A method for extracting mint oil from mint plants, the method includes applying a surfactant on the plant material and subjecting the plant material to steam distillation.

Essential oils are flavor and fragrance materials harvested from plant sources. These materials are obtained from approximately one-third of the known plant families, most often by physical means. Peppermint and spearmint are two such essential oils of significant commercial value. Peppermint and spearmint oils typically are generically referred to as mint oil.
The historical use and value of the mint plant for fragrance and medicinal purposes can be traced back to as early as biblical times. The distillation of mint oil from the plants for use in medicines was practiced in Egypt as early as A.D. 410. The literature reports the distilling of mint oil for an eyewash in Japan as early as A.D. 984. Production began in England about 1696, and in the United States, at Ashfield, Mass., in 1812. Production extended to Michigan in 1835, to Indiana in about 1855, and to the Pacific Coast States around the early 1900's. The yield of oil from mints varies greatly with season, cultural conditions, and geographic location. Both peppermint and spearmint production is currently concentrated primarily in 6 states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. The mint oils produced in each of these regions are often similar in composition, but possess very distinct odor and taste characteristics, caused by regional variances in temperature, photoperiod, and light intensity.
In current times the mint plant, both spearmint and peppermint, are grown in large acreage's, primarily in the aforementioned areas in the United States, as well as other parts of the world, some for garnish purposes, but mostly for the oil that is recovered. The resulting oil is used to provide fragrance and flavor for various products. The mint oil is used because of its ability to mask undesirable flavors and odors, as well as to further enhance products such as gum, tooth paste, perfumes, and the like.
The physical means most often used to obtain the essential oil of a plant include extraction, vacuum distillation, steam distillation, and supercritical gas and solvent extraction. The most widely used method is steam distillation, which greatly takes advantage of the volatility associated with a vast number of essential oils.
Once a crude essential oil is obtained, it is often further processed. This is usually done through classic vacuum and steam distillation procedures to concentrate the oil.
Mint essential oils are primarily obtained by steam distillation of the fresh above ground parts of a mature mint plant. American peppermint oil is obtained from Mentha piperita L. Mentha spicata L. produces spearmint oil, native type and Mentha gentiles L., Cardiaca ger. produces spearmint oil, Scotch type. All of these oils are typically obtained in crude form by doing a large steam distillation of the plants after they have been cut and allowed to dry for several days.
Yields are reduced greatly if the plants are too thick in the field. Thick stands prevent full leaf development and cause lower leaves to fall off, owing to the continued dampness and shading. Rough handling when the herb is too dry also causes loss through shattering of leaves, as most of the oil is recovered from the leaves.
The cost of production and distillation of spearmint and peppermint is very expensive; therefore, it is imperative that the maximum oil possible be recovered from every producing plant if the maximum monetary potential is to be achieved.
The process of removing oil from mint consists of passing steam through the cut hay, thus vaporizing the oil. The steam and oil vapors are then conducted through a condenser, and are reduced to water and oil. As they are collected in receiving vessels, the water and oil separate into layers, with the oil floating on the surface. Although distilling equipment has gradually improved, the method for removing oil from the plant has changed very little.
There is still a need for methods to improve the yield of mint oil extracted and to improve the economy and value of mint oil extraction methods.

Method for extraction of essential oils from plant material


A method and apparatus for reducing pathogens in successive pre-measured units of a flowable food product without substantially increasing the head height requirement of a feed production system. A plurality of containers are moved about a path within a housing. The path has a plurality of stations, such as a receiving station, one or more sanitizing stations, and a dispensing station, and a container cleaning station. A pre-measured unit of the flowable food product is received at the receiving station into a container. The pre-measured unit of the flowable food product is exposed to one or more sanitizing agents at one or more sanitizing stations. The pre-measured unit of the flowable food product is dispensed into the packaging device at the dispensing station. The containers are then cleaned at the container cleaning station to prepare each container to receive a subsequent pre-quantified unit of the flowable feed product.

Product recalls is one of the biggest concerns in the food and feed industry. The presence of pathogens such as E. Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria can result in factory shutdowns, product recalls, legal penalties, and liability. Extrusion-based kill-steps are a validated method ensuring the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. These sanitizing steps provide a measured amount of reduction in the presence of these pathogens, which is generally measured in "log reductions."
However, after the initial extrusion-based sanitizing step, additional processing and packaging can introduce new contaminants. Whether introduced from a worker or the environment, additional pathogens introduced into the food or feed product after the initial sanitizing step can also result in pathogen-infected foods or feed leaving the facility.

Sanitizing package-ready pre-quantified units of food


Disclosed is a photo sensor package for lighting, which is configured such that a micro control unit having a lighting control function as well as a timer function is integrated with a remote control element receiving a remote control signal of a lighting fixture. The photo sensor package includes a housing molded using infrared transmissible resin, a remote control element configured to receive an infrared signal, an amplification element configured to amplify a signal that is output from the remote control element, and a micro control unit configured to control a lighting fixture in response to a signal that is output from the amplification element. All of the remote control element, the amplification element, and the micro control unit are mounted on one lead frame and accommodated in the housing in such a way as to be integrated into a single structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photo sensor package for lighting, and, more particularly, to a photo sensor package for lighting, which is configured such that a micro control unit having a lighting control function as well as a timer function is integrated with a remote control element receiving a remote control signal of a lighting fixture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with economic development and the expansion of urbanization, many new construction projects aim to create modernized, high-rise, and large-sized buildings. Most building facilities are constructed to consume a relatively large amount of energy in view of convenient maintenance, an increase in the number of office machines and stability.
Thus, a lot of research is conducted into ways to reduce energy consumed in the buildings. For example, an air conditioning system, a power system, and a lighting system are separately constructed, and an energy management system is run based on the separately constructed systems.
Particularly, a lot of research on improvement in energy efficiency is conducted. For example, it includes performance diagnosis of air conditioning equipment, research on control and management technology, and analysis of consumption of energy supplied to buildings based on IT technology.
However, the existing research pertains to energy management efficiency for the same kind of equipment. There has not yet been developed a technology which simultaneously analyses and manages the energy consumption of the air conditioning system, the power system, and the lighting control system that are operated in a building, so as to maximize an energy saving effect.
Therefore, in the past, in order to satisfy several methods of controlling lighting systems in the building, for example, a group control method of simultaneously controlling individual lighting systems, a day and night control method, a control method depending on a position, or a control method depending on a time or season; there has been proposed a technology that controls all lights in the building by means of a network within the building. Particularly in the related art disclosed in Korean Patent No. 1243649, for example, there is described a lighting control apparatus and method, in which power used in one or more lighting devices installed in the building is checked and then is compared with power used to maintain brightness that does not cause inhabitants inconvenience, thus controlling the lighting devices based on the compared result and thereby achieving an energy saving effect.
In the past, there were proposed many technologies that remotely control a lighting fixture to provide convenience to a user.
As such, most of the technologies for lighting, which have been recently proposed, are intended to reduce power consumption and to provide convenience to a user. To this end, a remote controller for remotely controlling the lighting fixture and a lighting-fixture control device for setting the function of the lighting fixture are essentially required.
According to the related art, there are provided a remote control element that is installed within the lighting fixture to receive a remote control signal transmitted from the remote controller at a long distance, and a micro control unit that controls the lighting fixture.
Here, the remote control element receives the remote control signal using an infrared beam at a long distance, and then transmits the remote control signal to the micro control unit. Thus, the micro control unit performs control functions to turn on or off the lighting fixture in response to the remote control signal applied to the remote control element or to vary brightness.
However, the related art is problematic in that the remote control element and the micro control unit are separately manufactured and are installed within the lighting fixture, the latter having a limited area, so that two separate components should be installed in a narrow space.
Moreover, the related art is problematic in that the remote control element and the micro control unit are separately manufactured and installed, thus incurring high manufacturing cost, and in that two or more elements are assembled, so that it is impossible to install the elements in a small-sized lighting fixture such as a light bulb. Further, if the components are integrated with each other so as to solve the above-mentioned problem, the infrared beam received by the remote control element is incident on the micro control unit, thus undesirably generating a noise.


A power supply programmable for a constant current mode and a constant voltage mode and selectively operable in either mode. Respective circuits associated with each of a constant voltage loop and a constant current loop track a control voltage of the other loop when the other loop is operating closed loop and maintains a control voltage of the open loop at a tracking offset value from the control voltage of the closed loop, allowing the open loop to rapidly assume control of the power supply during a mode transition. The tracking offset value is briefly increased during a mode transition to interrupt oscillation tendencies, resulting in faster mode cross-over and reduced overshoots, while maintaining stability.

