A method and system for detecting and decoding multiple signals. A low-complexity MIMO detector that combines sphere decoding and m-algorithm approaches, while accounting for the effect of channel condition on the decoding operation, is provided. Taking into account the channel condition effectively controls the size of the search tree, and consequently the search complexity, in an adaptive manner. The channel condition is exploited in the construction of the tree to manage the number of branches in the tree and to avoid undesirable growth.

The increasing demand for high-speed wireless data and voice transmission requires system designers to achieve ever higher throughput in radio channels with limited bandwidth. Recently, there has been considerable interest in using multiple transmit and receive antennas, because of their ability to offer a high data rate over fading channels. Generally, the capacity of a MIMO channel increases linearly according to the minimum number of transmit and receive antennas without requiring increased bandwidth or transmitted power. The Bell-Lab layered space-time (BLAST) architecture is an example of current uncoded MIMO systems. Because of their high spectrum efficiency, MIMO techniques have been incorporated into several wireless standards, including the recently published IEEE 802.16 standard.
MIMO systems also permit spatial user multiplexing (also known as Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA)). In the uplink SDMA, multiple user signals are multiplexed in the uplink. For example, the IEEE 802.16e (Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)) standard includes provisions for spatial user multiplexing. However, the standard does not specify the receiver structure. At this point, no method has been suggested for separating users multiplexed over multiple transmit antennas.
In decoding a MIMO channel, lattice decoding methods can be used for detection, since the received signal set has a regular structure. However, the complexity of the optimum lattice decoding grows exponentially with the number of transmit antennas, and with the constellation size. Several sub-optimum MIMO detectors have been proposed based on nulling and interference cancellation (IC), which essentially perform zero-forcing or minimum-mean-square-error equalization. The performance of these simple detection schemes is significantly inferior to that of a maximum likelihood (ML) detector. However, the complexity of ML detectors grow exponentially according to the number of transmit antennas.
Sphere decoding is a hard detection method that can be used in MIMO systems with near ML performance. In sphere decoding, the lattice points inside a hyper-sphere are checked and the closest lattice point is determined. It is known that even the average complexity of the sphere decoding algorithm is exponential.
The optimum capacity of coded MIMO systems is achieved by using an outer channel coder concatenated with a space-time mapper acting like an inner code. Iterative a posteriori probability (APP) detection techniques, such as iterative joint detection and decoding with soft inputs and outputs can be used for decoding of such systems. In contrast to a ML detector, which finds the closest valid point to the received noisy signal, an iterative soft-input soft-output MIMO detector provides probabilistic information about the transmitted bits. This soft information is passed to the decoder for the underlying error correction code (ECC), such as turbo or low-density parity check (LDPC) code. The soft outputs of the decoder can be used as new soft inputs for the MIMO detector, and hence this method can work in an iterative fashion to improve the performance of the receiver.
An optimum APP MIMO detector has a very large complexity, because it must enumerate all the signal points of the lattice for the soft metric computation. To reduce the complexity, several schemes have been proposed based on finding a small set, or list, of highly probable points for computing the soft values. List sphere decoding (LSD) is a method in this category, which uses a list of candidates inside a preset sphere for computing the soft information. The main drawback in the known LSD methods is the instability of the list size and the associated problem of the radius selection and reduction during the search. This significantly increases the complexity as compared to the original hard sphere decoding (HSD). This problem can be addressed by building a spherical list centered around the ML point, instead of the received point. However, although the effective list size is well controlled, the size must still be set at a large value to achieve a reasonable performance.
Soft-to-hard transformation is another approach for building a soft detector. The transformation converts a soft detection problem to a set of hard detection problems, which are less complex compared with LSD. This approach, however, imposes some limitations on the underlying modulation and coding schemes. Therefore, this approach can not be considered as a general solution for soft MIMO detection.
Using a stack algorithm with limited stack size is another method of implementing a list detector. Examples of such stack algorithms include list-sequential (LISS) detection, deterministic sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) detection, and iterative tree search (ITS) detection. Stack algorithms evaluate only the 'good' candidate vectors with the aid of a sequential tree searching scheme, based on the m-algorithm. The m-algorithm is a sub-optimum search that retains the best m paths at every instant. The disadvantage of this class of detectors is that the complexity is only a function of the stack size, determined by m, and is independent of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and channel condition.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a MIMO receiver and decoding method with low complexity. It is also desirable to provide a MIMO receiver and detection method to separate multiple users multiplexed over multiple transmit antennas.

Parallel soft spherical MIMO receiver and decoding method


Systems and methods for image reconstruction are provided. The methods may include obtaining a scout image including a target object, determining a first area and a second area based on the scout image, wherein the second area is located in the first area, obtaining positron emission tomography (PET) data of the first area and first computed tomography (CT) data of the second area, and reconstructing a PET image with respect to the first area based on the PET data and the first CT data.

Nuclear medicine tomographic imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), use radiation to produce images of a patient. During a PET-CT imaging process, CT data and PET data may be obtained to produce a PET image. Traditionally, both CT data and PET data may be acquired from one area, which may increase radiation exposure of a patient. Thus, there is a need for a system and method for reducing radiation exposure as well as improving image quality.

System and method for positron emission tomography imaging

SHANGHAI UNITED IMAGING HEALTHCARE CO., LTD.


The present invention provides a golf club head having air flow guiding slot with uneven surface, which includes a ball striking plate, a connection portion, a top plate, a bottom portion and at least one air flow guiding slot. The at least one air flow guiding slot is mounted on the top plate and the bottom portion, is near to the connection portion, and has an uneven surface. Utilizing the uneven surface of the at least one air flow guiding slot, the stability of air flow can be improved and the surface area of the air flow guiding slot can be greatly increased so as to raise the weight of the air flow guiding slot so that the center of gravity for the golf club head can be mounted on the at least one air flow guiding slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head, and more particularly to a golf club head having air flow guiding slot with uneven surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, it shows the conventional golf club head. Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,042 B1. The conventional golf club head 10 includes a ball-hitting face plate 11, a threaded connection portion 12, a top curved surface 13, an arcuate side 14 and an air flow guiding slot structure 15. The top curved surface 13 is joined with the ball-hitting face plate 11 and the arcuate side 14. The juncture of the top curved surface 13, the ball-hitting face plate 11, and the arcuate side 14 is provided with the threaded connection portion 12 extending upwards therefrom. The threaded connection portion 12 is engaged with one end of a shaft of a golf club. The air flow guiding slot structure 15 is located in the top curved surface 13 and the arcuate side 14.
When the conventional golf club head 10 is swung, the air current flows through the top curved surface 13 and the arcuate side 14. As a result, an air pressure (P1) is brought about on the top curved surface 13, whereas an air pressure (P2) is brought about on the arcuate side 14. These two air flows enter the air flow guiding slot structure 15, thereby resulting in equilibrium of the pressures P1 and P2. As a result, the conventional golf club head 10 is not prone to float in the air at the time when the conventional golf club head 10 travels along a parabolic path. The conventional golf club head 10 is thus prevented from deviating from the intended path at such time when the conventional golf club head 10 is moved to hit the golf ball.

Golf club head having air flow guiding slot with uneven surface


A method for manufacturing a field emission element includes the following steps. The insulating substrate is provided. At least one grid, a first electrode and a second electrode are formed on the insulating substrate. The first and second electrodes are within the grid. The insulating substrate having at least one grid, the first electrode and the second electrode is covered with a carbon nanotube structure. The carbon nanotube structure includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes successively extended from the second electrode to the first electrode. The carbon nanotubes between the first electrode and the second electrode are cut to form a plurality of substantially parallel electron emitters in the at least one grid. One end of each electron emitter is electrically connected to the second electrode and opposite end of each electron emitter faces towards the first electrode.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a display device and, particularly, to a field emission display device.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, because field emission display (FED) devices provide advantages such as low power consumption, fast response speed and high resolution, they are being actively developed.
Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional electrode plate 100, according to the prior art, of an FED device according to the prior art includes an insulating substrate 102, a plurality of electrode down-leads 104 arranged in rows, a plurality of electrode down-leads 106 arranged in columns intersecting the rows to form a matrix, and a plurality of electron emitting units 108. The lines 104 are parallel and spaced from each other on the insulating substrate 102. The lines 106 are also parallel and spaced from each other on the insulating substrate 102. The matrix includes a plurality of grids 118 where the electron emitting units 108 are located. A dielectric insulator 116 is disposed at each column and row intersection. Thus, the dielectric insulator 116 is configured to provide electric insulation between the lines 106 and the lines 104.
Each of the electron emitting units 108 includes an anode electrode 110 extending from a row of the electrode down-lead 104, and a cathode electrode 112 extending from a column of the electrode down-lead 106, and an electron emitter 114. Each electron emitter 114 has an electron emitter region 116 with one or multiple slits provided for the emission of electrons. If moderate voltage is applied to the electron emitter 114, electrons will emit from one end of the slit and across to the opposite end of the slit based on the electron tunneling process.
Generally, the electron emitter 114 is a conduction film, for example, a palladium oxide (PdO) film produced by ink-jet printing. The slits of the electron emitter region 116 are formed by applying voltage to the conduction film between the anode electrode 110 and the cathode electrode 112. In such case, the conduction film is split into two parts so that the slits of the electron emitter region 116 are formed due to deformation or some other alteration of the conduction film. It is understood that the slits where electrons emit are difficult to fabricate precisely based on present fabricating technology, e.g. shape and location of the slits are not easy to be controlled. Thus, every electron emitter 114 will have different electron emission characteristics preventing uniform electron emission.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for manufacturing a field emission element having improved uniformity of electron emission.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one embodiment of the present method for manufacturing a field emission element, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.


