A steering column support apparatus for an electric power-steering apparatus with a tilt mechanism is achieved that is capable of sufficiently maintaining support rigidity of a tilt pivot shaft 15a to support a pivot bracket 28, and keeping the resistance when performing a tilt operation low with the durability of the side plate sections 32c of a pair of bushings 30c sufficiently maintained. The portions of the outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft 15a and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 that hold the cylindrical sections 31 of the bushings 30c are cylindrical surfaces. Moreover, main contact surface sections 36, which come in contact with the inner side surfaces of support plate sections 23 in the neutral state in which there is no assist reaction force, and sub contact surface sections 37, which do not come in contact with the support plate sections 23 in the neutral state, and come in contact with the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23 only when there is elastic deformation due to the occurrence of an assist reaction force, are formed on outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32c of the bushings 30c.

Normally, a tilt mechanism that makes it possible to adjust the height position of the steering wheel, and a telescopic mechanism that makes it possible to adjust the forward-backward position of the steering wheel according to the size and driving posture of the driver are assembled in the steering apparatus of an automobile. Moreover, assembling an electric power steering apparatus that uses an electric motor as a power source and that is able to reduce the force necessary for the operator to operate the steering wheel is also widely performed. FIG. 25 illustrates a conventional example of an electric power steering apparatus that comprises a tilt mechanism and a telescopic mechanism.
The steering apparatus comprises: a steering shaft 2 to which a steering wheel 1 is fastened to the rear end section thereof, a steering column 3 that supports the steering shaft 2 on the inside thereof so as to be able to rotate freely, an electric assist apparatus 4 for applying an assist torque to the steering shaft 2, and a steering gear unit 6 for pushing or pulling a pair of left and right tie rods 5 according to the rotation of the steering shaft 2. In this specification, the forward-backward direction is the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body.
In an electric power steering apparatus, the steering shaft 2 is constructed so as to be able to expand and contract in the axial direction by combining an inner shaft 7 that is located on the front side and an outer shaft 8 that is located on the rear side such that torque can be transmitted and such that relative displacement in the axial direction is possible. Moreover, the steering column 3 is constructed so as to be able to expand and contract in the axial direction by combining an inner column 9 that is located on the front side and an outer column 10 that is located on the rear side such that relative displacement in the axial direction is possible. The outer shaft 8 is supported on the inside of the outer column 10 such that displacement in the axial direction with respect to the outer column 10 is suppressed, and so as to be able to rotate freely.
The front end section of the inner column 9 is connected and fastened to the rear end surface of a housing 11 of the electric assist apparatus 4. On the other hand, the inner shaft 7 is inserted inside the housing 11, and the front end section thereof is connected to the input shaft of the electric assist apparatus 4. Moreover, the front end section of the output shaft 12 of the electric assist apparatus 4, which is connected to the input shaft by way of a torsion bar, protrudes from the front end surface of the housing 11 and is connected to the input shaft 21 of the steering gear unit 6 by way of a universal joint 18, and intermediate shaft 19 and another universal joint 20.
The inner column 9 is supported by a front support bracket 13 by part of the vehicle body 14 by way of the housing 11. In order to achieve the tilt mechanism, the front support bracket 13 supports the housing 11 so as to be able to pivot freely around a tilt pivot shaft 15 that extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 14 (front-back direction in FIG. 25) and that is supported by the front support bracket 13.
The middle section of the outer column 10 is supported by a rear support bracket 16 by part of the vehicle body 14. In order to achieve the tilt mechanism and the telescopic mechanism, the outer column 10 is supported by the rear support bracket 16 so as to be able to be switched between a fixed state, in which movement in the forward-backward direction and movement in the up-down direction is not possible, and a non-fixed state, in which movement in the forward-backward direction and movement in the up-down direction is possible. In regards to this kind of support construction, various kinds of construction are known and are not the features of the present invention, so the detailed explanation is omitted.
In the case of this kind of electric power steering apparatus, when adjusting the height position and forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1, by rotating an adjustment handle 17 (see FIG. 26) in a specified direction (normally downward), the middle section of the outer column 10 is set in the non-fixed state with respect to the rear support bracket 16. Then, in this state, the height position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted by pivoting the steering column 3 around the tilt pivot shaft 15. Moreover, the forward-backward position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted by expanding or contracting the steering column 3 and steering shaft 2. After adjustment, by rotating the adjustment handle 17 in a direction opposite the specified direction (normally upward), the middle section of the outer column 10 is set in the fixed state with respect to the rear support bracket 16.
Moreover, the electric assist apparatus 4 is constructed such that when a torque is applied to the steering shaft 2 from the steering wheel 1 during steering, the direction and size of the torque is detected by a torque sensor that is provided inside the housing 11, and according to the detected torque, an electric motor 22 that is supported by the outer surface of the housing 11 applies an assist torque (assist force) to the output shaft 12 by way of a worm reducer that is provided on the inside of the housing 11.
In an electric power steering apparatus that comprises this kind of position adjustment mechanism for a steering wheel 1, as disclosed in JP3707252 (B2), by assembling bushings in the sliding portion of the tilt pivoting portion, which is the portion around which the steering column 3 pivots, it is possible to improve the durability of this tilt pivoting portion. FIG. 26 to FIG. 31 illustrate a first example of conventional construction of a steering column support apparatus for an electric power steering apparatus in which bushings are assembled in the tilt pivoting portion.
The front support bracket 13a is made using a metal plate such as steel plate, and has a pair of parallel support plate sections 23 that are separated in the width direction of the vehicle body 14 (front-back direction in FIG. 26 and FIG. 30, and left-right direction in FIG. 27, FIG. 28 and FIG. 29). Moreover, the tilt pivot shaft 15a is located in the width direction of the vehicle body 14 so as to be spanned between the bottom portions near the bottom ends of the pair of support plate sections 23. The tilt pivot shaft 15a is composed of a tilt bolt 24 that is made of a metal material such as steel, and a cylindrical sleeve 25 that is made of a metal material such as steel, aluminum alloy or the like. The tilt bolt 24 is installed so as to be spanned between the support plate sections 23 by inserting the rod section thereof through a pair of circular holes 26 that are concentrically formed in portions near the bottom ends of the pair of support plate sections 23, then screwing a nut 27 on a male screw section that is formed on the tip end section of the rod section, and by tightening. Furthermore, the sleeve 25 is fitted around the outside of the rod section of the tilt bolt 24, and held and fastened between the support plate sections 23 by tightening the nut 27.
The housing 11a of the electric assist apparatus 4a is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and a pivot bracket 28 is integrally provided on the front end section thereof. A through hole 29 is formed in the tip end section of the pivot bracket 28 in the width direction of the vehicle body 14. The inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 is composed of a stepped cylindrical surface wherein the inner-diameter dimension of both end sections in the axial direction is a little larger than the inner-diameter dimension of the middle section in the axial direction. Both end sections in the axial direction and the middle section in the axial direction of this stepped cylindrical surface are concentric with each other. The front end section to the middle section of the pivot bracket 28 is located between the support plate sections 23, and by supporting the pivot bracket 28 between the support plate sections 23 by way of tilt bolt 24 and sleeve 25 that are inserted through the through hole 29, the housing 11a and the steering column 3a are supported by the front support bracket 13a so as to be able to pivot around the tilt pivot shaft 15a.
A pair of bushings 30 are fitted around the both end sections in the axial direction of the sleeve 25 of the tilt pivot shaft 15a. Each bushing 30 is formed into a tubular shape as a whole using an elastic material that includes a synthetic resin such as a polyamide resin, and an elastomer such as rubber or vinyl, or is formed using a low-friction material such as an oil impregnated metal, and comprises a cylindrical section 31; and a ring-shaped (outward facing flange section) side plate section 32 that extends outward in the radial direction from one end section in the axial direction of the cylindrical section 31. The cylindrical sections 31 of the bushings 30 are held between both end sections in the axial direction of the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 25 and both end sections in the axial direction of the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 such that there is no loose movement in the radial direction. The side plate sections 32 of the bushings 30 are held between both side surfaces in the width direction of the pivot bracket 28 and the inside surface of the support plate sections 23 such that there is no loose movement in the axial direction.
In the case of this kind of conventional construction, the bushings 30 are attached to both end sections in the axial direction of the tilt pivot shaft 15a, so when adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 1, not only is direct rubbing between the tilt pivot shaft 15a and the pivot bracket 28 prevented even though the pivot bracket 28 pivots around the tilt pivot shaft 15a, but also direct rubbing between the support plate sections 23 and the pivot bracket 28 is prevented. Therefore, gaps in the tilt pivot portion that is composed of these members that are caused by advancing wear and plastic deformation due to direct rubbing between these members, which becomes the cause of looseness, is avoided.
In the case of an electric power steering apparatus, when the electric assist apparatus 4a applies an assist force to the output shaft 12a, the assist reaction force, which is the reaction force to the assist force, is applied to the housing 11a in the direction opposite the direction of rotation of the output shaft 12a. As a result, the pivot bracket 28 of the housing 11a receives the assist reaction force and tends to displace and incline in the direction opposite the direction of rotation of the output shaft 12a with respect to the tilt pivot shaft 15a and support plate sections 23. In doing so, the bushings 30 are elastically compressed between the tilt pivot shaft 15a and support plate sections 23 and the pivot bracket 28, or is pressed in the compressive direction, and by supporting the assist reaction force, suppresses displacement and inclination of the pivot bracket 28. As a result, direct rubbing between the pivot bracket 28 and the tilt shaft 15a and support plate sections 23 is prevented.
Incidentally, in the case of the first example of conventional construction, in order to maintain the support capability of the bushings 30 to support the assist reaction force, or in other words, in order to maintain the capability to suppress displacement and inclination of pivot bracket 28, the length in the axial direction of the cylindrical sections 31 and the height in the radial direction of the side plate sections 32 are increased somewhat. Moreover, the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23 and both side surfaces of the pivot bracket 28, and both side surfaces of the side plate sections 32 are all parallel planes. Therefore, in the neutral state where the assist force is not generated, both side surfaces of the side plate sections 32, the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23 and both side surfaces of the pivot bracket 28 are in contact over nearly the entire surface. Consequently, the contact surface area between both the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical sections 31 and the opposing surfaces (outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft 15a, or the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 of the pivot bracket 28), and the contact surface area between both side surfaces of the side plate sections 32 and the opposing surfaces (inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23, or both side surfaces of the pivot bracket 28) are increased by the amount that the length in the axial direction of the cylindrical sections 31, and the height in the radial direction of the side plate sections 32 are increased.
On the other hand, in the case of the first example of conventional construction, when adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 1, as the pivot bracket 28 pivots around the tilt pivot shaft 15a, sliding in the circumferential direction occurs at the contact area between at least one of the surfaces of the inner circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical sections and the outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32, and the outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical sections 31 and the inside surfaces of the side plate sections 32 of the bushings 30 and the opposing surface that faces this surface. The friction force that acts at this contact area becomes resistance when adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 1, so preferably this friction force is kept as low and stable as possible. However, because the contact surface area between both the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical section 31 and both side surfaces of the side plate sections 32 and the opposing surfaces are increased, the friction force that acts at the contact areas between the surfaces of the bushings 30 and the opposing surfaces is affected by the characteristics of these opposing surfaces, and becomes relatively high and unstable, so there is a possibility that the operational feeling when adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 1 will become bad.
On the other hand, FIG. 32A and FIG. 32B illustrate a second example and third example of conventional construction of a steering column support apparatus for an electric power steering apparatus as disclosed in JP2008-30728 A. In the construction of these examples, the inner circumferential surface of a through hole 29a that is formed in a pivot bracket 28a is caused to incline in a direction going away from the outer circumferential surfaces of cylindrical sections 31a of bushings 30a (30b) in going from the center section in the axial direction toward both end sections. As a result, cylindrical shaped gaps 33 having a wedge shaped cross section are formed in the portions on both sides of the center section in the axial direction between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29a and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical sections 31a. In the case of the second example of conventional construction illustrated in FIG. 32A, the outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32a of the bushings 30a are caused to incline in a direction going away from the inside surfaces of the of the support plate sections 23 in a direction outward in the radial direction. As a result, circular ring shaped gaps 34a having a wedge shaped cross section are formed between the outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32a and the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23. On the other hand, in the case of the third example of conventional construction illustrated in FIG. 32B, the inside surfaces of the side plate sections 32b of the bushings 30b are caused to incline in a direction going away from the outside surfaces of the pivot bracket 28a in a direction outward in the radial direction. As a result, circular ring shaped gaps 34b having a wedge shaped cross section are formed between the inside surfaces of the side plate sections 32a and the outside surfaces of the pivot bracket 28a. Due to the existence of gaps 33, 34a, 34b that are formed in this way, the pivot bracket 28a (center axis of the through hole 29a) more easily inclines with respect to the center axis of the tilt pivot shaft 15a.
Due to errors in the shape of the front support bracket 13a and the rear support bracket 16a, and due to an installation error when attaching the brackets to the vehicle body 14 (see FIG. 26), the guide direction in which the rear support bracket 16a guides the middle section of the steering column 3a during the tilting operating (see FIG. 26) may incline with respect to an imaginary plane that is orthogonal to the center axis of the tilt pivot shaft 15a. In the second and third examples of conventional construction, even in these cases, by the pivot bracket 28a inclining with respect to the center axis of the tilt pivot shaft 15a, the pivoting direction of the steering column 3a during height position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 (see FIG. 25), and the direction that the middle section of the steering column 3a is guided coincide with each other. Therefore, it is possible to avoid improper adjustment of height position of the steering wheel 1 due to discrepancy between the pivoting direction and the guide direction.
Furthermore, in the case of the second and third examples of conventional construction, the contact surface area between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29a and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical sections 31a decreases due to the existence of the gaps 34a, 34b. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the friction force that acts between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29a and the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical sections 31a. Moreover, in the second example of conventional construction, it is possible to reduce the contact pressure between both side surfaces of the pivot bracket 28a and the inside surfaces of the side plate sections 32a, 32b (see FIG. 32A), and in the third example of conventional construction, it is possible to reduce the contact surface area between these areas (see FIG. 32B). Therefore, it is possible to stably reduce the friction forces that act between these surfaces, and by allowing slipping between the pivot bracket 28a and bushings 30a, 30b, it is possible to keep the resistance low when adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 1, and improve the workability of this height position adjustment.
However, in the case of the second and third examples of conventional construction, the support rigidity of supporting the pivot bracket 28a by the tilt pivot shaft 15a becomes low due to the existence of the gaps 33, and the support rigidity of supporting the steering wheel 1 (see FIG. 25) also becomes low. As a result, there is a possibility that the driver will have an uncomfortable feeling. Due to the assist reaction force that occurs during steering, the pivot bracket 28a inclines a relative large amount with respect to the center axis of the tilt pivot shaft 15a particularly due to the existence of gaps 33 of the gaps 33, 34a, 34b. Also due to this, there is a possibility that the driver will have an uncomfortable feeling.


