An adjustable speed control for use on a children's ride-on vehicle, where the speed control includes a switch assembly interposed between the battery and the motor of the vehicle. The switch assembly is selectively operable to connect the battery to the motor in one of a number of speed configurations, including a first speed configuration and a second speed configuration. An actuator is connected to the switch assembly and manipulable by a user to allow the user to operate the switch assembly to select a particular speed configuration from among the number of speed configurations. In one embodiment, a diode is disposed in series between the motor and battery in one of the speed configurations to provide a relatively current independent voltage drop between the motor and the battery. In an alternative embodiment, a childproof cover is disposed proximal to the actuator. The cover has a first configuration in which it substantially prevents a child from manipulating the actuator to operate the switch assembly to alter the selected particular speed configuration.

The present invention relates to children's ride-on vehicles, and more particularly to an adjustable speed control for such a vehicle.
Children's ride-on vehicles typically utilize one or two small electric motors powered by a 6 or 12-volt battery. Depending on the power output capability of the motors and how they are connected to the battery, various speeds can be achieved by the vehicle. For instance, Power Wheels.TM. currently manufactures three different series vehicles: the Toddler series, which are suitable for children 1-3 years old and travel at a maximum of 1 mph; the Preschool series, which are suitable for children 11/2-6 years old and have a maximum speed of 2.5-3.5 mph; and, the Advanced Series, which are suitable for children 3-7 years old and have speeds up to 5 mph.
In children's ride-on vehicles, the suitability for a child of a given age is primarily determined by the speed capability of the vehicle. With young children, slower vehicles are necessary for safe operation. As children mature and become more capable drivers, they are able to operate faster vehicles with safety and confidence. In fact, vehicles for older children must offer higher speeds to maintain the children's interest.
Due to their complexity, children's ride-on vehicles are a relatively expensive toy. It is therefore important for such a vehicle to offer the longest possible useful life. In the past, useful life has primarily been limited by the maximum speed of the vehicle. A high speed vehicle cannot be used by a toddler and a low speed vehicle is not sufficiently entertaining for an older child. Although ride-on vehicles have been produced with a high and a low speed and including a high speed lock-out capability, the lock out mechanism is rather cumbersome to use, and only two speeds are offered. Preferably, for maximum utility, a children's ride-on vehicle should have at least three selectable maximum speeds. Furthermore, it should be quick and easy for a parent to select the vehicles maximum speed.
With the above problems in mind, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an adjustable speed control for a children's ride-on vehicle which can selectively limit the maximum speed of the vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an adjustable speed control which can only be operated by an adult.
One more object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable speed control that is simple to manufacture and reliable in operation.
An additional object is to provide an adjustable speed control which presents a voltage to the motor or motors that is relatively independent of current draw.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable speed control that offers three different speed configurations.
These and other objects are satisfied by providing an adjustable speed control for use on a children's ride-on vehicle, where the speed control includes a switch assembly interposed between the battery and the motor of the vehicle. The switch assembly is selectively operable to connect the battery to the motor in one of a number of speed configurations, including a first speed configuration and a second speed configuration. An actuator is connected to the switch assembly and manipulable by a user to allow the user to operate the switch assembly to select a particular speed configuration from among the number of speed configurations. In one embodiment of the invention, a diode is disposed in series between the motor and battery in one of the speed configurations to provide a relatively current independent voltage drop between the motor and the battery. In an alternative embodiment, a childproof cover is disposed proximal to the actuator. The cover has a first configuration in which it substantially prevents a child from manipulating the actuator to operate the switch assembly to alter the selected particular speed configuration.
Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which preferred embodiments incorporating the principles of this invention are disclosed as illustrative examples only.

Adjustable speed control for children's ride-on vehicle


In a solid state memory device, codewords stored in a unit of the memory device are decoded using an error correcting iterative decoding process. An average number of iterations needed for successfully decoding codewords of the unit is determined, and the average number of iterations is monitored. The average number of iterations can be taken as a measure of wear of the subject unit.

The present disclosure generally relates to storage systems comprising solid state memory devices such as flash based memory devices, and to techniques for controlling such solid state memory devices, in particular with a focus on decoding mechanisms for such solid state memory devices.
Solid-state memory devices encompass rewritable non-volatile memory devices which use electronic circuitry for storing data. Currently, solid-state memory devices start replacing conventional storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical disk drives in some arenas, such as in mass storage applications for laptops or desktops. Solid state memory devices are also investigated for replacing conventional storage devices in other areas such as in enterprise storage systems. This is because solid state memory devices offer exceptional bandwidth as well as excellent random I/O (input/output) performance along with an appreciated robustness due to lack of moveable parts.
State-of-the-art solid-state drives (SSD)—which term is used equivalently to the term solid state memory device—may be embodied with single-level cells (SLC) for which binary quantization is performed to yield one bit of information, or with multi-level cells (MLC) for which quantization to one of several levels, usually four or eight, is performed to yield more than one bit of information.
Error-correction codes (ECC) may be applied to solid state drives to achieve the required reliability of the data retrieval process. Typically, Reed-Solomon (RS) or Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes are used for that purpose, in conjunction with hard decoding algorithms. The main problem with hard decoding algorithms is that non-recoverable loss of information occurs whenever a quantization is performed on the physical value that is read back from a memory cell. To overcome the loss of information caused by hard decoding techniques, soft decoding of ECC has been recently proposed for SSDs. Soft decoding techniques are characterized by decoding a codeword within multiple iterations. It is known that soft decoding yields large coding gains compared to RS codes. However, iterative decoding introduces a latency associated with the decoding process, which may adversely affect the response time of SSD applications.
An iterative decoding technique is applied to a solid state memory device in WO 2007/084751 A2 in which the device includes, in part, an encoder, a multi-level solid state non-volatile memory array adapted to store data encoded by the encoder, and a decoder adapted to decode the data retrieved from the memory array. The memory array may be a flash EEPROM array. The memory unit optionally includes a modulator and a demodulator. The data modulated by the modulator is stored in the memory array. The demodulator demodulates the modulated data retrieved from the memory array.
Another iterative decoder is illustrated in US 2009/0024905 A1 in which the corresponding method for operating a memory device includes encoding data using an Error Correction Code (ECC) and storing the encoded data as first analogue values in respective analogue memory cells of the memory device. After storing the encoded data, second analogue values are read from the respective memory cells of the memory device in which the encoded data were stored. At least some of the second analogue values differ from the respective first analogue values. A distortion that is present in the second analogue values is estimated. Error correction metrics are computed with respect to the second analogue values responsively to the estimated distortion. The second analogue values are processed using the error correction metrics in an ECC decoding process, so as to reconstruct the data.

International Business Machines Corporation


In a method of forming a double gate device, a buried insulating layer having a thickness of less than about 30 nm is formed on a first substrate. A second substrate is formed on the buried insulating layer. A pad layer is formed over the second substrate. A mask layer is formed over the pad layer. A first trench is formed extending through the pad layer, second substrate, buried insulating layer and into the first substrate. The first trench is filled with a first isolation. A second trench is formed in the first isolation and filled with a conductive material. An MOS transistor is formed on the second substrate. A bottom gate is formed under the buried insulating layer and self-aligned to the top gate formed on the second substrate.

Double gate MOS devices have drawn increasing interest within the recent years because of their capability to reduce short channel effects. The downscaling of MOS devices will continue for the next decade. By this downscaling, the physical limitations of device behavior, as predicted for planar devices, are reached and partially exceeded. Thus, the so-called short channel effects become an issue, which is answered by the changing of device layout. For sub 50 nm devices, the double gate device layout is one of the most promising concepts to deal with the issue of short channel effects. Therefore, double gate devices have drawn increasing attention recent years. In double gate devices, there are two gates biased in parallel to form an inversion channel on both sides of a silicon layer. If the silicon layer is thin enough, these two inversion channels will overlap. The field penetration from drain to source is decreased, which decreases short channel effects.
There are three different layouts of double-gate MOS devices. In the first layout, the channel and the current are in the plane of the wafer, so one gate is above and one gate is below the channel layer. The second layout is the so-called FinFET layout. The silicon channel layer is perpendicular to the wafer surface, but the current is still in the plane of the wafer. The third layout, like the FinFET, has a silicon ridge of a few tenths of nanometers in thickness, which is the active area of the transistor. In this layout, the current flow is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional double gate device 1 having the first layout with one gate above another. It comprises source and drain 8, a top gate 2, a bottom gate 4 and a channel 6. The channel 6 resides between the top gate 2 and the bottom gate 4, and is typically separated by oxides 3. The double gate device 1 needs a complex process flow, including epitaxy, to produce the double gate structure. In one of the conventional methods, the buried oxide 3 is formed first. A cavity is then formed for the channel 6 and source and drain regions 8. The channel 6 and source and drain regions 8 are then epitaxially grown from a seed silicon. The conventional double gate devices and forming methods have some disadvantages. The forming methods are complex and costly. Channel thickness T is typically in the range of about 10 nm so that it is hard to use the conventional methods to achieve desired threshold voltage. The conventional double gate devices could become inactive when the bottom gate voltage is high, such as around 2.5V. This significantly limits the performance improvement.
Double gate devices can be used for different applications by adjusting bottom gate voltage. Typically, when high performance is desired, a higher bottom gate voltage can be applied so that the device has higher speed, although the sub-threshold leakage and power consumption are high. When low power is desired, for example, when a circuit is in standby mode, a lower bottom gate voltage can be applied. With a low bottom gate voltage, the leakage current and power consumption are significantly lower. However, the circuit speed is lower.
The double gate device will become a mainstream technology in the semiconductor technology because of its superior device behavior during scaling. The present invention proposes a new device structure and process forming the double gate device.