Briefly, a method for verifying the visual perceptibility of a display is provided. An intended message is written to a bistable display. Pixels that comprise portions of the message are measured and evaluated to determine if the message actually displayed on the bistable display was perceptible by a human or a machine. In some cases, information regarding the message actually perceivable from the display may be stored for later use. Responsive to determining that a message is perceivable or not perceivable, alarms may be set, one or more third parties notified, or additional display features may be set.

Modern commerce is increasingly dependent on transporting goods using carriers as society embraces more and more online shopping. For example, modern consumers are increasingly using online shopping and common carriers for delivering wine, prescription medication, food, and sensitive electronic devices. To assist in tracking and monitoring the movement of sensitive and expensive goods, labels have been developed in the past that incorporate RFID communication and intelligence. In this way, at the point of shipment and throughout the major carriers, the good has the ability to be tracked. However, adoption of such RFID labels has been slow, as the equipment for initializing, loading, updating, and interrogating the label's RFID electronics is expensive, and typically only available at larger transfer points in the shipping transaction. Further, it is unlikely, and even rare, for the end consumer to be able to interact with the label. Since the consumer is a critical part of the delivery chain, and the consumer is excluded from participation in the information available on the label, the use of intelligent labels has been quite low and very ineffective in improving the customer experience.
Intelligent labels, packaging, tags, windshield stickers, stand-alone displays and other devices, collectively referred to herein as "intelligent labels," benefit from electro-optic devices that display messages that alert, update and inform the persons or machines proximate to them, as fully set forth in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14/479,055, filed Sep. 5, 2014, and entitled "An Intelligent Label device and Method," which is incorporated herein in its entirety. This earlier application describes an intelligent label that can be attached to any good, and then is used to provide a visual indicator to a human or machine on some condition or event in that distribution path. Of particular interest therefore are bistable and permanently irreversible electro-optic displays and intelligent labels that comprise them. In one example of using the intelligent label, if a good is subjected to an extreme temperature or to vibration shock, then a visual indicator may be set such that a human or a machine will understand that the good is no longer of acceptable commercial quality. Of course, it will be appreciated that machines can perceive information outside of the normal human optical range. Messages for the intelligent label are visually perceptible forms of data, information, content, text, patterns, images, shapes, symbols, codes, and colors, for example. It is important to note that these are visual systems and the messages may change one or more times over the life of the intelligent label. Further the power source that drives them may be limited or intermittent or susceptible to accidental or intentional disruption. Other components of the intelligent label may also fail or be subject to tampering. In this way, the message that is intended by the local electronics to be displayed on the intelligent label may not actually be what the user or machine perceives. Accordingly, in some applications the utility and value of intelligent labels may depend on the confidence with which the messages can be relied upon to make decisions and take actions, and further, that the actual messages perceptible at the time those decisions were made or could or should have been made, and actions were taken or could or should have been taken can be reliably and securely verified.
In one example, doctors and other healthcare professionals need to know that they will only be held accountable for decisions made and actions taken based on the information reliably available at the time. Hospitals need to know too. As do patients and insurers and everyone else with a stake in the outcome. And they also need to know that if something goes wrong, the system cannot be tampered with and of its information is trustworthy. In a specific example, a bag of blood has reached its maximum allowed time out of refrigeration, and the electronic circuitry on its attached intelligent label has instructed a message to be displayed on the bag's irreversible display that indicates that the bag of blood can no longer be used safely. In this way, the electronic messages stored within the intelligent label's processor and memory would indicate that at the correct time the visual indicator transitioned to show that the condition of the blood had changed was no longer safe. However, in some cases an electronic or logical failure may have occurred and the visual alert message was never perceptible to the nurse or doctor. To correctly assess liability for wrongly using the blood, it would be important to know precisely what was visible on the intelligent display at the time the alert should have been set.
In another example, an experimental drug may have its expiration date shortened due to a better understanding of the drug's deterioration over time. In such a case, an intelligent label may be updated remotely to remove the original expiration date, and replace the date with a new, shorter expiration date. A patient may wrongly continue to use the drug after the new expiration date, and may later claim that the new expiration date was never displayed. Accordingly, it would be important to know what, if any, change had been made on the label at the time the expiration date should have been changed. Having such a historical understanding of what was actually displayed could be critical to patient care and assigning liability. More particularly, in some cases what was actually displayed may not have communicated the intended message to the patient or care giver. For example, even if the intended message was correct, a defect in the display or display electronics may have caused an error in what was actually displayed, and therefore may have failed to communicate the intended message. More broadly, this problem occurs any time a manufacturer, distributor, or person in control of a product wants to update the information displayed to the user or consumer. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable that an intelligent label be able to determine if the intended message was perceptibly displayed at a particular time, and in some cases generate and maintain historical record of what was actually displayed for later evaluation.
It will be appreciated that different applications require different levels of confidence in the verifiability of the system. Often it is not enough to rely on an inexpensive processor having issued a command, an on/off button being switched, or a signal being sent. Particularly over time, excessive heat or cold, shock or vibration, humidity, disruption to power, component fatigue/failure, read/write/refresh errors, electrical interference, tampering etc. can all impact the integrity of a visual system and thus confidence in the ability to verify what was actually displayed, and further what was actually perceptible, at a given moment in time. In other words, it often is not enough to know what was supposed to be displayed or what may have been displayed at a different moment in time.
Conventional displays (CRTs, LEDs, most LCDs etc.) can be thought of as self-erasing. That is, such a convention display is used to display an intended message to a user. However, there is no confirmation that the message has actually been presented in a way that is visually perceptible to the machine or human. For example, many internal and external factors can affect the visual perceptive ability of the display such as power disruption, excessive heat cold or humidity, shock vibration and pressures, and shorts and faults with the electronics or logic circuits. In some cases, feedback provided with in these conventional displays may indicate that the intended message has been displayed, however these internal or external events may limit or distort what has actually been displayed to, and perceptible by, the outside world.
Messages displayed by bistable (or multi-stable state) displays such electrophoretic and certain cholesteric or nematic LCDs are to varying degrees stable without the continuous application of power. By design, they are however reversible and the displayed messages are therefore subject to accidental or intentional erasure or alteration. The displayed information therefore cannot be verified reliably visually. As used herein the term visual refers to messages, images and the like that are perceptible by both humans and machine. Certain messages however may be perceptible by machine but not perceptible by humans. For example, they may reflect light at wavelengths outside the human perceptible range (of approximately 390 to 770 nanometers). This characteristic may be exploited in a number of ways, for example to create watermarks and other messages in response to events that are machine perceptible (readable) but not perceptible by humans. The verification systems and means described herein may be utilized with such non-visual, but machine perceptible messages.
In bistable electrophoretic displays, the application of an electrical field switches the position of charged ink particles creating two visible "states" corresponding to, for example, a white and black state as seen by the viewer. The ink particles are typically compartmentalized by use of microcapsules or microcups. Each microcapsule may contain a single or several types of ink particles, e.g. each corresponding to a specific color or optical characteristic, which may have varying degrees of mobility in the suspension fluid as a function of the applied electric switching field. The suspension fluid may further have a different optical characteristic to that of the ink particles, such as, clear, colored, absorbing, etc.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,550 B2, electric sensing signals corresponding to the presence of a single type ink contained in microcapsules are discussed. In one mode discussed, a complex electrode pattern containing small detection gaps must be incorporated with the signal contribution primarily coming from the detection gaps that are positioned near the center of a microcapsule. As microcapsules are typically arranged in random patterns, only ink particles from a subset of microcapsules will contribute to the sensing signal. In another mode described, the presence of the ink particles (e.g. on the viewer side of the display microcapsules) are sensed by simply applying another write signal to the electrodes, and depending on the polarity of the write signal, deduce whether the ink particles were present or not. If the probing write signal is of the same polarity as the original write signal applied to set the display state, there will be no or only a small transient current present as all or most if the ink particles are already at or near one side of the display defining the presumed state. This scheme assumes that not only the state was presumed to be the correct one, but also that the display pixel/segment is functioning correctly. However, if the latter is not the case, for instance due to some irreversible damage present (for example, a discontinuity in of the two corresponding pixel electrodes, or an undesirable chemical degradation within the microcapsule), there could also be no, or only a small (residual), transient current irrespective of the state of the display pixel/segment. In order to electrically confirm the integrity of the display pixel/segment, the opposite polarity of the probing write signal could deliberately be applied. However, this method would thus change the very display state that is to be verified electrically.
Based on the above it becomes clear that it is desirable to have electrical verification methods and systems, which utilize the same set of electrodes employed for setting the display state, and in which substantial portion of ink particles from each microcapsule or microcup within a pixel or segment contribute to the verification signal. Furthermore, it is desirable to not disturb or only minimally disturb the optical display state during the electrical signal verification process to confirm the optical display state.
Accordingly, there is a need to reliably verify that an intended message has been presented on a display in a visually perceptive manner. In some cases, the stakeholders would also benefit from generating and maintaining a historical record of what was actually perceptibly displayed on the label.

