The present disclosure provides a Lewis acid-base pair catalytic initiator and an application thereof. The Lewis acid-base pair catalytic initiator includes a Lewis acid and a Lewis base, the Lewis acid having a structural general formula as shown in formula (I) and the Lewis base having a structural general formula as shown in formula (II); wherein: the A is selected from element Baron or element Aluminum; the R1, R2, R3, R4 are independently selected from alkyl, alkoxy, aryl or halogen groups; the alkyl or alkoxy have a carbon number being equal to or greater than 1 to equal to or less than 16; the aryl contains substituents with the number being equal to or less than 5, the substituents being selected from methyl, methoxy or halogen; n is selected from an integer from 1 to 16.

The application of Lewis acid-base pairs (LPs) to catalytic polymerization was first reported by Colorado State University in 2010 and was initially oriented toward the preparation of polyolefin materials from polar vinyl monomers. The LPs have been widely studied in China and abroad due to their high activity, high controllability, and easy modulation of polymerization effects. Recent research results show that the LPs can catalyze epoxide/cyclic anhydride copolymerization, epoxide/carbon dioxide(CO2)(carbonyl sulfide, COS) copolymerization, and epoxide/cyclic anhydride/CO2 copolymerization reactions to synthesize polyesters, poly(carbonate)s, poly(carbonate-ether)s, poly(thiocarbonate)s, and poly(carbonate-ester)s. However, the low initiation efficiency and the "slow initiation, fast growth" polymerization mode have led to a low activity and poor control of the existing catalytic system.
Turnover frequency (TOF), i.e., the number of monomers converted at a single active site per unit time, measures the rate of catalytic reaction of a catalyst and represents the intrinsic activity of the catalyst.
In 2016, Xiaoshuang FENG et al. (Zhang, D.; Boopathi, S. K.; Hadjichristidis, N.; Gnanou, Y.; Feng, X. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2016, 138, 11117.) reported that an acid-base pair consisting of quaternary ammonium salts and triethylborane successfully catalyzed the copolymerization of carbon dioxide with epoxide, but the copolymerization of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide was not achieve 100% alternating degree of polycarbonate due to low catalytic activity, and TOF was only 49 h−1.
In 2017, Xinghong ZHANG et al. (Yang, J. L.; Wu, H. L.; Li, Y.; Zhang, X. H.; Darensbourg, D. J. AngewandteChemie 2017, 56, 5774.) reported the use of guanidinium amines, amidine, quaternary ammonium salts or quaternary phosphonium salts as Lewis base catalytic systems that can catalyze the alternating copolymerization of carbon oxysulfide with multiple epoxides to produce structurally well-defined poly(monothiocarbonate). However, again limited by the activity of the catalytic system, TOF of this system can only reach 113 h−1.
Therefore, the development of a Lewis acid-base pair with high catalytic activity remains the focus of current research and development.

Lewis acid-base pair catalytic initiator and application thereof


A hand held electrostimulation device has a handle having a first side member and a second side member. At least one first electrode is provided on the first side member and at least one second electrode is provided on the second side member. The first side member is longer than the second side member, which is connected with the first side member at a position intermediate the ends of the second side member. The handle is configured so that a user can cause relative movement of the first and second side members from a rest position and is resiliently biased to return to the rest position to cause relative movement of the first and second electrodes to massage skin engaged by the electrodes while applying electricity to the skin via the electrodes.

This invention relates to electrostimulation skin massage devices and particularly, but not exclusively to microcurrent electrostimulation devices that are suitable for applying currents in the order of 10−6 amperes to the skin and underlying muscle of a user.
Previously proposed electrostimulation devices have tended to be of one of two types—microcurrent devices that are configured to apply currents in the order of 10−6 amperes to the skin and underlying muscle of a user and millicurrent devices that are configured to apply larger currents of in the order of 10−3 amperes to the skin and underlying muscles of a user.
In general terms, millicurrent devices are designed to stimulate muscle tissue and improve muscle tone by virtue of a process known as "passive gymnastics" where a current applied to the skin and underlying muscle of a subject causes an involuntary rhythmic contraction of the muscles that improves muscle tone. Microcurrent devices are configured to apply much smaller currents. Treatments with a microcurrent device do not cause muscle contraction and tend to be barely detectable by the subject.
Microcurrent treatments have been shown to increase the amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) within the cells of a muscle. For example, a study by Ngok Cheng, M.D. et al ("The Effects of Electric Currents on ATP Generation, Protein Synthesis, and Membrane Transport in Rat Skin," Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, No. 171, November-December 1982, pp. 264-271) showed that the application of a current of in the order of 50 to 500 microamperes to the skin and underlying muscle of a subject causes an increase in mitochondria and protein synthesis in the muscle, an increase in aminoisobutyric acid uptake, an increase in protein synthesis and Gluconeogenesis (biosynthesis of new glucose) and a 300-500% increase in ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) levels.
These dramatic increases in cellular ATP levels have been shown to help muscles retain a re-educated form for longer periods of time, and as a consequence such techniques are of use in muscle toning treatments. However, for these benefits to be appreciable it is necessary to for the muscle to be manipulated (for example by extending or compressing the muscle) whilst the treatment is taking place. In a salon environment this is relatively easy to accomplish as microcurrent electrostimulation devices typically comprise a pair of probes that can be used by a technician during a treatment to manipulate the skin and muscle so that the muscle is forced into a desired form for re-education. This contrasts with the home environment where subjects typically apply microcurrent treatments to themselves without the assistance of another person.
One previously proposed microcurrent electrostimulation device that is intended for personal rather than commercial use is the Rio® facial rejuvenator device offered for sale by The Dezac Group Ltd. This device is similar to commercial devices in that it comprises a pair of wands with conducting tips that can be used to squeeze the skin and underlying muscle whilst a microcurrent is applied thereto. Whilst this device does allow a subject to manipulate their skin and underlying muscle in the course of a muscle toning electrostimulation treatment, a problem with the device is that the subject needs to look in a mirror to be able to locate the wands on the skin and squeeze or lengthen the correct muscle.
Another previously proposed electrostimulation device is the NuFace® device from the Carol Cole Company (see WO2006/116728). This device comprises a hand-holdable housing from which a pair of electrodes project and circuitry for establishing a potential difference between the electrodes so that a microcurrent flows between the electrodes when the electrodes are placed on the skin.
A drawback with the NuFace® device is that as it can only be used in a manner in which the electrodes are brushed over the skin. It cannot be used for muscle toning treatments where the skin and muscle are manipulated whilst the current is applied. As aforementioned, for electrostimulation treatments that are designed to re-educate muscles (for example a cosmetic treatment to reduce the severity of wrinkles) it is preferred that the muscle be manipulated (for example squeezed or lengthened) whilst the treatment is undertaken so that the increased cellular levels of ATP can retain the muscle in its re-educated form for longer.
Another previously proposed device is the Tua Viso electrostimulation device from Vupiesse Italia (see EP0 603 451). This device is similar in concept to the NuFace® device and is used in the same way by brushing the electrodes over the surface of the skin to be treated. As a consequence, the Tua Viso device suffers from the same drawbacks as the NuFace® device. A further problem is that whilst the Tua Viso device is described as being a microcurrent device, tests have indicated that it actually applies a current that is closer to that a millicurrent device would produce.
Since research has shown that the application of a current of 600 micro amps or more can actually reduce cellular ATP levels, the Tua Viso device would not be suitable for enhancing retention of re-educated muscle form in the manner aforementioned. Also the application of currents of this magnitude to delicate facial muscles can be uncomfortable, and that the characteristic muscle contractions associated with these higher current devices can actually worsen the appearance of lines and wrinkles in some areas of the face.
Iontophoresis is a known process in which charged particles are propelled, non-invasively, through the dermis of a subject by means of a repulsive electromotive force that results from the application of an electric field to a similarly charged particle (such as the particles of a medicament or a cosmetic treatment). The applied electric field pushes the particles deeper into the skin to achieve a better therapeutic or cosmetic effect.
In the context of electrostimulation devices it has previously been proposed to provide electrolytic fluids that function to improve current flow to the skin of the subject, and for these fluids to have a cosmetic or therapeutic effect. For example, in the context of the NuFace® device, it has been proposed to provide a conductivity gel that is smeared over the subject's face prior to use of the device, and an optimizing mist that can be sprayed onto the gel to keep the gel moist during a NuFace® treatment. Smearing a subject's face with gel is necessarily quite messy and it is difficult to ensure that the gel is exactly where it is needed. Also cleaning the device after use can be problematic.
The Tua Viso device has chambers that are associated with each of the electrodes, and which can be filled with fluid or fluid-filled cartridges that are sealed with a breakable membrane. It is known to cover each of the electrodes of the Tua Viso device with a "spongey material" that is humidified by the fluid to keep the skin dampened during use of the device. Whilst this arrangement is better than that proposed for the NuFace® device, the electrode assemblies of the Tua Viso device still need to be disassembled to be properly cleaned after use. The sponges can also be difficult to put on and take off, and that the need to purchase replacement cartridges and sponges can substantially increase the cost of using of the device.