In a programmable DC power supply having a CV mode and a CC mode, modes of operation are implemented with a voltage feedback loop for the CV mode and a current feedback loop for the CC mode, both attempting to regulate their respective parameter to user-specified settings. The DC operating point is determined by a combination of a load line, the large signal voltage-current (V-I) relationship of the load, and either a CV setting or a CC setting, whichever is lower, i.e., whichever setting results in a lower output power level. In the CC and CV modes of operation, the loop that is not regulating opens and relinquishes control to the other loop. Changes in the load may cause the operating point to vary such that the power supply switches modes (CV mode to CC mode or CC mode to CV mode), which is termed mode cross-over.
During a mode cross-over, the loop which was not in control (i.e., open) when the mode cross-over began, seizes control of the supply (i.e., closes) and stabilizes. In an ideal case, the mode cross-over transition is seamless and the supply immediately begins regulating the new parameter. In practice, however, the transition takes a finite amount of time, referred to as mode cross-over latency, during which the operating point may exceed the bounds set by the CV and CC settings. An amount by which the operating point exceeds the set bounds is referred to as mode cross-over overshoot. An amplitude and duration of the mode cross-over overshoots are directly related to a magnitude of the mode cross-over latency.
Conventionally, tracking clamps have been used in an effort to reduce mode cross-over over shoot, however such clamps have a tendency to cause non-linear mode cross-over oscillations (rapid, perpetual switching between CV and CC), making them unusable. These problems have led to the general practice of using a tracking clamp on only one control loop, optimizing mode cross-over overshoots on either the CV to CC, or the CC to CV transition, but not both.

Programmable power supply with dual mode cross over clamps


A latchbolt configured for use with a door lock assembly. The door lock assembly is configured for interaction with a strike coupled to a door frame, and operable to place the latchbolt in a locked configuration using the strike to generally prevent rotation of the door and an unlocked configuration to allow rotation of the door. The latchbolt includes a first member and a second member movably coupled to the first member. When the latchbolt is in the locked configuration the second member is movable relative to the first member from a first position to a second position in response to a predetermined force applied to the door.

The present invention relates to door lock assemblies, and more particularly to latchbolts for door lock assemblies.
Door lock assemblies typically include a latchbolt movably coupled to a door. The latchbolt engages a strike coupled to a door frame to prevent the door from being opened when the latchbolt is in a locked and extended position. Exit doors found in large facilities or public buildings typically include a push-bar that can be depressed to unlock the latchbolt thereby allowing a user to open the door. When the door returns to the closed position, the latchbolt returns to the locked and extended position to prevent the door from being opened unless the push-bar is depressed.


A computer system includes a first computer for receiving access requests to files from clients, a first storage device that is connected to the first computer and stores file management information, a second computer that receives access requests to data from the first computer, and a second storage device that is connected to the second computer and stores file data. Each time file data is received from the client, the first computer assigns identification information to the file data and stores the filename designated by the client and the identification information in the first storage device. The first computer stores the file data in the second storage device via the second computer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a file system for storing files that are accessed by computers, and especially to a distributed file system that is realized by a plurality of server computers and a plurality of storage devices that are connected to network.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, various business operations have become electronic with the advent of IT (Information Technology), and business operations that were conventionally processed with paper are coming to be processed with electronic files (hereinafter sometimes simply called "files"), which are electronic data. In the meantime, there must be a guarantee that documents such as agreements and transaction history that are used as evidence in audit or trials constitute original documents, and the original documents have not been altered.
At present, magnetic disks are the mainstream in terms of storage devices for storing electronic files, and the common mode is a mode in which a computer constructs a file system on magnetic disks and the computer stores electronic data as files in the file system. Due to the fact that it is easy to alter or erase files in the file storage method that uses magnetic disks and file systems, it has been difficult to guarantee that the files are original and have not been altered.
To solve this problem, according to a conventional technology, a storage device may calculate a hash value from the entirety of data stored in the storage device and uses the calculated hash value as an identifier for the data. Since the hash value would be different if the corresponding data is different, data can be guaranteed not to have been changed as long as users can access the data using the same hash value.
Although it is possible to guarantee that data has not been changed, a user must provide to a storage device a hash value that corresponds to the data in order for the user to obtain the data. Consequently, the user must manage the correlation between data stored and the hash value, which results in large management costs.
Further, in the conventional technology, since the user cannot assign a name of the user's choice to data and store the data in the storage device, once the user loses the hash value, the user cannot access the data.
Moreover, changed data is registered and managed in the storage device as data completely different from the original data, so that the relationship between the data after change and the original data is not managed by the storage device. As a result, if the user wishes to restore the changed data to the data before the change was made, the user must manage the relationship between the data before change and the data after change.


A method for producing NK cells from pluripotent stem cells, which includes culturing pluripotent stem cells in a first serum-free medium, aggregating the undifferentiated stem cells to form embryoid bodies, which are cultured to produce hematopoietic precursor cells, and culturing the precursor cells in a serum-free medium to produce the NK cells. Methods for using such NK cells, e.g., in the treatment of cancer and infectious disease are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of stem cell differentiation. More particularly, it concerns a method for developing natural killer cells that can be used in killing cancerous cells and/or virally-infected cells.
2. Description of Related Art
Natural killer cells (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes and play a role in an innate immune system. For example, NK cells can respond to virally infected cells and tumors. NK cells also play a role in adaptive immune response. Generally, NK cells differentiate and mature in the bone marrow, lymph node, spleen, tonsils, and thymus.
Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into diverse specialized cell types including all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage human embryo. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cell artificially derived from a non-pluripotent cell (typically an adult somatic cell) by expression of specific genes. The process of lymphopoiesis initiating from hematopoietic cell populations isolated from mouse or human bone marrow or human umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been documented, but relatively little is known about the ability of undifferentiated hESCs or iPSCs to differentiate into the lymphoid lineage.

