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a muffler for electrical equipment enclosures, and in particular, to a muffler for enhanced arc protection configured to exhaust arc gas and plasma away from electrical equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Switchgear enclosures are commonly employed in electrical power distribution systems for enclosing circuit breakers and other switching equipment associated with the distribution system. Typically, switchgear enclosures are comprised of a number of individual stacked or adjacent compartments, and receive electrical power from a power source and distribute the electrical power through one or more feeder circuits to one or more loads. Switchgear enclosures typically include circuit protection devices for interrupting electric power in a particular feeder circuit in response to hazardous current overloads in the circuit. A circuit protection device in electrical equipment can be a circuit breaker, fuse and switch combination, contactor and fuse combination or any other device intended to break or protect the load or secondary side of a circuit.
Switchgear or switchgear cabinet is a general term for an electrical enclosure encompassing switching and interrupting devices and their combination with associated control, instruments, metering, protective and regulating devices, and assemblies of these devices with associated interconnections, accessories, and supporting structures used primarily in connection with the generation, transmission, distribution, and conversion of electric power. Switchgear characteristics are described in ANSI/IEEE (American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Standard No. C37.20.1, C37.20.2, C37.20.3-1999. However, embodiments of the present invention can be used in many other types of electrical equipment where arc resistance is required.
The specified temperature limits applicable to switchgear assemblies are given in the above referenced standards. The rated continuous current of metal-enclosed (ME) switchgear is the maximum current that can be carried continuously by the primary circuit components, including buses and connections, without producing a temperature in excess of specified limits for any primary or secondary circuit component, any insulating medium, or any structural or enclosing member. The continuous current ratings of the main bus in ME switchgear are also defined by the above referenced standards. The short-time current ratings of the individual circuit-breaker compartments of ME switchgear are equal to the short-time ratings of the switching and protective devices used, or the short-time rating of the current transformers (see ANSI/IEEE C57.13-1993).
In addition to current overloads, switchgear enclosures may encounter other hazardous conditions known as arcing faults. Arcing faults occur when electric current "arcs," flowing through ionized gas between conductors, such as between two ends of broken or damaged conductors, or between a conductor and ground in a switchgear enclosure. Arcing faults typically result from corroded, worn or aged wiring or insulation, loose connections and electrical stress caused by repeated overloading, lightning strikes, etc. During an internal arc event in an electrical enclosure, conductors and surrounding material are vaporized and converted to plasma and arc gas. The massive rate of expansion of the plasma and arc gas generates high pressure inside the equipment. As a result of the high pressures generated, the door/cover, hinges and latching means are placed under significant stress. If the door/cover, hinges and latching means should yield and deform, personnel outside the equipment would be exposed to dangerous levels of energy. In other words, the ionized gases associated with arcing faults may be released at pressures and temperatures sufficient to damage the switchgear equipment and cause deadly harm to anyone in close proximity.
Presently, the most commonly employed method for enhancing the durability of switchgear enclosures in the event of arcing faults is to provide arc-resistant switchgear that meets switchgear standards, with a means for venting the gases from the compartment in which an arcing fault occurs. These compartments are designed to withstand the pressures and temperatures of the gases associated with an arcing fault and reduce the likelihood or extent of damage to the switchgear. This control of the explosion exhaust is what provides the increased safety to personnel working around the equipment. In some instances, electrical equipment contains components that require external ventilation openings in the equipment enclosure. During an arc event in such an enclosure, the ventilation openings provide a means for the dangerous energy to propagate outside the equipment, and could provide exposure to personnel standing in front of the equipment.


A hydropneumatic suspension system having the characteristic of being able to vary at will, and independently of each other, the rigidity of the sustaining and load-adaptation means of each vehicle wheel, consisting of a series of sensors for measuring the dynamic attitude of the vehicle connected to a central electronic control unit, and respective hydraulic dampers of adjustable internal pressure, which support the wheels and are connected to respective hydropneumatic service accumulators the internal pressure of which is controlled by solenoid valves controlled by the central control unit; hydraulic energy can be supplied to the accumulators by, for example, the servo-steering system pump via a common main accumulator. (FIG. 1).

This invention relates to an intelligent hydropneumatic suspension system of variable attitude for a vehicle, which limits the vehicle pitch and roll in the case of sudden manoeuvres such as strong acceleration or deceleration or taking bends at high speed, and controls vertical forces if separation from the ground takes place.
It is known to control the attitude of a motor vehicle by self-levelling suspension systems able to keep the vehicle in a constant or predetermined spatial attitude as the loads (both static and dynamic) which act on it vary, for example so as to prevent or as far as possible limit any variation in the longitudinal attitude of the vehicle as the weight (due to both luggage and passengers) acting on its rear axle varies, and likewise limit any vehicle pitching or rolling during sudden manoeuvres such as sudden acceleration or deceleration, or the taking of bends at high speed.
The most efficient suspension system is that based on so-called "active hydrualic syspensions" which vary their attitutde in real time as the vehicle attitude varies. Such suspensions are however relatively complicated, require the use of special actuators, are of high energy consumption and in general are of costly construction. As an alternative it is known to use so-called "slow active" pneumatic suspensions which are much simpler and less costly to construct. This latter suspension system has however, the drawback of a relatively long response time, so that even if it is able to ensure self-levelling of the vehicle as the static loads (represented by the luggage and passengers) acting on it vary, it is not totally able to prevent phenomena such as vehicle rolling or pitching during sudden manoeuvres.