A recording apparatus often has a timing to shift to a standby status if there is no residual paper in the apparatus, for example, when a power source is turned on, when the apparatus is recovered from a sleep mode, when a door is closed, when the power source is reset, or the like. When the residual paper is detected in the apparatus at such a timing, the apparatus is controlled to a proper wait status in order to discharge the residual paper and waits for an instruction from the outside. In response to the paper discharging instruction from the outside, a discharging operation of the residual paper is executed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a recording apparatus for sequentially feeding cut sheets into the apparatus and printing.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, in a recording apparatus for sequentially feeding cut sheets into the apparatus and printing, when a residual paper is confirmed in the apparatus before activating the apparatus into a print wait status, a process is immediately performed by regarding a jam (paper jam) or the in-apparatus residual paper is soon automatically discharged to the outside of the apparatus irrespective of an instruction from the outside.
The inventors of the present invention have proposed a recording apparatus having an emergency stop function for forcedly stopping the driving of the recording apparatus from the outside. In such an apparatus, there is considered a method whereby when an instruction for an emergency stop is received during the paper transporting operation, a process is immediately performed by regarding a jam.
In the recording apparatus without the automatic paper discharging function as mentioned above, therefore, before the apparatus is activated to the print wait status or when the paper remains at the time of the emergency stop, the user has to eliminate the residual paper from the inside of the apparatus of a complicated construction by himself.
When the automatic paper discharging operation is performed before the recording apparatus enters the print wait status, if optional apparatuses such as paper feeding apparatus, paper discharging apparatus, and the like are connected around the recording apparatus, a matching of the operation with the peripheral apparatuses cannot be obtained and a paper jam occurs or, in the worst case, a damage of the apparatus can also occur.

Recording apparatus with automatic paper discharge and fixing roller temperature control features


An optical transfer device for transferring optical signals from a moveable part to a stationary part through an optical transfer medium in order to minimize distortions of the optical signal and increase the effective bandwidth of the signal transit path by minimizing and/or maintaining equal alternate optical signal transit paths from the transmitter to the receiver.

The invention relates to devices for optical signal transmissions between a transmitter unit and a mobile receiving unit, which are optically coupled to each other via an optical transfer medium.
Optical systems are frequently employed to transmit data and signals. Such systems are fundamentally composed of a transmitter unit and a receiver unit, which are interconnected via an optical transfer medium. When the optical transfer medium is free space or air, an arrangement similar to a light barrier is achieved.
However, optical fibers, such as glass or synthetic fibers, are more frequently used to guide the light. In both case, the length of the optical path between the transmitter unit and the receiving unit is generally constant. As a result, the amplitude of the signal received in the receiver unit is not subject to significant variations with respect to time. This facilitates a uniform transmission quality.
In the case of transmission paths that have a variable optical path length between the transmitter unit and the receiving unit, the signal level at the receiver may vary due to attenuation along the optical path, which in turn may degrade transmission quality. In advanced digital transmission systems, in particular, this may result in an undesirable increase of the bit error rate.
The transit time of optical signals through the optical transfer medium may vary depending upon the distance between the transmitter and the receiver, varying from a range of almost zero when the transmitter is located in the immediate proximity of the receiver, up to a maximum value occurring when the transmitter unit is located at the farthest point along the optical medium from the receiver.
When the transmitter moves along the length of the medium, starting from the receiver up to the end of the optical medium, the transit time of the optical signal will increase as the transmitter moves away from the receiver. However, in rotary systems, the transmitter initially begins transmission at a starting point that is located at the receiver and continues around the circumference of the optical medium, thereby increasing the optical path length. Once the transmitter reaches the end of the optical transfer medium, the longest optical path length, the transmitter will then immediately transition from the end of the optical medium to the initial starting point to begin the process again. At the end of the optical transfer medium, there is a relatively long transit time for the optical signal to reach the receiver due to the distance traveled by the optical signal. However, upon transition to the starting point, the transit time is immediately reduced to almost zero.
This abrupt difference in transit time, which may occur during the transition, may give rise to a discontinuity in phase, restricting the bandwidth that can be transmitted, and may result in transmission errors.
Particularly, when optical signals are transmitted via an optical transfer medium shaped in the form of a closed curve, an overlapping at the beginning and the end of the optical medium is unavoidable unless a gap in transmission can be accepted in this position. That is, two signals are superimposed in the receiver, at the beginning and simultaneously at the end of the medium. The first signal is transmitted to the receiver without traveling along the optical path, and therefore reaches the receiver almost immediately. The second signal passes over the entire optical path length, and thus arrives at the receiver with a substantial delay. Both signals are now superimposed and produce an incorrect cumulative signal. As a result, the transmitted signal is degraded. Specifically, with high frequencies where the signal transit time corresponds to one half of the period, the signal is extinguished, such that a sensible data transmission is no longer possible.
What is desired then, is an optical transmission system that provides for transmission of optical signals from a transmitter to a receiver along a rotatable optical coupling where the optical signal quality is not degraded.
It is further desired to provide an optical transmission system having a signal transmission quality independent of the relative movements between the transmitter and the receiver.
It is also desired to provide an optical transmission system in which no signal overlapping occurs at the receiver to interfere with data transmission.
It is further desired to provide an optical transmission system that is small in size, is cost effective, and may be utilized for wide-band signal transmission.


A plurality of assembly sheets are placed on an upper surface of a substrate adsorption platform, and a pressing plate is placed on the plurality of assembly sheets placed on the substrate adsorption platform such that the plurality of assembly sheets are pressed by the pressing plate. In this state, a DC power supply device is turned on and causes the upper surface of the substrate adsorption platform to be charged, thereby causing the plurality of assembly sheets to be adsorbed on the upper surface by an electrostatic force. Then, the pressing plate placed on the plurality of assembly sheets is removed while the upper surface of the substrate adsorption platform is charged, and automatic appearance inspection is performed on the plurality of assembly sheets adsorbed on the upper surface of the substrate adsorption platform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of inspecting a printed circuit board, a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board and an inspection device of a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Background Art
Electronic apparatuses such as hard disk drives or cellular telephones are provided with printed circuit boards having conductor traces formed thereon. Sometimes, automatic appearance inspection such as AVI (Automatic Visual Inspection) is performed in manufacture of such printed circuit boards.
In the AVI, the presence/absence of defective pieces having defects in conductor traces, dimensional errors of conductor traces, defects in terminals and damaged resist surfaces and so on can be determined in a short period of time in the final stage of manufacturing steps of the printed circuit boards.
The AVI is performed in the following manner, for example. First, a good printed circuit board with no defect is imaged by an imaging device, and obtained image data is stored in a memory as master data. Then, a printed circuit board to be inspected is imaged by the imaging device, and obtained image data is stored in the memory as inspection target data. The master data and the inspection target data are subsequently compared with each other, so that determination as to whether or not the printed circuit board is defective is made.
In the AVI, since the determination as to whether or not the printed circuit board is defective is made based on the image data, the printed circuit board must be reliably fixed when being imaged. Therefore, an AVI device is provided with an inspection platform including a holding mechanism that holds the printed circuit board. Examples of the holding mechanism include a clamp mechanism, a vacuum suction mechanism and an electrostatic adsorption mechanism.
In an inspection platform including the clamp mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a clamp inspection platform), ends of the printed circuit board are fixed on the inspection platform by a plurality of clamps while the printed circuit board is placed on the inspection platform.
An inspection platform including the vacuum suction mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a vacuum inspection platform) has a through hole that penetrates the inspection platform from its upper surface to its lower surface, for example. In addition, a suction device that sucks in an atmosphere above the upper surface of the inspection platform through the through hole is provided on a lower surface side of the inspection platform. The suction device is operated while the printed circuit board is placed on the inspection platform, so that the printed circuit board is attracted through the through hole by the suction device to be fixed on the inspection platform.
An inspection platform including the electrostatic adsorption mechanism (hereinafter referred to as an electrostatic inspection platform) includes an insulator that forms an upper surface of the inspection platform, for example. An electrical conductor is provided below the insulator. The electrical conductor is composed of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate each arranged in parallel with the upper surface of the inspection platform. Voltage is applied between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate of the electrical conductor while the printed circuit board is placed on the inspection platform, so that the insulator polarizes to induce positive charges and negative charges on the upper surface of the inspection platform. Thus, an electrostatic force (Coulomb force) arising from the induced positive charges and negative charges causes the printed circuit board to be adsorbed on the upper surface of the inspection platform to be fixed on the inspection platform.
Since the ends of the printed circuit board are fixed by the plurality of clamps in the above-described clamp inspection platform, a tensile force is exerted between the plurality of ends of the printed circuit board. Therefore, the printed circuit board may be fixed on the inspection platform while having wrinkles generated thereon. In this case, it is difficult to perform accurate AVI.
If a number of holes are formed in the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board cannot be adsorbed on the inspection platform in some cases in the vacuum inspection platform. In addition, a suction force is locally generated in the portion where the through hole is formed in the inspection platform. Therefore, an uneven suction force is exerted on the printed circuit board, thereby causing strain in the printed circuit board in some cases. Also in this case, it is difficult to perform accurate AVI.
In the electrostatic inspection platform, since the object is adsorbed by the electrostatic force, a sufficient adsorption force cannot be obtained in a case where the printed circuit board and the upper surface of the inspection platform are not in close proximity to each other. Therefore, the printed circuit board cannot be adsorbed on the upper surface of the inspection platform when strain such as warp occurs in the printed circuit board. In this case, it is difficult to perform accurate AVI.
JP 2002-76569 A describes an inspection device of a printed board using the electrostatic inspection platform. In the inspection device, the printed board is pressed against the upper surface of the inspection platform by a squeeze roller while being electrostatically adsorbed on the inspection platform. This causes the printed board to be flattened on the inspection platform.
In fact, however, a frictional force or the like occurs between the printed board and the squeeze roller, causing wrinkles in the printed board in some cases. In addition, the surface of the squeeze roller is adhesive. Therefore, when the printed board happens to stick to the squeeze roller, it may be raised from the inspection platform as the squeeze roller moves. Also in these cases, it is difficult to perform accurate AVI.