A suspension system for the attachment of a multiple bladed fan, connected beneath the roof of a canopy-styled tent or other overhead structure. The system's bracket is comprised of multiple arms that universally grip the frame of the said canopy-styled tent or overhead structure. Suspension is not limited to a fan, but also other embodiments, each powered by a plug or battery. The bracket is manufactured in polymer or like material. The system's fan blades are comprised of foam, rubber, or other soft matter. The suspension system allows the fan or other attached embodiment's height to be manipulated by a process further shown in this application. The system further includes embodiments for lighting, heating, or the mounting of additional embodiments. The suspension system and its embodiments are portable and may be broken down into a self-contained bag or case for easy transport.

Canopy-styled tents have multiple legs, a roof, and sometimes side walls. They have been used for hundreds of years as shelter; however, they are limited in providing comfort and protection for the individual user from the outdoor elements such as extreme temperatures or poor lighting. Another problem is that some current products do not free up the user to perform other tasks while enjoying the climate-controlled atmosphere.
For example, battery-powered hand-held fans are currently available for purchase. Some of the hand-held fans are inexpensive and safe, yet they do not easily solve this problem.
There are currently free standing fans such as a box-styled fan or an industrial fan that can be used with tents; however, they are noisy and cumbersome to deal with. These fans also are level with the user and do not provide top-down air flow.
Another available option is a pedestal fan. These fans are heavy and hard to transport and get in the way of the user's activities.
There are also attachable tent fans on the market, but they are either small and do not provide adequate air flow or larger in size but too heavy to be installed on smaller canopy-styled tents with thin poles. Although tent companies may be able to set up for large events and use these large tent fans, most of the types of individually-owned canopy-styled tents are small and use thin poles that cannot support the weight of these large attachable fans. These types of fans also, because of their weight and size, cannot be connected to a pole that is not level due to the slope of the ground in which is erected. This limits the use of these types of fans.
Another problem with the above-mentioned fan options is the material in which they are made. The fans use either plastic or metal blades. This makes these fans dangerous in use and non-weather resistant.
The issue of cleaning is also difficult with box and industrial fans. Sometimes, a screwdriver is needed to open the grill of a box or commercial fan to properly clean dust and grime collected during operation. This can be dangerous and the risk of shock exists.
The weight of these attachable fans to the ceiling of a canopy-styled tent makes it risky to attempt attaching.
In addition, most ceiling fan blades are constructed of wood, plastic, or metal and can be very dangerous if a user came into contact with a spinning blade.
All canopy tents are not created alike. There is the issue of height adjustment that must be taken into consideration for proper air circulation and safety. If a ceiling fan was put in a canopy tent, and the like structures, adjustment of fans height would be difficult. These units are stationary once installed and cannot travel from place to place and be quickly set up for use. Attaching a fan or an apparatus to hold it in position beneath a canopy tent is an issue. Lastly, these fans are just that, only a fan. There is no way to interchange the components of any of these fans to provide lighting or heating within the same attachable system. Separate products would have to be purchased.


A workstation cooling system includes a radiant panel configured to be disposed in a workstation. The workstation cooling system also includes a water supply conduit configured to provide a cooling water flow to an inlet of the radiant panel and a water return conduit configured to receive the cooling water flow from an outlet of the radiant panel. The workstation cooling system additionally includes a control valve configured to receive control signals to adjust the cooling water flow provided to the radiant panel to enable the radiant panel to absorb heat to maintain a target temperature of the workstation.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems for workstation-mounted radiant panels. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to employing radiant panels near a workstation to absorb radiant energy to maintain a target temperature at the workstation.
Traditional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems may condition a room having one or more workstations to be at a target temperature. However, the target temperature may not be individually adjustable on a workstation level, instead maintaining the entire room at a common temperature. The common temperature may cause some users to be warmer than desired, while causing other users to be cooler than desired, thus limiting a comfort and a working efficiency for the users in the room. For example, individual users may desire to cool down after being in a warm external environment, or individual users may feel that their workstation is cooler than desired.

