Systems and methods which provide for an alarm or notification that a child is in a car seat. The systems generally determine if a child is in the seat and that the seat, and therefore the vehicle, is not in motion. Upon detecting both situations, the notification or alarm is activated.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to the field of safety devices for detection of unattended children within a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Every summer there are stories on the news of children being inadvertently left in vehicles by a parent or guardian. Many of these stories have a relatively happy ending as the child is noticed by a passerby, rescued from the vehicle before suffering any adverse consequences, and the grateful parent discusses how thankful they are for others being observant. The more tragic stories result in the avoidable death of a child and generally the devastation of a family.
One thing that these stories often bring to a forefront of discussion is whether the potential danger present from a parent leaving a child in the vehicle should result in criminal charges being brought against the parent for endangering the child. As part of this, there is always significant hand-wringing over how a parent could possibly be so forgetful. Talking to many parents that have not yet left a child in a vehicle, the thought of it being accidental is simply unbelievable. Yet, when you talk to a parent that has inadvertently left a child in a vehicle (with whatever consequences) you quickly discover that up until they actually did it, they had a similar opinion.
The simple fact of life in today's world is that it is hectic and many people only get through the day operating purely on habit and routine. There is probably no greater routine breaking event than the birth of a child. Such an event will greatly change the lives of the parents in a myriad of different ways and for anybody who is forced to live a hectic schedule it is easy to see how a parent, simply acting as they did before they had the child, can inadvertently forget that the child is in the back of the vehicle at this particular time. This problem is compounded by the fact that both parents generally share child transportation duties in today's world, and often do so along a relatively random schedule. Therefore, on any given day at any given time either parent may or may not be transporting a child.
Still further, the very features designed to make automobiles safer to operate and to keep children safe in them contribute to the problem. With the addition of airbags and safer car seats, children are now generally placed in the back seat of the vehicle, instead of in the front seat where they were more easily seen by a parent departing the vehicle, particularly if the child is asleep or quiet. Further, with rear facing car seats it can often be difficult to see if the seat is occupied. This all makes it easier for a frazzled parent to forget the child is there. As the old adage goes, "out of sight, out of mind."
While new parents may not be used to thinking about having a child in the vehicle at all, parents of older children can often forget if the child is in the vehicle because the child's car seat or other indications of the child become near permanent fixtures in their vehicle, whether or not the child is present, and routines may not be greatly altered by the presence of the child. Therefore, a change in routine such as when the child is being dropped off at daycare, which parent has the child today, or even a non-standard trip where the child is brought along can result in the child being inadvertently left unattended in the vehicle.
Beyond the child being inadvertently left in the vehicle by a parent, children are also inquisitive and an older child may get into a parked vehicle without a parent knowing. This situation can be just as dangerous as leaving an unattended child in the vehicle, but may be much harder for a parent to detect since the parent was not involved in the child getting into the vehicle originally.

Systems and methods for indicating the presence of a child in a vehicle


A two-way auto-locking tablet PC hinge is described. The two-way auto-locking tablet PC hinge includes a hinge base, a central rotational frame, a shaft, a fixing bracket, a rotational cam, a fixed cam, and two positioners. The fixing bracket, the rotational cam, and the fixed cam are configured on the shaft. A monitor of the tablet PC is fixed on the fixing bracket and the hinge base is fixed on a tablet PC base. The positioners are composed of protrusion blocks and concaves and are axially symmetrically formed on the fixed cam and the rotational cam respectively. When the monitor is parallel to the tablet PC base, the protrusion blocks are engaged with the concaves correspondingly, thereby locking the monitor on the tablet PC.

Due to rapid developments in electrical technologies and computer industries, notebook computers are gradually becoming smaller and lighter with each passing day. Notebooks with portable size and weight have been granted an enormous increase in processing speed, and therefore notebook computers have become a popular electrical product. Since notebook computers possess convenient portability and powerful calculation ability, they have become required equipment for most businessmen.
In different operation environments, the notebook computer has to provide different display angles to enhance its demonstration capabilities. However, due to the conventional restricted display angle range, the notebook computer cannot provide a clear image to all viewers. In addition, due to software and hardware improvements, a tablet personal computer (Tablet PC) has been provided that combines the notebook computer with a hand-writable input device on the display. The tablet PC is changing the input habits of computer users and is advancing the information industry beyond a new milestone. A dual-purpose tablet PC with high processing performance combines the hand-writable input device on the display panel and the keyboard input of the notebook computer.
The dual-purpose tablet PC provides a humanized input interface for users who usually work in a mobile environment. The display of a dual-purpose tablet PC can rotate about 180 degrees so that viewers around the tablet PC can easily see the information and images on the display.
As the display of the dual-purpose tablet PC is able to rotate on the tablet PC, effectively fixing the display on the tablet PC is very important. Therefore, there is a need to design a fixing device for effectively fixing the display on the dual-purpose tablet PC.


A modified human TNFα molecule is capable of raising neutralizing antibodies towards unmodified human TNFα following administration of the modified TNFα to a human host, wherein one or more peptide fragments of the human TNFα molecule has been substituted by one or more peptides containing immunodominant T cell epitopes or a truncated form of the molecule containing the immunodominant epitope and one or both flanking regions of the human TNFα-molecule containing at least one TNFα B cell epitope, wherein the substitution introduces a substantial change in the amino acid sequence of any one of the strands of the front β-sheet, in any one of the connecting loops, or in any one of the B′, I, or D strands of the back β-sheet.