Hydropneumatic vehicle suspension system of variable attitude


The present invention relates to a radar apparatus that forms multiple digital beams based on reflected waves of a transmitted radio wave. A transmit signal is transmitted in a predetermined cycle from one of transmitting/receiving antennas A1 to A4 arrayed in a row. The antennas A1 to A4, each switched between transmission and reception, are arranged such that the ratio of the spacing between one pair of adjacent antennas to the spacing between the other pair of adjacent antennas is 1:2. The reflected waves are received by the respective antennas, and DBF is performed based on the resulting received signals. Eleven-channel DBF is achieved using the four antennas with a space equivalent to six antennas. By achieving multiple channels with a minimum number of antennas, the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced while also reducing the processing time and thus enhancing the performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radar apparatus that uses a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FW-CW) as a transmit wave and, more particularly, to a radar apparatus that performs scanning for receiving reflected waves of a transmitted radiowave by digital beam forming (DBF).
2. Description of the Related Art
Various radar apparatuses, of a type that performs scanning on receive by using DBF, have been developed and are known in the prior art. Generally, the basic configuration of this type of radar apparatus employs a single transmitting antenna and a plurality of receiving antennas, and a radiowave is transmitted from the transmitting antenna and reflected waves of the transmitted radiowave are received by the plurality of antennas.
The present invention relates to a radar apparatus that uses a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FW-CW) as a transmit wave and, more particularly, to a radar apparatus that performs scanning for receiving reflected waves of a transmitted radio wave by digital beam forming (DBF).
To solve the above problem, radar apparatuses that achieve size and weight reductions are proposed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. S63-256879, H11-311668, and H11-160423. Such radar apparatuses are constructed so that a plurality of receiving antennas are connected to a single receiver via a switch. Alternatively, a plurality of receiving antennas are divided into several groups, that is, a receiving antenna array comprising a large number of receiving antennas is divided into subarrays each with four receiving antennas, for example, and one receiver is provided for each subarray of four receiving antennas, the four receiving antennas being connected to the receiver via a switch. When receiving reflected waves of a transmitted radiowave, the plurality of antennas are sequentially switched for connection to the receiver. In this way, radar signals received at the respective receiving antennas can be obtained in a time-division fashion.
Various radar apparatuses, of a type that performs scanning on receive by using DBF, have been developed and are known in the prior art. Generally, the basic configuration of this type of radar apparatus employs a single transmitting antenna and a plurality of receiving antennas, and a radio wave is transmitted from the transmitting antenna and reflected waves of the transmitted radio wave are received by the plurality of antennas.
Here, the radiowave used by the radar apparatus is a radiowave in a high-frequency band such as a 76-GHz band. Accordingly, the signals handled in the transmission paths from the receiving antennas to the receiver are also high-frequency band signals. The number of inputs on a switch that can switch such high-frequency signals is generally two or three.
To solve the above problem, radar apparatuses that achieve size and weight reductions are proposed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. S63-256879, H11-311668, and H11-160423. Such radar apparatuses are constructed so that a plurality of receiving antennas are connected to a single receiver via a switch. Alternatively, a plurality of receiving antennas are divided into several groups, that is, a receiving antenna array comprising a large number of receiving antennas is divided into subarrays each with four receiving antennas, for example, and one receiver is provided for each subarray of four receiving antennas, the four receiving antennas being connected to the receiver via a switch. When receiving reflected waves of a transmitted radio wave, the plurality of antennas are sequentially switched for connection to the receiver. In this way, radar signals received at the respective receiving antennas can be obtained in a time-division fashion.
However, when the switches are connected in multiple stages, signal attenuation increases as the signal passes through each switch, and hence the problem that, as the number of stages of switches is increased to reduce the number of receivers, reception sensitivity decreases, appears.
Here, the radio wave used by the radar apparatus is a radio wave in a high-frequency band such as a 76-GHz band. Accordingly, the signals handled in the transmission paths from the receiving antennas to the receiver are also high-frequency band signals. The number of inputs on a switch that can switch such high-frequency signals is generally two or three.
This radar apparatus comprises four transmitting antennas A1 to A3 and two receiving antennas A4 and A5 arranged in a straight line on the same plane, the total number of antennas being smaller than that in any of the prior known radar apparatuses. It is claimed that this radar apparatus configuration makes the fabrication of the radar apparatus easier, can reduce the cost and, in applications such as automotive radar, can make the overall shape of the radar suitable for mounting on a vehicle.
According to the above radar apparatus, the attenuation of received signals due to switches can be reduced, and a number of channels larger than the number of antennas can be achieved with fewer antennas. According to the above radar apparatus, more channels can be achieved in DBF than there are antennas and, to obtain a narrower beam of higher directivity and, for example, to achieve nine channels, the number of antennas can be reduced to six, compared with 10 required in the prior art configuration, but when the antennas are mounted to construct the radar apparatus, as the antennas are arrayed in a single row, the six antennas require a mounting space equivalent to ten antennas.
On the other hand, when such a radar apparatus is mounted as an electronic apparatus, for example, on an automobile or the like, the position where it can be mounted so as to transmit the radiowave forward is limited, and the available mounting space is quite restricted. The radar apparatus used in such an environment must be made as small as possible. Accordingly, while the number of antennas can be reduced, the above radar apparatus still leaves much to be desired when it comes to size reduction. Furthermore, from the standpoint of vehicle driving safety, it is desired to further increase the performance of the radar apparatus for recognizing targets ahead of the vehicle, and it is also desired to reduce the cost of the apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a radar apparatus that can achieve a size reduction, a performance increase, and a cost reduction while achieving multiple channels, by minimizing the number of antennas necessary to perform scanning by digital beam forming (DBF) for reception of the reflected waves of a transmitted radiowave, and that can also achieve enhancements in the speed and accuracy of azimuth detection.


A method and the apparatus of defect areas management includes the steps as following: reading a defect area table in a random access memory; if the area is readable, then read the area. If the area is not accessible, then label and add one count in the defect area table of inability to read of the defect area, and else if the count of inability to read of the defect area is more than a predetermined value, then the defect area is defined as the area of being not to be read again. Then the defect area of being not to be read again is skipped and not to be read the next time in order to decrease the total access time.

A storage medium is quite accurate and fragile, where the record areas and marks may be easily damaged and then the information written or read therein may be influenced and defective due to the falling dust, the scratches and even an improper writing thereto. Typically, upon receiving a reading command from a host, the reading device may accordingly start to seek through the storage medium for the area address to be read, and then decode the information of the area address, so as to execute the reading command.
Regarding the reading method disclosed in the Japan Pat. Pub. No. 11-7706, when the defect areas are found during a data reading operation, the defect areas skipping technique will be performed. The respective defect areas of the storage medium will be skipped and not be read until all of the normal areas are read. In this case, the normal areas would be read first, whereby the access time would be decreased. In the previous technology, the situation, which defect areas could be neglected in the first searching, can not be avoided. Thus, it needs to execute a second searching for the defect areas, this still results in time consumption.
Further schemes for reading the defect data written in the storage medium are also developed in this technology. For instance, the host may require the reading device of the storage medium to keep on seeking for the address of a target area, or to suspend the seeking while there is an error existing in seeking for the address of the area or in decoding the data written therein. In the case that the host requires the reading device to keep on seeking for the address, it would take the reading device extra time to seek for the respective addresses of all areas in the storage medium again, which is followed by a decoding operation. Moreover, if there is still an error existing in the decoded data, the host may require the reading device to re-seek for the address, and then the decoding operation is also re-performed. Consequently, the whole system may keep on and thus take much time to perform the cycle of address seeking and data decoding. Even though the host requires the reading device to suspend the seeking of the defect areas or erroneously decoded area upon the present reading, the defect areas as well as the erroneously decoded area will still to be read the next time. Therefore, the above-stated method also fails to decrease the total access time for the storage medium.
As for the data decoding for the audio and/or video medium, it is more important to enhance the continuity of signal displaying and the decoding efficiency, rather than reading out the data written in defect areas. Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved method and apparatus for decreasing the time consumed in seeking for the defect areas and for increasing the efficiency of reading the data written in the storage medium.

