Cyclic peptides comprising a cadherin cell adhesion recognition sequence HAV, and compositions comprising such cyclic peptides, are provided. Methods for using such peptides for modulating cadherin-mediated cell adhesion in a variety of contexts are also provided.

Cell adhesion is a complex process that is important for maintaining tissue integrity and generating physical and permeability barriers within the body. All tissues are divided into discrete compartments, each of which is composed of a specific cell type that adheres to similar cell types. Such adhesion triggers the formation of intercellular junctions (i.e., readily definable contact sites on the surfaces of adjacent cells that are adhering to one another), also known as tight junctions, gap junctions and belt desmosomes. The formation of such junctions gives rise to physical and permeability barriers that restrict the free passage of cells and other biological substances from one tissue compartment to another. For example, the blood vessels of all tissues are composed of endothelial cells. In order for components in the blood to enter a given tissue compartment, they must first pass from the lumen of a blood vessel through the barrier formed by the endothelial cells of that vessel. Similarly, in order for substances to enter the body via the gut, the substances must first pass through a barrier formed by the epithelial cells of that tissue. To enter the blood via the skin, both epithelial and endothelial cell layers must be crossed.
Cell adhesion is mediated by specific cell surface adhesion molecules (CAMs). There are many different families of CAMs, including the immunoglobulin, integrin, selectin and cadherin superfamilies, and each cell type expresses a unique combination of these molecules. Cadherins are a rapidly expanding family of calcium-dependent CAMs (Munro et al., In: Cell Adhesion and Invasion in Cancer Metastasis, P. Brodt, ed., pp. 17–34, RG Landes Co. (Austin Tex., 1996). The classical cadherins (abbreviated CADs) are integral membrane glycoproteins that generally promote cell adhesion through homophilic interactions (a CAD on the surface of one cell binds to an identical CAD on the surface of another cell), although CADs also appear to be capable of forming heterotypic complexes under certain circumstances and with lower affinity. Cadherins have been shown to regulate epithelial, endothelial, neural and cancer cell adhesion, and different CADs are expressed on different cell types. N (neural)—cadherin is predominantly expressed by neural cells, endothelial cells and a variety of cancer cell types. E (epithelial)—cadherin is predominantly expressed by epithelial cells. Other illustrative CADs include P (placental)—cadherin, which is found in human skin and R (retinal)—cadherin. A detailed discussion of the classical cadherins is provided in Munro S B et al., 1996, In: Cell Adhesion and Invasion in Cancer Metastasis, P. Brodt, ed., pp. 17–34 (RG Landes Company, Austin Tex.).
The structures of the CADs are generally similar. As illustrated in FIG. 1, CADs are composed of five extracellular domains (EC1–EC5), a single hydrophobic domain (TM) that transverses the plasma membrane (PM), and two cytoplasmic domains (CP1 and CP2). The calcium binding motifs DXNDN (SEQ ID NO:8), DXD and LDRE (SEQ ID NO:9) are interspersed throughout the extracellular domains. The first extracellular domain (EC1) contains the classical cadherin cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sequence, HAV (His-Ala-Val), along with flanking sequences on either side of the CAR sequence that may play a role in conferring specificity. Synthetic peptides containing the CAR sequence and antibodies directed against the CAR sequence have been shown to inhibit CAD-dependent processes (Munro et al., supra; Blaschuk et al., J. Mol. Biol. 211:679–82, 1990; Blaschuk et al., Develop. Biol. 139:227–29, 1990; Alexander et al., J. Cell. Physiol. 156:610–18, 1993). The three-dimensional solution and crystal structures of the EC1 domain have been determined (Overduin et al., Science 267:386–389, 1995; Shapiro et al., Nature 374:327–337, 1995).
Although cell adhesion is required for certain normal physiological functions, there are situations in which cell adhesion is undesirable. For example, many pathologies (such as cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases) involve abnormal cellular adhesion and/or migration. Cell adhesion may also play a role in graft rejection. In such circumstances, modulation of cell adhesion may be desirable.
Cancer is a significant health problem throughout the world. Although advances have been made in detection and therapy of cancer, no universally successful method for the prevention or treatment of human cancer is currently available. For example, among women, breast and ovarian cancer are prevalent in the United States and other countries. Breast cancer, in particular, remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, affecting more than 180,000 women in the United States each year. For women in North America, the life-time odds of getting breast cancer are now one in eight. Management of the disease currently relies on a combination of early diagnosis (through routine breast screening procedures) and aggressive treatment, which may include one or more of a variety of treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among males, with an estimated incidence of 30% in men over the age of 50. Human prostate cancer has the propensity to metastasize to bone. Treatment is commonly based on surgery and/or radiation therapy, but these methods are ineffective in a significant percentage of cases, and this prevalent disease is currently the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S.
Cell adhesion is a complex process that is important for tumor growth. Interactions between cell adhesion molecules, such as classical cadherins, are responsible for binding of tumor cells to one another, as well as for angiogenesis (i.e., the growth of blood vessels from pre-existing blood vessels). Many cancerous tumors are solid masses of cells which require nourishment via blood vessels, and the formation of new capillaries is a prerequisite for tumor growth and the emergence of metastases. Inhibition of undesirable cell adhesion mediated by classical cadherins provides promising new approaches for cancer therapy.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved cancer therapeutic agents that inhibit tumor growth and/or metastasis by either modulating adhesion of cancer cells, or modulating the adhesion between the endothelial cells of both newly formed and pre-existing tumor blood vessels. There is also a need in the art for compounds that induce apoptosis in cancer cells. The present invention fulfills these needs and further provides other related advantages.
Nerve growth is promoted by a wide range of molecules, including the cell surface adhesion molecules (CAMs) NCAM and N-cadherin. In particular, N-cadherin is the predominant mediator of calcium-dependent adhesion in the nervous system. N-cadherin is known to promote neurite outgrowth via a homophilic binding mechanism. N-cadherin is normally found on both the advancing growth cone and on cellular substrates, and the inhibition of N-cadherin function results in diminished neurite outgrowth. Such inhibition may be the result of pathology or injury involving severed neuronal connections and/or spinal cord damage. In such cases, enhancement of N-cadherin mediated neurite outgrowth would be beneficial. However, previous attempts to promote neurite outgrowth have achieved limited success due, in part, to difficulties associated with maintaining continuous growth over a particular defined region.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for compounds that modulate neural cell adhesion, migration and/or survival, such as compounds that direct neurite outgrowth, without the above-mentioned disadvantages. The present invention fulfills this need and further provides other related advantages.
In addition, permeability barriers arising from cell adhesion create difficulties for the delivery of drugs to specific tissues and tumors within the body. For example, skin patches are a convenient tool for administering drugs through the skin. However, the use of skin patches has been limited to small, hydrophobic molecules because of the epithelial and endothelial cell barriers. Similarly, endothelial cells render the blood capillaries largely impermeable to drugs, and the blood/brain barrier has hampered the targeting of drugs to the central nervous system. In addition, many solid tumors develop internal barriers that limit the delivery of anti-tumor drugs and antibodies to inner cells.
Attempts to facilitate the passage of drugs across such barriers generally rely on specific receptors or carrier proteins that transport molecules across barriers in vivo. However, such methods are often inefficient, due to low endogenous transport rates or to the poor functioning of a carrier protein with drugs. While improved efficiency has been achieved using a variety of chemical agents that disrupt cell adhesion, such agents are typically associated with undesirable side-effects, may require invasive procedures for administration and may result in irreversible effects. It has been suggested that linear synthetic peptides containing a cadherin CAR sequence may be employed for drug transport (WO 91/04745), but such peptides are often metabolically unstable and are generally considered to be poor therapeutic agents.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for compounds that modulate cell adhesion and improve drug delivery across permeability barriers without such disadvantages. The present invention fulfills this need and further provides other related advantages.
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is widely used as the primary treatment modality in many patients with coronary artery disease. PTCA can relieve myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease by reducing lumen obstruction and improving coronary flow. The use of this surgical procedure has grown rapidly. However, stenosis following PTCA remains a serious problem. In addition, stents are deployed in a large proportion of vascular interventions (˜70–90%) and the injury to the vessel wall from a stent can be a stimulus for restenosis. Restenosis results in significant morbidity and mortality and frequently necessitates further interventions such as repeat angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery. No surgical intervention or post-surgical treatment has proven universally effective in preventing restenosis. The processes responsible for restenosis are not completely understood but may result from a complex interplay among several different biologic agents and pathways, including overgrowth of smooth muscle cells in the intimal layers of the vessel.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for compounds that modulate, and preferably inhibit, smooth muscle cell adhesion, proliferation, migration and/or survival. The present invention fulfills this need and further provides other related advantages.