Physiologically, the vertebrate immune system serves as a defense mechanism against invasion of the body by infectious objects such as microorganisms. Foreign proteins are effectively removed via the reticuloendothelial system by highly specific circulating antibodies, and viruses and bacteria are attacked by a complex battery of cellular and humoral mechanisms including antibodies, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), natural killer cells (NK), complement, etc. The leader of this battle is the T helper (TH) lymphocyte which, in collaboration with the Antigen Presenting Cells (APC), regulate the immune defense via a complex network of cytokines.
TH lymphocytes recognize protein antigens presented on the surface of the APC. They do not recognize, however, native antigen per se. Instead, they appear to recognize a complex ligand consisting of two components, a "processed" (fragmented) protein antigen (the so-called T cell epitope) and a Major Histocompatibility Complex class II molecule (O. Werdelin et al., 1 mm. Rev. 106, 181 (1988)). This recognition eventually enables the TH lymphocyte specifically to help B lymphocytes to produce specific antibodies towards the intact protein antigen (Werdelin et al., supra). A given T cell only recognizes a certain antigen-MHC combination and will not recognize the same or another antigen presented by a gene product of another MHC allele. This phenomenon is called MHC restriction.
Fragments of self-proteins are also presented by the APC, but normally such fragments are ignored or not recognized by the T helper lymphocytes. This is the main reason why individuals generally do not harbour autoantibodies in their serum eventually leading to an attack on the individual's own proteins (the so-called self- or autoproteins). However, in rare cases the process goes wrong, and the immune system turns towards the individual's own components, which may lead to an autoimmune disease.
The presence of some self-proteins is inexpedient in situations where they, in elevated levels, induce disease symptoms. Thus, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) is known to be able to cause cachexia in cancer patients and patients suffering from other chronic diseases (H. N. Langstein et al. Cancer Res. 51, 2302–2306, 1991). TNFα also plays important roles in the inflammatory process (W. P. Arend et al. Arthritis Rheum. 33, 305–315, 1990) and neutralization of TNFα by the use of monoclonal antibodies has thus been demonstrated to be beneficial in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Elliott et al., Lancet 1994, 344:1105–10 and Crohn's disease, van Dullemen et al., Gastroenterology 109(1):129–135(1995). There is therefore a need for a method for the induction of neutralizing antibodies against such TNFα proteins, and the present invention comprises a vaccine against TNFα which provide this property.
Tumour Necrosis Factor
1. General Background
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a member of the cytokine family of regulatory proteins (see Walsh, G. and Headon, D. E., Protein Biotechnology, 1994, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
England, p. 257–267). Two forms of TNF are now recognized, TNFα and TNFβ, respectively. Although both proteins bind the same receptors and elicit broadly similar biological responses, they are distinct molecules and share less than 30% homology. The original protein termed tumour necrosis factor, referred to as TNF, is more properly termed TNFα; it is also known as cachectin. TNFβ is also referred to as lymphotoxin.
TNFα is produced by a wide variety of cell types, most notably activated macrophages, monocytes, certain T lymphocytes and NK cells, in addition to brain and liver cells. The most potent known inducer of TNTα synthesis, is a complex biomolecule termed lipopolysaccharide. It contains both lipid and polysaccharide components, and is also referred to as endotoxin. Lipopolysaccharide itself is devoid of any anti-tumour activity. The serum of animals injected with lipopolysaccharide was found to contain a factor toxic to cancerous cells, and this factor, produced by specific cells in response to lipopolysaccharide, was termed tumour necrosis factor. Various other agents such as some viruses, fungi and parasites also stimulate the synthesis and release of this cytokine. Furthermore, TNFα may act in an autocrine manner, stimulating its own production.
Native human TNFα is a homotrimer, consisting of three identical polypeptide subunits tightly associated around a threefold axis of symmetry as will be further explained below. This arrangement resembles the assembly of protein subunits in many viral capsid proteins. The individual polypeptide subunits of human TNFα are non-glycosylated and consist of 157 amino acids. The molecule has a molecular weight of 17300 Da and contains a single intrachain disulphide linkage. Human TNFα is synthesized initially as a 233 amino acid precursor molecule. Proteolytic cleavage of the -76 to -1 presequence including a signal sequence releases native TNFα. TNFα may also exist in a 26000 Da membrane-bound form. Three TNFα monomeric subunits associate noncovalently to form a trimer as further explained below.
TNFα induces its biological effects by binding specific receptors present on the surface of susceptible cells. Two distinct TNFα receptors have been identified. One receptor (TNF-R55) has a molecular weight of 55000 Da, whereas the second receptor (TNF-R75) has a molecular weight of about 75000 Da. These two distinct receptor types show no more than 25% sequence homology. TNF-R55 is present on a wide range of cells, whereas the distribution of the TNF-R75 receptor is more limited. Both are transmembrane glycoproteins with an extracellular binding domain, a hydrophobic transmembrane domain and an intracellular effector domain.
The exact molecular mechanisms by which TNFα induces its biological effects remain to be determined. Binding of TNFα to its receptor seems to trigger a variety of events mediated by G-proteins in addition to the activation of adenylate cyclase, phospholipase A2 and protein kinases. The exact biological actions induced by TNFα may vary from cell type to cell type. Other factors, such as the presence of additional cytokines, further modulate the observed molecular effects attributed to TNFα action on sensitive cells.
The TNFα gene has been cloned and inserted in a variety of recombinant expression systems, both bacterial and eukaryotic. The resultant availability of large quantities of purified, biologically active TNFα has facilitated clinical evaluation a number of diseases, most notably cancer. Many such trials, using TNFα either alone or in combination with interferons, yielded, however, very disappointing results. Large quantities of TNFα can not be administered to patients owing to its toxic—if not lethal—side-effects.
As mentioned above prolonged production of inappropriately elevated levels of TNFα has also been implicated in the development of cachexia, the wasting syndrome often associated with chronic parasitic or other infections, and with cancer. TNFα is also involved in the metastasis and growth of certain tumours as well as in induction of anaemia. Furthermore, TNFα is also directly involved in the development of certain chronic inflammatory disorders in humans, including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease where administration of monoclonal anti-TNFα antibodies has been shown to be beneficial. TNFα is also involved in osteoporosis and Psoriasis. In addition, it has been shown in animal models that administration of anti-TNFα antibodies may decrease or prevent rejection of grafted or transplanted tissues Imagawa et al, Transplantation 51(1):57–62(1991).
2. Structure of TNFα
I. Introduction
The three-dimensional structure of human tumour necrosis factor (TNFα) has been solved (see "Tumor Necrosis Factors, Structure, Function and Mechanism of Action" edited by Bharat B. Aggarwal and Jan Vilcek, 1992 Marcel Dekker, Ind., New York, Chapter 5 "Crystal structure of TNFα", by Jones, E. Y. Stuart, D. I. and Walker N. P. C.). The biological action of TNFα is dependent on its interaction with its receptors. These interactions are governed by the precise arrangement of the correctly folded tertiary structure. Thus, to understand how the TNFα molecule performs its biological function at the level of amino acid interactions, one must not only know the amino acid sequence, but also the three-dimensional structure.
II. Three-Dimensional Structure
Biologically active TNFα has been shown by analytical ultracentrifugation, small angle x-ray scattering, and gel electrophoresis to be in a trimer conformation in solution, and cross-linking studies have indicated that this is the active form of the protein (Smith and Baglioni, 1987). Analysis of circular dichroism spectra placed TNFα in the all-sheet class of proteins (Wingfield et al., 1987; Davis et al., 1987). Several different crystal forms have been reported for human recombinant TNFα. All the reported crystal forms exhibit crystallographic and/or non-crystallographic threefold symmetry indicative of the presence of TNFα as a trimer within the crystal.
The TNFα trimers lie in loosely packed arrays perforated by 100 Å diameter solvent channels. Only a small proportion of the molecular surface is involved in crystal packing contacts. Such contacts could slightly perturb a few side chains and perhaps even short portions of inherently flexible main chain from their preferred solution conformations.
A. Main-Chain Fold of the TNFα Monomer
The overall shape of a single 157-amino-acid subunit of the TNFα trimer is wedgelike with a height of approximately 55 Å and a maximum breadth of 35 Å near the base. The main-chain topology is illustrated in FIGS. 1a–c; it is essentially a β-sandwich structure formed by two antiparallel β-pleated sheets. The main-chainfold conforms to that of the classic jellyroll motif (FIG. 1c) (Richardson, 1981). The nomenclature adopted in FIG. 1 for the labels of the secondary structural units follows the established convention for viral structures. The standard eight β-strands (B to I) are all present but with an insertion between B and C that adds a short strand onto the edge of both β-sheets and truncates the N-terminal half of C, so that each β-pleated sheet contains five antiparallel β-strands, the back β-sheet comprising β-strands B′, B, I, D and G and the front sheet comprising β-strands C′, C, H, E and F.
The N terminus is highly flexible. This region, as far as residue 10 (see FIG. 1b), is rather independent of the rest of the molecule, with the first few residues free to sample a variety of conformations in the solvent. In contrast, the C terminus is embedded in the base of the back β-sheet and forms an integral part of this relatively flat secondary structural unit. The gradation in β-strand lengths and the insertion between β-strands B and C conspire to produce a front surface formed almost entirely of loops, and it is this "masked" side of the β-sandwich, which in the trimer is presented to the solvent. The crystallographic data yield a measure of the relative flexibility of the various parts of the structure. The β-strands form a fairly inflexible scaffold; in particular, the back β-sheet is situated at the core of the trimer and consequently is particularly rigid. As would be expected, it is the loops that adorn the outer solvent-accessible surface of the molecule, which exhibit high levels of flexibility/mobility. Overall, there is a general decrease in rigidity as the core becomes more loosely packed in the upper half of the molecule.
B. General Topology of the TNFα Trimer
Three TNFα monomeric subunits associate noncovalently to form a compact, conical trimer having a length of about 55 Å and a maximum breadth of 50 Å. The β-strands of the three individual β-sandwiches lie approximately parallel (the tilt is about 30°) to the threefold axis of the trimer. The interaction between subunits related by the three-fold axis is through a simple edge-to-face packing of the β-sandwich; the edge of the β-sandwich, consisting of strands F and G from one subunit, lies across the back β-sheet [GDIBB′] of a threefold related subunit (see FIG. 2). The carboxy termini lie close to the threefold axis.
The edge-to-face mode of packing produces an extremely tight association between the subunits. Thus the core of the trimer is completely inaccessible to solvent.
C. Amino Acid-Type Distribution
The overall distribution of residue types in the three-dimensional structure of TNFα echoes the general rule for proteins: namely, that hydrophobic residues cluster in the core of the molecule while charged residues decorate the surface. Thus the core of the TNFα sandwich has the expected filling of tightly intercalating large apolar residues.
The energetics of the system do not favour the existence of TNFα in a monomeric state. For a large interface area composed of complementary residues (e.g., polar residues matched against polar residues) the loss of solvent-accessible surface area confers a considerable energetic advantage to formation of the oligomer (i.e., the trimer). The exposure to solvent of the large patch of strongly hydrophobic residues normally buried in the lower portion of the trimeric interface would also act to destabilize the TNFα monomer.
3. Probes of Structure-Function
A. TNFα/Antibody Interactions
It has been observed that antibodies raised against TNFα from one species (e.g., human) do not cross-react with TNFα from another species (e.g., mouse) despite a sequence identity in excess of 80% and the ability of TNFα to bind to the TNFα receptors of other species. If the degree of sequence variation is mapped onto the three-dimensional structure, it is immediately apparent that the most sequence-variable regions of the molecule correspond to the antibody-accessible surface loops. The regions of highly conserved residues within the sandwich or at the trimeric interface are effectively invisible to antibodies. Thus the epitope for an antibody against TNFαwill always contain some residues that will vary between species, thus abolishing antibody binding. This implies that the characteristics of the interaction between TNFα and its receptor must somehow differ from those required for binding of an antibody to TNFα.
B. Site-Directed Mutagenesis
The role of various specific residues and regions of the TNFα molecule with regard to its biological (cytotoxic) activity and receptor binding has been probed by replacement of those residues by different amino acids or deletion of part of the sequence using the techniques of site-directed mutagenesis (Jones et al, p. 113–119).
The deletion of up to eight residues from the N-terminus without any deleterious effect on biological activity serves to emphasize the nonessential nature of this region for overall molecular stability. N-terminal residues appear to exert an indirect, second-order effect on the biological efficacy of the TNFα trimer.
Non-conservative substitutions of the normally highly conserved residues which form the tightly packed core of the β-sandwich distort the structure and hence abrogate the biological activity of TNFα (Yamagishi et al., 1989). Many such mutated proteins fail to form a stable, correctly folded molecule. Some conservative substitutions are permitted within the hydrophobic patch at the bottom of the threefold axis; however, there appears to be much greater leeway in the more loosely packed region near the top of the trimer. In particular, Cys 69 and Cys 101, which form the disulphide bridge between two connecting loops at the loosely packed top of the molecule, are relatively insensitive to changes (see FIG. 1a). Generally, however, in order to retain some biological activity of TNFα the mutations near the central axis of TNFαmust be highly conservative, preserving the overall shape of TNFα.
The residues on the surface of the molecule have a considerably greater freedom to mutate without incurring disastrous structural penalties as witnessed by the proliferation of variations of residues in this category between species. Thus drastic reductions in biological activity of TNFα due to substitutions in this area points to the direct involvement of such residues in the functional interaction of the TNFα trimer with its receptor. Residues comprising Arg 31, Arg 32 and Ala 33 situated in the connecting loop between the B and B′ strand of the back β sheet, Ser 86 and Tyr 87 situated in the connecting loop between the E and F strands of the front β-sheet, and Glu 146 situated in the connecting loop between the H strand of the front β sheet and the I-strand of the back β-sheet appear to be such amino acid residues (see FIG. 3). They appear to fall into two distinct regions on the front and the back sides of the TNFα monomer. The distribution of all deleterious mutations regardless of structural category further reinforces this picture. The existence of these "hot spots" for sensitivity of biological function to mutation has been reviewed by Yamagishi et al. (1989) and Goh et al. (1990).
4. Summary
A rich variety of data may now be brought to bear on the specific relationship of structure to function for TNFα. All available evidence points to the importance of the trimer as the stable natural unit. It is apparent that the two hotspot regions situated on separate sides of the TNFα monomer are brought close to each other in terms of neighbouring subunits in the trimer. Thus a region of functional importance consisting of residues 31 to 35, 84 to 87, and 143 to 148 appears to be located at the interface between two subunits on the lower half of the trimer. Yamagishi et al. (1989) report loss of receptor binding ability as well as cytotoxicity for the mutation of Asp 143 to Tyr, and Tsujimoto et al. (1987) report a similar effect for Arg 31 and Arg 32 to Asn and Thr. Thus the site may be associated directly with receptor binding as well as cytotoxicity. It is interesting that the receptor binding region of TNFα appears to lie at the interface between two subunits.
In summary, the detailed three-dimensional structure for TNFα serves to explain a wide range of observations on antibody binding, oligomerization, and site-directed mutagenesis. When the structure is considered in combination with recent, extensive site-directed mutants, a region of biological importance with regard to receptor binding is apparently at the subunits on the lower half of the trimer.