Method and apparatus of defect areas management


A multi input multi output (MIMO) receiver for receiving signals having a synchronization (SYNC) module being responsive to a plurality of received baseband signals for processing the same to generate maximum ratio combining (MRC) parameters, complementary code keying (CCK) modulated signals and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulated signals, said SYNC module for using said MRC parameters to process said OFDM modulated signals to generate a plurality of aligned OFDM signals in time domain, said MIMO receiver for processing said plurality of aligned OFDM signals to generate a plurality of subcarriers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The MIMO receiver further including a time domain CCK MRC module being responsive to said MRC parameters for processing said CCK modulated signals in time domain to generate aligned signals, said aligned signals being combined to generate an adjusted signal for demodulation. The MIMO receiver further including a frequency domain OFDM MRC module being responsive to said plurality of said subcarriers for combining the same in the frequency domain to generate an equalized response for demodulation, wherein said MIMO receiver for processing said CCK modulated signals in the time domain and said OFDM modulated signals in the frequency domain to improve the reception of said plurality of received baseband signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of multi input multi output receivers and particularly to a method and apparatus for using maximum ratio combining receiver architectures for processing time and frequency domain signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As computers have gained enormous popularity in recent decades, so have networking the same allowing for access of files by one computer from another. More recently and with the advent of wireless communication, remote and wireless networking of computers is gaining more and more notoriety among personal users, small and large business owners, factory facilities and the like.
With regard to the wireless networking of personal computers including laptops, a particular modem, namely modems adapted to the IEEE 802.11a or 802.11g industry standard, are commonly employed. That is, an antenna is placed inside or nearby the personal computer and an RF chip receives signal or data through the antenna and an analog-to-digital converter, typically located within the personal computer (PC), converts the received signal to baseband range. Thereafter, a baseband processor is employed to process and decode the received signal to the point of extracting raw data, which may be files transferred remotely and wireless, from another PC or similar equipment with the use of a transmitter within the transmitting PC.
There are several prior art apparatus and techniques for implementing 802.11a/g modem receivers, however, such prior art have not successfully utilized the fullest potential of the 802.11a/g modem. For example, the maximum rate of this type of modem device is 54 Mbits/sec, but in the presence of multi-path channel, use of current prior art methods and apparatus does not allow for reception of data at such rates. In fact, successful reception of data under multi-path channel conditions currently takes place at lower rates or may fail altogether.
To improve reception of data at higher rates wireless receivers often employ multiple antennae. In the design of multi input multi output (MIMO) transceivers new technical challenges such as the requirement to combine multiple channels emerge. Conventional 802.11g compliant receivers decode data modulated in both the time (complementary code keying (CCK)) and frequency domains (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)).
Conventional approaches to multi antennae receiver designs include maximum antenna approach wherein the antenna with maximum received signal power is chosen for reception. Other conventional approaches include an all time domain design which is a stand-alone module but does not allow the advantage of frequency domain combining that is more suitable for OFDM processing. The all time domain design also has the disadvantage of having a costly implementation in terms of silicon die area. Moreover, a design restricted to frequency domain, which benefits OFDM reception, does not necessarily improve the CCK receiving portion of the receiver. Thus, it is desirable to develop a method and apparatus for multi antennae receivers that offers improved performance over the conventional designs without incurring substantially higher costs.

Joint time/frequency domain maximum ratio combining architectures for multi input multi output wireless receivers


Cracking in a thermoelectric element made of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy is suppressed. A p-type thermoelectric element includes: a p-type thermoelectric conversion layer made of an alloy having a filled-skutterudite structure containing antimony; a p-side first metal layer that contains titanium simple substances and iron simple substances, and is laminated on the p-type thermoelectric conversion layer; and a p-side second metal layer that contains titanium simple substances, and is laminated on the p-side first metal layer.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric element, a thermoelectric module and a method of manufacturing the thermoelectric element.
Related Art
A thermoelectric element including a thermoelectric conversion layer made of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy and a thermoelectric module using such a thermoelectric element are known.
As a conventional art, in a thermoelectric element including a thermoelectric conversion layer made of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy, there is a technique in which titanium layers are provided on both end surfaces of the thermoelectric element for suppressing diffusion of elements at a joint portion between the thermoelectric element and an electrode (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-309294).
By the way, a coefficient of linear expansion of titanium has a tendency to be largely different from a coefficient of linear expansion of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy. For this reason, in a thermoelectric element in which a thermoelectric conversion layer made of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy and a diffusion suppressing layer made of titanium are directly laminated, there are some cases in which cracking or peeling occurs due to a difference between amounts of coefficient of linear expansion of respective layers.
An object of the present invention is to suppress cracking in a thermoelectric element including a thermoelectric conversion layer made of a filled-skutterudite-type alloy.

Thermoelectric element, thermoelectric module and method of manufacturing thermoelectric element


A woven information bearing device comprising a plurality of woven elements arranged to define a woven information bearing pattern, wherein the woven elements include N woven information bearing elements, N being an integer number; and wherein said N woven information bearing elements define N or more than N data elements.

Woven information bearing devices are widely in shoes, clothing and apparel products. Woven information bearing devices are information bearing devices in which data or information are embedded in woven elements. Common examples of woven information bearing devices include woven tags having woven barcodes and woven QR® codes. While woven information bearing devices are useful, known information bearing devices are not entirely adequate to meet modern day requirements. These woven information bearing devices are woven to accommodate the characteristics of popular printed code patterns and the data storage of these woven information bearing devices is not optimized.


Electron multipliers, radiation detectors, and methods of making the multipliers and detectors are described. In some embodiments an electron multiplier has a structure including a plurality of interconnected fibers having electron-emissive surfaces, the fibers having a width to thickness aspect ratio greater than one.

An electron multiplier can be formed by bonding a perforated or porous plate, e.g., a lead glass plate, between an input electrode and an output electrode, and providing a high voltage direct current (DC) field between the electrodes. When incident particles, such as electrons, ions, or photons, strike the input electrode and collide against glass surfaces within the plate, electrons, sometimes called "secondary electrons", are produced. The secondary electrons are accelerated by the DC field toward the output electrode, and collide against other surfaces within the plate to produce more secondary electrons, which can in turn produce more electrons as they accelerate through the plate. As a result, an electron cascade or avalanche can be produced as the secondary electrons accelerate through the plate and collide against more surfaces, with each collision capable of increasing the number of secondary electrons. A relatively strong electron pulse can be detected at an output face.
Electron multipliers commonly include two types of plates: microchannel plates (MCPs) and microsphere plates (MSPs). Microchannel plates (MCPs) typically include a glass plate perforated with a regular, parallel array of microscopic channels, e.g., cylindrical and hollow channels. Each channel, which can serve as an independent electron multiplier, has an inner wall surface formed of a semi-conductive and electron emissive layer. As incident particles enter a channel and collide against the wall surface to produce secondary electrons, a cascade of electrons can be formed as the secondary electrons accelerate along the channel (due to the DC field), and collide against the wall surface farther along the channel, thereby increasing the number of secondary electrons.
Microsphere plates (MSPs) typically include a glass plate formed of microscopic glass spheres that have semi-conductive and electron emissive surfaces. The spheres are packed and bonded together, e.g., by compression and sintering. As incident particles collide against the surfaces of the spheres to form secondary electrons, a cascade of electrons can be formed as the secondary electrons accelerate through the interstices defined by the spheres and collide against the surfaces of other spheres.

