A power distribution system includes a plurality of load side power converters configured in a modular stacked DC (MSDC) converter architecture. Each load side converter includes a respective energy storage device such that together the plurality of energy storage devices provides a distributed subsea energy storage system configured to maintain a common subsea busbar voltage substantially constant during intermittent load voltage excursions.

The subject matter of this disclosure relates generally to subsea control systems, and more particularly to a distributed type direct current (DC) energy storage system that can be easily integrated with a modular stacked DC (MSDC) topology for subsea applications.
Modular stacked DC converter architectures are well suited for subsea applications requiring transmission and distribution over long distances. Unlike other DC transmission options, wherein the DC transmission (link) voltage is controlled, i.e. maintained nearly constant, the DC transmission (link) current is controlled in the relevant modular stacked DC converter design. One MSDC architecture 10 is depicted in FIG. 1. The MSDC architecture gets its name from the fact that the architecture uses several modular DC-DC/AC converter modules stacked and connected in series on the DC side, both at the sending end and at the receiving end of the transmission link such as depicted in FIG. 1. The converter modules at the receiving (subsea) end can also be arranged in a distributed way, each module enclosed in a pressure vessel of its own, rather than really stacking them within one vessel.
All subsea installations require control systems. Subsea control systems may consist of dozens or hundreds of low power consumers, e.g. electrically driven sensors for the physical displacements of valves. Transmitting power for subsea control systems over long distances is challenging because these loads typically require a constant subsea busbar voltage. Constant busbar voltages are known to be difficult to achieve when the loads are supplied by a long transmission cable, e.g. more than 100 km cable length, and some of the loads are intermittent (i.e. actuators for opening or closing valves). Maintaining a constant output voltage on the receiving end despite fluctuating load levels requires a feedback control of the system voltage by power electronics. DC power transmission requires a subsea inverter, e.g. an inverter based on MSDC technology. An MSDC inverter, in addition to converting DC to AC, may keep a subsea DC-link voltage constant by way of boosting the voltage at the end of the transmission line. Because of the intermittent operation requirements described herein, the power consumption of subsea control systems is typically characterized by a continuous rating, e.g. 30 kW for large systems, and an additional short-time power rating that may be, for example, 3-4 times higher than the continuous power rating, e.g. 100 kW for 60 seconds.
Long distance DC transmission cables must have a sufficiently large cross section to maintain the voltage drop along the cable with acceptable limits. If the voltage arriving at the end of the cable is too low, it cannot be boosted up to the constant busbar voltage required for the subsea loads. Generally, techniques for avoiding subsea cables with a large cable cross-section to achieve a constant busbar voltage when supplying high, short-time power, e.g. 100 kW, employ a centralized subsea energy storage system, e.g. rated to supply 100 kW for 60 seconds (=6 MJ). Centralized subsea energy storage systems are disadvantageous in that they require a significant subsea volume/large and heavy subsea containment. Centralized subsea energy storage systems are further disadvantageous in that a defect in a single storage element may adversely impact the entire energy storage capability. Centralized subsea energy storage systems are further disadvantageous in that significant control scheme changes may be required to implement the requisite energy storage capability.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to add an energy storage system to a subsea system in which the energy storage system overcomes the herein described disadvantages of centralized subsea energy storage systems.

Distributed DC energy storage for supplying an intermittent subsea load


A display device is provided and includes a plurality of drive electrodes; a mesh-patterned first shield electrode comprising a plurality of first openings and a first electrode portion located between the first openings adjacent to each other, an area of the first electrode portion being greater than an area of the first openings; and a first power line provided with a predetermined voltage, wherein the first openings and the first electrode portion overlap the first power line.

A display device comprising a sensor which detects contact or approach of an object has been developed. As an example of an electrostatic capacitance type sensor, the following structure is known. That is, a drive electrode is provided in one of substrates which face each other, and a detection electrode is provided in the other substrate. A power line for supplying a signal potential is electrically connected to the drive electrode, and a wiring line for reading an output signal is electrically connected to the detection electrode.
If the wiring line is capacitively coupled to, for example, the power line, a capacitance value detected by a detection circuit fluctuates, and sensitivity of the sensor may be deteriorated. Therefore, in order to suppress the capacitive coupling between the wiring line and the power line, the sensor may comprise a shield electrode overlapping the power line. Parasitic capacitance produced between the shield electrode and the wiring line should preferably be as low as possible. On the other hand, if the area of the shield electrode is reduced for the purpose of reducing the parasitic capacitance, electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise radiating from the power line cannot be sufficiently blocked.

Display device and touch detection device


A fuel analysis system is described configured to assist vehicle drivers/users in preventing damage to their vehicles caused by bad fuel. Bad fuel can leave a driver and passengers stranded on the road in need of emergency road side service, and in many instances, results in permanent damage to the vehicle. The disclosed fuel analysis system describes an enhanced bad fuel sensor system that measures a delta in vehicle operation data to identify and in many instances, pre-emptively alert, a user of a vehicle of bad fuel. The fuel analysis system may use crowdsourcing through aggregation of refueling event profile records from a plurality of vehicles' telematics devices to increase the accuracy with which bad fuel is detected.

A vehicle operates by consuming fuel, such as gasoline, diesel, or electricity in the case of electric/hybrid vehicles. Bad fuel can leave a driver and passengers stranded on the road in need of emergency road side service, and in many instances, results in permanent damage to the vehicle.
Meanwhile, vehicle telematics devices are known. Telematics includes the use of technology to communicate information from one location to another. Telematics has been used for various applications, including for the exchange of information with electronic sensors. As telematics technology has progressed, various communication methodologies have been incorporated into automobiles and other types of vehicles. Telematics systems such as on-board diagnostics (OBD) systems may be used in automobiles and other vehicles. OBD systems provide information from the vehicle's on-board computers and sensors, allowing users to monitor a wide variety of information relating to the vehicle systems, such as engine RPM, emissions control, coolant temperature, vehicle speed, timing advance, throttle position, and oxygen sensing, and many other types of data. Telematics devices installed within vehicles may be configured to access the vehicle computers and sensor data, and transmit the data to a display within the vehicle, a personal computer or mobile device, or to a centralized data processing system. Data obtained from OBD systems may be used for a variety of purposes.
While the risks and dangers of bad fuel have been known for a long time, there remains much room for improvement in the ability to detect bad fuel and to take actions to prevent the effects of the bad fuel from becoming epidemic.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enhanced vehicle bad fuel sensor with crowdsourcing analytics


An apparatus for attaching a processor and corresponding heat sink to a circuit board includes a board member, a frame member mounted on the board member, a plurality of connector portions on the frame member, and a resilient load member. The resilient load member has a first end moveably connected to one of the connector portions and a second end forcibly connected to another one of the connector portions. A processor socket is mounted on the board member and a processor is seated in the processor socket. Forcible connection of the second end to its connector portion deforms the load member into engagement with the processor and urges the processor into the processor socket. A heat sink is mounted to the frame member and in thermal contact with the processor.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to attaching a processor and corresponding heat sink to a circuit board.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
A processor socket includes a plurality of contacts, each contact being soldered to a circuit board. In order for the information handling system to function, the processor must be mated to the processor socket so that the processor is connected to the other components of the information handling system through the soldered contacts. These soldered contacts are relatively strong when subjected to high compressive forces, but are much weaker with regard to other forces, such as shear forces or tensile forces. With certain processor and processor socket combinations, such as Land Grid Arrays (LGA) and Ball Grid Arrays (BGA), problems have arisen as higher and higher amounts of compressive force have become necessary to mate the processor with the processor socket.
Heat sinks are often used to help dissipate the thermal energy of the processor. A method of achieving the force needed to mate the processor and processor socket involves mounting the heat sink over the processor and onto the circuit board in a manner such that the heat sink engages the processor and provides the needed compressive force. A problem with this method is that the processor cannot be mated to the processor socket without the heat sink installed, and it is desirable that the processor socket be operational without the heat sink attached for purposes such as processor socket testing and qualification.
Processor and processor socket mating without use of a heat sink for these high force requirement combinations has been achieved by fabricating a retention device on the processor socket. Due to the high force requirements, these retention devices are made of metal, which increases the weight of the processor socket and creates reflow processing issues during board soldering. When a processor is mated to the processor socket, the retention device subjects itself to high stress in order to apply the needed compressive force. This stress warps the device, and consequently, the processor socket. When the processor socket has been soldered to the circuit board and has a processor mated to it, this warping applies non-compressive forces to the solder contacts, putting them under severe stress that can result in their failure. This method also requires an additional mechanism to attach the corresponding heat sink to the processor. When the heat sink is thermally connected to the processor, the thermal interface material can transmit movement of the heat sink to the processor and the solder contacts. Because the solder contacts are under severe stress, any shock to the heat sink risks breaking them.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus for attaching a processor and corresponding heat sink on a circuit board in an information handling system absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.