Systems for workstation-mounted radiant panels

United Services Automobile Association (USAA)


Provided is a method of fabricating a semiconductor laser. The method includes: providing a semiconductor substrate including a first region and a second region; forming a silicon single crystal layer in the second region of the semiconductor substrate by using a selective epitaxial growth process; forming an optical coupler by using the silicon single crystal layer; and forming a laser core structure including a germanium single crystal layer in the first region of the semiconductor substrate by using a selective epitaxial growth process.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a semiconductor laser and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a monolithic integrated semiconductor laser with optical devices and a method of fabricating the same.
As the developments of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device face data transmission speed limitation and power consumption limitation, techniques for implementing optical-interconnection on a silicon wafer receive attentions greater. Optical transmitters, optical receiver, and optical passive devices reach a partial application state through a lot of research and development. Recently, as a germanium light source on a silicon substrate is demonstrated, it is expected the research on monolithic integration of a light source on silicon photonic platform to be accelerated.

Semiconductor laser and method of fabricating the same

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A platelet impedance measurement system including an electrode assembly allows for measurement of platelet function in blood. The assembly includes a substrate that acts as a substantially rigid base and includes an electrode. A portion of the electrode is exposed such that, when the electrode is placed in blood, the exposed portion is in contact with the blood for measuring impedance changes as platelets adhere to the electrode. Wires of the electrode can be attached to each end of the substrate and can run within a groove along a portion of the substrate. The substrate includes an open area where the wires in the groove exit and re-enter the substrate at the end of the substrate, allowing the wires to be exposed to the blood. The open area includes a brace, ensuring that the exposed wires are held in the appropriate placement relative to each other and to the cuvette.

This invention relates generally to devices for taking measurements in blood, such as measuring platelet function or aggregation, and more specifically to an electrode assembly used in the devices for measuring platelet function or aggregation.
Platelets are a type of blood cell that plays a role in wound healing. There are various stages during healing of an injury, including hemostasis (i.e., blood clotting), during which platelets in the blood attach to or aggregate at the site of the injury. For example, the attached platelets undergo various changes to stimulate clotting, including changing into a different shape and releasing chemical signals promoting clotting. Given these known normal responses for platelets to various aggregating reagents, responses of platelets in blood to those aggregating reagents can be tested and observed to reveal disorders, dysfunction, and normalcy of a person's platelet function. One method for testing platelet aggregation is the impedance method, or impedance aggregometry method, where platelets in anti-coagulated blood are held and stirred at a specific temperature of 37° C. in a cuvette or other suitable container that includes an electrode. Impedance measurements between two wires of the electrode are taken for various mixtures of the platelets and aggregating reagents. Conventional devices set up for the impedance method include an electrode assembly that can be placed in the cuvette including the platelets, but conventional electrode assemblies have various limitations. For example, the conventional electrode assemblies include flexible, non-rigid substrates along with wires that are minimally anchored, and hence do not allow for consistent reproducibility of placement of the wires relative to each other on the electrode assemblies and relative to the cuvette in which the electrode assembly is placed for measurement. In addition, the signal to noise ratio for conventional electrode assemblies is mediocre. Conventional assemblies can also be difficult to manufacture.

Electrode assembly for measurement of platelet function in whole blood


A spectroscope capable of suppressing the dimension and the cost with avoiding a problem caused by polarization dependency of the diffraction grating. The spectroscope includes a polarizing beam splitter plate 3 that divides the light from an input fiber 1 into a first and a second optical paths and polarizes each light of each optical path having different direction of polarization with each other, a Fresnel rhomb half wave plate 5 that arranges the direction of polarization of the light in the first optical path into that in the second optical path and a plane mirror 4 that deflects the second optical path such that at least a portion of an area where the light through the first optical path is incident on the diffraction grating 6 and an area where the light through the second optical path is incident on the diffraction grating overlap each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spectroscope equipped with a spectroscopic element for dispersing input light from an input portion and a microspectroscope equipped therewith.
2. Related Background Art
A diffraction grating has been widely used as a spectroscopic element for a spectroscope. The diffraction grating has polarization dependency, so that diffraction efficiency thereof is generally considered to be higher in S-polarized light that the direction of electric field oscillation thereof is perpendicular to the direction of grooves of the diffraction grating than in P-polarized light that the direction of electric field oscillation thereof is parallel to the direction of grooves of the diffraction grating. In particular the long wavelength range where the wavelength of the incident light is comparable or longer than the period (a pitch of the grooves) of the diffraction grating, the tendency becomes conspicuous. In other words, the shorter the period of the diffraction grating becomes, the more conspicuous the tendency appears, so that when a diffraction grating with high resolution is used, it should be noted.
Accordingly, in order to solve the difference in diffraction efficiency according to direction of polarization, a technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,872 B2.
The technique is to arrange the direction of polarization of the incident light into the diffraction grating. In particular, the light coming out from an incident port is divided into P-polarized light and S-polarized light by a polarizing beam splitter, the P-polarized light is converted into S-polarized light by half wave plate, and the S-polarized light beam and the S-polarized light beam converted from the P-polarized light are led to a diffraction grating parallel with each other.
In the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,872 B2, since the directions of polarization of the incident light into the diffraction grating are arranged, the problem according to polarization dependency of the diffraction grating is solved. However, since the S-polarized light and the S-polarized light converted from the P-polarized light are incident to the diffraction grating on respective areas different with each other, the diffraction grating becomes large resulting in a problem that the instrument becomes large and costly.

Spectroscope and microspectroscope equipped therewith


In a method for determining whether a person is potentially unavailable for communication, sensors are provided at a location to obtain information regarding a state of availability for communication of a first person at the location. The information regarding potential unavailability of the first person for communication is presented to a second person. A system for determining whether a person is potentially unavailable for communication includes a data acquisition module that has sensor receiving ports and is configured to transmit signal data from the sensors over a network. An inferencing engine is configured to receive the signal data from the sensors over the network and to use the signal data to reach an inference regarding a person's presence and an inference regarding the person's potential unavailability for communication. A presence service presents the inferences to other persons over the network before such other persons attempt to communicate with the person.

The present invention relates generally to communication systems and, more particularly, to a method and system for determining whether a person is potentially unavailable for communication.
Communication technology has reached the point where people are accessible at almost any time and location. Unfortunately, conventional communication technology does little to address the problem of making connections between people at appropriate times or in accordance with appropriate social conventions. In some conventional communication systems, the user can explicitly set his or her availability status in the network, but this approach results in availability information that is only sporadically obtainable and is often outdated or simply wrong.
In the past, research has been conducted on awareness systems that give a contacting party some context regarding the party they are trying to contact. Instant messaging (IM) systems are a recent example of such an awareness system. One of the most compelling features of instant messaging (IM) systems is presence, which is generally used in the context of communications systems to indicate whether a person can be reached via a synchronous communication network. Presence information is helpful to a contacting party, but does not provide the contacting party with any indication as to how receptive the party being contacted is to being interrupted. In addition, in current IM systems, presence is typically detected from the use of an input device, e.g., a keyboard or a mouse, for a computer. This provides an indication of device presence, which does not always equate to physical presence. When a person's presence is determined primarily on the basis of device presence, the person is susceptible to being contacted when they are most busy and least receptive to interruption, e.g., when they are typing a document on the computer.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for communication technology that facilitates communication between people who are not aware of each other's activities and availability by not only enabling a contacting party to determine whether a person can be reached for communication, but also enabling the contacting party to determine how receptive that person is to being contacted.

Method and system for determining whether a person is potentially unavailable for communication


A panel of a plasma display apparatus includes a front substrate and a back substrate arranged in opposition to this front substrate, and an outer circumferential portion of the front substrate and an outer circumferential portion of the back substrate are adhered to each other by a sealing material. The panel is held on a front side of a chassis base portion of a chassis member. The conductive member is fixed to a back cover of a casing by a first fixing member arranged inside a portion where the conductive member is fixed to the chassis member. The conductive member is fixed to the back cover also by a second fixing member arranged outside the portion where the conductive member is fixed to the chassis member. Occurrence of a crack of the panel due to drop impact, vibration, and external force can be prevented.

1. Technical Field
The technical field relates to a flat panel display type of video display apparatus such as a plasma display apparatus in which a plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as a panel) is used as a display device.
2. Description of Related Art
A panel used in this plasma display apparatus is roughly divided into an AC type and a DC type in terms of driving, and divided into two types of a surface discharge type and a facing discharge type in terms of discharge form. In terms of increase in definition and screen size, and ease of manufacturing, currently, a mainstream of the plasma display apparatus is of the surface discharge type of a three-electrode structure.
In this plasma display panel structure of the surface discharge type, at least on a front surface side, a pair of transparent substrates is arranged in opposition so as to form a discharge space between the substrates, and partition walls to partition the discharge space into a plurality of spaces are arranged in the substrates. Moreover, electrode groups are arranged in the substrates so that the discharge is generated in the discharge spaces partitioned by the partition walls, and fluorescent materials that emit light in red, green and blue by the discharge are provided to construct a plurality of discharge cells. The fluorescent materials are excited by vacuum-ultraviolet light having a short wavelength generated by the discharge to emit visible red, green and blue light from the red, green and blue discharge cells, respectively, by which color display is performed.
The above-described plasma display apparatus is characterized in that high-speed display is enabled, a view angle is wide, an increase in size is easy, display quality is high because of self-luminous type and so on, as compared with a liquid crystal panel. Thus, recently, of the flat panel displays, the plasma display apparatus has particularly attracted attention, and has been used for various purposes as a video display apparatus at a place where many people gather or as a video display apparatus to enjoy a large-screen video at home.
In the above-described plasma display apparatus, a panel made of glass as a main material is held on the front side of a chassis member made of metal such as iron, aluminum and the like, and a circuit board making up a drive circuit to emit light in the panel is arranged on a back surface side of the chassis member to thereby construct a module (refer to JP 2003-131580 A).

