In a process for preparing a dehydrogenation catalyst of the type in which a support comprising zinc aluminate is impregnated with at least one of platinum and tin from an impregnation solution, the improvement comprises simultaneously impregnating the support with the platinum and the tin by contacting the support with an impregnation solution which comprises, in solution, a tin compound, a platinum compound, and a carboxylic acid. The thus prepared catalyst can be employed in the dehydrogenation of at least one alkane containing 2-8 carbon atoms per molecule in the presence of steam.

According to one aspect, this invention relates to a catalyst comprising platinum and tin on a zinc aluminate-containing support, and according to other aspects relates to a novel process for making such catalyst and use of the catalyst in alkane dehydrogenation.
In the preparation of dehydrogenation catalysts comprising platinum and tin on a zinc aluminate-containing support, it is known to impregnate the support with platinum and/or tin by contacting such support with an impregnation solution having at least one of a platinum compound or tin compound dissolved therein. However, improvement in such dehydrogenation catalysts with respect to activity (i.e. conversion), selectivity to olefins, and rate of deactivation would be desirable.

Platinum and tin-containing catalyst and use thereof in alkane dehydrogenation


A simplified retractable needle hypodermic syringe is provided which includes a barrel having a needle carrier mounted therein with a cannula attached thereto. A slidable plunger is mounted within the barrel which includes a shaft and hub for locking to the carrier. The plunger seal is conveniently mounted about the shaft between the plunger and the hub. A removable safety cap is provided to cover the upper end of the plunger and the barrel to prevent accidental depression of the plunger and engagement of the hub with the carrier before use. The cap is placed over the open end of the barrel after use to provide a closed container. The shaft is broken off at above the hub leaving the hub and carrier in the barrel.

Due to the recent advent of the AIDS virus, which may be contracted by contaminated hypodermic syringes, there have been several retractable needle hypodermic syringes invented and patented. The retraction of the needle into the barrel of the syringe after use reduces the risk of "needle prick", or the accidental pricking of the person giving the injection after the syringe has been used.
Some of the recently patented retractable needle syringes include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,692,156 (Haller); 4,675,005 (DeLuccia); 4,747,830 (Gloyer, et al); and my own patents 4,790,822 and 4,950,251. All of the syringes disclosed include a hypodermic needle mounted on a carrier which is slidable in the barrel. The plunger is locked to this carrier after the injection has been given and is withdrawn up into the barrel by withdrawal of the plunger. The simplest mechanism for locking the plunger to the carrier is disclosed as a projection on the lower end of the plunger which engages through an opening in the upper end of the carrier. Thus, the engagement requires a simple extra push on the plunger. There is the possibility that the plunger might become accidently engaged before use rendering the syringe useless. The present inventor has thus seen a need for a simple device to prevent depression of the plunger prior to use.

Retractable needle syringe and capping system


An interferometer is provided that includes a first path and a second path. The first path is configured to propagate an electro-magnetic signal at a first wavelength. The second path is configured to convert a portion of the electro-magnetic signal from the first wavelength to a second wavelength for processing and is configured to convert the portion of the electro-magnetic signal from the second wavelength back to the first wavelength for interference with the electro-magnetic signal of the first path. The first wavelength may be an optical wavelength or any other suitable wavelength of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The second wavelength, which is different than the first wavelength, also may be any suitable wavelength of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

The area of optical communications has been successfully using wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) for years to achieve high per-fiber capacities. A recent advance in the area of optical communications is the use of optical superchannels to achieve high per-wavelength interface rates. An optical superchannel is composed of N subcarriers which form a single cohesive wavelength channel. Optical superchannels are gaining increased attractiveness due to the ability to generate high-speed interface rates using low-speed elements.

Interferometer configured for signal processing in an interference path


A first wireless node may synchronize its timeslots with the timeslots of a second wireless node that was previously transmitting and receiving data in an asynchronous manner with respect to the timeslots of the first wireless node. By synchronizing timeslots, the wireless nodes may avoid interference that may otherwise occur if the wireless nodes operate in an asynchronous manner. A wireless node shares its timing information with other wireless nodes by repeatedly transmitting timing reference signals in conjunction with a synchronization metric that defines the relative priority of the timing reference. In the event a wireless node does not receive a GPS-based timing reference, the wireless node may synchronize to a timing reference based on the parameters of the synchronization metric of that timing reference. In the event a wireless node does not receive any timing references, the wireless node may define and advertise it's a timing reference and associated synchronization metric. To avoid synchronization race conditions, the synchronization metrics may be defined such that wireless nodes that have different timing references will advertise different synchronization metrics.

1. Field
This application relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically, but not exclusively, to synchronizing wireless nodes.
2. Introduction
A wireless communication system may be deployed in various ways depending on the requirements of the intended application. For example, a planned deployment may be utilized for an application such as a cellular network where seamless connectivity is desired over a relatively wide area. To reduce interference in such a network, the channel or channels used by a given wireless device (or set of wireless devices) may be defined throughout the network. In addition, to further control interference in the network the wireless devices may communicate via designated timeslots whereby a given wireless device may transmit data during certain timeslots and receive data during other timeslots.
A more flexible deployment scheme may be used for an application such as a local area network that supports different types of wireless devices having different types of communication capabilities. For example, in such a network a set of wireless devices may unilaterally select their operating channel. In addition, the wireless devices may not use a timeslot structure for transmitting and receiving data. For example, in such a system a given wireless device may transmit data any time the selected channel is available. Here, an appropriate channel contention mechanism may be employed to prevent neighboring wireless devices from unduly interfering with one another.
In practice, the above deployment schemes may have certain disadvantages due to tradeoffs that may be made to provide a given type of service. For example, due to the relative complexity of centralized planning, setting up a planned wireless wide area network may be relatively expensive and time consuming. Hence, such a scheme may not be well suited for "hot spot" deployments. On the other hand, an unplanned wireless local area network may not achieve the same level of spatial efficiency (bits/unit area) as a planned network. In addition, interference mitigation techniques that may be used in unplanned networks may result in poor utilization, limited fairness control, and susceptibility to hidden and exposed nodes.


A rotary electric machine including a rotor having salient poles, each salient pole comprising a pole body surrounded by at least one coil, and at least one pair of wedges comprising a first wedge positioned against the coil of a first salient pole and a second wedge positioned against the coil of a second salient pole consecutive with the first. The first and second wedges are able to move in the inter-pole space with respect to one another along the longitudinal axis of the rotor, and each having at least one contact surface, the contact surface or surfaces of the first wedge being configured to come into contact with the contact surface or surfaces of the second wedge as one wedge is moved longitudinally with respect to the other in such a way that the movement of one wedge with respect to the other induces a pressing of these wedges against the coils so as to hold the coils of the first and second salient poles respectively against the pole bodies of the first and second salient poles.