Method for developing natural killer cells from stem cells


A bellows assembly for a fluid delivery system is a multi-component device that includes a cylindrical pressure jacket and a bellows syringe that is received within the pressure jacket. The bellows syringe includes a cap member and a bellows member. The bellows syringe in one embodiment is adapted to be secured to the pressure jacket by the cap member. The cap member is formed with a discharge port, which may be formed as conventional luer fitting. The discharge port is disposed coaxially within an annular wall on the outward facing side of the cap member and may be recessed within the annular wall. The bellows member is a hollow body that includes a series of bellows sections or rings. A distal end of the bellow member is formed with a discharge neck terminating in a discharge port, and the proximal end is formed with a closed end wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is related to the medical field and, more particularly, disposable syringes used in the medical field in which all or part of the syringe may be disposed of after a single use. The present disclosure is further related to the use of disposable syringe, ampoules, and fluid containers adapted for association with controlled, programmable fluid injection apparatuses.
2. Description of Related Art
Disposable ampoules containing liquid medicaments are known in the medical field for use with a reusable type holder, such as hypodermic injectors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,717 to Bouet discloses such an ampoule for use used with a syringe-type holder having at one end a hypodermic needle and, at a second end, a piston adapted to engage the disposable ampoule loaded into the syringe holder. The ampoule is in the form of bellows-like tubular element having a disk-shaped end wall adapted to engage the piston disposed in the syringe holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,575 to Hein discloses a syringe that encloses a hollow flexible container used to hold medicament, which may be in the form of a liquid, emulsion, paste, and the like. The container may be connected at a proximal end thereof directly to a plunger disposed in the syringe barrel. The container is introvertable into itself so that action of the plunger toward a closed end of the syringe barrel causes the container to introvert and expel liquid or another material from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,311 to Pickhard discloses a syringe-type injection device that has a housing in which is arranged a holder for a deformable, medicament-containing ampoule having a bellows-type shape. An injection needle is provided at one end of the syringe injection device which communicates with the interior of the ampoule. A driving device is linked to the other end region of the ampoule, and which is used to dispense a medicament material held in the ampoule via the injection needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,889 to Futagawa et al. discloses a prefilled syringe having a barrel with a distal end forming a needle-connecting portion and an open proximal end. A plastic tubular container is disposed in the barrel and has a flexible hollow cylindrical body used to contain a liquid medicament previously charged therein. A plunger is inserted into the barrel through the open proximal end and is slidably held therein. The tubular container is held in the barrel so that an end or tip thereof may be placed in a lumen of the needle-connecting portion of the barrel. In use, as the hollow cylindrical body is emptied of fluid, the wall of the hollow cylindrical body is squeezed into a space between the barrel and the plunger as the plunger is pushed into the barrel.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0091361 to Rosoff et al. discloses a multiple-dose syringe including a barrel with a closed end and an open end. The closed end has an injection port adapted to receive a needle. A plunger is slidably disposed through the open end of the barrel. A container is connected to an end of the plunger to move with the plunger. The container has a deformable shell with an opening at a forward end thereof A predetermined quantity of fluid is sealed in the deformable shell by a closure member disposed over the opening. The container is slidably disposed in the barrel and includes a seal proximal to the forward end to form a first cavity in the barrel with a volume that is adjustable by moving the container in the barrel with the plunger so that fluid can be selectively drawn into and expelled from the first cavity. After at least a substantial portion of the fluid is expelled from the first cavity, the shell is configured to collapse by further pressure applied by the plunger to expel the predetermined quantity of fluid contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,876 to Poynter et al. discloses a compressible syringe including a bellows. The disclosed syringe bellow has rearward frusto-conical bellows walls that are thicker than its forward frusto-conical bellows walls. The bellow walls converge in an apex, with the rearward frusto-conical wall at a first angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the syringe and intersecting the apex, and with the forward frusto-conical wall being at a second angle with respect to the plane and with the first angle being greater than the second angle. The bellows rings increase in diameter successively from the rearward to the forward portion of the syringe
U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,134 to Trombley, III et al. discloses a syringe system that includes a barrel, a plunger slidably disposed within the barrel, and a collapsible cartridge in the barrel. The collapsible cartridge is inserted within the barrel and collapses as the plunger is advanced within the barrel to pressurize fluid within the collapsible cartridge. The collapsible cartridge includes a passage through which fluid passes when pressurized by the plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,419 to Dragan et al. discloses an ampoule having a body portion, a sealed end portion, and a sealed delivery portion. The ampoule is adapted for use in a delivery syringe system for controllably dispensing a low viscosity material, such as a liquid, gel, or paste. The ampoule has sealed rear portions adapted to mate with a plunger of a syringe so as to facilitate controlled dispensing of the low viscosity material. The syringe has a plunger adapted to grasp the collapsed ampoule, facilitating removal, as well as breach openings positioned to provide controlled initial flow of the dispensed low viscosity material.
It is also known in the medical field to use bellows-type ampoules and containers in association with controlled, programmable fluid injection apparatuses. One such example may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,739 to Kulisz et al. The Kulisz patent discloses a programmable pump with three separate components, namely, a driver, a reservoir, and a fluid tubing set connector. The driver provides an electromechanical assembly adapted to cause fluid to flow from the reservoir. The driver can be programmed for varying flow rates and alternating on/off delivery cycles through the control of switches externalized on the driver face. The top of the bellows reservoir includes a port, and the bottom includes a septum for filling by a needle. The tubing set connector subsequently connects to a port connector of the bellows reservoir. The tubing set connector provides an interface to any standard luer-type tubing set which then connects to a needle for infusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,471 to Zivitz et al. discloses a fluid-delivery apparatus for delivering a medicament to a patient. The apparatus includes a housing defining a passageway, a bellowed ampoule positioned to lie in the passageway of the housing, and a piston. The bellowed ampoule includes a body with first and second ends and is formed to define a cavity configured to contain the medicament. The piston presses the second end of the ampoule toward the first end to dispense the medicament from the cavity. The fluid-delivery apparatus includes a piston-drive system that is configured to apply a force to the piston to dispense medicament from the ampoule. The piston-drive mechanism includes a torque-production system and an actuator system. The torque-production system includes a gear train operated by an electric motor and is adapted to apply a torque to a lead screw to move a drive nut and into engagement with the piston. The drive motor is actuated by a motor driver and engages with the gear train via a motor shaft.
Further, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0218499 to Cahen discloses a device for injecting a fluid for medical use. The device includes a cylindrical component wherein a container for receiving the injection fluid is provided. The container has a bellows-shaped body made of deformable material and includes a tip through which fluid passes. The cylindrical component or base has a bottom wall through which an axially translatable piston rod is guided, and a top wall. The container has circular bellows-type rings. The distal end of the piston has a shape complementing the shape of a corresponding cavity in the bottom wall of the container. An activating mechanism may be connected to the piston to impart force to the piston and eject the injection fluid from the container.


A pedicle screw assembly consists of a screw having a part spherical head providing a saddle shaped contact surface for a connecting rod, the head is held in a coupling member allowing limited angular movement between the screw and coupling member in one plane only and this plane is at right angles to the contact surface. Surfaces are provided in the connecting member for supporting a connecting rod, which is securable in the coupling member by a cap engaging in the coupling member to clamp the connecting rod against the supporting surfaces while still enabling the screw to move angularly with respect to the coupling member.

Multi-segmental spinal fixation is an accepted surgical procedure in the treatment of disorders of the spine. It involves the use of a series of pedicle screws and connecting rods and its efficacy is to a large extent dependant on the ability of the screw assemblies to accommodate rigidly a rod bent to the contour of the spine.


A cutting tool, a mounting bracket for the cutting tool, and a rotatable cutting head are provided. The cutting tool includes a saddle portion configured to be secured to a mounting bracket, an aperture extending through the saddle portion, and at least one cutting bit attachment portion. The mounting bracket includes a base having a receiving slot configured to receive a cutting tool, a threaded recess extending at least partially through the base, and a curved bottom surface corresponding to a curvature of a cutting drum. The rotatable cutting head comprises a drive shaft connectable to a drive motor, a drum portion coupled to the drive shaft, the drum portion having a curved outer surface, a plurality of mounting brackets secured to the curved outer surface, and at least one cutting tool having at least one cutting bit attachment portion removably secured to at least one of the mounting brackets.

Road surface markings are required on paved roadways to provide signals and information for road traffic. Stripes are typically painted on either side of the road and between traffic lanes to indicate the width of the traffic lanes in which the vehicle can travel. Visibility and uniformity of road markings is important to provide consistency and uncertainty for driver safety.
Road stripes may be applied by traditional line painting techniques such as spraying or rolling a painted line along the pavement surface. More recently, reflective tapes, high performance epoxy paints, and plastic pavement markings have been used on pavement surfaces to provide greater visibility and uniformity than painting techniques can provide. In either case, road stripes are exposed to the effects of traffic, tire wear and road maintenance equipment, e.g., snow plow blades.
Recently, road maintenance technology has advanced to provide reflective tape or paint into a shallow recess or groove in the pavement surface. The groove is preferably a precise depth and width, and having sharp corners. The groove may be discontinuous over a section of the pavement surface creating a broken line in the pavement surface for reflective paint or tape.
Conventional cutting drums include removable cutting bits that are attached to the cutting drum via dovetail configurations to prevent the cutting bits from becoming dislodged while performing road maintenance. Such cutting bits are removable by sliding the bit laterally from the dovetail groove. After the cutting bits have been used to cut pavement they are difficult to remove from the cutting drum due to the high temperature and dust which accumulates on the groove. Also, it is difficult to hammer the bits laterally because of the tight clearance between the cutting drum and the housing walls. Furthermore, a horizontal retention system restricts an amount of the cutting bits that can be affixed to the cutting drum, as it is necessary to provide lateral space between the cutting bits in order to change the cutting bits.
Intended advantages of the disclosed systems and/or methods satisfy one or more of these needs or provide other advantageous features. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.

Cutting tool, mounting bracket, and rotatable cutting head


Methods of forming semiconductor-on-insulator field effect transistors include the steps of forming an insulated trench containing a semiconductor region therein and an insulating region mesa at a bottom of the trench, so that the semiconductor region has relatively thick regions adjacent the sidewalls of the trench and has a relatively thin region above the mesa. Dopants can then be added to the thick regions to form low resistance source and drain regions on opposite sides of the thin region which acts as the channel region. Because the channel region is thin, low junction capacitance can also be achieved. An insulated gate electrode can also be formed on the face of the semiconductor region, above the channel region, and then source and drain contacts can be formed to the source and drain regions to complete the device. Preferably, the step of forming the trench containing a semiconductor region comprises the steps of patterning an oxidation blocking layer having an opening therein, on a face of a semiconductor substrate, and then oxidizing the substrate at the face to form an electrically insulating region in the opening and adjacent a periphery of the oxidation blocking layer. These steps are performed so that a portion of the electrically insulating region in the opening is thinner than a portion of the electrically insulating region extending adjacent the periphery of the oxidation blocking layer. Next, the oxidation blocking layer is removed from the face of the substrate and then the electrically insulating region is planarized. The planarized insulating region is then used as a substrate by planarizing a back face of the semiconductor substrate until the insulating region is reached. At this point a trench filled with a semiconductor material will remain in the insulating region and this remaining semiconductor material can be used as an SOI substrate.