Self-aligned double gate device and method for forming same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manfacturing Company, Ltd.


Provided is a modified fluorescent protein which enables the detection of a power applied to a liquid where the fluorescent protein exists. A modified fluorescent protein, wherein a peptide linker is inserted into a position homologous to the position between the 144th and 145th amino acids in the amino acid sequence of a wild type fluorescent protein from jellyfish or a fluorescent protein derived from said wild type fluorescent protein, characterized in that the fluorescence properties of said modified fluorescent protein change depending on a change in a pressure that is applied to a liquid where said modified fluorescent protein exists.

A fluorescent protein, for example, a green fluorescent protein having an amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 6 of a sequence listing is generally used as a material for fluorescently labeling a protein in basic research and application research. Fluorescent labeling with a fluorescent protein enables the observation of localization and movement of a protein under an optical microscope. Further, a fluorescent protein that responds to environment, such as cytoplasmic pH and calcium concentration, has also been created by genetic engineering modification (Patent Documents 1 and 2). The fluorescent protein capable of responding to a cytoplasmic environment change is a very potential tool for checking life phenomenon.
On the other hand, conventionally, it has been suggested that there is a strong correlation between the pressure in a living body and the life phenomenon, as is found in the fact that the shape of a tissue which is being generated is determined by a pressure in a cytoplasm.


A buffer circuit for programming an I/O pin of a programmable logic device to function either as a normal I/O site, a power pin, or a ground pin has been provided. The I/O pin may be programmed by a user by simply placing first and second control signals in appropriate logic states. The buffer circuit also includes a tri-state circuit for providing tri-state outputs when functioning as a normal I/O site.

Existing programmable logic devices (PLD's) have a predetermined fixed number of power and ground pins wherein the other pins of the device are typically used as a normal input/output (I/O) site. However, depending upon the application, more or less power and ground pins may be required. For example, suppose a first pin is utilized as an I/O site to output a high power signal. In this case, it may be desired to have a plurality of pins (more than the fixed number) that are positioned adjacent and nearby to the first pin to be power and ground pins thereby minimizing switching noise problems especially if there exists many simultaneously switching outputs. Moreover, as the density of PLD's increases, programmable pins are quite desirable to allow optimum allocation of input/output, power and ground pins for a given application.
Hence, there exists a need to provide a circuit for allowing a user to program pins of a programmable logic device to be either an I/O site, a power pin or a ground pin.

Programmable pin for use in programmable logic devices


A system for processing a wafer is provided. The system includes a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) tool. The CMP tool includes a wafer carrier defined within a housing. A carrier film is affixed to the bottom surface and supports a wafer. A sensor embedded in the wafer carrier. The sensor is configured to induce an eddy current in the wafer to determine a proximity and a thickness of the wafer. A cluster of sensors external to the CMP tool is included. The cluster of sensors is in communication with the sensor embedded in the wafer carrier and substantially eliminates a distance sensitivity. The cluster of sensors provides an initial thickness of the wafer to allow for a calibration to be performed on the sensor embedded in the wafer carrier. The calibration offsets variables causing inaccuracies in the determination of the thickness of the wafer during CMP operation. A method and an apparatus are also provided.

The invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication and more specifically to in-line metrology for process control during wafer processing.
During semiconductor fabrication a there are multiple steps where an underlying substrate is subjected to the formation, modification and removal of various layers. The small feature sizes, tight surface planarity requirements, combined with the constant quest to increase throughput, makes it highly desirable to stop the process when the correct thickness has been achieved, i.e., when an endpoint has been obtained for the process step.
Eddy current sensors are used for displacement, proximity and film thickness measurements. The sensors rely on the induction of current in a sample by the fluctuating electromagnetic field of a test coil proximate to the object being measured. Fluctuating electromagnetic fields are created as a result of passing an alternating current through the coil. The fluctuating electromagnetic fields induce eddy currents which perturb the applied field and change the coils inductance.
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of the principle upon which an eddy current sensor operates. An alternating current flows through coil 100 in close proximity to conducting object 102. The electromagnetic field of the coil induces eddy currents 104 in conducting object 102. The magnitude and the phase of the eddy currents in turn effect the loading on the coil. Thus, the impedance of the coil is impacted by the eddy currents. This impact is measured to sense the proximity of conducting object 102 as well as a thickness of the object. Distance 106 impacts the effect of eddy currents 104 on coil 100, therefore, if object 1002 moves, the signal from the sensor monitoring the impact of eddy currents on coil 100 will also change.
Attempts to use eddy current sensors to measure thickness of a film has resulted in limited success. Since the signal from the eddy current sensor is sensitive to both the thickness of the film and distance of the substrate to the sensor, there are two unknowns that must be resolved. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a wafer carrier having an eddy current sensor for measuring the thickness of a wafer during a chemical mechanical planarization process (CMP). Wafer carrier 108 includes eddy current sensor 110. During a CMP operation, wafer 114 supported by carrier film 112 of carrier 108 is pressed against pad 116 to planarize a surface of the wafer. Pad 116 is supported by stainless steel backing 118.
One shortcoming of the configuration of FIG. 2 comes from the variability of the carrier film, which, being only 0.020″ thick can undergo variations up to 0.006″ from sample to sample. Process conditions, in particular, film compression due to wafer load, affect the sensor-metal layer distance. Thus, the carrier film and variable process conditions cause a substantial variability in the distance between the wafer and the sensor. Accordingly, it becomes extremely difficult to calibrate for all the variables that effect the distance, which in turn impacts the thickness measurement of the sensor. Another shortcoming of this configuration is caused by the presence of another conducting material separate from the conducting material being measured and is commonly referred to as a third body effect. If the thickness of the conductive layer is less than the so-called skin depth, the electromagnetic field from the coil will not be completely absorbed and will partially pass through to stainless steel backing 118 of pad 116 of FIG. 2. The electromagnetic field will induce additional eddy currents within the stainless steel belt, thereby contributing to the total signal from the eddy current sensor. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the pad wears or erodes over time, causing variation in the distance between the stainless steel backing and the eddy current sensor, which influences the appropriated contribution to the total eddy current sensor signal. Thus, a wear factor has to be considered as the wafers are continuously being processed. Consequently, due to the variability injected into the thickness measurement, the amount of error is unacceptably high and unpredictable.
Additionally, in line metrology used for semiconductor processing properties is incorporated in most semiconductor manufacturing equipment and particularly with CMP tools. However, obtaining the required data takes time, which in some cases is as long as the wafer processing time for a particular fabrication step. Furthermore, the current approaches add stations to the processing systems resulting in an increased footprint for the systems as well as an extra travel pathway for the wafer.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a method and system to capture incoming wafer characteristics, such as thickness of the wafer and films deposited on the wafer, on the fly so that the characteristics can be used to process the wafer more accurately and more efficiently.

Integration of sensor based metrology into semiconductor processing tools


There is provided an apparatus of performing a plasma process on substrates mounted on an upper surface of a rotary table. The apparatus includes: a heater for heating the substrates; a process gas supply part for supplying a process gas toward the upper surface of the rotary table; an antenna for generating an inductively coupled plasma by converting the process gas to plasma; a light detection part for detecting respective light intensities of R, G and B component as light color components; a calculation part for obtaining an evaluation value corresponding to a change amount before and after supplying a high-frequency power to the antenna, with respect to at least one of the respective light intensities; and an ignition determination part for comparing the evaluation value with a threshold value and to determine that ignition of plasma is not generated if the evaluation value does not exceed the threshold value.

As an apparatus for forming a thin film, for example, a silicon oxide film (SiO2), on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a "wafer") or the like, there is known so-called a mini-batch-type film forming apparatus which performs a film forming process on a plurality of substrates mounted on a rotary table along a circumferential direction. In this film forming apparatus, for example, the rotary table is made of quartz. The substrates are heated by a heater disposed below the rotary table. By rotating the rotary table, the substrates sequentially pass through a raw material gas adsorption region, a reaction gas supply region and a plasma-based modifying region. Thus, thin films are formed on the substrates by so-called an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method and are modified by plasma.
Examples of a gas for generating plasma include an easy-to-ignite argon (Ar) gas. There may be a case where plasma is not ignited due to delicate state fluctuations such as variations in a concentration distribution of the Ar gas, a flow of the Ar gas and an electric power supplied to the semiconductor wafer. If the rotary table is rotated and the film forming process is performed without igniting plasma, it is impossible to perform plasma modification. Thus, the consumed processing time is wasted. In the meantime, the light coming from a heater passes through the rotary table. Therefore, a plasma generation region remains bright even when plasma is not generated in the plasma generation region. For that reason, if a worker is responsible for the confirmation of the plasma ignition, it is difficult for the worker to confirm the ignition or non-ignition of plasma. Thus, the worker feels burdensome.
In addition, there is known a plasma-based substrate etching apparatus which uses a technique of monitoring the emission of plasma and detecting an abnormality in the emission of plasma based on a value corresponding to a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of color components R, G and B on the basis of a brightness signal corresponding to a predetermined state of plasma. However, such a technique cannot solve the problem addressed in the present disclosure.

Plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing method, and recording medium


The present invention relates to optimized HER2 aptamers and methods of using these aptamers.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism by which 21-23 nucleotide RNA duplexes trigger the degradation of cognate mRNAs. Researchers have been pursuing potential therapeutic applications of RNAi once it was demonstrated that exogenous, short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can silence gene expression via this pathway in mammalian cells. RNAi is attractive for therapeutics because of its stringent target gene specificity, the relatively low immunogenicity of siRNAs, and the simplicity of design and testing of siRNAs.
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can induce sequence-specific posttranscriptional gene silencing in many organisms by a process known as RNA interference (RNAi). However, in mammalian cells, dsRNA that is 30 base pairs or longer can induce sequence-nonspecific responses that trigger a shut-down of protein synthesis. RNA fragments are the sequence-specific mediators of RNAi. Interference of gene expression by these RNA interference (RNAi) molecules is now recognized as a naturally occurring strategy for silencing genes in the cells of many organisms.
One technical hurdle for RNAi-based clinical applications that still remains is the delivery of siRNAs across the plasma membrane of cells in vivo. A number of solutions for this problem have been described. However, most of the approaches described to date have the disadvantage of delivering siRNAs to cells non-specifically, without regard to the cell type.
For in vivo use, the therapeutic siRNA reagents need to target particular cell types (e.g., cancer cells), thereby limiting side-effects that result from non-specific delivery as well as reducing the quantity of siRNA necessary for treatment.


A method for preventing, ameliorating, and/or treating memory and other cognitive disorders associated with aging, such as Age-Associated Memory Impairment (also known as Age-Related Cognitive Decline), and other age-related impairments of, and/or changes in, cognitive function. The method comprises administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a lipid-soluble thiamine or a prodrug thereof in an amount averaging from about 0.02 to about 0.5 grams per day per 70 kg body weight over a period of three months or longer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of clinical neurology and relates to a method for preventing and/or treating memory and other cognitive impairments associated with aging, such as Age-Associated Memory Impairment (also known as Age-Related Cognitive Decline) and other age-related changes in cognitive function.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many memory-related conditions for which therapeutic treatments have been under investigation, such as methods to enhance memory or to treat memory dysfunction. Certain types of memory dysfunction are believed to be linked to the aging process, as well as to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Memory impairment can also follow head trauma or multi-infarct dementia. Many compounds and treatments have been investigated which can enhance cognitive processes and improve memory and retention abilities.
For example, the compound piracetam has been prescribed for treatment to enhance memory (Giurgea et al, Arch. Int. Pharmacodyn. Ther. 166, 238 (1967). U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,468 to Roncucci et al describe the use of the compound milacemide for treatment of memory impairment. Further investigation of milacemide has documented the memory-enhancing capabilities of milacemide in human subjects B. Saletu et al. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 5, 165-181 (1986)!. Bodor (U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,483) teaches a new approach for delivering drugs to the brain using the redox system. Specifically, the primary, secondary, or tertiary functions of centrally acting amines are replaced with a dihydropyridine/pyridinium salt redox system, and the resulting quaternary compounds provide site-specific and sustained delivery to the brain. Upon delivery to the brain, the compound is oxidized to a form which cannot readily pass the blood-brain barrier and hence is "locked" in the brain.
Riekkinen et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,177) teaches the use of .alpha.-2-receptor antagonist imidazole derivatives for the treatment of age related cognitive disorders. Cordi et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,260,324 and 5,208,260) teach a composition containing D-cycloserine and D-alanine, and vinyl glycine derivatives, for memory enhancement or treatment of cognitive disorders, respectively.
Thiamine (vitamin B-1) is an essential nutrient and an indispensable component in the oxidation of glucose, which is the main source of cellular energy in the central nervous system (CNS). With respect to its role in cellular energy production, thiamine, in its biologically active diphosphate form, acts as a coenzyme in two mitochondrial enzyme complexes--the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and the .alpha.-keto glutarate dehydrogenase (.alpha.-KGDH) complexes. PHD and .alpha.-KGDH must be sufficiently active to provide glucose oxidation rates necessary for cellular energy requirements. If thiamine availability is inadequate to attain this required enzyme activity level, then the energy-yielding metabolism derived from the oxidation of glucose will be reduced and cell integrity may be jeopardized. This is particularly true in the CNS where cells are more dependent on oxidative glucose metabolism for energy than are cells in the rest of the body.
In addition to its crucial role in cellular energy production, thiamine is: 1) an essential cofactor for activity of transketolase, an enzyme involved in biosynthetic reactions; 2) required for normal conduction of electrical impulses along nerve fibers (Cooper J. R., Pincus J. H.; The role of thiamine in nervous tissue; Neurochem. Res., 4:223-239, 1979); and 3) implicated in the synthesis and neural release of acetylcholine (Eder L., Dunant Y.; Thiamine and cholinergic transmission in the electric organ of torpedo; J. Neurochem, 35:1278-1296, 1980), a neurochemical that plays an important role in learning and memory.
Intake of thiamine in humans is accomplished by consumption of thiamine-containing foods and of commercial vitamin preparations. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for thiamine in the United States is roughly 0.5 mg per 1000 consumed calories.
Thiamine in its water soluble form is absorbed by the small intestine via two processes, depending upon its concentration in the intestinal lumen (Rindi G., Ventura U.; Thiamine intestinal transport; Physiol. Rev., 52:821-827, 1972; Hoyunpa A. M., Strickland R., Sheehan J. J., Yarborough G., Nichols S.; Dual system of intestinal transport of thiamine in humans; J Lab Clin Med., 99.701-708, 1982). At low concentrations (<2 micromolar) a saturable, energy-dependent active transport mechanism operates against a concentration gradient. At high concentrations (>2 micromolar) the vitamin is absorbed by passive diffusion, down a concentration gradient. In humans, there is little increase in urinary thiamine excretion at oral dosages in excess of 0.5 mg (Morrison A. B., Campbell J. A.; Factors influencing the excretion of oral test doses of thiamine and riboflavin by human subjects; J. Nutr., 72.435-444, 1960), suggesting that passive diffusion of this water soluble vitamin across the intestinal wall is not significant. However, more recent evidence suggests that high oral doses of water-soluble thiamine does produce a parallel increase in its absorption (Meador K., Loring D., Nichols M., Zamrini E., et al.; Preliminary findings of high dose thiamine in dementia of Alzheimer's type; J. Geriatr. psychiatry Neurol., 6:222-229, 1993).
Transport of water soluble thiamine across the blood brain barrier also involves two processes (Greenwood J., Love E. R., Pratt O. E.; Kinetics of thiamine transport across the blood-brain barrier in the rat; J. Physiol., 327:95-103, 1982; Reggiani C., Patrini C., Rindi G.; Transport of thiamine and thiamine monophosphate from plasma to different brain regions of the rat; Brain Res., 293:319-327, 1984): a saturable active carrier-mediated mechanism and a non-saturable mechanism which may also involve a carrier molecule (Greenwood J., Pratt O. E.; Comparison of the effects of some thiamine analogues upon thiamine transport across the blood-brain barrier of the rat; J. Physiol, 369.79-91, 1985). Entry of thiamine into brain cells is governed by an active transport system which is distinct from those that control its passage across the blood-brain barrier (Sharma S. K., Quastel J. H.; Transport and metabolism of thiamin in rat brain cortex in vitro; Biochem. J., 94. 790-800, 1965; Spector R. O.; Thiamine transport in the central nervous system; Am J. Physiol, 230:1101-1107, 1976).
The relationship between thiamine and aging is not fully understood. In free-living persons, both calorie and thiamine intake diminish with advancing age, but the USRDA intake ratio of 0.5 mg thiamine/1000 calories is maintained or exceeded in all age groups studied by Iber and coworkers (Iber F. L., Blass J. P., Brin M., Leevy C. M.; Thiamin in the elderly, relation to alcoholism and neurological degenerative disease; Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 6:1067-1082, 1982). However, even though existing data shows that thiamine intake is adequate among the aged, there is also evidence to suggest that aging is associated with changes in thiamine utilization and metabolism. Biochemical measures of thiamine function done on free-living elderly people in England revealed abnormalities suggesting severe thiamine deficiency in 15% and marginal deficiency in 53% of 118 persons studied (Griffiths L. L., Brocklehurst J. C., Scott D. L., Marks J., Blackley J.; Thiamine and ascorbic acid levels in the elderly; Gerontol. Clin., 9:1-10, 1967). Another study showed that 45% of 75 persons living in an old age home in Finland showed biochemical evidence of marginal thiamine deficiency (Roine P., Koivula L. I., Pekkarinen M. O.; Plasma vitamin C level and erythrocyte transketolase activity compared with vitamin intakes among old people in Finland; Nutrition, 4:116-120, 1972). Other studies have shown reduced excretion of thiamine in elderly humans, suggesting that its levels in tissues are lowered with age (Rafsky H. A., Newman B.; Vitamin B-1 excretion in acid; Gastroenterology, 1. 1943; Rafsky M. A., Newman B., Jolliffe N.; Relationship of gastric acidity to thiamine excretion in aged; J. Lab. Clin. Med., 32:118-123, 1947).
Animal experiments further indicate changes in thiamine needs, as well as in thiamine utilization and metabolism, with aging. These animal experiments have demonstrated that: 1) old rats require more thiamine per gram of consumed food than young rats (Mills C. A., Cottingham E., Taylor E.; Effect of advancing age on dietary thiamine requirements; Arch. Biochem., 9:221-227, 1946); 2) transport of thiamine across the intestine is significantly lower in old rats compared to younger rats (Lazarov J.; Changes in the resporption and the phosphorylation of thiamine in rats in relation to age; J. Exp. Gerontol, 12:75-79, 1977); and 3) thiamine deficiency produces a larger decrease in the activity of .alpha.-KGDH (used in glucose oxidation) in the brains of old mice than in young mice (Freeman G. B., Nielsen P. E., Gibson G. E.; Effect of age on behavioral and enzymatic changes during thiamine deficiency; Neurobiol. Aging, 8.429-434, 1987). These data suggest that 1) thiamine intake requirements increase with aging; 2) the transport of thiamine from the intestine to the bloodstream is decreased with advancing age; 3) with aging, thiamine-dependent enzymes in the brain have an increased sensitivity to the effects of thiamine deficiency (i.e., enzyme activity is reduced by a lesser degree of thiamine deficiency in the aged than in the young).
From all of the above, it may be inferred that defective thiamine transport across the intestine may be a contributing factor in the age-related increase in thiamine requirements in relation to the amount of food consumed, while defective transport of thiamine from the blood to the brain may be an explanation for the age-related increase in thiamine deficiency sensitivity of thiamine-dependent enzymes in the brain. Accordingly, defective active transport of thiamine, whether across the intestine, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), or into brain cells, which results from the aging process, may be an important factor in the decline of memory function commonly associated with aging (Larrabee G. J., McEntee W. J., Crook T. H.; Age-Associated Memory Impairment; In cognitive Disorders: Pathophysiology and Treatment, E. R. Gamzu, W. H. Moos, L. J. Thal. (Eds) Marcel Dekker Inc, 1992; Larrabee and Crook 1994).
A connection between this age-related loss of memory abilities and abnormal thiamine function is suggested by the qualitative similarities in neuropsychological impairments demonstrated in healthy elderly persons and in younger patients with Korsakoff's disease, a learning and memory disorder linked to thiamine deficiency. Both groups perform poorly on tasks that require divided attention and both exhibit short-term memory deficits that may be due to deficient information processing (Craik; The nature of the age decrement in performance on dichotic listening tasks; Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 227-240; 1965; Glosser G., Butters N., Samuels I.; Failure of information processing in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome; Neuropsychology, 14:327-334, 1976; Butters N., Cermak L.; Alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome: An information-processing approach to amnesia; Academic Press, New York, 1980). Furthermore, Korsakoff patients show specific deficits in performance on standardized psychometric tests that are particularly sensitive to the effects of aging. These tests include the Digit-Symbol subtest of the Wecshler Adult Intelligence Scale (Wechsler D.; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; The Psychological Corporation, New York, 1955) and the Logical Memory, Visual Reproduction, and Associative Learning subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (Hulicka, I. M.; Age differences in Wechsler Memory Scale scores; J. Genetic Phsycol. 109:135-145; 1966).
Impaired active transport of thiamine may also play a role in the pathogenesis of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. For instance, Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases in frequency with advancing age, and a number of studies have shown that the activity of all thiamine-dependent enzymes is decreased in the brains of patients with AD at death (Perry E. K., Perry R. H., Tomlinson B. E., Blessed G., Gibson P. H.; coenzyme-A acetylating enzymes in Alzheimer disease: possible cholinergic compartment of pyruvate dehydrogenase; Neurosci. Lett., 18:105-110, 1980; Gibson G. E., Sheu R. F., Blass J. P., et al.; Reduced activities of thiamine-dependent enzymes in the brains and peripheral tissues of patients with Alzheimer's disease; Arch Neurol., 45:836-840, 1988; Butterworth R. F., Besnard A.-M.; Thiamine-dependent enzyme changes in temporal cortex of patients with Alzheimer's disease; Metab. Brain Dis., 5:179-184,1990). More recently, significant decreases in the activity of .alpha.-KGDH in histologically normal skin fibroblasts of patients with familial AD have been reported (Sheu K.-F. R., Cooper A. J. L., Koike K., Koike M., et al.; Ann. Neurol., 35:312-318, 1994).
If age-related impairments of central nervous system function result from age-related changes in the active transport of thiamine, then attempts to correct these changes would be important in the overall effort to improve the quality of life of the elderly. Over the years, a number of studies and strategies have been designed to investigate the age-related changes in thiamine utilization and metabolism. Some studies have attempted to compensate for the age-related changes in water-soluble thiamine utilization and metabolism associated with people suffering from AD. None of these investigations have provided successful results over periods of a year or more. In a short-term clinical trial, AD patients treated daily with 3 grams of oral thiamine HCl over a period of three months showed a small, but statistically significant, improvement in performance on a single test of cognition compared to their performance during treatment with a placebo (Blass J. P., Gleason P., Brush D., et al.; Thiamine and Alzheimer's disease; Arch Neurol., 45:833-835, 1988). When this same treatment was given for more than one year, however, the small cognitive improvement seen in the 3 month trial failed to persist (Nolan K. A., Black R. S., Sheu K. F. R., et al.; A trial of thiamine in Alzheimer's disease; Arch Neurol., 48:81-83, 1991). More recently, Meador et al. (Meador K., Loring D., Nichols M., Zamrini E., et al.; Preliminary findings of high dose thiamine in dementia of Alzheimer's type; J. Geriatr. psychiatry Neurol., 6:222-229, 1993) treated a group of AD patients with higher doses of oral thiamine HCl. After taking 4-8 grams per day AD patients demonstrated a trend of improved performance on cognitive measures when compared with patient performance at baseline. However, this study did not show such improvement when comparisons were made with task performances following treatment with placebo.
Several lines of evidence suggest that changes in nervous system function which occur as an effect of aging may be related to abnormalities in the utilization and/or metabolism of thiamine. In this regard, most of the abnormalities are probably in the transport of thiamine from intestine to blood and from blood to brain.
No researcher has investigated a long term method for preventing or treating and ameliorating the memory and cognitive disorders and other nervous system impairments associated with aging, including Age-Associated Memory Impairment (also known as Age-Related Cognitive Decline) and other age-related cognitive impairments.