Electron multipliers and radiation detectors


Aspects of the invention relate to a novel mesenchymal stem cell line (hb-MSC), a culture medium conditioned by the hb-MSC line, and various hb-MSC compositions. The hb-MSC composition may include a plurality of hb-MSCs, an hb-MSC conditioned medium, or a combination thereof. The hb-MSC composition may also include an appropriate carrier. Also described are methods of use for the hb-MSC cells, the conditioned medium and compositions thereof.

Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are multipotent stromal cells that have potential to differentiate into mesenchymal cell types, e.g. adipocytes, chondrocytes and osteocytes. MSCs have a great capacity for self-renewal while maintaining their multipotency. Bone marrow MSCs are currently being applied in clinical trials for a variety of treatments. Procedures for isolating, purifying, and replicating MSCs in culture are well known in the art.
MSCs can be cultured using beads, in monolayer (i.e. two-dimensions) or three-dimensional systems. These standard methods enable the growth of MSCs in conditions closely resembling their physiological environments. It has been documented that MSC behavior can vary between in vivo and in vitro settings. The differences between varying MSC lines have typically been attributed to differences in isolation techniques and in vitro culture conditions. For example, variation in growth conditions can impact cell behavior in vitro, including impacting the expression of cell surface markers. The expression of specific markers on the surfaces of cells can be used to differentiate between varying cell lines or to confirm the lineage of the cell line.
All cells (including MSCs) produce biological products during culture. For example, MCS's are known to produce over 200 unique proteins during culture. The specific biological products produced by MSCs during culture can be used to characterize and distinguish between various MSCs. However, even when MSCs from the same source are used, differences in isolation techniques and in vitro culture conditions can impact and change the production of secreted biological products. Of course, it is also known that deviations from the ideal cell growth conditions can lead to senescence and loss of culture.

Stem cell material and method of manufacturing


A micro electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device comprises a suspended thin film microstructure which includes an anchoring portion adhered to the top surface of the substrate and a suspended portion above the top surface of the substrate. Having a base plane configured in parallel to the substrate, the suspended portion further includes a first recess portion spaced at a first vertical clearance with the substrate, the first vertical clearance being configured differentially smaller than a base clearance of the suspended portion outside the first recess portion. The method for processing a MEMS device includes: depositing a first carbon film, etch-removing a first sacrificial pre-removal portion and an anchor portion of the first carbon film, depositing a second carbon film conformally topping the first carbon film and the substrate, etch-removing the anchor portion of the second carbon film, depositing and patterning the suspended thin film microstructure onto the first carbon film, the second carbon film and the substrate, removing the first carbon film and the second carbon film to release the suspended thin film microstructure above the substrate by selective gaseous oxidation or nitridation preferably enhanced via plasma.

MEMS includes integrated micro devices, such as mechanical, optical and thermal sensing components, formed on a substrate made of a single or composite layers of solid state materials. The MEMS is fabricated by using the state-of-art wafer batch processing techniques to form those micro devices, sized from nanometers to millimeters, on a solid state substrate, such as on a silicon wafer. Those MEMS devices are operating for sensing, controlling, and actuating various mechanical, optical or chemical functions on a micro scale, individually in single units or collaboratively in arrays for generating coordinated overall effects on a macro scale. Applications of such MEMS devices include, but not limited to, accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, chemical and flow sensors, micro-optics devices, optical scanners, fluid flow control devices, chemical sensing and chemical delivery systems, and biological sensors among many others.
Furthermore, MEMS devices may be fabricated together in a unified process with supporting integrated circuit (IC) devices on the same semiconductor substrate as an integrated silicon device, namely as an integrated MEMS. Advantageously, such integrated MEMS in a single chip solution not only greatly reduce the size, weight and power consumption but also enhance the performance of an application system when compared with the conventional construction which separates MEMS and supporting IC as different micro devices.
Fabrication of MEMS devices employs many of the same processing steps as the fabrication of IC. In particular, the formation of an MEMS device involves depositing and patterning solid state thin films on a substrate surface, such as a silicon wafer surface, to produce complex micro devices. Such solid state thin film materials may be used include but not limited to silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, polycrystalline silicon (poly), amorphous silicon, aluminum, copper, refractory metals and their oxide or nitride compounds.
However, to achieve certain mechanical, optical or thermal functions of MEMS devices, it is necessary to spatially decouple selected micro structural elements in MEMS devices to form a gap or cavity between the decoupled and the rest. Such decoupling of micro structural elements in MEMS devices enables certain desired mechanical, thermal, chemical or optical functions as required. For example, a number of MEMS motion sensors contain two or more micro structural elements which are spatially separated but could move relatively to each other. In many MEMS devices, cavities and suspended structural elements are necessities to be fabricated only through a wafer-level micromachining process. An approach to form a gap or cavity between a top and bottom structural elements in an MEMS device involves selective etching a solid sacrificial layer or element. This sacrificial layer is first formed on the bottom structural element and then as the underline physical supporting base, enables deposition and patterning of the top structural element.
After depositing the sacrificial layer and forming the top structural element, the sacrificial layer is eventually removed selectively from the top structural element, completely or at least partially. In general, such sacrificial layer removal processes fall into two categories, wet etching and dry etching. In a wet etching sacrificial layer removal process, the microstructure is immersed with the carrier wafer in or exposed to a liquid chemical bath containing an adequate etchant solution for dissolving and removing the sacrificial layer. This approach is very effective for forming a cavity or undercut on a large scale, ranging from tens or hundreds of micrometers. On a smaller scale, a number of drawbacks are encountered limiting a wet etching sacrificial layer removal process from extended application to micromachining of MEMS structural elements at an increased high precision and device density, preferably compatible to mainstream IC fabrication processes.
Overcoming many of those disadvantages and limitations, a dry etching process uses a gas as the primary etchant solution without accompanying wet chemicals or bath, less aggressive than wet etching processes, allowing the formation of smaller and more delicate structures on a substrate surface with the decreased risk of structure damage.
A number of sacrificial layer formation and according dry etching removal schemes with good etch selectivity over other materials are developed and applied to MEMS devices fabrication. A reported scheme is using a developed photoresist as the sacrificial layer, depositing and patterning the top structural element and later, dry etching removing the underline partially exposed photoresist layer via oxygen plasma ashing. The disadvantages of using photoresist as a sacrificial layer including poor mechanical support to its top structural element, low temperature tolerance to proceeding thin film processing, and out-gassing of residual chemical species after development among all. Other inorganic materials disclosed and used as a sacrificial layer in the prior art would resolve those issues with photoresist but most of them are exotic materials or its dry etching removing process is not compatible to IC processing given the selectivity requirement to meet.