The present invention relates to a rotor for a rotary electric machine, also referred to as a pole wheel, and, more specifically, although not exclusively, to an industrial alternator wound rotor.
The vast majority of industrial alternator rotors are wound rotors, which means to say rotors comprising windings of electric conductors (also referred to as induction coils) through which a dc current of variable current strength is intended to pass. Given the nature of the materials of the conductors, the radius of gyration at which they are mounted, and the rotational speed of the rotor, it is absolutely essential for these windings to be held firmly on the rotor.
Specifically, in such alternators, the rotor coils are subjected to centrifugal forces as the rotor rotates, these forces being all the higher the higher the diameter of the rotor and the rotational speed thereof. The components used to hold the coils along the body of the pole wheel are commonly referred to as "pole wheel wedges" or "rotor wedges".
Manufacturers use various shapes and various principles to perform this function of wedging the coils on the rotor. Some wedges are one-piece wedges, others are made up of several elements; some need to be supplemented by one or more clamping accessories of the nuts and bolts type, while others are force fitted.
Furthermore, the increase in the strength of the dc current passing through the coil leads to an increase in the heating within same. One of the design criteria of electric machines such as industrial alternators is the category of heating. This feature, associated with the operating temperature and the category of thermal withstand of the coil insulating materials govern the life of the machine's electrical insulation system.
The function of holding the conductors on the pole body is important in order to prevent them from being spun out, as mentioned hereinabove, but it is found that the pressure that the wedges exert on the coil is also a parameter of importance to the effectiveness of the cooling of the rotor.
Certain known shapes of wedge perform only the retention function. In that case, the quality of the exchange of heat between the coils and the rotor is fairly mediocre, and that leads to the use of a greater amount of active material (copper, iron and/or other conductors) in order to conform to a given thermal classification.
Publication FR 2 842 666 A1 discloses a rotor comprising salient poles having coils against which heat sinks that also act as wedges are firmly pressed by threaded rods.
During manufacture, the rods are tightened a first time when cold, then the rotor is placed in the oven. A further tightening is then performed while the machine is still hot, so as to increase the force with which the heat sinks are pressed against the coils and ensure good thermal contact. This second tightening operation entails handling of the machine that may prove tricky given its weight and size.
To simplify manufacture, the second tightening operation may be omitted, but the thermal contact is then not as good, which means that the coil has to be produced using more copper in order to reduce the strength of its current and therefore the extent to which it heats up in operation, and this has the disadvantage of increasing the cost of materials.
Other shapes of wedge apply pressure to the coil, but the principle on which they are designed does not make it possible to ensure good repeatability of the level of pressure in production. Overall, the quality of the heat exchange is better, but its variability from one machine to another remains great, and, once again, the optimization of the quantity of active material is not maximized.
For example, there are rotors in which tightness of clamping is achieved using Belleville spring washers. The presence thereof is liable to detract from the compactness of the machine and fitting them may prove difficult for certain rotor configurations. In addition, these washers are liable to lose their elasticity as the machine ages, thus reducing reliability or dictating more intensive maintenance.
Finally, there are wedges the pressure level of which can be mastered much better in production, contributing to a limited spread on the quality of the heat exchange. This control is one of the key factors in optimizing the quantity of active material in the rotor for a given level of heating. These are very often screw type systems which employ a significant number of components and, unfortunately, that makes creating the assembly more complicated and lengthens the operating times.
There is a need to simplify the manufacture of wound rotors without this simplification leading to an excessive impairment of the thermal performance or leading to an increase in the quantity of active material used in order to compensate for inferior heat transfer.

Rotary electric machine having wedges to support salient poles of a rotor


An apparatus in one example embodiment includes a tabletop, a support member coupled to the tabletop, and a base coupled to the support member. The base is axially spaced from the tabletop and configured to be received in a planter. In further embodiments, at least a portion of the base is spaced from a floor of the planter when the base is received in the planter. In yet further embodiments, a plurality of feet are coupled to the base and extend below the base. At least one of the feet may be adjustable to alter a vertical spacing between a head of the foot and the base. In some embodiments, one or more drainage holes may be formed in the base. In other embodiments, the apparatus includes one or more other support members, each coupled to the base and the tabletop.

In recent years, outdoor living areas have soared in popularity. Outdoor living areas are often designed with various features to create an inviting area for entertaining, spending time with family and friends, or simply relaxing outside. Numerous options are available for creating desirable outdoor living areas including, for example, gazebos, outdoor kitchens, stone fireplaces, fire pits, patios, decks, water features, landscaping, container gardening, and outdoor furniture (e.g., tables, chairs, benches, bars, etc.). In spite of the many different options available, the features selected for a particular space may be constrained by the size of the particular space and/or the financial resources of the owner. In particular, in condominiums, townhomes, apartments, and even many single-family homes on small lots, the outdoor area that can be furnished and decorated is often unable to accommodate many of the available options.
The popularity of outdoor living areas stems, at least in part, from the ambiance created from being surrounded by nature. Accordingly, it is often desirable to decorate an indoor living area with aesthetically pleasing plants to provide a similar atmosphere indoors. Decorating indoor areas with plants, however, is often limited by the amount of indoor space available for non-functional or decorative items. Therefore, additional options are needed for creating desirable indoor and outdoor living areas.


Correlated double sampling column-level readout of an image sensor pixel may be provided by a charge transfer amplifier that is configured and operated to itself provide for both correlated-double-sampling and amplification of floating diffusion potentials read out from the pixel onto a column bus after reset of the floating diffusion (I) but before transferring photocharge to the floating diffusion (the reset potential) and (ii) after transferring photocharge to the floating diffusion (the transfer potential). A common capacitor of the charge transfer amplifier may sample both the reset potential and the transfer potential such that a change in potential (and corresponding charge change) on the capacitor represents the difference between the transfer potential and reset potential, and the magnitude of this change is amplified by the charge change being transferred between the common capacitor and a second capacitor selectively coupled to the common capacitor.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to providing low-noise and/or high-speed image sensors, some embodiments of such image sensors being well-suited for myriad applications, including, for example, photon-counting image sensors, low-noise image sensors for low-light photography, high dynamic range imaging, high-speed imaging applications, 3D sensing and imaging, and/or Quanta Image Sensors.
FIG. 1 schematically depicts an illustrative conventional back-side-illuminated (BSI) 4-Transistor (4T) CMOS image sensor pixel that includes a pinned photodiode (PPD), a transfer gate (TG) formed on a gate insulator 11 (e.g., an oxide), a reset transistor comprising (i) a drain coupled to voltage supply VDD and (ii) a reset gate (RG) and, a source follower (SF) transistor, and a row select transistor having a row-select gate RS. More specifically, this illustrative typical pinned photodiode 4T pixel includes the following doped regions: (i) p substrate 1; (ii) n− deep photoelectron storage well (SW) 2; (iii) p+ back-surface passivation layer 3; (iv) n shallow photoelectron storage well (SW) 4; (v) p+ surface pinning layer 5; (vi) p transfer gate (TG) threshold voltage adjustment layer 6; (vii) n floating diffusion (FD) extension region 7; and (viii) n+ floating diffusion (FD) region 8. As understood by those skilled in the art, the PPD comprises pinning layer 5 and SWs 2 and 4, the floating diffusion (FD) comprises FD regions 7 and 8, and the reset, row-select, and source-follower transistors depicted by circuit symbols are also formed in/on the depicted semiconductor substrate.
Correlated double sampling (CDS) is essentially always used in mainstream CMOS image sensors to eliminate the kTC reset noise on the FD node. A process of one pixel readout cycle implementing CDS includes the following steps, in order as enumerated: (1) resetting the FD by pulsing the reset gate (RG); (2) sampling or reading the voltage on the FD after reset (sometimes referred to as the "reset sample"); (3) transferring the photoelectrons from the storage well (SW) to the FD by pulsing TG; (4) sampling or reading the voltage on the FD after the charge transfer (sometimes referred to as the "signal sample"); and (5) generating a signal equal to the difference between the two samples (sometimes referred to as the "output signal" or "pixel output signal"). The CDS process may be performed in either the analog or digital domain, and it can effectively eliminate the reset noise. It cannot, however, completely cancel 1/f noise (flicker noise) and random telegraph noise (RTN) generated in the in-pixel SF.
The 1/f noise and RTN are considered the major noise sources in low-noise CMOS image sensors. The RTN is caused by the capture/emission of carriers by the Si—SiO2 interface traps in the SFs. If a trap switches its state (empty/occupied) between the two CDS samples, RTN will be added to the output signal because of the change in the threshold voltage, transistor surface potential, etc. The 1/f noise may be caused by the interface traps and the phonon scattering in the SF transistors; it appears as higher magnitude in the low-frequency regime and lower magnitude in the high-frequency regime.
Both RTN and 1/f noise can be effectively reduced with shorter time between the two CDS samples. For RTN, the chance for traps to switch states is reduced in a shorter time period. For 1/f noise, a shorter CDS time can filter out more low-frequency noise components and reduce the total noise. The relationship between CDS time and SF noise (RTN+1/f) has been demonstrated experimentally. By way of example, FIG. 2 shows the measured SF RMS noise for different CDS times. Effective noise reduction can be observed with shorter CDS time (i.e., time between the two CDS samples), especially when the CDS time becomes shorter than 1 usec.
The reduction of CDS time is limited by the time required for the charge transfer process, which includes (1) the time needed for the photoelectrons to move into the FD, and (2) the time for the FD voltage to settle to the new voltage level. Process (1) typically requires less than 50 nsec, but process (2) sometimes can take more than 1 μsec. The time required for process (2) is determined by the following: (1) the size of the SF load capacitance CL; (2) the SF bias current iB; and (3) the total voltage difference on the FD at the end of the charge transfer process, ΔVFD. The required settling time is given by: Δt=ΔVFD CL/iB.
The total voltage difference on the FD includes two parts: (1) the voltage change caused by the transferred charge, ΔVC=Q/CFD, where Q is the total charge of the transferred photoelectrons, and CFD is the effective capacitance of the FD node; and (2) the voltage change (ΔVFT) from the capacitive coupling induced by the TG pulse, called feed-through voltage.
The impact of the feed-through voltage may be further understood with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, which illustrate a model of the TG-FD overlap capacitance in a PPD pixel along with an equivalent capacitance on the FD node, C′FD, which is the FD's effective capacitance (CFD) exclusive of the TG-FD overlap capacitance; namely:C′FD=CFD−CTG−FD.
That is, in this model, the TG-FD overlap capacitance is part of the effective capacitance of the FD for purposes of determining the FD voltage change caused by charge transfer to the FD, but is not part of the effective capacitance of the FD for purposes of determining the FD voltage change caused by the TG pulse being capacitively coupled to the FD. (By way of example for purposes of additional clarity, in a typical 4T pixel, the FD total effective capacitance (CFD) includes the following components: (1) the diffusion capacitance of the FD; (2) the diffusion capacitance of the source of the reset transistor, if the FD is connected to the reset transistors by a wire/interconnect; (3) the effective gate capacitance of the source follower; (4) the overlap capacitance between the RG and the FD; and (5) the overlap capacitance between the TG and the FD; (6) the inter-metal parasitic capacitance.)
Accordingly, as may be appreciated from the model depicted in FIG. 3, the FD voltage change corresponding to the feed-through voltage caused by capacitive coupling when the TG is pulsed is given by:ΔVFT=ΔVTGCTG−FD/(CTG−FD+C′FD)=ΔVTGCTG−FD/CFD where ΔVTG is the voltage change on the TG, CED is the FD total effective capacitance, and CTG−FD is the TG-FD overlap capacitance. At the end of the charge transfer, the TG voltage changes from the high voltage to the low voltage, and ΔVTG is typically higher than about 2.5V. Depending on the capacitance ratio [i.e., CTG−FD/CFD], the feed-through voltage can be as high as, e.g., 0.8V, and possibly even greater.
In view of the present disclosure, therefore, it will be understood that in many implementations the feed-through voltage ΔVFT may dominate the total voltage change on the FD, and thus limit the minimum required settling time. For instance, in low-light imaging and/or photon-counting imaging applications, the signal generated by the photoelectron(s) is weak; that is, the voltage change induced by the charge transfer (ΔVC) is usually very small, typically much less than the voltage change induced by the feed-through voltage (ΔVFT). Yet reducing readout noise is of significant (if not paramount) concern in such low-light imaging and/or photon-counting applications. But by limiting the shortest required settling time, the feed-through voltage effectively increases—and precludes reducing—the readout noise (e.g., the 1/f noise and/or the RTN).