Compounds and methods for modulating cell adhesion


This invention discloses an in-situ monitoring method on the layer uniformity of sputter coatings in a vacuum chamber based on deconvolution of measuring plasma emission spectra. The method of the present invention started from an Ar-normalized Sr intensity distribution derived from deconvoluting the plasma spectra by using Abel inversion method, which was considered as the spatial distribution of the sputtering mass of the source target. The thickness profile on the substrate was then calculated with n-th power of cosine law model. It was observed good agreement between the calculated thickness profile based on spectroscopic measurement and experimental observation. The film uniformity for the same sputter conditions can be monitored by comparing in-situ measurement of Ar-normalized Sr intensity distribution with the standard curve, or by directly calculating thickness distribution on the substrates.

The present invention is related to a method for monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating, and in particular to an in-situ method for monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating based on intensity distribution of plasma spectrum.
Uniformity is a very important requirement in the fabrication of products when thin-film deposition is needed. In almost all practices, film uniformity can only be characterized after an enormous amount of tests and measurement were conducted. Some works on in-situ measurement of film thickness have been reported, but none could resolve thickness distribution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,277 discloses a method for measuring the concentration profile of an active species across the surface of a semiconductor slice in a plasma reactor, so that uniformity of etch and deposition across the surface of the semiconductor slice can be assured. However, the semiconductor slice very often is kept moving in a processing chamber during etching or depositing, and thus measuring the concentration profile of the active species across the surface of the semiconductor slice as taught in the method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,277 is difficult to be carried out.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a real-time film uniformity monitoring method for thin-film deposited by sputtering or evaporation.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for adjusting deposition conditions of a thin film deposited by sputtering or evaporation based on a real-time film uniformity monitoring method.
In order to accomplish the objectives of the present invention a first method for in-situ monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating provided by the present invention comprises the following steps, wherein the sputter coating is deposited on a surface of a substrate inside a reaction chamber having a target opposite to said substrate and a low pressure working gas therein:
a) measuring intensity of plasma emission light along an axis on a surface parallel to said target, wherein said plasma emission light is generated by sputtering said target;
b) splitting said intensity of plasma emission light to obtain an intensity distribution of a predetermined wavelength of an element constituting said target along said axis and an intensity distribution of a wavelength of said working gas adjacent to said predetermined wavelength along said axis;
c) normalizing said intensity distribution of said predetermined wavelength of said element with said intensity distribution of said adjacent wavelength of said working gas to obtain a normalized intensity distribution; and
d) comparing said normalized distribution with a standard normalized distribution of an uniform sputter coating obtained according to steps a), b) and c) in advance, so that the layer uniformity of said sputter coating deposited on said surface of said substrate is in-situ monitored, wherein said uniform sputter coating has a desired layer uniformity directly measured by an instrument, and is deposited under sputtering conditions same as those of said sputter coating under in-situ monitoring.
In step c) of the first method of the present invention, said normalizing comprises dividing an intensity of said predetermined wavelength of said element at a position of said axis by an intensity of said adjacent wavelength of said working gas at the same position of said axis.
In the first method of the present invention, said plasma emission light generated by sputtering said target in step a) is cylindrically symmetric on said surface parallel to said target.
A second method for in-situ monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating based on intensity distribution of plasma spectrum according to the present invention comprises the following steps:
a) measuring intensity of plasma emission light along an axis on a surface parallel to said target, wherein said plasma emission light is generated by sputtering said target;
b) splitting said intensity of plasma emission light to obtain an intensity distribution of a predetermined wavelength of an element constituting said target along said axis and an intensity distribution of a wavelength of said working gas adjacent to said predetermined wavelength along said axis;
c) deconvoluting the two resulting intensity distributions from step b) to obtain an intensity distribution of said predetermined wavelength of said element along a radius of said surface parallel to said target and an intensity distribution of said wavelength of said working gas adjacent to said predetermined wavelength along said radius of said surface parallel to said target, respectively;
d) normalizing said intensity distribution of said predetermined wavelength of said element along said radius with said intensity distribution of said adjacent wavelength of said working gas along said radius to obtain a normalized intensity distribution; and
e) comparing said normalized distribution with a standard normalized distribution of an uniform sputter coating obtained according to steps a), b), c) and d) in advance, so that the layer uniformity of said sputter coating deposited on said surface of said substrate is in-situ monitored, wherein said uniform sputter coating has a desired layer uniformity directly measured by an instrument, and is deposited under sputtering conditions same as those of said sputter coating under in-situ monitoring.
A third method for in-situ monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating based on intensity distribution of plasma spectrum according to the present invention is similar to the second method except step e) is replaced by the following:
exe2x80x2) calculating the layer uniformity of said sputter coating deposited on said surface of said substrate by using the resulting normalized distribution from step
d). Preferably, said calculating in step exe2x80x2) is carried out by using the n-th power of cosine law model and the geometric relationship between a substrate and a target.
Said measuring in step a) of the methods of the present invention preferably is carried out by scanning said plasma emission light along said axis on said surface parallel to said target with an optical fiber outside said reaction chamber.
In step d) of the second and third methods of the present invention, said normalizing comprises dividing an intensity of said predetermined wavelength of said element at a value of said radius by an intensity of said adjacent wavelength of said working gas at the same value of said radius.
In step c) of the second and third methods of the present invention, said deconvoluting preferably is carried out by using Abel Inversion, wherein an intensity distribution of a wavelength of a plasma emission light at a radius r on a surface, inten (r), is obtained by the following formula:       inten              xe2x80x83                  (      r      )        =            1      π                          ∫        r        R                                                                              ⅆ                Inten                                                          xe2x80x83                                                          (                x                )                                                    ⅆ              x                                                                          x                2                            -                              r                2                                                                      xe2x80x83                                  ⅆ          x
wherein r is a variable representing a value of a radius of the plasma emission light on said surface, R is an assumed radius of the plasma emission light on said surface, x is a variable representing a position of x-axis, and Inten (x) is an intensity of said wavelength of said plasma emission light on said surface, wherein said plasma emission light is cylindrically symmetric on said surface.
In the method of the present invention the intensity distribution of plasma spectrum is measured across a surface above the target, so that the method of the present invention is applicable to deposition methods wherein the substrate to be deposited is kept moving in the processing chamber, and particularly the method of the present invention is applicable to deposition methods wherein more than one substrates are to be deposited in the processing chamber.

Method for in-situ monitoring layer uniformity of sputter coating based on intensity distribution of plasma spectrum

Precision Instrument Development Center, National Science Council


Arc-quenching fuse tubes comprising an elongated tubular body having an inner arc-quenching surface layer which comprises an arc-quenching matrix comprising a fibrous material and an arc-quenching composition. The arc-quenching compositions comprise a cured composition of an aromatic epoxy resin and a linear aliphatic epoxy resin.

Arc-quenching fuse tubes are well-known in the art and are typically used with electrical cutouts or similar equipment to suppress and/or quench electrical arcing. Arcing can occur when fuse link melting is induced by a fault during operation of an electrical system. To restore normal operation of the system, it is desirable to suppress the arc and clear the fault. Fuse tubes may serve this purpose, and are preferably capable of suppressing and removing arcing conditions repeatedly.
Fuse tubes, and especially the inner surfaces of fuse tubes, are typically formulated from horn fiber, also referred to as bone fiber. Horn fiber is a naturally-occurring substance and is composed largely of keratinous material, which is a tough, fibrous protein. Upon exposure to an electrical arc, horn fiber can decompose, typically via ablation or vaporization. This decomposition generally results in the rapid generation and evolution of gases which interrupt and quench the electrical arc. Horn fiber also possesses desirable mechanical strength and is generally capable of withstanding the high temperature and pressure conditions that can be created by electrical arcs.
Despite the various benefits of horn fiber, including those described above, there are many undesirable drawbacks associated with horn fiber. In this connection, the supply of horn fiber is generally very limited, and its continued availability is uncertain. The manufacture of horn fiber and products which contain horn fiber, such as fuse tubes, is difficult and time-consuming. This tends to increase the cost of horn fiber and horn fiber products.
Generally, fuse tubes contain a liner formulated from horn fiber with a surrounding layer or shell of a synthetic polymeric resin and/or glass fiber. Difficulty has been encountered in achieving a satisfactory bond between the horn fiber liner and this outer layer. In most cases, only a weak mechanical bond can be achieved. Horn fiber is undesirable for this reason also.
Due to the various drawbacks associated with horn fiber, including those discussed above, attempts have been made to develop fuse tubes from materials other than horn fiber. For example, Mattuck et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,555 and Bergh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,556, generally disclose cutout fuse tubes which comprise a core or lining of an epoxy resin reinforced with at least about 45% by weight of a polyester fiber. Aluminum trihydrate is incorporated in the Mattuck et al. fuse tubes in an amount of no more than 15% by weight. Although described as a flame retardant, aluminum trihydrate would have very limited flame suppression characteristics at the concentrations disclosed, and would contribute very little, if any, to arc extinguishment.
Fuse tubes in which higher amounts of aluminum trihydrate are incorporated in a synthetic resinous core are disclosed in Rinehart, U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,514. The Rinehart patent teaches the incorporation in the inner core of from about 40% to about 80% by weight of aluminum trihydrate. Such high amounts of aluminum trihydrate can create significant processing difficulties during manufacture of the fuse tubes including, for example, significantly increased viscosities of the resinous compositions. This high viscosity creates handling problems and mixing difficulties, and increased processing times.
Difficulty has also generally been encountered in the manufacture of fuse tubes from synthetic resins, irrespective of the presence of aluminum trihydrate. In this connection, fuse tubes manufactured from synthetic resins are typically manufactured by drawing a fiber, for example, a polyester fiber, through a resin formulation. The resin-coated fiber is then wound, for example, around a mandrel. It is generally desirable to minimize the formation of gaps between adjacent turns of the coated fiber on the mandrel inasmuch as gaps can deleteriously affect the arc-quenching properties of fuse tubes, and ultimately lead to their failure. Methods for preparing fuse tubes from synthetic resins and fibrous materials in which gaps are substantially prevented have generally been unavailable heretofore.
Accordingly, new and/or better fuse tubes and methods for their preparation are needed. The present invention is directed to these, as well as other important ends.