MEMS device and method of fabricating the same

Shanghai Lexvu Opto Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The present invention includes an optical band-limiting filter which imposes a band-limitation on an input optical signal, an opto-electric converter which converts the optical signal output from the optical band-limiting filter into an electric signal, a lowpass filter which imposes the band-limitation on the electric signal output from the opto-electric converter, an amplifier which amplifies the output signal of the lowpass filter, and an electric equalizer which performs an equalization processing on a waveform of the electric signal output from the opto-electric converter are provided, and a full width at half maximum of the optical band-limiting filter is set to be equivalent to or smaller than a bit rate frequency of the optical signal.

An equalization technique for equalizing a waveform distortion using an electric circuit has been conventionally, actively utilized for high-quality data transmission in fields of wired communication using a metallic cable or the like and wireless communication.
However, since application of the technique to optical communication has been confronted by various disadvantages, it has just been made practical. Specifically, as examples of the application of the electric equalizer to the optical communication system proposed so far, examples of a configuration of a feed-forward equalizer (FFE) based on a transversal filter are disclosed in the Patent Literatures 1 and 2 (see below). In addition, an example of a configuration of a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) based on a transversal filter is disclosed in Patent Literature 3. Further, an example of a configuration of a Viterbi equalizer using maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) is disclosed in the Patent Literature 4 (see below).    Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H8-163027    Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-299263    Patent Literature 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-308750    Patent Literature 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-7765
These application examples are characterized by easily performing small-sized and high-rate waveform shaping using an electric equalization filter that performs waveform equalization in an electric region without using an optical equalization filter that performs waveform equalization in an optical region. A distorted signal which has been subjected to an opto-electric conversion is decoded using the electric equalizing filter. By doing so, it is intended to ensure a high signal quality even in a transmission system which suffers waveform dispersion and polarization mode dispersion inherent in an optical transmission path.
Accordingly, each of these application examples is basically an extension of a utilization method of the electric equalizer in the wired communication and the wireless communication, and not a proposal of an optical communication system actively using the technique.
Meanwhile, with a view of improving the signal quality of the optical transmission system, if the electric equalization filter is used only for expecting an effect of improving a waveform of a received signal, only advantages such as a reduction in size and a reduction in cost of an apparatus are exhibited.
Only with the advantages, however, the obtained signal quality is as same as the signal quality obtained when an optical equalizing unit is employed. Therefore, these advantages do not essentially, greatly contribute to an improvement in function of the entire apparatus.
The present invention has been achieved in light of these circumstances, and has an object to obtain an optical communication system with an improved function using a waveform improving effect of an electric equalizer. Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical receiver and an optical transmission system that uses this optical receiver capable of increasing a transmission rate and improving frequency utilization efficiency without degrading receiving characteristics.

Optical receiver and optical transmission system


An antenna includes a first body having an array of resonators; a spacer adjacent to the first body, and a second body adjacent to the spacer such that the spacer is between the first and second bodies. The first body can be configured as an artificial metasurface ground plane and the second body can be configured as a monopole.

Devices can utilize one or more antennas to help establish a type of communication link. Examples of such devices and/or antennas may be appreciated from European Patent Publication Nos. 1 630 898 and 2 355 243, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,197, 5,407,075, 7,450,077, 7,461,444, 7,629,934, 8,208,980, and 8,624,787 as well as U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2004/0185924, 2006/0109192, 2011/0260939, 2013/0293441 and 2014/0104136.
Attempts have been made to try and use different types of antennas for wearable applications, such as a 2.4 GHz band antenna that includes a planar monopole/dipole antenna, an inverted-F antenna, a slot antenna, and a slot antenna with artificial magnetic conducting surface backing. But, such antenna designs have deficiencies that prevent them from being feasible options for such systems. For example, the monopole/dipole antennas direct a large amount of energy that is radiated to a human body, which generates an undesirable high specific absorption rate in the tissue of the human body. The inverted-F antenna and slot antenna designs also have most of the energy radiated toward a particular top half space. These antennas' form-factors are still not compact enough for feasible or practical application with wearable medical devices that can be suitable for being worn by humans or other living animals. Additionally, the inverted-F antenna and slot antennas can suffer from low front-to-back ratio and low antenna efficiency.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Antenna apparatus and communication system


An object of the present invention is to improve the quality control of a semiconductor device. By forming an inscription comprising a culled or pixel skipping pattern of dimples on the upper surface of a die pad in a QFN, it is possible to confirm the inscription by X-ray inspection or the like even after individuation and specify a cavity of a resin molding die. Further, it is possible to specify the position of a device region in a lead frame. As a result, when a defect appears, it is possible to sort a defective QFN by appearance inspection and improve quality control in the assembly of a QFN.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a production method thereof; in particular a technology effective when it is applied to a semiconductor device assembled with a lead frame by a MAP method
A technology of giving address information patterns to resin seal type semiconductor devices respectively in advance of a process to divide a matrix substrate into plural pieces in a method of producing a semiconductor device using a wiring substrate is described (for example, refer to Patent literature 1).

Semiconductor device and production method thereof


A device for radiating pulsed light toward a thrombus in a blood vessel includes a light source configured to output monitoring light to be radiated into the blood vessel, a light detector configured to detect returned light of the monitoring light and output a detection signal, and a computer configured to acquire a time waveform, which is a change in an intensity of the returned light over time, based on the detection signal, wherein the computer is configured to obtain a parameter on the basis of the time waveform and evaluates a reaction in the blood vessel according to the radiation of the pulsed light on the basis of the parameter.

Conventionally, an angioplasty device for removing a thrombus formed in a blood vessel is known. For example, an angioplasty device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-508938 includes a catheter including an optical fiber and a laser system connected to the optical fiber. In the angioplasty device, pulsed light is output from a distal end of the optical fiber, and a thrombus is dissolved by a bubble generated by the pulsed light. In such an angioplasty device, a positional relationship between the optical fiber and a thrombus is identified by injecting a contrast medium into a blood vessel to acquire an X-ray image.

Monitoring device and method of operating the same


A reversible trim piece bracket includes a body including a first attachment edge and a second attachment edge that is differently configured from the first attachment edge. The first attachment edge and second attachment edge are configured to engage a cooperating surface on a vehicle, which may be associated with a vehicle structure such as a B-pillar. The first attachment edge may include one or more catches defining a first length for engaging the cooperating surface. The second attachment edge may include one or more catches defining a second length that is different from the first length for engaging the cooperating surface. An orienting structure may be provided for properly orienting the bracket body, which may be one or more notches defined in the bracket body for engaging one or more cooperating tabs associated with the vehicle trim piece.