Method and apparatus for attaching a processor and corresponding heat sink to a circuit board


The present invention relates to macrocyclic compounds of formula (I) that are useful as inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease, their synthesis, and their use treating or preventing HCV infections.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem that leads to chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, in a substantial number of infected individuals, estimated to be 2-15% of the world's population. There are an estimated 3.9 million infected people in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, roughly five times the number of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 170 million infected individuals worldwide, with at least 3 to 4 million people being infected each year. Once infected, about 20% of people clear the virus, but the rest harbor HCV the rest of their lives. Ten to twenty percent of chronically infected individuals eventually develop liver-destroying cirrhosis or cancer. The viral disease is transmitted parenterally by contaminated blood and blood products, contaminated needles, or sexually and vertically from infected mothers or carrier mothers to their off-spring.
Current treatments for HCV infection, which are restricted to immunotherapy with recombinant interferon-α alone or in combination with the nucleoside analog ribavirin, are of limited clinical benefit. Moreover, there is no established vaccine for HCV. Consequently, there is an urgent need for improved therapeutic agents that effectively combat chronic HCV infection. The current state of the art in the treatment of HCV infection has been discussed in the following references: B. Dymock, et al., "Novel approaches to the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection," Antiviral Chemistry & Chemotherapy, 11: 79-96 (2000); H. Rosen, et al., "Hepatitis C virus: current understanding and prospects for future therapies," Molecular Medicine Today, 5: 393-399 (1999); D. Moradpour, et al., "Current and evolving therapies for hepatitis C," European J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol., 11: 1189-1202 (1999); R. Bartenschlager, "Candidate Targets for Hepatitis C Virus-Specific Antiviral Therapy," Intervirology, 40: 378-393 (1997); G. M. Lauer and B. D. Walker, "Hepatitis C Virus Infection," N. Engl. J. Med., 345: 41-52 (2001); B.W. Dymock, "Emerging therapies for hepatitis C virus infection," Emerging Drugs, 6: 13-42 (2001); and C. Crabb, "Hard-Won Advances Spark Excitement about Hepatitis C," Science: 506-507 (2001).
Several virally-encoded enzymes are putative targets for therapeutic intervention, including a metalloprotease (NS2-3), a serine protease (NS3), a helicase (NS3), and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5B). The NS3 protease is located in the N-terminal domain of the NS3 protein, and is considered a prime drug target since it is responsible for an intramolecular cleavage at the NS3/4A site and for downstream intermolecular processing at the NS4A/4B, NS4B/5A and NS5A/5B junctions. Previous research has identified classes of peptides, such as hexapeptides as well as tripeptides discussed in U.S. patent applications US2005/0020503, US2004/0229818, and US2004/00229776, showing degrees of activity in inhibiting the NS3 protease. The aim of the present invention is to provide further compounds which exhibit activity against the HCV NS3 protease.

Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti S.R.L.


A drug dispenser which can easily align drugs when filling it with the drugs. In a drug dispenser in which a lowermost drug of a plurality of drugs (100) stacked in a vertical direction and contained in a drug case (1) is pushed out in a horizontal direction to dispense it, a door (7) is provided on the front surface of the drug case (1). A drug aligning device (second door 11) is provided on the inner surface of the door (7), the drug aligning device pushes the front ends of the plurality of drugs (100) contained in the drug case (1) to align the rear ends thereof when the door (7) is closed.

Conventionally, in a drug dispenser for dispensing packed drugs such as blister packs 100 as shown in FIG. 7, heat tablets 101 as shown in FIG. 8 and special ampoules 102 as shown in FIG. 9 at the request of a pharmacist, a plurality of drug cases are stacked in the drug case in a vertical direction so that the lowermost drug can be pushed out in a horizontal direction by a pushing mechanism to dispense it.
In this kind of drug dispenser, when the shortage of the drug is caused, the drag case is filled with the drugs stacked. If the end surfaces of the drugs do not align in a vertical direction but are dislocated in a horizontal direction, a pushing mechanism for pushing out the lowermost drug in a horizontal direction may fail to operate normally. Therefore, when filling the drug case with the drugs, it has been necessary to line up the drugs so that the rear ends of the drugs are aligned, making the filling work troublesome.


A method of providing conversion from YUV signals to RGB signals includes the steps of determining a correspondence value between each of the Y. U, and V pixel values and the corresponding one of the R, G, and B pixel values. Three tables are generated; a Y table, a U table and a V table. During operation, each table may then be easily accessed by indexing the table with the respective Y, U or V input, to provide R,G,B data. The method may be used in a 64 bit embodiment using two registers or one register. Alternatively, the method may be used in a 32 bit embodiment. The conversion method can easily be augmented to provide color adjustment during conversion without any added complexity.

In all digital playback systems, a key component is the conversion of pixels represented in the YUV, or luminance-chrominance color space to a value in the RGB, or Red-Green-Blue color space. The YUV pixels are those that are typically provided via an external video device such as a video camera, video tape player, etc. Digital Video is often stored with some form of data compression; video decompression processors will most often output data in YuV format. The pixels represented in the RGB format are used to display images on a display device, such as a computer monitor, etc.
Efficiency is critical for the translation operation because it must be executed for each input video pixel; speed enhancements at this stage of operation can therefore provide a dramatic improvement on the performance of the overall video system.
One problem with providing efficient translation arises when considering the additional step of color adjustment. Raw pixel data may require color adjustment for display on the output device, since the raw input data and output display device may not always be compatible. It is a main objective to provide a pleasing output image; therefore, often the hue, saturation, or brightness of the image must be adjusted at some point prior to display.
However, adjustment causes an additional step that may accordingly reduce performance. One method of color adjustment, described in pending U.S. patent Ser. No. 07/961,558, filed Oct. 15, 1992 entitled "Imaging System with Image Adjustment System", by Ulichney et al. used a table for storing adjusted pixel values. Raw input pixel values were fed to the table, and the adjusted values were then fed for use to the video logic.
While the above system provided a means for color adjusting raw pixel values, it had some drawbacks. An extra table look-up had to be performed before any work could be done with the pixel value, thereby increasing the remaining time available for pixel operation. In addition, it provided an inflexible approach because it was limited simply to color adjustment based on certain input variables.

Color adjustment table system for YUV to RGB color conversion


A wiring assembly for a building includes an electrical power supply backbone, a first end thereof being adapted to connect directly to an incoming mains power supply at a switch board of the building, the assembly further comprising a plurality of sockets which are electrically connected to the backbone at spaced apart locations along the length thereof, wherein in use, the sockets may be arranged to be located at spaced apart locations through a building for convenient connection thereto. A related method for wiring a building using the wiring assembly is also disclosed.

To currently wire buildings for a supply of electrical mains power through the building it is common on a customized basis to have insulated cables strung through the building by a specialist electrician where each length of wire and each termination is uniquely and separately prepared and made by for instance baring at respective ends some of the insulation from a wire, inserting the thus bared raw end into a terminal junction, then tightening a screw so as to keep the wire in position.
Such a process is repeated for each length of wire and for each core for instance the active wire, the neutral wire and where appropriate the earth connection each at both ends of each wire and for each set of connections from terminal junction to terminal junction.
Any one of these joins can be a source of serious difficulty.
If any one of these joins is loose or works loose overtime and the bare wire stays close but is separated but within an arcing distance from adjacent conductors or the terminal block there becomes the high risk of arcing which will result in heating which in turn then can lead to adjacent vulnerable items starting to burn and of course the possible destruction by fire of the building.
Such wiring and joins are usually deliberately in places out of sight which means that if there is a problem it may not be readily observable and this then clearly leads to a potential serious danger. However this is the conventional system that exists for wiring of buildings.
A further difficulty is that, because any wiring by its current nature needing to be a customised process, does need specifically trained workman to accomplish the task. It is also implicitly a slow process because it is very much a manual process where a skilled worker (an electrician) estimates a size and quantity of cable to be used for each run in a building, prepares such cable, and then has to have a sufficient available stock of fittings, junctions, switches, and cables of various capacities on hand to complete a wiring job. Thousands upon thousands of buildings have been and are being wired in this way.
The usual joining method which is still widely used because it is traditional and economic involves a brass block with a number of smooth sided bores in it and for each bore a transversely aligned threaded bore through which a screw can be tightened. The end of a bared wire is inserted into a respective smooth sided bore and a metal screw is then tightened by screwing through the threaded bore to engage and clamp the wire and hold it thereby in position in bore and at the same time effect an electrical connection by simply establishing a clamping pressure either holding the wire against the conducting side of the smooth sided bore or additionally having some electrical contact through the screw. However the bore being formed of an opaque material (brass) does not allow the location of the end of the wire to be actually seen and a usual process for an electrician is that a wire is inserted and the electrician can feel that it has gone in enough to be sure that it will have a sufficient length in the bore for the screw to effectively engage and hold this.
Things do go wrong where especially for instance two or three bared wires are to be twisted together and inserted into the same bore so that it becomes a tight fit. If the feel test is deceived then there can be a dangerous situation with partial contact or worse where the wire or wires is or are loose and over time will intermittently contact with a possible result of arcing etc. Conversely a screw may simply not be tightened. There are other connectors and connection techniques but the above is a very common very economic system that is widely used.
The problems then can be seen which are that current systems do have difficulties and also incur costs that may be considered substantial.