Apparatus for adapting a propeller system including a propeller shaft (15, 16) and a propeller (7, 8) adapted to be mounted on the propeller shaft (15, 16). The propeller system includes a propeller (7, 8) connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a propeller shaft (15, 16), the propeller shaft (15, 16) having a portion provided with splines (19, 20) which cooperate with corresponding splines (25, 28) inside the hub (23, 26) of the propeller (7, 8) in order to obtain the rotationally fixed connection, where the splines (19, 20) on the propeller shaft (15, 16) and in the hub (23, 26) of the propeller (7, 8) are helical, with a predetermined oblique angle (α, β). The invention also relates to a propeller shaft (15, 16) and a propeller (7, 8) which are intended to be used in the propeller system.

Propellers of the abovementioned type, for example on boats, are driven by a drive motor. The torque delivered by the drive motor is transmitted to the propeller via a drive shaft leading from the motor, a transmission mechanism and a propeller shaft. Since the propeller is designed with a through-opening in the hub thereof, with splines arranged in the through-opening, and the propeller shaft is designed with corresponding splines, a rotationally fixed connection is obtained, when the two (propeller and propeller shaft) are joined together, so that the torque delivered by the drive motor is transmitted to the propeller.
When the propeller of a boat is caused to rotate with the aid of the drive motor, the propeller generates a compressive force which drives the boat forward or backward depending on the direction of rotation of the propeller. The compressive force gives rise to a reaction force which is transmitted to the propeller shaft via the propeller hub. The propeller shaft is therefore provided with a flange against which the hub bears in order to take up the compressive force when the propeller drives the boat forward, and an end nut against which the hub bears in order to take up the compressive force when the propeller drives the boat backward.
A problem with the abovementioned type of spline connection between the propeller hub and the propeller shaft is, however, that only the torque delivered by the drive motor can be transmitted via the spline connection. Consequently, the resulting compressive force is transmitted completely via the flange or end nut, which means that these have to be given a relatively robust and therefore bulky construction, particularly in the case of high-power motors. Another problem is that the propeller hub has to be made particularly robust, and therefore bulky, at those parts which are intended to bear against the flange or end nut. This is particularly problematic in what are known as twin-screw arrangements, that is to say two propellers rotating counter to one another on the same longitudinal geometric axis, where one propeller is connected to a propeller shaft extending through a bore in the second propeller's propeller shaft, and where a large number of components therefore have to be accommodated within a very limited space.

Propeller shaft arrangement, propeller arrangement, adaptive arrangement and propulsion arrangement


A transparent fuel tank for a motorcycle in which the state of wiring and piping under the fuel tank can be inspected. The transparent fuel tank is formed of transparent resin so that piping and wiring under the fuel tank can be visually inspected including during rotation of the transparent fuel tank between a normal position and a maintenance position.

A cowling for a motorcycle through which the state of components can be seen is known. For example, in Japanese Patent Document No. 4-92790, a cowling Cf for a motorcycle is formed of transparent material so as to achieve see-through from the side, whereby cylinder members 5, 6 of an engine E can be seen.
However, with the cowling for a motorcycle disclosed in Japanese Patent Document No. 4-92790, a portion which corresponds to a part where wiring and piping exist, such as a bottom of a fuel tank, is not transparent, and hence the state of the wiring and piping under the fuel tank cannot be seen.


An application development system, optimized for authoring multimedia titles, enables its users to create selectively reusable object containers merely by defining links among instantiated objects. Employing a technique known as Hierarchical Encapsulation, the system automatically isolates the external dependencies of the object containers created by its users, thereby facilitating reusability of object containers and the objects they contain in other container environments. Authors create two basic types of objects: Elements, which are the key actors within an application, and Modifiers, which modify an Element's characteristics. The object containers (Elements and Behaviors--i.e., Modifier containers) created by authors spawn hierarchies of objects, including the Structural Hierarchy of Elements within Elements, and the Behavioral Hierarchy, within an Element, of Behaviors (and other Modifiers) within Behaviors. Through the technique known as Hierarchical Message Broadcasting, objects automatically receive messages sent to their object container. Hierarchical Message Broadcasting may be used advantageously for sending messages between object containers that may be located remotely from each other, such as over a Local Area Network or the Internet. Even whole object containers may be transmitted and remotely recreated over the network. Furthermore, the system may be embedded within a page of the World-Wide Web.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to application development systems generally, and in particular to systems for authoring interactive multimedia applications, including applications able to communicate over networks, and applications embedded into pages on the World Wide Web.
B. Description of the Related Art
Since the advent of computers many decades ago, computer scientists have labored to build increasingly powerful computer hardware that is faster and cheaper to build than its predecessors. Today's computers can perform, in one second, many millions of "add," "shift," "load," "store" and other relatively simple functions.
To perform tasks of any significant complexity, however, one must somehow cause computers to perform vast numbers of these simple functions in some sequence. Computer software, in its most basic form, comprises programs or sequences of instructions, each of which directs a computer to perform the function corresponding to that instruction.
Yet, even as computers have become more powerful, developers of computer software continue to struggle to create complex programs without having to "reinvent the wheel" for each task they direct computers to perform. This need for "reusability" permeates virtually every aspect of software development, and is driven ultimately by the end user's desire for "ease of use."

Hierarchical encapsulation of instantiated objects in a multimedia authoring system including internet accessible objects


A main (sub) clock circuit comprising a first (second) capacitor, a first (second) current-supply circuit to supply to the first (second) capacitor a first (third) current for charging at a predetermined-current value or a second (fourth) current for discharging at a predetermined-current value, a first (second) charge/discharge-control circuit to output a first (second) control signal for switching between the first (third) current and second (fourth) current which are supplied to the first (second) capacitor from the first (second) current-supply circuit when a voltage across the first (second) capacitor has reached a first (third) reference voltage or second (fourth) reference voltage higher than the first (third) reference voltage, and a first (second) output circuit to output a main (sub) clock according to the first (second) control signal, the first capacitor having one end connected to a first potential, the second capacitor having one end to which the main clock is input.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clock generating circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit and a DLL (Delay Locked Loop) circuit are generally known as a clock generating circuit that generates a clock synchronized with an input clock. For example, FIG. 13 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei8-307254 discloses the PLL circuit including a phase comparator, a charge pump, a loop filter, and a voltage-controlled oscillator. For example, FIG. 15 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei8-307254 discloses the DLL circuit that including a voltage-controlled delay circuit in place of the voltage-controlled oscillator. Such a PLL circuit or DLL circuit compares two clock signals at the phase comparator, converts a result of such comparison into a controlled potential by the charge pump and the loop filter, and controls the voltage-controlled oscillator/voltage-controlled delay circuit so that a frequency difference and a phase difference between the clock signals are reduced based on the controlled potential.
As such, it is possible to generate a clock synchronized with the input clock by using the PLL circuit or the DLL circuit.
In the above PLL circuit or DLL circuit, however, since the clock (hereinafter referred to as sub-clock) generated based on the input signal served as a reference (hereinafter referred to as main clock) is controlled according to the result of comparison with the main clock, when the main clock is stopped, the sub-clock may get out of normal control, causing a problem in operation of a circuit supplied with the sub-clock.
For this reason, attention must be paid to design of a system as a whole needs to be considered so that the sub-clock is generated after the main clock is started and the main clock is stopped after the sub-clock is stopped.

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC


An electric power tool is configured to rotate an attachment about a Z-axis. The electric power tool includes a three-axes acceleration sensor and an acceleration detection circuit. The acceleration detection circuit calculates an angular acceleration about the Z-axis based on an input signal from the three-axes acceleration sensor. The acceleration detection circuit calculates a change in an angular velocity based on integrating the angular acceleration for a most recent period. The acceleration detection circuit determines a Z-axis angular velocity about the Z-axis, without adding a previous change in the angular velocity from before the most recent period, as equal to the change in angular velocity. The acceleration detection circuit detects a twisted-motion of the electric power tool based on the Z-axis angular velocity.