Electronic devices may be formed on thin-film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates with reduced short channel effects, reduced parasitic and nodal capacitances, increased radiation hardness, reduced susceptibility to parasitic thyristor latch-up and reduced process complexity compared to bulk semiconductor devices. However, SOI devices may have parasitic contact resistances, such as high source and drain contact resistances to SOI MOSFETs.
One attempt to form an SOI MOSFET according to the prior art is disclosed in FIGS. 1A-1D. In particular, to form the structure of FIG. 1A, a buried oxide layer 12 and a silicon layer 14 thereon are formed using a conventional separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) technique which involves implanting oxygen ions into a face of a silicon substrate 10. Then, a pad oxide layer 16, nitride layer 18 and photosensitive patterning layer 20 are sequentially formed. The nitride layer 18 is then patterned to define an active region in the silicon layer 14 using the photosensitive layer 20 as a mask. Field oxide isolation regions 22 are then formed by performing a relatively long and high temperature oxidation of the silicon layer 14 until the silicon layer 14 is consumed, using the patterned nitride layer 18 as a mask, as illustrated by FIG. 1B. The nitride layer 18 is then removed and impurity ions are implanted into the silicon layer 14 to set the threshold voltage. An insulated gate electrode comprising a gate insulating layer 26, polycrystalline silicon and tungsten silicide (WSi.sub.x) gate electrode 28 and oxide spacers 30, is then formed on the silicon layer 14. The gate electrode 28 is then used as a mask to form the source region 14a and drain region 14b in the silicon layer 14, as illustrated by FIG. 1C. Conventional steps are then used to deposit an insulating layer 32 and then reflowing boro-silicate glass (BPSG) on the insulating layer 32 to form a planarized layer 34. The planarized layer 34 and insulating layer 32 are then etched to form source and drain contact holes. Source and drain electrodes 36 and 38 are then formed by patterning metallization on the planarized layer 34, as illustrated by FIG. 1D.
Unfortunately, the use of thin-film SOI substrates typically causes an increase in the sheet resistances of the source and drain regions of FETs formed therein and this increase typically causes a decrease in on-state current (I.sub.ds). These difficulties in using thin-films are more fully disclosed in an article by L. Su et al. entitled Optimization of Series Resistance in Sub-0.2 .mu.m SOI MOSFETs, International Electron Devices Meeting, No. 30.1.1-30.1.4, pp. 723-726. However, the use of thick-film SOI substrates is also problematic because high junction capacitances with the channel region typically result and because sub-threshold leakage current typically increases with the thickness of the silicon film.
Thus, notwithstanding prior art attempts to form SOI substrates and devices, there still continues to be a need for improved methods of forming SOI substrates and devices so that devices formed therein derive the above described benefits of SOI isolation, but do not suffer from high sheet resistances and high junction capacitances associated with thin-film devices.

Methods of forming semiconductor-on-insulator substrates


An engineering order wire arrangement is provided for a synchronous telecommunications network comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected via transmission paths, each path accommodating a plurality of transmission channels. Engineering voice traffic is carried on a first overhead channel having a defined network route topology. A second overhead channel is used to define a model network having a a route topology identical to that of the first overhead channel. The model network is tested to determine its integrity, i.e. the absence of loops. If the model network is found to be defective, both networks are reconfigured.

A typical telecommunications network comprises a number of nodes interconnected by communications paths. The nodes incorporate equipment that requires commissioning on installation and periodic servicing either to effect repairs or to install new software. To facilitate this exercise, it is conventional to provide a voice communications channel between nodes to allow service engineers to communicate with each other. This voice channel, which is independent of the network and may thus be used during installation and testing, is generally referred to as an engineering order wire (EOW). Such a facility is of particular importance in synchronous (SDH or SONET) networks where it is necessary for engineers located at various system nodes to ensure synchronisation of those nodes when the system is set up.
Traditionally, when a long distance link comprising end stations and intermediate regenerator stations is installed, the engineering order wire is provided in the form of a "party line" which is private to the associated long distance link. Telephone terminals are provided at the end stations and at the regenerator station, and an engineer lifting the handset of any one of those telephones Is able to hear any speech on the line. To support the operation, means are provided for attracting the attention of personnel at the different sites along the line, e.g. by use of a simple code of one ring for site one, two rings for site two and so on.
The introduction of synchronous technology has greatly increased both the distances and the transmission rates that can be achieved by carrying the traffic over optical fibre links. Rather than go to the expense of providing a physically separate engineering order wire connection, it has been proposed to provide this facility in the form of overhead channels. Typically, two 64 kbit/s channels are allocated for this purpose. These channels are extracted/inserted at all sites where an order wire facility is to be provided. This arrangement however suffers from two disadvantages. Firstly, the engineering order wire traffic is carried on the main fibre transmission path. If that path is cut, then the engineering order wire communication is also lost at a time when it is most needed. Secondly, network topologies have evolved to such an extent that engineering communication along a single unbranched path is no longer adequate. For example, present day networks can now comprise meshes or hierarchies of ring systems. These complex topologies permit the formation of loops when an engineering order wire is connected as a party line. This can lead to positive feedback or "howl" preventing effective communication.


The invention aims to increase the efficiency of a waterjet propulsion unit with a jet tube, open at its upper and lower end and accommodating a rotating water propulsion means, and with in its outflow opening a rotatable grid of essentially mutual parallel guide plates which cross the axis of the propulsion means under an acute angle, in which a great power can be handled, in that the jet tube is surrounded at the outside of the inlet end by a guide surface having a spherically curved cross-section, and ends at the inlet end in a converging chamber of which two opposite walls an acute angle include with the axis of the propulsion means, said chamber carrying at the outflow end the grid of guide plates of which the plates are parallel with the horizontal end edges of said walls, the whole being rotable together with this grid around the axis of the propulsion means.

The invention relates to a water jet propulsion unit, comprising a jet tube, open at its upper and lower end, and accommodating therein a rotatingly driven propulsion means with in the outflow opening of the unit a rotatable grid of essentially mutually parallel guide plates crossing the axis of the propulsion element under an acute angle.
Such a waterjet propulsion unit is known in itself from the French patent specification 1478733; the propulsion means as used therein is a thrust propeller. This known unit comprises an outer drum around a circular opening in the bottom of the vessel, extending conically upwardly with therein a jet tube, converging downwardly, and with therebelow the grid guide plates.
Such a device is, at best, only suited for handling small powers. The inflow of the water at the upper end of the jet tube will be accompanied by heavy turbulences, resulting in a very low propeller efficiency and cavitation of the propeller. The plane of the exit grid essentially coincides with the plane of the bottom of the vessel so that a great amount of water will be pumped around: part of the outflowing water will be mixed with the inflowing water so that the efficiency of the propulsion unit will be still worse.
The invention aims to provide a propulsion unit as described hereinabove which, having a high efficiency, is suitable to handle high powers. According the invention this aim is obtained in that the jet tube is, outside the inlet end, surrounded by a curved guide surface which has, in cross-section in a radial plane through the axis of the jet tube and starting from the wall of said tube an at least semi-circular configuration, and ends at the outlet end in a guide chamber in which the end edges of two opposite walls, which bound the outflow opening of said chamber, cross the axis of the tube under an acute angle, said grid of plates being provided in said outflow opening with at least the end parts of the plates parallel to said end edges, the whole being rotatable, together with the grid, around the axis of the propulsion means.
The upper surround of the jet tube as proposed by the invention ensures a smooth inflow of the water therein, eliminating turbulences and propeller cavitation. The water which flows out of the jet tube does not directly hit the guide plates but flows firstly in the, converging, chamber in which the water is already given a direction which includes an angle with the axis of the propulsion means. By this the xe2x80x9cpumping aroundxe2x80x9d, which occurs in the unit according to the prior art, is prevented.
Preferably the propulsion means is a propulsion propeller with fixed or variable pitch. It is also possible to use a xe2x80x9cmixed flowxe2x80x9d propeller or a pumping disc.
In a preferred embodiment the chamber is fixed to the jet tube and rotatable, together therewith, around the axis of the propulsion means by means of drive means, acting on the jet tube.
Contrary to the prior art according to which the guide grid can be rotated by means of a submerged set of gears, in the proposed embodiment the rotating of the jet tube is effected by driving its support, thus in the dry zone within the vessel.
Contrary to the prior art in a preferred embodiment of the invention the jet tube is surrounded by an essentially circle-cylindrical drum of which the lower plane essentially coincides with the plane of guide plate grid. By this measure a better guiding of the water, which is sucked in around the jet tube, up to the upper end of the jet tube is obtained.
Furthermore preferably the guide plates comprise a first part lying near to the outflow opening of the chamber, parallel with the chamber valves which cross the axis of the propulsion means, and a second part, lying further within the chamber and crossing the said axis under a smaller angle.