A colostrum heating tub and a container for storing said colostrum therein, the colostrum heating tub adapted for holding a stationary pool of heating liquid and surrounding the container such that it is at least partly immersed in the heating liquid when positioned in the colostrum heating tub. The colostrum heating tub further contains a rack module for holding the container within the stationary pool of heating liquid, the rack module adapted for rotating around an axis such that at least the container can be rotated 360 degrees around the axis so the container is, at all times during 360 degree rotation around the axis, maintained in a fixed position with respect to the rack module and at least partly immersed in the stationary pool of heating liquid for even distribution of heat throughout the container to uniformly heat the colostrum.

Approximately every sixth calf (15%) in Denmark dies, most of them in the first month of their life, which is an economical challenge to numerous farmers and a cost in terms of job enjoyment for the agriculturalist and his employees. On top of that, this is an extensive image-related challenge for the livestock sector.
It is a fact that a great number of the surviving calves do not possess the quality (health, vitality and developmental potential) which they from birth have the potential to grow. This has been the case for several years in spite of repeated campaigns to improve the present circumstances and conditions to obtain a reduction in the mortality of the calves.
There is a general consensus amongst agriculturalists and counselors that these problems actually will be solved, if it is secured that the newborn calf receives raw milk (colostrum) in sufficient and adequate quantities and of a good quality early after the calving.
Tangibly this means that the suckling calf ought to receive four liters of raw milk with at least 50 grams immunoglobulin (antibodies) per liter before it is six hours old.
The heart of the matter is that the theory needs to be put in practice in such a way that it will work reliably and dependably 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, notwithstanding which member of the staff is on duty.
Regarding the aspect of raising calves on stored colostrum, it is a fact that colostrum milk is good feed for calves of any age, so there is a great advantage in storing excess colostrum for calf feeding. Refrigeration and freezing is the best method of storing colostrum, but is also the most expensive.
Every newborn calf needs colostrum. It is important as the first feed to condition the digestive tract and to give the calf resistance to diseases. Disease resistance is provided by the presence of immunoglobulins in the first milk of the dam and the ability of the calf to absorb these antibodies during the early hours of its life. This ability declines and disappears about 24 hours after birth. Consequently, the earlier the calf receives colostrum, the greater will be its benefit.
If milk from its dam is not available, colostrum from another cow freshening at the same time, or fresh, frozen colostrum stored for such an eventuality may be used. A blood transfusion from the dam and antibiotic treatments has also been used. However, the latter method will not provide the degree of success achieved as when colostrum is available, thus with this alternative method a higher mortality rate can be expected.
Regarding the sanitary conditions, filthy milking practices, unclean containers and unsanitary storage conditions can cause undesirable bacterial contamination and sick calves.
The problems relating to the thawing of the milk are mostly related to the process being very time-consuming. One way of thawing of the milk is by using a microwave oven. However, in doing so the antibodies of the milk may be destroyed, as an uneven distribution of the heat in the microwave oven will overheat the outer layers of the colostrum, while the core part of the colostrum remains frozen.
As an alternative way of thawing frozen liquids, U.S. Pat. No. 6,417,698 discloses an apparatus for thawing, warming up and/or mixing frozen liquids placed inside smaller containers such as e.g. baby bottles, syringe and test tubes. The thawing, warming up and/or mixing is obtained by placing the object with the frozen liquid in heated water and vibrating the object, e.g. the baby bottle. By this apparatus, the frozen liquid is warmed up in a gentler fashion compared to using a microwave oven. However, problems with an uneven distribution of heat might still occur, as the heating liquid is not mixed. Further, the apparatus necessitates a thorough cleaning of e.g. the baby bottles subsequent to use—the latter in order to avoid unsanitary storage conditions and thereby sick babies.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,974 discloses an apparatus for thawing of frozen liquid, in this case specifically blood plasma units, wherein these units are placed in a fluid bath with e.g. water. In this apparatus, the thawing process is combined with a kneading of the units by manipulation of the fluid. The kneading of the blood plasma units is a relatively tough handling process, and will not be suitable for thawing raw milk. Further, the frozen liquid needs to be stored in a flexible container in order for the kneading to have any effect.


A printing system includes a supply device and a tape printing device. The supply device includes a widthwise-size setting unit that sets the size of a print table image in the tape-width direction based on the tape width notified by the printing device, a table structure input unit that inputs the number of rows and columns of a table, a reference table creating unit that creates reference table borders based on the set size of the print table image in the tape-width direction and the input number of rows and columns, and a print table image data editing unit that edits the print table image data by editing a plurality of reference horizontal borders and reference vertical borders of the reference table borders.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printing system, a method for processing data in the printing system, a program, and a storage medium. More particularly, the printing system of this invention serves as a separate type of tape printing apparatus, including a supply device capable of supplying print table image data of table borders having a plurality of horizontal borders and a plurality of vertical borders for defining table rows and columns and a tape printing device capable of printing a print table image based on the supplied print table image data onto a tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
In such a printing system of the related art, for example, in combination with application software installed in a personal computer serving as a supply device, a tape printing device provides higher operability and more variable print image creating or editing than a tape printing device used in a stand-alone manner. The application software has a function of drawing graphics using drawing objects, such as straight lines, rectangles, arrows, and ellipses, and the drawing objects are used to create or edit table borders to form a print table image.
In this printing system, drawing objects such as straight lines and rectangles are combined to create table borders. It is therefore necessary to determine the position and size of each drawing object, and it takes a particularly long time to create table borders on a tape with narrow print width and unlimited print length, which inconveniences the user.

Printing system, method for processing data in printing system, program, and storage medium


A method of displaying a structure (SML) three-dimensionally, in which a rectangular parallelepiped (RP), having on each of its sides distances (L.sub.x, L.sub.y, L.sub.z) between minimum and maximum positions along each axis of a structure (SML) is constituted by a set of a number of unit solids, e.g., unit cubes (UC), of the same shape and same dimensions. The structure is represented by information indicating whether each unit solid is part of the structure (SML). Individual ones of the unit solids constituting the structure (SML) are displayed in order starting from unit solids seen on a the front side of the structure. The face of a unit solid overlapping a face of a unit solid already displayed is not displayed; instead, only the visually foremost faces thereof are displayed, thereby displaying a perspective view of the three-dimensional structure (SML).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a three-dimensional display method for structures and, more particularly, to a display method through which structures can be displayed in three dimensions in a simple manner without complicated computations.
2. Description of the Related
With the strides that have been made in computer graphics, a variety of methods of displaying various structures three-dimensionally have been proposed and put into practice in recent years. In these conventional three-dimensional display methods, a structure generally is expressed by an internal model capable of being recognized mathematically.
For this reason, a three-dimensional display of a structure in the prior art requires a large number of calculations, thereby necessitating a costly apparatus capable of processing at high speeds. However, a conversational-type numerical control (NC) apparatus or NC automatic programming apparatus cannot be provided with a high-speed processing function for reasons of cost. At best, these apparatus can be equipped with microprocessors of the type presently in general use. In consequence, an enormous amount of processing time is needed to display a structure three-dimensionally, thus making it impossible to achieve the display rapidly. Thus, the conventional methods are impractical.
In a conversational-type NC apparatus or NC automatic programming apparatus, whether or not machining will be performed correctly based on originated NC data need only be verified by the three-dimensional display of the workpiece, thus making it unnecessary to graphically portray the workpiece with high precision.