Electrically determining messages on an electrophoretic display


Providing entry points for 3D video data is described; an entry point unit (18) generates an entry point table by defining entry points in an incoming 3D video data stream and storing entry point addresses giving the location of the defined entry points; the video data stream comprises a multitude of sub-streams, which multitude encodes one stream of 3D 5 video data and comprises at least one 2D sub-stream that independently encodes a 2D version of the 3D video data and at least one auxiliary sub-stream that dependently encodes part of the 3D video data; the entry points include main entry points in the 2D sub-stream and auxiliary entry points in the auxiliary sub-stream for enabling 3D trickplay of the 3D video data by retrieving and decoding non-adjacent fragments of the 2D sub-stream and retrieving 10 and dependently decoding corresponding fragments of the auxiliary sub-stream.

Devices for rendering 2D video data are known, for example video players like DVD players or set top boxes which provide digital video signals. The source device is to be coupled to a display device like a TV set or monitor. Image data is transferred from the source device via a suitable interface, preferably a high-speed digital interface like HDMI. Currently 3D enhanced devices for sourcing three dimensional (3D) image data are being proposed.
For 3D content, such as 3D movies or TV programs, additional control data for enabling trickplay may be provided in combination with the image data, for example a list of pointers to subsequent locations of frames that can be rendered at increased speed. Trickplay is any rendering mode of the 3D video content at a speed different from the original speed, such as fast forward or fast backward, or slow motion, in various speeds.
The document US 2006/0117357 describes a system for rendering 2D video data in trickplay modes. A digital video signal is reproduced at various trick mode playback speeds. Frame indices associated with video frames of a digital video stream are monitored and a Group-of-Pictures (GOP) size is determined from the frame indices. One or more trick mode play speed parameters are calculated based on the determined GOP size. Presentation of the video frames is controlled based on the calculated trick mode play speed parameters. In one embodiment, the trick mode play speed parameters include a frame-skip count and a frame-repeat count.
For 3D content trickplay has to be developed also. One example of 3D content is a two-dimensional image and an associated depth map. Another example of 3D content is a plurality of two-dimensional images, e.g. the well known stereoscopic content having a right eye image and a left eye image. Yet another example of 3D content is stereoscopic content having a plurality of right eye images and left eye images, to be displayed on a multi-view display.


A method for producing an olefin polymer, in which an olefin compound is polymerized in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst at a temperature of 0° C. or lower to obtain an olefin polymer, the method comprising a step of feeding a raw material liquid including the olefin compound to a reactor provided with a cooling unit, a step of polymerizing the olefin compound in the reactor to obtain a reaction liquid including the olefin polymer, a deactivation step of adding a deactivator to the reaction liquid taken out from the reactor to deactivate the Lewis acid catalyst, and a step of supplying the reaction liquid after the deactivation step to a cold recovery unit to recover cold from the reaction liquid, wherein the amount of the Lewis acid catalyst is 0.5×10−3 to 1.0×10−1 mol % based on the total amount of the olefin compound.

Conventionally, there has been the following problem: in a low-temperature polymerization reaction of an olefin compound, cooling energy necessary for cooling of a raw material liquid subjected to the reaction and cooling of the inside of a reactor during the reaction is large. In response to this problem, Patent Literature 1 describes a method for producing an isobutylene-based polymer, characterized in that a raw material liquid to be fed to a reactor is cooled in advance by heat exchange with a reaction liquid discharged.


A steering apparatus includes: a fixing bracket fixed by being suspended to a vehicle body and having fixed side portions on both sides in a width direction of the vehicle body; and an outer column formed of aluminum by die-casting and sandwiched between the fixed side portions, wherein protrusion portions protruding toward both sides in the width direction are integrally formed on a rear end of the outer column.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A steering apparatus that operates the direction of a vehicle is configured to adjust a tilt position and a telescopic position so as to fit with the physique of a driver. Adjustment of the tilt position is related to the angle of a steering shaft and is recognized as adjustment of the height of a steering wheel for a driver. Adjustment of the telescopic position is related to the length of the steering shaft and is recognized as adjustment of the distance to the steering wheel for a driver.
A general steering apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-347953. A lower side (the front wheel side) of a steering apparatus is rotatably supported by a lower bracket of a vehicle body and an upper side (the steering wheel side) is fixed by being suspended on a bracket. The steering apparatus has an outer column that grasps a shaft that transmits the rotation of the steering wheel, and the outer column is fixed by being suspended on the bracket.
Adjustment of the telescopic position is performed such that the steering wheel is manually moved back and forth whereby a shaft and an inner column are slid back and forth in the outer column. The steering wheel is clamped and fixed at a desired position by an operating lever (a clamping lever). When the operating lever is operated, the clamping bolt is fastened, the width between the bracket and the outer column narrows, and the shaft and the inner column are fixed.
A cross-section of the outer column has a ring shape having a notch formed in a portion thereof. When the clamping bolt is loosened and fastened, the cross-sectional shape changes slightly and the shaft and the inner column are allowed to slide and are fixed relative to each other.
The outer column, the shaft, and the inner column need to slide smoothly when the operating lever (the clamping lever) is unclamped to adjust the telescopic position. It is very important to machine precisely the inner circumferential surface of the outer column to allow smooth sliding.

Steering apparatus and method for manufacturing same


The present invention provides compounds and methods for the treatment of an individual having or at risk of having a condition associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin by using a pharmacological chaperone. In particular, such methods are useful for the treatment and/or prevention of lung disorders associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency as well as liver disorders associated with an excess of alpha-1-antitrypsin. Suitable pharmacological chaperones include peptides and low-molecular weight compounds. The present invention also provides an assay for determining whether a test compound modulates alpha-1-antitrypsin activity.

Many human genetic disorders are caused by mutations that impair protein folding and trafficking. Even though the mutated proteins may be produced in normal amounts and may even be functionally competent, problems can arise because the mutated proteins do not fold properly and/or are not processed and trafficked correctly. Consequently, such proteins do not reach their intended cellular location and tend to accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or other organelles where they are prone to aggregation. The relative importance of these contributions to cellular dysfunction and disease varies among diseases, and may even differ from patient to patient and potentially from cell type to cell type. There are some conditions where loss of protein function is the primary cause of disease, and others for which a toxic-gain-of function is caused by aggregation, and excessive ER retention is the primary source of pathology. In the case of α-1-antitrypsin deficiency, both loss-of-function and toxic-gain-of-function contribute to disease pathology.
Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a protein made in hepatocytes and secreted from the liver into the blood where it functions to limit neutrophil elastase activity in the lung. A deficiency in α-1-antitrypsin can lead to emphysema, as a result of increased degradation of lung connective tissue. In many patients, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is caused by a E342K missense mutation therein, referred to as the Z mutant (Z-AT). The quality control mechanisms of the ER lead to retention and accumulation of Z-AT in hepatocytes, causing damage to the liver and reducing plasma levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin as a result of reduced secretion into the blood. Thus, lung disease associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is caused by a loss-of-alpha-1-antitrypsin function, while liver disease occurs when the Z-AT accumulates to toxic levels in liver cells (toxic-gain-of-function). Since monomeric Z-AT retains the same specific activity as wild type α-1-antitrypsin (M-AT), treatment strategies that increase secretion of Z-AT by reducing its ER retention should protect against both liver and lung damage.
Studies have demonstrated that some compounds, such as 4-phenylbutyric acid, can increase secretion of Z-AT from cells. Additionally, some small peptides (e.g., Ac-TTAI-NH2) and citrate have been shown to block in vitro polymerization of Z-AT. However, the use of such osmolytes to promote protein folding is very limited as they require very high cellular concentrations and lack target specificity. Desirably, to effect protein folding and secretion in vivo, a compound must be able to penetrate the ER of liver cells, have a high affinity for Z-AT, and block polymerization thereof with minimal toxicity and side effects.
Current therapy for conditions associated with α-1-antitrypsin deficiency is limited to protein replacement therapy with M-AT derived from human plasma, typically dosed on a weekly basis. While such therapy is effective for lung pathology including emphysema, it has no effect on liver disease caused by the accumulation of polymerized Z-AT in the ER of hepatocytes. For the 10-15% of homozygotes for Z-AT afflicted with early-onset liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation is the only treatment option available. Furthermore, accumulation of polymerized Z-AT in lung epithelium has a chemoattractant effect on neutrophils, which may cause further destruction of connective lung tissue. Thus, there is a need for therapeutics and methods that address disease conditions associated with both alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency as well as toxic accumulation of alpha-1-antitrypsin.