Method of inspecting printed circuit board, method of manufacturing printed circuit board and inspection device of printed circuit board


Disclosed are a reference voltage generating circuit and a display device. The reference voltage generating circuit includes a timing control circuit, a digital-to-analog conversion circuit, an operational amplifier circuit, a drive circuit, a switch control circuit, a first switch circuit, and a second switch circuit. The switch control circuit generates a control signal according to a frame start signal and a clock signal provided by the timing control circuit, and outputs the control signal to the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit to control the channels inside the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit to be turned on sequentially, such that an analog voltage signal output by the digital-to-analog conversion circuit can be output to the drive circuit through the first switch circuit, the operational amplifier circuit and the second switch circuit, to provide a reference voltage signal for the drive circuit.

In display devices, after the voltage signal and control signal output by the system main board are processed by the timing control circuit, they are output to the display panel through the source drive circuit and the gate drive circuit, so that the display device can display normally.
In order to make the voltage signal output by the source drive circuit conform to the user's viewing habits, it is necessary to provide a reference voltage signal for the source drive circuit, which can be generated by a gamma voltage chip. The output of each voltage signal inside the gamma voltage chip needs to be converted by a digital-to-analog converter, and then the operational amplifier outputs the voltage signal converted by the digital-to-analog converter to the source drive circuit. Since the number of output channels in the gamma voltage chip corresponds to the number of operational amplifiers, the number of operational amplifiers is too large, and the complexity of the internal circuit of the gamma voltage chip will increase and the cost will increase.

Reference voltage generating circuit and display device

CHONGQING HKC OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


There are provided sanitary assemblies (101) comprising a toilet cistern (103) and conveying means, including a pump (107), for conveying waste water into said cistern (103) from an article of sanitary ware such that said waste water can be re-used. Also provided are toilet assemblies comprising such sanitary assemblies and methods for their use.

It is increasingly recognised that water is an important resource that should be used sparingly. However, large quantities of water are still wasted. For example, in a domestic residence used bath water is classed as "waste water" and discharged to sewer even though it may only be lightly soiled.
Accordingly, the present invention aims to address at least one disadvantage associated with the prior art whether discussed herein or otherwise.


A method and apparatus for applying threaded plastic closures to the necks of containers wherein the containers are moved successively in an upright position and threaded plastic caps are successively applied in loose engagement with the neck of the container and wherein successive independent hold-down forces are provided by independently mounted plates in overlying relation to the path of the containers being transferred to the capping machine and substantially simultaneously a friction force is applied to the sides of the threaded closures by a spring preloaded rail while the successive hold-down forces are applied to rotate the closures and partially thread the closure on the neck of the containers.

With the advent of threaded plastic closures, it has heretofore been proposed that a closure application system be provided wherein a star wheel with outwardly opening container body pockets and a container guide rail receives filled containers and moves the containers through a closure pickup and pre-tightening apparatus to a closure applicating machine. Such systems are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 32,237, 4,624,098 and 4,663,913 which utilize apparatus of the type show in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,295,320.
Where the plastic cap is of the type having improved tamper indicating bands, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,550,844, 4,653,657 increased band engagement is provided beneath the annular bead on the neck of the container. The flange is more rigid and has a greatly reduced inner diameter which interferes with the container finish and makes the thread engagement during the pre-application portion of the system more difficult.


Space sharing between logical volumes is achieved through a technique that enables available storage space to be flexibly consumed and released by the logical volumes. Each logical volume is associated with an address tree that defines how available storage space is consumed by the logical volume. The technique involves receiving an input/output (I/O) operation that specifies a logical address within an address tree associated with the logical volume, parsing the address tree to identify an entry therein, if any, that is associated with the logical address, where the entry stores physical address information that is associated with the logical address. If it is determined that the entry exists, then one or more translated I/O operations are generated based on the physical address information and forwarded to a physical device manager to carry out the translated one or more I/O operations.

The landscape of computer file system technologies is ever-changing to meet the flexibility demands being made by end-users of computer systems. One present limitation seen in conventional file systems is related to the inability or difficulty of easily expanding and contracting the size of logical volumes. For example, a simple partition that is backed by a single hard drive cannot shrink or grow in size without migrating data associated with the partition off of the hard drive, resizing the partition, and then copying the migrated data back into the partition. More recent technologies have attempted to alleviate this problem by enabling logical volumes to easily be expanded in size. For example, the ZFS file system by Sun Microsystems® enables administrators to expand the size of a logical volume by increasing the amount of physical storage space that is available to the logical volume (e.g., by adding another hard drive). However, this approach does not enable logical volumes to, for example, to utilize free space that may be available in neighboring partitions that are backed by the same group of storage devices.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a technique directed to enabling storage space to be shared between logical volumes.


A network device transparently intercepts HTTP transmissions between a user device and a web server. The network device stores user preference information, which allows the intermediate network device to apply the user preference information to retrieved content that is directed to the user's mobile device.

Field of the Invention
This application relates to a method and apparatus for operating an intermediary server.
Description of the Related Technology
Persistence of user preferences for web optimization of mobile devices is often accomplished using a database which correlates specific users with one or more specific preferences. When users are anonymous, as with pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, databases do not store the anonymous user's settings. In the case of anonymous users, the only identifying information typically available is an internet protocol (IP) address of the mobile device. However, such IP addresses of mobile devices for anonymous users do not remain constant over time. So, including preferences stored for a particular IP address in a database would result in confusion as an anonymous user's IP address changes and, consequently, the anonymous user's preferences might be applied to a subsequent user's mobile device that later acquires the same IP address.

Persisting user preferences in an intermediate network device


A Fe—Ni based alloy comprising, in weight percent: Ni 30-35; Cr 12-14; Al 3-5; Ti 0-2; Ta 2-8; C<=0.05; B<=0.005; Zr<=0.2; Si<0.5; where Cr/(Cr+Fe+Ni)=0.125-0.145; Al/(Al+Ti+Ta)=0.15-0.5; and Fe≥Ni; balance Fe, the alloy having a face-centered cubic (fcc) matrix with from 25 to 30 vol. % of L12-type γ′-Ni3M (M=Al, Ta, Ti and mixtures thereof) precipitates.

Ni-based superalloys are a family of strong and tough metallic materials extensively used in aircraft and power-generation turbines, rocket engines and other challenging environments. The exceptional combination of high-temperature strength and toughness in Ni-based superalloys is primarily due to the formation of a high volume-fraction of thermodynamically stable, chemically ordered L12-type (g′) Ni3Al nano-precipitates, which are coherently interfaced with and homogeneously distributed in the Ni-based fcc (face centered cubic) matrix. However, achieving a similar microstructure in low-cost Fe—Ni-based materials remains a challenge. The existing Fe—Ni-based superalloys, such as A286, or Ni—Fe-based superalloys, such as Incoloy 901, Inconel 706, and Inconel 718, are primarily strengthened by metastable L12-type Ni3Ti (g′) or D022-type Ni3Nb (g″) phases. While these alloys greatly benefit from these metastable precipitates, the properties degrade when the stable counterpart precipitates form. For example, the metastable L12-type Ni3Ti (g′) precipitates can transform to the D024-type Ni3Ti(h) phase after long thermal exposure. Similarly, the orthorhombic Ni3Nb (d) phases can directly precipitate at grain boundaries or be transformed from the D022 precipitates. Both the h and d precipitates are incoherent with the fcc matrix and do not confer strength when present in large quantities.
For Fe-based or Fe—Ni based superalloys, U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,575 (Jan. 26, 2010) "Wear Resistant high temperature alloy", U.S. Pat. No. 8,512,488 (Aug. 20, 2013) "Ni—Fe based Forging superalloy excellent in high temperature strength and high-temperature ductility, method of manufacturing the same, and steam turbine rotor", U.S. Pat. No. 8,506,884 (Aug. 12, 2013) "g phase strengthened Fe—Ni base superalloy", and U.S. Pat. No. 8,815,146 (Aug. 26, 2014) "Alumina Forming iron base superalloy" are known. There remains a need for lower cost alloys with high temperature strength and acceptable oxidation resistance.