Modified TNF-alpha molecules, DNA encoding such and vaccines comprising such modified TNF-alpha and DNA


The present invention relates to a system for applying a coloring substance preferably henna on at least one surface of the human body. The device comprises a scanning device configured to scan the body surface and detect movements of the body surface, a color applicator unit to apply the coloring substance onto at least one surface of human body and the controller to coordinate the scanning device and the color applicator unit to work cooperatively to ensure that an accurate replica of the desired design is formed on the surface of the human body. The system has an added advantage of being able to halt the color application process on detecting the displacement of the body surface during the color application process.

Since ancient times, the application of henna has been an important part of many religious customs and traditions. These traditions are widely regarded amongst the Middle Eastern, Indian and North African communities. More recently countries like US and Europe are adopting the culture of applying body tattoos as part of their latest fashion trends.
Body tattoos can be either a permanent or a temporary tattoo. Permanent tattoos are made by piercing the skin with a coloring substance such that coloring substance penetrates underneath the epidermis. If at a later stage a person desires to change the tattoo or to remove it permanently, the remedy is a Q-switched laser surgery or other skin abrasive techniques which are not only painful but also expensive. It is thus preferable to apply a semi-permanent tattoo which will fade off eventually and can be easily replaced by a new tattoo as desired.
Traditionally semi-permanent coloring substances like henna and carmine are manually applied on the body surface by a professional. In this process, the professional puts the coloring substance in a cone shaped plastic container wherein the broad end of the cone shaped plastic container is sealed and a small opening is made on its tapering side. The professional then applies the coloring substance onto the skin of the user by pressing the sealed end of the cone shaped plastic container using his fingers. On pressing the sealed end, a string of coloring matter is released from the small opening which is then laid carefully onto the skin of the user for creating different design patterns. It is imperative that the string of coloring substance be carefully laid on the skin as the moment the coloring string touches the skin surface, it imparts color to the skin surface. Thus any mistake made during the color application phase will result in the formation of a disrupted pattern. Also, there is a possibility that while applying the coloring substance the professional may accidently move his hand or apply more pressure on the cone shaped plastic container, which can further result in disrupted pattern or color patches on the skin surface. Hence it is necessary to apply the coloring substance correctly in the first instance. When using a plastic cone for applying the coloring substance, there is also a possibility that the thickness of the color string may not be uniform, the design orientation may not be accurate, the professional applying henna might get tired drawing elaborate patterns which in turn leads to the unpredictability of replication of the desired design.
If the design pattern is intricate and artistic in nature, then the time required for applying the coloring substance by the professional will be very high. In this modern age, time is of the essence, so it is a necessity to device a system and method which can enable the application of the coloring substance on the skin surface in a fast, reliable, less time-consuming and economic manner.
Various types of devices are known in prior art to enable the application of a coloring substance directly onto the skin surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,166 describes a method of applying a coloring substance onto a skin surface by means of electrostatic spraying. US Patent Application 2002/0155069 refers to the application of the coloring substance on a localized skin surface in a predetermined design. However, various such devices suffer from one or more limitations as will be explained below.
It is imperative to hold the skin surface steady till the time the color application process is completed. The time consumed during the color application process may vary depending on the selected design. For more elaborate design, time required to replicate on the body surface is high. For an individual, it is difficult to hold the hand steady for extended periods of time. In both of the above mentioned prior art documents, there are no provisions for detecting any movements of the skin surface nor to halt the color application process on detecting movement of the skin surface till the time the individual is ready to resume the color application process.
It is thus an object of the present invention to address the problems faced by people wishing to apply a coloring substance on their skin surface by providing a system that can replicate any desired pattern on the skin surface of the user with enhanced replication accuracy and make the entire experience of applying the coloring substance more enjoyable by consuming less time and being economic in nature.

Henna applicator device and a method of operating the same


Some embodiments include methods of forming memory cells. A series of rails is formed to include bottom electrode contact material. Sacrificial material is patterned into a series of lines that cross the series of rails. A pattern of the series of lines is transferred into the bottom electrode contact material. At least a portion of the sacrificial material is subsequently replaced with top electrode material. Some embodiments include memory arrays that contain a second series of electrically conductive lines crossing a first series of electrically conductive lines. Memory cells are at locations where the electrically conductive lines of the second series overlap the electrically conductive lines of the first series. First and second memory cell materials are within the memory cell locations. The first memory cell material is configured as planar sheets and the second memory cell material is configured as upwardly-opening containers.

Memory is one type of integrated circuitry, and is used in computer systems for storing data. Integrated memory is usually fabricated in one or more arrays of individual memory cells. The memory cells are configured to retain or store memory in at least two different selectable states. In a binary system, the states are considered as either a "0" or a "1". In other systems, at least some individual memory cells may be configured to store more than two levels or states of information.
Integrated circuit fabrication continues to strive to produce smaller and denser integrated circuits. Accordingly, there has been substantial interest in memory cells that can be utilized in cross-point architectures. Example types of memory cells that are suitable for utilization in cross-point architectures are resistive RAM (RRAM) cells, phase change RAM (PCRAM) cells, and programmable metallization cells (PMCs)—which may be alternatively referred to as a conductive bridging RAM (CBRAM) cells, nanobridge memory cells, or electrolyte memory cells. The memory cell types are not mutually exclusive. For example, RRAM may be considered to encompass PCRAM and PMCs.
The cross-point architectures may comprise memory cell material between a pair of electrodes. Various problems can be encountered in the development of such architectures. The problems can involve, for example, mask misalignment during the various patterning steps utilized to pattern the electrodes and the memory cell material. Each electrode may be patterned with a separate masking step, and the memory cell material may be patterned with yet another masking step. Thus, there can be at least three masking steps to align during the fabrication of the memory cells. As another example, the problems may involve difficulties in utilizing some types of memory cell materials. For instance, some memory cell materials comprise oxides which are reactive toward many conductive materials. Thus it can be desired to use noble metals (for instance, platinum, silver, etc.) in electrodes that contact such oxides. However, the non-reactivity of the noble metals can make them difficult to pattern.
It would be desirable to develop improvements in memory cell fabrication which alleviate one or more of the above-discussed problems, and to develop improved memory cells.


A modified, novel surgical technique of Boston Keratoprosthesis (B-KPro) Type II is provided to restore the visual acuity in patients with bilateral end-stage ocular surface disorders, comprising 1) Preparing auricular cartilage; 2) Exposing corneal stroma and sclera surface and removing the corneal epithelium; 3) Assembling the keratoprosthesis device; 4) Implanting the assembled device into recipient cornea; 5) Implanting the autologous cartilage; and 6) Suturing the Tenon's capsule and conjunctiva to the ocular surface layer by layer to cover and reinforce the KPro.

The present invention relates to a modified surgical technique of B-KPro Type II with autologous auricular cartilage reinforcement to decrease the postoperative complications.
Extensively keratinized ocular surface caused by severe dry eye diseases contributed to an irreversible corneal opacification and vascularization, in which keratoprosthesis (KPro) is the only salvage procedure to restore the patients' vision. B-KPro Type II provides a potential solution for such patients to restore vision. However, sediment or debris often develops around the KPro stem, and it causes further KPro extrusion, development of retroprothesis membrane, endophthalmitis, and other postoperative complications. Therefore, modification to KPro procedure is focused on trying every possible to persevere the vision and to improve the bio-integration of KPro, which could further reduce the complications.