The present invention comprises a hearing system apparatus and method for electromagnetically communicating signals to a magnetic transducer. The apparatus includes a signalling circuit for producing a pulse-width modulated current signal. An antenna means is coupled to the signalling circuit for producing a variable electromagnetic field whose energy intensity is modulated by the output of the signalling circuit. In addition, an energy storage circuit is coupled to the antenna for storing a substantial portion of the energy stored in the magnetic field produced by the antenna when the magnetic field collapses between cycles of the current signal. Also, an energy recycling circuit is coupled to the storage circuit and the antenna for recovering the energy stored in the storage circuit for use in the next electromagnetic field cycle.

Hearing systems which rely on amplified acoustic drive output are well known in the prior art. For example, public address (PA) systems used in auditoriums or concert halls provide sounds to an audience with normal hearing by widespread production of amplified acoustic information in the form of sound waves. Such systems, however, are incapable of selectively imparting audio information to some nearby individuals but not to others. If amplification of such systems is increased so as to enable hearing impaired individuals to receive the information, the volume may be too loud for persons with normal hearing.
Another type of acoustic drive sound system is exemplified by the commonly available acoustic hearing aid. Such devices rely on acoustic output provided by a miniature speaker typically located within the wearer's external ear or ear canal, and positioned adjacent to the ear drum. In many cases, a portion of the acoustic output feeds back to the input of the device, causing a self-sustained oscillation. This "feedback" phenomenon, which is generally proportional to the magnitude of the gain, imposes limitations on the amount of gain available to the wearer. As a result, many hearing impaired individuals cannot benefit from such devices. This is especially true for severely hearing impaired individuals, where high acoustic gain requirements result in unacceptable levels of acoustic feedback.
Some prior art hearing systems have utilized electromagnetic energy to vibrate the middle ear structures or the tympanic membrane. An example of this may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,478 to Maniglia. The Maniglia system uses a hearing device consisting of a microphone, an amplifier, a power source, and an electromagnetic coil placed in the external auditory canal for receiving sound waves and converting them into magnetic fields. A permanent magnet is surgically implanted onto a portion of the bones of the ossicular chain of the individual. The magnet responds to the applied magnetic field, and causes the bones of the ossicular chain to vibrate with the same frequency and amplitude variation as the incoming signal at the microphone. In an alternate embodiment, a sound signal is externally modulated with a radio frequency (RF) signal. The signal is then transmitted through an external coil worn behind the ear to a coil implanted in the mastoid cavity. The mastoid cavity coil decodes the signal to retrieve the original signal, which is then applied to a third coil which vibrates the implanted magnet, resulting in the perception of sound. In the above cases, as well as others not mentioned here, a considerable amount of conspicuous hardware is required for the system to operate. Additional disadvantages include surgical intervention and the various associated risks.
Another type of system proposed by the prior art (Rutschmann, 1959; Goode, 1973) utilizes a small magnet glued or otherwise attached to the tympanic membrane. A coil placed inside or just outside the external auditory canal is driven by currents to produce electromagnetic fields which vibrate the magnet attached to the tympanic membrane. In the case of the Rutschmann system, the current requirement was impractically high for hearing thresholds. The Goode system, on the other hand, provided some improvements in terms of power consumption, but the requirements were still impractically high. Power consumption and other limitations related to coil and magnet design made it necessary, in those systems, to place the coils in close proximity to the magnet.
An improved electromagnetic drive hearing system is shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 679,661, filed Apr. 1, 1991 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These systems permit the use of an inconspicuous in ear magnet transducer driver by a coil which may be positioned inside or outside the ear canal of an individual.
If a system such as those shown and described in the aforementioned patent applications is to be powered by a battery, it is important to minimize the drain on the battery. In this way, lightweight batteries may be used without having to be replaced at inconveniently frequent intervals. Systems for driving electromagnetic type hearing systems and which are currently known in the prior art do not lend themselves to accomplishing this goal. Such prior art systems, which require relatively large currents, have not utilized circuitry with power requirements suitable for the use of relatively lightweight batteries.
Hence it would be desirable for a system to be able to vary a magnetic field in response to ambient sounds in such a way that the energy required to maintain and modulate the electromagnetic field would be provided by lightweight batteries with long usage lives. Such a system should produce an electromagnetic field large enough to communicate with a remote magnetic transducer while utilizing low power.
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hearing system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hearing system which can communicate with a magnetic transducer by means of a modulated electromagnetic field for long periods while using small current sources.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hearing system as described which utilizes low power and communicates by inconspicuous means with a magnetic transducer.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.


The present invention aims to provide a novel compound having a TRPA1 antagonist activity, and a medicament containing the compound. Moreover, the present invention aims to provide a TRPA1 antagonist and a medicament useful for the prophylaxis or treatment of diseases involving TRPA1.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel heterocyclic amide compound having a Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) antagonist activity and a pharmaceutical composition containing the compound, as well as a medicament useful for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of a disease involving TRPA1.
Discussion of the Background
Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is a non-selective cation channel belonging to the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel superfamily. Like other TRP channel family, it has 6 transmembrane domains and forms a tetramer consisting of 4 subunits. TRPA1 is a ligand dependent ion channel, which changes structure by the binding of ligand. As a result, the channel opens to allow intracellular flow of cations such as calcium ion, sodium ion and the like, thereby controlling the membrane potential of the cells. As the TRPA1 ligand, stimulant natural substances (e.g., allylisothiocyanate (AITC), cinnamaldehyde and the like), environmental stimulants (e.g., formalin, acrolein and the like), endogenous substances (e.g., 4-hydroxynonenal and the like) and the like are known (non-patent documents 1-3). It is known that the ligand is also activated by cold stimulation, intracellular Ca2+ and the like (non-patent document 1). Many ligands such as AITC, cinnamaldehyde and the like form a covalent bond with the cysteine residue and the lysine residue at the N-terminal in the cytoplasm, and activate the channel (non-patent document 2). In addition, intracellular Ca2+ is considered to bind to the N-terminal EF hand domain and opens the channel (non-patent document 4). TRPA1 has been reported to be highly expressed in the sensory nerves such as spinal cord nerve, vagus nerve, trigeminal nerve and the like. TRPA1 has been reported to be co-expressed with perception•pain-related markers such as TRPV1, calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), substance P and the like (non-patent documents 5-7). Therefore, it is considered that, once TRPA1 present in the sensory nerve is activated by various stimulations, channel opening and depolarization of the cellular membrane occur, neuropeptides (CGRP, substance P) are liberated from the nerve ending, and perception such as nociception and the like is transmitted.
In fact, it has been reported that TRPA1 gene knockdown by the gene specific antisense method improves hyperalgesia induced by inflammation and nerve damage in pain model (non-patent document 8). Also, it has been reported that a pain behavior induced by formalin disappears in TRPA1 gene knockout mouse (non-patent document 9). From the above, TRPA1 is considered to play an important role in the nociceptive transmission, and is expected as a treatment target in pain-associated diseases such as nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain and the like.
TRPA1 is known to show high expression in the afferent sensory nerve projected on the gastrointestinal tract such as esophagus, stomach, large intestine and the like. It has been reported that TRPA1 knockdown decreases nociception reaction due to extension of stomach (non-patent document 10), and large intestine hyperalgesia induced by AITC and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) is normalized in TRPA1 gene knockout mouse (non-patent document 11). From the above, TRPA1 is suggested to play an important role in the perception•nociception transmission in the gastrointestinal tract, and is expected to be effective for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, erosive esophagitis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), pancreatitis and the like.
Furthermore, TRPA1 plays a key role in the detection of a noxious substance in the trachea. It has been reported that TRPA1 gene knockout suppresses inflammation of the trachea in OVA model (non-patent document 12). Therefore, antagonism of TRPA1 is considered to be also useful for pulmonary diseases such as asthma, chronic coughing, COPD and the like.
As other diseases involving TRPA1, dermatic diseases such as pruritus, atopic dermatitis, burn and the like (non-patent documents 13, 14), inflammatory diseases such as burn, osteoarthritis and the like (non-patent document 15), bladder diseases such as overactive bladder, abnormal urination, cystitis and the like (non-patent document 16), neurological diseases such as anticancer agent-induced neuropathy and the like (non-patent document 17) and the like are known. Thus, a compound capable of functional regulation of TRPA1 is industrially and therapeutically useful in many aspects. In particular, a compound that antagonizes TRPA1 is highly expected as a new therapeutic drug for pain diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, lung diseases, dermatic diseases, inflammatory diseases, bladder diseases and neurological diseases in human.
As a TRPA1 antagonist, a compound of the following formula has been reported (patent document 1).
wherein definition of each symbol is as described in patent document 1.
However, this compound is structurally different from the compound represented by the formula (I) to be mentioned later.