Ta-containing Fe-Ni based superalloys with high strength and oxidation resistance for high-temperature applications


The invention is a lithium secondary battery that prevents electrolyte and internal gas leakage by durably sealing the electrolyte injecting hole. The lithium secondary battery consists of a battery can, which contains a polar plate set with an anode plate, and a separator inserted and installed inside the battery can. The opening of the battery can has a cap assembly with an electrolyte injecting hole so that the can interior can be sealed. To seal the battery can, a rivet shaped sealing member is inserted in the electrolyte injecting hole. The sealing member is placed in contact with the cap assembly at an area surrounding the electrolyte injecting hole and affixed to the cap assembly.

This application is based on application No. 99-1633 filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jan. 20, 1999, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery, more particularly to a lithium secondary battery wherein an electrolyte-injecting hole is formed at the cap area and is plugged by a sealing member.
(b) Description of the Related Art
As the use of portable electronic devices has been rapidly increasing of late, the consumption of batteries used as power sources for these is also escalating. Secondary batteries that are not discarded after they are discharged but which can be charged and discharged repeatedly are the main battery used for the above application.
A main type of secondary battery currently being researched and developed is a lithium ion secondary battery, which attracts attention from the related industries due to its many advantages, such as large capacity, good stability, and long cycle life.
Although batteries are generally made in a cylindrical shape, as portable electronic devices are gradually miniaturized and being made thinner, prismatic shaped batteries are being developed and manufactured. The production of lithium ion secondary batteries is also following this trend.
FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view illustrating a general prismatic lithium ion secondary battery in which a polar plate set (3) comprising an anode plate, a cathode plate, and a separator is inserted into a can (1) which plays the role of a cathode terminal. An open part of the above can (1) is sealed by a cap (7) containing an anode terminal (5), and a safety device is installed inside the anode terminal (5).
The polar plate set (3) is first inserted into the can (1), the cap (7) is put on an open part of the can (1), and the joining surface areas thereof are affixed by laser welding in order to manufacture a prismatic battery. Thereafter, an electrolyte is injected into the can (1) through an injecting hole (7a) formed at one side area of the cap (7). As shown in FIG. 5, in the conventional art the above injecting hole (7a) is sealed after the electrolyte has been injected, the sealing method consisting of the insertion of a ball member (9) comprised of aluminum, etc. into the above injecting hole (7a), and a separate thin metallic plate (11) is placed over the ball member (9), completely covering the above injecting hole (7a), and affixed to the above cap (7) by laser welding.
As the area surrounding the injecting hole (7a) is contaminated to a certain degree when electrolyte is injected through the above injecting hole (7a), it is possible for the electrolyte to leak into a gap between the above injecting hole (7a) and the ball member (9), and this leaked electrolyte can affect the thin metallic plate (11). There have been cases where the sealing of the injecting hole (7a) has deteriorated since the welding was poorly made due to leaked electrolyte when the above thin metallic plate (11) is welded to the battery cap (7). Furthermore, the state of the battery can be degraded due to electrolyte leakage and unnecessary internal gas leakage from a poorly sealed injecting hole (7A).
The present invention is invented taking into account the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a lithium secondary battery that prevents electrolyte and internal gas leakage by durably sealing the electrolyte injecting hole.
Therefore, the present invention provides a lithium secondary battery comprising as follows:
a) a can having an internal space;
b) a polar plate set comprising an anode plate, a cathode plate, and a separator which is installed by being inserted into the above can;
c) a cap assembly having an electrolyte injecting hole which seals the can interior by being mounted on an open part of the can; and
d) a sealing member for an electrolyte injecting hole comprised of an inserting part and a head part which is inserted into the above cap assembly through the above electrolyte injecting hole and affixed to the above cap assembly.
The above sealing member for electrolyte injecting hole which is formed in a rivet-like shape is affixed to the above cap assembly by laser welding.

Device for sealing lithium secondary battery electrolyte injecting hole


Pointing devices such as computer mouse are commonly used for making selections on computer screens. However, prolong or frequent use of such pointing devices might result in users suffering from repetitive stress disorder. Further, due to the widespread use of personal computers (PC), this problem is made more even pronounced. In addition, users increasingly require additional buttons to be provided on the computer mouse for purposes such as PC gaming. Although device manufacturers have started building more buttons on existing computer mice, the buttons are typically not ergonomically positioned. An embodiment of the invention describes an ergonomic input device with multi-programmable buttons.

Pointing devices such as computer mouse are commonly used, for example, to control cursor movement displayed on a computer screen for making selections on a graphical user interface (GUI). The use of pointing devices often involves highly repetitive hand and finger movements and positions. Some forms of repetitive stress disorder such as the carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may be attributed to frequent use of pointing devices, particularly where awkward and stressful movements and/or positions are involved. Hence, pointing devices having configurations that force the wrist, hand and fingers of a user to assume awkward and stressful positions and/or movements are undesirable.
Additionally, the problem of users suffering from repetitive stress disorder due to use of pointing devices is even more pronounced in today's environment, where the deployment of personal computers (PCs) for different purposes ranging from productivity work to gaming is highly ubiquitous, as compared to the past. Notably, PC gaming is gaining enormous popularity worldwide due to the emergence of the Internet as a platform for allowing gamers to easily interact with one another through online gaming. PC games being played online normally belong to genres ranging from first person shooter (FPS) games to massive multiplayer online role player games (MMORPGs). Typically, pointing devices, such as the computer mouse, are used together with keyboards as means for enabling users to interact with the PC games.
Due to rise in popularity of PC gaming, users require more buttons than ever before to be provided on the computer mouse for activating additional functionalities and features of the PC games "on-the-fly". Conventionally, computer mouse are typically pre-built with one or two buttons. However, to take advantage of macro "shortcut" functions provided by software and PC games, device manufacturers have been building additional buttons onto the computer mouse such as locating the additional buttons on the lateral sides of the left and right mouse buttons of the computer mouse. Due to the awkward positioning of the additional buttons fitted to conform to the shape of the computer mouse, the additional buttons are thus not easily accessible by the users.
Hence, in view of the foregoing problems, there affirms a need for a device with buttons that are ergonomically positioned thereon.

Ergonomic mouse device with multi-programmable buttons


Network protection between endpoints includes both end-to-end and local section protection. A primary path between the endpoints includes a plurality of links, and is protected on an end-to-end basis by a protection path associated with different links. At least one sections of the primary path is also protected on a local basis, where a “section” is a link, ring, trunk or other portion of a network. One or more sections of the protection path may also be protected on a local basis. In response to detection of a fault condition, section protection is utilized to overcome the fault if possible, and otherwise end-to-end protection is utilized. Invoking section protection does not imply a switchover from the primary end-to-end path to the protection end-to-end path. Rather, the primary end-to-end path is rerouted in the affected section.

Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering ("PBB-TE") uses an end-to-end 1:1 protection paradigm, referred to in this document as "e2e protection". This provides a robust protection mechanism which can be used across an arbitrary mesh of network connectivity. However, the underlying physical connectivity of many networks frequently uses rings of fiber, which makes protection over ring topologies an important scenario. In a network of cascaded rings as illustrated in FIG. 1, matched pairs of nodes are used to interconnect communication links of logically adjacent rings. A primary path between endpoints traverses links between ones of the matched pairs of nodes, i.e., primary path nodes. A protection path traverses different links between the corresponding nodes of the matched pairs of nodes, i.e., protection path nodes. Each path in PBB-TE is associated with a VLAN ID (VID). In the event of a fault in a link or node of the primary path, traffic is switched to the protection path by the headend endpoint changing the VID used on data frames.
Although the end-to-end 1:1 protection paradigm works well, it has some drawbacks. For example, different rings may be associated with different geographic domains that are managed and operated by different organizations within the carrier, and each organization may wish to schedule maintenance outages without coordinating with other organizations. Further, in long distance communication deployments, the frequency of faults on the extended e2e path can become significant enough that probability of a second fault occurring on the protection path before a first fault is repaired becomes unacceptable. An extended e2e protection paradigm can be used to mitigate this, but the number of required protection paths grows significantly as a function of the number of rings and extent of protection, e.g., protection from multiple faults across multiple rings. For example, four end-to-end paths are required for decoupling of a pair of rings in cascade since there are four possible paths. In the case of three rings in cascade, six paths are required for protection against two independent faults on any pair of rings, and eight paths are required for full protection against a single simultaneous fault on each ring. Maintaining a large number of paths can be problematic because forwarding state is directly related to the number of paths installed, and every path adds a Connectivity Fault Management ("CFM") session to the terminating nodes.