The present disclosure relates to an electric power tool.
A drilling tool for drilling a work piece by the rotation of a tool bit and a fastener tool for fastening a screw or bolt are known as electric power tools.
With this kind of electric power tool, the tip bit may fit to the work piece or the like and the tool main body may be twisted in the circumferential direction of the output shaft attached with the tool bit.
Japanese Patent No. 3638977 discloses that in this kind of electric power tool, twisting of a tool main body is detected using a rotation acceleration sensor. Japanese Patent No. 3638977 further discloses that drive of a motor is stopped when twisting is detected.

Electric power tool configured to detect twisted motion


In one aspect of the invention, a search engine parses files stored among one or more file servers in order to create and maintain index information used by the search engine to perform searches. For a given file server, the population of files presented to the search engine is reduced in size to facilitate the process of updating the index. In another aspect of the invention, the file server limits the files presented in a directory list request made by a search engine. This reduces the number of file s that need to be considered when performing an index update.

The present invention is related to computer file access and in particular to improving the performance of index maintenance in search engines.
The Internet is commonly associated with the world wide web (the "web"). The web has facilitated an explosive proliferation of information to the millions of users who access the web. This information is accessed in the form of files by web servers. However, the Internet has also provided access to files provided by file servers which pre-date the web, such as bulletin boards, tip sites, and so on.
An intranet that is a private network of a company or any other organization is also used for sharing files. In this case, a file server or a NAS (Network Attached Storage) is common to store and get files. NFS and CIFS protocols are used for accessing files.
Search engines have become a valuable tool in navigating the Internet and/or file servers. Search engines are a commonly used tool to access the many millions of files on the Internet and/or file servers. Typically, the search engine accepts search requests from a user and sends a obtains a list of file names that match the search conditions.
An integral component of a search engine is its "index." The index is a collection of information that is parsed or otherwise generated from an analysis of a file, and comprises keywords and related information used by the search engine to facilitate a file search. The specific information content and data structures of the index vary from one search engine to another, and is beyond the scope of the present invention.
However, common operations that are performed by typical search engines include the creation of the index and the subsequent maintenance or update of the index. The creation of the index typically involves the search engine checking updated dates of every files, reading every updated file on the Internet and/or file servers and parsing its contents to build up the index.
Invariably, file contents change over time. The search engine must therefore perform updates to the index in order that the index be current. This task typically involves once again crawling the web and/or file servers to access attributes of each file, and then determine whether the file has been updated since the last time the index was updated; or when the index was created, in the case of the very first index update. This determination can be made, for example, by accessing the modification date of the file and comparing it against the index. Making this check reduces the update effort and thus improves the update time; not every file will be re-indexed, only those that have changed relative to the time of the index.
Nevertheless, this update process remains a tedious task because modification date of every files need to be checked. This creates a large volume of traffic, just for the purpose of checking attributes of files. It is therefore very desirable to reduce Internet traffic and/or intranet traffic attributed to the indexing function. It is also desirable to further reduce the indexing effort to further increase the update time of an index.

Method and apparatus for improving the integration between a search engine and one or more file servers


A composition in a water-soluble pouch, the pouch comprises at least two compartments, and each compartment contains a different component of the composition, wherein a first compartment contains a first component and the first component comprises a liquid matrix and a source of peracid.

Many consumers do not want to come into contact with detergent ingredients commonly used and found in detergent products, during the washing process. The detergent industry has been trying to prevent or minimize the contact between detergent ingredients and the consumer. For example, the detergent industry developed detergent tablets which minimized the generation of detergent ingredients in the form of dust when handled by a consumer during the washing process. However, these detergent tablets still produce dust when handled by consumers during the washing process. Thus, there is still a need to provide a detergent product which can be used by consumers wherein the contact between the detergent ingredients therein and the consumer is prevented or further minimized.
Attempts have been made to solve this problem by enclosing the detergent ingredients with a film, to form a detergent pouch. These pouched detergents have been further developed by the laundry industry to improve their water-solubility profile and cleaning performance.
In addition, consumers like the benefits of having unit dose detergent products, for example detergent tablets and detergent pouches. Many consumers find unit dose detergent products easier and quicker to use during the washing process. For example, by using unit dose detergent products, the amount of detergent to be used during the washing process is already pre-selected for the consumer, negating the need for the consumer to determine, and weight out, the desired amount of detergent product which can be a difficult and time consuming procedure.
Unit dose detergent products in the form of a pouch are known. For example EP0158464, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,992, 4,886,615, 4,929,380 and 6,037,319 relate to a detergent pouch. Multi-compartment pouches are also known. For example, EP0236136 relates to a multi-compartment pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,410 relates to a pouch containing an aqueous liquid laundry detergent comprising alkanolamine which acts as an organic neutralisation system to improve product stability and detergent performance.
It is also known to use a multi-compartment pouch to separate bleach from solid ingredients which have a high moisture content. For example, EP0414463 relates to a multi-compartment pouch containing particulate sodium percarbonate and optionally other particulate materials in one compartment and powder ingredients containing a high free moisture content, for example aluminosilicates, in a different compartment.
However, pouches, or compartments of multi-compartment pouches, which contain a granular bleach composition, have a tendency to dispense bleach ingredients into the wash liquor in an uneven manner. For example, the bleach ingredients may be dispensed in a manner such that results in areas of the wash liquor having a high level of bleach activity, which increases the risk of patchy damage occurring to fabrics. This is especially true when the multi-compartment pouch is added directly to the drum of an automatic washing machine.
The inventors have overcome the above problem associated with the dispensing of a composition comprising a bleach ingredient from a multi-compartment pouch, by providing a composition in a water-soluble pouch, said pouch comprises at least two compartments, each compartment contains a different component of said composition, wherein a first compartment contains a first component which comprises a liquid matrix and a source of peracid.
The inventors have found that it is the source of peracid that is the problem and the inventors have found that if the source of peracid is either dissolved in a liquid, and/or is in the form of a suspended particle, then the source of peracid is more evenly dispensed from a compartment of a multi-compartment pouch, and do not remain in said compartment, or give rise to areas of increased bleach activity.
The multi-compartment pouch of the present invention also has the advantages described above, for example, enabling the source of peracid and peracid incompatible ingredients to be contained in different compartments of the pouch to increase the stability of said ingredients during storage, and to maintain the performance of the composition contained in the multi-compartment pouch.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Aggregates are calculated from a data stream in which data is sent in a sequence of tuples, in which each tuple comprises an item identifier and a timestamp indicating when the tuple was transmitted. The tuples may arrive at a data receiver out-of-order, that is, the sequence in which the tuples arrive are not necessarily in the same sequence as their corresponding timestamps. In calculating aggregates, more recent data may be given more weight by a decay function which is a function of the timestamp associated with the tuple and the current time. The statistical characteristics of the tuples are summarized by a set of linear data summaries. The set of linear data summaries are generated such that only a single linear data summary falls between a set of boundaries calculated from the decay function and a set of timestamps. Aggregates are calculated from the set of linear data summaries.

The present invention relates generally to data processing, and more particularly to computing time-decayed aggregates under a smooth decay function.
Statistical analysis of data is a core process for characterizing and controlling systems. In many applications, large volumes of data are generated from multiple data sources as multiple data streams, in which data is updated frequently. In some instances, the updates may be considered to be continuous, or near-continuous. In an industrial application, for example, sensors may provide real-time measurements of process variables such as position, velocity, acceleration, temperature, pressure, humidity, and chemical concentration to a monitoring and control station. In a financial application, multiple order-entry systems may provide near real-time updates of stock prices to a central transaction system. A major application is transport of data across a packet data network. E-mail, instant messaging, file transfers, streaming audio, and streaming video applications may generate large streams of data from multiple data sources, such as personal computers and web servers, across a packet data network. Network operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P) require accurate characterization of data streams. Network performance and reliability, for example, depend on the traffic capacity of the network infrastructure equipment (such as routers, switches, and servers), on the traffic capacity of the communication links between network infrastructure equipment, and on the network architecture.
In some applications, data may be captured, statically stored in a database, and post-processed. In other applications, real-time, or near real-time, analysis is required. For example, if data traffic to a specific router is becoming excessive, new data traffic may be dynamically re-directed to another router. As another example, if an excessive number of users are accessing a web server, new users may be dynamically re-directed to a mirror server. In applications such as real-time control, the most recent data may have the highest relevancy. Particularly when the data streams are large, selectively filtering the most recent data for analysis reduces the required computational resources, such as processor speed and memory capacity, and computational time.
Commonly, what constitutes the most recent data, for example, is determined by the arrival time of the data at the network element (data receiver) which collects the data. The underlying assumption is that the time order in which the data arrives at the data receiver is the same time order in which the data sources generated the data. In applications such as transport of data across a packet data network, however, this assumption may not hold. For example, if data is generated by multiple sensors and the data is transported across a packet data network to a single monitoring and control station, the data from each sensor may be transported across different routes. The delay across one route may differ from the delay across a different route. In general, the delay across a specific route may be a function of overall data traffic across that route. If the overall data traffic is variable, the delay may also be variable. Consider the example in which data from sensor 1 is generated before data from sensor 2. At a particular instance, the data from sensor 1 may arrive at the monitoring and control station ahead of the data from sensor 2. At a later instance, however, under a different set of network conditions, the data from sensor 2 may arrive ahead of the data from sensor 1.
Even if the data is generated by a single data source, the data may arrive at a data receiver out-of-order. In a packet data network, user data may be segmented into multiple data packets. Depending on the configuration of the packet data network, there may be multiple routes between the data source and the data receiver. As discussed above, the delay across one route may differ from the delay across a second route. Consider the example in which data packet 1 is generated before data packet 2. If the two data packets are transmitted across different routes, and if the delay across the route for data packet 1 sufficiently exceeds the delay across the route for data packet 2, then data packet 2 may arrive before data packet 1.
Statistical properties of data streams are characterized by aggregate statistical values (which are referred to herein simply as aggregates), such as the average number of packets per unit time or the quantile distribution of the number of packets per unit time. In general, an aggregate is a user-defined aggregate function. Calculating aggregates from large volume unordered data streams may be computationally intensive. Herein, an unordered data stream is a data stream in which the age (recency) of the data and the time order of the data are not taken into account. If the age of the data and the time order of the data are of significance, then, in general, calculating aggregates requires additional computational resources and additional computational time. Biasing the values of the aggregates towards recent data may be performed by multiplying the data packets by a time-dependent weighting function (referred to as a decay function) in which the weight accorded recent data is larger than the weight accorded older data. Different decay functions are used to treat different applications under different conditions. Since the number of applications and conditions may be large, what are needed are method and apparatus for efficiently calculating age-dependent aggregates from large volume data streams in which the data may be received in arbitrary time order, and in which a broad class of decay functions may be used.