Image sensor having column-level correlated-double-sampling charge transfer amplifier


A method of producing a packaging material for making a packaging bag configured to contain hair dye includes the steps of preparing a first biaxially-oriented polyester film and an aluminum foil film, coating them with adhesives, and hot pressing them; preparing a second biaxially-oriented polyester film and roughening opposite surfaces thereof; coating one surface of the second biaxially-oriented polyester film with an adhesive, adhere it to the aluminum foil film and hot pressing them; preparing a cast polypropylene film and coating a surface thereof with an adhesive; and adhering the surface of the cast polypropylene film to the other surface of the second biaxially-oriented polyester film and hot pressing them.

Hair dye contains an ingredient that is corrosive, so that a bottle or can is used in the past for packaging the hair dye. However, the bottle or can is usually filled with a large amount of hair dye which can be used for dozens of times. After the bottle or can is opened and used, the next time to use it again may take several days, and it may be difficult to completely seal the bottle or can, so that oxidation and deterioration of the hair dye may easily occur. Hence, this kind of packaging for hair dye is inappropriate.
In order to resolve the aforesaid drawback, the applicant has developed a packaging material for a packaging bag which is used to contain hair dye for one-time use only and a method of producing the same, which are both disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. I569958. The method mainly includes adhering a polyester film (PET film), an aluminum foil film, a vacuum plating polyester film (V.P. PET film) and a polypropylene (CPP) film in sequence and in stages by adhesives, hot pressing them together, and allowing them to stand for some time so as to form the aforesaid packaging material. Although the aforesaid method can achieve its intended purpose, it still has the following disadvantages:
1) During adhesion and hot pressing stages of the four films, occurrence of warping and deformation still exist, and following the increase of the hot pressing temperature, the deformation is more evident. The heating temperature is reduced from 50 to 46 degrees Celsius to minimize the warpage phenomenon. However, this method cannot completely overcome the problem of warpage, so that the material cost is increased and the packaging operation is complicated.
2) Further, by conducting some tests, it was found that the PET film and the V.P. PET film have a high degree of smoothness which can reduce the adhesion force of the aluminum foil film and the PP film thereto, so that the films must be heated to force further adhesion of the films. This may be the reason why the hot press temperature should be set at least 50 degrees Celsius.
3) Apart from causing warping and deformation by hot pressing, after the four films are adhered by hot pressing, if the films are exposed to a normal ambient temperature, a phenomenon of heat shrinkage deformation may occur. By allowing the adhered films to stand still in a 30 degrees Celsius environment for 48 hours, there still exists poor adhesion and warpage phenomenon.

Method of producing a packaging material for making a packaging bag configured to contain hair dye


An output buffer circuit includes first and second output circuits, and those output terminals are coupled to each other. The first output circuit outputs a first signal having a voltage level of a first high potential power supply or a low potential power supply and includes a first output transistor at a high potential side. The second output circuit outputs a second signal having a voltage level of a second high potential power supply, which is lower than the first high potential power supply, or the low potential power supply and includes a second output transistor at a high potential side. A control circuit sets the gate and back gate of at least one of the first and second output transistor to the voltage level of the second high potential power supply when the first high potential power supply is deactivated and the second high potential power supply is activated.

There is a trend for driving semiconductor devices with lower voltages to decrease power consumption. However, there are still semiconductor devices that are not driven by lower voltages and semiconductor devices of which drive voltages may not be lowered. As a result, recent semiconductor devices are provided with an interface that is applicable for external semiconductor devices actuated by different power supply voltages. Such a semiconductor device includes an output buffer circuit that switches a signal to different potentials in accordance with an operational power supply voltage of the external semiconductor device (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-343034).
FIG. 1 illustrates one example of an output buffer circuit 2 of the related art.
The output buffer circuit 2 includes a first output circuit 80, which outputs a signal with a first high potential power supply VDD1, and a second output circuit 90, which outputs a signal with a second high potential power supply VDD2. The voltage of the second high potential power supply VDD2 is lower than the voltage of the first high potential power supply VDD1. An output terminal of the first output circuit 80 and an output terminal of the second output circuit 90 are coupled to an output terminal To.
The first output circuit 80 includes a buffer circuit 81, which operates with the first high potential power supply VDD1, and an output driver 82, which is driven by the buffer circuit 81. In the first output circuit 80, when a control signal SEL has an L level, the output driver 82 activates one of output transistors T81 and T82 in accordance with the level of a signal Do to output a signal having the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1 or the level of a lower potential power supply VSS. When the control signal SEL has an H level, the output driver 82 deactivates both of the output transistors T81 and T82 to place an output node N1A between the output transistors T81 and T82 in a high impedance state.
The second output circuit 90 includes a buffer circuit 91, which operates with the first high potential power supply VDD1, and an output driver 92, which is driven by the buffer circuit 91. In the second output circuit 90, when the control signal SEL has an H level, the output driver 92 activates one of output transistors T91 and T92 in accordance with the level of the signal Do to output a signal having the level of the second high potential power supply VDD2, which is lower than the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1, or the level of a lower potential power supply VSS. When the control signal SEL has an L level, the output driver 92 deactivates both of the output transistors T91 and T92 to place an output node N2A between the output transistors T91 and T92 in a high impedance state.
When the output node N2A is in a high impedance state, the back gate voltage and gate voltage of the output transistor T91 are set at the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1 so that current does not flow to the output transistor T91. For example, when an output signal of the first output circuit 80 has the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1, since the output terminals of the first and second output circuits 80 and 90 are coupled to the output terminal To, the output signal of the first output circuit 80 is applied to the drains of the output transistors T91 and T92 of the second output circuit 90. In this state, when the back gate of the output transistor T91, which is a P-channel MOS transistor, is coupled to, for example, the second high potential power supply VDD2, the potential at the back gate becomes lower than the potential at the drain. This forms a diode in a forward direction from the drain to the back gate, and current flows to the output transistor T91. Thus, the level of the signal having the highest potential output to the output terminal To (here, the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1) is set as the back gate voltage of the output transistor T91. This prevents current from flowing to the output transistor T91 when the output node N2A is in a high impedance state.
When a signal having the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1 is output from the first output circuit 80 and a signal having the level of the second high potential power supply VDD2 is supplied to the gate of the output transistor T91, the output transistor T91 is activated by the relationship of the potentials at the source, drain, and gate of the output transistor T91. As a result, current flows from the first high potential power supply VDD1 via the output transistor T91 to the second high potential power supply VDD2. Thus, the operational power for the buffer circuit 91 of the second output circuit 90 is set to the first high potential power supply VDD1, and the gate of the output transistor T91 is provided with a signal having the level of the first high potential power supply VDD1. This prevents current from flowing to the output transistor T91 when the output node N2A is in a high impedance state.
However, the second high potential power supply VDD2 may be activated before the first high potential power supply VDD1. In such a case, the first high potential power supply VDD1 is deactivated. Thus, the back gate voltage and gate voltage of the output transistor T91 are not controlled as described above. Namely, the first high potential power supply VDD1 is 0 V. Thus, the gate of the output transistor T91 is provided with a signal having an L level. In this state, the source of the output transistor T91 is coupled to the second high potential power supply VDD2. Thus, the output transistor T91 is activated. This applies a signal having the level of the second high potential power supply VDD2 to the drain of the output transistor T81. At the same time, the gate of the output transistor T81 is provided with a signal having an L level. Thus, the output transistor T81 is also activated. As a result, inflow current flows from the second high potential power supply VDD2 to the first high potential power supply VDD1 (the first high potential power supply VDD1 coupled to the back gate of the output transistor T91 and the first high potential power supply VDD1 coupled to the source of the output transistor T81). This changes the power supply voltage.