Protection for provider backbone bridge traffic engineering


A recording apparatus includes: a recording head; a temperature detection unit; a first heating element configured to maintain a temperature of the recording head and a second heating element configured to discharge the ink; an acquisition unit configured to acquire at a plurality of predetermined intervals the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit; a first averaging unit configured to obtain an average temperature based on the temperatures acquired by the acquisition unit in a first period; a first drive unit configured to drive the first heating element based on the average temperature obtained by the first averaging unit; a second averaging unit configured to obtain an average temperature based on the temperatures acquired by the acquisition unit in a second period and longer than the first period; and a second drive unit configured to drive the second heating element based on the average temperature obtained by the second averaging unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 04-250054 discusses a method for controlling a sub heater included in an ink-jet recording head. An ink-jet recording apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 04-250054 preheats an ink discharge silicone chip and ink in the vicinity of a discharge port by using a sub heater which is different from a main heater for discharging ink, thus stabilizing the ink discharge characteristics.
However, with the ink-jet recording apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 04-250054, the temperature error from the target temperature Tav is large.


A method for controlling falling of a virtual object is performed at an electronic device, the method including: displaying, in a virtual scene, a follow button in an area corresponding to a first virtual object, the follow button being used for controlling a second virtual object to follow the first virtual object to fall; detecting a touch operation on the follow button of the first virtual object; obtaining falling dynamic information of the first virtual object; and controlling the second virtual object to fall in the virtual scene according to the falling dynamic information.

With the development of computer technologies, people can simulate a scene in real life by using a simulation technology. The simulation technology is an experimental method in which a model of a research object is established by using a similarity principle and the regularity of a prototype is indirectly studied by using the model. For example, in a game application, people may control a virtual object to move in a virtual scene. People may control the virtual object to take an aerial vehicle to enter the virtual scene, and control the virtual object to leave the aerial vehicle and fall in the virtual scene, to simulate a process in a real scene that a person takes a plane or another vehicle and leaves the plane to fall on the ground.
Currently, in a conventional method for controlling falling of a virtual object, a leave button is usually provided. When a touch operation of a user on the leave button is detected, the virtual object is controlled to fall in the virtual scene. In addition, a virtual joystick area is provided, a touch operation of the user on the virtual joystick area is detected to determine the moving direction and moving speed of the virtual object in a falling process, so that falling dynamic information of the virtual object is controlled. In a team game, it is usually necessary for virtual objects of the same team to fall into the same area. The virtual objects are relatively close to each other to cooperate with each other to fight against virtual objects of another team. However, based on a conventional method for controlling falling of a virtual object, each user in a team needs to autonomously control a virtual object to fall, and operations are relatively complex, resulting in low control efficiency.

Method and apparatus for controlling falling of virtual object, electronic device, and storage medium

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) compositions are disclosed containing a LCP and a polymeric polyvalent metal aromatic polycarboxylate where the polymeric carboxylate is heat stable at processing temperatures of the LCP. The compositions offer the physical properties of high mechanical strength, durability, toughness, chemical resistance and high temperature performance, among others.

Liquid crystal polymers offer a wide variety of key property requirements in molded articles including high mechanical strength, durability, toughness, chemical resistance and high temperature performance, among others. One of the most severe limitations to the use of liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) is the current high price of such polymers. It would be very desirable if improvements were made in LCP compositions to take advantage of the many physical properties and overcome the price disadvantage.
In the past, various fillers and reinforcing agents have been added to LCPs to reduce the cost and perhaps reinforce the polymer matrix. Fillers and/or reinforcing agents that have been added include glass fibers, asbestos, graphitic carbon fibers, amorphous carbon fibers, synthetic polymeric fibers, aluminum fibers, steel fibers, silica, clays, talc, mica, polytetrafluoroethylene, among others, as has been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,039. While fillers tend to reduce the overall cost of articles made from the LCP blends, their inclusion usually involves a concomitant reduction in mechanical properties. Thus, there is a significant need that exists for new liquid crystalline polymer compositions that have superior physical properties, yet without high cost. There is also a need for further improvements in LCP compositions.


A pulse diagnostic instrument of the present invention comprises a plurality of probes connected together and aligned laterally in series, with each probe configured for contacting a skin surface of a body limb adjacent an arterial vessel. Each probe includes a pressure sensor configured for sensing a pulse pressure of the arterial vessel and an electrically-driven pressure applicator, mounted to the pressure sensor, and configured for applying an external force through the pressure sensor to apply pressure against the arterial vessel through the skin surface during sensing of the pulse pressure.

Medical practitioners have long used pulse measurements, such as heart rate and blood pressure, to ascertain the health of a patient. This practice obviously stems from the crucial role that a heart and circulatory system plays on the entire physiology of the patient.
Differing from conventional pulse detection and measurement for humans, traditional Chinese medical practitioners have for thousands of years practiced the so-called Chinese Pulse-Taking and Medical Diagnosis (herein CPT/MD). This diagnostic method is performed by pressing the index, middle and third fingers (10,12,14) of one a practitioner's hands 15 in a row onto a Cunkou acupoint 16 of their patient's wrist 18, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. These fingers are used to qualitatively sense and capture the two-dimensional distribution of pulse pressure, or pulse pressure topography, as well as its dynamic characteristics within arterial vessel 34 under skin 30 and tissue 32. The acupoint, Cunkou, refers to the medial area of the prominent head of the radius at the wrist over the radial artery. By individually adjusting the pressure applied by each finger to the acupoint, they can also actively force the downstream or upstream shift of the pulse thus felt along the vessel to sense and capture more comprehensive dynamic characteristics of the arterial pulse. Such a pulse pressure topography and dynamic characteristics are critically informative to the practitioners in identifying the so-called medical pulse conditions and thus, diagnosing the illness and health condition of the patient. In this context, the pulse conditions refer to the physical conditions of pulsation felt by the fingertips, including frequency, rhythm, extent of filling, evenness, motility and amplitude.
For thousands of years, however, the CPT/MD has been conducted only through the fingers of practitioners. Accordingly, this method is highly subjective and considered as a work of art, rather than a science, due to the obvious subjective nature of each practitioner's individual experience and consistency. Moreover, the practitioners can only verbally describe what they feel through their fingertips, even though the assessment is so critical to their medical diagnosis and judgment. Their verbal expressions of what is felt through the fingertips uses commonly agreed upon, but very limited, terminology for the type of pulse and strength of pulse manifested as the pulse condition. This verbal information is highly qualitative and is by no means objective. Consequently, this verbal data regarding a pulse condition cannot be credibly kept as objective medical data for patients.
While conventional pulse detection and measurement devices facilitate more scientific rigor in assessing a pulse, these devices fall short in achieving significant aspects of pulse diagnostics.


Artificial chromosomes, including ACes, that have been engineered to contain available sites for site-specific, recombination-directed integration of DNA of interest are provided. These artificial chromosomes permit tractable, efficient, rational engineering of the chromosome for a variety of applications.

Artificial Chromosomes
A variety of artificial chromosomes for use in plants and animals, particularly higher plants and animals are available. In particular, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,025,155 and 6,077,697 provide heterochromatic artificial chromosomes designated therein as satellite artificial chromosomes (SATACs) and now designated artificial chromosome expression systems (ACes). These chromosomes are prepared by introducing heterologous DNA into a selected plant or animal cell under conditions that result in integration into a region of the chromosome that leads to an amplification event resulting in production of a dicentric chromosome. Subsequent treatment and growth of cells with dicentric chromosomes, including further amplifications, ultimately results in the artificial chromosomes provided therein. In order to introduce a desired heterologous gene (or a plurality of heterologous genes) into the artificial chromosome, the process is repeated introducing the desired heterologous genes and nucleic acids in the initial targeting step. This process is time consuming and tedious. Hence, more tractable and efficient methods for introducing heterologous nucleic acid molecules into artificial chromosomes, particularly ACes, are needed.
Therefore, it is an object herein to provide engineered artificial chromosomes that permit tractable, efficient and rational engineering of artificial chromosomes.


A new and distinct cultivar of Pachysandra plant named ‘Hakurei’, characterized by its new foliage growth of creamy white with grayed-green venation maturing over time to yellowish green.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Pachysandra plant botanically known as Pachysandra terminalis Michx. and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Hakurei'.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled selection program in Utsunomiya, Japan during 2005. 'Hakurei' is a branch sport of Pachysandra terminalis. The object of the program was the development of Pachysandra cultivars with unique foliage color.
The new Pachysandra cultivar is a naturally occurring sport of Pachysandra terminalis, not patented, characterized by its dark green-colored foliage. The new cultivar was discovered as a branch sport and selected in January 2005 in a controlled environment at Utsunomiya, Japan.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since July 2005 at Utsunomiya, Japan has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.


A pouch perforator for a form, fill and seal packaging machine of the type which forms pouches from continuous film includes a cutting element and a support element. The cutting element is rotatively mounted on the packaging machine as is the support element with the cutting element located on one side of the film and the support element located on the opposite side of the film. The cutting element includes a plurality of axially extending knife edges located in a circumferentially spaced array. The knife edges rotate in response to rotation of the cutting element. The support element includes a circumferentially extending support surface which rotates in response to rotation of the surface element. The knife edges in response to rotation of the cutting element compress film against the support surface to perforate the film.