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


A system and method for verifying information and controlling a response function when two or more pieces of information correspond to each other. The system includes an information device and an identification device. The information device has identification information stored therein. The identification device has identification information stored therein or thereon. The information device obtains the identification information from the identification device and compares it to the identification information in the information device. If the identification information corresponds, the information device provides a response signal. The response signal may control a locking mechanism for a container to which the information device is attached or provide an audible or visual indication. The system and method may be used for controlling the administration of prescribed medication to a patient or in other medical or non-medical applications.

There are many instances where individuals wish to transport items between locations and track the whereabouts of the items, who is entitled to have access to the items, and other pertinent information. For example, medication prescribed by a physician in a hospital for a patient can be dispensed either manually by a pharmacist or by a unit dose dispensing system in the pharmacy or placed at various locations in the hospital for nurses to use. In the case of manual dispensing, a medication order is sent to the pharmacy where the correct medication is selected or formulated. The medication is then placed in a container, plastic bag, or envelope which is in turn labeled with identification information specifying the patient that is to receive the medication as well as information about the medication dispensed. Such labeling can be achieved by the use of a marking pen or a computer printer adhesive label.
A variety of devices have been invented and several placed in commercial production for the dispensing of unit dosages of medication. These systems are often designed to be placed in a variety of locations in a hospital for local and convenient dispensing of medications. A key advantage of these systems is a reduction in time and labor in the delivery of prescribed medication to a patient. Without such systems, each prescribed medication must be dispensed by the central hospital pharmacy, labeled, and transported to the nurses station near the patient's room. This process must be done 24 hours a day and the dispensing must be done in anticipation of when each new dosage is due with an allowance for time spent in transit. Unit dosage dispensing systems usually have a tray or cartridge that is loaded with multiple dosages of medication by the central pharmacy. This tray or cartridge is then carried to the unit dosage dispensing system where it is inserted, along with information regarding the medication in the tray or cartridge. This information usually includes the medication name and the number of doses contained. When a patient is to receive medication the nurse usually must use a mechanical key, an electronic key, or a computer password to gain access to the dispensing process. The nurse will identify the medication and may identify the patient to receive the medication. The dispensing system then locates the correct tray or cartridge containing the desired medication and then removes one or more doses of the medication as required, typically delivering them to a drawer or door that the nurse may open to remove the medication.
After dispensing the nurse carries the medication to the patient for consumption. The dispensing system can keep track of the date and time when the medication was dispensed, for which patient it was for, and possibly the nurse to whom it was dispensed. However, the dispensing system cannot determine if the medication was in fact given, if it was given later, who gave it to the patient, or if it was given to the correct patient.
Several studies have documented that most medications in a hospital are given to the correct patient. However, the small percentage of medications that are given to the wrong patient is cause for great concern. This can happen if a patient is moved from one room to another and a new patient is now in the former patient's bed. Occasionally, the former patient's name may be left written on a board near the bed or by the doorway. While nurses are suppose to verify the patient's name or identification number written on a bracelet each time they administer a medication, this may not always happen. The nurse may receive a call to go to an emergency while giving a medication and thus be rushed, the patient may be unable to speak to identify themselves, or the nurse may not want to disturb a patient who is sleeping. Errors in giving medication to the wrong patient can cause a variety of reactions that can sometimes lead to death.
To track when a patient was given medication and who gave it, hospitals employ either manual or computerized recording systems. Manual systems are time consuming and can cause errors in patient billing. Even with computerized record systems, the nurse must spend some amount of time entering and verifying the information. It is claimed that within a hospital that over 60% of all expenses are related to nursing, and of that nearly half of this is for nurses to fill out paperwork and write observations. With continuing efforts to control the rising cost of providing health care, hospitals need to explore all methods possible to reduce nurse time spent away from directly caring for patients.
Problems such as these can occur in other situations, both in hospital settings and elsewhere. For example, hospital personnel may want to store the personal belongings of a particular patient while the patient is receiving treatment and need to identify the belongings so that they are returned to the appropriate patient. Similarly, when medical personnel desire to dispense fluid medication, either in the form of an intravenous solution or medication to be taken orally, they must keep track of how much and what type of fluid is being dispensed and which patients have received their medication. In each of these cases, it can be very time consuming to write down the type and quantity of substances being identified, who is accessing the substances, what time the transaction is taking place and other important information in order to ensure that the task is being performed correctly.
Problems such as these can go far beyond the medical field. In the manufacturing industry, for instance, it is often important to keep adequate records of individual components. For example, if a particular prototype device or key part is being transported from one place to another, and only a few qualified individuals are supposed to have access to the component, or the component is only to be delivered to a particular location or process, it is important to have a system for ensuring that only the proper individuals are allowed to access the component. It may also be important to record the time at which the component is delivered to its destination, where it is currently located, and similar pertinent information.
Although these problems may appear to be particular to certain industries, the common theme between them all is that there is a need for tracking and permitting access to certain objects, recording relevant information, and doing so with minimum expense, time, and effort.
The present invention is intended to solve these and other problems.

Method and apparatus for verifying information


A fuel delivery control system includes a vehicle speed sensor that generates a vehicle speed signal and an engine rotational speed sensor that generates an engine rotational speed signal. A control module calculates at least one of an accelerator release delay period and a brake depression delay period based on the vehicle speed signal and the engine rotational speed signal and deactivates fuel delivery to said engine after waiting at least one of the accelerator release delay period after the accelerator pedal is released and the brake depression delay period after the brake pedal is depressed.

To improve fuel economy, fuel delivery to an engine in a hybrid or conventional powertrain vehicle may be deactivated during vehicle deceleration. The vehicle engine, which delivers torque to the wheels, does not produce propulsion torque when fuel is deactivated. During fuel deactivation, the vehicle engine may be back driven by the wheels.
Traditionally, fuel is deactivated when the vehicle is decelerated. While this system improves fuel economy, it may also cause degraded drivability. When the vehicle undergoes short periods of deceleration and acceleration, fuel is deactivated and reactivated in succession. Rapid intervals of fuel deactivation and activation may cause driveline disturbance and degraded drivability.
When the vehicle is decelerated after a transmission up-shift, fuel deactivation in the traditional system may occur and the transmission may be immediately down-shifted. A transmission up-shift followed by an immediate fuel deactivation and transmission down-shift cause driveline disturbance and degraded drivability.


A neural network simulator that comprises a sensory window memory capable of providing a system of neuron elements with an input consisting of data generated from sequentially sampled spatial and/or temporal patterns. Each neuron element comprises multiple levels, each of which is independently connected to the sensory window and/or to other neuron elements for receiving information corresponding to spatial and/or temporal patterns to be learned or recognized. Each neuron level comprises a multiplicity of pairs of synaptic connections that record ratios of input information so received and compare them to prerecorded ratios corresponding to learned patterns. The comparison is carried out for each synaptic pair according to empirical activation functions that produce maximum activation of a particular pair when the current ratio matches the learned ratio. When a sufficiently large number of synaptic pairs in a level registers a high activation, the corresponding neuron is taken to have recognized the learned pattern and produces a recognition signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the general field of spatial and temporal pattern recognition. In particular, it provides a new and improved system for learning and recognizing information corresponding to sequences of input data, such as signals from audio or visual patterns.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Much effort has been devoted to the field of pattern recognition, especially in relation to voice and images. The development of reliable apparatus for this purpose is critical to the successful implementation of numerous robotic applications that have only been realized in rudimentary fashion to date. These include, for example, speech recognition and image recognition for direct conversion of spoken language into written text, and vice versa.
Among the various approaches followed to design effective information processors, researchers have often adopted the neural-system model for simulating the mechanisms of learning and recognizing information. See, for example, Hopfield, J. et al., "Computing with Neural Circuits: A Model," Science, Vol. 233, Aug. 8, 1986, pp. 625-633; Rumelhart, D. et al., "Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition," Vol. 1, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1986; Dehaene, S. et al., "Neural Networks that Learn Temporal Sequences by Selection," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol 84, May, 1987, Biophysics, pp. 2727-2731; Fukushima, K., "A Neural Network for Visual Pattern Recognition," Computer, March 1988, pp. 65-75; Carpenter, G. et al., "The Art of Adaptive Pattern Recognition by a Self-Organizing Neural Network," Computer, March 1988, pp. 77-88; Linsker, R., "Self-Organization in a Perceptual Network," Computer, March, 1988, pp. 105-117; and Lukashin, A., "A learned Neural Network that Simulates Properties of the Neuronal Population Vector," Biological Cybernetics, Vol. 63, 1990, pp. 377-382. These approaches strive to simulate the biological information processing behavior of the neural system and use mathematical models developed from vectors of relevant input data, usually through iterative adaptive techniques. These models are constructed for specific applications, rather than for a general simulation of the neural system behavior. U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,122 to Weideman (1990), for instance, describes a neural network system for processing images.
All of the methods found in the prior art utilize input data based on the absolute values of parameters that are characteristic of the information being processed. There is some evidence, though, that the biological brain processes relative values of sensory input rather than absolute values. In seeing, for example, the neural system does not process absolute levels of color and intensity; instead, the retinas of the eyes generate signals at each point within the visual field which are proportional to the value of color or intensity at that point relative to the color or intensity immediately surrounding that point. Therefore, there exists a need for a neural-system model that processes relative values of the input signals, rather than absolute values. This approach would seem to offer the degree of flexibility missing in the prior art for recognizing perceptual objects under a wide variety of environmental conditions. In addition, most existing neural-network approaches to learning patterns involve thousands of iterations, which take time and make real-time processing difficult. Therefore, it would be very desirable to have a system that is capable of learning in a single-pass process.