Output buffer circuit and input/output buffer circuit


A method for preparing a liquid crystal emulsion includes: a) mixing, warming and dissolving intercellular lipid ingredients, non-polyoxyethylene (POE) based non-ionic surfactant, higher fatty alcohol, oil and wax to provide an oil phase part; b) mixing, warming and dissolving water, polyol and the other aqueous phase ingredients to provide an aqueous phase part; c) adding the oil phase part to the aqueous phase part, followed by agitation; d) introducing a viscosity modifier to the mixture solution under agitation; e) subjecting the mixture solution to rapid cooling under vacuum while carrying out debubbling under vacuum; and f) filtering the mixture solution through a filtering paper or filtering cloth. Provided is a stable liquid crystal emulsion having a multilayer lamellar structure including a large amount of intercellular lipid ingredients through a process using rapid cooling. The liquid crystal emulsion has an oil phase part and an aqueous phase part.

The stratum corneum that is the outermost layer of the human skin functions to protect the skin from external harmful environment and harmful materials and interrupts evaporation of the moisture in the human body, thereby functioning as a skin barrier preventing skin dryness. Lipid ingredients play a particularly important role in the stratum corneum. Elias and coworkers have reported that the lamellar structure formed of the lipid ingredients in the stratum corneum is the origin of such a skin barrier function (J. Invest. Dermatol. 69: 535-546, 1977). In addition, although there is a difference depending on the experimental method and the position of a skin tissue, Wertz and coworkers have reported that intercellular lipids substantially include about 50% of ceramides, 20-25% of cholesterol, 20-25% of free fatty acids, about 10% of cholesterol ester, 1-2% of cholesterol sulfate, a small amount of phospholipid, a small amount of phytosphingosine and a small amount of triglycerides (Adv. Drug. Deliv. Rev. 18: 283-294, 1996).
Intercellular lipid ingredients, particularly ceramides and cholesterol, are mostly hydrophobic, highly crystallizable and sparingly soluble materials. They are not dissolved completely into an oil phase that is a dispersion phase in a general oil-in-water emulsion formulation but are partially present in an aqueous phase that is a continuous phase. For this reason, problems related with formulation stability, such as gelation, may occur.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, there has been suggested a stabilization method including forming granules (particles) including intercellular lipids and other ingredients and adding the granules in the last step during the preparation of an emulsion (Korean Patent Application No. 2008-0072335). However, the method is problematic in that the amount of intercellular lipids that may be used actually in a skin application agent is decreased due to an excessive amount of encapsulating base used for an encapsulation step, and an encapsulating agent based on saccharides or polymers causes degradation of the feeling of use of a skin application agent.
As a part of attempts to stabilize intercellular lipids in emulsion, there has been suggested a method including preliminarily forming a liquid crystal base and adding it in the last step during the preparation of a general oil-in-water emulsion (Korean Patent Publication Nos. 10-0452757, 10-0525842, 10-0830153, 10-0867679). However, such a liquid crystal base is present mostly in a wax or paste phase having high hardness at room temperature, and thus shows low compatibility during processing. In addition, the preparation of such a liquid crystal base requires use of an excessive amount of lecithin and higher fatty alcohol. However, such materials undesirably have a stiff feeling of use. Moreover, when using a liquid crystal base, emulsion undergoes an increase in viscosity or hardness with time. It is thought that this is because the surfactant micelles present in the emulsion attack the oil particles of the liquid crystal emulsion obtained from the liquid crystal base, resulting in degradation of the stability of liquid crystal emulsion. Similarly, there has been reported that surfactant particles present in the form of micelles cause mass transfer among the oil particles of oil-in-water emulsion (Food Hydrocolloids, 6(5): 415-422, 1992).
Finally, there has been an attempt to form a liquid crystal emulsion through a direct emulsification process in order to stabilize intercellular lipids in emulsion. Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0588743 discloses a method for preparing a liquid crystal emulsion having a multilayer lamellar structure including a POE-based surfactant, intercellular lipids, higher fatty alcohol, or the like. However, such a liquid crystal emulsion including a POE-based surfactant causes swelling in an emulsion system, thereby affecting the overall stability of an emulsion system (G. M. Eccleston, Miltiple-phase oil-in-water emulsions, J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., (41) 1-22, 1990). In addition, according to the above document, a phase transition emulsification process using temperature control is applied. In general, a phase transition emulsification process is advantageous in that it produces particles having a uniform size. However, such a process is complicated and requires use of a slow cooling step in a natural cooling mode, and thus has low time efficiency. According to Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0093634, a liquid crystal emulsion is prepared by using a glucoside surfactant, ceramide and oil. However, in this case, a slow cooling mode is applied. According to the above document, it is said that slow cooling provides liquid crystal particles having an adequate size, as compared to rapid cooling that produces very small particles having a low product value. However, according to the study of the inventors of the present disclosure, controlling a particle size depends on a compositional ratio of contents rather than a cooling mode. In addition, another patent document (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0830153) that belongs to the same category discloses that cetostearyl alcohol, a higher fatty alcohol, present in an oil phase moves toward the interface of particles, while it precipitates in the form of crystals through a cooling step, in a process of forming liquid crystals, and application of rapid cooling at that time prevents cetostearyl alcohol from moving toward the interface and causes it to be present in oil in an oversaturated sate, resulting in a decrease in liquid crystal formation and a drop in viscosity. However, a process of forming liquid crystals does not include precipitation of a higher fatty alcohol that has been dissolved in an oil phase in the form of crystals at high temperature through a cooling step, but includes phase transition of a higher fatty alcohol into a liquid crystal phase having both of solid properties and liquid properties and orientation thereof at the particle interface in a certain direction together with the surfactant. In addition, although the above document discloses that rapid cooling prevents cetostearyl alcohol from moving toward the interface, cetostearyl alcohol itself is an amphiphilic material, and thus is not present in an oil phase but tends to move toward the interface. Therefore, the moving rate of cetostearyl alcohol to the interface may be controlled by the type of oil used in forming liquid crystals and cooling rate. Further, the above document discloses that cetostearyl alcohol is present in an amount equal to or higher than its solubility in oil. However, incorporation of an excessive amount of cetostearyl alcohol may cause precipitation of a higher fatty alcohol and degradation of a feeling of use.
Under these circumstances, the present inventors have conducted active studies to overcome the above-mentioned problems. After the studies, we have found that it is possible to prepare a stable liquid crystal emulsion having a multilayer lamellar structure including a large amount of intercellular ingredients through a rapid cooling process, wherein the liquid crystal emulsion has an oil phase part that contains intercellular lipid ingredients, non-POE based non-ionic surfactant, higher fatty alcohol, oil and wax, and an aqueous phase part that contains water, polyol and the other aqueous phase ingredients. The present disclosure is based on this finding.