As part of final vehicle assembly, different styles and configurations of interior trim elements are attached to portions of a vehicle, for example to an inner surface of the passenger cabin doors, to a B-pillar passenger cabin-facing surface. Such trim elements hide unattractive interior workings of vehicle components, and present an attractive and finished appearance to the consumer. Different trim packages for different vehicles (or indeed different trim packages for a same vehicle make and model) are often provided as customer options. For example, for a particular vehicle different trim packages may be offered, including trim pieces including a cloth-wrapped class A surface, trim pieces including a colored molded plastic class A surface, and others.
While attractive from the consumer perspective, such differing trim packages often require different attachment or fastening means due to differences in configuration, thickness, etc. Thus, for a same vehicle it may be a requirement to provide multiple differently configured attachment means such as brackets to accommodate different trim package styles. This adds complexity and cost (in materials, tooling, and labor) to the process of final vehicle assembly.
Thus, a need is identified in the art for structures to accommodate different vehicle trim packages.

Reversible bracket for vehicle b-pillar trim


A process is described for treating waste organic material such as the by-products from a pulp and paper mill, manure and straw to reduce its moisture content to a level at which the treated material is suitable for use as a fuel. The process involves the steps of feeding the starting material into a chamber (10) having rotating chains (42) or blades which drive the material into the interior wall (18) of the chamber (10) with sufficient force to cause some of its moisture content to separate from it. The moisture is expelled from the chamber (10) while the remaining material is carried upwardly in a stream of air to a cyclone separator (22). The conditions within the separator (22) are adjusted to further reduce its moisture level to about 15 percent by weight at which level the material is suitable for use as a fuel.

Large quantities of waste products are generated at a saw mill and a pulp and paper mill and many of those products cannot be disposed of easily. Pulp and paper sludges are particularly difficult to dispose of. Such sludges, because of their high moisture content, cannot be incinerted without first being dried. The cost of drying them usually far exceeds any savings derived from incinerating them as an alternative source of heat or energy. For this reason other methods of disposal are generally used.
The most common method of disposal of pulp and paper sludges is at a landfill site. Less commonly it is disposed of by spreading it over waste land. Existing landfill and land spreading sites are being rapidly depleted because of the large quantities of sludge generated by mills. New sites are not becoming available at the rate required to meet the demand of mills because of environmental concerns.

Recovery of fuel and clay from a biomass


A compact and low-cost multiplexing apparatus for a plurality of high-efficiency encoded image signals is capable of improving an image quality and of shortening a transmission delay time. The multiplexing apparatus for an image signal includes delay compensating circuits provided corresponding to a plurality of image terminals, for storing image encoded signals sent from the respective image terminals; a control circuit for performing a control to form a large frame signal from small frame signals whose number is equal to at the most the number of image signal sources, by detecting frame head codes from input/outputs of the delay compensating circuits, thereby not being duplicated from a plurality of delay compensating circuits, and also adding circuit for adding a frame start code to each of large frames. Even when the frame rates are different between terminals, since all of the image encoded signals are not decoded but multiplexed, deterioration of image qualities and transmission delays can be reduced. Since apparatuses for encoding/decoding images can be omitted, the entire multiplexing apparatus can be made compact.

The present invention generally relates to a transmission apparatus and a transmission system used in a television conference and the like, for synthesizing image signals derived from a plurality of TV cameras positioned at a large number of places, and for outputting the synthesizing image signals. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a multiplexing transmission apparatus and system for an image signal, in which small images (will be referred to "small frames" hereinafter) which have been sent out from a plurality of TV cameras via encoding apparatuses at independent time intervals in the asynchronous mode, are synthesized into a single image (will be referred to a "large frame" hereinafter) in accordance with a predetermined rule, and also such a control operation is carried out that a synchronized image can be reproduced, as viewed from a reproducing side.
A conventional multiplexing apparatus has such an arrangement as shown in FIG. 1, which is employed in a TV conference system for synthesizing image signals derived from a plurality of TV cameras to be outputted.
(1) At a transmission side, each of image signals picked-up by a plurality of television cameras (will be also referred to "transmission terminals" hereinafter) 1-1, 1-2, . . . , 1-n, is encoded by encoding circuits 2-1, 2-2, . . . , 2-n. The encoded image signals are temporarily stored into smoothing memories so-called as a "FIFO" (simply, referred to a "FIFO") 3-1, 3-2, . . . , 3-n, and are read out therefrom at a constant speed. Then, the read image signals are transmitted to transmission paths 4-1, 4-2, . . . , 4-n.
(2) In the multiplexing apparatus 5, the code words transmitted from the transmission paths 4-1, 4-2, . . . , 4-n are temporarily stored in delay compensating circuits 6-1, 6- 2, . . . , 6-n. Subsequently, the code words are read out from the respective delay compensating circuits 6-1, 6-2, . . . , 6- n, and the read code words are sent out to the transmission path 11 at a constant speed and then transmitted to the reception terminal 14.
(3) At the reception side, after the speed control has been performed by the FIFO 12, the code words are read out, and then the original large frame is reproduced by the decoding circuit 13 to be displayed on the display apparatus 14.
The above-described conventional multiplexing apparatus is opened in, for instance, JP-A-3-6190.

Multiplexing transmission apparatus for image signal and multiplexing system


A high-resolution sensing method for a scanner having a motor and a charge coupled device. The charge coupled device further has m rows of sensors spaced a distance from each other. A motor with a moving speed equal to the width of one row of the sensors divided by an exposure time moves a distance equal to the width of one row of the sensors. During the exposure time, rows of the sensors are used to scan and to obtain image signals that have portions overlapped with each other. Therefore, by simply adding the number of rows of the sensors, the scanner has m times of resolution without changing the speed of the motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a sensing method of a scanner, and more particularly, to a high-resolution sensing method for a scanner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A scanner scans a document by incorporating a charge coupled device that detects the light intensity reflected from the document. The charge coupled device may perform a gray-scale scan or a color scan by using a whole row of sensors to scan the light intensity reflected from the document. FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a conventional scanner.
In FIG. 1, a step motor 102 moves a chassis 108 to an optical resolution distance (that is, the width of one row of sensors in the charge coupled device 104). The light emitted from the lamp 106 projects on the document 110, and is then reflected thereby and travels through a mirror 112, a lens 114 to the sensors 116, 118, 120 (R, G, B sensors) in the charge coupled device 104. The detected image signal is then sent to a subsequent circuit (not shown) for signal processing. The step motor 102 then shifts the chassis with an optical resolution distance along the scan direction. According to the above steps, the image signal detected from the next row of the document 110 is sent to the subsequent circuit for signal processing by the charge coupled device 104. Thereby, the image data for the whole document 110 can be obtained.
While scanning the document 110, the optical resolution of the step motor 102, that is, the distance that the chassis 108 is moved by the step motor 102 each time, is reduced to enhance the scan resolution. For example, the motor moves one step in 10 ms with a rotating speed of 100 pps for one time of the optical resolution. If 16 times of the optical resolutions is required, the step motor 102 moves 16 steps in 10 ms with a rotating speed of 1600 pps. Therefore, the higher the resolution of the scanner 100 is, the more the speed of the step motor 102 varies. It is difficult to design a step motor with a large speed variation. The cost thereof is greatly increased.