Compounds and method for treating or preventing disease conditions associated with alpha-1-antitrypsin


Cylindrical spacers having axially ribbed inner portions and an expanded circumference are located on the doffer shaft of a cotton harvester doffer column to support the doffers in vertically spaced relation and improve shaft strength and bend and vibration resistance. The spacer rib ends have doffer contacting surfaces to bite into the doffer and provide a keying function for enhanced doffer rotational retention.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesters and, more specifically, to cotton picker doffer column structure having increased strength and doffer support.
2) Related Art
Cotton harvesters of the spindle type such as the John Deere model 9960 Cotton Picker include row units with upright picker drums having spindle bars defining rows of picking spindles. Adjacent each of the picker drums is a doffer column with a plurality of doffers supported on a shaft for rotation directly above the rows of spindles to unwrap cotton from the spindles and direct the cotton towards conveying structure on the row unit. The doffers have apertured metal support plates which are horizontally disposed and vertically spaced on a doffer shaft using thin walled cylindrical spacers. The spacers have an inner diameter approximately equal to but slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft and are slid over the shaft between doffers. A doffer column nut at one end of the column sandwiches the support plates between adjacent spacers. Frictional engagement between the plates and the spacers causes the doffers to rotate with the doffer shaft.
Several problems exist with conventional doffer columns with the cylindrical spacers. The small, radially inward contact area between the spacers and the support plates of the doffers limits torque, and wear of the spacers and the plates can occur if the doffers slip. Doffer vibration and instability can also occur, particularly when doffer speeds and/or doffer column lengths are increased and the typical doffer operating speed approaches the critical speed. The relatively small radius doffer shaft is subject to heavy loads and off-axis bending which stresses the entire column and the bearings supporting the column. The spacers provide some shaft reinforcement which is limited because of the small spacer radius.

Shaft structure for a cotton harvester doffer column


Embodiments for estimating intake air humidity in an engine are provided. In one example, an engine method comprises adjusting an engine parameter in response to intake air humidity estimated based on a concentration of one or more engine-out emissions. In this way, one or more exhaust emission sensors may be used to estimate intake air humidity.

Engine operating parameters such as air-fuel ratio, spark timing, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) may be adjusted to increase engine efficiency and fuel economy and decrease emissions including nitrogen oxides (NOx). One factor which may affect the adjustment of such operating parameters is intake air humidity. A high concentration of water in the intake air may affect combustion temperatures, dilution, etc. Therefore, control of operating parameters including air-fuel ratio, spark timing, EGR, and the like based on humidity can be used to improve engine performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,848 describes a method for determining intake air humidity using a humidity sensor located in the intake manifold or charge air cooler. However, humidity sensors may be inaccurate under certain conditions and/or prone to degradation when exposed to high engine operating temperatures.
The inventors have recognized the issues with the above approach and provide a method to at least partly address them. In one embodiment, an engine method comprises adjusting an engine parameter in response to intake air humidity estimated based on a concentration of one or more engine-out emissions.
For example, exhaust NOx and/or particulate measurements may be compared with expected NOx and/or particulate levels, respectively, for a given humidity level in order to determine current humidity conditions. In this manner, the effect of intake air humidity on various operating parameters may be reduced.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method for estimating intake air humidity


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming plural layers of a MTJ device, depositing a conductive layer over the plural layers, forming a hard mask pattern used for patterning the plural layers over the conductive layer, where the conductive layer is exposed through the hard mask pattern, performing hydrogen peroxide process to volatilize the exposed conductive layer and removing the volatilized conductive layer, and patterning the plural layers by using the hard mask pattern as an etch mask to form the MTJ device.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a semiconductor device including a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device.
A dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which is one of the widely used semiconductor memory devices, has features of high operation speed and high integration. However, the DRAM is a volatile memory device which loses data, when a power is off, and performs a refresh process to prevent loss of stored data, even when the power is on. Meanwhile, a flash memory is a non-volatile memory device and may be manufactured in high integration, while having a relatively low operation speed. As compared with the DRAM and the flash memory, a magneto-resistance random memory device (MRAM) has features of non-volatility, high operation speed, and high integration (scalability).
The MRAM is a non-volatile memory device where data is stored by magnetic storage elements having a different resistance depending on magnetic field changed between ferromagnetic plates. The magnetic storage element is a component including two ferromagnetic plates separated by an insulating layer. If polarities of the two ferromagnetic plates are parallel (the same), resistance of magnetic storage element is minimized. On the other hand, if polarities of the two ferromagnetic plates are opposite, the resistance is maximized. The MRAM device stores data based on cell's resistance changed depending on magnetization of ferromagnetic plates in the magnetic storage element. As a magnetic storage element, a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) is widely used.
In the MRAM, the MTJ generally includes a stacked structure of a ferromagnetic layer, an insulating layer, and another ferromagnetic layer. When electrons pass through an insulating layer serving as a tunneling barrier from a first ferromagnetic layer, the degree of tunneling the insulating layer by the electrons is determined by magnetic direction of second ferromagnetic layer. If two ferromagnetic layers have the same polarity (parallel magnetic direction), amount of current tunneling the insulating layer is maximized. On the other hand, if two ferromagnetic layers have opposite magnetic direction, amount of current is minimized. For example, when resistance based on the tunneling current is high, information stored in the MTJ may be recognized as a logic level "1" (or "0"). If the resistance is low, information may be recognized as a logic level "0" (or "1"). Here, one of two ferromagnetic layers is called a pinned layer because its polarity is set to particular value, but the other is called a free layer because its polarity may be changed depending on magnetic field or supplied current.
However, there are some limits in manufacturing the MTJ device. First, it is not easy to make stacked patterns of a ferromagnetic layer, an insulating layer, and another ferromagnetic layer. Also, if sides of stacked patterns are exposed after patterning process, by-products are likely to adhere to the exposed surface of stacked patterns to cause a short circuit.

Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same


A method and system provides improved auscultation training for medical students and other healthcare providers. The system includes an instructor stethoscope which generates an acoustic output corresponding to an ausculatory sound from the patient. The acoustic output is wirelessly transmitted to earpieces worn by one or more students such that the students can simultaneously listen with the instructor to the ausculatory sound. The acoustic output may be recorded for future listening and training. The instructor stethoscope includes a resonance chamber having a capacitive pickup to receive the ausculatory sound wave from the stethoscope chest piece. The acoustic wave is converted to an analog signal and then to a digital signal, which is broadcast and then re-converted to an analog signal for the listening students.