A dual-sided electrophoretic display (700) having a first region (701) and a second region (702) is provided. Each of the first region (701) and the second region (702) includes selectively operable members (703,704) that function as pixels for presenting images on the electrophoretic display (700). Each of the selectively operable members (703,704) is driven by a driver circuit (710) by way of corresponding thin film transistors and capacitors (742,742), which are opaque. As the selectively operable members (704) of the second region (702) are bigger than are the selectively operable members (703) of the first region (701), the aperture ratio of the selectively operable members (704) of the second region (702) is greater than in the first region (701) when viewed from the rear side (730). Thus, a contrast ratio of the second region (602), when viewed from the rear side (730) is sufficiently high that text, icons, and characters presented in the second region (602) are legibly visible on the rear side (730).

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to displays for electronic devices, and more particularly to an electrophoretic display that has a front-side and back-side contrast ratio sufficient to be viewable by a user.
2. Background Art
The popularity of mobile telephones and other electronic devices, including computers, personal digital assistants (PDA), electronic games, and similar devices has increased the importance of components used to manufacture these products. As these devices have grown in popularity, consumers are demanding increased functionality in each device. For example, while mobile telephones once only made telephone calls, modern devices now take pictures, play music and video, and even games. At the same time, retail prices of these devices have continued to decrease, due in part to competition and market pressure. Manufacturers thus face a quandary: how to deliver devices with more functionality at a lower overall cost. To help resolve this problem, device manufacturers frequently demand reduction in the prices of components used to build the device. One component of particular interest is the display, due to its cost relative to the cost of the overall device. Device manufacturers are desirous of a low-cost, highly visible and easily configurable display technology.
A new type of display that has recently been developed is the electrophoretic display. Electrophoretic displays are manufactured by suspending particles in a medium, examples of which include gas, liquid, or gel, between two substrates. The particles may optionally be encapsulated in small capsules that are held between the walls, or they may be emulsified in a polymeric matrix. The particles have optical properties that are different from the medium in which they are suspended. Due to the electrochemical properties of the particles, and of the medium, the particles spontaneously acquire a net charge when placed in the medium. Having a charge, the particles will move in the presence of an externally applied electric field. Transparent electrodes, often in the shape of pixels, apply selective electric fields to the particles, thereby causing the particles to rotate and move to the viewable display surface. This movement causes an image to appear at the viewable display surface. Electrophoretic displays tend to be both very efficient in terms of electrical current consumption. Further they are generally available at a reasonable cost.
Certain mobile devices, including some mobile telephones, employ multiple displays to present information to a user. For example, a flip-style mobile telephone may include a first, small display on the outside of the device to present status information including phone signal strength, battery power indications, and caller identification information. A second, larger display is then provided inside the flip for viewing pictures, phone lists, text messages and the like.
One problem associated with conventional electrophoretic displays is that they are legibly visible only from one side. As such, devices employing multiple displays require multiple electrophoretic displays. This duplicity of components increases the overall cost of the device.
There is thus a need for a single, electrophoretic display capable of being used in devices having more than one display.
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 to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.


A traversing device has a housing, two rotors supported in the housing and having axes located parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another by at most a slight distance, each of the rotors having at least two vanes arranged in the manner of a propeller so that between rotation planes of two vanes assemblies there is a short distance, a gear which couples the two rotors and drives the rotors so that one of the rotors is drivable in one direction while the other of the rotors is drivable in another opposite direction, a straightedge located in a parallel plane adjacent to two rotation planes and having a guide edge whose end points essentially correspond to turning points of a traversing motion, retaining devices and fasteners connecting the straight edge to the housing so as to permit a relative displacement, the straightedge being secured adjustably to the retaining devices that are rigidly connected to the housing so that the straightedge is directly connected with the housing, and adjusting device arranged outside orbits of the vanes and a side of the traversing device which is opposite to a machine frame and being freely accessible from the side for performing the adjustment during operation of the traversing device.

The invention relates to a traversing device.
In traversing devices that have vanes, unlike conventional traversing devices, the alternating motion of the yarn is brought about not by a single yarn guide moved back and forth but rather by contrarily rotating vanes whose tips alternatingly engage and guide the yarn. The yarn-guiding vane tip sweeps over the straightedge, so that the yarn slides back and forth along the guide edge. The distance between the end points of the guide edge is therefore substantially equivalent to the traversing stroke. The orbits of the vanes intersect the guide edge in the vicinity of the end points. The speed component at which the yarn is moved crosswise to its travel direction depends on the one hand on the angular speed at which the vanes revolve and the other on the radial distance between the pivot axis and the point of the vane tip on which the yarn momentarily rests. By means of the form of the guide edge, a motion component that is radial to the orbits of the vanes is forced upon the yarn. As a result, the course of the speed at which the yarn moves along the traversing path can be varied, for instance in such a way that the speed component in the direction of the traversing stroke is substantially constant over the entire path. The exact location of the straightedge is therefore of the greatest importance in bobbin building.
From German Utility Model DE 85 07 650 U, a traversing device is known in which a drivable hollow shaft of one rotor is supported in a housing. The shaft of the second rotor is supported in the housing concentrically or eccentrically to the shaft of the first rotor. The shaft of the second rotor is driven by toothing in the inside circumference of the hollow shaft via a lay shaft also supported in the housing. To enable play-free gear adjustment upon assembly, the shaft of the second rotor like the lay shaft, is seated in a rotatable eccentric bushing. The rotation of the two eccentric bushings has the secondary effect that the connecting line between the pivot axes of the two rotors is shifted relative to the straightedge. To compensate for this undesired shifting, the housing is rotatable and fixable relative to the straightedge about the axis of the hollow shaft. To that end, oblong slots are provided in the lid to which the housing is secured.
German Patent Disclosure DE-OS 38 26 130 describes a device in which the location of the straightedge is varied regularly at predetermined time intervals during bobbin travel. Depending on how the location is varied, at least one end of the stroke is thus shifted. This is intended to prevent the formation of a bead at the ends of the winding. This reference provides no information on the structural characteristics that enable or accomplish the positional change of the straightedge.

Neumag--Neumuenstersche Maschinen und Analgenbau GmbH


A system and method according to the present invention for mapping a clocking scheme to determine robust clocking schemes in a logic circuit is disclosed. The circuit can be represented by a clocking graph, the clocking graph having at least one loop including a plurality of vertices, wherein two vertices represent each relevant signal, one for a rising edge and one for a falling edge. Additionally, a plurality of constraints of the logic circuit propagate through circuit delays. The method according to the present invention comprises the steps of selecting one of the vertices as a reference; assigning at least one of the plurality of vertices as an unknown; creating at least a first equation by setting the unknown as not equal to any of the other vertices for each constraint, the first equation being included in a set of equations; creating at least a second equation by setting a sum of times between edges equal to a number of phases in a cycle, the second equation representing the at least one loop in the clocking graph, wherein the second equation is also included in the set of equations; and solving the set of equations to provide a set of clocking schemes.

Dynamic logic circuits are typically preferred when fast circuits are required. A type of dynamic logic circuit is the domino logic circuit. Domino logic circuits typically utilize a clocking scheme to determine how to transfer from one phase to another. The term "clocking scheme" for a given gate denotes the assignment of the phases for each of the pins of the gate (inputs, clock and output). It is desirable to use only those clocking schemes that have the property of correcting any timing problems of the circuit by reducing the clock frequency. Such clocking schemes are typically referred to as robust clocking schemes.
There are typically two types of domino logic circuits. The first is a footed domino logic, in which each domino has an added N-type device whose function is to prevent short circuit in the device during a pre-charge phase. The other type of domino logic circuit does not require a foot device.
The footed domino logic typically utilizes two-phased clocking systems. In order to transfer from the first phase into the second phase, information can be passed along in various ways. One way is to have overlapping clock signals. However, it is typically very difficult to generate a set of overlapping clock signals. Another conventional method for transferring from the first phase into the second phase is to utilize a special gate which includes a latch as a storing element which allows transfer of information from the first phase to the second phase. However, this latch method typically suffers from poor performance. Chips utilizing this latch system are robust in that timing problems improve when the clock frequency is slowed down.
A problem with the footed domino logic circuit is that the foot device typically causes serious performance penalties.
The other type of domino logic circuit utilizes a clock with multiple phases. This type of domino logic is referred to as a delayed reset domino circuit. The delayed reset domino circuit does not require a foot device. This type of domino logic circuit can attain increased performance and allows switching from one phase to another without the need for latches. One problem associated with such a circuit utilizing multiphase clocks, is that when a multiple number of clock signals are utilized (at least three), the system needs to determine which combination of clock signals to use for each gate since the output of each domino gate depends on which clock signal it receives. For example, the system may need to determine which combination of twelve clock signals, of which there may be several hundred possibilities, are worth considering. Systematically eliminating each possibility can drastically reduce design productivity.
What is needed is a method for robust clocking schemes in a dynamic circuit which improves design productivity. The present invention addresses such a need.