Method for preparing multilayer lamellar liquid crystal emulsion including intercellular lipids


A top hinged gate assembly includes a hinge arm mounted to a gate and pivotally mounted to a first pivot structure. The first pivot structure is located above and forward of the gate. A gravity release lever is pivotally mounted to the first pivot structure and carries a second pivot structure. A variable length power actuator is mounted to the gate and to the second pivot structure.

This invention relates to a new method of power opening a top hinged gravity closing and floating opening gate on a dump body mounted on a truck, semi-trailer or full-trailer chassis.
Dump bodies mounted on truck or trailer chassis are used to carry bulk flowable granular or chunk material such as dirt, crushed rock, hot asphalt paving, wet concrete, building or highway demolition debris, etc. from one location to another. The material is normally loaded into the dump body by self-powered machines such as tracked excavators, wheel loaders, backhoes, or from an overhead loading device such as a conveyor, chute or bottom discharge storage bin. The material is constrained within the body by the body floor and sides, a front bulkhead and a rear top hinged gate. The top of the body is open during loading and sometimes during unloading, but it is closed during transportation to the dump site. Normally the end dump body discharges its load into a pile or onto a conveyor mechanism which then moves the material way from the dump body. The method used to discharge the material from the dump body is to position the rear of the body containing the gate at the location of desired discharge, unlock the bottom latch of the top hinged gate so it is free to open from either the contents pressing against it or by gravity as the rear hinged body is rotated. The front of the body is raised until the floor of the body is tilted steeply enough that the contents of the body slide rearward and downward against the unlatched hinged gate which then opens as required from the pressure of the sliding contents and allows the contents to slide out of the body onto the ground or conveyor stem.
When the discharge is complete, the end dump body is pulled clear of the discharged contents pile during which the gate is free to ride over or float over the pile until it clears the pile. About the same time as the body is pulled clear of the pile, the dump body is lowered to its horizontal position, the gate closes by gravity because the hinge is located forward of the gate, the latch is locked and the truck is driven to the next loading site to start the cycle over.
Under certain circumstances it is desirable to have a powered mechanism open the gate to approximately parallel to the body floor before the body is rotated into its steep dump angle. This occurs for example when the rear of the body gets so close to the discharge surface before the contents start to slide out that the hinged gate will not clear or is driven into the discharge surface. In this case, the load discharge will be impeded by the gate which can result in damage to the gate. Another scenario occurs when the contents are large and heavy, such as large boulders, that when they start sliding or tumbling rearward and downward against the gate, the gate may be damaged or destroyed by impact before it can be forced open. At the present time, this need to open the gate to approximately its maximum discharge opening which occurs at the point where the gate face aligns with the body floor, is accomplished by a body mounted air, hydraulic or electric powered actuator lift mechanism which lifts the gate hinge arms until the gate face is parallel to the body floor. This power hinge lift mechanism is activated manually after the gate latch is unlocked or automatically by a delayed action valve that first unlocks the latch then powers the gate open and the reverse when the gate is lowered and then latched. Since the gate must be free to open further than the power actuator lifts it as it rides over the discharge pile, the gate powered lift mechanism is not connected directly to the hinge arms, but merely lifts the hinge arm via a protrusion on the hinge arm. The lift arm hinges about the same hinge center as the gate hinge so that it follows the gate as it hinges under power. These gate lift arm power actuators are located forward of the gate along the sides of the dump body in either a horizontal or vertical position. Since the dump bodies are primarily loaded from the side by large machines, the side mounted cylinders are very vulnerable to damage from both the loading vehicle and from the loaded material which frequently tumbles onto the top of the body side during loading and dumping. The typical solution for this vulnerability is to fasten heavy guards around the actuators or to locate the actuators within the body rear structural frame. Both of these guarded locations work satisfactorily, but because maximizing the cubic volume of the body is always an important objective with dump bodies, and since the overall width of a truck or trailer body is restricted by state and federal regulations, the power actuators are restricted to small cross section which limits the force they can exert and since the work they can do is defined by force times distance, they require a long stroke to have enough power to lift the weight of the gate. This long stroke require a long heavy guard to protect each actuator. If the gate is very large and heavy, it is not possible to fit a large enough actuator to lift the gate. Another problem that occurs is that the actuator and its guard and the lift mechanism usually extends the full legal width of the trailer in order to maximize the dump body width but most states have enacted load covering regulations to prevent the air from aspirating solid particles out to the body during highway transport which results in damage to other vehicles close to the end dump body. These load covering devices also require a mechanism that is outside of the body overall width to function properly. This means that they have to be wider than the guards over the gate hinge power actuators and the lift mechanism or must stop covering the load at some distance from the gate and a secondary covering device installed inside the body to cover this gap. This increases complexity, cost and time to manipulate during each load transport cycle.
Another problem is that at the rear of the dump body, a strong frame is required to prevent the body from spreading from the outward pressure of the load piled against the side of the discharge opening. This frame is usually the widest part of the body structure and accordingly there is no room for a powered lift mechanism outside of this frame and so the lift mechanism must be forward of this frame and thus so must the gate hinge. The more forward the gate hinge, the more power it takes to open and the greater the force exerted on the gate and hinge by the sculpting of the pile as the gate is dragged across it. Since the required lift forces get very large as the gate hinge moves forward, the gate and hinge must be built very robust and thus becomes heavy which exacerbates the limited power available from the size restricted body mounted actuators and lift mechanism.
An object of this invention is to provide a top hinged gravity, floating and power self-opening gate for a dump body which fulfils the above needs.
A further object of this invention is to provide a gate which can easily be operated and is effective in its operation.
In accordance with this invention the top-hinged gravity and floating opening gate assembly includes a gate for selectively opening and closing the discharge opening of a dump body. At least one hinge arm is mounted to the gate. The hinge arm is pivotally mounted to a first pivot structure located above and forward of the gate. A gravity release lever is pivotally mounted to the first pivot structure. A variable length power actuator such as a piston/cylinder assembly is mounted to the gate. A second pivot structure displaced from the first pivot structure is secured to the gravity release lever. A linkage assembly may be connected to the variable length power actuator and be pivotally mounted to the second pivot structure. When the actuator is increased in its length the gate rotates from its closed position to an open position which would be generally perpendicular to the closed position and parallel to the floor of the dump body. The gravity release lever permits the gate to rotate beyond that open position in response to an object contacting the gate.
In a preferred practice of this invention each side of the gate is provided with a hinge arm and with a gravity release lever with the associated pivot structures. Each side may be provided with its own variable length power actuator or a single variable length power actuator may be used for powering both sides.
The variable length power actuator may be connected to the second pivot structure by a linkage assembly which may include a crank arm pivotally connected to the actuator with the crank arm being rigidly secured to a connector arm which in turn is pivotally connected to a connector link pivotally mounted to the second pivot structure.