Lipid soluble forms of thiamine for prevention and treatment of age-related cognitive impairment of the nervous system


To improve an intake device (100) for a handheld tool implemented having an air cleaner, particularly for a chainsaw, a cuffing-off grinder, or the like, which comprises an internal combustion engine (25) and a drive unit (20) for the attachment, the air cleaner cleaning combustion air, which is charged with dirt particles, for the engine (25), in that a centrifugal separator (30) separates the combustion air into at least one first air flow (31), which is freed from dirt particles as much as possible, and a second air flow (32), which is loaded with dirt particles, in particular to cause higher efficiency of the intake device, it is suggested that a blower (10) be situated on the drive unit (20), which sucks in the second air flow (32), by which cooling of the drive unit (20) is caused.

It is known from the prior art that when handheld tools operated using internal combustion engines are used, such as cutting-off grinders, chainsaws, or the like, the air sucked in by the engine entrains dirt particles, extremely fine dust, or other solids, which results in significant wear of the engine, for example, at the piston and cylinder, or in frequent maintenance intervals of the intake air filter. Oil-impregnated foam filters are used for air filters of this type, for example. These filters do largely prevent dirt particles from reaching the engine, but a strongly contaminated filter also causes the quantity of combustion air to be reduced and thus the output of the engine to decrease. The maintenance intervals which are thus frequently necessary are time-consuming and costly, in addition, these intervals are no longer performed if the frequency is too high, so that the above-mentioned output reduction remains in existence or is even amplified.


A bevel cutting device for cutting a bevel in a workpiece includes a frame and a vertical cutting torch, disposed on the frame, for cutting a root face of the workpiece. At least one bevel cutting torch is provided for cutting a bevel in the workpiece. The bevel cutting torch is disposed in parallel with the vertical cutting torch in a plate-cutting direction. An inclining section is coupled to the frame and inclines the bevel cutting torch about an axis parallel to the plate-cutting direction. The inclining section includes a motor gear disposed inside a casing and a link mechanism driven by the motor gear. The link mechanism is coupled to the bevel cutting torch. A shifting section is coupled to the frame and shifts the inclining section in a direction perpendicular to the plate-cutting direction.