System and method for robust clocking schemes for logic circuits

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention describes a method of producing a p-type light-absorbing semiconductor copper zinc tin selenide/sulfide (Cu2(ZnxSn2-x)(SySe1-y)4) (abbreviated CZTS) with electrochemical deposition. It can be used in the production of solar cell when combined with an n-type inorganic or an organic semiconductor layer. The present method comprises a one-step or a sequence of depositions using electroplating to fabricate a low-cost and large-area CZTS solar cell, without using expensive and complicated deposition techniques or highly toxic and flammable chemicals in the production process. The present method significantly reduces the cost and energy requirement for production of solar cell.

a-Si, CdTe and CIGS solar cells are being investigated worldwide as new generation thin-film solar cells to succeed c-Si solar cells. Among them, the CIGS solar cell has established itself as a leader of next generation solar cells because of its high optical absorption coefficient and cell efficiency. However, the supply of the rare earth metal indium for the CIGS production can be a problem in the near future. Consequently, lots of researches have recently been focused on the development of indium-free solar cells. CZTS quaternary semiconductor compound is an ideal candidate for use in thin-film solar cells as all the constituent elements are earth abundant and environmentally benign.
Various synthesis techniques have been developed for the preparation of the light-absorbing layer (J. Photoenergy, 2011, 2011, Article ID. 801292). Katagiri et al. reported a sulfur-based CZTS solar cell with conversion efficiency of 6.75% (0.15 cm2) started from sputtered precursor layers of Cu, ZnS, and SnS and followed by in-line sulfurization for 3 h at 580° C. (Thin Solid Films, 2009, 517, 2455). By thermal co-evaporation, Wang et al. and Shing et al. described a method to prepare sulfur-based CZTS solar cells with conversion efficiencies of 6.8% (0.45 cm2) and 8.4% respectively after anealing at around 500° C. (Appl. Phys. Lett., 2010, 97, 143508 and Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl., 2011, DOI: 10.1002, 1174). For the Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4, Agrawal et al. (Purdue University) reported the fabrication of a solar cell using Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 nanocrystals via a robust film coating method with 7.2% (0.47 cm2) of conversion efficiency (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 132, 17384). 10.1% conversion efficiency of a 0.44 cm2 Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cell has been obtained from a hydrazine-based solvothermal method reported by Barkhouse et al. from IBM (Prog. Photovoltaics: Res. Appl. 2011, DOI: 10.1002/pip. 1160). They suggested that the addition of selenium to the absorber layer results in a lower bandgap, where ultimately help to get a high current density. For the methods described above, either expensive deposition techniques (e.g. evaporation and sputtering) or highly toxic and flammable chemicals (e.g. hydrazine) are used in the fabrication processes. In industrial scale production, the use of high-temperature and high-vacuum equipment will increase the cost as well as the energy consumption. Besides, the use of large amount of toxic chemicals is detrimental to the environment.
Electrochemical deposition is one of the low-cost and simple processes to deposit a CZTS layer on a substrate. This method does not use toxic chemical. The electrolytic bath can be reused for a long period of time. Electrochemical depositions of copper, zinc and tin are done at a relatively low temperature, which does not require large amount of energy, as opposed to high temperature and high vacuum evaporation and sputtering techniques. There are few research groups working on electro-synthesis of CZTS thin films for solar cell application and none of them uses the current invention to prepare electroplated CZTS light-absorbing layer. Ennaoui et al. (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH) reported the preparation of a Cu2ZnSnSe4 layer using H2Se as the Se sources in the annealing process (Thin Solid Films, 2009, 517, 2511). However, the use of highly toxic H2Se gas in CZTS manufacturing process is generally not recommended in large scale production purpose. Scragg et al. (University of Bath) reported the preparation of a Cu2ZnSnS4 layer using sulfur vapor as the sulfur sources under vacuum conditions in the annealing process (J. Electroanal. Chem., 2010, 646, 52). However, the method is designed only for a small substrate, and cannot be directly scaled up as a complicated sealing and annealing process under controlled-vacuum conditions is needed. In the above reports, they all carried out their studies on a small substrate, and they did not deposit Se and/or S layer using electroplating method. Therefore, a simple, low-cost, less toxic, and safer process for manufacturing large-area CZTS solar cell is therefore needed.
In US patent application publication number US20120061790A1, a p-type CZTS absorber was formed by using electrodeposition. One of the embodiments in '790 disclosed a copper zinc selenium (Cu—Zn—Se) alloy stack which was electrodeposited on a substrate in a plating bath, followed by electroplating a Sn layer. The Se annealing step was conducted at a temperature of from about 80° C. to about 100° C. for duration of about 30 minutes to about 60 minutes. However, this method involved an additional annealing step, i.e., in addition to the soft anneal and the final anneal, after the Se layer was plated onto the stack. The as-plated Se layer was amorphous and resistive and thus required an additional Se annealing step to make the layer crystalline and conductive. After that, the metal-semiconductor alloy stack was subjected to an intermediate/soft anneal which helped form the copper zinc selenium tin (Cu—Zn—Se—Sn) alloy followed by a final anneal in a S environment (to produce CZTS in the form of Cu2ZnSn(S/Se)4). A soft anneal was required to avoid formation of unwanted secondary phase, for example Cu2(S/Se)Cu2-X(S/Se), Sn(S/Se)2, Sn2(S/Se)3, Cu2Sn(S/Se)3, Zn(S/Se), etc. with single phase polycrystalline CZTS which eventually cause adverse effects on the efficiency of the cell. The problems of the method disclosed in '790 include: selenization requires long time during the disclosed Se annealing step; selenium attacks the substrate and causes an increase in surface roughness during long-time selenization. Also, an additional soft annealing step is required in '790. To solve these problems, the present invention provides a method which does not require long time in selenization and can avoid selenium attack to the substrate.

Non-vacuum method of manufacturing light-absorbing materials for solar cell application

NANO AND ADVANCED MATERIALS INSTITUTE LIMITED


A self-closing clip member includes a body having first and second walls. A clamp member is integrally connected to the first wall by a living hinge allowing the clamp member to rotate from an open position into a cavity created between the first and second walls upon direct contact by a tube member, defining a clamp member locked position retaining the tube member. Multiple anti-slide features include a first tab extending from a second wall portion first end. A second tab is oppositely positioned on the second wall. The first and second tabs define cavity end extents. The second tab further extends from a shelf providing a connection between the first wall and an angled intermediate wall. A third tab extends between and is integrally connected to both the intermediate and first walls. The tabs define an anti-slide system preventing the clamp member in the locked position from moving in a direction co-axial to the cavity.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Fasteners are known that are used to retain one or more tubing items that require a positive lock or retention feature. These fasteners may be used for example for services such as hydraulic brake lines, fuel lines, vacuum lines, or the like. It is known to automatically load multiple tubes such as by a robot into multiple fasteners to create a tubing manifold. Fasteners known to be used for this purpose have either one or more deflectable arms that retain each tube via action oriented coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the arms, which do not positively retain the tube, or have a lock feature that requires a second action to engage the lock feature after the tube member is loaded in the fastener. This is normally done by manually engaging the lock feature. Problems known to arise from this second action are 1) there is an additional time/labor/cost step; and 2) there is no confirmation signal or step that automatically indicates each and every fastener has been properly engaged, thereby creating the potential that some of the fasteners may not be properly engaged.