Top hinged gravity, floating and power self-opening gate for dump body


There is provided a semiconductor light emitting device and method of making the same, having a first conductivity type semiconductor layer; an active layer formed on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer; a second conductivity type semiconductor layer formed on the active layer and including a plurality of holes; and a transparent electrode formed on the second conductivity type semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light emitting device, and more particularly, to a vertical semiconductor light emitting device having improved light extraction efficiency and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that can emit light of various colors due to electron-hole recombination occurring at a p-n junction between p-type and n-type semiconductors when current is supplied thereto. Such an LED is advantageous over a filament-based light emitting device in that it has a long lifespan, low power usage, superior initial-operation characteristics, and high vibration resistance. These factors have continually boosted the demand for LEDs. Notably of late, a great deal of attention has been drawn to group III nitride semiconductors that can emit light in a blue/short wavelength region.
Nitride semiconductor crystals, constituting a light emitting device using the group III nitride semiconductor, are grown on a specific growth substrate such as a sapphire or SiC substrate. However, in case of using an insulating substrate such as a sapphire substrate, there are significant limitations on the arrangement of electrodes. That is, a nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to the related art generally has electrodes arranged in a horizontal direction, such that current flow is narrow. Due to such a narrow current flow, an operation voltage Vf of the light emitting device is increased to thereby deteriorate current efficiency and be susceptible to electrostatic discharge.
In order to solve these problems, research into a semiconductor light emitting device having a vertical electrode structure is being conducted. After a light emitting structure for a light emitting diode is formed on a sapphire growth substrate using Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) equipment or Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) equipment, a first conductivity type ohmic-contact electrode structure is formed on an upper nitride semiconductor layer, which is disposed on the uppermost portion of the light emitting structure. Then, a conductive substrate, separately prepared in addition to the growth substrate, is subjected to a wafer solder bonding process, and the growth substrate is removed, and thus, a light emitting diode having a semiconductor structure is manufactured.
In general, a vertical semiconductor light emitting device has a structure in which electrodes having different polarities are formed on upper and lower surfaces of a light emitting structure including an n-type semiconductor layer, an active layer and a p-type semiconductor layer, and is advantageous in terms of electrostatic discharge as compared with a horizontal semiconductor light emitting device. However, in order to achieve a sufficient current diffusion effect even in the vertical semiconductor light emitting device, the electrodes are required to be formed across a large area. As the area of the electrodes is increased, extraction efficiency of light emitted from the light emitting structure is reduced.
The light emission efficiency of the light emitting device is determined by internal quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency (or external quantum efficiency). Particularly, light extraction efficiency is determined based on optical factors of the light emitting device, i.e., refractive indices of the individual elements of the light emitting structure, the flatness of an interface between the elements or the like. The internal quantum efficiency of the light emitting device reaches approximately 100%, whereas the external quantum efficiency thereof is significantly low.
This is due to a total reflection of light caused by a difference in the refractive index at an interface between the light emitting device and air when light produced in the light emitting device is emitted outside of the light emitting device. That is, since a semiconductor layer constituting the light emitting device has a refractive index larger than that of external air or the substrate, a critical angle determining an incident angle range in which light can be emitted is reduced. As a result, a considerable amount of light emitted from the active layer is totally reflected internally such that it may travel towards a side of the light emitting device, and accordingly, a certain amount thereof may be lost or emitted in an undesirable lateral direction. When the light produced within the light emitting device strikes the surface of the light emitting device, if the incident angle thereof is larger than the critical angle, the light is reflected internally without being extracted to the outside.
Furthermore, the light emitted from the active layer is extracted to the outside after passing through the n-type semiconductor layer in an isotropic direction. As shown in FIG. 1, light (a) emitted from the active layer in a substantially vertical direction may be extracted along a short path, whereas light (b) emitted from the active layer in an inclined direction may follow a long path and be considerably absorbed by the semiconductor layer. As a result, the light extraction efficiency of the light emitting device is further reduced.

Semiconductor light emitting device and manufacturing method thereof


A method and a device for the non-destructive inspection of a rotationally symmetric workpiece having sections with different diameters by a non-destructive inspection technique, such as ultrasound, are provided. Within the context of the method, a test data set characterizing the material properties of the workpiece is generated by the inspection technique. An azimuth angle-dependent indicated value set is generated therefrom. Subsequently, a representation of the workpiece is generated, wherein the elements of the indicated value set are depicted in the representation in a spatially resolved manner. In particular, a graphic representation of the surface of the workpiece can be generated in which flaw signals are displayed that may have been found.

The subject matter of the present invention is a method and a device for the non-destructive inspection of a rotationally symmetric workpiece having sections with different diameters by means of a non-destructive inspection technique, such as ultrasound, eddy currents or X-rays. An ultrasonic inspection in accordance with the pulse echo method is used with particular preference as the inspection technique. In a particularly development, the method and the device are suited, in particular, for the inspection of a workpiece with an anisotropic sound velocity. For example, an anisotropic sound velocity is frequently observed, for example, in forged solid shafts which can be used, for instance, in rail vehicles.
The non-destructive inspection of rotationally symmetric workpieces having sections with different diameters by means of non-destructive inspection techniques often suffers from the problem of the geometrical structure of the workpiece causing geometry-related signals of the inspection technique used. These signals are correlated with the geometry of the workpiece, which is already known as such, and therefore frequently do not contain any further information. Furthermore, these so-called "geometry echoes" in many cases have a very high amplitude. There is therefore the possibility of the intensive geometry echoes obscuring less intensive underlying signals that could be correlated with, for example, flaws to be detected in the workpiece. Due to the limited dynamics of the signal processing used within the context of the inspection technique, there is therefore a danger of geometric echoes "masking" relevant signals, e.g. flaw signals.
This issue is of particular relevance, for example, in the inspection of wheel sets of rail vehicles by means of ultrasound. Wheel sets of rail vehicles generally include one pair of wheels mounted on a rigid solid or hollow shaft. The shafts used in this case often have external diameters changing from section to section, for example defined regions for the accommodation of functional components, such as the wheels, anti-friction bearings or brake disks. It is obvious that the shafts of wheel sets of rail vehicles constitute safety-relevant components that are subject to natural wear over the long life span of rail vehicles. For this reason, their freedom from flaws has to be determined by means of non-destructive inspection methods not only during the production of wheel sets for rail vehicle. Rather, a regular inspection with regard to freedom from flaws of all components, in this case particularly the wheels as well as the shaft used, is required also over the entire life span of a wheel set. In practice, the most frequent wear phenomenon observed in shafts of wheel sets of rail vehicles is the occurrence of incipient cracks, i.e. crack-like fatigue failures that start at the surface of the respective shaft. Every rail vehicle operator therefore has to provide suitable inspection methods and devices in order to check the wheel sets of rail vehicles with regard to their freedom from flaws regularly.
Until this day, the inspection by means of ultrasound of rotationally symmetric workpieces having diameters that change from section to section, in particular of solid shafts of rail vehicles, constitutes a particularly challenging inspection task. This is based, in particular, on the fact that intensive geometry echoes, which can be superposed over the signals of the flaws to be detected, are observed in the ultrasonic inspection of rotationally symmetric workpieces having diameters that change from section to section.
Moreover, the inspection of a wheel set of a rail vehicle often entails a downtime of the rail vehicle, which is directly connected to high downtime costs due to the rail vehicle being out of service. In order to minimize them, it would be desirable to be able to inspect a fully assembled wheel set, i.e. a wheel set with assembled bearings and/or brake disks. If they are mounted, then an insonification from the shaft or from the end face (e.g. by means of a conical probe) is not possible with the ultrasound-based inspection methods known from the prior art.
Finally, the generation of an easily interpreted representation of the results of, for example, an ultrasound inspection obtained on a rotationally symmetric workpiece constitutes a problem which, as far as the applicant is aware, has so far been solved only to an insufficient extent.

Method and device for the non-destructive inspection of a rotationally symmetric workpiece having sections with difference diameters


Methods and kits for detecting antibodies (e.g., anti-drug antibodies). Such methods and kits permit the detection of, for example, anti-drug antibodies in human body fluids, such as blood, plasma and serum.