When constructing buildings by welding steel plates and shaped steel, the most suitable weld joint will be selected by considering the condition and the intended purpose of the welded structure. For instance, when welding two steel plates side by side at their ends, a lap joint will be selected, and when welding one steel plate to the other at right angles, a T-joint will be selected. In these joints, V-bevels or X-bevels will be made at the welding side of the steel plates to accommodate the welding medium.
A V-bevel has a face (called a root face) which is perpendicular (vertical) to the surface of the steel plate, and above this root face the bevel is made which has a certain depth and angle with respect to the surface of the plate, (see FIG. 2). An X-bevel has a root face in the middle of the steel plate thickness and bevels are made above and below the root face, (see FIG. 2). The bevel angle and bevel depth will be predetermined by such welding conditions as the thickness and material of the steel plate, the welding method chosen, and so on.
A steel plate having a V-bevel or an X-bevel at one side is usually cut off from a steel material which has a larger size but the same thickness as the steel plate by using a cutting device having a gas torch for cutting the root face and a gas torch for cutting the bevel face. When cutting the steel plate from the steel material, the cutting size and the cutting shape are set in advance. The cutting size and shape are determined by the dimensions and location of the root face.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,828 to Hooper discloses cutting the side of a steel plate aslant. This patent describes vertical (root face) cutting and slant (bevel) cutting one after the other. Namely, Hooper teaches to cut the edge of the steel plate twice with a single torch. Thus, the Hooper cutting device only cuts the root face or the bevel at one time, and it cannot make a V-bevel or an X-bevel at the end of the steel plate in one operation.
In Hooper, the mechanism to incline the torch comprises a cylinder moved by liquid pressure, which rotates a lever, and following its rotation, the torch is inclined. Thus, it is impossible for the device to finely control the angle of the torch to match it to the angle of the desired bevel.
On the other hand, a known bevel cutting device to cut an X-bevel or a Y-bevel has a vertical cutting torch to cut the root face and a bevel cutting torch to cut the bevels. This kind of device has an arc rail along which the bevel torch inclines at a right angle to a direction of the torch's cutting direction, and a shifting means to move the torch at a right angle to the torch's cutting direction. This kind of cutting device is usually set on a cross-shifting stand which is loaded on a moving stand running along the lengthwise direction of steel material. The vertical cutting torch and the bevel cutting torch cut plates according to data set up in advance (e.g., entered into a numerically controlled cutting device) by controlling the moving stand and the cross-shifting stand along the root face.
The arc rail has a rack along all of its range. A holder for supporting the bevel cutting torch has a motor to set the angle of the beveling, and the motor is attached to the rack with a pinion. By driving the motor to rotate the pinion, the bevel cutting torch and its holder move along the arc rail, and then the bevel cutting torch can be inclined to the desired angle.
The shifting means is constructed so as to avoid interference between the vertical cutting torch and the bevel cutting torch by shifting the arc rail in the side direction of the cross-shifting stand (i.e., perpendicular to the plate-cutting direction).
With this known bevel cutting device, the rack of the arc rail and the pinion are exposed to the working environment of the gas-cutting equipment. Therefore, iron powder, dust, and other debris produced by the cutting equipment easily adhere to the rack and the pinion and obstruct the smooth gearing thereof. For example, if iron powder sticks between the rack and the pinion causing a gearing problem, this will obstruct the smooth moving of the bevel cutting torch and make it impossible to precisely incline the torch at the desired angle.
For this reason, the known bevel cutting device needs frequent maintenance to keep the device in good working condition. This creates problems like a decline of work efficiency and difficulty in operation.


Systems and methods to render tear free video in a multitasking operating environment are described. In one aspect, a video playback window portion of a desktop display is divided into non-overlapping first and second partitions. As video data is scanned into display memory which maps to the first and second partitions, current scan line input positions are monitored. Responsive to determining that the current scan line position is located in display memory associated with the second partition, display memory mapped to the second partition is not rendered and display memory mapped to the first partition is rendered into the video playback window.

Tearing is a display artifact that typically occurs when a video image or animation is modified in video memory whilst a display adapter is reading the same portion of video memory, for instance, to present the video image onto a computer display. Tearing artifacts may become particularly noticeable when rendering video into a playback window with dimensions (size) that closely match dimensions of the corresponding computer desktop. Tearing artifacts are common not only to Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display technologies, but also across all computer display technology types.


An electrostatic discharge protection circuit for an electronic device includes an output buffer including a transistor having a gate configured to receive a control signal, a source connected to a voltage supply terminal, and a drain connected to a pad; and an ESD trigger circuit configured to produce a first electronic signal in response to an electrostatic voltage between the pad or the voltage supply terminal. The first electronic signal can isolate the control signal from the gate of the transistor and to turn on the transistor to discharge the electrostatic voltage between the pad and the voltage supply terminal.

The present disclosure relates to an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit.
Electrostatic discharge is an event that can occur during device fabrication, assembly packaging, or device handling. During a typical ESD event, a large amount of charge is accumulated in a bonding pad of an integrated circuit. If the charges develop a high voltage that the chip cannot tolerate, a fatal discharge may happen inside the chip to cause the chip malfunction.
Most of the time, the bonding pin of the integrated circuit (IC) is the first and nearest component to interact with outside environment. The ESD protection circuit is therefore commonly placed around the bonding pins and more specifically around the IO ring of the integrated circuit. The input/output buffer is the first circuit component to connect to the bonding pins to provide interaction between internal circuit core and the outside environment. Thus, it is very important that the input and output buffers can withstand ESD events.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional ESD protection circuit 100 for output buffer. The ESD protection circuit 100 includes a pre-driver 101, an output buffer 102, and a circuit 103. The output buffer 102 includes a P-Channel MOSFET transistor P1 and an N-Channel MOSFET transistor N1. Two supply terminals VDD and VSS are respectively held at voltages VDD and VSS. The pre-driver 101 can provide logic functions to turn on/off the output buffer 102. One of the pre-driver implementation just consists of two inverters, respectively to buffer the output transistors. In order to turn on P-Channel MOSFET transistor P1, the logic level of PRE_PUP will be high and PUP will then be low. When PRE_NDN is low, NDN will be high after the inverter and thus turn on the N-Channel MOSFET transistor N1. Circuit 103 includes ESD clamping diodes 110 and 111.
The parasitic diodes 120 and 121 respectively associated with the transistors P1 and N1 can function as discharging diodes. During an ESD event zapping from pad 140 to VDD, positive charges can accumulate at the pad 140 and/or a negative charge can be stored at the VDD terminal. Once the electrostatic voltage developed is above the threshold of the parasitic diode 120, a discharging path is formed to allow ESD current to flow from the pad 140 through the diode 120 to the voltage supply terminal VDD. If ESD event occurs zapping from the pad 140 to the voltage supply terminal VSS, the parasitic capacitance Cgd2 formed between gate-overlapped drain capacitance in the N-Channel MOSFET transistor N1 can couple the ESD charges to develop voltage on the node NDN. Once this developed electrostatic voltage exceeds the threshold of the N-Channel MOSFET transistor N1, the N-Channel MOSFET transistor N1 is turned on to shunt ESD current. Clamping diodes 110 and 111 can be included in the ESD protection circuit 100 to provide discharge current paths from VSS to pad 140 and from pad 140 to VDD. The clamping diodes 110 and 111 are normally built from N-Channel MOSFET transistor and P-Channel MOSFET transistor with gate connected to its source.
The ESD protection circuit 100 includes several disadvantages. The parasitic diodes 120 and 121 in the ESD protection circuit 100 provide a passive ESD protection mechanism. No active circuit is present to detect an ESD event and turn on ESD protection devices. The current carrying capability of the diodes is proportional to the drawn area formed in its p-n junction. As the diodes are scaled down to sub-micro technologies, the diodes can only provide moderate ESD protection and is sometimes ineffective at all. Moreover, no logic controls are provided to keep the node PUP low and the node NDN high in response to the ESD zapping between VDD and the pad 140, and the pad 140 and VSS. That means that the transistors P1 and N1 may not be turned on in these ESD events to provide current ESD discharge paths from the supply terminal VDD to the pad 140 and the pad 140 to the supply terminal VSS in these ESD events. Additionally, the ESD protection circuit 100 is effective at the power up state during normal device operations. The output buffer 101 is normally disabled, meaning Hi-impedance state by default setting when the supply terminal VDD is powered-up in normal operation. The node PUP is normally at a high-voltage state and the P-Channel MOSFET transistor P1 is turned off.
Different conventional circuits for protecting the input and output buffers from ESD events include several disadvantages. Some conventional ESD protection circuits include clamping diodes to provide passive discharging current path. As the device is miniaturized to smaller scales, the clamping diodes can no longer provide ESD protection. As the gate oxide thickness reduces from 500 Å in 3 μm process technology to 16 Å in 0.13 μm process technology, the gate oxide layer becomes susceptible to damages by electrostatic charges. The clamping diodes in the conventional ESD protection circuits cannot be scaled to sub-micro scales. Moreover, the insertion of the clamping diodes also increases overall output buffer area. The clamping diodes in the conventional ESD protection circuits are usually implemented by N-Channel MOSFET and P-Channel MOSFET transistors. The sizes of the N-Channel MOSFET and P-Channel MOSFET transistors have to be very large for the transistors to provide enough current discharge as clamping diodes. The sizes of the transistors usually cannot scale with the reduced scale in the chip processing technologies.
Some conventional ESD protection circuits include high value resistor serially connected with the input/output buffer. A typical inserted resistor is in a range of several hundred ohms to several thousands ohms. A large resistor load like this can significantly reduce the driving capability and the switching frequency of the electronic device. These disadvantages become prevalent in high frequency and large driving current applications.
Furthermore, some conventional ESD protection circuits are disabled and cannot provide ESD protection when the electronic device is powered up. Some conventional ESD protection circuits may cause logic conflict at the output buffer, which can degrade the ESD protection circuitry. Some conventional ESD protection circuits only provide discharging path between a limited number of pad and supply terminals in restrictive directions.