An integrated personal information management system is described. In one embodiment, for example, an integrated personal information management system is described that comprises: a receptacle holding at least one paper page that is capable of receiving pen strokes from a digital pen; a digital pen for recording pen strokes when a user writes on a particular paper page; a page identifier for identifying the particular paper page on which the user is writing; and a handheld personal information device in communication with the digital pen and page identifier for processing the recorded pen strokes associated with the particular paper page and displaying the processing results on a display screen.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to personal information management systems and more particularly to an integrated personal information management system including a paper planner, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a digital pen.
2. Description of the Background Art
The term "personal information manager" or "PIM" is often used to refer to software or other tools or systems that are used to manage an individual's calendar, contact information (address/phone book), task lists, and notes. In this document, the term "personal information manager" or "PIM" is used in a broader sense to indicate any tool or system that an individual uses to help with the management of his or her calendar, contact information, notes, task lists, and other personal and/or business information.
There are three broad categories of PIMs on the market today. The first category is paper-based planners (sometimes referred to herein simply as "planners"). Planners are traditional paper-based calendar and contact management systems, as exemplified by the Franklin Planner system, the Day-Timer System, and the Day Runner planner system.
The second category is personal digital assistants, or PDAs, which are small handheld computers, typically having a touch-sensitive screen and a stylus which is used for input. The term "PDA" (or "personal digital assistant") generally applies to a stand-alone handheld computing device used primarily for managing calendar, contacts, tasks, notes, e-mail, and the like. Examples of PDAs are the Palm computer from Palm, Inc. and the iPAQ Pocket PC from Hewlett Packard. PDAs can be used to store, display, and/or manipulate various personal information including, but not limited to contact information, calendar information, and the like. Such information can be downloaded from other computer systems, or can be input by way of a stylus on a pressure sensitive screen of the PDA or by way of other types of input devices such as mechanical keyboards or voice recognition modules. More recently, a new generation of cell phones with certain PIM capability has been introduced into the market. As these new cell phones (known as "smartphones") include many of the features of PDAs, for purposes of this discussion they are also included in the PDA category of personal information managers. In the following discussion, the term PDA is used in a broad sense to include traditional personal digital assistants as well as similar computing devices (including cell phones with PDA features) and associated accessories and structures.
The third category of PIM is a personal computer (PC)-based solution. In this case a desktop or laptop computer together with associated application software such as Microsoft Outlook is utilized to provide functionality similar to that described above as provided by a PDA. This functionality includes the ability to store, manipulate, and display contact information, calendar information, and the like on the PC. The PC or laptop supporting the PIM application is typically significantly larger than a PDA in terms of physical size and also employs greater CPU and memory resources. However, PC-based PIM systems also have many of the same limitations of PDA-based systems as described below. They also have other disadvantages such as increased size, price, and complexity.
Each of these categories of personal information management systems has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages, and when selecting a system to use for personal information management, consumers find there is no perfect solution. The advantages and disadvantages of each type will now be briefly summarized.
Traditional paper planners have several advantages, including comfort, simplicity, and familiarity. Using a pen to record information on a piece of paper is an input process that everyone knows. Because practically everyone has written with pen and paper since childhood, there is nothing new to learn in order to use a traditional planner. The traditional planner provides a simple, familiar, comfortable environment that imposes a minimal impediment to the flow of ideas. Traditional planners also offer flexible, personalized use. Planners tend to become very personalized documents as each user develops his or her own particular style. A user may include notes in the margins, diagrams and/or annotations in the notes area, or special symbols next to phone numbers to differentiate friends from clients. He or she may also write at angles, circle or star important items, or include receipts, newspaper clippings, or letters tucked into the pockets or between the pages of the planner. While the printed forms provide structure and guidelines for usage, users are free to customize and improvise. The planner enables a user to be creative and to personalize the tool, rather than requiring the user to adapt to the information management tool.
A traditional planner is also easy to navigate. Users are accustomed to the process of flipping through pages and intuitively understand that a larger number of pages corresponds to a larger number of days. The familiarity, flexibility, and ease of use of planners are some of the traditional advantages of these tools compared to more recent PDA and PC-based technologies.
These advantages are, however, offset by several disadvantages. First, the traditional planner typically provides no safety net to the user. Losing one's planner is nothing short of traumatic for serious users. A user rarely, if ever, keeps a "backup" of his or her planner. Accordingly, if the planner is lost or stolen, all of the phone numbers, addresses, dates, lists, plans, ideas and other information retained in the planner are irretrievably lost in most cases. This wrenching experience leaves the user with no choice but to start from scratch, reconstructing data from memory, and probably never recovering all of the information. For a user storing personal information in the planner, this can be extremely upsetting and annoying. For one storing business and career information in the planner, the loss can also have significant financial repercussions as valuable and irreplaceable contacts and plans are often lost with the planner.
A paper planner also provides only limited search capability. It provides no easy way to find a particular phrase or item of information if the user does not recall the date or some visual cue about the page the data is on. The paper planner also provides little or no automation. Recurring events must always be entered by hand, leaving open the possibility of losing or forgetting birthdays, anniversaries, or other important dates, appointments, or meetings. In addition, one can only comfortably fit a limited number of calendar pages into a planner, so accessing information from the past or from future dates (e.g., dates in the following year) is difficult if not impossible. The planner also provides no automated task management—tasks not completed on a given day must be manually carried forward to the next day. It also does not facilitate sharing of information. For example, there is no easy way to view a spouse's calendar, and no way for an administrative assistant to view or modify a user's calendar. Additionally, the paper planner provides no way to cut and paste information between the calendar and e-mail. Given that so many people regularly work with personal computers and other automated devices, having to manually track everything in a paper planner is inefficient, inconvenient, redundant, and time consuming.
With the advent of PDA- and PC- based PIMs, a number of these problems have been addressed. Users can backup data from their PDA or PC to other systems, thereby guarding against the loss of this data. PDAs and PCs also provide search functions that enable a user to find any word in any of their data as well as other automated features including automatically distributing recurring events throughout the calendar, and automatically carrying forward incomplete tasks to the next day. PDA- and PC-based calendars can also be shared, and may include alarms to remind the user of events. However, these new features are provided together with a new set of problems.
The process of entering data into the PDA is one of the main complaints of PDA users. Few users find the tactile experience of using a stylus on a plastic screen to be enjoyable. But this is a minor point compared to the inefficiency and inconvenience of having to enter text using an artificial writing system like Graffiti, or having to peck out letters on a tiny on-screen keyboard or add-on keyboard. Although various efforts have been made to improve data entry features of PDAs, users continue to find the data entry process to be complex, difficult, and generally unpleasant.
PC-based PIM systems provide a partial solution to some of these data entry problems. For example, the Tablet PC from Microsoft addresses some of these data entry problems by enabling a user to write with a stylus in his/her own handwriting on a larger screen. This improves the experience of interacting with the computer via a stylus to some extent. However, the user is still left with the unpleasant tactile experience of writing with plastic on plastic. Also, the user is required to write larger on the screen than they normally would write on a piece of paper because the lines formed on the screen are fatter (i.e., thicker) than the line left by a normal pen, and the handwriting recognition software works poorly with smaller writing. Worse still, the user must learn to navigate a complex, multi-modal "Input panel" so that the Tablet PC can discern handwriting input from cursor movements, "right clicks", and gesture commands. For these reasons, writing on a Tablet PC does not compare favorably to the easy and familiar process of writing on paper with a pen. Tablet PCs (as well as laptop computers and other types of PCs) are also usually much bigger and heavier than planners or PDAs. In fact, a general disadvantage of all tablet, laptop, or desktop PC-based solutions is that these devices are typically heavier and less portable than either PDAs or paper planners and are also typically more complex and more expensive.
PDA- and PC-based PIMs offer very little flexibility. One generally must use the PDA or PC and the accompanying software in the way in which these components were designed. There is little or no opportunity to personalize the capabilities of the PDA or PC. For example, a user cannot make notes in the margins, fold over the corners of important papers, tuck other papers between pages, or circle important items. PDA- and PC- based PIMs typically provide a rigid set of features to be used in accordance with specified procedures. Moreover, these features can be cumbersome to navigate. Instead of intuitive, tactile pages and tabs, navigation on a PDA or PC must be accomplished by clicking cryptic on-screen icons or by using various combinations of buttons.
While the advent of PDA- and PC-based PIMs resolved many of the shortcomings of the paper planner, some advantageous features were lost, and several new problems were introduced. Today the PIM market remains divided, and the question of which PIM solution is best has no definitive answer. Each of the current approaches is subject to significant problems and limitations.
One recent attempt to address some of the shortcomings of current PIMs is the Franklin Covey iScribe, which is intended to work with an optical digitizing pen from Logitech called the "lo". This product combination allows users to write on special paper using a special ballpoint pen, and transfer a digitized version of their writing back to a PC running iScribe software. The iScribe software, in turn, provides integration with Microsoft Outlook such that users can view within Outlook the information which they entered on paper in their planner. Although this design does allow users to write on paper, the iScribe product does not truly integrate digital and paper planning, but rather creates a limited one-way link from the paper domain to the digital domain. No handwriting recognition capability is provided, and even if a handwriting recognition application was used on the PC, the user has no feedback while writing about whether the handwriting recognition application on the PC will correctly interpret what they are writing. Thus, for everything the user has written, the process of reviewing the resulting recognized text is a distinct extra step which must be performed at the PC. This is inconvenient and time-consuming. Also, the planner provides no access to information that resides in the digital domain; users can merely transfer what they have written in their planners into the digital domain (e.g., into Microsoft Outlook on the PC).
The Seiko SmartPad takes yet another approach, allowing a user to insert his or her PDA into a folio which includes a paper notepad and a special pen which can digitize what is written on the pad. Information written on the pad is transferred into the PDA in graphic form such that it can be attached to events or contacts, or simply saved as individual documents. This approach allows the user to have access to digital data via the PDA interface, and to enter freehand drawing data into the PDA using pen and paper. But here again, there is only very limited integration of the paper and digital domains. The SmartPad product integrates a blank pad with a PDA, instead of integrating a fully functional paper planner with a PDA. Thus, instead of a hybrid product with the best features of PDAs and paper planners, the product offers only a rudimentary capability to use the paper to enter drawings into the PDA. With the SmartPad, there is no way to create new events or contacts working from paper. The user has only a small lined notepad on which to enter data, and there is no handwriting recognition capability provided. Also, the SmartPad device has no ability to discern one page from another. In addition, the user must write in an artificially large style in order to produce legible results on the PDA. There is also no way to control the PDA from the paper. Therefore, the user is forced to alternate between using a stylus on the PDA screen and using a pen on the paper pad.
What is needed is a tightly integrated solution that combines the best features of each of these existing solutions. The solution should allow the user to enter data in his or her own handwriting, perform handwriting recognition on the data entered, provide quick feedback on the recognition process, and allow the user to instantly make any needed clarifications or corrections. It should allow the user to enter new data, such as appointments, contacts, tasks, and notes in a familiar, simple, and intuitive way based on the already-familiar paper planner usage model, and should provide intuitive navigation through the data that is entered. The solution should also provide full access to the user's digital data, such as documents, email, and events entered via a PC or PDA instead of via the paper and digital pen. At the same time, it should enable data to be shared with others, integrated with other devices, and automatically backed up at regular intervals. The solution should also automate normally tedious and error prone processes and should provide for automated search capabilities. Ideally, the solution should, to the greatest degree possible, accommodate the working style and systems of the user and allow for personalization of the PIM system. It would also be advantageous if the solution cost less and were more rugged than a PC or Tablet PC. The present invention provides a solution for these and other needs.