The introduction of biotherapeutics (e.g., biologic agents such as proteins, peptides, nucleotides, etc.) has given a major boost to the treatment of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. In many cases these biological agents have proven very successful in clinical practice. Biologic agents, including therapeutic antibodies, are known to have immunogenic potential, and administration of therapeutic proteins to a patient can induce immune response leading to the formation of anti-drug antibodies ("ADAs"). Such ADAs may reduce the effectiveness of the therapeutic protein. For example, they may bind to or/and neutralize the therapeutic protein, resulting in changes of drug pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics that alters drug efficacy. ADAs may cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions, cross-reactivity against endogenous proteins by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), and complement activation. The production of ADAs have been described for several monoclonal antibodies available for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (adalimumab and infliximab), Crohn's disease (infliximab), multiple sclerosis (natalizumab and alemtuzumab) and plaque psoriasis (adalimumab). In some patients, the clinical benefits provided by such therapeutic proteins diminishes over time due to the formation of ADAs. Immungenicity risk assessment is critical to understand frequency and severity for drug induced ADA. NAb cross-reactive to endogenous protein causing depletion syndrome has been reported (erythropoietin).
With an increasing number of therapeutic proteins approved for clinical use, the immunogenicity of such products has become informative to clinicians, manufacturers and regulatory agencies. It is well-established that certain substances will affect the detection or quantitation of an analyte in immunoassays (or ligand binding assays). These interference factors including but not limited to circulating drugs negatively impact assay specificity, accuracy, and sensitivity. "Drug interference" that reduce ADA assay "drug tolerance" is regarded as a major technical challenge for immunogenicity assessment to monitor ADA as part of patient's monitoring for drug clinical safety and efficacy.
Although the above approaches demonstrated some improvement in drug tolerance, sensitivity and relative accuracy is not maintained in comparison to no-drug ADA detection therefore risking false negative and under-reporting ADA incidence and titers in treated patients. Despite industry regulatory guidance documents and white papers recommending sensitivity between 250 and 500 ng/mL [Shankar G, Devanarayan V, Amaravadi L et al.: Recommendations for the validation of immunoassays used for detection of host antibodies against biotechnology products. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 48(5), 1267-1281 (2008); Mire-Sluis A R, Barrett Y C, Devanarayan V et al.: Recommendations for the design and optimization of immunoassays used in the detection of host antibodies against biotechnology products. Journal of Immunological Methods 289(1-2), 1-16 (2004)], drug tolerance is sometimes evaluated without any acceptance criteria and clinical protocols are then written instructing long wash-out periods before antibody measurement to allow for drug clearance and the avoidance of false negative results due to drug interference. This approach is not desired due to risks in missing ADA assessment in early time points especially in the case with a long half-life drug and/or multi-dosing regimen and the wash out period approach is not feasible. Some non-ligand binding based methods such as mass spectrometry has been evaluated for PK in the presence of ADA interference, the expected assay sensitivity has not been acceptable and enrichment of analyte is needed which is ligand binding based which poses the similar challenges.
A variety of assay formats have been used with success to detect ADAs, including ELISA (direct, indirect and bridging), radioimmunoassays, electrochemiluminescence, and surface plasmon resonance. The development of such assays, however, is often complicated by interference caused by the presence of the drug. The challenge of analytical interferences in ligand binding assays has long been recognized. With the advent of long-lived monoclonal antibody therapies, the need for specific techniques to detect ADA in the presence of drug is of particular concern. The most widely adopted approaches in use currently still have limitations of timing, sensitivity or accuracy. Thus, there is a need in the art for methods and kits to more accurately and reproducibly detect the presence of ADA in samples, such as biological samples.

Assays for detecting the presence or amount of an anti-drug antibody


A disposable apparatus with a plurality of preloaded pins such as solder columns, micro-coil springs, or other cylindrically shaped metallic parts (solder columns, et al.) in an array pattern is provided for aligning and dispensing onto a column grid array (CGA) substrate. The apparatus is comprised of a carrier plate with a pattern of holes that is covered by a layer of sacrificial adhesive tape with sufficient tackiness to retain, position and hold an array of solder columns, et al. Alignment features on the bottom of the carrier plate plugs into a jig alignment fixture that precisely positions the solder columns, et al. over a CGA substrate. After peeling away the sacrificial adhesive tape from the apparatus, the payload of solder columns, et al. detaches and transfers by gravity onto a pattern of metal pads on the CGA substrate, without the use of vacuum or vibration.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to column grid array (CGA) semiconductor packaging, and more particularly to an apparatus for aligning and dispensing a plurality of electrical interconnect members, such as pins, solder columns, micro-coil springs, or other cylindrically shaped metallic parts in an array pattern on a ceramic or plastic substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a layer of solder paste is applied to cover an array of conductive pads on a land grid array (LGA) substrate, where the LGA substrate material may consist of ceramic or plastic materials. An intermetallic connection is formed between an array of solder columns and the conductive pads on the LGA after heating and reflowing the solder paste on the LGA. After completion of the reflow process, the LGA with solder columns is known in the art as a column grid array (CGA) or ceramic column grid array (CCGA).
The number of solder columns on the CGA device continues to increase as the density of electronic devices and integrated circuit packages increases. In general, grid array devices have been developed to accommodate the need for integrated circuits with increasing density.
An alternative to CGA column grid array devices is ball grid array (BGA) devices that contain an array of solder spheres (balls) to provide electrical connections between the BGA substrate and the printed circuit board (PCB). In the art, BGA substrates that are constructed of ceramic material (such as alumina or Al2O3) are known as a ceramic ball grid array (CBGA). Ceramic substrates are often required in harsh environments or when excessive heat and power is present.
However, one problem with BGA devices is that a substantial difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) can exist between BGA substrates and the PCB board. The problem with CTE differences becomes more problematic when large size ceramic CBGA substrates are attached to PCB boards that are made of plastic glass-woven material such as FR-4, FR-5 or polyimide. Such differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion causes deformation of the solder spheres (solder balls) interconnecting a ceramic BGA device to a PCB board. Over time, the electrical connection between the solder ball and metal pad will break between large size ceramic BGA substrates and a plastic glass-woven PCB due to CTE mismatching issues.
The problem with CTE mismatch has been addressed by using cylindrical solder columns instead of solder spheres (solder balls) as the electrical interconnect between ceramic substrates and the plastic PCB boards. Taller cylindrically shaped solder columns are generally more compliant to better absorb CTE differential thermal expansion rates between the CGA and the PCB board. Wider solder columns are generally more structurally robust to support the load weight of heavy ceramic substrates. However, the maximum diameter of the solder column is normally constrained by the pitch (spacing) of the conductive pads on the CGA package as well as by the diameter of the conductive pads.
Solder columns are cylindrically shaped and typically have a diameter of approximately 0.51 mm (0.020-inch) and a height of approximately 2.21 mm (0.087-inch). Solder columns may also be as small as 0.20 mm (0.008-inch) in diameter or more than 0.889 mm (0.035-inch) in diameter. Furthermore, the length of solder columns may be as short as 0.25 mm (0.010-inch) or as long as 2.54 mm (0.100-inch) or more.
The conductive pads on the LGA substrate are covered with a controlled thickness of solder paste before attaching a plurality of solder columns, et al. to the LGA substrate. Typically, solder paste consisting of low melting point tin-lead alloy, such as Sn63/Pb37, is preferred for applications within the fields of aerospace, military and defense industries. However, lead free solder paste alloys such as SAC305 (Sn96.5/Ag3.0/Cu0.5), or other Pb-free alloys, may be used for applications requiring lead-free materials.
Solder columns are typically made of high melting temperature solder such as Pb90/Sn10 or Pb80/Sn20. Solder columns may be wrapped with copper ribbon tape as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,309.
An alternative to solder columns is micro-coil springs that are typically made of beryllium copper (Be—Cu) alloy and electroplated with tin-lead solder (Sn60/Pb40) or other plating, as described by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/800,692. NASA has granted an exclusive license to TopLine Corporation to practice the invention described and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/800,692 entitled Interconnect Device and Assemblies Made Therewith.
Solder columns are generally vertically positioned perpendicularly onto a corresponding array of conductive pads on the LGA substrate. The substrate together with high temperature solder columns, et al. and a layer of low temperature solder paste are then heated so that the solder paste is reflowed to make an intermetallic fillet connection between the solder columns and the LGA pads, without melting or damaging the solder columns. The completed package with attached solder columns is known in the art as a column grid array (CGA) or ceramic column grid array (CCGA) package.
A secondary procedure is required to mount the CGA package onto the PCB board. The process of connecting the CGA package to the PCB board requires the CGA to be reflowed again, without melting or collapsing the solder columns. A controlled layer of low temperature melting solder paste is applied to a corresponding plurality of contact pads on the PCB board. The CGA package is placed onto the solder paste covered pads on the PCB board. The PCB board along with one or a plurality of CGA packages (as well as other components) is heated and reflowed resulting in an intermetallic fillet that holds the CGA solder columns to the PCB board.
In the prior art, various methods and apparatuses have been utilized to mount cylindrically shaped solder columns into an array pattern by hand using tweezers or via vibration or with a vacuum pick-up tool.
In the prior art, methods using tweezers to place solder columns by hand are time consuming and require an operator with dexterity to perform many repeated steps. For example, it may require roughly one-hour to load 900 solder columns onto a CGA substrate by hand, assuming that a person using tweezers is able to pick-up, transfer and place one solder column every four seconds. In addition, in the prior art, a person using hand placement methods may result in errors as the operator often fails to complete the specified pattern.
In the prior art, methods using vibration such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,285 B2 may require an inclined vibration machine with elongated alignment and a vacuum pick-up tool to position solder pins onto a CGA substrate package.