Electrostatic discharge protection circuit for output buffer


A bicycle speed control apparatus attached to a handlebar having a grip. This apparatus comprises a bracket fixed to the handlebar and having an extension extending away from the handlebar; a support shaft attached to the extension and extending substantially perpendicular a direction in which the grip extends; a shift lever having a control knob provided in a distal end region thereof; and a control device for controlling a change speed wire based on a pivotal displacement of the shift lever. The shift lever is pivotable about the support shaft and has a range of pivotal movement such that a tangent to a substantial locus of movement of the control knob approximates the direction in which the grip extends. This locus of movement is substantially within a width of the grip as seen from an end face of the support shaft. Consequently, the control knob is maintained at a substantially constant short distance to the grip throughout the range of pivotal movement of the shift lever.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle speed control apparatus attached to a handlebar having a grip.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional bicycle speed control apparatus has a shift lever pivotable about an axis extending perpendicular to a handlebar axis from a position adjacent the handlebar axis as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,018 and 5,052,241, for example. A control knob formed on the shift lever describes a locus of movement between a position close to the handlebar or a grip of the handlebar, and a position remote therefrom. Thus, when the shift lever is operated by the thumb of a hand holding the grip, the thumb moves toward and away from the fingers holding the grip. Where the speed control apparatus is designed to set the control knob at a short distance to the grip when the shift lever is in home position, the thumb operating the shift lever must be stretched to a remote position at the end of a shifting operation. Conversely, where the speed control apparatus is designed to set the control knob at a short distance to the grip when the shift lever is at an end of its shifting range, the thumb used to operate the shift lever must be stretched to a remote position at the beginning of a shifting operation.
As a further point to be considered, since the distance between the thumb operating the shift lever and the fingers holding the grip is variable, it may be difficult to operate the shift lever with the thumb alone. The shift lever may have to be operated in one direction with the first finger and in the other direction with the thumb. In such a case, a shifting operation requires use of the thumb and one finger, leaving the remaining three fingers to hold the grip of the handlebar, which results in riding instability. It is still more difficult to carry out a shifting operation while applying the brake.


A bendable extension arm. A stiffening wire having a first end and a second end is connected at its first end to a wire receptor and at its second end to another wire receptor. A sheath covers the stiffening wire and prevents over bending of the stiffening wire. In a preferred embodiment, attachment devices are connected to the wire receptors. For example, in one embodiment a paint brush is connected to one of the wire receptors and an extension pole is connected to the other wire receptor. In another preferred embodiment, the bendable extension arm is used as a bendable handle. The user can grab the bendable handle at one end and attach an attachment device to the other end of the bendable handle. The bendable handle can be bent as desired by the user.

Extension arms are known. Painters commonly use extension arms to reach high areas on a wall or a tall ceiling. Also, extension arms are attached between the shower plumbing and the shower head so that the shower head can be positioned to meet the tastes of the individual taking a shower.
Prior art extension arms have adjustable knuckle joints that allow the user to adjust the angle of the extension. Loosening the joint, setting the desired angle, and then retightening the joint can be a time consuming and tedious process. Also, the joints can corrode and fail over time.
What is needed is a better extension arm.


Method and contact lens (3) for measuring a subject's three dimensional eye movement including torsional movement. A video camera (1) is provided for recording an image of the subject's eye (2). The contact lens (3) is provided for placement over the subject's eye (2). The contact lens (3) comprises one or more markers (3a,3b) that are detectable by the video camera (1) and are positioned at a lateral offset (D) with respect to a central part (3p) of the contact lens (3). The one or more markers (3a,3b) are configured for detecting torsional rotation (R) of the subject's eye (2) around a line of sight axis (C) of the subject's eye (2) by using the video camera (1) to track a position of the one or more markers (3a,3b).

The present disclosure relates to a method for measuring a subject's eye movement, in particular a video-based method to track three-dimensional (3D) eye movement, i.e. horizontal, vertical and torsional movement. The disclosure also relates to a scleral contact lens for measuring the subject's eye movement.
Precise measurement of eye movements can be an important tool to provide direct and indirect assessment of vestibular, oculomotor, visual, and neurologic function. Currently, 3D eye movement is predominantly measured with either with (i) a scleral search coil method or (ii) a video-based (infrared) three-dimensional eye tracking device.
The scleral search coil method is based on the use of coils that are embedded into a tightly-fitting contact lens or a rubber ring that adheres to the eye. In animal studies, the scleral search coil may be surgically implanted into the sclera of the eye. Alternating magnetic fields are generated by magnets positioned around the eye. Through electromagnetic induction, electric currents are generated in the search coils. The polarity and amplitude of the current generated varies with the direction and angular displacement of the eye. By measuring these values, the position of the eye can be determined.
Video based systems typically use a small camera and digital image processing hardware and software to compute the eye's position and movement. The torsion component of eye movement may in principle be measured with the use of video-oculography, e.g. by using of iris landmarks or identifying and tracking stable iris features that stand out in the video signal. However, this may require features that are not always present or obvious. In addition, such a method is likely to produce false torsional estimates when there are irregular changes in pupil shape during the recording. Another solution involves the use of an artificial paint marker that is applied directly on the sclera of the eye and is tracked. A disadvantage is that such a marker quickly fades on the moist sclera surface and it is quite an invasive procedure as well.
These two methods of scleral search coils and video-oculography were compared in a scientific article of the Van der Steen group (Houben et al., Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 47(1):179-87 (2006)). In the article it was concluded that a high degree of correlation existed between the measurement of horizontal and vertical eye position signals with both systems. However, the measurement of torsional movement was significantly different. Although video-based infrared three-dimensional eye tracking systems are largely replacing scleral search coil systems, torsional movement of the eye is difficult to measure with a video-based infrared three-dimensional eye tracking system due to problems in tracking the eye ball around the visual axis based on identification of an iris signature.
Accordingly, further improvements in the measurement of 3D eye movement, especially torsional eye movement, with a video-based infrared three-dimensional eye tracking device are desired.

Method for measuring a subject's eye movement and scleral contact lens

Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam


A turbine vane includes a platform, an airfoil, and a cooling arrangement. The platform has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface and the second surface each axially between a first platform end and a second platform end and each circumferentially extend between a first platform side and a second platform side. The airfoil is connected to the platform and defines a passage outlet that extends through the second surface. The cooling arrangement includes a third wall that is connected to the second surface of the platform. The third wall defines a first outlet and a second outlet.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to the art of cooling arrangements for platforms of a gas turbine engine.
A gas turbine engine may be provided with vanes that extend into a core flow path of the gas turbine engine. The vanes generally guide airflow towards a downstream component. The vane may be provided with cooling features to cool the vane.

Platform cooling arrangement for a gas turbine engine


An image forming apparatus is provided with a photosensitive drum on whose surface a toner image is formed, and image formation is carried out by transferring the toner image onto a transfer material such as paper or OHP sheet which is caused to electrostatically adhere to a surface of a transfer drum while being guided to the photosensitive drum. Alternatively, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum may be once transferred onto an intermediate transfer drum, then transferred from the intermediate transfer drum onto the transfer material. In the image forming apparatus, a light projecting device for projecting light onto the photosensitive drum is provided on an upstream side to a toner image transfer position and on a downstream side to a development position on the photosensitive drum. Execution and suspension of the light projecting operation of the light projecting device is controlled depending on a toner type.