Integrated personal information management system


Techniques are described herein for using configurable logic constructs in a loop buffer. In an embodiment, a configurable hardware block is programmed based on one or more target functions within a loop. The configurable hardware block is associated with a plurality of registers, including a loopcount register and a first output register. For each iteration of the loop, a counter value in the loopcount register is updated and a target value in the first output register is updated using the programmed configurable hardware block. For each iteration of the loop, a set of one or more instructions may be fetched from the instruction buffer and executed based on the updated target value in the first output value.

Many applications spend a large percentage of time in small kernels of instructions that are executed in tight loops. Loop buffers may optimize loop execution in processors that have limited instruction cache and strict power limitations. Specifically, the code kernels that are executed in tight loops are loaded in a loop buffer that is usually much smaller than the instruction cache. Hence, the energy and overhead in fetching instructions is reduced when the loop buffer is utilized. This makes loop buffers useful in power efficient architectures targeted to execute applications that have identified the loop kernels. However, loop buffers are typically very small, limiting their support of code expansion that occurs with loop unrolling.
For example, the tables below illustrate different approaches for evaluating a loop. Table 1 includes an example code snippet that converts all bits in input-integer into bytes in array output_array.
TABLE 1C-Code snippetfor (i=31; i>=0; i−−){        output_array[i] = input_integer & (1 << i);}
Table 2 below illustrates an example assembly snippet, herein referred to as the "original assembly snippet." This assembly snippet may be generated by compiling the code snippet in Table 1. No loop unrolling or loop buffer is used, resulting in extra instructions to track the number of iterations and to execute the conditional branch.
TABLE 2Original assembly snippetmov $r0, 31  ## $r0 = 31ld $r1, &input_integer ## $r1 = input_integerL1:shll $r2, 1, $r0 ## $r2 = 1<<i and $r3, $r1, $r2  ## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << i) str r3, output_array[$r0]  ## output_array[i] = $r3sub $r0, $r0, 1 ## i−−;jge %r0, 0, L1## if i>=0 iterate through loop again
Tables 3 and 4 below illustrate alternative assembly snippets generated from the same code snippet. Table 3 exploits loop unrolling resulting in code-size expansion, and Table 4 exploits a loop buffer. By expanding the code as illustrated in Table 3, the instructions for tracking the number of iterations in the loop and evaluating the conditional branch may be eliminated. However, such code may be too large to be stored in a loop buffer.
TABLE 3Assembly snippet that exploits loop unrollingld $r1, &input_integer  ## $r1 = input_integer and $r3, $r1, #0x80000000 ## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << 31) str r3, output_array[#31] ## output_array[31] = $r3and $r3, $r1, #0x40000000 ## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << 30) str r3, output_array[#30] ## output_array[30] = $r3and $r3, $r1, #0x20000000 ## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << 29) str r3, output_array[#29] ## output_array[29] = $r3:::and $r3, $r1, #0x00000001## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << 0) str r3, output_array[#0]## output_array[0] = $r3
In Table 4, $r0 is the LOOPCOUNT register and is auto decremented by loop buffer hardware. The loop is completed when $r0 reaches 0. The number of instructions in this example compared to loop unrolling is significantly reduced, which facilitates storage in a loop buffer when space is limited.
TABLE 4Assembly snippet that exploits loop buffermov $r0, 32 ## $r0 = number of iterations = 32ld $r1, &input_integer ## $r1 = input_integermov $r5, 31 ## $r5 = i = 31loopstart $r0 shll $r2, 1, $r5 ## $r2 = 1<<i and $r3, $r1, $r2## $r3 = input_integer & (1 << i) str r3, output_array[$r5]## output_array[i] = $r3 sub $r5, $r5, 1 ## i−−;loopend
Table 5 illustrates the number of instructions executed in each representation of the code. The number of instructions that are executed may approximate the speed at which the code is executed. Accordingly, loop unrolling assembly was approximately 150% faster than the original assembly snippet while the assembly utilizing the loop buffer was approximately 25% faster than the original.
TABLE 5Comparison of assembly snippetsSpeedup as# of instructions# of instructionscompared toexecuted in 1executed in 32originaliteration of loop.iteration of loop.assembly snippetTable 2:51601OriginalAssemblysnippetTable 3:2642.5Assemblysnippetthat exploitsloop unrollingTable 4:41281.25Assemblysnippet thatexploitsloop buffer
As apparent from Table 5, loop unrolling may achieve greater speedup times than using a loop buffer. However, the loop unrolling assembly snippet does not take advantage of the reduced energy and overhead of fetching instructions provided by the assembly snippet that exploits the loop buffer. Although the loop unrolling may be used in conjunction with the loop buffer, the code expansion inherent in loop unrolling may overflow the loop buffer, reducing or negating the benefit of a loop buffer.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Configurable logic constructs in a loop buffer


A gear shift apparatus includes a shaft having a first axis extending laterally with respect to a vehicle body. A bracket is secured to a pivot pin rotatable about a second axis extending laterally with respect to the first axis. A gear shift lever is secured to the bracket for unitary rotation therewith about the second axis. A sleeve is fixed to the gear shift lever for unitary motion therewith. A check ball is supported by the sleeve and urged against a cam surface of a stationary position plate. The cam surface has a plurality of recesses engaged with the check ball.

The present invention relates to a shift apparatus including a gear shift lever, a check member and a position plate cooperating with the check member, for use in a vehicle, for example, a vehicle having an automatic transmission.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,522 issued on Dec. 28, 1982 to Kubota, U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,966 issued on Jan. 14, 1992 to Ishizuki, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,061 issued on Oct. 20, 1992 to Ishizuki, disclose shift apparatus for automatic transmission vehicles, each of which includes a gear shift lever rotatably supported about an axis on a vehicle body. A check member is coupled with the gear shift lever and cooperates with a position plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,221 issued on Sep. 3, 1991 discloses a shift apparatus for automatic transmission vehicles, which includes a gear shift lever slidable along a cranked guide slot formed on a console box secured to a vehicle body. A pivotal latch member is confined by a check mechanism so as to hold the gear shift lever without play in the guide slot.


A VCR having a preamplifier circuit which is physically incorporated with its main circuit board. The VCR includes a deck (31) for picking up a video signal, a connector cable (33) for supplying the video signal picked up by the deck to the preamplifier, a main board (35) on which the preamplifier is incorporated, and a shield case (34) for shielding the preamplifier and electrically contacting a wide portion of the deck (31). It is possible to improve manufacturing productivity with such an arrangement where the preamplifier is incorporated onto the main circuit board, because the process steps for assembling the separate preamplifier board (25) are omitted. It is also possible to reduce noise interference since the shielding case (34) for shielding the preamplifier is installed level with the deck portion (31), thus enlarging the electrical contact area between the shielding case (34) and the deck (31) to provide enhanced grounding.

The present invention relates to a video cassette recorder (VCR) board. More particularly, it relates to a VCR having a preamplifier incorporated with its main circuit board. This application is based on Korean Patent Application No. 96-10610 which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a general VCR. Referring to FIG. 1, when a deck portion 1 picks up a video signal recorded on a video tape (not shown) and outputs the picked up video signal, a preamplifier portion 2 amplifies the weak picked up video signal and outputs it to a video signal processing portion 3. The video signal processing portion 3 processes the video signal reproduced from the tape, and then divides it into an image signal and an audio signal, and outputs the two signals.
Additionally, when recording a TV broadcast signal, a tuner 4 selects a TV broadcast signal and the video processing portion 3 performs a signal processing of the selected TV broadcast signal. Then the preamplifier portion 2 amplifies the signal processed by processing portion 3, and the deck portion 1 records the TV broadcast signal on a video tape (not shown).
A conventional VCR has a preamplifier board which is separate from its main circuit board, as will be further described below. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a conventional VCR whose preamplifier board 25 is separate from its main board 26.
In FIG. 2, the video signal which is picked up from the video tape through a drum 22 in a deck 21 is output to a preamplifier board 25 through a connector cable 23. The preamplifier circuitry (not shown) is located on the preamplifier board 25 and is sealed-up in a shielding case 24 in order to prevent the weak picked up video signal from being interfered with by external noise. The video signal which is picked up by the drum 22 is output from the drum 22 to the preamplifier board 25 through the connector cable 23 and is amplified by about 60 dB. The video signal amplified in the preamplifier board 25 is output to the video signal processing portion 3 of a main circuit board 26.
The conventional preamplifier board 25 is vertically connected to the main board 26 as shown in FIG. 2. That is to say, the preamplifier board 25 is conventionally mounted on the main board 26 at a right angle, which would make the preamplifier board 25 lie in a vertical plane, assuming that the main board 26 lies in a horizontal plane. Because of this vertical mounting of the preamplifier board 25 with respect to the main board 26, the productivity of connecting the connector cable 23 between the drum 22 and the preamplifier board 25 is lowered since the inner space of a VCR set is narrowed by the preamplifier board 25. Also, since the preamplifier board 25 is vertically connected to the main board 26, it is hard to maintain a good grounding between the deck 21 and the shielding case 24, because it is difficult to obtain a wide enough contact area between the deck 21 and the shielding case 24. The result is that it is hard to obtain grounding for the shielding case 24 sufficient to remove the interference of external noise.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a VCR to improve the productivity of a VCR by incorporating a preamplifier board into the main circuit board and to remove the interference of noise by securing a wider grounding surface for a preamplifier shielding case.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a video cassette recorder (VCR) having a preamplifier incorporated with its main board. The VCR comprises a deck for picking up a video signal, a connector cable for supplying the video signal picked up by the deck to the preamplifier, a main board on which the preamplifier is incorporated, and a shielding case, contacting a portion of the deck, for shielding the preamplifier.
The shield case contacts a wider surface of the deck since it is level with the deck.