The field of the invention is effective mediate auscultation training for medical students.
The modern stethoscope is an acoustic medical device that transmits auscultatory sounds from a patient's internal organs to human ear in an air coupled manner. A flexible membrane strung over an airtight metallic bell by means of a pressure sensitive tuning mechanism which (without the vibration of the instrument itself) adds considerably to the sound. The traditional way of auscultation using a stethoscope is to press it against the skin of a patient in a very precise manner.
The proper technique to hold the instrument is key to accurate auscultation, and such technique is considered an art as well as science. Coupled with the proper location of the auscultation (pulmonary, aortic, suprasternal, tricuspid, mitral, pulmonary, or apex) the angle at which the device is held, and the pressure at which it is applied to the patient, create different airflow and dynamically modify certain properties of the instrument. This in turn causes its air column to amplify different resonant frequencies. As a result, the instrument is said to be "tuned" to different acoustic waveforms, belonging to different organs or systems.
Auscultation is spatio-temporally variant phenomena. For example the heart follows midsystolic, holosystolic (or pansystolic), early, mid and late diastolic patterns. The speed and intensity changes with the patient's condition, as well as metabolism at the time measurement was taken. The different sounds of these cycles may radiate toward cartoid arteries, apex, precordium, axilla, sternum, or none at all. The medical quality of the auscultation may be described as rumbling, blowing, harsh, rough, high-pitch, medium-pitch, low-pitch, and these may or may not be accompanied by thrill (vibrato caused by turbulent blood flow). Each of these parameters may have any of the six medically accepted intensity grades:                1. Barely audible, even to the trained ear.        2. Easily audible.        3. Equal to normal heart sound intensity.        4. Loud with palpable thrill.        5. Audible when stethoscope is in partial contact with the chest, and murmur has a palpable thrill.        6. Audible when stethoscope is over but not touching the chest, and murmur has palpable thrill.
These qualities are of dramatic importance to a successful diagnosis. For example, a tricuspid auscultation (requires turning the chestpiece over to diaphragm side and use firm pressure) radiating towards precordium with harsh quality and high pitch may indicate the patient has a ventricular septal defect. A blowing quality instead of harsh, all else being equal, suggests the patient instead has a tricuspid insufficiency. These two different conditions produce sounds that are difficult to distinguish, even for a trained ear. The intensity grade of the auscultation can make this distinction even more difficult. Improper handling of the stethoscope over the measurement site also makes the distinction difficult. These difficulties create a risk that students might learn the incorrect sounds and associate them with wrong diagnoses.
The character of an auscultation as perceived by the human ear is controlled by the four distinct properties: pitch, loudness, timbre, and duration (time between two adjacent periods of zero loudness). Timbre is the sonic quality of a sound that defines the distinct character. For example, assume a piano, then a cello, play the same note with exactly the same loudness, duration, and pitch bend. Humans can still tell which sound came from which instrument due to the timbre. Timbre is noise invariant, and human hearing is incredibly sensitive to timbre, probably because timbre is how humans add emotion to speech. However it is dramatically less sensitive to other parameters of sound (where noise is propagated), and this sensitivity varies according to a Fletcher-Munson curve. Noise occurs principally in the pitch domain; it is a cacophony of pitched components which could end up drowning the timbre.
Loudness is how an individual perceives the volume of a sound at a certain sound pressure level. The difference between the softest and the loudest perceivable volume levels is named the dynamic range of the ear. The point where the volume is so low that the ear ceases to hear the sound is named the threshold of audibility which differs for person to person and for different pitches. In general the threshold for the higher pitches is raised when a person is getting older, until finally deafness for this pitch range occurs. Further, when the volume level is either too low or too loud for an extended period of time (such as in auscultation training sessions) more concentration is needed and the person's hearing will tire after some hours, also changing its sensitivity. It is impossible to adjust a conventional stethoscope to cope with these changes and ensure uniform loudness is heard.
In conventional patient care the experienced physician controls the stethoscope and hears the proper sounds directly. In a research hospital setting with a group of medical students to auscultate on one patient, it is impossible for the training doctor to ensure every student has heard the exact same sound mentioned in the lecture. This is because the students are yet learning how to position and hold the instrument properly. A Stethoscope is extremely sensitive to precise hand-ear coordination, and will either produce the correct sound, or a very wrong sound, or lack thereof. Further, student training requires multiple measurements which is inconvenient for the patient.
In conventional student training, one method for producing or electronic version of auscultation is to use a stethophone having electric microphones inside the ear holes to amplify the sound for play over a speaker system for simultaneous listening by students. This solution is acceptable only for very basic practice because (i) it cannot reproduce the complex low-frequency characteristics of the real instrument, (ii) the output may sound different based on the positioning and capabilities of amplifying unit as well as the shape of the room, (iii) it is prone to positive feedback from the amplifying instrument and to electrical noise from other medical and non-medical devices (e.g. fluorescent lamps), and (iv) it is a violation of patient's privacy rights since the sound is broadcast in a way it can be heard by third parties. The auscultation sounds can also be recorded for later playback to one or more students, which has the same problems. Medical students in auscultation training find themselves in a situation where the sound produced by the patient is not being heard by them at the time, location, and handling which it was produced. Instead it is heard by the experienced doctor, and described to the students verbally, who must learn to locate the same sound.
Sharing a single stethoscope is anatomically impossible since the instrument should form an air pressure barrier with both ears simultaneously lest it will not operate properly. Prior art utilizes dual-earpiece training stethoscopes for joint use by the training doctor and student, such as those sold by 3M, Mabis, and Sprague. The problem with these devices is threefold; (i) they can be used with only one student at a time. (ii), because they divide the sound and require longer tubes (2×40″ tubes versus the conventional 1×28″), wave attenuation occurs and the auscultation becomes weaker, resulting in a hearing of incorrect intensity grade. And (iii), more tubes in the way increases the risk of tubes rubbing against each other (especially if the patient is not cooperating such as in the case of children, or the room is small), which will pollute the auscultation.

Wireless stethobroadcasting instrument for medical training


Disclosed are a system and a method for motion editing multiple synchronized characters. The motion editing system comprises: a Laplacian motion editor which edits a spatial route of inputted character data according to user conditions, and processes the distortion of the interaction time; and a discrete motion editor which applies a discrete transformation while the character data is processed.

Collaborative and adversarial interactions among multiple characters usually require synchronization in both space and time. Most existing motion editing techniques allow motions of each individual character to be manipulated independently. Editing synchronized multi-character motions can be cumbersome if the animator has to maintain interpersonal constraints manually, for synchronization. Herein, a motion editing system and method capable of efficiently editing multi-character motions will be provided.

System and method for motion editing multiple synchronized characters


The present invention relates to an enantiospecific process for the preparation of (R) and (S) enantiomers of sex pheromones of the long-tailed mealybug with high enantiopurity.

Pheromones are chemicals released by an organism into its environment enabling it to communicate with other members of its own species. Mealybugs are known to spoil crops such as grapes, pears etc., especially the long-tailed mealybug. The long-tailed mealybug is scientifically known as Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti).
The racemic form of the pheromone was prepared synthetically by the Miller group after identifying the structure of isolated pheromone. Miller group has reported that 25 μg is sufficient to attract male mealybugs for three months and they can be trapped and killed; male population is thus decreased.
Pheromones play an important role in chemical communication among organisms. Various chiral and non-racemic pheromones have been identified since the late 1960s. Their enantioselective syntheses were achieved so as to establish the absolute configuration of the naturally occurring pheromones and also to clarify the relationship between absolute configuration and the bioactivity of the chiral pheromones. Synthesis of pheromones is an important and arising field of research to establish the structures and also to provide sufficient material to carry out biological studies. In general, natural pheromones are available in very limited quantities (usually in μg by killing several bugs) which restrict the extensive field trials. To overcome such constrain several methods have been reported in the literature to construct low molecular weight pheromones.
Article titled "Sex pheromonal activity of (+)-bornyl acetate and related compounds to the American cockroach" by Manabe S et al. published in Journal of Chemical Ecology, 1983; 9(3), pp 433-48 reports many compounds related to (+)-bornyl acetate (a sex pheromone mimic of the American cockroach) were synthesized and tested for sex pheromonal activity. All compounds except for esters of (+)- and (−)-borneol were inactive, whereas (+)-bornyl acetate (Ib) and propionate (Ic) showed the activity at 0.05 mg. Although (−)-bornyl propionate (IVc) is the enantiomer of Ic, it exhibited weak activity at 0.5 mg dose. On the basis of the behavioral assay results, important chemical factors in Ib for pheromonal activity were elucidated and are discussed in connection with another mimic, (+)-trans-verbenyl acetate. The M/F ratio index in EAG was evaluated for both active and inactive compounds. The index demonstrated a good correlation with the behavioral activity.
Article titled "Syntheses and determination of absolute configurations and biological activities of the enantiomers of the long-tailed mealybug pheromone" by Remya Ramesh et al. published in Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2013, 78, pp 6281-6284 reports preparation and assignment of absolute configurations to both enantiomers of the sex pheromone of the long-tailed mealybug, an irregular monoterpenoid with extraordinary biological activity. Comparison of the biological activities of both enantiomers and the racemate in field trials showed that the (S)-(+)-enantiomer was highly attractive to male mealybugs, strongly suggesting that female long-tailed mealybugs produce this enantiomer. The (R)-(−)-enantiomer was benign, being neither attractive nor inhibitory. Article titled "Synthesis of Verbenols and related alcohols and their pmr spectra with shift reagent" by Chikao Nisiuno et al. published in Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, 1979, 43 (9), pp 1967 1974 reports (+)-bornyl acetate (bicydicmonoterpenoid) and three other plant-derived compounds excite males of the American cockroach showing the typical sexual response mentioned.
Article titled "Useful Reactions in Modern Pheromone Synthesis" by Mori et al. published in Current Organic Synthesis, 2004, 1, pp 11-29 disclosed various aspects of pheromone synthesis where methodologies such as organoborane reactions, organotransition metal chemistry including olefin metathesis, asymmetric epoxidation, asymmetric dihydroxylation and other asymmetric chemical processes was demonstrated.
Article titled "The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of aldehydes and ketones" by C. H. Hassall published in book titled "Organic Reactions" 2011, reports Baeyer and Vlliger showed that the oxidation of alicyclic ketones, menthone, tetrahydrocarvone, and camphor with permono-sulfuric acid led to the formation of lactones.
Article titled "Chemoselective reductive deoxygenation of α,β-unsaturated ketones and allyl alcohols" by Adusumilli Srikrishna et al. published in Tetrahedron Letters, 1995, 36 (13), pp 2347-2350 reports a simple and convenient procedure for a highly chemoselective reductive deoxygenation of α,β-unsaturated ketones and allyl alcohols to olefins by sodium cyanoborohydride and boron trifluorideetherate in dry THF.

Article titled "Pyridiniumchlorochromate. An efficient reagent for oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to carbonyl compounds" by E. J. Corey et al. published in Tetrahedron Letter, 1975, 16, pp 2647-2650 reports pyridiniumchlorochromate is a readily available, stable reagent, that oxidizes a wide variety of alcohols to carbonyl compounds with high efficiency.