This invention is directed to a pouch perforator for a form, fill and seal packaging machine. The pouch perforator of the invention is associated With the film advancement pull wheels of the packaging machine for perforation of the edges of pouches formed on the packaging machine in conjunction with operation of the pull wheels.
A variety of products are packaged in film pouches which are formed, filled and sealed on appropriate pouch packaging machines. These machine utilize continuous rolls of film. A pouch is formed from the film, filled with product and then sealed in a continuous operation.
Earlier utilization of film pouches was restricted to dry products With increased sophistication of pouch packaging machines, packaging has been extended to include liquid and liquid based products. Currently vast numbers of individual packages of condiments such as catsup, mustard and sauces are used on a daily basis in the fast food industry.
With advancement in film technology very strong films have been developed One such strong film is nylon film. Because of the availability of strong films it has recently become practical to form larger pouches on pouch packaging machines. Using such strong films pouches containing products such as cooking oil can be packaged in pouches of sufficient volume for use in restaurants and other institutional settings. As can be appreciated, large pouches (of about six inches or larger in width and capable of containing a quart or more of, for instance, cooking oil) must be formed of film which is of sufficient strength to insure that the contents of the pouch will not accidentally burst the film.
The use of high strength films to maintain the integrity of the pouches, however, makes it difficult to open such pouches. The very strong nylon films utilized for large, strong pouches are all but impossible to initially tear. This requires the user to utilize a cutting implement, as for instance, a pair of scissors or a knife to open the pouch. The use of such implements are inconvenient for the users of these large pouches.
To overcome the necessity of having to use an implement to open a pouch the edge of a pouch can be perforated with small nicks. This allows the user a starting point to tear the pouch material.
Presently utilized devices for forming perforations or nicks in the edges of pouches are normally located below the cross seal bar of the packaging machine. They require a separate station on the packaging machine having separate components and separate activation and control mechanisms. This complicates both manufacture of these machines and their day to day operation and maintenance.
In addition to the problems outlined in the previous paragraph which are experienced even with small pouches, with larger pouches additional problem are created. During filling of a larger pouch, the pouch can bulge or sag outwardly under the weight of the contents added to the pouch. Since the components of the packaging machine must be spaced away from the pathway of the pouch a distance sufficient to allow for the physical presence of such a bulging pouch, little room remains on "large pouch" packaging machines below the cross seal seal bars. This complicates or renders impossible the placement of perforation or nicking devices in the normal area below the cross seal bars.


A chip package includes a substrate, a pad, a double-sided adhesive tape, a chip, and a sealing member. The pad is arranged on the substrate and has a top surface facing away from the substrate. The double-sided adhesive tape includes a first paste surface and an opposing second paste surface. The first paste surface is attached to the top surface. The chip is attached onto the second paste surface and includes a light emitting surface or a light receiving surface facing away from the second paste surface. The sealing member is formed on the pad and tightly surrounds the chip and the double-sided adhesive.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a chip package and a method for making such chip package.
2. Description of Related Art
In accordance with the trend of miniaturizing electronic apparatuses, attempts are being made to pack more than one chip into a package in order to achieve a high density of the package. Generally, the chips are attached onto a pad on a printed circuit board with glue. During packaging of the chips, it is difficult to control the amount of the glue applied. If insufficient glue is used, the chip may not properly adhere to the pad and may easily be detached, which may cause complete failure of the chip package. On the other hand, if excessive glue is used, the glue may overflow to other places and negatively influence other elements. In addition, as the glue flows, it may shift the chips from their original locations before the glue is solidified.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a chip package and a method for making such chip package, which can overcome or at least alleviate the limitations described.


An earphone system (10) includes a first ear bud (12) having wireless communications circuitry, a second ear bud (14) having wireless communications circuitry and first electric cabling (16) having a first end provided with a first electrical connector element (18) releasably connectable with the first ear bud, a second end provided with a second electrical connector element (20) releasably connectable with the second ear bud and a third electrical connector element (22) disposed intermediate the first and second ends. The earphone system (10) has second electric cabling (24) having a first end provided with a fourth electrical connector element (26) releasably connectable with the third electrical connector element and a second end provided with a fifth electrical connector element (28) connectable an output connector element of an electronic device to receive an audio signal from the electronic device.

The present invention relates generally to earphone systems.
Users of portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, tablets and mobile (cellular) telephones often listen to audio content using an earphone system. An earphone system may comprise wireless ear buds that are able to communicate with a portable electronic device without the need of a physical connection to the portable electronic device. Wireless ear buds may connect to the portable electronic device by means of a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth®. Earphone systems utilizing ear buds may include a microphone and speakers to allow the earphone system to handle telephone calls and media playback.


The embodiments of the present invention provide a card reader, electronic apparatus and protection method for memory card. The card reader comprises: a card slot having an accommodation space for accommodating a memory card, with parallel guiding slots being arranged on the left side and right side walls of the card slot; and a cover arranged on the card slot and being slidable on the card slot via the guiding slots. With the embodiments of the present invention, the delay time for stopping the read-write protection may be increased, the memory card may be protected in time, and the back repair rate of the memory card may be reduce.

A memory card uses a flash memory as a storage medium and consumes much less power in reading and writing data. Therefore, it is widely used in portable information devices, such as a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. The existing memory cards may include a secure digital (SD) card, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, and a multi-media card (MMC), etc.
Currently, a memory card can store more and more information and has become an indispensable part of a portable information device. For example, in a mobile phone using the Android Operating System, an SD card becomes centralized part of the whole storage system. In a next-generation standard, there will exist cases where the information of the applications is moved to the SD card from the internal flash memory, or the information is moved to the internal flash memory from the SD card.
A memory card may be connected to other parts of a portable information device via a card reader. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing that a memory card is inserted into a card reader in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, when a memory card is inserted into a card reader, a user may press the memory card 101, such that a locking component in the card reader 102 locks the memory card 101, so as to fix the memory card 101 in the card reader 102. When the memory card is taken out, the user may press the memory card 101 again, such that the locking component in the card reader 102 unlocks the memory card 101, so as to eject the memory card 101 from the card reader 102.

Card reader, electronic apparatus and protection method for memory card


Disclosed herein are methods for (a) treating, inhibiting, or reducing aging of a subject, (b) treating, inhibiting, or reducing an age-related symptom or an age-related disease in a subject, and/or (c) increasing the lifespan of a subject which comprise administering to the subject one or more ketobutyrate compounds and compositions thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to treating, inhibiting, or reducing aging and age-related symptoms and diseases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Metabolism and aging are intimately linked. Compared to ad libitum feeding, dietary restriction (DR) or calorie restriction (CR) consistently extends lifespan and delays age-related diseases in evolutionarily diverse organisms. Similar conditions of nutrient limitation and genetic or pharmacological perturbations of nutrient or energy metabolism also have longevity benefits. Several compounds that modulate aging with largely undefined molecular mechanisms have been identified.
However, a need still exists for treatments for age-related symptoms and age-related diseases including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and extending the lifespans of subjects.

Ketobutyrate compounds and compositions for treating age-related symptoms and diseases

The Regents of the University of California


A method and apparatus for modifying the Multimedia Internet KEYing (MIKEY) protocol to support an extended key-management message (KMM), wherein the apparatus programs a computer to perform the method, which includes: determining that a KMM is directed to a target device; determining that the KMM is an extended KMM related to a key-management operation that is not supported by the standard MIKEY protocol; signaling the extended KMM in at least one field of a MIKEY message; and sending the MIKEY message to the target device.

A key-management protocol relates to creation, distribution, and maintenance of a security key (also interchangeably referred to as a key) in a communication system. One key-management protocol is often incompatible with another key-management protocol. In addition, two key-management protocols usually provide different sets of key-management operations and functionality. Oftentimes, a communication system comprises different types of communication devices that support different key-management protocols. In such cases, the communication system needs to support key-management operations provided by more than one key-management protocol. For example, a communication system may support both broadband and narrowband devices, where the MIKEY protocol running on the broadband devices does not provide certain key-management operations provided by a second key-management protocol running on the narrowband devices. In this scenario, it becomes challenging to perform, on the broadband devices, some key-management operations that are supported only by the second key-management protocol running on the narrowband devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus that extends the MIKEY protocol to support some key-management operations that are available only in the second key-management protocol.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.
Apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the various embodiments so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Thus, it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.

Method and apparatus for extending a key-management protocol


The invention relates to an improved Saccharomyces strain displaying improved viability and growth during anaerobic fermentation of pentose carbon sources such as xylose and producing fermentation products such as ethanol.