Method of displaying structures three-dimensionally


A matrix switching device includes a matrix board and a connecting pin. X-conductor patterns are arranged in parallel with each other on one surface of the matrix board, and Y-conductor patterns are arranged in parallel with each other on the other surface. Both the patterns are arranged in a matrix form. At each crossing point of the both patterns, a through hole having conductive portions respectively connected to the X- and Y-conductor patterns and an intermediate isolation portion for interrupting conduction between the conductive portions is formed in the matrix board. The connecting pin includes conductive portions respectively electrically connected to the X- and Y-conductor patterns through the conductive portions of the through hole upon insertion of the connecting pin into the through hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a versatile matrix switching device which is effective for practical use of an automatic MDF in a communication network, and which can be widely used for a distribution frame for transmission lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a communication network, a main distribution frame (MDF) is disposed as a connecting device in a telephone office to connect a telephone set to exchange equipment. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the main distribution frame includes a terminal strip group 3 connected to a telephone set 1, a terminal strip group 4 connected to exchange equipment 2, and a jumper 5 for connecting the terminal strip groups 3 and 4, and has a matrix switching function for connecting an arbitrary telephone set 1 to the exchange equipment 2 via the jumper 5 in order to perform installation, transfer, and removal of the telephone set 1.
An example of this type of the prior art is disclosed in PCT No. 62-502642. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a conventional pin board matrix. Referring to FIG. 2, reference numeral 101 denotes an upper board; 102, a lower board; 103 and 104, fixed boards; and 105, each linear spring of a metal wire disposed along an X-coordinate direction (to be referred to as an X-conductor linear spring). A plurality of X-conductor linear springs 105 are respectively supported by grooves 200 of the upper board 101 at equal intervals. For example, a telephone set is connected to an extending line of the X-conductor linear spring 105. Reference numeral 106 denotes each linear spring of a metal wire disposed along a Y-coordinate direction (to be referred to as a Y-conductor linear spring). The Y-conductor linear springs 106 perpendicularly intersect with the X-conductor linear springs 105. The plurality of Y-conductor linear springs 106 are respectively supported by grooves 201 of the lower board 102 at equal intervals. For example, exchange equipment is connected to an extending line of the Y-conductor linear spring 106. Reference numerals 107, 108, and 109 denote through holes, respectively. Each through hole 107 is formed in the fixed board 103, each through hole 108 is formed in the upper board 101, and each through hole 109 is formed in the lower board 102. These through holes respectively correspond to crossing points in a longitudinal direction of the X- and Y-conductors. Note that the X- and Y-conductor linear springs 105 and 106 partially cross the through holes of the corresponding boards in a matrix form. The boards are stacked and fixed to each other. Reference numeral 110 denotes a rigid conductor pin. When each conductor pin 110 is inserted into the though holes 107, 108, and 109, the corresponding X- and Y-conductor linear springs 105 and 106 are connected to each other through the conductor pin 110. With such an arrangement, when the conductor pin 110 is inserted into the through holes 107, 108, and 109, the X- and Y-conductor linear springs 105 and 106 are deformed to be in contact with the rigid conductor pin 110, and are electrically connected to each other. As a result, an inserting position of the conductor pin 110 is properly selected, so that a matrix switch for selectively connecting arbitrary X- and Y-conductors can be arranged.
Another example of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,923. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of a pin board matrix. Referring to FIG. 3, reference numeral 111 denotes an upper board 1; 112, a lower board 1; 113, an insulating board; 114, an upper board 2; 115, a lower board 2; 116, an X.sub.1 -conductor linear spring; 117 and 117', Y.sub.1 -conductor linear springs; 118, an X.sub.2 -conductor linear spring; 119 and 119', Y.sub.2 -conductor linear springs; 120, a pin; 121, an insulator; 122 and 123, conductors; and 124, a through hole in each board. Other examples of the pin board matrix shown in FIG. 3 can be basically obtained by stacking two sets of matrix boards having the structures shown in FIG. 2 through the insulating board 113. The X.sub.1 -conductor linear spring 116 overlaps the Y.sub.1 -conductor linear springs 117 and 117' perpendicularly intersecting therewith, and the X.sub.2 -conductor linear spring 118 overlaps the Y.sub.2 -conductor linear springs 119 and 119' perpendicularly intersecting therewith. In the pin 120 for connecting an X.sub.1 conductor to a Y.sub.1 conductor, the conductors 122 and 123 are isolated from each other through the insulator 121 in correspondence with the X.sub.1 and Y.sub.1 conductors and the X.sub.2 and Y.sub.2 conductors in the matrix board.
With such an arrangement, when the connecting pin 120 is inserted into the through holes 124 of the boards, the X.sub.1 -conductor linear spring 116 electrically connected to the Y.sub.1 -conductor linear springs 117 and 117', and the X.sub.2 -conductor linear spring 118 is electrically connected to the Y.sub.2 -conductor linear springs 119 and 119'. More specifically, a matrix switch for connecting two portions of X- and Y-conductors upon one inserting operation of the pin can be arranged.
In the conventional pin board matrix shown in FIG. 2, however, in order to achieve a stable contact state, it is necessary to uniform the contact states between the conductor pin 110 and X- and Y-conductor linear springs 105 and 106. However, with this arrangement, it is necessary to form through holes in boards for supporting the springs in advance. More specifically, when the through holes are formed after the boards are stacked, the X- and Y-conductors are damaged. Therefore, when the boards which support the conductor springs are stacked, the through holes 107, 108, and 109 in the respective boards are necessarily misaligned, and contact states of the pin and metal conductor springs are not uniform upon insertion of the pin. This tendency typically occurs as pitches between adjacent metal springs are decreased, and it is difficult to achieve a decrease in pitch, i.e., a high-density arrangement.
In the above structure, since boards which support a large number of metal springs serving as conductors are carefully stacked and fixed to each other, it is unsuitable for mass production. The above-mentioned drawback also applies to the conventional pin board matrix shown in FIG. 3.

Matrix switching device and method of manufacturing the same

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation


Arrays of microfabricated hotplates have been used as substrate arrays for materials processing on a microscopic scale. Properties of individual elements (pixels) of the array, such as temperature and voltage bias, are controlled by addressing a given pixel with appropriate signals. Materials are deposited onto pixels with individually controlled deposition conditions (pixel temperature, bias). Pixels are also addressed to control properties during post-deposition processing steps such as heating in vacuum or various gases to alter stoichiometry of a single material, or to alloy multiple composition materials. The addressable heating characteristics may also be used for a maskless lithography on pixel elements. The result is an array of separately, but simultaneously, processed films. Properties of film elements may be measured using electrical contact pads. The array of processed films may be used for sensors, electronic devices, greatly accelerated materials development processes, and solid state physics, biology and chemistry studies.

Development of thin film materials conventionally involves subjecting macroscopic (>1 cm) samples to a sequence of deposition, lithographic and post-deposition processing steps. Microlithography technology has been used to isolate microscopic regions for deposition or etching of materials to produce different devices on a single wafer. However, during a given process the entire sample or wafer is held at given temperature. Wafer processing sequences are constrained by "thermal budgets" in which processing steps for the wafer are limited by the lowest maximum temperature tolerance of any other device or layer on the wafer.
From another point of view, scientific studies to optimize a process sequence for a thin film (for coating or device applications, for example), usually involve successive runs through a cycle using varying process temperatures for each run. Since process steps involve mounting the sample in a chamber for controlled environments (high vacuum, furnace, plasma etching, etc.) a full cycle for one sample may require a day or longer to process.
Using micro-machining techniques, it has become possible to create small (<0.1 mm) structures on silicon wafers that are thermally isolated from the rest of the wafer. These structures may be equipped with microlithographically-defined heater elements to reach temperatures in excess of 1000.degree. C., while the rest of the wafer is at ambient room temperature. A recent example is the integrated multi-element gas analyzer by Najafi et al (N. Najafi, K. D. Wise, R. Merchant, and J. W. Schwank, IEEE Workshop on Sensors, Hilton Head, S.C., 1992), pp. 19). This work uses micromachining techniques to fabricate an integrated heater, metal dispersant layer, silicon temperature sensor, and gas-sensing film. The heating element is used to thermally activate sensing adsorption/desorption phenomena occurring on the gas-sensing film surface. Use of the heater to process materials was not considered. The technique used to fabricate the structure was a special process that does not take advantage of low-cost commercial foundry capabilities.

Application of microsubstrates for materials processing

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce


The present invention provides a system and a method for recycling an inkjet-printing material. The recycling method comprises the following steps: utilizing a wiper configured to withdraw the inkjet-printing material dispensed by the nozzles, and collecting the inkjet-printing material by means of a recycling tank; mixing a fresh inkjet-printing material with the inkjet-printing material collected by the recycling tank, so as to form a reuse inkjet-printing material; and providing the reuse inkjet-printing material to the nozzles. The present invention can greatly save the inkjet-printing material.

Inkjet printers have been widely applied in electrical products. The inkjet printers can coat a uniform thin film on a substrate. For example, the inkjet printers can be used to coat alignment films on glass substrates of liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
In general, after coating the alignment films on the glass substrates, nozzles of the inkjet printers are required to dispense materials for test on a wiper, so as to prevent the nozzles from being stuck. However, at this time, the dispensed materials for test can not be reused, thus wasting the inkjet-printing material. Specifically, in a process for coating the alignment films, the material of the alignment films is very expensive, and thus a waste of the material of the alignment films will increase a manufacturing cost.
As a result, it is necessary to provide a system and a method for recycling an inkjet-printing material to solve the problems existing in the conventional technologies, as described above.

System for recycling inkjet-printing material

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


Technology is described herein for parsing an ink document having a plurality of ink strokes. The technology performs stroke-level processing on the plurality of ink strokes to produce stroke-level information, the stroke-level information identifying at least one characteristic associated with each ink stroke. The technology also performs object-level processing on individual objects within the ink document to produce object-level information, the object-level information identifying one or more groupings of ink strokes in the ink document. The technology then parses the ink document into constituent parts based on the stroke-level information and the object-level information. In some implementations, the technology converts the ink stroke data into an ink image. The stroke-level processing and/or the object-level processing may operate on the ink image using one or more neural networks. More specifically the stroke-level processing can classify pixels in the input image, while the object-level processing can identify bounding boxes containing possible objects.