Article titled "Mechanisms of lactone hydrolysis in acidic conditions" by Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli et al. published in Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2013, 78 (14), pp 6880-6889 reports the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of linear esters and lactones was studied using a hybrid supermolecule-polarizable continuum model (PCM) approach including up to six water molecules. The compounds studied included two linear esters, four β-lactones, two γ-lactones, and one δ-lactone: ethyl acetate, methyl formate, β-propiolactone, β-butyrolactone, β-isovalerolactone, diketene (4-methyleneoxetan-2-one), γ-butyrolactone, 2(5H)-furanone, and δ-valerolactone.
Article titled "Lanthanoids in organic synthesis. 6. Reduction of alpha-enones by sodium borohydride in the presence of lanthanoid chlorides: synthetic and mechanistic aspects." by Andre L. Gemal et al. published in Journal of American Chemical Society, 1981, 103 (18), pp 5454-5459 reports reduction of alpha-enones by sodium borohydride in the presence of lanthanoid chlorides.
Article titled "Reduction of ketones to hydrocarbons with triethylsilane: m-nitroethylbenzene" by James L. Fry et al. published in Organic Synthesis, 1981, 60, 108 et al. reports other carbonyl reduction methods include the familiar Clemmensen and Wolff-Kishner reactions. These are usually conducted for extended periods of time at elevated temperatures under strongly acidic or basic conditions, respectively. Mixed metal hydride-Lewis acid reagents constitute strong reducing systems that are often effective in the deoxygenation of diaryl ketones and some aryl alkyl ketones. However, even the mixed lithium aluminum hydride-aluminum chloride and sodium borohydride-boron trifluoride reagents reduce dialkyl ketones only to the corresponding alcohols, often with the formation of significant amounts of olefinic by-products.
Article titled "Acetic Anhydride" reports if the reaction is run at temperatures lower than 20° C., primary alcohols can be acetylated over secondary alcohols selectively. Under these conditions, tertiary alcohols are not acylated. Most alcohols, including tertiary alcohols, can be acylated by the addition of DMAP (4-Dimethylaminopyridine) and Acetyl Chloride to the reaction containing acetic anhydride and pyridine. In general, the addition of DMAP increases the rate of acylation by 104 (eq 2).

Article titled "Reduction Reactions" reports regioselective reduction of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl groups by luche reduction.
Article titled "Improved Synthesis of the Pheromone of the Long tailed Mealybug" by Jocelyn G. Millar et al. published in Synlett 2010, No. 15, pp 2319-2321 reports synthesis of pheromones involving Ireland-Claisen conditions in seven steps also discloses commercial development for detection, monitoring, and control of long-tailed mealybugs and the leafroll viruses that they vector.

In view of prior art, pheromones are usually obtained in μg to mg quantities which are insufficient for the determination of their absolute configuration as well as for the biological studies to examine their practicality in the field. Also in view of the technical constraints to scale up the material and cumbersome resolution, the present inventors have developed efficient synthesis for preparation of enantiomers of sex pheromones in good yields.

Enantiospecific process for the preparation of (R) and (S) enantiomers of sex pheromonoes of the long tailed mealy bug

COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC & INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH


The present invention provides an aligning apparatus which is capable of aligning auxiliary connecting plates such as a testing fixture plate so as to fit to both sides of a substrate. A camera 13a monitors aligning marks provided on a substrate 6 and a first auxiliary connecting plate (i.e. a lower surface testing fixture plate) 8 to carry out an aligning operation by moving the substrate 6 by means of an XY.THETA. table 5. A first plate-fitting member (a vacuum suction member) 32 fixes the substrate 6 and the first auxiliary connecting plate 8. On the other hand, a camera 13b monitors aligning marks provided on the substrate 6 and a second auxiliary connecting plate (i.e. an upper surface testing fixture plate) 11 to carry out an aligning operation by moving the second auxiliary connecting plate 11 by means of the XY.THETA. table 5. A second plate-fitting member (a vacuum suction member) 33 fixes the substrate 6 and the second auxiliary connecting plate 11. Thus, the auxiliary connecting plates can be accurately aligned on both sides of the substrate through one table.

The present invention relates to an aligning apparatus for substrates, and more particularly to an aligning apparatus suitable for accurately aligning auxiliary connecting plates such as a fixture plate for test or a connecting terminal plate so as to fit to both sides of a substrate such as a printed substrate or a ceramic substrate.
To perform an inspection of a printed substrate or a ceramic substrate which are formed with wiring patterns thereon, anisotropic conductive rubber sheets, which resistance values decrease at portions pressed down, are usually disposed at both sides of the substrate. By supplying current while applying pressure to these anisotropic conductive rubber sheets through a fixture plate for test, the inspection as to whether or not there is any open circuit on the substrate or short-circuit of the wiring pattern is carried out. This kind of background art is, for example, disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 69-206776.
Furthermore, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 53-81161, a so-called zebra connector, which is a striped pattern rubber sheet formed by alternately arraying low resistance portions and high resistance portions, is disposed on a substrate to connect with a terminal plate.
Recently, there is a tendency such that wiring patterns are formed finely. Therefore, unless the testing fixture plate is precisely positioned with respect to the substrate or unless the zebra connector is precisely positioned with respect to the terminal plate, a desired conductive circuit cannot be completed. Thus, usage of anisotropic conductive rubber sheets or zebra connectors become meaningless.
Furthermore, there was such a problem that, from the view point of facilitating aligning operation, if wiring pattern was gathered to a blank portion on a substrate so as to expand respective terminal gap, the wiring pattern had to be elongated unusually to gather its terminals to the blank portion and, thus, such an elongation of wiring pattern resulted in increasing frequency of occurrence of open-circuits or short-circuits.


Lateral-flow assay and time-resolved fluorescence technologies provide a sensitive tool for detecting norovirus particles in a sample. A flow-through assay device employs norovirus and norovirus G2 antibodies. The lateral-flow assay includes a conjugate pad having conjugated probes. The conjugated probes are particles modified with a binding member that is configured to bind with a norovirus. The particles also have a fluorescent label. A general method of detecting the virus includes (i) preparing a sample with contaminants, (ii) processing the sample and depositing it onto the assay device, and (iii) measuring the fluorescence signal.

Norovirus is recognized as the leading cause of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis. Generally, norovirus genogroups GI and GII are responsible for human gastroenteritis. Studies suggest that genogroup GII, genotype 4 (GII.4) is the primary cause of norovirus infection worldwide.
Noroviruses are highly contagious, so very low doses of viral particles can cause infection. Viral particles are excreted in stool and vomit, and transmission occurs by ingestion of contaminated food or water, and by touching contaminated surfaces. These characteristics can facilitate outbreaks in environments such as schools, day cares, nursing homes, hospitals, and hospitality settings such as ships and hotels. Norovirus infections can be serious, especially for the elderly and young children. Each year in the United States, it is estimated that norovirus causes 570 to 800 deaths.
Rapid detection is important in implementing measures to reduce transmission of the virus. Norovirus detection on hard surfaces is of particular interest. Commercially available assay kits based on immunochromatographic principles (e.g. RT-qPCR assays) have been shown to be inconsistent when used to test hard surfaces, likely because the majority of existing technologies are designed for testing fecal matter or vomitus, where the particle load is high.
As such, a need currently exists for a fast and effective system for detecting low doses of norovirus on surfaces.

Devices and methods for detecting norovirus on surfaces


In a drive assembly for auxiliaries of a motor vehicle, such as fan drives, an electric motor serves as a clutch whose stator is non-rotatably connected with the driven shaft and whose rotor speed can be controlled with respect to the stator by controlling the stator excitation.

The present invention relates to a drive assembly for auxiliaries of a motor vehicle, and more particularly, to a drive assembly having a driven shaft and a clutch arrangement by way of which the auxiliary is connected to the driven shaft, such as the fan of a motor vehicle engine.
DE-OS 22 54 390 shows the connection of a motor vehicle engine radiator fan by way of, for example, a magnetic clutch to the crankshaft of the engine. The magnetic clutch has a drive shaft which can be fixedly connected with the crankshaft, which forms the primary part of the clutch and can be coupled with a secondary part which is disposed in a freely rotatable manner and is connected with the fan wheel. A hysteresis disk is assigned to one clutch part and a magnet is assigned to the other clutch part. The working gap between the magnet and the hysteresis disk can be changed in the axial direction as a function of the rotational driving speed by way of a centrifugal governor. As a result, the transmissible torque can be increasingly lowered so that, at higher rotational engine speeds in which, as a rule, the driving speed is also higher, the driving power for the fan can be decreased.
DE-Gbm 88 11 100 also shows the connection of the radiator fan of a motor vehicle engine with the engine shaft by way of a fluid friction clutch. The fan, as a function of the cooling air temperature, optionally also as a function of the cooling water temperature, is driven faster or slower, specifically irrespective of how fast the engine is rotating. Both types of the aforementioned known constructions permit only a reduction of the rotational fan speed with respect to the drive shaft rotational speed.
FR 22 58 737 A also describes assigning rotatable coil arrangements to a shaft. These coil arrangements form a generator with a coil arrangement fixedly connected with the shaft. The generator can be driven, for example, by wind or water power. The use of an electric motor as a clutch for auxiliaries of motor vehicles, however, is not suggested by this known arrangement. DE-AS 10 70 282 describes an electric induction machine in which an electrodynamic clutch is connected between the induction machine and a power engine, with the two rotatable parts of the electrodynamic clutch carrying windings. A winding of the clutch and a polyphase winding of the electric induction machine in this case are connected to the same network. Such a development cannot be implemented for a drive assembly for an auxiliary of a motor vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive assembly such that the rotational speed for the drive of the auxiliary can be selected completely independently of the rotational speed of the driven shaft.
The foregoing object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a drive assembly in which an electric motor is used as a clutch arrangement. The stator of the electric motor is fixedly disposed on the driven shaft, and the rotational speed of the electric motor rotor is controllable by controlling the stator excitation with respect to the stator.
According to the stator excitation, the rotational speed of the rotor, on which, for example, the fan blades are fastened, can be reduced with respect to the rotational driving speed as was the case with prior art devices. With the present invention, it also becomes possible, however, to still increase the rotational rotor speed with respect to the rotational speed of the stator rotating along with the drive shaft so that, as a result, higher rotational speeds of the fan can also be implemented than can be provided by the drive shaft without switching on a high-expenditure transmission via clutches by merely using the electric motor as the clutch. The electric motor must only be configured for the difference of the maximally desired rotational fan speed and the rotational speed of the drive shaft because the stator rotates.
The rotor of the present invention can be placed directly onto the driven shaft. Between a housing receiving the driven shaft and the stator, in a further embodiment of the invention, an electronic power system can also be used for the control of the stator excitation which is expediently rotatably arranged on the driven shaft, is fixedly connected with the housing and configured to carry out the current transmission to the stator by way of slip rings.