Computing time-decayed aggregates under smooth decay functions

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


A display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device are provided. The display panel includes a pixel definition layer which has a plurality of opening regions disposed on a driving substrate, and a plurality of light-emitting units including a plurality of pixels disposed in the opening regions, wherein at least two of the pixels in each of the light-emitting units have different heights, a cover plate is disposed opposite to the driving substrate, and a transparent spacer layer is disposed between a body portion and the cover plate.

Current display panels usually include a plurality of light-emitting units, each of which includes red pixel, green pixel, and blue pixel. However, each color pixel includes a first electrode, a light-emitting diode, and a second electrode. As the light-emitting diode of the green pixel is same as the light-emitting diode of the blue pixel, a color conversion layer needs to be fabricated on the green pixel, which leads to a difference in height of the green pixel and the blue pixel, and makes a thickness of the display panels inconsistent, thereby lowering display performance.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device to solve the problems existing in the conventional art.

Display panel, manufacturing method thereof, and electronic device

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


Some aspects of this disclosure provide clinical media that support viability, re-plating efficiency, and repopulation capacity of cells and tissues during storage for up to 48 hours or longer. The clinical media provided herein are also useful for clinical irrigation. Cell or tissue preparations comprising a cell population or tissue and a clinical medium as provided herein are also provided, as are methods for generating such preparations. Methods for using the clinical media and cell and tissue preparations provided herein, for example, for administering an effective amount of cells or tissue to a subject in need thereof, are also disclosed.

Currently available clinical media used for storage and transport of cells and tissues for transplantation do not support cell viability and function beyond relatively short periods of time (e.g., a maximum of 4-6 hours), and even during those short storage times, significant loss of cells, and cellular function are commonly observed. In addition, current clinical media comprising bicarbonate anions cannot tolerate heat sterilization and frequently form carbon salt precipitation even during storage at ambient temperature, resulting in a short shelf life.

Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine


A semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate having first and second surfaces, in which a wiring pattern is formed on the first surface; a first resin layer formed over the first surface of the silicon substrate; and a second resin layer formed over the second surface of the silicon substrate. The silicon substrate has a thickness less than 150 μm, and each of the first and second resin layers has a thickness larger than that of the silicon substrate.

High density mounting of semiconductor devices has been advancing in recent years, and the main focus has been on semiconductor devices such as CSP (Chip Sized Package).
In a chip-sized-package of semiconductor device, it is important to prevent cracks, which may be generated at a joint section between the semiconductor device and a mounting substrate (printed board) due to differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of the semiconductor elements and the mounting substrate.
A conventional chip size package includes a sealing resin formed on a circuit formation surface of a semiconductor element (substrate) and a surface opposite the circuit formation surface, so that warping of the wafer is prevented.
If a crack were generated at a joint section between a semiconductor device and a circuit board, connection reliability would deteriorate. Connection reliability includes certainty of mechanical and electrical contact between a CSP and a circuit board. In order to improve such connection reliability, certain materials may be filled between a CSP and a circuit board. However, manufacturing cost would be increased.

Semiconductor device with reduced thickness of the semiconductor substrate


A stent 10 includes corrugated pattern bodies 11 and connection elements 12. A corrugated pattern is formed of corrugated units 14, corrugated unit 14 including a first stem 15, a second stem 16, a third stem 17, a first top portion 18 coupling a first end portion 15a of the first stem 15 and a first end portion 16a of the second stem 16, and a second top portion 19 coupling a second end portion 16b of the second stem 16 and a first end portion 17a of the third stem 17. A second end portion 17b of the third stem 17 is connected to a second end portion 15b of the first stem 15 in another corrugated unit adjacent to corrugated unit. A first end portion 12a of connection element 12 is connected to the first top portion 18 of one of adjacent ones of the corrugated units 14, and a second end portion 12b of connection element 12 is connected to the second end portion 15b of the other one of the adjacent ones of the corrugated units 14.

In a case where stenosis occurs in a biological organ having a lumen structure, such as a blood vessel, trachea, or intestine, a net-shaped cylindrical stent is used for ensuring the patency of a lesion area by expansion of an inner cavity at the location where the stenosis occurs. In many cases, the above-described biological organ partially has a bent or tapered structure (i.e., a tubular structure in which an inner cavity sectional diameter varies according to location in an axial direction). There has been a demand for a stent with a high conformability, i.e., a stent flexibly applicable to such a complicated blood vessel structure. In recent years, a stent has been applied to brain blood vessel treatment. The cerebrovascular system has a complicated structure among hollow organs. The cerebrovascular system has many bent areas and many areas with tapered structures. For this reason, a stent needs to have a particularly high conformability.
A stent structure is generally roughly classified into two types, namely, an open cell type and a closed cell type. A stent with the open cell structure exhibits extremely-flexible mechanical properties in a longitudinal axis direction, and therefore, has been considered as having a high conformability and an effective stent structure for placing the stent in a bent hollow organ. However, there is a probability that in such a stent with the open cell structure, some struts of the stent project in a flare shape to the outside of the stent in a radial direction upon bending, and for this reason, there is a risk that tissue of a hollow organ of a biological body, such as a blood vessel, may become damaged when the stent is implanted therein. On the other hand, there are stents with the closed cell structure that allow partial intraoperative stent reimplantation or complete intraoperative stent reimplantation which is difficult to achieve with stents with the open cell structure.
Although the stents with the closed cell structure described above do not have the same risk of the stent struts protruding outwards in the radial direction as the stents with the open cell structure, the stents with the closed cell structure tend to lack conformability due to their structure. To solve these problems, a spiral stent has been proposed as a technique relating to a stent having a closed cell structure and exhibiting high flexibility (see, e.g., Patent Document 1). The stent of Patent Document 1 includes, in an open state, spiral annular bodies having a corrugated pattern and coil-shaped elements connecting the annular bodies adjacent to each other.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application (Translation of PCT Application), Publication No. 2010-535075


A method of implementing pulse-width modulation in a display system (10, 20) that uses a spatial light modulator (SLM) (15) Each frame of data is divided into bit-planes, each bit-plane having one bit of data for each pixel of the SLM and representing a bit weight of the intensity value to be displayed by the pixels. Each bit-plane has a display time corresponding to a portion of the frame period, with bit-planes of more significant bits having longer portions. Then, the display times for one or more of the more significant bits are segmented so that the data for those bits can be displayed in segments rather than for a continuous time. (FIG. 3A). The segments are distributed throughout the frame period to reduce visual artifacts. (FIG. 3B).