Conventionally, there has been an image forming apparatus which develops an image by causing toner to adhere to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum (image carrier) and transfers a resultant toner image onto transfer paper (transfer material) which is caught on a transfer drum (transfer material carrier).
Such an image forming apparatus is arranged, for example, as follows, as illustrated in FIG. 19: a corona charger 102 which attracts a transfer material P, and a corona charger 104 which transfers a toner image formed on a surface of a photosensitive drum 103 onto the transfer material P, are discretely provided inside a transfer drum which is composed of a cylinder 101 covered with a dielectric layer 101a, so that the attraction of the transfer material P and the transfer are carried out by the chargers 102 and 104, respectively.
Another image forming apparatus of this type, as illustrated in FIG. 20, has (1) a transfer drum which is a two-layer cylinder 201 composed of an outer semi-conductive layer 201a and an inner foundation layer 201b, and (2) a grip system 202 for holding, along a circumferential surface of the cylinder 201, a transfer material P which has been transported thereto. This image forming apparatus is arranged so that an edge of the transfer material P thus arriving there is caught by the grip system 202 and is held on the cylinder 201 around its circumferential surface, and thereafter, the surface of the cylinder 201 is charged by applying a voltage to the outer semi-conductive layer 201a of the cylinder 201 or causing a charger inside the cylinder 201 to discharge electricity, so that the toner image on the photosensitive drum 103 is transferred onto the transfer material P.
However, the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 19 has a following problem: since the cylinder 101 has a single-layer structure, equipped with only the dielectric layer 101a, the corona chargers 102 and 103 inside the cylinder 101 are indispensable, and as a result this sets a limit to the size of the image forming apparatus when reducing the size is attempted.
In the case of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 20, the number of chargers can be decreased since the cylinder 201 has the two-layer structure so that the charging of the cylinder 201 for transferring the toner image onto the transfer material P is facilitated. However, the grip system 202 provided in the image forming apparatus makes the arrangement of the apparatus as a whole complicated, and causes the number of parts used in the apparatus to increase. As a result, a cost for manufacturing the apparatus increases.
Then, as an image forming apparatus which does not have the above problems, the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-74975/1990 (Tokukaihei 2-74975) discloses an image forming apparatus having (1) a transfer drum composed of a grounded metal roll on which a conductive rubber and a dielectric film are laminated, and (2) a corona charger driven by a unipolar power source, which is provided in the vicinity of a position on the transfer drum where a transfer sheet is separated from the transfer drum.
In the image forming apparatus described above, the transfer sheet is caused to adhere to the transfer drum by inducing charges in the dielectric film with the use of the corona charger. Then, the adhesion of the transfer sheet further causes induction of electric charges, thereby causing transfer.
Therefore, by thus arranging the image forming apparatus, only one charger is required since the charging of the transfer drum surface for adhesion and transfer with respect to the transfer sheet is carried out with the use of the single charger, and the reduction of the transfer drum size can be achieved. Besides, such a system as the aforementioned grip system 202 for holding the transfer sheet is unnecessary. Thus, adhesion of the transfer sheet can be achieved in a simple arrangement.
In the image forming apparatus disclosed by the aforementioned publication, however, the following problem arises. The surface of the transfer drum is charged by atmospheric discharge of the corona charger, and in the case where a color image is formed, that is, in the case where the transfer process is repeatedly carried out several times, electric charges should be supplied by the corona charger every time the transfer process is carried out. Therefore, a charging unit including a unipolar power source or the like for controlling the operation for driving the corona charger is required, and this causes the number of parts constituting the image forming apparatus to increase, thereby resulting in a problem of an increase in the manufacturing cost of the apparatus.
Moreover, if the surface of the transfer drum is scarred, an electric field generated by the atmospheric discharge becomes smaller, and an electric field balance is therefore easily distorted at the scars. Therefore, transfer defects such as voids occur at the scars, and as a result the image quality degrades.
Furthermore, since the surface of the transfer drum is charged by the atmospheric discharge, a high voltage is required for the charging, and as a result energy required for driving the image forming apparatus increases. Besides, since the atmospheric discharge is easily affected by ambient conditions such as humidity of the atmosphere, surface potentials of the transfer drum tend to vary, thereby causing the transfer drum to fail to attract the transfer sheet, and causing distortion of printed pictures and letters.
To solve such problems, the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-173435/1993 (Tokukaihei 5-173435) proposes a transfer device which has a transfer drum composed of a resilient layer made of an aerated material and a dielectric layer covering the resilient layer, and forms a color image on a transfer material by sequentially transferring uni-color toner images which are sequentially formed on a photosensitive drum, onto the transfer material such as a transfer sheet which adheres to the transfer drum, so that the toner images fall on one another.
In the foregoing transfer device, an attracting roller as charging means is used for causing the transfer material to electrostatically adheres to the transfer drum. Besides, cavities are provided between the resilient layer and the dielectric layer in the transfer drum so that electric charges are accumulated on a reverse surface of the dielectric layer so that ambient conditions may not affect the maintenance of electric charges. By doing so, attracting capacity, that is, an attracting property with respect to the transfer material is improved.
However, as to the arrangement disclosed by Tokukaihei 5-173435, the publication does not particularly specifies a hardness of the aerated layer and a contact pressure (nip pressure) exerted between the attracting roller and the transfer drum, and besides, has no description on a nip width and a nip period. Therefore, it can be considered that the nip period is not variable.
It is generally known that a quantity of electric charges, which are held during a certain period (nip period) by a transfer material while passing through between the transfer drum and the attracting roller, varies with a type of the transfer material. For this reason, a transfer electric field for electrostatic transfer from the photosensitive drum to the transfer material considerably varies with the type of the transfer material. More specifically, in the case where the nip period is set constant, the quantity of electric charges supplied during the period differ depending on types of transfer materials, and the electrostatic transfer capacity of the transfer drum deteriorates in cases of some types of transfer materials. As a result, in such cases, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drum cannot be electrostatically transferred onto the transfer materials in good conditions.
As already known, during the reversal developing method, toner adheres to exposed portions of the photosensitive drum. Background portions of the photosensitive drum have high potentials even after the development, and a transfer currency is great on the transfer of toner to a transfer material. Therefore, the transfer drum has a great attracting force with respect to the transfer sheet. As a result, in the separation process after the transfer, the toner image which has been transferred onto the transfer sheet becomes unstable, or the toner comes off and discharges electricity, thereby scattering on the transfer sheet.
To solve the above-described problem, removing residual charges in the background portions of the photosensitive drum is attempted by exposing the whole surface of the photosensitive drum before the transfer and after the development, in an arrangement disclosed by the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Patent Application No. 55-17111/1980 (Tokukaisho 55-17111). By doing so, the potentials of the background portions to which toner adheres are lowered, and as a result it is possible to improve the separating operation. However, this also raises a potential of toner on the photosensitive drum, thereby causing scatter of the toner in a horizontal direction (thrust direction).
Note that the scatter of toner signifies distortion of a toner image on the photosensitive drum which is to be transferred, or distortion of toner images to be thereafter subsequently transferred onto the transfer sheet, which occurs on the transferring occasion. To be more specific, the scatter of toner indicates the following phenomenon: for example, in the case where a letter "I" is transferred, toner scatters around the letter "I" on the transfer sheet, thereby resulting in that the transferred letter becomes thicker than an intended thickness.
The aforementioned phenomenon of the scatter of toner is conspicuous in the case where several color toners are laminated so as to form a color image. For example, in the case where a blue letter is formed, a toner image of cyan which has been first transferred is overlapped by a toner image of magenta. In this case, the toner of magenta sometimes scatters around the toner image of cyan.
In the case where an image is developed at a charge quantity of about 10 to 20 .mu.C/g in about three layers of toners with the use of toners whose particles have a diameter of about 10 .mu.m, a potential of one hundred and several tens to three hundred volts is detected on the photosensitive drum. An effective transfer electric field varies by this potential.
The Japanese Publications for Laid-Open Patent Applications No. 1-191168/1989 (Tokukaihei 1-191168), No.1-191169/1989 (Tokukaihei 1-191169), No.1-191172/1989 (Tokukaihei 1-191172), and No.1-191174 to 1-191177/1989 (Tokukaihei 1-191174 to 1-191177) disclose a method of removing charges in the backgrounds of toners by projecting luminous components with wavelengths which pass through the toners. This method is applicable to both the reversal development type and the regular development type. The above publications also examine a method wherein electricity with the same polarity as that of the background potential or a polarity reverse to the background polarity is discharged, and a method for pre-charging toner, as well as a method for controlling a potential of the photosensitive drum.
However, the techniques disclosed by the aforementioned publications are not intended to be applied with respect to a so-called solid transfer body for causing a transfer sheet to adhere to the transfer drum. Therefore, the image forming apparatuses disclosed by the above publications are arranged so that, in the case where a color image is formed, uni-color images are developed on the photosensitive drum so that they overlap each other, and the color toner image thus formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto a transfer sheet.
On the other hand, in the case where a solid transfer body is used, or, particularly in the case of transfer by laminating toner images (hereinafter referred to as laminating transfer), the photosensitive drum and a transfer material are brought into contact every time a transfer operation is carried out. Therefore, a surface potential of the transfer material is raised by the background potential of the photosensitive drum, and the effective transfer electric field accordingly becomes smaller, as the transfer operation is repeated twice or three times in the laminating transfer process. This problem stems from that a material of the solid transfer body is a high-resistant material and transmits a small electric currency, thereby having a property of maintaining a potential. An intermediate transfer body made of the same material has the same problem.
Furthermore, the phenomenon that the effective transfer electric field becomes smaller is conspicuous in the case where a transfer material with a high surface resistivity, such as OHP or coated paper, is used. In the case of OHP, a surface potential of OHP on transfer of the second color differs from that on transfer of the first color in a manner such that the transfer electric field lowers by about 300 V to 400 V. For example, in the case where a voltage of 2200 V as a transfer bias voltage for OHP is applied to the solid transfer body, the transfer potential becomes 1500 V on the transfer of the first color since 700 V is lost in attracting OHP. Thereafter, it becomes about 1100 V on the transfer of the second color, and then, becomes about 700 V on the transfer of the third color. Since a lower limit of the transfer potential is found to be 1000 V from experiments, toner of the third color and those which are to be subsequently transferred rather go back to the photosensitive drum side.