Disposable apparatus for aligning and dispensing solder columns in an array


A method for end-to-end transmission of a piece of encrypted digital information includes the following steps: selection, on the computer equipment of the transmitter, of a piece of digital information and a digital identifier of the recipient; temporary encryption of the piece of digital information by execution of a local encryption application on the computer equipment with the private key of the sender; decryption of the piece of information on the equipment of the sender and encryption of the piece of information with the public key of the recipient; transmission to the recipient, by the computer equipment, from the sender, of the piece of digital information encrypted with the public key of the sender, optionally by the intermediary of the transactional platform; and decryption by the computer equipment of the recipient of the piece of information with the public key of the sender.

Information, such as digital data produced by connected objects, faxes, text messages, or digital files, is transmitted through a standardized set of data transfer protocols, which allows the development of various applications and services such as data publishing, e-mail, instant messaging, peer-to-peer, etc.
The most secure solutions use end-to-end encryption techniques. When a message is sent to a recipient, it is encrypted by the user, on the computer equipment of the sender, using solutions that ensure that only the receiver can decrypt the letter. The server through which the conversation passes is only used to relay without ever attempting to decode the conversation. In this case, users can communicate with each other without intermediaries.
Instead of being sent as a text, the message is scrambled as numbers and a key is required to decrypt it. The keys are ephemeral and disappear when the message has been decrypted by the user. As a result, hackers, cybercriminals and even the service operator's employees are not able to read the correspondence. For example, the WhatsApp (trade name) messaging service offers an end-to-end encryption solution.
The International Patent Application WO2014175830 describes a method for processing a data packet from a first computer device to a second computer device to enable end-to-end encryption communication.
The data packet includes an encrypted message using a first encryption key to form an encrypted message, identification data of the second encrypted computer device using a second encryption key to form encrypted identification data, and the first and second encryption keys.
The method according to this known solution is to decrypt the second encrypted encryption key, decrypt the encrypted identification data using the second decrypted encryption key, and transmit the data packet according to the decrypted identification data, the encrypted message and the first encryption key being so designed that they cannot be decrypted by the server to allow end-to-end encryption communication between the first and second computer devices.
International Patent Application WO2012067847 also describes systems and methods for end-to-end encryption. According to one embodiment, a device recording process consists of the following steps:                an application executed by a computer processor receives a user password from a user;                    using the computer processor, the application combines the user password and a password extension;            using the computer processor, the application cryptographically processes the combination of the user password and the password extension, which allows public cryptographic information to be obtained. Public cryptographic information is provided to a server. However, the user word is not provided to the server.
European Patent EP1536601 discloses a method for the end-to-end encryption of e-mails sent from a sender to a recipient with the following steps:                a) the sender requests a certificate from an encryption system corresponding to the recipient,        b) the encryption system returns to the sender a first certificate corresponding to the recipient, the sender sends with its e-mail software an outgoing e-mail to the encrypted recipient with the certificate,        c) the email is sent by the encryption system.
The encryption system decrypts the email using a private key corresponding to the certificate, and the encryption system makes the content of the email available to the recipient.
The transmitter requests a certificate corresponding to the recipient from an encryption system in the private network, the encryption system returns to the transmitter a first pro forma certificate corresponding to the recipient, the pro forma certificate being generated or retrieved by the encryption system for the recipient and only used between the transmitter and the encryption system, the sender sends with his/her e-mail client an outgoing e-mail to the encrypted recipient with the pro forma certificate, the e-mail is transmitted via the encryption system, the encryption system decrypts the e-mail using a private key corresponding to the certificate, and the encryption system makes the content of the e-mail available to the recipient.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,366 describes an end-to-end authentication process based on public key certificates combined with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to allow a SIP node that receives a SIP request message to authenticate the sender of the request. The SIP request message is sent with a digital signature generated with a private key of the sender and may include a certificate from the sender. The SIP request message can also be encrypted with a public key of the recipient. After receiving the SIP request, the SIP receiver node obtains a certificate from the sender and authenticates the sender based on the digital signature.
The digital signature can be included in a SIP request authorization header or in a multi-part message body built in accordance with the S/MIME standard.
U.S. Patent Application US20100189260 describes a solution for managing rights assigned to a communication session and to the components related to the user's request. The persons authorized to participate in the session are provided with access tools such as decryption keys. Restrictions based on the allocated conversation rights are extended to preserve the recordings and associated documents of the communication session.
The known solutions enable the end-to-end transmission of encrypted data or messages only between a sender previously registered on a transactional platform and a recipient, also previously registered on a transactional platform.
When a sender of data to a recipient wishes to send a message or one that is not already registered, they must first send them an unencrypted message inviting them to register on the transactional platform.
In the meantime, the sender must keep the message in the memory of their computer equipment, monitor the receipt of a registration notification from the recipient, and then initiate the process of the end-to-end transmission of the message or encrypted data with the newly registered recipient.
The invitation message sent by the sender can be intercepted, and then open a security breach.
In addition, if there is a long delay between the sending of the invitation and the notification of the sender's registration, the message or data may be lost or altered.
In any case, the prior art solutions require synchronization mechanisms between the computer equipment of the sender, that of the recipient and the transactional platform.
In particular, in the solution proposed by U.S. Patent Application US20100189260 (FIG. 3), users are already known to the platform, which does not allow communication with an unknown recipient of the platform.
The solutions of the prior art also present a security flaw known as the "man-in-the-middle attack," which is an attack aimed at intercepting communications between two parties, without either party being able to suspect that the communication channel between them has been compromised.

Method for end-to-end transmission of a piece of encrypted digital information, application of this method and object implementing this method


To fix the rectilinear combs (4) of a combing machine, a pneumatic system is provided comprising presser elements (16) acting on the section bars (5) of the combs (4) and operated by respective pistons (17) which move within chambers (18) provided in the supports (7) for the section bars (5) and connectable selectively to a compressed air source (22) or to discharge (28). During locking, the presser elements (16) press the section bars (5) of the combs (4) against the supports (7) via plates (20) removably fixed to the ends of the rods (19) of the pistons (17). Discharging the compressed air from the chambers (18) results in simultaneous release of the combs (4). The traditional operations of clamping and releasing the individual comb units (4) are hence eliminated, and the time required for cleaning or replacing the combs is considerably shortened.

This invention relates to a device for fixing rectilinear combs in a combing machine.
As is well known, in these machines the purpose of the rectilinear combs is to penetrate into the cloth at that moment in which the tufts are drawn by the drawing rollers during combing, in order to separate those tufts which have just been combed from the following tufts still to be combed. The rectilinear combs consist of a series of adjacent needles fixed to substantially laminar elongate comb segments, which themselves are fixed to respective section bars resting on and locked onto supports rigid with the frame of the gripper unit.
The comb segments fixed to the section bars can be adjusted linearly by screws which screw into a projecting appendix of the section bars so that their ends rest against said supports to define and adjust the position of the combs in terms of height. The section bars are locked individually on said supports by levers or lever hooks at the ends of the section bars.
The combs are easily soiled, as dust residues or other materials or fibres deposit between the needles during combing. The combs must therefore be regularly and frequently cleaned, this being done by releasing the fixing levers of the individual combs and removing the combs for cleaning. The cleaned combs are then remounted and individually locked by the fixing levers. The same operations have to be carried out whenever one or more combs are to be replaced.
These operations, which may appear simple and rapid, result in practice in a considerable time wastage because of the frequency with which cleaning is required.

Device for fixing rectilinear combs in a combing machine


An object of the present invention is to provide an agent for preventing or treating small intestinal injury induced by an NSAID with a half-life of less than 14 hours and a proton pump inhibitor. The present invention provides an agent for preventing or treating small intestinal injury induced by a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with a half-life of less than 14 hours and a proton pump inhibitor, and an agent for preventing or treating a fat-associated disease and/or inflammation accompanying the small intestinal injury, the agents comprising a Bifidobacterium bacterium or a processed product thereof.

Naproxen, which is a member of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also called NSAIDs), in combination with omeprazole, which is a member of proton pump inhibitors (also called PPIs), is known to induce small intestinal injury (Non-Patent Literature 1).
However, a combination of the NSAID sulindac and the PPI omeprazole does not induce small intestinal injury, according to the findings by the present inventors (see Comparative Example 1 described later). That is, NSAIDs and PPIs do not always induce small intestinal injury.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Agent for preventing or treating small intestinal injury induced by specific NSAID and PPI