Digital ink documents are documents that a user creates by interacting with a digitizer using some kind of writing implement, such as a pen or finger. These kinds of documents may be relatively complex. For instance, a single ink document can include different types of content items, including paragraphs, lists, drawings, charts, etc. These content items may exhibit different sizes, orientations, user writing styles, etc. Further, some ink documents may include overlapping content items. For example, an ink document may include a drawing with an embedded list. Another ink document may include a drawing that overlaps with another drawing, etc. Finally, different computing platforms may represent the digital ink strokes which compose an ink document in different respective ways.
A parsing engine performs the task of detecting different content items in an ink document. This task is technically challenging due to the above-identified factors. A parsing engine may also be required to run in an efficient manner on a resource-constrained computing platform, such as that used in smartphones and other handheld devices; this factor further compounds the technical challenges facing the development of a successful parsing engine.

Parsing an ink document using object-level and stroke-level processing


A traffic anomaly sensing system 10 includes a preprocessing unit 11, a local graph feature generation unit 12, a global graph feature generation unit 13, a learning unit 14, and an anomaly determination unit 15. The preprocessing unit 11 generates a communication history graph from traffic data. The local graph feature generation unit 12 generates, from the communication history graph, a local graph feature about a certain vertex. The global graph feature generation unit 13 generates, from the communication history graph, a global graph feature about a vertex. The learning unit 14 generates a feature vector by combining the generated local graph feature and the generated global graph feature and generates a learned model for each host identifier. The anomaly determination unit 15 determines whether the traffic data is anomalous or not by inputting the graph feature to the generated learned model.

With the recent spread of the Internet, the technology of sensing anomalies in the network traffic is becoming increasingly important. Conventional techniques for sensing anomalies using the network traffic include sensing anomalies by statistic or machine learning using features of a mechanical access pattern such as access to an unused IP address or sequential IP or an increase in the number of communications or communication destination IPs per unit of time, or the like.
For example, NPL 1 discloses a technology for sensing anomalies in the network traffic by sensing outliers in statistics using features of access to the unused IP address or a communication frequency for each terminal. In addition, NPL 2 discloses a technology of sensing anomalies in the network traffic by algorithms of K-means and Id3 Decision tree using features of access to the unused IP address, access to sequential IP address, or communication frequency.

Traffic anomaly sensing device, traffic anomaly sensing method, and traffic anomaly sensing program

NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION


The present invention provides an antibody which has the following features, its active fragment, or a derivative thereof:    a) It specifically binds to human platelet membrane glycoprotein VI (GPVI);    b) The function to activate a platelet and/or the function to induce a thrombocytopenia in vivo are low; and    c) It at least partially depletes GPVI on the platelet membrane by contacting with a platelet.

The platelet plays a very important role in the clot formation and the biophylaxis, and its concerning in various clinical conditions is being elucidated from the physiological role. In particular, it is remarkable about the function that the platelet forms a hemostatic plug. For example, when the vascular endothelial cell suffers damage, the collagen that is the major matrix protein of the subcutaneous vascular endothelium is exposed and the platelet adheres thereto. Next, the platelet is activated by the signal from the collagen and when finally, the platelet agglutinates through the fibrinogen. Then, since this fact causes morbidity such as thromboembolic disease depending on the situation, it is remarkable as a target for therapy.
In the past, for the purpose of the treatment and the prevention of the thrombosis based on the platelet aggregation, an anti-platelet agent such as aspirin, ticlopidine, GPIIb/IIIa antagonist and the like has been used. However, a lot of problems are pointed out from the aspect of the effectiveness and the side effects such as bleeding. Therefore, the excellent platelet inhibitor having the enough safety and the sure and appropriate function without the above-mentioned problems is desired to arrive.
GPVI that is present on the platelet membrane is the collagen receptor of the platelet, and it has been elucidated that the GPVI plays a central role for an activation of the platelet by collagen stimulation (see, Hiroshi Takayama, The Japanese Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 2003, volume 14, No. 2, pp. 75-81). That is, Sugiyama et al. has been reported that the membrane protein of 62 kDa is specifically depleted in the platelet of a patient with autoimmune thrombocytopenia and the platelet aggregation by collagen cannot be detected (see, Tateo Sugiyama and five other members, Blood (USA), 1987, volume 69, No. 6, pp. 1712-1720), and further that the protein that has been deleted in the platelet of the patient is GPVI and the Fab fragment of the antibody purified from the serum of the patient suppresses a collagen-induced platelet aggregation (see, Tateo Sugiyama and five other members, Blood (USA), 1987, volume 69, No. 6, pp. 1712-1720, and Masaaki Moroi and three other members, The Journal of Clinical Investigation (USA), 1989, volume 84, No. 5, pp. 1440-1445).
So far, Sugiyama et al. (see, Tateo Sugiyama and five other members, Blood (USA), 1987, volume 69, No. 6, pp. 1712-1720) and Takahashi et al. (see, Hoyu Takahashi and one other member, American Journal of Hematology (USA), 2001, volume 67, No. 4, pp. 262-267) have been reported about the anti-human GPVI autoantibody derived from the patient with autoimmune disease. However, since, according to the report by Sugiyama et al., the anti-human GPVI autoantibody purified from the patient's plasma has a function to induce platelet aggregation, it cannot be applied for medicaments immediately. Takahashi et al. (Hoyu Takahashi and one other member, American Journal of Hematology (USA), 2001, volume 67, No. 4, pp. 262-267) describes that an autoantibody to the protein of ca. 62 kDa that is speculated to be GPVI is present, and that this antibody induces a platelet aggregation. In addition, to apply these anti-GPVI antibodies derived from the patient clinically as a medicament, the antibody with high safety must be produced in quantities in stable quality. However, the method of producing industrially is not yet established.
The anti-GPVI antibody, which has been prepared by the present, includes a monoclonal rat antibody to mouse GPVI (see, Publication number 1228768 of the European Patent Application) and a monoclonal mouse antibody to human GPVI (see, Publication number 01/00810 of International Patent Application and Publication number 02/080968 of International Patent Application, Thromb Haemost. 2003 June; 89(6): 996-1003).
In addition, human single-stranded antibody (scFv: single chain Fv) that recognizes human GPVI has been prepared using the phage display method (see, Publication number 01/00810 of International Patent Application, Publication number 02/080968 of International Patent Application, and Peter A Smethurst and 15 other members, Blood (USA), 2002, volume 100, number 11, p. 474a). These single-stranded antibodies are the antibody that combines heavy chain variable region (VH) and light chain variable region (VL) of the human antibody by the peptide linker and has a variable region derived from the human. However, compared with normal immunoglobulin that the cell produces, it generally possesses a low affinity to an antigen thereof and is short in the half-life in vivo, too. Further, Smethurst analyzed an epitope on GPVI in the term of clone 10B12 that suppresses platelet aggregation among the single-stranded antibodies, and suggested that lysine at the 59th position (Lys59) has a possibility to involve (Hoyu Takahashi and one other member, American Journal of Hematology (USA), 2001, volume 67, No. 4, pp. 262-267; and Peter A Smethurst and 15 other members, Blood (USA), 2002, volume 100, number 11, p. 474a).
As described above, most of the antibodies to human GPVI that have been reported until now, including the aforementioned human autoantibody, possess an activity of activating the platelet only by the antibody in vitro, and/or an activity of inducing or enhancing platelet aggregation. Thus, when administering the same in vivo, a probability to cause thrombocytopenia is considered. In fact, Nieswandt et al. has reported several monoclonal antibodies (JAQ1, JAQ2 and JAQ3) that deplete GPVI on the platelet in vivo. All antibodies caused thrombocytopenia after administration.
Recently, there have been reported that collagen, the agonist for GPVI, convulxin and CRP, and an antibody (9012.2) that inhibits the binding of collagen to GPVI activate the platelet, followed by, a shedding of GPVI from the platelet occurs by metalloprotease-mediated cleavage (Stephens G and four other members, Blood, 2005, 105(1): 186-191; Gardiner E E and four other members, Blood, 2004, 104: 3611-3617; Bergmeier W and six other members, Thromb Haemost., 2004, 91: 951-958). Further, the prediction of the amino acid residues on GPVI associated with the interaction with collagen (Val34, Leu36) was performed using the 9012.2 antibody, etc. (Lecut C and seven other members, J Biol Chem, 2004, 279: 52293-52299).
In addition, Takayama et al. cloned anti-human GPVI antibodies using lymphocytes from the patient with autoimmune disease, and investigated about the feature of the antibodies in vitro (Publication number 05/007800 of International Patent Application).
However, in all reports that have been published until now, no antibody having the activity to deplete GPVI on the platelet membrane without activating the platelet and/or without inducing thrombocytopenia in vivo has been disclosed.