Bioethanol production from renewable feedstock by baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has become an attractive alternative to fossil fuels. However, the availability of starch or sucrose based feedstock such as corn grain or sugar cane is expected to be insufficient to cover future worldwide needs for bioethanol (Gray et al., 2006. Bioethanol. Current Opinion Chemical Biology. 10(2):141-146). A foreseen solution is the utilization of lignocellulosic feedstocks, such as corn stover, wheat straw, sugar cane bagasse, wood, etc (Hahn-Hägerdal et al., 2006. Bioethanol—the fuel of tomorrow from the residues of today. Trends Biotechnol. 24(12):549-556). This requires overcoming new challenges associated with the utilization of these complex raw materials.
A substantial fraction of lignocellulosic material consists of pentoses, xylose and arabinose that need to be efficiently converted to make the bioethanol process cost-effective. Saccharomyces species cannot ferment these pentoses as such and need to be modified to be able to do that. However, attempts have been made to modify Saccharomyces strains to produce ethanol and other fermentation products such as butanol, lactate, 1,4-diacids (succinate, fumaric, malic), glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol/arabinitol, L-ascorbic acid, xylitol, hydrogen gas, 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, 3-hydroxy propionic acid, aspartic acid, glutaric acid, glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid, and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone in an efficient way. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which can be grown on xylose aerobically and which ferments xylose to ethanol has been obtained, wherein said strain either has genes from the Pichia stipitis xylose pathway or heterologous xylose isomerase (XI) genes and overexpresses the endogenous xylulose kinase gene (Hahn-Hägerdal B, Karhumaa K, Fonseca C, Spencer-Martins I, Gorwa-Grauslund M F (2007). Such strains do not grow anaerobically on xylose as sole carbon source. However, anaerobic growth is a crucial trait for industrial fermentation processes since it renders the yeast viability and viability is directly related to the ability of the yeast to ferment efficiently. Anaerobic xylose growth by recombinant strains of S. cerevisiae has been achieved in haploid laboratory strains by random evolutionary engineering strategies (Sonderegger M, Sauer U (2003) Evolutionary engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for anaerobic growth on xylose. Appl Environ Microbiol 69:1990-8; Kuyper et al (2004) Minimal metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for efficient anaerobic xylose fermentation: a proof of principle. FEMS Yeast Res 4:655-64). Traits obtained via random strategies are not easily identified, and therefore such traits are difficult to transfer to other strains. Moreover laboratory strains do not ferment toxic lignocellulose hydrolysates (Karhumaa K, Garcia Sanchez R, Hahn-Hägerdal B, Gorwa-Grauslund M F (2007) Comparison of the xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase and the xylose isomerase pathways for xylose fermentation by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microb Cell Fact 6:5).
Furthermore, when applied to polyploid and aneuploid industrial strains random strategies often result in limited improvements. Therefore there is still a need to design well-defined rational metabolic engineering strategies/technologies, which convey traits that provide Saccharomyces sp. strains with the ability to grow and ferment pentose sugars anaerobically and which can be transferred to any other polyploid and aneuploid Saccharomyces sp. strain.


The present invention relates generally to methods and compositions for reducing Interleukin-4 or Interleukin-13 signaling, in particular to treat asthma and atopic dermatitis. The inventors have found that Rac/PAK mediated endocytosis of the ligand bound type I (IL-4R with the chains IL-4Ra and IL-2-Rg) and/or type II receptor (IL-13R with the chains IL-4Ra and IL-13Ra1) is needed for the IL-4 and/or IL-13 mediated activation of downstream signalling events including phosphorylation of Stat family transcrition factors. These discoveries enable new methods of screening compounds that modulate Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-13 signalling, as well as new methods for treating conditions characterized by increased Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-13 levels. These conditions include inflammatory conditions, asthma bronchiale, atopic dermatitis, allergies, atopic syndromes, allergic rhinitis, and th2-induced conditions.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and Interleukin-13 (IL-13) are cytokines involved in several inflammatory diseases caused by immune dysregulation, most notably asthma and atopic dermatitis. Studies conducted with animals deficient in either cytokine, or employing reagents that neutralize either IL-4 or IL-13 function, have elucidated the important role these cytokines play in regulating the primary and secondary immune response leading to airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness (Zhu et al. 1999. J. Clin. Invest. 103: 779-788, Henderson et al. 2000 J. Immunol. 164: 1086-1095). Cumulatively, these data suggest that IL-4 and IL-13 have overlapping as well as independent roles in the allergic airways response.
IL-4 is increasingly appreciated as the pivotal cytokine initiating the "Th2-type" inflammatory response forming the underling milieu necessary for the development of atopy and asthma. IL-4 effects include activation, proliferation and differentiation of T and B cells. During proliferation of B-lymphocytes, IL-4 acts as a differentiation factor by regulating class switching from IgG to the IgE, thus encouraging the development of allergic reactions.
IL-13 is now appreciated as the more probable downstream effector cytokine. IL-13 dominate effects include induction of airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and goblet cell hyperplasia, both cardinal features of asthma. However, there is considerable redundancy in the effects of these two cytokines. The redundancy in effects associated with the binding and signaling of these two cytokines can be explained by their sharing of common receptors.
The IL-4 receptor alpha chain (IL-4Ra) is known to form two distinct ternary complexes with ligands and coreceptors. The type I receptor complex (IL-4R) is typically formed in lymphoid cells and consists of the IL-4Ra chain and the IL-2 receptor common gamma chain (IL-2Rg). It binds specifically to and transduces signals by the IL-4 cytokine ligand. In nonlymphoid cells, e.g. airway epithelial cells, IL-4R alpha chain forms a complex with the IL-13 receptor alpha chain 1(IL-13Ra1). This so called type II receptor (also called IL-13R) binds to and is activated by both IL-4 and IL-13.
The receptor chains (IL-4Ra, IL-13Ra1 and IL-2Rg) interact specifically with downstream nonreceptor tyrosine kinases of the Janus kinase (Jak) family, with the IL-4Ra associating with Jak1, the IL-2Rg chain with Jak3, and the IL-13Ra chain with Tyk2. Upon ligand binding to the receptor, these kinases are activated by an as yet not understood mechanism, and cause phosphorylation of the receptor chains, the kinases themselves, and eventually of the transcription factors of the Stat family that are recruited to the phosphorylated receptors.
While asthma is generally defined as an inflammatory disorder of the airways, clinical symptoms arise from intermittent air flow obstruction. It is a chronic disabling disorder that appears to be increasing in prevalence and severity. It is estimated that 30-40% of the population suffers with atopy, and 15% of children and 5% to 10% of adults in the population suffer from asthma.
Atopy or atopic syndrome is a predisposition toward developing certain allergic hypersensitivity reactions. A patient with atopy typically presents with one or more of the following: eczema (atopic dermatitis or neurodermatitis), allergic rhinitis (hayfever), allergic conjunctivitis, or allergic asthma. Patients with atopy also have a tendency to have food allergies.
Current treatments for these diseases involve interference with downstream effector molecules such as anti-IgE as well as immune suppressing agents (i.e. corticosteroids). However, these approaches are not efficient in all patients and are associated with, often severe, side effects.
Beta agonists reduce the symptoms of asthma, i.e. transiently improve pulmonary functions, but do not affect the underlying inflammation so that lung tissue remains in jeopardy. In addition, constant use of beta agonists results in desensitization, which reduces their efficacy and safety. The agents that can diminish the underlying inflammation, the anti-inflammatory steroids, have their own known list of disadvantages that range from immunosuppression to bone loss.
Because of the problems associated with conventional therapies, alternative treatment strategies have been evaluated. Glycophorin A, cyclosporin, and a non-peptide fragment of IL-2, all inhibit interleukin-2 dependent T lymphocyte proliferation and, therefore, IL-9 production; however, they are known to have many other effects. While these agents may represent alternatives to steroids in the treatment of asthmatics (Zav'yalov et al. 1992. Immunol. Lett. 31:285-288 56), they inhibit interleukin-2 dependent T lymphocyte proliferation and potentially critical immune functions associated with homeostasis.
It is known that a dynamin dependent, clathrin independent pathway is responsible for the clearance of IL-2beta receptor following ligand binding, and that this pathway is dependent upon the activity of the small G proteins RhoA and Rac1, and the kinases PAK1 and PAK2 (Grassart A et al. 2008 EMBO Rep. 9(4):356-62). Rac and PAK family kinases are further known to play a role in macropinocytosis and type I phagocytosis, i.e. internalization of immunoglobulin activated Fe-receptors (Qualmann B, Mellor H 2003, Biochem J 371, 233-241), EphrinB receptors (Marston D j et al. 2003. Nature Cell Biology 5, 879-888), and cadherins (Yap A S et al. 2007. Current Opinion in Cell Biology 19:508-514). It is known that PAK promotes morphological changes by acting downstream of Rac (Oelschlager, T. A. et al 1993 EMBO J. 17:4328-4339).
US2002/045564A1 relates to a method of modulating smooth Muscle contraction, comprising administering a PAK3 modulating agent to a subject such that modulation of smooth muscle contraction occurs.
US 2003/0165992A relates to a method for detecting a predisposition to asthma or atopy in an individual, the method comprising: analyzing a biological specimen from said individual for the presence of a Il-13 Gln110Arg variant; wherein the presence of said variant is indicative of an increased susceptibility to asthma or atopy.
US2007/0212308A relates to a method of treating asthma comprising administering to a subject in need thereof, a pharmaceutical composition containing a therapeutically effective amount of a mutant human IL-4 protein.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,635,754 discloses a chimeric polypeptide, comprising an interleukin-4 (IL-4) mutein receptor antagonist operatively linked to an interleukin-9 (IL-9) mutein receptor antagonist and wherein the chimeric polypeptide reduces or inhibits the association of an interleukin with an IL-4 receptor, an IL-9 receptor, an interleukin-13 (IL-13) receptor, or a combination thereof, in particular for the treatment of asthma.
What is needed in the art is the identification of a pathway critical to the development of asthma and atopy that allows the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The objective of the invention is further to provide agents for the treatment of asthma and atopy.