Heterocyclic amide derivative and pharmaceutical product containing same

Abstract: A medicament containing a compound represented by the formula (I):

Abstract: wherein each symbol is as defined in the DESCRIPTION, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and the like.


A device and a method for blocking of an optical lens and to release the blocked lens by an expelling pulse being applied off-center to a block ring which is assigned to the lens.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for blocking of an optical lens and a method for blocking of an optical lens.
2. Description of Related Art
An optical lens, for example, for eyeglasses, should have certain optical properties. The associated desired optical data of the lens are determined for example, by an optician. These data comprise for example, the specification of the diopters, data on sphere and cylinder, on the pantoscopic angle, etc. Furthermore, these desired optical data can also contain the distance and/or the location to an assigned eye, especially with installation into a certain eyeglass frame, therefore, for example, the pantoscopic angle, facial shape angle and the lens tilt angle, pupil distance, etc.
In the past, lenses with predetermined optical data, for example, with diopters which were available in different stages, were used. However, increasingly lenses which have the individualized optical data desired at the time and the associated optical properties are being used. These lenses are then machined or produced depending on the respectively desired optical data, the lenses being machined especially by cutting, preferably by turning and/or milling. For this purpose the lenses are clamped, their being first blocked, as explained below.
German Patent Application DE 10 2008 022 660 A1 discloses a method for machining of a lens, the lens to be worked being temporarily fastened (blocked) on a so-called block piece as a holder. The lens is joined to the block piece, especially by means of a block material, during the blocking. Then, the block piece is ejected by means of a centrally acting ejector. The block piece can then be clamped in order to work the lens.
This invention relates to the blocking of a lens. "Blocking" is defined as the temporary joining of the lens to the assigned block piece, especially by means of a block material. The block piece therefore especially forms a holder, preferably for later machining of the lens.
International Patent Application Publication WO 2011/054665 A1 relates to deblocking—therefore the release—of the block material from a lens. This invention conversely relates to the release of the block from the device for blocking. However, in the case of the present invention, releasing of the lens or a lens blank from the block material should not take place; rather the block composed of the lens or lens blank, block material and block piece will remain altogether joined in the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention.


A spindle bracket for rear suspensions includes a bracket body welded to a trailing arm and having a mounting hole into which a spindle is inserted, and a lateral strength reinforcing piece secured between the trailing arm and the bracket body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a spindle bracket for rear suspensions and, more particularly, to a spindle bracket for rear suspensions, which has at a mounting hole thereof a lateral strength reinforcing piece to be secured between a trailing arm and a bracket body, thus increasing the ability to withstand lateral force, when the lateral force acts on outside wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a suspension insulates a vehicle body from vibration or shocks transmitted through a road surface while a vehicle is running, thus preventing the vehicle body or baggage from being damaged and providing a smoother ride. As shown in FIG. 1, a rear suspension includes a torsion beam 1 which is installed in a transverse direction of a vehicle body. Trailing arms 2 are welded to opposite ends of the torsion beam 1. A spindle bracket 3 is welded to each of the trailing arms 2 to be perpendicular to the trailing arm 2. The rear suspension also includes shock absorbers 5 and coil springs 4 to absorb shocks transmitted from a road surface, in addition to providing a smoother ride (see, the description of the related art of Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2003-0091324).
At a lower portion H of each spindle bracket 3 is provided a semicircular mounting part to correspond to the shape of the cylindrical trailing arm 2.
Further, when each spindle bracket 3 is welded to an associated trailing arm 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a welded part W comprises a lower end W1 of the spindle bracket 3 and both sides W2 and W3 of the spindle bracket 3.
However, the conventional spindle bracket has a problem in that a span S between a wheel center C and the welded part W is large, so that it is weak in a lateral direction.


A method for supporting a first bone portion relative to a second bone portion can include: (a) aligning the first bone portion relative to the second bone portion, (b) forming a bore extending through the first bone portion and the second bone portion through a void defined by opposing surfaces of the first and second bone portions after the aligning of the first bone portion with the second bone portion, (c) disposing a pin in the bore to span the void, wherein the pin includes a coupler, (d) drawing a self-locking, adjustable suture construct coupled to the coupler through the bore by withdrawing the pin from the bore, and (e) compressing the first bone portion and the second bone portion between a first anchor and a second anchor coupled to the suture construct by tensioning the suture construct.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Bones can become fractured due to high impact or stress, or as a result of a medical condition that weakens the bones, such as osteoporosis. For example, the force of a fall on an outstretched hand can result in a distal radius fracture. Incomplete fractures are fractures in which bone fragments are still partially joined, while complete fractures are fractures in which the bone fragments are completely separated. Depending on the severity, treatment of fractured bones can include aligning the bone fragments to their natural positions, called reduction, and maintaining the natural positions while the bones heal, called immobilization.
Immobilization can be achieved using non-operative procedures and/or surgical procedures. In non-operative procedures, casts, splints, or other external fixation devices can maintain the natural positions by immobilizing joints above and below the fractured bone. When treated through surgery, orthopedic nails, screws, plates, and wires can hold the bone fragments together more directly. The bone fragments can be held together by compressive forces, which can be applied so that upon the ingrowth of new bone, the fragments heal together and restore strength to the fracture site.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatuses for applying compressive force between bones and/or bone fragments to maintain alignment and assist healing. There is a further need for methods and apparatuses that are easier to use intraoperatively to accommodate variation in bone sizes and shapes, and/or locations of bone fractures or sections.

Method and apparatus for fracture fixation


Provided is an apparatus and method for providing an analysis index of a roadway section based on road and traffic conditions. The method may include calculating a traffic light density of a roadway section using a number of traffic lights installed in the roadway section, calculating road shape information based on at least one of a curvature and a gradient of the roadway section, calculating a speed variation of the roadway section using a change of speed in the roadway section, and calculating an analysis index of the roadway section using the traffic light density, the road shape information, and the speed variation.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analysis index providing method and apparatus for calculating an analysis index of a roadway section based on various factors affecting driving.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, a need for objective materials to determine an allocation of liability in car accidents occurring while stopping or driving is increasing. Generally, a car black box is used to provide objective materials, however, an existing car black box only provides simple data associated with vehicle conditions, and thus fails to meet the demand of users effectively.
A navigation device provides map data in which a global positioning system (GPS) location is matched with a map, and guides a user along a requested route using the map data. The navigation device detects and displays driving information including travel distance and time, a maximum speed, and an average speed to allow the user to ascertain driving conditions. However, since an existing navigation device provides rather simple driving information to the user, the navigation device has a limitation in terms of enabling the user to recognize driving habits or driving patterns of the user accurately.
Reference is made to Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0110102, published on Oct. 12, 2010, disclosing an apparatus and method that analyzes a driving habit or driving pattern of a user accurately, calculates driving evaluation information from driving information, and displays the driving evaluation information to promote safer, more economical, and environmentally-friendly driving.
However, the conventional driving evaluation information includes fuel efficiency, a travel speed, carbon emissions, and the like, and only represents information associated with safety and economic efficiency, irrespective of road or traffic conditions. Accordingly, the conventional driving evaluation information simply corresponds to an index indicating a driving habit of a user irrespective of road or traffic conditions, and thus is unsuitable for use in setting a route.
The present disclosure proposes a method and apparatus for calculating an analysis index of a roadway section based on actual road and traffic conditions, as well as fuel efficiency.