High-resolution sensing method for scanner


Methods of repairing a joint formed by at least two bone sections are provided wherein a biocompatible osteogenic band fabricated from an osteogenic biological material such as bone, tendon, ligament and collagen is affixed to two or more bone sections.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods for repairing spinal disorders. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of repairing spinal disorders, especially those requiring spinal fusion, using a biocompatible osteogenic band which induces new bone growth formation at the site of implantation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The vertebral column (spine) is a biomechanical structure composed of a series of joints known as motion segment units. Each motion segment unit includes two adjacent vertebrae and their facet capsules, the intervertebral disc, and connecting ligament tissue. The spine is divided into four major regions which include the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral regions and functions to protect the spinal cord and nerve roots, and provide support to the body. The intervertebral disc is located between the two endplates of adjacent vertebrae and is composed of the nucleus pulposus (a gel-like ball located at the center of the disc) and annulus fibrous (collagen fibers surrounding the nucleus pulposus). The intervertebral disc stabilizes the spine, and provides the spine with resiliency and the ability to withstand compression, rotation and bending strain. The facet capsules are bony elements which aid in the support of compressive loads and resist torsional motion. Ligaments connected to the spine support loads in tension and help provide spinal stability by limiting excessive range of motion and absorbing energy applied due to trauma.
Various types of spinal disorders are known and include kyphosis (backward curvature of the spine), spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis (forward displacement of a lumbar vertebrae), scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) and disorders involving ruptured, slipped, damaged and diseased discs, damaged vertebrae, and the like. Patients suffering from the aforementioned disorders typically experience severe pain, numbness, decreased mobility, muscle weakness and nerve damage.
Spinal fusion is frequently used as a treatment for such disorders and is achieved by formation of a bony bridge between adjacent motion segments eliminating the intervertebral joint. Spinal fusion can be accomplished within the disc space, anteriorly between adjacent vertebral bodies and/or posteriorly between consecutive processes, e.g., transverse processes, laminae or other posterior elements of the vertebrae.
One frequently used spinal fusion technique involves removal of the intervertebral disc and insertion of an anterior supporting structure, e.g., bone grafts, bone substitutes, plugs, bone dowels, cages, and the like, into the intervertebral disc space to prevent collapse of the disc space and promote fusion of the adjacent vertebrae. To ensure proper growth and fusion between the affected adjacent vertebrae, the posterior side of the spine is frequently stabilized by utilizing a rigid metallic implant, e.g., a plate, rod, wire or strip, which spans the adjacent vertebrae to re-create a load distribution similar to that of the intact spine. These metallic implants are commonly referred to throughout the relevant scientific and medical literature as xe2x80x9ctension bands.xe2x80x9d
The use of such metallic implants to stabilize the spine and facilitate fusion presents several disadvantages. One disadvantage encountered utilizing such metallic implants is that once fusion occurs the metallic implant becomes superfluous and remains as a permanent foreign fixture. As the metallic implant loosens enough to allow relative motion, particulates are generated as wear debris. This wear debris then has the potential to cause a foreign body response. Metallic implants are also subject to fatigue failure due to repeated cyclic loading. An implant that is remodeled, and then repaired as it later becomes damaged, will not fail due to fatigue. Another disadvantage is that the implanted metallic implant itself possesses ferromagnetic properties and thus prevents the use of post-operative plain film X-rays, MRI or CT scan imaging due to scattering of the image. Yet another disadvantage is that when such metallic implants are placed over bone tissue, any tension load placed on the spine is transmitted to the implant rather than the bone tissue, thereby xe2x80x9cstress shieldingxe2x80x9d the bone. Over a period of time, bone tissue that is shielded from tension loads is removed by the body thereby weakening the structure of the bone. Accordingly, removal of the implant by a second operation may be required to prevent loss of bone tissue caused by stress shielding.
In view of the aforementioned limitations posed by using rigid metallic implants to stabilize the spine and facilitate fusion, there is a need to provide a method of treating spinal disorders that will provide for the fusion of bone at the implant site, thereby providing a graft that will not fail mechanically or cause rejection in the patient, and will not require removal in a subsequent operation.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine which overcomes the limitations of rigid metallic implants.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device that is non-antigenic and will not be rejected by the host.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device that is biocompatible and will not require removal in a subsequent operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device that is osteogenic and that adequately supports tension loads.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device that will avoid stress shielding.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device that supports fusion between adjacent vertebrae.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of stabilizing the spine with a device which can be utilized in conjunction with an anterior supporting structure.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the above objects and the foregoing specification.
These and further objects of the invention are obtained by a method for repairing a spinal disorder which comprises affixing a biocompatible osteogenic band to two or more vertebrae of a spine to maintain the two or more vertebrae under tension, wherein the band is fabricated in whole or in part from biocompatible fibers of a native, biosynthetic, or synthetic polymeric, connective tissue or plant connective tissue-like containing component that is osteoinductive or has been treated to be osteoinductive. The osteogenic material can include bone, tendon, ligament, silk, collagen, elastin, reticulin, cellulose, alginic acid, chitosan, small intestine submucosa, biocompatible polymers or combination thereof which has been rendered osteogenic by one or more procedures described hereinbelow. A suitable material is disclosed in the U.S. Provisional Application filed on even date herewith under Certificate of Express Mail # EL713572920US, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
A method for repairing a spinal disorder is also provided which comprises inserting an anterior supporting structure into a disc space between adjacent vertebrae of a spine and affixing a biocompatible osteogenic band to two or more vertebrae of the spine to maintain the two or more vertebrae under tension.
Affixation of the foregoing biocompatible osteogenic band to the spine leads to new bone ingrowth by one or more biological mechanisms such as osteogenesis, osteoconduction and/or osteoinduction or by one or more physical mechanisms such as providing a support for new bone growth. The expression xe2x80x9costeogenic materialxe2x80x9d as utilized herein shall therefore be understood as referring to a material which will participate in the process of new bone growth regardless of the mechanism(s) involved. The osteogenic material can be obtained from sources which are not in themselves osteogenic but are rendered osteogenic by incorporation and/or associating therewith one or more osteogenic components. Accordingly, unlike metallic implants, the biocompatible osteogenic band of this invention contributes to the development of a fusion preferably across vertebral bodies of the posterior spine and aids in the repair and stabilization of the spine.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the biocompatible osteogenic band preferably provides posterior tensile loading, thereby recreating a load distribution similar to that of the intact spine.
Another advantage of the present invention is that, unlike conventional metallic implants, the biocompatible osteogenic band is sufficiently flexible to allow affixation to a vertebral site yet sufficiently strong, tough and inextensile to withstand applied excessive force. Because the material is osteogenic, new bone is formed around and within the implant and the biocompatible osteogenic band is incorporated with new bone tissue via the process of remodeling. Accordingly, unlike a metallic implant which persists long after its useful life, it is not necessary to remove the biocompatible osteogenic band in a subsequent operation.
Another advantage of the present invention is that, unlike conventional metallic implants, the biocompatible osteogenic band will not stress shield the bone. In addition, unlike metallic implants, the biocompatible osteogenic band does not interfere with the use of post-operative plain film X-rays, or MRI and CT scans.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following written description and accompanying figures.