System for spatial and temporal pattern learning and recognition


A melt tank is disclosed having a plurality of cartridges wherein each cartridge is adapted to hold at least one molded part. An annular tank is provided having an open top while a substantially circular plate is coaxially rotatably mounted to the top of the annular tank. The circular plate includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings formed around its outer periphery wherein each opening is adapted to slidably receive and support one cartridge. The annular tank is filled with a heated liquid while a motor rotatably drives the plate with the molded parts immersed in the heated liquid. A robotic gantry selectively lifts the cartridges from the circular plate to enable the removal of finished melted out parts as well as the insertion of new molded over parts into the cartridges.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a melt tank for processing molded parts.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture of molded parts having internal recesses or passageways, a core is first constructed corresponding in shape to the internal recesses or passageways. This core, furthermore, is constructed of a material having a relatively low melting point. In industrial applications, the core is typically constructed of a metallic composition having a low melting temperature, e.g. 360.degree. F.
After the core is formed, the material forming the part is cast over the core and allowed to harden. In order to complete the molded part after hardening, it is necessary to remove the core material from the internal recesses and passageways of the molded part.
In industrial applications, the molded part with the core material still filling the internal passageways and chambers of the molded part is placed in a pallet and then pallets are loaded in the cartridge which, in turn, is placed in a melt tank. The melt tank is maintained at a temperature sufficiently high to melt the core material from the molded parts. Once melted, the core material evacuates from the internal recesses and passageways of the molded part and is collected at the bottom of the melt tank for subsequent reuse in a molding operation.
These previously known melt tanks have typically comprised rectangular structures having a conveyor system extending around the entire bottom of the melt tank. The cartridges are then placed on the conveyor and then conveyed along the outer periphery of the rectangular tank which, in turn, is filled with a heated liquid. These previously known melt tanks, such as a perimeter roller system, a monorail system and a Bachman system, however, have proven disadvantageous in a number of different respects.
One disadvantage of these previously known melt tanks is that, since the conveyor system is contained within and at the bottom of tank, maintenance on the conveyor system requires that the entire tank be evacuated and cooled before maintenance on the conveyor system can be initiated. This disadvantageously results in excessive downtime for the melt tank especially in the case of a monorail system.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known melt tanks is that, since the cartridges are conveyed in a rectangular pattern, a turning conveyor mechanism is required at each corner of the rectangular tank in order to transfer the cartridges from one side of the conveyor tank to the next adjacent side. These turning mechanisms not only increase the overall cost of the melt tank, but also require periodic maintenance. Such maintenance, in turn, also requires that the melt tank be drained and cooled prior to initiating the maintenance.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known melt tanks is that several separate conveyor mechanisms are required, i.e. one for each side of the rectangular tank.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known systems is that a large volume of the melting liquid is required due to the design of the tank. The melting liquid, i.e. lutron, however, is very expensive.


To realize a integrally constructed cooler of the heat pipe type which ensures the achievement of sufficient cooling capacity and the realization of a simple, compact and inexpensive cooler, that is especially low in height, employing and incorporating ingeniously a heat pipe, there is provided a heat pipe type cooler comprising: a heat receiving plate; a heat radiator having a configuration of a plurality of horizontally oriented vertically spaced heat radiation plates; and a heat pipe H having a generally U-shaped or V-shaped profile, the middle portion of which is secured to the heat receiving plate; and wherein each end of the heat pipe H passes through the heat radiation plates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat pipe type cooler.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, technologically advanced and miniaturized electronic equipments are appearing. This involves a serious problem of internally generated heat at a high temperature. Use of a heat pipe has been considered and examined for the purpose of efficiently transferring such heat.
A heat pipe is a heat-transfer device comprising a sealed metal tube of a generally straight bar shape, with an inner lining of a wicklike capillary material and containing a small amount of fluid (condensed fluid) in a partial vacuum. A heat is absorbed at one end by vaporization of the fluid and is released at the other end by condensation of the vapor. A heat pipe is characterized by its simple structure and it is a high heat transfer rate per unit area, and it can be used in a wide range of temperatures in response to requirements.
Several examples of a cooling apparatus using heat pipes will be briefly described hereinbelow.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63-254754 discloses a cooling apparatus, having a straight bar shaped heat pipe, wherein one end of the heat pipe is embedded and fixed in a metal block, and the other end of the heat pipe has on its outer surface a plurality of disc shaped fins, spaced apart and in parallel to each other, and the heat pipe extends through the centers of the fins.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-93270 discloses a cooling mechanism comprising cooling units, disposed in an air duct, wherein each of the cooling units has a straight bar shaped heat pipe of which one end is embedded and fixed in a heat generating element and the other end extends horizontally across the duct and has on its surface a plurality of square fins, spaced apart and in parallel to each other, such that the other end extends through and is perpendicular to the fins.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-134453 discloses a cooling apparatus comprising a straight bar shaped heat pipe of which one end is embedded and fixed in a heater and the other end is inserted into the center of a bobbin-like radiating body.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-96261 discloses a cooling apparatus comprising U shaped heat pipes wherein each of one end of each heat pipe is embedded and fixed in a corresponding side plate, and the other end of each heat pipe exists within a duct constructed by the side plates and extends through rectangular fins spaced apart and disposed in parallel to each other.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-45759 discloses a cooling apparatus comprising a straight bar-shaped heat pipe, one end of which is embedded and fixed in a heat receiving plate, the other of which has on its surface a plurality of square fins spaced apart and disposed in parallel to each other such that the heat pipe extends through the fins.
However, according to the above prior art structures, there is a problem in that, since each of the heat receiving parts inevitably requires a considerable height due to the straight bar portion of the heat pipe perpendicularly embedded therein, there cannot be provided a cooler designed to the small in size and economical in operation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Antibodies for detecting nitration of nitrotyrosine 247 PKG-1α and antibodies for detecting nitrotyrosine 425 of PKG-1α are disclosed. Methods of detecting nitrotyrosine 247 PKG-1α and nitrotyrosine 425 of PKG-1α, and uses thereof are also disclosed for identification and diagnosis or phenotypes, pathologies, diseases and disorders associated with protein nitration of PKG-1α are also disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, one or more of the disclosed antibodies is used in the disclosed methods.

PKG is a serine/threonine specific protein kinase that is activated upon the intracellular generation of 3′,5′ cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) by two main types of guanylyl cyclases (GC): soluble and membrane associated Garbers, D. L., Cell 71, 1-4 (1992)). Soluble GC acts downstream of NO, while the membrane associated GC is activated through the extracellular binding of natriuretic peptides (NP).
Tyrosine nitration is a selective process as not all tyrosine residues in a protein undergo nitration under patho-physiological conditions (Ischiropoulos, H., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 305, 776-783 (2003)). PKG-1α has 21 tyrosine residues in its monomeric structure, of which 9 tyrosines are located in the regulatory domain and 12 are part of the catalytic domain. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that the nitration of cGMP-dependent protein kinase G-1α (PKG-1α) is an important posttranslational event responsible for the impaired PKG activity in the lungs of acute and chronic pulmonary hypertensive lambs (Aggarwal, S., et al., Journal of Cellular Physiology (2011)), mice with hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (Negash, et al., American Journal of Physiology 293, L1012-1020 (2007)), and humans with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (Zhao, et al., The Journal of Clinical Investigation 119, 2009-2018 (2009)), however, the nature and location of this nitration along the PKG-1α protein is not known.
Accordingly, there remains a need for the identification and characterization of the tyrosine residues of PKG-1α that leads to pathological and disease states, and compositions and methods for detection thereof in biological samples.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide the one or more tyrosine residues of PKG-1α that can be nitrated under physiological conditions.
It is another object of the invention to provide compositions and methods for the detection of these nitrated residues in a biological sample.
It is a further object of the invention to provide methods of use thereof for assisting in the diagnosis of diseases and disorders associated with nitration of PKG-1α.

Compositions and methods for detecting nitration of PKG-1α and methods of use thereof

Augusta University Research Institute, Inc.