Method and apparatus for providing analysis index of roadway section based on road and traffic conditions


A fast silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide-based optical device enhanced with minority charge carrier lifetime modifiers enables faster modulation speeds in optical attenuators, optical intensity/phase-modulators, and optical switches whose operation principles are based on free-carrier injection into a waveguide. The waveguide is doped with gold (Au) or platinum (Pt) such that when a drive voltage (applied to the device) is turned off, the minority charge carriers rapidly annihilate because gold doping reduces the minority carrier lifetime, which improves transient characteristics of the optical device. Integration of the fast active device with passive devices such as WDM demultiplexers/multiplexers on the SOI optical waveguide platform enables realization of monolithic integrated optical components for advanced functionality such as dynamic spectral equalization.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to photonic devices and, in particular to integrated optical circuits.
2. Background Information
Silicon, as an electronic material, is widely used to realize electronic integrated circuits. Over ninety percent of integrated circuits fabricated worldwide use silicon as the starting material. It is well known that the highest operational frequency a silicon based electrical semiconductor device may have is limited by the speed at which the device switches. The switching speed of a bipolar semiconductor device is related to the "minority carrier life times" in the active area of the silicon crystals that makes the device work. A minority carrier is one whose equilibrium concentration (in silicon) is less than the majority carrier. For example, in N-type silicon, holes are the minority carriers and in P-type silicon, electrons are the minority carriers. The minority carrier lifetime is the average time interval between the generation and recombination of a minority carrier
The minority carrier lifetime can have a pronounced effect on the operation of a P-N junction semiconductor device because the minority carrier lifetime determines the switching response time. By introducing more recombination centers, the rate of recombination process increases. This allows the annihilation of generated/injected minority carriers within a shorter period of time, which increases the switching speed.
The number of recombination centers (or "trap centers") in a semiconductor (e.g., silicon) is partially dependent on the presence of impurities creating energy levels inside the energy band gap. The efficiency of trap centers is characterized by capture cross-section and carriers capture rate. The most efficient traps are those having their energy levels close to the middle of band gap. Such recombination centers are called deep level recombination centers or traps.
In the mainstream silicon semiconductor industry, minority carrier lifetime modifiers for silicon are gold and platinum impurities and surface defects caused by high-energy electron irradiation. Impurities could be introduced into semiconductor by either diffusion on ion implantation.
Technologies currently exist that allow transporting of electronic data in optical form from a data source to data destination over a long distance without intermediate optical-electrical conversion. As more technologies emerge and current technologies mature, several functions previously performed in the electrical domain are migrating into optical domain functionalities.
Photonic integrated circuit fabrication technologies also are emerging and maturing. For example, among the several different planar waveguide platforms such as silica-on-silicon, lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), and polymer, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) is a promising substrate material for the realization of integrated optoelectronic devices, including both passive and active optical waveguide device structures.
An advantage of SOI planar waveguide platform is that the light-guiding medium is silicon, which is a semiconductor material offering very mature integrated circuit technology. Silicon is transparent in the long wavelength region (greater than 1.2 micron), which is of interest in fiber optic telecommunication. SOI already offers several benefits for scaling electronic device performance, by eliminating/reducing the substrate capacitance. In addition, with the commercially available 0.18 micron silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (Si CMOS) processes offered by foundry providers (e.g., TSMC in San Jose, Calif., and others), ten Gigabits per second (Gbps) lightwave circuits such as laser drivers and pre-amplifiers are possible. Furthermore, the ability to integrate germanium in silicon allows formation of long-wavelength (greater than 1.2 micron) photodetectors in silicon. Therefore, true integration of optical, electronic, and optoelectronic devices is possible on an SOI platform.

Method to realize fast silicon-on-insulator (SOI) optical device


Example methods are provided for an entity to perform micro-segmentation in a virtualized computing environment that includes multiple hosts. The method may comprise obtaining application implementation information associated with one or more applications implemented by multiple virtualized computing instances, each of the multiple virtualized computing instances being supported by one of the multiple hosts. The method may further comprise detecting micro-segments by clustering the multiple virtualized computing instances based on the application implementation information, and determining security policies for respective detected micro-segments. Each of the detected micro-segments may include one or more of the multiple virtualized computing instances that have more similarity compared to those in a different detected micro-segment.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Virtualization allows the abstraction and pooling of hardware resources to support virtual machines in a virtualized computing environment, such as a Software-Defined Datacenter (SDDC). For example, through server virtualization, virtual machines running different operating systems may be supported by the same physical machine (e.g., referred to as a "host"). Each virtual machine is generally provisioned with virtual resources to run an operating system and applications. The virtual resources may include central processing unit (CPU) resources, memory resources, storage resources, network resources, etc. In practice, to secure a SDDC, perimeter security solutions have been used to inspect the so-called "north-south traffic" (i.e., traffic into and out of a SDDC) to keep threats on the outside of the SDDC. However, although usually effective at the perimeter of the SDDC, these perimeter security solutions are not designed to inspect east-west traffic within the SDDC. In this case, if an attacker is able to penetrate into the SDDC, devices within the SDDC may be at risk.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Micro-segmentation in virtualized computing environments


Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer-readable media for determining a distribution of various visiting frequencies among devices/elements detected at a site. A method includes generating a list representing a portion of devices detected at a site over a first time period based on wireless signals transmitted by the devices and received at an access point and determining a visiting frequency for each device represented in the list based on data representing devices previously detected at the site. The method further includes, based on the visiting frequency determined for each device represented in the list, estimating a distribution of each visiting frequency among the devices detected at the site over the first time period to yield a plurality of estimated distributions and storing the plurality of estimated distributions for further processing.

With the ever growing presence of electronic devices in people's lives, providers of consumer services and products have increased their reliance on such electronic devices to more effectively identify their customers and tailor advertisements, promotions, sales, discounts, etc., in order to optimize sales/revenues. One example parameter that might be of value to providers of goods and services is how frequently a consumer visits a provider's site (physical site or virtual (online)). As a business grows, more and more consumers visit the business's locations/sites. As the number of consumers/visitors increases, determining a visiting frequency for all consumers can become cumbersome and difficult to keep track of. Moreover, determining a distribution of devices having a particular visiting frequency is also challenging.
Currently utilized methods to determine a visiting frequency for consumers detected at a given location and/or a distribution of various visiting frequencies among detected devices at such location, involve storing data of all detected devices up to a certain point in time and then determining the intended visiting frequency/distribution of visiting frequencies by parsing through all the stored data. Such methods become costly and time consuming as the number of consumers/visitors increases and larger and larger storage devices are required to store devices' data and more time would be needed to comb through all the stored data.

Systems and methods for device visiting frequency estimation


A circuit for de-emphasizing information transmitted via a differential communication link includes a voltage mode differential circuit and a bi-directional current source circuit. The voltage mode differential circuit includes a first and second output terminal. The voltage mode differential circuit provides a first voltage via the first output terminal and second voltage via the second output terminal in response to a differential input voltage. The bi-directional current source circuit is operatively coupled between the first and second terminals. The bi-directional current source circuit selectively provides current in a first and second direction between the first and second terminals based on the first and second voltage.