Video display systems based on spatial light modulators (SLMs) are increasingly being used as an alternative to display systems using cathode ray tubes (CRTs). SLM systems provide high resolution displays without the bulk and power consumption of CRT systems.
Digital micro-mirror devices (DMDs) are a type of SLM, and may be used for either direct-view or projection display applications. A DMD has an array of micro-mechanical pixels, each having a tiny mirror that is individually addressable by an electronic signal Depending on the state of its addressing signal, each mirror tilts so that it either does or does not reflect light to the image plane. The mirrors are often referred to as "pixels," to correspond to the pixels of the image that they generate. Generally, displaying pixel data is accomplished by loading memory cells connected to the pixels. The pixels can maintain their on or off state for controlled display times.
Other SLMs operate on similar principles, with an array of pixels that may emit or reflect light simultaneously, such that a complete image is generated by addressing pixels rather than by scanning a screen. Another example of an SLM is a liquid crystal display (LCD) having individually driven pixels.
To achieve intermediate levels of illumination, between white (on) and black (off), pulse-width modulation (PWM) techniques are used. The basic PWM scheme involves first determining the rate at which images are to be presented to the viewer. This establishes a frame rate and a corresponding frame period. For example, in a standard television system, images are transmitted at 30 frames per second, and each frame lasts for approximately 33.3 milliseconds. Then, the intensity resolution for each pixel is established. In a simple example, and assuming n bits of resolution, the frame time is divided into 2.sup.n -1 equal time slices. For a 33.3 millisecond frame period and n-bit intensity values, the time slice is 33.3/(2.sup.n -1) milliseconds.
Having established these times, for each pixel of each frame, pixel intensities are quantized, such that black is 0 time slices, the intensity level represented by the LSB is 1 time slice, and maximum brightness is 2.sup.n 1-time slices. Each pixel's quantized intensity determines its on-time during a frame period. Thus, during a frame period, each pixel with a quantized value of more than 0 is on for the number of time slices that correspond to its intensity. The viewer's eye integrates the pixel brightness so that the image appears the same as if it were generated with analog levels of light.
For addressing SLMs, PWM calls for the data to be formatted into "bit-planes," each bit-plane corresponding to a bit weight of the intensity value. Thus, if each pixel's intensity is represented by an n-bit value, each frame of data has n bit-planes. Each bit-plane has a 0 or 1 value for each pixel. In the simple PWM example described in the preceding paragraphs, during a frame, each bit-plane is separately loaded and the pixels addressed according to their associated bit-plane values. For example, the bit-plane representing the LSBs of each pixel is displayed for 1 time slice, whereas the bit-plane representing the MSBs is displayed for 2n/2 time slices. Because a time slice is only 33.3/(2.sup.n -1) milliseconds, the SLM must be capable of loading the LSB bit-plane within that time. The time for loading the LSB bit-plane is the "peak data rate."
U.S. Pat. No. 5278,652, entitled "DMD Architecture and Timing for Use in a Pulse-Width Modulated Display System," assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated describes various methods of addressing a DMD in a DMD-based display system. These methods are directed to reducing the peak data rate while maintaining optical efficiency. Some of the methods discussed therein include clearing blocks of pixel elements and using extra "off" times to load data. In one method the time in which the most significant bit is displayed is broken into smaller segments so as to permit loading for less significant bits to occur during these segments.
Another method of reducing the peak data rate is referred to as "memory multiplexing" or "split reset." This method uses a specially configured SLM, whose pixels are grouped into reset groups that are separately loaded and addressed. This reduces the amount of data to be loaded during any one times and permits the LSB data for each reset group to be loaded at a different time during the frame period. This configuration is described in U.S. patent Ser. No. 08/002,627 assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated.
Regardless of whether or not the pixels of the SLM are addressed all at once or are multiplexed, the resulting display must have minimal visual artifacts. A type of artifact that is possible with bit-plane data is "temporal contouring." As an example, for an 8-bit system, if in one frame, a pixel has an intensity level of 128 and the MSB display time occurs during the first half of the frame time, the pixel is on for this length of time and off for the rest of the frame time. If, in the next frame, the pixel's intensity is 127, the pixel is off for the MSB time and on during the display time for all other bits during that frame. The point in time when all bits change state can cause a visual artifact, which is more perceptible as brightness increases.

Bit-splitting for pulse width modulated spatial light modulator


A portable contractor cart for use on construction sites that have not yet been hard wired includes a frame having front and rear wheels and arranged on the upper deck side of the frame from front to back are a 50 foot electric cord reel and a 50 foot compressed air line, an air compressor, an electrical generator, a refrigerated cooler and a weatherproof radio/cd player. A handle is mounted to the rear of the frame and a pivotable foot brake is interconnected to the rear axle for locking and unlocking the rear wheels, and the cart can be motorized wherein a motor and pulley arrangement would be mounted to the underside of the frame. Snaps are spaced about the periphery of the frame for attaching a covering thereto thereby protecting the cart when it is left outside on the job site. A welder generator for a TIG or MIG welder can also be mounted on the frame in place of the air compressor, and a trailer hitch can extend from the front of the frame for towing the cart from site to site.

Construction sites require a wide variety of tools, equipment, and machinery ranging from massive cranes whose booms extend skyward many stories to common tools that can be easily carried on a tool belt and which can be found in most residential homes, businesses and commercial establishments. Aside from the vehicular-type machinery—cranes, dump trucks, skid loaders, bobcats, graders, backhoes, excavators, etc.,—many of the other types of tools and equipment are either gas or electric powered. Air powered tools can include nailers and sanders while electric powered tools the various types of saws and hammer drills.
However, many construction sites are not located near readily available electric power source such as a nearby service pole that requires service from the local electric company to make usable for the contractor, construction company and work crew. Indeed, many homes, getaways, cabins, storage barns, etc., are far off the beaten path. In addition, in today's world more than ever time is money, and with the rise in the cost of construction and building materials, no contractor wants his/her crew to arrive at a construction site and be rendered idle because of a lack of available power to power even the most basic of tools and equipment. Since numerous costs are being incurred even when the crew is idle at the construction site, a way must be found to provide power at the construction prior to the power company arriving and hard wiring a service pole or poles. Thus, portable generators have been designed for large-scale construction, but most construction is not large scale, and thus such portable generators are not always practical both for reasons of cost and the constant din they produce when in operation. Therefore, it is desirable to design portable generator-type carts or dolleys that are practical for all types of construction sites, and especially adaptable and maneuverable on and about smaller scale construction sites.
For example, various designs for carts that carry or support compressors and generators include the Frank design patent (U.S. design patent 418,809), the Kristiansen et al. design patent (U.S. design patent 444,279 S), the Graber et al. design patent (U.S. design patent 450,061 S), the Imai design patent (U.S. design patent 494,929 S), and the Imai design patent (U.S. design patent 489,327 S).
In addition the Graig et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,643 B1) discloses a cart frame generator pulled by hand that includes a cart-type frame assembly for transporting the generator and in which a partial cage extends about the generator.
The Silvestro patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,424 B2) discloses a self-contained integrated welder/generator and compressor wherein a housing partially protects the aforementioned elements.
Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above devices, there remains a need for a portable cart capable of powering air and electric tools on job sites that haven't yet been hard wired.

Portable cart with an air compressor and electrical generator


A ferroelectric reference circuit generates a reference voltage proportional to (P+U)/2 and is automatically centered between the bit line voltages corresponding to the P term and the U term across wide temperature and voltage ranges. To avoid fatiguing the reference ferroelectric capacitors generating (P+U)/2, the reference voltage is refreshed once every millisecond. To eliminate the variation of the reference voltage due to the leakage in the ferroelectric capacitors during this period of time, the reference voltage generated from the reference ferroelectric capacitors is digitized when it is refreshed. The digital value is fixed and converted to an analog value which is then fed into sense amplifiers for resolving the data states. The reference voltage is automatically at the center of the switching (P) and non-switching (U) signals and therefore the signal margin is maximized.