Methods and compositions for reducing interleukin-4 or interleukin-13 signaling


A trajectory guide for providing access to a target site of a living subject along a desired path comprises a baseplate including a clamp lock, a guide member at least partially contained within the baseplate and having a channel therein, a plurality of adjustable legs each including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the baseplate, and a leg lock coupled to each adjustable leg and moveable between an unlocked position and a locked position in order to set a desired length of the adjustable leg, wherein the adjustable legs and the guide member are structured to be adjusted to provide an infinite number of trajectories in three-dimensional space extending through the channel in the guide member toward a target.

Each year roughly 200,000 patients are diagnosed with brain tumors in the United States. Roughly 17,000 of these tumors are "benign," meaning that the tumor mass is not cancerous. However, the other roughly 183,000 of these tumors are "malignant" (i.e., cancerous), meaning that they are capable of causing or contributing to patient death. Approximately 10% of cancerous brain tumors are "primary" tumors, meaning that the tumors originate in the brain. The primary tumors typically consist of brain tissue with mutated DNA that aggressively grows and displaces or replaces normal brain tissue. The most common of the primary tumors are known as gliomas, which indicate cancer of the glial cells of the brain. In most instances, primary tumors appear as single masses. However, these single masses can often be quite large, irregularly-shaped, multi-lobed and/or infiltrated into surrounding brain tissue.
Primary tumors are generally not diagnosed until the patient experiences symptoms, such as headaches, altered behavior, sensory impairment, or the like. However, by the time the symptoms develop the tumor may already be large and aggressive.
Various treatments for brain tumors exist and several involve accessing the brain so that treatment of the tumor can be effected. One such method of treatment involves the treatment of tumors by "heat" (also referred to as hyperthermia or thermal therapy). In particular, it is known that above 57 C all living tissue is almost immediately and irreparably damaged and killed through a process called coagulation necrosis or ablation. Malignant tumors, because of their high vascularization and altered DNA, are more susceptible to heat-induced damage than normal tissue. Various types of energy sources may be used, such as laser, microwave, radiofrequency, electric, and ultrasound sources. Depending upon the application and the technology, the heat source may be extracorporeal (i.e. outside the body), extrastitial (i.e. outside the tumor), or interstitial (i.e. inside the tumor).
Interstitial thermal therapy (ITT) is a process designed to heat and destroy a tumor from within the tumor. One advantage of this type of therapy is that the energy is applied directly to the tumor rather than passing through surrounding normal tissue. Another advantage of the type of therapy is that the energy deposition is more likely to be extended throughout the entire tumor.
One exemplary ITT process involves the use of laser (LITT) and begins by inserting an optical fiber into the tumor, wherein the tumor has an element at its "inserted" end that redirects laser light from an exterior source in a direction generally at right angles to the length of the fiber. The energy from the laser thus extends into the tissue surrounding the end or tip and effects heating. The energy is directed in a beam confined to a relatively shallow angle so that, as the fiber is rotated, the beam also rotates around the axis of the fiber to effect heating of different parts of the lesion at positions around the fiber. The fiber can thus be moved longitudinally and rotated to effect heating of the lesion over the full volume of the lesion with the intention of heating the lesion to the required temperature without significantly affecting tissue surrounding the lesion.
To locate the tumor or other lesion to be treated with LITT, magnetic resonance imaging is frequently used. Although these imaging systems have been helpful to assist the surgeon in determining a location of the lesion to be treated, an instrument for determining the trajectory for entry of the optical fiber into the brain is necessary in order to ensure controlled accuracy in treating the tumor. Several conventional methods and apparatuses are used to determine trajectory so that surgical and observational instruments may be inserted in the patient's brain.
Stereotactic neurosurgery is a field of neurosurgery in which a probe is advanced through a burr hole to a target of interest by means of a mechanical device attached to the skull with aiming based on pre-operative images. The probe may be a biopsy needle or an implantable device, but it is geometrically rigid, so that its tip can be brought to a target of interest specified on a pre-operative image, by means of a geometrical calculation. For the past decade, the field has been advancing from the imposition of large, classical metal frames, which encompass the entire head of a patient, to the attachment of small platforms placed only over an entry site to reduce patient discomfort, facilitate surgical access, allow multiple targeting during one surgery via multiple platforms, and reduce procedure time, while maintaining the same level of accuracy.
Classical metal frames are designed for approaching one target at a time with an unrestricted entry point towards the deep target by employing the principle that the target is at the center of a sphere. Because of the long trajectories, both accuracy and patient comfort are challenged by the demands of surgeries for deep brain stimulation (DBS) in which the patients are awake throughout the lengthy surgery procedure (about 5-8 hours).
During the last few years, microplatforms have become available as replacements for the classical frames for DBS stereotactic surgery.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,890 to Truwit discloses an apparatus for aligning the trajectory of, guiding, and introducing and withdrawing a surgical probe to treat a brain tumor. The apparatus includes a unitary base which has a ball joint member that is movably attached to the base. The ball joint member has a passage therein which forms a portion of the trajectory path. The ball joint member also includes a long, cylindrical, thin-walled guide stem which has an opening therein that substantially aligns with the passage in the moveable member. The ball joint member includes either an integral guide stem for holding the positioning stem or a removably attached guide stem. In the case of the former, a positioning stem is inserted into the opening of the guide stem for purposes of trajectory alignment. In the case of the latter, the removably attached guide stem can be removed and replaced with a positioning stem.
However, there are problems regarding geometric stability, limited space for access to the burr hole and surgical manipulation once the tower is mounted, the time consuming process of aiming, and the difficulty of locking on the target. Access to the burr hole is crucially important for the purpose of stopping bleeding from the bone cavity, dura, and the surface of the cortex during the procedure. Aiming is achieved by watching a guiding icon on the screen of the intraoperative tracking system, while adjusting the orientation of the platform. When the icon indicates a correct trajectory, the platform must be locked into place with one hand, while it is held at the correct trajectory with the other. The trajectory is two-dimensional, meaning that there are two mutually perpendicular angular adjustments required, each of which must be set simultaneously for the correct trajectory. Finding the correct trajectory via the guiding icon is time consuming because of the difficulty of making fine adjustments of one angle of the approach without changing the other angle. A further difficulty with this aiming procedure is maintaining both angles of the correct trajectory while locking the device on target. The locking step can be especially frustrating, because, if either angle is changed inadvertently during locking, as revealed by the guiding icon, the device must be unlocked and the adjustment started from the beginning. Typically several iterations are required, resulting in wasted operating time.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,760 to Dawant et al. discloses a device that also requires the attachment of bone-implanted fiducials and the subsequent acquisition of a preoperative tomogram, but it does not require intraoperative optical tracking for aiming. Instead the device is custom made for each patient based on a pre-operative tomogram and the surgeon's identification of the entry point and the target on that tomogram. Thus, the device arrives at the operating suite pre-aimed with no adjustment required intraoperatively. It is a one-piece rigid plastic block having a cylindrical hole that accommodates the probe, supported by a plurality of legs, each of which attaches to a base that is implanted in the skull. Fiducial markers are attached to these same bases before the pre-operative image is acquired and discarded after imaging. The shape of the device provides far greater access to the burr hole but does not allow the surgeon total flexibility in changing trajectory. In addition, while the device is disposable a significant disadvantage is that the patient must wait between the acquisition of the tomogram and the delivery of the device which can range from two to four days.
U.S. Patent Publn. 2007/0106305 attempts to address the shortcomings of the Dawant device by disclosing a surgical platform that includes a ring structure and a ball joint that is configured to be received in the ring structure, where the ball joint defines a bore for accommodating a surgical probe therethrough. The surgical platform includes a plurality of threadably-adjustable leg assemblies. While the adjustable legs provide the surgeon with the ability to make macro and micro adjustments, mechanically the device is cumbersome to use.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists to establish a rigid, secure apparatus for holding a long cylindrical medical device in a fixed, three-dimensional trajectory relative to the patient, that is able to withstand torquing, bumping and other potentially dislodging or disorienting forces during patient transfer from the operating room to the MRI suite and while in the MRI suite during the procedure. A further need exists that will give the surgeon complete maneuverability to easily and quickly make macro changes or fine adjustments to the trajectory; to change the position of the medical device when desired and as needed in the MRI; and to visualize the surgical site. The device must be MRI-compatible, lightweight and able to be easily affixed to the patient. The maneuverability allows the surgeon to drill multiple holes.