Increasing processing speeds of devices such as graphics processors, hard disks, network cards, and other high speed I/O devices have created a need for an increased bandwidth for communicating between devices. One way to increase bandwidth between the bridge circuit and the I/O device is to use a differential communication link such as PCI Express™, HyperTransport™, SATA, USB, and other suitable differential communication links. Such interfaces are a flexible, hybrid serial-parallel interface format that uses multiple differential communication links often referred to as lanes. Each link includes transmit lanes to transmit information and receive lanes to receive information.
In high speed transmission, there are losses in the lanes. In order to compensate for the losses, transmission circuits associated with the transmit lanes use de-emphasis to reduce the transmitter data amplitude for repeating bits of data. More specifically, data is transmitted at full amplitude for each polarity (or state) transition (e.g., 0 to 1, 1 to 0, 1 to −1, −1 to 1, etc.) and thereafter repeating bits of the same polarity (or state) are transmitted at reduced amplitude.
Referring to FIG. 1, a typical prior art transmission circuit 100 includes a predriver circuit 102 and a de-emphasis circuit 104. The transmission circuit 100 can include a current mode driver circuit (not shown) or a voltage mode driver circuit 106. In some applications, voltage mode driver circuits are preferred over current mode driver circuits because they consume less power when transmitting at full power (e.g., not de-emphasizing repeating bits). The de-emphasis circuit 104 provides a differential voltage transmission signal 108 via a first terminal 110 and second terminal 112.
The de-emphasis circuit 104 includes a first uni-directional current source 114, a second uni-directional current source 116, a third uni-directional current source 118, and a fourth uni-directional current source 120. The first uni-directional current source 114 is coupled between a first power source 122 and the first terminal 110. The second uni-directional current source 116 is coupled between the second terminal 112 and a second power source 124, which provides a supply voltage less than the first power source 122. The third uni-directional current source 118 is coupled between the first power source 122 and the second terminal 112. The fourth uni-directional current source 120 is coupled between the first terminal 110 and the second terminal 112.
In general, the voltage mode de-emphasis circuit 104 de-emphasizes the differential voltage transmission signal 108 (e.g., reduces transmission amplitude) by using separate uni-directional current sources to source current from a positive terminal and to sink current into a negative terminal. For example, if the differential voltage transmission signal 108 has a negative voltage on the first terminal 110 and a positive voltage on terminal 112, current source 114 sinks current into terminal 110 while current source 116 sources current from terminal 112. Likewise, if the differential voltage transmission signal 108 has a positive voltage on the first terminal 110 and a negative voltage on terminal 112, current source 118 sinks current into terminal 112 while current source 120 sources current from terminal 110.
A control circuit 126 selectively controls the current source pairs 114, 116 and 118, 120 based on polarity (or state) signals 130, 132 from predriver circuit 102 in order to de-emphasize the differential signal 128. The polarity (or state) signals 130, 132 are based on the polarity (or state) of the differential signal 128. More specifically, the control circuit 126 determines whether a polarity (or state) change of the differential signal 128 has occurred. If the polarity (or state) change has not occurred, the control circuit 126 enables the current source pairs 114, 116 and/or 118, 120 in order to de-emphasize repeated bits of data of the differential voltage transmission signal 108. For example, if a voltage at terminal 110 is greater than a voltage at terminal 112, the control circuit 126 enables uni-directional current source 120 to source current from terminal 110 and enables uni-directional current source 118 to sink current into terminal 112. If, for example, a voltage at terminal 110 is less than a voltage at terminal 112, the control circuit 126 enables uni-directional current source 114 to sink current into terminal 110 and enables uni-directional current source 116 to source current from terminal 112
Accordingly, the more bits that are repeated and thus de-emphasized, the more current the uni-directional current sources 114, 116, 118, 120 provide, which in turn increases power consumption of the de-emphasis circuit 104. For example, in one embodiment, an extra 9 mA of current is required in order to achieve 6 dB of de-emphasis. As such, more power is consumed by the de-emphasis circuit 104 when using the extra 9 mA to de-emphasis the differential voltage transmission signal 108.
It is therefore desirable, among other things, to provide a de-emphasis circuit for a voltage mode driver that consumes less power than conventional de-emphasis circuits.

De-emphasis circuit for a voltage mode driver used to communicate via a differential communication link


The invention proposes a brazing alloy, which can be produced in particular as a homogenous, ductile, amorphous brazing foil and consists of 2 to 20 atom % of nickel, 2 to 12 atom % of tin, 0.5 to 5.0 atom % of zinc, 6 to 16 atom % of phosphorus, remainder copper and incidental impurities. The total amount of copper, nickel, tin and zinc is between 80 and 95 atom %. The addition of more than 0.5 atom % of zinc produces excellent resistance to surface oxidation in air and/or atmospheric humidity. These brazing alloys can be used to produce excellent brazed joints.

Copper-based brazing alloys are known, for example, from EP 0 103 805 A2. The copper-based brazing alloys described in that document have a structure that is at least 50% amorphous and a composition which consists of 5 to 52 atom % of nickel, 2 to 10 atom % of tin and 10 to 15 atom % of phosphorus, remainder copper and incidental impurities. The total amount of copper, nickel and tin is in this case in the range from approximately 85 to 90 atom %.
Furthermore, RU 2041783 C1 has disclosed an amorphous copper-based brazing alloy which consists of 5 to 20 atom % of nickel, 20 to 10 atom % of tin, 10 to 15 atom % of phosphorus, remainder copper to which one or more of the elements gallium, indium, bismuth, lead, cadmium and/or zinc is added in quantities from 0.01 to at most 0.5 atom % to improve the wetting properties.
Both the copper-based brazing solders described above include phosphorus as an alloying element, since this element can lower the melting point and therefore the working point of the brazing solder, compared to other copper-based brazing solders. Moreover, the brazing solders described above have inherent flow properties, on account of their phosphorus content, and can be used for the cohesive joining of copper and copper alloys, for example brass, without the need for any flux. The copper-nickel-tin-phosphorus brazing solders described above have liquidus points of well below 750° C. and therefore represent the copper-based brazing solders with the lowest working points of all.
The copper-nickel-tin-phosphorus brazing alloys described above can be produced as powders, pastes, wires or amorphous foils. Powders are typically produced by melt atomization. Pastes are produced by mixing the metal powders with organic binders and solvents.
However, the intrinsic brittleness of the copper-nickel-tin-phosphorus alloys described means that the rapid solidification technique is the only way of producing brazing solders of this type in the form of homogenous and ductile foils.
It has been found that the copper-nickel-tin-phosphorus alloys described above have a tendency to be oxidized very extensively at the surface, in particular if they are exposed to a high level of atmospheric humidity for a prolonged period of time, so that discoloration and spots are formed on the surfaces of the alloy strips produced. The foil surfaces then have violet and/or greenish and/or bluish discolorations, which may extend over large parts of the foil. This phenomenon cannot be satisfactorily remedied even by the teaching of RU 2041783 C1. The additions of gallium, indium, cadmium and zinc disclosed in that document provide very little, if any, protection against surface oxidation.
The extensive surface oxidation which occurs may have a very adverse effect on the soldering properties of the alloys described. In particular, the flow and wetting properties deteriorate markedly.
Furthermore, the joining locations may be only incompletely filled with brazing solder, and consequently the mechanical stability of the parts to be joined can no longer be reliably ensured. Joining defects of this nature when brazing heat exchangers or other similar products can then lead to a considerable drop in the heat transfer rates required of them.
Hitherto, this problem has been combated by expensive packaging, in particular under vacuum, of the copper-based brazing alloys described in the introduction, in order to prevent surface oxidation even after prolonged storage in hot and/or humid regions.
However, this complex packaging incurs considerable additional costs during production, packaging itself and storage.

Copper-based brazing alloy and brazing process


Provided is a display device with which it is possible to implement a novel display. A display device comprises: a display unit which displays a display image in a display region; a framing unit is configured from a plurality of components; and a moving device which moves at least one of the plurality of components. The framing unit is segmented by moving at least one of the components by the moving mechanism. Prior to segmenting, the framing unit surrounds a partial region of the display region of the display unit. The display unit displays a different display image before and after the segmenting of the framing unit, and displays a notification image which fits the shape of the framing unit at least either before or after the segmentation of the framing unit.

There is, for example, a vehicle gauge as a display device. PTL 1 discloses a vehicle gauge that includes a bezel, two annular sections which are positioned in the display region of the bezel, and a moving mechanism which causes the two annular sections to move using the power of an electric motor. The two annular sections include, for example, an annular section which functions as an outer frame of a tachometer for displaying the number of revolutions of an engine, and an annular section which functions as an outer frame of a speed meter for displaying a vehicle speed. Each of the annular sections can move in the substantially horizontal direction using the moving mechanism when viewed from an observer. The vehicle gauge causes the two annular sections to move and causes the display content of the bezel to change in accordance with the movement of the annular sections.


In a system for transferring a plate-shaped member with interleaving paper thereon, a suction adhesion device included in a suction adhesion unit includes suction pads that adhere to a surface of a glass plate by suction with interleaving paper in between the surface and the suction pads; an air blowing device blows air between the adhered glass plate and a glass plate positioned below the adhered glass plate; a robot moves the suction adhesion unit; a clamping device includes a pair of pushing members that are arranged at both sides, respectively, of the glass plates and move toward the glass plates to come close to each other; and at least before the suction adhesion unit lifts the adhered glass plate, a controller causes the pair of pushing members to move to push protruding portions of pieces of interleaving paper, the protruding portions protruding from the sides of the glass plates.

If plate-shaped members such as glass plates are stored in such a manner that each plate-shaped member is placed side by side separately, then large storage space is necessary. For this reason, there are cases where a plurality of plate-shaped members are stored such that they are stacked vertically. In such a case, interleaving paper is inserted between stacked plate-shaped members so that the plate-shaped members will not cause damage to each other. Although the interleaving paper is necessary when the plate-shaped members are stacked, the interleaving paper becomes unnecessary when the plate-shaped members are processed. Therefore, how to remove the interleaving paper from the upper surface of each plate-shaped member is a problem to be solved. As a device intended to solve the problem, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a suction adhesion transfer device. The suction adhesion transfer device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is configured such that main and auxiliary suction pads are pressed against interleaving paper placed on a surface of a glass plate. The main and auxiliary pads adhere to the glass plate by suction with the interleaving paper in between the glass plate and the pads, and then the glass plate is transferred in such an adhered state.

System for and method of transferring plate-shaped member with interleaving paper thereon