Anti-platelet membrane glycoprotein VI monoclonal antibody


A condom retainer ring structure is for use on a condom that has an elongated thin-walled tubular sheath of resilient material closed at one end and open at the other end, with a bead surrounding the opening. The condom retainer ring structure has a first ring for positioning at the periphery of the opening, adjacent the bead that surrounds the sheath. A second ring is connected to and adjacent the first ring. A bridge having a retention notch therein joins the rings generally in a single plane when the retainer ring structure is not in use and in an unflexed condition. In use, when a condom is worn on the penis of a user, the first ring surrounds the sheath on the shaft of the penis, the second ring encircles the scrotum to anchor the condom, and the bridge is flexed thereby, constricting the retention notch. The retention notch, preferably positioned over the bead of the condom, grabs the bead to retain the condom.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to condoms, and more particularly, to a condom retainer ring structure for retaining a condom on the penis of the wearer by using the scrotum of the wearer as anchorage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Condoms have conventionally been used for birth control, whereby the sperm carrying semen of a male is prevented from entering the uterus of a female as semen is trapped in the condom sheath during sexual intercourse. This method of birth control has not proven fail safe. Condoms are known to slip from the penis during sexual intercourse to allow leakage of the semen into the canal of the female leading to the unfertilized egg. Accordingly, methods have been sought to prevent such slippage and thereby protect against leakage to accomplish the end of birth control.
At present times, condoms have gained more importance because of uses other than for birth control. The proliferation of sexual diseases, particularly AIDS, has brought much concern about the dangers of the semen than with respect to preventing fertilization during sexual intercourse. Studies have shown that the trapped semen of an infected person can prevent the transmission of AIDS during sexual activity. Moreover, use of condoms to prevent AIDS has emphasized the advantages of condoms in protecting against the transmission of other sexual diseases during sexual activity. Accordingly, preventing leakage by preventing the slippage of a condom during sexual activity is an end to be desired.
Several U.S. patents disclose inventions directed to preventing such slippage or otherwise avoiding leakage.
British Patent No. 1,252,255 issued to Kennedy and published Nov. 3, 1971, discloses a condom that has a main body section of general cylindrical shape and circular cross section that is substantially smaller than the head section of the condom. The disclosure teaches of the smaller diameter body section to providing a degree of sealing against the escape of semen that is not ordinarily avoided by conventional condoms of uniform tubular cross section.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,494 issued to Hogin on Oct. 19, 1982, discloses a condom for preventing contraception or venereal diseases by including an elongate tubular sheath closed at one end and having a periphery about the opening of the other end to which is secured an elongate resilient retention strap. The retention strap is arranged to encircle the scrotum of the wearer and thereby hold on the sheath. The device uses a conventional bead at the periphery of the opening, and so the strap, which is made of thin rubber, is secured thereto in a fairly weak structure. Accordingly, the strap may readily tear from the condom during particularly active sexual activity. Furthermore, the retention device as taught by Hogin requires a complex manufacture of the condom and the strap which would increase the price of condoms with the possible consequence of decreasing the demand for condoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,831 issued to Foggia on May 12, 1992, discloses a rollable condom having a retention periphery at its open end. A conventional bead at the periphery of the open end is discontinuous at a notch. A hole is located opposite the notch within the wall of the condom sheath along the bead. The hole has a indentation which is centered on the hole towards the closed end of the sheath. The sheath also has a seal which is located toward the closed end of the sheath to form a circumference of a smaller diameter than the tubular sheath. When the sheath of the condom is fully unrolled onto the penis, the scrotum is positioned through the hole to provide a retention strap around the scrotum. It would appear that without the seal, this device would be easier to manufacture than the device of Hogin. But without the seal, there is even a greater opportunity for semen to leak out of the open end as the bead is not there to provide a seal at the periphery.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,392 issued to Sorkin introduces a different solution but with other shortcomings. Sorkin teaches use of a condom that includes a tubular length having a closed first end and an open second end. The open second end includes an integral pubic shield which is adapted to overlay the pubic area of the user. The device does not provide for a seal, although leakage may be lessened by the distance the semen has to travel in order to escape from the condom. According to the teachings of Sorkin, however, the condom is of such a complex structure as to increase its cost, and its coverage may also interfere with the pleasure of the activity when it is in use.
In my earlier filed application, of which this application is a continuation-in-part, I disclosed a combination of a condom and a condom retainer ring structure that has an elongated thin-walled tubular sheath of resilient material closed at one end and open at the other end, with a first ring at the periphery of the open end and a second ring adjacent is attached to and adjacent the first ring, with a bridge joining the rings. In use, the first ring surrounds the sheath worn on the shaft of the penis and the second ring encircles the scrotum to anchor the condom. The disclose acknowledged that the condom retainer ring structure in accordance with the invention may be used with a commercially produced condom. In such a case, the condom is placed on the penis as any commercially produced condom would be placed on the penis and the condom retainer ring structure is placed on the penis and scrotum thereafter.
Although I am quite satisfied with the advantages of the structures disclosed in my earlier filed application, particularly as the advantages relate to the condom having a retaining ring structure built therein, I have conceived of an improvement to the earlier disclosed structures of the condom retainer ring that improves upon its retention, on the shaft of a penis, of commercially produced condoms (those produced without the retaining ring structure being an integral part of the condom), even as my earlier disclosed retaining ring structure improves over the art that proceeded it.

Condom restrainer ring structure with retention notch


A paintball gun is disclosed, which includes at least one aiming and/or pointing device mount assembly connected to, affixed to or integral with a paintball gun""s hopper, adapter, and/or feed tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paintball gun including an aiming mounting assembly for mounting an aiming apparatus and a timing apparatus.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a paintball gun including an aiming mounting assembly that attaches to or is integral with a hopper/magazine, an adapter, and/or a feed tube, where the assembly permits rotation about two axes so that the aiming device can be properly aligned and a timing apparatus mounted on the hopper/magazine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of paintball guns have been developed and used in a variety of manners, such as in simulated war games. These paintball guns are generally powered by CO2 cartridges or cylinders which, generally, propel the paintballs at a specified velocity, such as three hundred (300) feet per second out of the gun barrel. In general, the prior art paintball guns include a typical firearm type mechanism including a bolt, spring and cocking handle.
Some of these prior art paintball guns include aiming devices such as laser pointing devices, scopes, flash lights, or the like. But due to the hopper, much of the paintball gun is not readily amenable to attachment of an aiming device.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved paintball guns with mounting assemblies for aiming devices, where the mounting assembly are not obstructed by components of the gun, and especially where the mounting assemblies are attached to or integral with either the hopper, the adapter, and/or the feed tube of a paintball gun.
The present invention provides a paintball gun including at least one aiming device mounting assembly associated with the hopper, the feed tube, and/or the adapter and a timing apparatus attached to or integral with the hopper.
The present invention also provides a paintball gun apparatus including: a gun assembly having a handle, a barrel, and a paintball feed tube; a feeder/hopper or magazine; optionally an adapter, and at least one aiming and/or pointing device mounting assembly and a timing apparatus attached to or integral with the hopper. The mounting assemblies preferably have two axes of adjustment so that the aiming and/or pointing device can be adjusted up and down and side to side. The aiming and/or pointing assemblies can be attached to or integral with the hopper, the feed tube, and/or the optional adapter.
The present invention also provides a paintball gun apparatus including: a gun assembly having a handle, a barrel, and a paintball feed tube; a feeder/hopper or magazine; optionally an adapter; at least one aiming and/or pointing device mounting assembly; and at least one aiming and or pointing device detachably connected to the at least one mounting assembly. The mounting assemblies preferably have two axes of adjustment so that the aiming and/or pointing device can be adjusted up and down and side to side. The aiming and/or pointing assemblies can be attached to or integral with the hopper, the feed tube, and/or the optional adapter.
The present invention also provides a method for improving aiming and/or pointing of a paintball gun, including the steps of: attaching an aiming and/or pointing device to an aiming and/or pointing device mounting assembly attached to or integral with a hopper, an adapter and/or a feed tube and aiming the paintball gun and firing with the aid of either an aiming device such as a scope or a pointing device such as a laser pointer or both.