Motor vehicle auxiliaries drive assembly


A laser processing system includes redundant actuators positioning a laser spot on a workpiece. The system determines a first trajectory of the first actuator minimizing motion of the first actuator that positions the second actuator such that each point of the reference trajectory is within a range of the second actuator and determines a second trajectory of the second actuator based on a difference between the reference trajectory and the first trajectory. For each axis of control, the system determines an envelope centered on the reference trajectory with a width not greater than the range of the second actuator and determines shortest trajectory traversing the envelope along the time domain to produce the first trajectory. Hence, the first trajectory includes a set of straight segments satisfying the constraints defined by the shape of the envelope. The system includes controllers for control the motion of redundant actuators.

A processing machine with redundant actuators includes multiple actuators for jointly positioning a controlled parameter. For example, the controlled parameter can be a position of a worktool along each axis of motion, and the joint motion of the redundant actuators position such a worktool. In a number of implementations, the position of the worktool is the algebraic sum of the position of at least a first actuator and a position of a second actuator of the redundant actuators. Thus, the machine is over-actuated, and degrees of freedom are available to optimize the movement of the worktool along a desired processing pattern. The worktool can be positioned by independent operations of the redundant actuators, and thus the task of positioning the worktool along the processing pattern can be separated between redundant actuators. One example of such a machine is a laser processing machine with redundant actuators, in which the worktool is a laser beam.
Some conventional methods, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,275 and 7,710,060, use frequency separation techniques to assign the task of positioning the laser beam to the redundant actuators. For example, a low pass filter filters the processing pattern. The filtered signal becomes a reference trajectory for one actuator, while a difference between the processing pattern and the filtered signal becomes a reference trajectory for another actuator. In those methods, the redundant actuators jointly and supportively position the worktool.

System and method for controlling redundant actuators with different dynamics

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A tufting machine having spaced apart needle modules removably mounted on a needle bar in the tufting machine, the modules having notches at opposite side edges remote from the needles. Each side edge is of a generally half U-shape configuration so that when two modules are mounted side-by-side a substantially U-shape recess is formed at the abutting sides. A clamping plate is secured by a fastener extending through each recess to clamp against the pair of adjacent modules. A cut-out at a central portion of each module at the edge remote from the needles receives a locating member which is adjustably secured to the needle bar, the locating member abutting the edges of the cut-out to precisely locate each module. In another embodiment, a tab formed as part of a gauging bar is temporarily positioned within the recess to locate modules not having the central cut-out. Removal of a module merely requires loosening of the fasteners to permit the module to be slidably retracted, and a replacement module may thereafter be precisely inserted.

This invention relates to tufting machines and more particularly to tufting machine modular gauge parts having a construction which facilitates accurate and rapid location and positioning in the tufting machine and minimizes the tendency of a module to twist due to the forces applied during the tufting process.
In tufting machines a plurality of yarn carrying needles are mounted on needle bars extending transversely across the machine, the needle bars being reciprocated cyclically so that the needles penetrate and insert loops of yarn into a backing material fed through the machine. The loops formed are seized by either loopers or hooks mounted on a looper or hook bar depending upon whether it is desired to produce loop pile or cut pile in the material, and in the latter case loops seized by the hooks are cut by knives cooperating with the hooks. In the tufting art the gauge of a pile fabric is determined by the spacing between adjacent parts, i.e., the needles, loopers or hooks, and knives, of the tufting machine, such parts being known as gauge parts. The spacing between the needles, known as the pitch, is a measure of the gauge of the pile fabric produced. The needles and the loopers or hooks must be accurately positioned so that cooperation therebetween results in a loop being seized by the looper or hook. The term looper is used in the art in conjunction with uncut pile while the term hook is used in the art in conjunction with cut pile and those instances where both cut and uncut loops are formed. Thus, for convenience the term hook will be used hereinafter, it being understood to apply to hooks and loopers.
In fine gauge machines, i.e., those which produce fabric that have tufts which are closely spaced apart such as 0.1 inch or smaller, in order to increase the ease with which a faulty or damaged needle or hook can be replaced and to ensure that the requisite spacing is maintained either initially or during replacement of a damaged needle or hook, it has become common for small groups of needles or hooks to be mounted on a needle or hook module, such needle modules being illustrated, for example, in Parsons U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,956. A number of such modules may be removably mounted on the needle or hook bar in side-by-side disposition to form rows of needles or hooks on the needle or hook bar respectively. The removal and replacement of needle or hook modules necessitates that the new module or modules be positioned accurately on the respective needle or hook bar to ensure accurate cooperation with the corresponding gauge parts.
Conventionally a single central screw, as illustrated in the aforesaid Parsons patent, acts to secure such modules to the respective bar. Such a securing, however, renders it difficult to ensure accurate replacement of a damaged or worn module or modules and furthermore necessitates entire removal of the central screw from each module to be replaced. Additionally, the use of a central screw does not preclude a twisting about the screw when large forces are applied to the gauge parts and this can affect the accuracy of the cooperation between the needles and hooks. Another type of needle module in which a pair of spaced apart screws are received through bores in a flange beneath the needle bar and threadily received within the needle bar is disclosed in Czelusniak U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,716, but such an arrangement requires removal of both the screws in order to replace a single module and, additionally, since the screw holes may not be precisely drilled, location is not precise.


A method of skull-melting comprises the steps of:. a. providing a vessel adapted for a skull-melting process, the vessel having an interior, an underside, and an orifice in connecting the interior and the underside; PA0 b. disposing a waveguide in the orifice so that the waveguide protrudes sufficiently into the interior to interact with the skull-melting process; PA0 c. providing a signal energy transducer in signal communication with the waveguide; PA0 d. introducing into the vessel a molten working material; PA0 e. carrying out the skull-melting process so that a solidified skull of the working material is formed, the skull and the vessel having an interface therebetween, the skull becoming fused to the waveguide so the signal energy can be transmitted through the waveguide and the skull without interference from the interface; PA0 f. activating the signal energy transducer so that a signal is propagated through the waveguide; and, PA0 g. controlling at least one variable of the skull-melting process utilizing feedback information derived from the propagated signal energy.

In the field of metal processing, it is well known that certain metals such as titanium are highly reactive in the molten state, and are conducive to refinement by remelting in crucibles. To prevent undesirable reactions with the crucible material, the well known "skull-melting" method was developed, in which the liquid working metal is contained in a solid shell or "skull" of the same metal, which in turn is surrounded by a water-cooled hearth. Heating is provided by a plasma torch disposed above the working metal surface, the plasma torch being moved about the surface area to provide uniform transfer of heat to the working metal.
For many processes, such as the continuous or semicontinuous plasma remelting of titanium, it is important to know the volume of molten working metal in the hearth. A certain minimum residence time in the liquid state must be maintained in order to decompose low-density inclusions, which would limit the strength of the metal. To determine the volume of working metal in the molten state, it is necessary to know both the level of the molten pool and the thickness of the solid skull underneath. Access to the top surface of the pool of molten working metal is limited by the moving plasma torch above the surface. Therefore, ultrasonic devices have been placed on the underside of the hearth to obtain measurements indicative of liquid depth and skull thickness.
At the same time, however, in order to minimize heat loss to the hearth, a rough, low density, low heat conductivity interface is intentionally created between the hearth and the skull. Ultrasonic devices placed under the hearth are thus rendered ineffective because the interface prevents sonic coupling to the skull. A means for coupling a transducer directly to the skull is thus required for successful transmission of the ultrasonic signal for accurate, precise liquid depth measurement.