video cassette recorder having preamplifier incorporated with main board


The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device includes: a display panel, including a display region and a non-display region surrounding the display region; a back plate, arranged opposite to the display panel, where the back plate comprises a bottom wall and a side wall extending from the bottom wall to one side of the display panel; a backlight source, arranged between the display panel and the back plate, where the backlight source comprises a light source arranged on the bottom wall of the back plate and a diffusion plate arranged on a light emitting side of the light source; and a middle frame, where the middle frame comprises a first support part, and a second support part connected with one side, deviating from the display panel, of the first support part.

A liquid crystal display (LCD) has numerous advantages of thin body, power saving, and no radiation, and is widely used in electronic products such as televisions, computers, and mobile phones. The LCD is a passive light-emitting display, and its display screen itself cannot emit light, but is illuminated by a backlight module behind the display screen.
At present, a "full screen" has become a standard configuration in the mobile phone circle, and an extremely high screen-to-body ratio can bring users a wide field of vision. The full screen is not only suitable for mobile phones, smart TVs have upgraded over many years, the body frame have evolved from a few centimeters in width to a few millimeters, and TVs with a high screen-to-body ratio have gradually entered the consumer level field.

BEIJING BOE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.


A method for automatically aligning images includes (a) determining initial correspondent point features between a first image and a second image, (b) creating a triangular meshes for the images from the initial correspondent point features within the images, and (c) refining point correspondence between the first and second images based on affine transformation estimation using the triangular meshes. The method may also include (d) creating refined triangular meshes for the images from the point correspondence refined in (c), and (e) determining coordinate alignment within the areas of pairs of correspondent triangles in the refined triangular meshes through interpolation of affine transformation on the pairs of correspondent triangles.

Pathological diagnosis often involves slicing a tissue sample (e.g. a biopsy) into thin slices, placing the slices on individual slides, and staining the slices with different methods and reagents. For example, a tissue sample slice may be stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain for visualizing histological structures of the sample, while an adjacent tissue sample slice may be stained by immunohistochemical (IHC) stain with a disease-specific antibody. Pathologists commonly perform initial diagnosis on H&E stained samples and then order IHC staining from the same biopsy block for validation and prognosis.
With the trend of digitization, specimen slides are often scanned into digital images (virtual slides) for later viewing on monitors. To make a final diagnosis, pathologists need to simultaneously examine the region of interest on an H&E image and its corresponding area on an IHC image(s) from the same biopsy block. Thus, those stain images need to be aligned on the monitor(s) such that simultaneous and synchronized viewing can be achieved across the images and the correspondent views are accurate regardless of magnification (FIG. 1).
To align such stain images is challenging, since there is often a great difference in image appearance between two adjacent sample slices stained by different methods, and various local deformations are involved. Adjacent samples are often not related by simple transformation, and structural changes are unpredictable across adjacent samples and different magnification. For example, two images obtained from adjacent but different parts of a tissue block may have ill-defined structural correspondences (see FIG. 2). And the stain images may have weak structures that need to be made explicit in order to align whole images (FIG. 3). Furthermore, because tissue slices may be stretched or deformed during sample handling, different parts of each image may transform differently from other parts of the same image (FIG. 4).
Existing systems for image alignment and navigation require the user to manually locate corresponding areas on the virtual slides (images) due to the problems discussed above. This process has to be redone when viewing in regions away from the alignment region and at different resolutions. For very large images (e.g. 100 k×100 k), this process becomes tedious and impractical. In addition, when the images are examined locally at a high resolution, the appearance between corresponding regions diverges rapidly and it becomes difficult to find matching points.
Therefore, there is a need to develop methods and systems for automatically aligning images which are similar in global appearance but have local deformations, for example, large images of tissue samples stained by different methods.


A recording apparatus including: a casing provided with a feed roller for feeding a recording medium; a removable member insertable into and removable from the casing by being moved relative to the casing in an axial direction of the feed roller wherein on the removable member is mounted a nip roller via a shaft thereof extending in parallel with the axial direction of the feed roller, the nip roller; a force applying portion which applies a force to the nip roller in a direction in which the nip roller is moved toward the feed roller; and a moving mechanism which moves the nip roller against the force in a mounting and removing operation in a direction in which the nip roller is moved away from the feed roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus configured to record an image onto a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is conventionally known a recording apparatus in which a removable member (such as a tray) accommodating a recording medium is removably provided on a casing on which is mounted a feeding roller for feeding the recording medium. In a conventional technique, a sheet-supply tray (as a removable member) is mountable on and removable from a copier main body (a casing). On the sheet-supply tray is mounted a friction roller (as a nip roller) which is contactable with a feed roller mounted on the copier main body.
In this technique, the friction roller is movable upward and downward. The friction roller is located at an upper position at which the friction roller contacts the feed roller, in a state in which the sheet-supply tray is mounted on the main body, and the friction roller is located at a lower position in a state in which the sheet-supply tray has been removed from the main body.

Recording apparatus with removable member


A conical microlith catalyst reaction system for use in automotive catalytic converters or gas turbine catalytic combustors advantageously utilizes a microlith catalyst bed formed from a wire cloth (10) woven into a spiral wound flat helix (or coil). The spiral windings of the wire cloth helix are wound to form a uniform angle less than 90.degree. relative to a ceramic housing formed from an inner ceramic hub (102) and an outer ceramic shroud (104). Warp wires (12) further carry electrical current via bus bars (106, 108) for electrically heating the catalyst bed. Lightoff time for the bed is significantly reduced due to the heating. The angled spiral windings create the conical shape to prevent buckling of the spiral windings due to thermal stress caused by the microlith catalyst bed becoming hot.

The present invention relates generally to catalytic reaction systems, and more particularly to microlith catalyst beds for improving catalytic conversion efficiency.
In the past, typical catalytic convertors for oxidation of carbonaceous fuels, for example as used in automotive emissions, have used unitary structures such as an assembly of interlocking sheets of catalyst material to form a catalyst bed. This type of structure is referred to as a monolith catalyst. However, the performance of monolith catalysts have been limited by the fact they are not generally effective until the catalyst has heated up to its operating temperature. Monolith catalysts suffer from long warmup (lightoff) time. Further, they generally do not provide satisfactory high catalytic conversion efficiency.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,241, William C. Pfefferle, discloses a microlith catalytic reaction system which provides a more effective catalytic conversion than conventional monolith converters when operating in what is known as the mass transfer limited region of catalyst operation. In the mass transfer limited region of operation, the reacting chemical species must diffuse through a boundary layer and reach the catalyst surface for the catalyst to be effective in its function of accelerating reaction rates. The microlith catalyst system of Pfefferle provides quicker lightoff and higher conversion efficiency due to high open area microlith catalyst elements having flow channels with a flow path length no longer than about two times the diameter of the largest flow channel. Pfefferle further teaches the ability to electrically heat the microlith catalyst to further reduce the lightoff time.
The system of Pfefferle utilizes multiple layers of microlith catalyst support to obtain the total surface area required to achieve the desired reaction rate. To provide the electrical heating, an electrical path can be implemented by either a series connection passing through each layer of microlith catalyst with jumper connections between each layer, or a parallel connection where a common power bus connects all layers to the power supply. Both of these wiring configurations require numerous electrical connections that drive up cost and reduce reliability of the system.
It is also noted that in many applications, the microlith layers will be circular disks cut from flat sheets of fine mesh screen or expanded metal. This operation may result in a significant quantity of leftover scrap. Further, if the catalyst material is applied to the fine mesh at the time the mesh is manufactured, the cost of the leftover scrap could be very expensive.
Further problems occur with prior art catalyst support designs when applied to catalytic combustors used in gas turbine engines. Typical catalytic combustors operate in what is known as the homogenous gas phase reaction region of catalyst operation. In this region, most of the chemical reactions take place in the freestream off of the catalyst surface. The catalyst contributes to the overall reaction by reacting with a small portion of the total reactant stream to promote the formation of chemical radicals. These radicals in turn increase the reaction rate of the chemical species reacting in the freestream.
However, when gas turbines are operated at low power outputs, the catalytic combustor may be forced to operate in the slower mass transfer limited range (described hereinabove) due to cooler operating temperatures. Since gas turbine catalytic combustors are typically designed for minimum volume, the combustor may not have sufficient catalyst surface area to operate efficiently in the mass transfer limited region.

Conical microlith catalytic reaction system