Paintball guns having hopper, adapter and/or feed tube aiming/pointing device mounting assemblies


Coated colloidal materials, methods for making coated colloidal materials, and methods of using coated colloidal materials are disclosed. The method yields coated colloidal materials where the optical characteristics of the core is not adversely affected. The coated colloidal materials can be self-assembled into films, layers, or structures and used in the detection of analytes through detection assays.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure is generally related to coated colloidal materials, and more specifically is related to silica-coated transition metal nanocrystals, such as silica-coated silver or gold nanoprisms.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Metal nanoparticles have attracted a great deal of attention during the past decades due to their potential applications in the fields of catalysis, optics, and biosensing. Gold and silver nanostructures are of particular interest due to their unusual optical properties that are dependent on size and shape. Triangular silver nanoprisms, in particular, exhibit highly tunable architecture-dependent optical properties. These structures also have very high surface energies, especially at their tips and edges, where the silver atoms can be readily oxidized. Unfortunately, this oxidation causes either truncation of the tips of the prisms or their complete dissolution and is accompanied by a concomitant shift in or a complete loss-of-their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands. Consequently, methods have been investigated in the attempt to protect nanoparticles from oxidation.
One method that has been attempted to protect nanoparticles from oxidation is encasing the nanoparticles in silica shells. These shells are useful because they 1) are transparent in the visible and IR regions of the spectrum, 2) are chemically inert in a wide variety of solvents, and 3) can be functionalized using well-developed silane coupling chemistry. Therefore core-shell nanostructures would typically maintain the optical signatures of the metal cores, while gaining the desirable chemical and physical properties of the silica shells.
The Stöber method recently has been adapted for coating metal nanocrystals with silica shells. See e.g. Alsan et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129:1524 (2007). This sol-gel process typically involves ammonia-catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of molecules, such as tetraethoxysilane. However, directly applying this method to coat silver nanoparticles poses challenges because etching and aggregation of silver nanoparticles are induced by ammonia.
To solve this problem, Kobayashi et al. have used dimethylamine (DMA) (at concentrations between 0.4 and 0.8 M) to catalyze silica shell growth on silver nanoparticles. See Kobayashi et al. J. Colloid Interf. Sci. 282:392 (2005). Using DMA as opposed to ammonia, the researchers showed that silica shells could be easily formed without decreasing the diameter of the silver nanoparticle core. However, Kobayashi's method cannot be applied to silver nanoprisms because significant etching and aggregation of the nanoprisms occur even in a 0.4 M solution of DMA.
Therefore, a need exists for the preparation of coated nanoparticles where the size and shape of the nanoparticle is maintained through the coating process.


A balun includes an unbalanced port having a single-ended terminal, a balanced port having first and second differential terminals, and first and second series resonant LC circuits. The first series resonant LC circuit is connected between the first and second differential terminals, and includes a first element of a first type and one element of a second type connected in series. The second series resonant LC circuit is connected between the single-ended terminal and ground, and includes second and third elements of the first type and the one element of the second type connected in series. The one element of the second type is shared by the first and second series resonant LC circuits. The first differential terminal is connected between the one element of the second type and the third element of the first type.

Portable communication devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), electrical gaming devices, laptop computers, and the like, are configured to communicate over wireless networks. Accordingly, each such portable communication device relies on a receiver and a transmitter, typically connected to a single or common antenna, for sending and receiving data and control signals over the wireless network. Of course, the receiver and transmitter may be incorporated into a transceiver, having a receiver portion and a transmitter portion. In order to use the common antenna, often a duplexer is included to interface between the antenna and each of the receiver portion and the transmitter portion, so that the receiver portion is able to receive signals on a receive (downlink) frequency, and the transmitter portion is able to send transmit signals on a different transmit (uplink) frequency. The receive and transmit signals may be radio frequency (RF) signals, for example.
Various types of wireless network are implemented according to different communication standards, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), global system for mobile communication (GSM), personal communications services (PCS), digital cellular system (DCS), international mobile telecommunication (IMT), and enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE). The communication standards identify separate bands for transmitting and receiving signals. For example, band 1 provides an uplink frequency band of 1920 MHz-1980 MHz and a downlink frequency band of 2110 MHz-2170 MHz; UMTS band 2 (PCS) provides an uplink frequency band of 1850 MHz-1910 MHz and a downlink frequency band of 1930 MHz-1990 MHz; UMTS band 3 (DCS) provides an uplink frequency band of 1710 MHz-1785 MHz and a downlink frequency band of 1805 MHz-1880 MHz; UMTS band 7 (IMT-E) provides an uplink frequency band of 2500 MHz-2570 MHz and a downlink frequency band of 2620 MHz-2690 MHz; and UMTS band 8 (GMS-900) provides an uplink frequency band of 880 MHz-915 MHz and a downlink frequency band of 925 MHz-960 MHz. Accordingly, a duplexer operating in compliance with a UMTS standard would include a transmit filter having a passband within the corresponding uplink frequency band, and a receive filter having a passband within the corresponding downlink frequency band.
The duplexer includes two band-pass filters having different passbands, thus preventing or reducing interference between the receive and transmit signals. That is, the duplexer includes a receive filter having a receive passband for filtering the receive signals, and a transmit filter having a transmit passband for filtering the transmit signals. The band-pass receive and transmit filters may include acoustic resonator filter elements, such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) or bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators, such as thin film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) or solidly mounted resonators (SMRs), for example, for filtering the receive and transmit signals. Generally, impedance matching circuits are needed to enable the duplexer to interface with the receiver and transmitter portions of a transceiver, respectively.
FBAR filters usually have single-ended input and output terminals for single-ended (unbalanced) signals, while the receiver or transmitter portions of the transceiver with which the FBAR filters interface typically have differential input and output terminals. An FBAR filter therefore relies on a balancing device, such as a balun (in addition to the impedance matching circuit), for example, to convert between single-ended and differential signals in order to interface with the transmitter and receiver portions of the transceiver. This adds to the size, cost and insertion loss of the component.
A balun suitable for such applications and frequencies typically include inductor-capacitor (LC) circuits, which require a number of inductors and capacitors. Such a balun may be referred to as a "lumped element balun." The fewer inductors and capacitors included generally result in less space, and lower cost of the balun. Accordingly, design efforts have been made to achieve satisfactory balun functionality with the fewest possible LC elements, where LC element refers to a reactance (or susceptance) which is typically implemented as either an inductor or a capacitor. However, in general, conventional baluns require at least four LC elements, as found in a lattice-type balun, and typically more than four LC elements. Larger numbers of LC elements make implementation more difficult, typically lead to higher losses and require a larger area. Even in the lattice-type balun, the four LC elements must include two inductors and two capacitors. This may be problematic in technologies where one type of LC element cannot be implemented as easily or accurately as the other type of LC element, or is not conducive to space saving or high performance (e.g. high quality factor, less degradation by unwanted coupling effects, etc.) In addition, a lattice-type balun does not have a DC blocking capability between balanced and unbalanced ports. Accordingly, a lumped element balun is needed with no more than four LC elements, where at least three of the elements are either all capacitors or all inductors.

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


Provided is a wind turbine rotor blade that can secure a sufficient strength in a coupling portion without significant increase in weight even though a blade is increased in size because beams, which are main strength members of the separated blades, are coupled to each other by metallic coupling members. A wind turbine rotor blade including: a skin that forms a long hollow shape; and a beam that is vertically passed in a longitudinal direction to reinforce the skin from inside, wherein the beam is separated into at least two portions in the longitudinal direction, and ends of the adjacent beams are coupled to each other through a metallic coupling member having: a first flange portion opposed to the one end; a second flange portion opposed to the other end; and a connecting portion that connects these first flange portion and second flange portion, and the skin is separated into a coupling portion skin arranged at a position corresponding to the coupling member, and a main body skin arranged at a position corresponding to the beam.

In recent years, wind turbines for wind power generation have increased in size to achieve improvement in power generation efficiency and to increase of the amount of power generation. Along with the increase in size of wind turbines for wind power generation, wind turbine rotor blades have also increased in size, to have for example, a blade length of not less than 40 meters.
When the wind turbine rotor blade is increased in size as described above, various difficulties, such as a difficulty in integral manufacture and a difficulty in conveyance along with difficulties in securing roads and trucks, etc., occur.
In order to solve these difficulties, there has been proposed a wind turbine rotor blade that is separated in a longitudinal direction as disclosed in Patent Literature 1.
{Citation List}
{Patent Literature}
{PTL 1}
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2004-11616