Device and method for skull-melting depth measurement


A wireless communication apparatus includes: a channel information acquiring unit that, acquires a transmitted signal channel matrix that is channel information as a transmitted signal of a pre-interference-removal transmitted signal group and an interference signal channel matrix that is channel information as an interference signal of the non-interference-removed transmitted signal group; an interference signal calculating unit that generates an interference signal group at the time of reception by the non-interference-removed transmitted signal group with respect to the pre-interference-removal transmitted signal group, based on the pre-interference-removal transmitted signal group, the non-interference-removed transmitted signal group, the transmitted signal channel matrix, and the interference signal channel matrix; a subtracting unit that subtracts the interference signal group from the pre-interference-removal transmitted signal group to generate a post-interference-removal transmitted signal group; and a transmission antenna group that transmits the post-interference-removal transmitted signal group and the non-interference-removed transmitted signal group from mutually different transmission antennas.

In recent years, standardization of 4th generation mobile communication has been underway, and various investigations have been conducted for the purpose of accomplishing the improvement of the downlink transfer rate. The downlink is communication from a base station to a mobile station. One method that can be envisioned for improving the transfer rate is that of widening the system bandwidth. However, the widening of the system bandwidth is restricted because of limited frequency resources. Given this, investigations are done regarding MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), which enables spatial multiplexing of a plurality of signals, using one and the same of the time and of the frequency, without widening the frequency bandwidth, as the practical technology. MIMO multiplexing technology is spatial multiplexing transmitting technology, whereby spatial multiplexing is done by providing a plurality of antennas for both transmitting and receiving sides and simultaneously transmitting different signal streams from the plurality of transmission antennas.
In 3.9G, to satisfy the requirement condition for a transfer rate of 300 Mbps (megabits/second), MIMO technology that provides four antennas and enables maximum four-fold multiplexing is used. In the 4th generation, considering the requirement for a 1-Gbps (gigabit/second) bandwidth, it is necessary to have spatial multiplexing up to a maximum of eight-fold, and related investigations are being conducted. In this case, methods for separating MIMO-multiplexed signals can be generally divided into two types: methods in which signal separation is done at the receiving side, and methods in which signal processing is done at the transmitting side.
The wireless channel in a mobile communication system is constituted by a large number of channels with different delay times. For this reason, at the receiving side, in addition to the desired signal to be transmitted and received, there are a large number of interference signals. The reception characteristics, therefore, are influenced by the influence of interference and the influence of noise.
Methods of separating multiplexed signals at the receiving side include MMSE (minimum mean square error) and MLD (maximum likelihood detection). With these methods, using the received signals of each reception antenna and the characteristics of the channels through which the signals pass, detection is performed of the desired signal to be transmitted and received, taking into consideration the influence of the interference and noise on the channels. The reception characteristics are relatively good. With WILD in particular, it is possible for all combinations of modulated signals that can be transmitted from the transmission antenna to select the one that has the highest probability of being the one that was transmitted. For this reason, MLD is the optimum receiving detection method, and achieves good transfer characteristics.
Transmitting equalization techniques such as ZF (zero forcing) and THP (Tomlinson-Harashima precoding) have been proposed as methods of signal processing at the transmitting side (refer to Non-Patent Document 1). Transmitting equalization techniques are techniques that suppress at the transmitting side the influence of interference received on the channel. Specifically, in transmitting equalization, the channel characteristics that are estimated for each reception antenna are fed back to the transmitting side. Then, at the transmitting side, the influence of interference on the channel is calculated based on that channel information, and the signal is processed prior to transmitting, so that it is possible at the receiving side to receive a signal in which the influence of interference has been cancelled out. Although the reception characteristics are deteriorated from those of a method that performs MIMO signal separation (separation of signals as the MIMO receiving side, hereinafter "MIMO separation"), the receiving processing is simple.

Wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication system, and communication method


A circuit board (12) and electrical connector (10) mounted to an edge (18) thereof is disclosed. The circuit board (12) includes an edge (18) and two major surfaces (14, 16) extending therefrom having circuitry (20). Plated through holes (24) are arranged adjacent the edge and are interconnected to circuitry on the circuit board. Each plated through hole (24) is associated with an opening such as a slot (26) or partial slot (27) that is formed in the edge (18) of the board so that it intersects the hole. The posts (32) of the connector (10) extend into the openings (26, 27) preferably in interference fit therewith whereafter soldering completes the electrical connections of the posts to the through holes.

In certain high density circuit board applications such as board to board interconnections one of the mating connectors is attached to the edge of one of the boards and the other connector is either attached to the edge or the surface of the other board. Such connectors, when mounted to the edge of the board, occupy less board space than their surface mount counterparts, and therefore are more desirable in these applications. Examples of these types of connectors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,885 and 5,127,839 which issued to Korsunsky et al. on Apr. 6, 1993 and Jul. 7, 1992 respectively. In such edge mounted connectors, the signal contacts generally have solder tails that extend outwardly in two parallel rows, one row of tails being in contact with pads on one side of the circuit board and the tails in the other row being in contact with pads on the opposite sides of the circuit board. The ground contacts are positioned so that their posts extend outwardly in a row between and parallel with the two rows of signal contact solder tails. The ground posts extend into holes in the edge of the circuit board and engage transversely arranged plated through holes that are interconnected with ground circuitry on the circuit board. Solder paste in the plated through holes and on the contact pads is reflowed, to effect soldered connections between the posts and solder tails and their respective holes and pads.
As the circuitry on these circuit boards becomes more dense the edge mounted connector must become correspondingly smaller resulting in very delicate contacts. Any variation in alignment during assembly of the connector to the circuit board may cause the contacts to become imaged. Therefore, precise alignment is necessary. This requires that the holes in the edge of the circuit board be very precisely located between the two major surfaces. It is known to drill or to pierce or punch these holes from the edge of the board inwardly toward and through the wall of the plated through hole. This tends to cause portions of the insulating circuit board to enter the plated through hole and to interfere with the subsequent soldering process, and such debris must be cleaned out prior to soldering. Additionally, these holes are only about 0.018 inch square making the punch tooling fragile and easily damaged. As a result, these openings are difficult and extensive to make properly accurately located and dimensioned. What is needed is a way of interconnecting the posts to the edge-mounted connector with the plated through holes of the circuit board without the need of forming holes into the edge of the board.

Circuit board and edge-mountable connector therefor, and method of preparing a circuit board edge


A backrest mechanism for a chair includes a pair of left and right side rods, each having a folded portion in a laid-V shape in a side view at a portion for supporting a sitting person around his or her lumbar, and a back plate that connects opposing surfaces of the side rods. An upper portion of the back plate above the folded portions serves as a flexible portion that is elastically deformable in a backward direction and that has smaller rigidity than the left and right side rods, and a lower portion of the back plate below the flexible portion serves as an inflexible portion that has greater rigidity than the flexible portion.

A certain backrest among backrests for office chairs is configured such that, for example, the entire backrest is integrally formed with synthetic resin and a plurality of openings are formed in a back plate for back support, so that the back plate can appropriately bend backward to provide a comfortable sitting feeling when a person leans on the backrest (see, for example, Patent Literatures 1 to 3).


Bioconditioning device for objects, such as seats, couches, particular items of clothing and the like, with surfaces susceptible of making contact with body parts. The device includes at least one surface layer made of permeable material, susceptible of making contact with a body part, and at least one internal layer in which at least one channel is defined; the inside of the channel is connected to the surface layer and can be connected to a suction device. The suction device draws a flow of air from outside through the surface layer to facilitate evaporation and removal of any sweat excreted by the body part which is in contact with the surface layer.

The present invention relates to a bioconditioning device for objects, such as seats, couches, particular items of clothing and the like, with surfaces susceptible of making contact with body parts.
As is known, the human body has a thermal autoregulation system. In particular, sweating develops in the presence of a high ambient temperature, and by means of said sweating the body conveys to the surface of the skin an aqueous solution which, by evaporating, removes vaporization heat from said surface, thus also cooling the parts underlying the skin and the body itself.
The activity of this phenomenon is proportional to the completeness of the conversion of the water contained in sweat into vapor as said sweat reaches the skin surface, and an even moderate ventilation of said skin is the best way to achieve this conversion, especially when the ambient temperature is close to, or even exceeds, the surface temperature of the human body.
Indeed, one often resorts to the use of fans or ventilators in order to achieve some comfort in high-temperature environments.
Due to clothing and seated positions, in which extensive regions of the body are in contact with surfaces which are scarcely or not at all permeable, and in the presence of stagnant air, sweat does not evaporate, but the body continues to excrete it, drenching clothing and seats with no benefit.
In order to solve this problem, in closed and/or small environments one resorts to forced ventilation, exposing the uncovered parts of the body, usually the head, the neck and the upper part of the chest, to a strong air current which however, by cooling small body surfaces excessively and too quickly, may have harmful consequences on one's health.
In other cases one resorts to conditioning, modifying the temperature and humidity present in a closed environment so as to create more comfortable conditions.
However, a conditioning system has considerable purchase and operating costs. The environmental conditions preset by adjusting the conditioner may furthermore be not satisfactory for all the people who occupy the conditioned environment, due to different individual characteristics.
Another disadvantage which can be observed in the use of environment conditioning systems is the feeling of discomfort which is unavoidably perceived in passing from a conditioned environment to an unconditioned one.

Bioconditioning device for objects with surfaces susceptible of making contact with body parts

F.I.M.A.C. Fabbrica Italiana Macchine Aria Compressa SpA