A method for validating engine and motor velocities in a vehicle having an engine and two motors is provided. The method validates the velocities without using two speed sensors for each device. The velocities of the engine and the two motors are first determined, and then mathematically combined using known velocity relationships based on the vehicle architecture. The mathematical combination of the velocities is then compared to a first pre-determined speed range, and if the mathematical combination is within the predetermined range, the velocities of the engine and the two motors are validated. If the validation of the engine and the two motors fails, additional equations can be used utilizing additional inputs, including the vehicle speed as measured at the vehicle wheels. In this way, the velocities of one or more of the torque generating devices in the vehicle may be validated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the operation of a hybrid electric vehicle, and more particularly, to a diagnostic system and method for validating engine and motor velocities in a vehicle.
2. Background Art
A number of different types of vehicles include one or more electric motors and/or generators in addition to an internal combustion engine. For example, a hybrid electric vehicle may have a separate motor and generator, or a single unit in which the motor and generator are combined, in addition to a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine. Other vehicle architectures may similarly include an engine and one or more electric motors. As the number of torque generating devices increases, control of such vehicles becomes increasingly complex.
Effective control of a vehicle having a complex architecture, including an engine and one or more electric motors and/or generators, may require knowledge of the speed at which each of the torque generating devices is operating. In addition, devices such as motors and generators can often rotate in either of two directions. Thus, in addition to the speed of a device such as a motor or generator, it may also be important to know the direction in which the device is rotating. The combination of speed and the direction of rotation is the velocity of the device, a knowledge of which is useful to control the vehicle.
Because of inaccuracies in measurement devices, such as sensors, and in communications links, such as a controller area network (CAN), sensor measurements may need to be validated to ensure their accuracy. Validation of the velocity of a torque generating device may require two independent speed measurements. The cost of providing a vehicle with two separate speed sensors for each torque generating device may be unacceptably high. Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for validating velocities of torque generating devices, such as engines and motors, in a vehicle, wherein the velocities can be validated using a single speed or velocity sensor for each torque generating device, and using a knowledge of the relationships between the speeds of the devices based on the vehicle architecture.

System and method for validating velocities of torque generating devices in a vehicle


A new variety of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Extravaganza Time’, having a good uniform canopy of white and purple single flowers with a light green disc. The new variety has a uniform spreading habit with a good foliage presentation.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum botanically known as Chrysanthemum morifolium, and referred to by the variety name 'Extravaganza Time'.
'Extravaganza Time', identified as '21941-0', originated from a cross in a controlled breeding program in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The female parent of the variety is '20934-0', an undistributed and unpatented seedling and the male parent of the variety is '20713-0', an undistributed and unpatented seedling.
The new variety 'Extravaganza Time' has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A method of driving liquid crystal display devices is provided which results in superior image quality and reliability and can reduce the power consumption even with increased gate line loads resulting from increased size of the display area, improved resolution, and an increased aperture ratio in active matrix liquid crystal display devices in which switching elements such as thin-film transistors (TFTs) and pixel electrodes are arranged in matrix form. At the first stage, occurrence of a DC component due to gate delaying is prevented by outputting a compensation voltage at the same timing as a gate-off timing so as to attain a condition of .DELTA.V=0. Thereafter, the second compensation voltage is output so that .DELTA.V becomes a target value. Since the second output is not influenced by the gate delaying, .DELTA.V can be made large.

In recent years, attempts have been made to greatly improve the display quality of active matrix liquid crystal display devices. Many techniques have been proposed to solve problems such as image flicker and "image sticking" in which a fixed (still) image remains immediately after its display as if it had been burnt in. Flicker and burning-in, both of which deteriorate the display quality, are caused by a DC voltage component that unavoidably occurs in a display pixel due to anisotropy in the dielectric constant of a liquid crystal. In addition, techniques have been proposed for reducing the power consumption of active-matrix liquid crystal display devices to allow even a battery to drive them for a long time because the devices are used in a variety of portable apparatuses such as notebook-type computers.
A brief description will be made of the configuration of an active matrix liquid crystal display device that uses thin-film transistors (TFTs) as switching elements. To begin with, the liquid crystal is sealed between two glass substrates, i.e., an array substrate and an opposed substrate. A number of gate lines are formed on the array substrate horizontally, for instance, and a number of data lines are then formed thereon vertically over an insulating film. Pixel regions are formed with pixel electrodes in regions of the matrix sectioned by the gate lines and data lines. A TFT is formed in each pixel region, and a gate electrode and a drain electrode of the TFT is connected to the gate line and the data line, respectively. The TFTs source electrode is connected to a pixel electrode. The data lines are driven by a gate driving circuit and the data lines are driven by a data line driving circuit.
In an active matrix liquid crystal display, auxiliary capacitors are separately disposed because the liquid crystal pixel capacitance is small. The auxiliary capacitor is called a Cs-on-gate type in which a pixel electrode is laid on the gate line immediately preceding the gate line that is connected to the pixel concerned, and a storage capacitance type in which an independent wiring line (storage capacitance line) is formed.
FIG. 3 shows an equivalent circuit of display pixels of a liquid crystal display device in which additional capacitance type auxiliary capacitors are formed. Drain electrodes of TFTs 6 are connected to a plurality of data lines 4 attached to data line driving circuits (not shown). Gate electrodes of the TFTs 6 are connected to a plurality of gate lines 2 that are connected to gate line driving circuits (not shown). Source electrodes of the TFTs 6 are connected to respective display electrodes. The liquid crystal between the display electrodes on the array substrate and a common electrode on the opposed substrate constitutes the liquid crystal capacitances Cls 8. Part of each display electrode is laid on a gate line 2 of the immediately preceding scanline, to constitute an auxiliary capacitor Cs 10. A parasitic capacitance Cgs 12 exists between the gate and source of the TFT 6.
Recent active matrix liquid crystal display devices having the above configuration, have required that the display screen have higher resolution and the number of display pixels be increased. In association with these requirements, solutions have been proposed to various technical problems that have arisen. For example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Applications Nos. 2-157815 and 7-140441 disclose methods that can lower the degree of image flicker and the burning-in phenomenon, and also reduce power consumption. This is accomplished by compensating for a DC component that unavoidably occurs due to anisotrophy of a liquid crystal. However, these disclosed methods do not consider that the miniaturization of the gate lines, the increase in the number of wiring lines, and the increase of the wiring length, associated with improved resolution of the display screen and an increased number of display pixels, will increase the resistance of the gate lines and the load capacitance, and cause gate delaying. Nor do these disclosures solve the problem that gate delaying causes a variation in gradations and DC components having different levels in the horizontal direction of the display screen.
Gate delaying is considered an unavoidable problem in view of the improved resolution and the increased aperture ratio that are needed to increase the demand of liquid crystal display devices. For example, although gate delaying may be reduced by making the gate lines wider, that solution will decrease the aperture ratio of display pixels. As a result, to obtain given display brightness, the light intensity from a backlight needs to be increased, resulting in increased power consumption.
Further, in a method disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 5-100636, a pixel voltage is written twice per frame to decrease a pixel potential variation caused by a reduced write period that results from improved resolution of the display. This method addresses the shortening of the gate on-time which results from the improved resolution of the display, but is not intended to solve the problem of a variation component (hereinafter called a feedthrough voltage) of the pixel potential which is caused by the parasitic capacitance between the gate and source of a TFT. Nor does this method consider that gate delaying causes different feedthrough voltages at various positions on the screen. Therefore, as in the case of the previously mentioned methods, this method reduces the aperture ratio of display pixels, resulting in increased power consumption.
Now, referring to FIGS. 4-7, a conventional liquid crystal driving method will be described in a more specific manner. The following explanation assumes a normally-black type liquid crystal display device in which the display brightness increases as the liquid crystal application voltage is increased. Drive waveforms shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are adapted to compensate for both of a feedthrough voltage and an effective value. The effective value compensation means increasing the liquid crystal application voltage by adjusting a voltage applied to the auxiliary capacitor constituted by the gate line and the display electrode, even if the voltage level of gradation data supplied to the data line is decreased as a whole. The effective value compensation allows the liquid crystal to produce high brightness or receive a high voltage, even if the level of a voltage supplied to the data line is low. Since the level of a voltage supplied to the data line can be lowered, the power consumption of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced.
FIG. 4 shows a case where frame inversion driving is performed on a Cs-on-gate type liquid crystal display device. Parts (a) and (b) and part (c) respectively show input waveforms and a liquid crystal drive waveform on the side close to the gate line driving circuit, in which waveforms no gate delaying occurs.
When a gate signal (pulse width: 1 H (one horizontal scanning period) 22 is input to a gate line Gn+1 (see FIG. 4(b)), a TFT connected to this gate line is turned on, so that a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal as shown in FIG. 4(c). When the TFT is turned off, that is, at the fall of the gate signal 22, the feedthrough phenomenon causes the write voltage to the liquid crystal to decrease by a feedthrough voltage component 28 as shown in FIG. 4(c).
Thereafter (for instance, after a lapse of 0.5 H from the fall of the gate signal 22), feedthrough voltage compensation and effective value compensation 30 are effected as shown in FIG. 4(c) by causing a previous gate line Gn to have a potential Vc1 and applying a voltage to the auxiliary capacitor Cs. Further, final effective value compensation 32 is effected by supplying a signal of Vc1 to the gate line Gn+1 after a lapse of about 1 H from the rise of Vc1. As a result, the liquid crystal potential is set at Vlc(+) during frame 1.
Next, to AC-drive the liquid crystal in frame 2, feedthrough voltage compensation and effective value compensation are performed by a process similar to that in frame 1 at a voltage level Vc2 so that the liquid crystal potential becomes Vlc(-). As a result, a condition Vlc(+)=Vlc(-) is established, which enables liquid crystal display to be free of a DC component and be low in power consumption.
However, as described above, where gate delaying occurs, a gate signal assumes a waveform distortion as shown, for instance, in FIG. 6 at a position closer to a gate line terminal portion, so that the gate-off timing is delayed by .DELTA.t from 1 H. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the feedthrough amount decreases because a gate-source current flows for a longer time by an increased gate-on time than in the case of no gate delaying (FIG. 4). However, since the voltage levels Vc1 and Vc2 for the feedthrough voltage and effective value compensation do not vary, the liquid crystal potential becomes higher than a desired value (broken line in FIG. 5) in frame 1 and lower than that in frame 2. This causes a DC component Vdc (Vdc=Vlc(+)-Vlc(-)). That is, as shown in FIG. 7, while desired feedthrough/effective value compensation is effected for pixels closer to the gate line driving circuit (indicated as "supply side" in the figure), a DC component occurs for pixels closer to the gate line terminal portions so as to be larger at positions closer to the terminal portions.
In connection with the above problem, consideration is given to the case where drive waveforms as shown in FIG. 8 are used. In the drive waveforms of FIG. 8, the fall timing of a gate signal 22 that is input to a gate line Gn+1 is made coincident with a timing at which the potential level of a previous gate line Gn is raised to Vc1. In this case, even if the gate delaying causes the feedthrough voltage to be smaller at a position closer to a gate line terminal portion, it also makes the compensation potential Vc1 to appear smaller. Thus, the liquid crystal potential is prevented from having a DC component.
However, this driving method cannot provide sufficient effective value compensation for changing the amplitude of the liquid crystal potential, because the compensation voltage Vc1 appears smaller at a position closer to a gate line terminal portion. As shown in FIG. 9(c), although liquid crystal potentials V'lc(+) and V'lc(-) have no DC component (V'lc(+)=V'lc(-)), they are smaller than desired values Vlc(+) and Vlc(-), respectively.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, while desired feedthrough/effective value compensation can be effected for pixels closer to the gate line driving circuit (supply side pixels), the brightness decreases at pixels closer to the gate line terminal portions, causing unevenness in brightness over the entire display screen. As such, in either driving method, the gate delaying prevents the feedthrough voltage compensation and the effective value compensation from being effected at the same time. Therefore, it is impossible to lower the degrees of a flicker and the burning-in phenomenon and, at the same time, reduce the power consumption.
Therefore, an object of the subject invention is to provide a driving method of for active matrix liquid crystal display devices which method is superior in image quality and reliability and can reduce the power consumption even if the gate line load is increased as a result of increased size of a display screen, improved resolution, and an increased aperture ratio.