In order to correspond to high integration with large capacity of a semiconductor device, provided are a structure of the semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same in which a horizontal dimension can be reduced in either a memory cell region or a region where a peripheral circuit is to be formed or both the regions. A TFT is superposed on a trench capacitor with an insulation film provided therebetween in a DRAM memory cell region, and a TFT is superposed on a bulk transistor with an insulation film provided therebetween in a region where a peripheral circuit is to be formed. Consequently, elements are arranged three-dimensionally. Thus, a horizontal dimension of a region where each element is to be formed can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to structures of a memory cell and a peripheral circuit of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) of a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing the structures.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 15 is a view showing a sectional structure of a semiconductor device according to the prior art. FIG. 15 shows a technique which has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying Open Gazette No. 7-153966.
In FIG. 15, the reference numeral 101 denotes a substrate for producing a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) structure, the reference numeral 102 denotes an insulation film provided on the substrate 101, the reference numeral 103 denotes a silicon layer provided on the insulation film 102, the reference numeral 104 denotes an isolation film which is an insulation film formed in a passivation region on the insulation film 102, the reference numeral 105 denotes a gate insulation film provided on a surface of a region corresponding to a channel region of a TFT (thin film transistor) which is built in the silicon layer 103, the reference numeral 106 denotes a gate electrode of the TFT which is formed on the gate insulation film 105, and the reference numerals 107a and 107b denote source/drain regions of the TFT which are built in the silicon layer 103 with the channel region of the TFT interposed therebetween. The reference numeral 108 denotes an insulation film for insulating the gate electrode 106 from a conductive member provided thereon.
Furthermore, a trench 109 is formed in contact with the source/drain region 107a by etching from a surface of the silicon layer 103 to a portion of the substrate 101 which has a predetermined depth. A storage node 110 constituting a trench capacitor is formed in tight contact with an internal wall of the trench 109. An upper end of the storage node 110 and an end of the source/drain region 107a come in contact with each other and are electrically connected to each other. Furthermore, a capacitor insulation film 111 is formed on a surface of the storage node 110, and a cell plate 112 is buried in a surface of the capacitor insulation film 111 with the trench 109 completely filled up. The reference numeral 113 denotes a polypad provided for electrically connecting a bit line 114 provided above the TFT to the source/drain region 107b.
In a memory cell region of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 15, the trench capacitor is formed adjacently to the TFT, and the storage node 110 constituting the trench capacitor is formed on a surface of the internal wall of the trench 109 and is provided in contact with the source/drain region 107a of the TFT which is built in the silicon layer 103 formed on the substrate 101 with the insulation film 102 provided therebetween. As seen on a plane, the trench capacitor and the TFT are provided adjacently but are not superposed each other. FIG. 16 shows a structure of a peripheral circuit of the semiconductor device according to the prior art.
In a sectional structure illustrated in FIG. 16, a MOS transistor has a source/drain region formed on a substrate (semiconductor substrate) 101 (The MOS transistor will be hereinafter referred to as a bulk transistor 115. The transistor comprises two source/drain regions interposing a channel region therebetween, and a gate electrode formed on the channel region with a gate insulation film provided therebetween.) Only a bit line 114 or an aluminum wiring 116 is provided above the MOS transistor and elements are thinly arranged two-dimensionally in a horizontal direction. The elements are not superposed each other three-dimensionally. As shown in the sectional structure, in the case where five bulk transistors 115 are arranged on the substrate 101, a space of 8.9 .mu.m is required on the condition that a gate length of each transistor to be formed is 0.35 .mu.m.
In the structure of the peripheral circuit of the semiconductor device according to the prior art, elements are not provided on an isolation film (a trench isolation, in this case) 104a. An element such as a transistor is formed in a region other than the isolation region 104a, thus constituting the peripheral circuit.
In FIG. 16, the reference numeral 114a denotes a bit line contact and the reference numeral 116a denotes an Al wiring contact.

DRAM memory with TFT superposed on a trench capacitor


An approach is provided in which a standby component receives a database log record that corresponds to a modification to one of a primary database's corresponding physical storage spaces. The standby component determines whether a modified object associated with the database log record corresponds to a standby database, which includes a replication of a subset of the primary database's corresponding physical storage spaces. When the standby component determines that the modified object corresponds to the standby database, the standby component invokes a physical replay that replicates the modification on the standby database.

The present disclosure relates to replicating a subset of a primary database's corresponding physical storage spaces on a standby database. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a standby component receiving primary database log records, and applying the relevant database log records through physical replication to the standby database.
Current database deployments may consolidate servers into a virtualized, or "cloud" environment, in order to improve information technology (IT) support cost structure. As such, enterprises may include multiple small databases arrayed on various systems and consolidate them onto one larger virtualized system in order to gain economies and better return on investment. The enterprises may partition the larger databases over multiple physical storage spaces, which are segmented based upon schema or other attributes such as size or data type. Some of the partitions may require replication for reasons such as availability and/or disaster recovery, while other partitions may have less stringent recovery requirements.

Physical replication of database subset to improve availability and reduce resource cost in a cloud environment

International Business Machines Corporation


A novel phosphorescent material containing an iridium metal compound and an organic electroluminescent device using the same are provided. When used for an emissive layer of an organic electroluminescent device, the phosphorescent material offers greater luminescent efficiency and improved driving voltage characteristics, compared to conventional red luminescent materials, and reduces the amount of power consumed in the organic electroluminescent device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a red luminescent compound and an organic electroluminescent device using the same, and more particularly, to a red luminescent compound and an organic electroluminescent device using the same that offers improved luminescent efficiency and driving voltage characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electroluminescent (EL) devices known as a self-luminous display have the advantages of large viewing angle, high contrast property, and short response time.
EL devices can be classified depending on the material composing their emissive layer into inorganic EL devices and organic EL devices. Organic EL devices have the advantages of higher luminance, lower driving voltage, shorter response time, and the ability to display a wider range of colors, over inorganic EL devices.
A general organic EL device includes an anode on the top surface of a substrate, with a hole transporting layer, an emissive layer, an electron transporting layer, and a cathode formed in sequence on the anode, wherein the hole transporting layer, the emissive layer, and the electron transporting layer are thin films made of organic compounds.
Organic EL devices having such a structure described above operate according to the following principles.
When a voltage is applied across the anode and the cathode, holes injected from the anode migrate via the hole transporting layer into the emissive layer. Electrons injected from the cathode migrate via the electron transporting layer into the emissive layer and combine with the holes therein to generate excitons. When the excitons transit from excited state to base state, molecules of the emissive layer emit light to form visible images.
Materials for the emissive layer can be classified depending on their light emission mechanism, into fluorescent materials that emit light from excitons in a singlet state and phosphorescent materials that emit light from excitons in a triplet state.
In general, phosphorescent materials are organometallic compounds containing a heavy atom and an organic ligand. In phosphorescence from phosphorescent materials, excitons in a non-emissive triplet state due to the heavy atom participate in emission via transition. Such phosphorescent materials use 75% of triplet state excitons for emission and offers higher luminescent efficiency compared to fluorescent materials using only 25% of singlet state excitons for emission.
Red luminescent materials, for example, DCJTB(4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran), have been developed. However, currently available red luminescent materials offer low luminescent efficiency and poor color purity.
Recently, research on phosphorescent materials including a second dopant such as rubrene or including an iridium metallic compound has conducted, as disclosed in U.S. 2002/0,121,638A1 and U.S. 2002/0,034,656 A1. However, these compounds still require improvements in luminescent efficiency and film stability.
Therefore, there is a need for the development of new red luminescent compounds applicable to red EL devices or full-color light emitting devices.

Red luminescent compound and organic electroluminescent device using the same


Twenty-one PSGR-derived peptides predicted by an immuno-informatics approach based on the HLA-A2 binding motif were examined for their ability to induce peptide-specific T cell responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from either HLA-A2+ healthy donors or HLA-A2+ prostate cancer patients. The recognition of HLA-A2 positive and PSGR expressing LNCaP cells was also tested. Three peptides, PSGR3, PSGR4 and PSGR14 frequently induced peptide-specific T cell responses in PBMCs from both healthy donors and prostate cancer patients, and are recognized by CD8+ T cells in an HLA-A2 dependent manner. These peptide-specific T cells recognize HLA-A2+ and PSGR+ tumor cells, and killed LNCaP prostate cancer cells in an HLA class I-restricted manner. These PSGR-derived peptides identified are useful as diagnostic markers as well as immune targets for anticancer vaccines.

Prostate cancer has become the most common cancer and is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American men [1]. The standard of care is surgery and/or radiation therapy. However, disease recurrence after surgery or radiation still takes place in up to 30% of patients. Although androgen-deprivation therapy is effective, most of these patients eventually develop androgen-refractory prostate cancer. Therefore, more effective and less toxic therapies are urgently needed.
Immunotherapy has been shown to be a promising approach to the treatment of prostate cancer, especially for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer [2-4], but until recently it has been met with only sporadic clinical success [4-6]. Recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of the immunotherapy-based vaccine/drug sipuleucel-T (Provenge) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) represent milestones in the field of cancer immunotherapy [7,8]. Furthermore, a phase III clinical trial of the gp100 peptide for melanoma also produced highly encouraging clinical results [9]. However, the clinical benefits reported for these agents have fallen far short of complete responses and permanent cures. In the case of sipuleucel-T, the survival benefit for patients was only 4.1 months, without objective tumor regression or substantial changes in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. A recent study using animal models further reveals the importance of tumor-specific antigens in eliciting immune responses against a developing tumor [10], spurring more efforts to identify such antigens for cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, since some major rejection antigens may be lost or altered due to T cell selection and killing [11], the best strategy is to target multiple tumor antigens that are present on individual tumors for immunotherapy.
A number of prostate specific tumor antigens have been well-defined, including PSA [12,13], prostein [14,15], prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) [16], prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) [17-19], prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) [20] and transient receptor potential p8 (trp-p8) [21]. Furthermore, HLA-class I-restricted epitopes derived from these tumor antigens have been described [22]. One drawback of single tumor antigen-based immunotherapy is that immune escape may occur. Hence, there is a need to identify additional prostate cancer-specific antigens for development of more effective and antigen-specific vaccines for metastatic prostate cancer.

Prostate-specific tumor antigens and uses thereof

SHENZHEN INNOVATION IMMUNOTECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.