Biocompatible osteogenic band for repair of spinal disorders


A method for operating an electronic assistance device includes: outputting, at a foreground volume, a first output audio stream provided by a voice-controlled first assistance application of the electronic assistance device, the first assistance application exclusively accepting a first wake-up word; continuously detecting an ambient sound and providing the detected ambient sound as an input audio stream; recognizing a second wake-up word as the only wake-up word in a user's voice input recognized in the provided input audio stream, wherein the second wake-up word is exclusively accepted by a voice-controlled second assistance application of the assistance device; and recognizing, in the voice input a command word following the second wake-up word, the command word being accepted by the first assistance application and by the second assistance application, and controlling the first output audio stream via the recognized voice input.

Electronic assistance devices, or assistance devices for short, are known from prior art in various embodiments and serve to output audio streams, for example to play pieces of music. Electronic assistance devices include dedicated devices, which are commonly referred to as smart speakers or intelligent personal assistants (IPA), as well as universal mobile user equipment (UE), such as smartphones and tablets.
An electronic assistance device usually comprises a voice-controlled assistance application, or assistance application for short, which is installed in the electronic assistance device as software and provides an output audio stream or a plurality of output audio streams when executed by the electronic assistance device. Examples of voice-controlled assistance applications include Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant and Telekom Magenta. Typically, the voice-controlled assistance application includes a voice user interface (VUI) and a backend connected to the voice user interface. For example, the voice user interface and backend of Amazon Alexa are referred to as AVS (Amazon Voice Services) and Amazon AVS Cloud, respectively, and those of Telekom Magenta are referred to as CVI (Common Voice Interface) and Magenta Voice Cloud, respectively.
The voice-controlled assistance application accepts a uniquely defined wake-up word (WUW). For example, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant and Telekom Magenta accept the wake-up words "Alexa", "Siri", "Ok google" and "Hello Magenta", respectively. A user can wake up the voice-controlled assistance application at any time by a voice input comprising the accepted wake-up word, i.e., by saying the wake-up word.
Furthermore, the voice-controlled assistance application accepts a plurality of command words. For example, accepted command words include "Stop", "Play", "Pause", "Resume", "Next Track", "Previous Track", "Seek Forward", "Seek Backward", "Turn up the volume", "Turn down the volume" and "Mute". The user can control, i.e., actuate, the voice-controlled assistance application by a voice input comprising an accepted command word, i.e., by saying a command word.
Typically, the user controls the electronic assistance device by a voice input comprising an accepted wake-up word and at least one accepted command word following the wake-up word. A wake-up word or command word is considered accepted if the voice-controlled assistance application defines the wake-up word or command word and recognizes it in the user's voice input.
The voice-controlled assistance application provides a plurality of output audio streams. For example, Telekom Magenta provides the output audio streams Dialog, DECT Telephony, Timer, Pairing, Radio, Bluetooth Streaming, Spotify Connect and Amazon Alexa provides the output audio streams Alexa Dialog, Conversation, Telephony, Alerts, Notifications, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify via Alexa, Radio.
If an assistance device comprises two or more voice-controlled assistance applications and outputs an output audio stream provided by a voice-controlled first assistance application, a user voice input for controlling the output audio stream may comprise a command word accepted by the voice-controlled first assistance application, but erroneously comprise a wake-up word accepted by a voice-controlled further assistance application, however, not accepted by the voice-controlled first assistance application.
Such erroneous voice input is consistently ignored by the electronic assistance device and, thus, does not control the electronic assistance device. However, the absence of the control effect causes strong frustration in the user, especially after several unsuccessful voice inputs, which is accompanied by the user's great dissatisfaction with the electronic assistance device.

Electronic assistance device and operational method


A cardiopulmonary resuscitation assisting apparatus including: an acceleration sensor (13); a magnetic sensor (19); a first calculation section (233A) which obtains a relational expression (N) between a compression depth Da and the coil-to-coil distance AD; a determination section (234) which differentiates the relational expression (N) with respect to an output value of the magnetic sensor (19) and compares a resulting differentiated value of the relational expression (N) with a predetermined threshold to thereby determine whether notification for assistance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary or not; and a voice generating section (25) which performs the notification for assistance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) is an important manual operation in emergency medical care. Adequacy of the CPR may affect life and death of a rescuee (patient). When the CPR is performed, a rescuer compresses the sternum of the chest of the patient. Thus, the sternal compression can be performed in place of the patient's heart to circulate blood all over the patient's living body.
For example, according to "JRC Resuscitation Guideline 2015 (Japan Resuscitation Council)", it is recommended to perform manual sternal compression on an adult of normal physique to reach a depth of about 5 cm (or a depth of one third of a thickness of the chest in the case of a child) while avoiding excessive compression exceeding 6 cm.
It is necessary to make further studies about a relation between the compression depth and an external injury, and further about how the relation is affected by body or chest size, chest wall compliance, and a difference between adults and children. Further, it is also necessary to make further studies about a relation of interaction between a pace and the depth of the sternal compression.
In order to guide a rescuer during CPR, there have been developed apparatuses each placed between the chest of a rescuee and hands of the rescuer to assist sternal compression. Each of the apparatuses detects whether adequate force is applied to the chest with an adequately depth and at an adequate time interval, and gives appropriate notification ("force or compression depth is insufficient", "compression timing is too late", etc.) to the rescuer in accordance with the detection.
For example, a background-art apparatus has an acceleration sensor for calculation of a compression depth of sternal compression using a physical law that second-order integration of acceleration is a distance. However, the compression depth obtained from the second-order integration of the acceleration contains lots of error components due to unintentional vibration etc. In order to reduce the influence of the error components caused by the vibration etc. to thereby improve accuracy of the compression depth, a configuration which uses an average value of compression depths in a plurality of compression operations is therefore conceivable. In this configuration, however, a compression depth that is suddenly changed cannot be calculated accurately when such a sudden change in compression depth appears in one of the compression operations.
To solve this problem, a method for physically modeling the chest of a patient to calculate a compression depth has been proposed (see Patent Literature 1).

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation assisting apparatus