Driving method of liquid crystal display device

International Business Machines Corporation


A purified heparinase I, II and III free of lyase activity and each having a molecular weight of 42,800 84,100, 70,800, respectively, are produced by culturing Flavobacterium heparinum. The kinetic properties of the heparinases have been determined as well as the conditions to optimize their activity and stability.

This invention generally relates to the purification and characterization of heparinase I, II, and III from Flavobacterium heparinum and antibodies thereto.
Heparin and heparan sulfate represent a class of glycosaminoglycans characterized by a linear polysaccharide of D-glucosamine (1→4) linked to hexuronic acid (Linhardt, R. J. (1991) Chem. Ind. 2, 45-50; Casu, B. (1985) Adv. Carbohydr. Chem. Biochem. 43, 51-134). Heparin and heparan sulfate are complex carbohydrates that play an important functional role in the extracellular matrix of mammals. These polysaccharides modulate and regulate tissue level events that take place either during development under normal situations or wound healing and tumor metastasis under pathological conditions.
Much of the current understanding of heparin and heparan sulfate sequence has relied on studies of their biosynthesis (Linhardt, R. J., Wang, H. M., Loganathan, D., and Bae, J. H. (1992) Biol. Chem. 267, 2380-2387; Lindahl, U., Feingold, D., and Roden, L. (1986) Trends Biochem. Sci. 11, 221-225; Jacobson, I., and Lindahl U. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 5094-5100; Lindahl, U., and Kjellen, L. (1987) in The Biology of Extracellular Matrix Proteoglycans (Wight, T. N., and Mecham R., eds) pp. 59-104, Academic Press, New York). Recent efforts (Linhardt, R. J., Rice, K. G., Kim, Y. S., Lohse, D. L., Wang, H. M., and Loganathan, D. (1988) Biochem. J. 254, 781-787; Linhardt, R. J., Turnbull, J. E., Wang, H. M., Loganathan, D., and Gallagher, J. T. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 2611-2617) have focused on the application of enzymatic methods to depolymerize these complex polysaccharides into oligosaccharides that could then be structurally characterized (Linhardt, et al. (1992) Biol. Chem. 267, 2380-2387; Linhardt, et al., (1988) Biochem. J. 254, 781-787; Loganathan, D., Wang, H. M., Mallis, L. M., and Linhardt, R. J. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 4362-4368).
Enzymatic methods for heparin and heparan sulfate depolymerization are very specific and require mild conditions giving oligosaccharide products that closely resemble the glycosaminoglycans from which they were derived. Two types of enzymes that degrade heparin and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans are the polysaccharide lyases from prokaryotic sources that act through an eliminative mechanism (Linhardt, R. J., Galliher, P. M., and Cooney, C. L. (1986) Appl. Biochem Biotech. 12, 135-176), and the glucuronidases (hydrolases) from eukaryotic sources that act through a hydrolytic mechanism.
Prokaryote degradation of heparin and heparan sulfate has primarily been studied using enzymes derived from Flavobacterium heparinum (Linker, A., and Hovingh, P. (1965) J. Biol. Chem. 240, 3724-3728; Linker, A., and Hovingh, P. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 6170-6175); Dietrich, C. P., Silva, M. E., and Michelacci, Y.M. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6408-6415; Silva, M. E., Dietrich, C. P., and Nader, H. B. (1976) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 437, 129-141). This bacterial degradation begins with the action of three (or possibly more) eliminases. These heparin lyases produce oligosaccharides with Δ4,5-unsaturated uronic acid residues at their non-reducing termini. These eliminases probably act in concert to convert heparin and heparan sulfate to disaccharides.
Heparin lyases are a general class of enzymes that are capable of specifically cleaving the major glycosidic linkages in heparin and heparan sulfate. Three heparin lyases have been identified in Flavobacterium heparinum, a heparin-utilizing organism that also produces exoglycuronidases, sulfoesterases, and sulfamidases that further act on the lyase-generated oligosaccharide products (Yang, V. C., Linhardt, R. J., Berstein, H., Cooney, C. L., and Langer, R. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1849-1857; Galliher, P. M., Linhardt, R. J., Conway, L. J., Langer, R., and Cooney, C. L. (1982) Eur. J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 15, 252-257). These lyases are designated as heparin lyase I (heparinase, EC 18.104.22.168), heparin lyase II (heparinase II, no EC number) and heparin lyase III (heparitinase EC 18.104.22.168). Although the specificities of these enzymes are not completely known, studies using partially purified enzymes with heparin, heparan sulfate, and structurally characterized heparin oligosaccharides have led to an understanding of the linkages susceptible to enzymatic cleavage (Lindhardt, et al., (1990), Lohse (1992), Rice, K. G., and Linhardt R. J. (1989) Carbohydr. Res. 190, 219-233). The three purified heparin lyases differ in their capacity to cleave heparin and heparan sulfate: Heparin lyase I primarily cleaves heparin, heparin lyase III specifically cleaves heparan sulfate and heparin lyase II acts equally on both heparin and heparan sulfate (Linhardt, et al., 1986; Linhardt, et al., 1990).
Several Bacteroides sp. (Saylers, A. A., Vercellotti, J. R., West, S.E.H., and Wilkins, T. D. (1977) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 33, 319-322; Nakamura, T., Shibata, Y., and Fujimura, S. (1988) J. Clin. Microbiol. 26, 1070-1071) also produce heparinases, however, these enzymes are not well characterized. A heparinase has also been purified to apparent homogeneity from an unidentified soil bacterium (Bohmer, L. H., Pitout, M. J., Steyn, P. L., and Visser, L. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 13609-13617). This enzyme differs from those isolated from Flavobacterium heparinum in its molecular weight (94,000), pI (9.2), amino acid composition and kinetic properties (Km of 3.4 μM and Vmax of 36.8 μmol/min, pH optimum of 7.6).
Three other heparin lyases, partially purified from Flavobacterium sp. Hp206, have molecular weights of 64,000, 100,000, and 72,000, as reported by Yoshida, K., Miyazono, H., Tawada, A., Kikuchi, H., Morikawa, K., and Tokuyasu, K. (1989) 10th Annual Symposium of Glycoconjugates, Jerusaleum, different from heparin lysases I-III.
The heparin lyases of F. heparinum are the most widely used and best studied (Lindhardt, (1986)). Linker and Hovingh (1970) first separated these lyase activities, fractionating a crude lyase fraction into a heparinase (heparin lyase I) and a heparitinase (heparin lyase III). Both activities were purified by 50-100-fold, but no physical characterization of these enzymes was performed.
Dietrich and co-workers (Dietrich, et al., 1973); Silva, et al., (1976); Silva, M. E., and Dietrich, C. P. (1974) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 56, 965-972; Michelacci, Y. M., and Dietrich, C. P. (1974) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 56, 973-980) and Ototani and Yosizawa (Ototani, N., and Yosizawa, Z. (1978) J. Biochem. (tokyo) 84, 1005-1008; Ototani, N., and Yosizawa, Z. (1979) Carbohydr. Res. 70, 295-306; Ototani, N., Kikiuchi, M., and Yosizawa, Z. (1981) Carbohydr. Res. 88, 291-303; Ototani, N., and Yosizawa, Z. (1981) Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Glycoconjugates, pp. 411-412, September 20-25, Tokyo, Japan Scientific Press, Tokyo) isolated three lyases, a heparinase (heparin lyase I) and two heparitinases, from F. heparinum. The heparinase acted on heparin to produce mainly trisulfated disaccharides (Dietrich, C. P., and Nader, H. B. (1974) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 343, 34-44; Dietrich, C. P., Nader, H. B., Britto, L. R., and Silva, M. E. (1971) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 237, 430-441); Nader, H. B., Porcionatto, M. A., Tersariol, I. L. S., Pinhal, M. S., Oliveira, F. W., Moraes, C. T., and Dietrich, C. P. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265,16807-16813) purified two heparitinases (called heparitinase I and II, possibly corresponding to heparin lyases II and III, although no physical properties of these enzymes were presented) and characterized their substrate specificity toward heparin and heparan sulfate. Heparitinase I degraded both N-acetylated and N-sulfated heparan sulfate while heparitinase II degraded primarily N-sulfated heparan sulfate.