Image forming apparatus having light projecting unit for projecting light on image carrier prior to transfer of toner image


A patient transport system comprising a patient support apparatus and a wheeled accessory. The wheeled accessory comprises an accessory base and at least two legs radially extending outwardly from the accessory base. The legs are spaced apart from one another to define an accommodation space between two legs. The patient support apparatus comprises a patient support base, and wheels coupled to the patient support base. The patient support apparatus further comprises an accessory coupler capable of releasably securing the wheeled accessory to the patient support apparatus, the accessory coupler movable relative to the patient support base into first and second positions. The accessory base and the patient support apparatus are configured such that at least one of the wheels is at least partially nested within the accommodation space when the wheeled accessory is secured to the accessory coupler and the accessory coupler is in the first position.

Patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, chairs, stretchers, cots, and tables, facilitate care of patients in a health care setting. Conventional patient support apparatuses comprise a patient support base, wheels coupled to the patient support base, and a litter frame upon which the patient is supported. The patient is able to be moved throughout the health care setting atop the patient support apparatus by a caregiver. Medical accessories, such as infusion pumps and intravenous (IV) fluids are used during care of the patient. In order to facilitate transport, the medical accessories are typically wheeled accessories comprising a wheeled base and an accessory support. Frequently, it is desirable to transport the wheeled accessories at the same time as the patient support apparatus, e.g. when the wheeled accessory is connected to the patient. Currently, a first caregiver is required to transport a typical patient support apparatuses and a second caregiver is required to move the wheeled accessory.
A patient transport system with a patient support apparatus and a wheeled accessory designed to overcome one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages is desired.


An antibody or antibody fragment directed against the CD28 receptor which blocks the interaction between B7-1 or B7-2 and CD28. Methods for blocking activation via CD28, including CD28-dependent lymphocyte activation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to antibodies directed against the CD28 lymphocyte receptor and to their fragments, and to their therapeutic uses, in particular in the context of regulating T cell activation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Abnormal activation of T cells is involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, and also in transplant rejection phenomena, where they cause an immune response directed against the transplanted organ to develop.
T lymphocyte activation requires an activating signal, induced by the recognition, by T receptors (TCRs) of the antigen associated with the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and presented by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However, this activation only causes proliferation of T cells and secretion of specific immunomodulatory cytokines (such as interleukin 2, gamma interferon or interleukin 4) if other T co-stimulation systems are also activated.
One of the most important systems for regulating T lymphocyte activation is the molecular system B7/CD28/CTLA4. This system plays, for example, an essential role in the mechanisms of transplant rejection [Woodward et al., Transplantation, 66, 14-20, (1998)]. The molecules B7.1 (CD80) and B7.2 (CD86) borne by the APCs can activate the CD28 receptor and also the CTLA4 receptor of T lymphocytes. The activation of CD28 sends the T lymphocyte a positive signal which stimulates the cell; on the other hand, the activation of CTLA4 sends a negative signal which leads to a non-response (anergy) [FALLARINO et al., J. Exp. Med., 188, 205-210, (1998)].
Dormant T lymphocytes express a large amount of CD28 and very little CTLA4. When there is a first cognitive contact between an APC and a T lymphocyte, the CD28/B7 interaction is favored, which activates the cell. It is only several hours after the initiation of activation that, due to the increase in membrane expression of CTLA4, the affinity of which for B7 is 5 to 10 times greater than that of CD28, the B7/CD28 interaction shifts in favor of a B7/CTLA4 interaction.
Currently, cyclosporin is mainly used to block T lymphocyte activation, in particular in the context of organ transplants. Despite the effectiveness of this medicinal product, it does not, however, confer absolute protection. In addition, it acts by blocking all the calcium-dependent cell activation pathways, and therefore has a biological activity which is not strictly T lyphocyte specific and leads to a considerable number of side effects. It is therefore desirable to develop new immunosuppressants which have a defined method of action and greater specificity.
It has been postulated that selective inhibition of the agonist signal given to the T cell by CD28, leaving the antagonist system consisting of the pair CTLA4/B7 intact, via specific blocking of the CD28/B7 interaction, would make it possible to prevent T lymphocyte activation. Such specific blocking of the CD28/B7 interaction can be obtained using an antibody directed against CD28.

Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM)


The invention relates to a flywheel unit with a damping device for fastening the flywheel unit and a flywheel energy store. The flywheel unit comprises a rotor, a machine housing enclosing the rotor and with an underside, and a damping device fastened to the underside of the machine housing for fastening the flywheel unit to a suitable foundation, wherein the damping device comprises a lower stand unit for fastening to the foundation, an upper stand unit for fastening to the underside of the machine housing, and a membrane connecting the lower stand unit with the upper stand unit, wherein the upper and lower stand units as well as the membrane are configured in such away, that the membrane can establish a pliable self-supporting connection between the upper and lower stand units.

Nowadays, regenerative energy sources are increasingly installed, precisely due to the better environmental compatibility compared to conventional energy-generating devices. As these regenerative energy sources usually do not supply their energy continuously, there is a high demand for energy stores. Flywheels are used to store energy in the form of rotational energy. Via suitable decoupling means, electrical energy can be stored in these energy stores in the form of rotational energy and, if required, can be re-converted back into electrical energy and output to a consumer. Such flywheel energy stores must have a high storage capacity, which is why they are equipped with a plurality of flywheel units arranged next to one another, the storing capacity of which add-up to a total energy store capacity. Flywheel units mostly have a hollow cylinder as a rotor, which, according to its rotational speed and mass, stores a certain amount of energy. In order to provide a as high as possible storage capacity of such a flywheel unit, the rotors are operated at a rotational speed of up to 50,000 rpm and more. The rotors are operated in encapsulated housings (machine housings of the flywheel unit) in order to protect the surroundings from rotor falls.
In the case of a fall of a rotor rotating at such a high rotational speed, a so-called crash, very high forces occur to the anchoring of the machine housing in the flywheel energy store, due to the interaction between rotor and machine housing, for a short period of time. In the case that the machine housing is anchored very firmly in the base of the flywheel energy store, e.g. in the concrete foundation thereof, the vibrations of the machine housing caused by the fall are transmitted to neighboring flywheel units, which are disturbed thereby, and may possibly also experience a fall. Such a chain reaction can result in the destruction of the entire flywheel energy store, which is to be avoided.
By means of commercially-available spring damping devices, vibrations or oscillations of the machine housing can be damped in the case of a fall. Due to the high loads occurring at these rotational speeds, these damping elements would have to be configured to be very large in order to sufficiently reduce the fall moment. For machine-related reasons, the flywheel energy stores, have, by contrast, a compact design, on the one hand to allow effective operation of the individual energy store, and, on the other hand, in order that a modular-type plant of a plurality of flywheel energy stores only has a small space requirement. Due to the limited construction space inside the flywheel energy store below the machine housing, the commercially-available spring damping means suitable therefor are not sufficient for absorbing the forces in the case of a fall and to sufficiently damp them, so that these forces can be prevented from being transmitted to neighboring flywheel units. In particular, the high torsional loads in the fall lead to a failure of the available vibration damping means. Basically, however, a destruction or damaging of the foundation is to be prevented in the case of the fall of a single rotor.
It would therefore be desirable to have a damping device available, by means of which the forces, in a falling of a high-speed rotor (rotating with high rotational speed) in a flywheel energy store, can be damped in such a way that a damaging of the neighboring flywheel units can be ruled out.


A solid state lighting module (102) for attachment to a socket (103) through rotation of the solid state lighting module around an axis of rotation (111). The solid state lighting module (102) comprises at least one solid state light-source (112); a heat spreading member (104) having two surfaces arranged opposite each other and in thermal connection with each other, the first surface (114) being in thermal connection with the solid state light-source (112); and fastening means (109) arranged to co-operate with fastening means (113) comprised in the socket (103) to bring the second surface (115) of the heat spreading member (104) in thermal connection with a heat sink (110) comprised in the socket (103). The second surface (115) of the heat spreading member (104) has a surface topography with at least one peak (119) and at least one valley (120) arranged concentrically in relation to the axis of rotation (111).

Solid state lighting is used in many different applications in various fields. Light emitting diodes, LEDs, are an example of solid state light-sources commonly used in everyday lighting.
One of the major advantages with solid state light-sources is their long lifespan and that is part of the reason why solid state lighting is increasingly used for illumination. The operational lifetime of LED lamps is approximately 100 000 hours which is 20 times longer than for incandescent lamps. Even if the life expectancy of solid state light-sources is quite long, it is interesting to be able to replace solid state light-sources either due to failure in individual devices or for alternating between different solid state light-sources in order to provide different light output characteristics. Therefore, module systems for solid state lighting are on the market to enable replacement and the possibility of upgrading the solid state light-sources. Such module systems are comprised of a solid state lighting module and a socket. The solid state lighting module may be attached to the socket through rotation.
An important feature of the solid state lighting for rotational attachment is to dissipate heat generated by the solid state light-sources in an efficient way, since heat can reduce the lifespan and the performance of the solid state light-sources.

Solid state lighting module with improved heat spreader