The present invention relates, in general, to the field of ferroelectric memories. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reference circuit and method for providing a reference voltage suitable for use with 1T/1C ferroelectric memory architectures.
Ferroelectric memory architectures and reference circuits, such as 1T/1C memory architectures and corresponding reference circuits, are known in the art. An example of a 1T/1C memory architecture is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,989, entitled "Sensing Methodology for a 1T/1C Ferroelectric Memory, assigned to the current assignee, and hereby incorporated in its entirety by this reference. In addition to the 1T/1C memory architecture described therein, at least one reference scheme is shown as well.
One type of ferroelectric reference cell uses one or more charge components of a ferroelectric capacitor as the basis of the reference voltage. The operation of a ferroelectric capacitor is described with reference to the hysteresis FIG. 40 and corresponding voltage diagram shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a plot of the voltage versus charge or polarization of a ferroelectric capacitor. While reference may be made to "charge" in the dielectric of the ferroelectric capacitor, it should be noted that the capacitor charge dissipates, i.e. is volatile. However hysteresis curve 40 also represents polarization, which is non-volatile. Reference is made to both aspects of charge and polarization, which generally correspond before the charge on the capacitor dissipates.
In FIG. 1, the x-axis represents the field voltage applied to the ferroelectric dielectric material of the ferroelectric capacitor and the y-axis represents the polarization vector (or charge) of the ferroelectric material. The flow of current through a ferroelectric capacitor depends on the prior history of the applied voltages. A voltage waveform 47 is shown in FIG. 2 that includes two positive voltage pulses and two negative voltage pulses that are applied to one electrode of a ferroelectric capacitor in a Sawyer tower circuit arrangement, which is well known in the art. The exact timing of the pulses is arbitrary, and can include extremely long pulse widths. Circled point numbers one through six on hysteresis curve 40 correspond to the same circled point numbers on the voltage diagram of FIG. 2.
Starting at a first point 41 on both the hysteresis diagram 40 of FIG. 1 and the voltage diagram 47 of FIG. 2, there is no externally-applied voltage across the ferroelectric capacitor, but there was a previously-applied voltage across the ferroelectric capacitor that left the capacitor polarized at point 41. Applying a positive voltage across the capacitor moves the operating point (i.e., the current polarization) along the hysteresis curve 40 to a second point 42. The change in polarization vector or charge is designated "P" and is labeled on the rising edge of the first voltage pulse shown in FIG. 2 and on the hysteresis curve 40 shown in FIG. 1. The charge liberated with the change in polarization vector is referred to as the "switched charge." Next, the trailing edge of the first pulse in FIG. 2 occurs between circled numbers 2 and 3. This is typically a return-to-zero transition in the externally applied voltage. Removing such positive voltage moves the polarization along the hysteresis curve to a third point 43. The direction component of spontaneous remnant polarization within the ferroelectric material is unchanged, although there is some loss of field induced polarization, i.e. a loss in the polarization magnitude in a non-ideal ferroelectric material. The change in charge is designated "Pa" and is labeled on the falling edge of the first voltage pulse shown in FIG. 2 and on the hysteresis curve 40 shown in FIG. 1. Circled point 3 is at zero externally-applied volts and, while at zero on the horizontal (voltage) axis, has a non-zero vertical component. Ideally, this remnant polarization ought to remain indefinitely. However, in practice some relaxation may occur. This is shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, between the third and fourth points 43 and 44 on the hysteresis curve 40, there is a "relaxation" of domains within the ferroelectric material resulting in a partial loss of polarization magnitude.
Applying a second positive voltage across the ferroelectric dielectric material moves the operating point from the fourth point 44 on the curve 40 back to the second point 42. The increase in charge is now labeled "U" and is less than the P increase produced by the first positive voltage. Removing the applied positive voltage moves the operating point to the fifth point 45 on the hysteresis curve 40, with a corresponding loss of charge labeled "Ua".
Applying a negative voltage across the ferroelectric dielectric material at the fifth point 45 on the hysteresis curve 40 moves the operating point to a sixth point 46. The change in charge and polarization is labeled "N" and is shown on the leading edge of the first negative pulse in FIG. 2. The negative voltage reverses the polarization direction of the capacitor, resulting in the original polarization direction. Since the hysteresis curve is substantially symmetrical, removing and reapplying the negative voltage moves the operating point around the "bottom" portion of the hysteresis curve in the same manner as described above. The associated changes in charge around the loop 40 are consecutively labeled "N", "Na", "D" and "Da" in FIG. 2. Note that the relaxation of the loop is not shown in the bottom portion of loop 40, though it exists in a non-ideal ferroelectric material, and therefore the charge components labeled "Na" "D" and "Da" are assumed to all be approximately equal. After the two negative voltage pulses are applied and returned to zero applied volts, the operating point is returned to the first point 41 on the hysteresis curve 40.
In prior art reference circuits, the reference voltage, bit line voltage for switching, and bit line voltage for non-switching are generally associated with the Da, P, and U charge components of hysteresis loop 40 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. These three charge components have different temperature and voltage coefficients. In general, as temperature increases, the P component decreases and the U and Da components increase. When the memory operating voltage (VDD) increases, all three components increase, but the P component increases the most. Since the Da component is smaller than the U component, a much larger reference capacitor is needed to place the reference voltage above the bit line voltage for non-switching and below the bit line voltage for switching. The ratio of the capacitor size of the reference cell to the capacitor size of the memory cell is called the "scaling factor". As discussed, the scaling factor should be much be larger than one. It is desirably in the range of 1.5 to 5.0, depending on the circuit design. This scaling factor amplifies the temperature and voltage coefficient of the reference voltage. Therefore, in prior art designs, the reference voltage selection is limited to a reduced range in order for memory parts to work at a low temperature and low voltage and a high temperature and high voltage. In other words, the loss of a certain amount of signal margin is the cost for using these prior art reference circuits.
One of the long time reliability issues for ferroelectric reference circuits and ferroelectric memories in general is imprint. Imprint causes the opposite state P component to decrease and the opposite state U component to increase. Therefore, imprint effectively reduces the signal margin. Since the prior art reference circuits also cost signal margin, the opposite state retention time is also reduced.
In prior art reference circuits, when a memory cell on a column is accessed, the reference cell is also accessed. Therefore, reference cells bear a much higher electrical stress than do the memory cells. A more stable component in reference cells is thus needed. The reason that the Da charge component is used in the prior art reference circuits is based on a fact that Da does not fatigue. However, the ferroelectric memory cells use the "P" and "U" terms, which do have the potential of fatigue.
If, on the other hand, a reference is constructed that uses the P and U terms in order to track the memory cells, then the reference cell capacitor will fatigue, and the memory part will prematurely fail. Therefore, reference circuits that use the P and U terms, but have a reference capacitor that is accessed every time that a memory cell on the same column or same row is accessed, are not ideal for a commercial ferroelectric memory.
Another disadvantage in prior art reference circuits is that the optimized number of reference capacitors (or the size of reference capacitors, or the scaling factor) might be different from lot to lot. Additional cost is required to determine the optimized reference for each lot.
What is desired, therefore, is a reference circuit for a ferroelectric memory that accurately tracks the charge components of a ferroelectric memory cell so that voltage and temperature performance is optimized, but that does not fatigue resulting in premature failure of the ferroelectric memory.

Circuit for generating a centered reference voltage for a 1T/1C ferroelectric memory


Identifying dependencies between configuration elements and transactions involves executing the following: receiving activity data obtained by monitoring activity of users, belonging to different organizations running software systems in which the transactions and the configuration elements are identifiable and can be connected via code elements; generating, based on the activity data, a first set of links between the transactions and code elements associated with the transactions; receiving the configuration elements; receiving code of a software system which includes at least one of the following: procedure invocations, user interface statements, and database access statements; generating, based on static analysis of the code, a second set of links between the configuration elements and code elements influenced by the configuration elements; and identifying dependencies between the transactions and the configuration elements by utilizing the first set of links and the second set of links.

Testing software systems can be an expensive and labor-intensive process. In particular, software systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, may include many modules, which each under certain circumstances may need to be tested in order to validate that the software system is operating as expected. Many of the software modules are customizable and can be made to perform according to an organization's specific needs by manipulating configuration elements (e.g., values in configuration tables or user generated code). Manipulating a configuration element (e.g., by adding, deleting, or modifying a configuration element) may affect many transactions that may be executed on the software system. Thus, the need to validate configuration elements is often one of the primary reasons that tests need to be run in many organizations. However, understanding the dependencies between transactions and configuration elements often affects the coding and maintenance phases of the system, and may involve root-cause analysis of an application and its code. Known methods are complicated and expensive; often when a system is very large the complexity of analyzing the code may be too big.
Thus, determining what tests to run in order to validate a configuration element is not a trivial task. In particular, it is difficult to determine which of the many transactions that may be performed on a software system may be dependent on a certain configuration element. Often, due to unknown dependencies, configuration elements may have unintended and/or unexpected side effects on transactions performed on a software system, which a tester may not be aware of. Since tests are usually designed and run by each organization separately on the organization's systems, this means that each organization must build up the necessary knowledge of such dependencies, and independently discover which transactions should be tested when validating different configuration elements. Gaining this knowledge may require much effort and experience; in the meantime, testing the software systems may be a less effective and prolonged process.


A fluid flow control apparatus includes a biasing member applying a biasing force to a closure member, and a sealing member receiving the closure member. A dampener operatively connected to the closure member resists a force applied to the closure member. A fluid seal is formed when the biasing member presses the closure member against the sealing member. The closure member and sealing member may cooperate to control fluid flow along a fluid conduit formed in a wellbore tubular. The apparatus may include an actuator that controls the force applied to the closure member. The actuator may adjust the biasing force, and/or the dampening force. Also, a controller control the actuator may be responsive to a signal generated at a surface location, a downhole location, and/or a signal generated by a sensor.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to flow control devices.
2. Background of the Art
Fluid pathways and conduits employ a variety of devices in order to control fluid flow. One illustrative device is a valve that is used to block fluid flow across a fluid path way upon occurrence of a specified condition. These valves may sometimes be referred to as flow stop valves. In some configurations, a flow stop valve may be set to remain open to allow fluid flow during normal operation, but close when operation is interrupted. Such interruptions of fluid flow may cause transient conditions, e.g., pressure waves, which may damage the flow stop valve or may hinder the closing of the flow stop valve. The present disclosure addresses these and other needs to minimize the undesirable effects of such transient conditions and other drawbacks of the prior art.

Flow control device and methods for using same


In a wire-dot impact printer having a capacitance detector for detecting a displacement of each armature by a sensor electrode arranged opposite the armature, a space is formed between each sensor electrode and its associated armature, and a shield pattern is formed with a small space left around each sensor electrode. The shield pattern is fed with a potential at least equal to the potential of each sensor electrode. This makes it possible to reduce the influence of noise upon detection of a capacitance by the capacitance detector. A noise canceling electrode is also disposed around each sensor electrode and is connected to the sensor electrode, whereby a noise canceling circuit is further provided to eliminate noise voltage. The noise canceling circuit can eliminate a noise voltage picked up by the sensor electrode and the noise canceling electrode.