McLean and Co-workers described the specificity of a partially purified heparinase II (Moffat, C. F., McLean, M. W., Long, W. F., and Williamson, F. B. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 197, 449-459; McLean, M. W., Long, W. F., and Williamson, F. B. (1985) in Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Glycoconjugates, pp. 73-74, September, Houston, Paeger Publishers, New York; McLean, M. W., Bruce, J. S., Long, W. F., and Williamson, F. B. (1954) Eur. J. Biochem. 145, 607-615). Although no evidence of homogeneity or any physical properties for heparinase II were presented, the broad specificity on various polymeric substrates (Moffat, et al., (1991)) identifies the enzyme as heparin lyase II (Lindhardt, et al., (1990); McLean, et al., (1985).
Linhardt et al. (1984) Appl. Biochem. Biotech. 9, 41-55) reported the purification of heparinase (heparin lyase I) to a single band on SDS-PAGE. Affinity purification of heparin lyase I on heparin-Sepharose failed, apparently due to degradation of the column matrix. Sufficient quantities of pure heparin lyase I for detailed characterization studies and amino acid analysis were first prepared by Yang et al. (1985). Heparin lyase I was used to prepare polyclonal antibodies in rabbits for affinity purification of heparin lyase I, but excessively harsh conditiona required to elute the enzyme resulted in substantial loss of activity (Lindhardt, (1985)). Yang, V. C., Bernstein, H., Cooney, C. L., and Langer, R. (1987) Appl. Biochem. Biotech. 16, 35-50)) also described a method to prepare heparin lyase I.
Seikagaku Co. has recently orally reported the molecular weights of their commercial enzymes corresponding to heparin lyase I-III to be 43,000, 84,000, and 70,000, respectively (Yoshida, K. (1991) International Symposium on Heparin and Related Polysaccharides, September 1-6, Uppsala, Sweden). These reports are in close agreement to the molecular weights described herein, but no details of their purification or characterization methods have been published.
Heparin lyases have been used to establish the presence of heparin in mixtures of proteoglycans (Kanwar, Y. S., and Farquhar, M. G. (1979) Presence of heparan sulfate in the glomerular basement membrane. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 76, 1303-1307), to depolymerize heparin and heparan sulfate to characterize the structure of the resulting oligosaccharides (Linhardt, R. J., Loganathan, D. Al-Hakim, A., Wang, H.-M., Walenga, J. M., Hoppensteadt, D., and Fareed, J. (1990) Oligosaccharide mapping of low molecular weight heparins: structure and activity differences. J. Med. Chem. 33, 1639-1645; Linhardt, R. J., Rice, K. G., Kim, Y. S., Lohse, D. L., Wang, H. M., and Loganathan, D. (1988). Mapping and quantification of the major oligosaccharide components of heparin. Biochem. J. 254, 781-787; Merchant, Z. M., Kim, Y. S., Rice, K. G., and Linhardt, R.J. (1985). Structure of heparin-derived tetrasaccharides. Biochem. J. 229, 369-377; Turnbull, J. E., and Gallagher, J. T. (1988) Oligosaccharide mapping of heparan sulphate by polyacrylamide-gradient-gel electrophoresis and electrotransfer to nylon membrane. Biochem J. 251, 597-608), to produce low molecular weight heparin preparations with anticoagulant and complement inhibitory activities (Linhardt, R. J., Grant, A., Cooney, C. L., and Langer, R. (1982) Differential anticoagulant activity of heparin fragments prepared using microbial heparinase. J. Biol. Chem. 257, 7310-7313; Linhardt, R. J., and Loganathan, D. (1990a). Heparin, heparinoids and heparin oligosaccharides: structure and biological activity. In C. G. Gebelein (Ed.), Biomimetic Polymers (pp. 135-173). New York: Plenum Press; Sharath, M. D., Merchant, Z. M., Kim, Y. S., Rice, K. G., Linhardt, R. J., and Weiler, J. M. (1985) Small heparin fragments regulate the amplification pathway of complement. Immunopharmacology 9, 73-80) and to remove heparin from the circulation (Langer, et al., 1982). Heparin depolymerising enzymes are excellent tools to understand the role of heparin-like molecules in the extracellular matrix or to be used in different tissue microenvironments to modulate and alter the extracellular matrix in a highly specific manner. However, studies utilizing heparin lyases are hampered by difficulties in purifying the enzymes from Flavobacterium heparinum, especially with regard to separation of the three enzymes from each other (Linhardt, et al., 1985). Specifically, the capacity of heparin lyase II to cleave both heparin and heparan sulfate makes it difficult to distinguish from heparin lyase I which cleaves heparin and heparin lyase III which cleaves heparan sulfate.
Although all three of these heparin/heparan sulfate lyases are widely used, with the exception of heparin lyase I, there is no information on the purity or physical and kinetic characteristics of heparinase II and heparinase III. The absence of pure heparin lyases, resulting in ambiguities with respect to substrate specificity. This is due to contamination of other lyases in the preparation, and a lack of understanding of the optimal catalytic conditions and substrate specificity has stood in the way of the use of these enzymes as reagents for the specific depolymerization of heparin and heparan sulfate into oligosaccharides for structure and activity studies, and for use in clinical studies.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for purification and characterization of heparinase I, heparinase II, and heparinase III.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide purified and characterized heparinase I, heparinase II, and heparinase III.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide the conditions for optimal use and peptide map of the purified heparinase II and heparinase III.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the amino acid compositions of the three heparinases.
It is another object of the present invention to provide antibodies for heparinase I, II, and III which can be used in the purificationn and characterization of heparinases.

Purification of Heparinase I, II and III from Flavobacterium heparinum


A spinal rod extension system includes a rod portion of a spinal rod extension and a connector portion connected to the rod portion. The connector portion is configured for insertion through a screw head of an existing pedicle screw that is used to secure an existing spinal rod. The spinal rod extension system also includes a screw head connector configured to mount to the screw head of the existing pedicle screw to secure the connector portion to the existing spinal rod. The screw head connector includes a first end wall and a second end wall that are connected to one another by a pair of cross connectors.

A spinal rod is a metal cylinder implant used in spinal surgery to stabilize a vertebral segment. In a spinal fusion surgery, a spinal rod can be used to connect screws inserted into adjacent vertebral bodies in order to prevent motion and allow fusion to occur across adjacent spine segments. Rods are used extensively in spine fusion systems. After a patient has undergone an instrumented spinal fusion operation, on occasion they can later develop problems at the spinal levels above or below the fusion, necessitating another surgery, also called a revision surgery, with extension of the instrumentation. In so doing, one option is to remove the existing instrumentation and replace it with all new instrumentation, but this may involve an extensive surgery. Another option is to link in to the existing instrumentation, which may decrease the surgical morbidity for the patient, because the previously placed implants can be preserved.


One embodiment relates to a method of calibrating duty cycle distortion. A data rate of a physical layer interface is changed from a lower rate to a higher rate, and a data rate of one or more transceivers associated with the physical layer interface is changed from the lower rate to the higher rate. An electrical idle state is maintained after changing the data rate of the transceiver. Duty cycle distortion calibration for one or more transceivers associated with the physical layer interface is then performed during the electrical idle state. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to serial interfaces for integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Background Art
Serial interfaces are used to communicate data between devices in a system. Serial interface protocols have been developed at increasingly fast data rates. Examples of industry-standard protocols for serial interfaces include PCI Express® (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), XAUI (X Attachment Unit Interface), sRIO (serial Rapid IO), and many others.
As the data rates of serial interfaces have increased beyond one gigabit-per-second, jitter has become a significant performance limitation. Jitter relates to the deviation in time of signal transitions from their ideal transition points.
Sources of jitter may be categorized as either random or deterministic. One type of deterministic jitter of particular interest in this case is jitter caused by duty cycle distortion (DCD).

Method and apparatus to calibrate duty cycle distortion