Conventional wire-dot impact printers include those equipped with a capacitance detector which detects a displacement of each armature by a sensor electrode disposed opposite the armature.
Such wire-dot impact printers are disclosed, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,940,343, 5,030,020 and 5,039,238 commonly assigned to the present assignee. In the wire-dot print head of the wire-dot impact printer disclosed in one of the U.S. patents, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,343, an armature is normally attracted toward a core by a magnetic flux produced by a permanent magnet so that an associated leaf spring is flexed. In use, the magnetic flux is canceled out by a magnetic flux produced by an associated coil, whereby the armature is released to drive a print wire fixed on a free end of the armature. A printed circuit board is provided in opposition to armatures. Sensor electrodes are formed on the printed circuit so that a small space left between the sensor electrodes and their corresponding armatures. A displacement of each armature is therefore observed by a change in capacitance between the armature and its corresponding sensor electrode. Upon printing, the drive time of the wire-dot print head is controlled in accordance with the displacement of the armature.
On the printed circuit board, the sensor electrodes are formed as many as the armatures. Mutually independent signal lines are connected to the sensor electrodes, respectively. Further, a common line is formed around the sensor electrodes on the printed circuit board to prevent occurrence of interference between the adjacent sensors.
The common line formed around the sensor electrodes on the printed circuit board is, however, provided merely to prevent occurrence of interference between the adjacent sensor electrodes and cannot protect the sensor electrodes from other electrical disturbance such as noise. When an insulated area on the printed circuit board is electrostatically charged by frictional contact or the like, the charge of each sensor electrode itself is apparently increased or decreased due to the charge around the sensor electrode. As a result, a change in potential of the sensor electrode is also increased or decreased, thereby making it impossible to achieve accurate detection of the change.


A steering post has a post end part positioned at an upper end on the front surface of the steering post. A case section has a case end part positioned at a lower end on the front surface of the case section. A gap is provided between the post end part and the case end part. A cover member is disposed to cover the gap. The cover member has a shape that is curved to not intersect a locus of the case end part when the case section is tilted with respect to the steering post. A lower end part of the cover member is connected to the post end part. An upper end part of the cover member is disposed above the case end part inside the case section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor grader
2. Background Information
A motor grader is generally equipped with a steering member, a case section, and a steering post. The steering member is a steering wheel for example, and is attached to the case section. The case section is supported by the steering post. The steering post is disposed in front of a cab.
For example, the case section in the motor grader in U.S. Design Pat. No. D556,790 is attached in to the steering post in a tiltable manner. As a result, a gap is provided between a lower end part of the front surface of the case section and an upper end part of the front surface of the steering post to avoid interference with the steering post when the case section is tilted.


This invention relates to a thumb protector for a protective athletic glove, such as used in hockey, lacrosse, and motorcycle racing. The thumb protector involves two elements secured dorsally to the thumb stall and thumb receiving area of the glove, which cooperate to allow opposable thumb movement while still providing superior protection against external blows and injury due to hyper-extension and over-extension. As another aspect of the invention, the thumb-piece of the thumb protector is ergonomically configured to approximate the contour the metacarpalphalangeal joint will typically assume when the wearer is lightly gripping an athletic stick or handlebar.

Hockey and lacrosse are contact sports where sticks are integral elements of the game, and it is important that the hands of the players be protected. The hands must be protected against not only the powerful external blows they often receive but also against hyper-extending and over-extending the digits, particularly the thumb. It is similarly necessary to protect the hands in motorcycle racing. Conventional protective gloves are constructed with individual finger stalls and impact resistant padding covering the dorsal surface of each finger and the back and sides of the hand. The protective padding typically extends below the hand to the wrist area, and can even extend several inches up the player's forearm. Protective gloves also typically use stiff, impact resistant sheet form elements as protective components in such glove constructions.
Protective padding on athletic gloves often restricts flexibility. Accordingly, it is also conventional to fabricate such gloves with segmented padding in order to somewhat improve hand and finger flexibility. The stalls for the second through fifth digits are often shaped in a precurled position that emulates the gripping position the player will be using. Gripping the stick or handlebars is thereby made more efficient because the wearer need not overcome the stiffness of the glove simply to achieve and maintain the natural gripping position.
The human thumb, however, is in opposition to the fingers, and its skeletal structure is significantly different from that of the fingers. The thumb, particularly the metacarpalphalangeal joint (and also, to a lesser degree, the carpalmetacarpal joint), is highly susceptible to injury from hyper-extension and over-extension, which result when the thumb is forced outside of its normal range of movement. This bending can strain or tear the ligaments of the thumb joints, and particularly the ulnar collateral ligament, which is connected around the metacarpalphalangeal joint. These injuries can be very serious, even career ending in some circumstances. Surgery is required in severe cases. Generally, the injured hand never completely recovers the joint mobility it enjoyed prior to the injury.
Nevertheless, opposable thumb movement is critical to achieving a functional grip on a hockey stick, lacrosse stick, or motorcycle handlebar, and the thumb-protecting structures employed in the prior art do not provide an acceptable combination of protection and flexibility in the thumb portion of the glove. Typical of such thumb protectors are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,515 to Murray, issued Dec. 14, 1971, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,572 to Jansson et al., issued Feb. 6, 1979, which are hereby incorporated by reference as if they were fully set forth herein. The Murray patent discloses a thumb guard comprising an elongate, stiff, unbreakable center or core insert sandwiched between layers of a shock absorbing material. The length of this thumb guard is shown to be sufficient to cover both phalanges as well as at least a portion of the metacarpal of the thumb. Murray apparently recognizes the inflexible nature of this thumb guard and in response thereto, does not attach it directly to the thumb encasing portion of the glove. Instead, the thumb encasing portion of the glove is rendered moveable independently of the thumb guard by attachment thereto with a short strap. This means, however, that as the player's thumb is curled around the stick shaft in a gripping position, at least the distal portion of the thumb moves away from the overlying thumb guard and the protection afforded thereby.
In the Jansson patent, a thumb protective element is disclosed which is similar in construction to the stiff elongate sandwich structure employed in Murray. In Jansson, however, this unarticulated stiff protective element extends proximally and uninterruptedly from the tip of the thumb stall into the wrist protective cuff thereof. In addition, the thumb protective element is stitched directly to the thumb stall of the glove. Thus, the thumb portion of the Jansson glove appears to provide even less flexibility than that of the Murray glove. Today, many professional hockey teams require the players to use a protective member like that disclosed in Jansson because of the superior protection it affords. However, this protective element severely impairs flexibility. Accordingly, players often cut or break the required thumb protective element at the wrist area, so that they are effectively using a shorter protective element such as that disclosed in Murray.
Multiple piece thumb protectors have been used in the prior art with the goal of achieving improved flexibility without sacrificing protection. U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,703 to Brine et al., issued Aug. 24, 1993, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if it were fully set forth herein, discloses a thumb protective construction employing a distal protective element overlying the phalanges of the thumb and a proximal protective element overlying the metacarpal bone of the thumb. The two protective elements are secured in proximal relation with an intermediate arcuately shaped element disposed thereover. However, it is believed that to the extent this construction provides any real thumb flexibility, it can do so only by failing to provide adequate protection against hyper-extension and over-extension of the thumb. Conversely, it is similarly believed that for the Brine thumb protector to meaningful protect against hyper-tension and over-extension, it can only do so at the sacrifice of thumb flexibility.
A further drawback of the prior art thumb protectors is that they tend to be designed in a straight configuration. As explained, the finger stalls of modern gloves come in a precurled disposition to accommodate the wearer's natural gripping position. Nevertheless, similar accommodations have not heretofore been made for the thumb even though it too is bent when gripping athletic sticks or handlebars.


A computer-implemented method for emotion detection and communication includes receiving host passenger data for a host passenger of a host vehicle and determining an emotion of the host vehicle based on the host passenger data. The method includes communicating the emotion of the host vehicle to one or more remote vehicles and an emotion of the one or more remote vehicles to the host vehicle. Further, the method includes generating an output based on the emotion of the host vehicle and the emotion of the one or more remote vehicles. The output is an interactive user interface providing an indication of the emotion of the host vehicle and an indication of the emotion of the one or more remote vehicle. The method includes rendering the output to a human machine interface device.

Autonomous vehicles can have a significant beneficial impact on human mobility. However, there are possible social implications to removing drivers from vehicles. For example, autonomous vehicles with only passengers and not drivers, can require sacrifices in social opportunities and possibly increase isolation of the autonomous vehicle and the passengers to other on-road vehicles and passengers. Additionally, removing the actual act of driving can affect the emotions and sense of pleasure for passengers. Autonomous vehicles and passengers should not be isolated from other on-road vehicles and passengers.

System and method for emotion detection and inter-vehicle communication