Determining surface topology of a portion (26) of a three-dimensional structure is provided. An array of incident light beams (36) passing through a focusing optics (42) and a probing face is shone on said portion. The focusing optics defines one or more focal planes forward the probing face in a position which can be changed (72) by the focusing optics. The beams generate illuminated spots (52) on the structure and the intensity of returning light rays propagating in an optical path opposite to that of the incident light rays is measured (60) at various positions of the focal plane(s). By determining spot-specific positions yielding a maximum intensity of the returned light beams, data is generated which is representative of said topology.

A great variety of methods and systems have been developed for direct optical measurement of teeth and the subsequent automatic manufacture of dentures. The term "direct optical measurement" signifies surveying of teeth in the oral cavity of a patient This facilitates the obtainment of digital constructional data necessary for the computer-assisted design (CAD) or computer-assisted manufacture (CAM) of tooth replacements without having to make any cast impressions of the teeth. Such systems typically includes an optical probe coupled to an optical pick-up or receiver such as charge coupled device (CCD) and a processor implementing a suitable image processing technique to design and fabricate virtually the desired product.
One conventional technique of the kind specified is based on a laser-triangulation method for measurement of the distance between the surface of the tooth and the optical distance probe, which is inserted into the oral cavity of the patient. The main drawback of this technique consists of the following. It is assumed that the surface of the tooth reflects optimally, e.g. Lambert's reflection. Unfortunately, this is not the case in practice and often the data that is obtained is not accurate.
Other techniques, which are embodied in CEREC-1 and CEREC-2 systems commercially available from Siemens GmbH or Sirona Dental Systems, utilize the light-section method and phase-shift method, respectively. Both systems employ a specially designed hand-held probe to measure the three-dimensional coordinates of a prepared tooth. However, the methods require a specific coating (i.e. measurement powder and white-pigments suspension, respectively) to be deposited to the tooth. The thickness of the coating layer should meet specific, difficult to control requirements, which leads to inaccuracies in the measurement data.
By yet another technique, mapping of teeth surface is based on physical scanning of the surface by a probe and by determining the probe's position, e.g. by optical or other remote sensing means, the surface may be imaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,502 discloses an optical probe for three-dimensional surveying. The operation of the probe is based on the following. Various patterns are projected onto the tooth or teeth to be measured and corresponding plurality of distorted patterns are captured by the probe. Each interaction provides refinement of the topography.

Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, a source/drain diffusion layer formed in the semiconductor substrate at both sides of the gate electrode, and a channel region formed in the semiconductor substrate between a source and a drain of the source/drain diffusion layer and arranged below the gate insulating film, wherein an upper surface of the source/drain diffusion layer is positioned below a bottom surface of the gate electrode, and an upper surface of the channel region is positioned below the upper surface of the source/drain diffusion layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As downsizing of transistor elements advances, a so-called short-channel effect becomes a problem. As a method of avoiding this short-channel effect, an elevated source/drain structure is conventionally known.
FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing a semiconductor device having an elevated source/drain structure according to prior art. As shown in FIG. 26, a gate electrode 3 is formed on a silicon substrate 1 via a gate oxide film 2, and a metal silicide layer 4 is formed on the gate electrode 3. A gate sidewall oxide film 14 and sidewall insulating film 16 are formed on the side surfaces of the gate electrode 3. The gate oxide film 2 is removed from the surface of the silicon substrate 1 outside the sidewall insulating film 16, and epitaxially grown silicon layers 20 are formed above the substrate surface position (indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 26). An element serving as an impurity is ion-implanted into the silicon layers 20, and activation annealing is performed, thereby forming elevated source/drain diffusion layers 17.
In the above prior art, ion implantation is performed through the silicon layers 20 formed above the substrate surface position, so the source/drain diffusion layers 17 can be made shallow. Accordingly, this semiconductor device having the elevated source/drain structure can avoid the short-channel effect.
Unfortunately, this prior art has the problem that an overlap capacitance C between the gate electrode 3 and the source/drain diffusion layer 17 increases, and this decreases the operating speed of a transistor Tr. In addition, the number of fabrication steps increases, and this increases the device cost. Furthermore, a high-temperature step of epitaxial growth deteriorates the characteristics of the transistor Tr.
Note that prior art reference information related to the invention of this application is, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,251.

Method of fabricating a semiconductor device with a non-uniform gate insulating film


The present invention concerns the use of the protein RhoB and its variants to inhibit cancer cell growth, migration, invasion, metastasis, malignant cell transformation, and/or to modulate oncogenic signaling, wherein introducing RhoB directly, or indirectly via a nucleic acid sequence encoding RhoB, into a malignantly transformed cell or a cancerous cell decreases phosphorylation of Erk and Akt proteins inhibiting the PI3-kinase/Akt cell survival pathway and promoting apoptotic cell death. In one aspect, the compositions and methods of the present invention are used to inhibit the malignant transformation of cells by the oncogenes H-Ras, N-Ras, K-Ras, EGFR, or ErbB2, or to inhibit the growth of cancer cells transformed by such oncogenes. The compositions and methods of the present invention may be used to inhibit cancer cell growth, inhibit malignant cell transformation, and modulate oncogenic signaling in vivo or in vitro.

Low molecular weight guanosine triphosphate (GTP)/guanosine diphosphate (GDP) binding GTPases are signal transducers that play a central role in many important cellular functions including cytoskeleton organization, proliferation, differentiation, and development (Khosravi-Far, R. and Der, C. J., Cancer Metastasis Rev, 1994, 13:67–89; Zohn, I. M. et al., Oncogene, 1998, 17:1415–38). Some of these small G-proteins have also been involved in pathological conditions such as malignant transformation. For example, Ras, RhoA, Rac1 and cdc42 have been implicated in oncogenesis, invasion and metastasis (Hall, A., Science, 1998, 279:509–14; Khosravi-Far, R. and Der, C. J., Cancer Metastasis Rev, 1994, 13:67–89; Pruitt, K. and Der, C. J., Cancer Lett, 2001, 171:1–10; Symons, M. and Settleman, J., Trends Cell Biol, 2000, 10:415–9; Van Aelst, L. and D'Souza-Schorey, C., Genes Dev, 1997, 11:2295–322). In contrast, a closely related family member, RhoB, which shares 86% amino acid sequence identity with RhoA, has recently been shown to have tumor suppressive activity (Chen, Z. et al., J Biol Chem, 2000, 275:17974–8; Du, W. et al., Mol Cell Biol, 1999, 19:1831–40; Du, W. and Prendergast, G. C., Cancer Res, 1999, 59:5492–6).
Though highly homologous, RhoA and RhoB are distinct in several aspects. While RhoA is constitutively expressed, RhoB is inducible and has been characterized as an early-response gene. RhoB is known to be induced by DNA damaging agents such as UV and γ-irradiation, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and cisplatin as well as other chemicals such as methyl methansulfonate, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and cycloheximide, and growth factors such as EGF and PDGF (Fritz, G. and Kaina, B., J Biol Chem, 1997, 272:30637–44; Fritz, G. et al., J Biol Chem, 1995, 270:25172–7; Jahner, D. and Hunter, T., Mol Cell Biol, 1991, 11:3682–90). Furthermore, unlike RhoA that has a half life of 24 hours, RhoB's half life is much shorter and is on the order of 1–2 hours (Lebowitz, P. F. et al., Mol Cell Biol, 1995, 15:6613–22). Finally, while RhoA mediates oncogenesis, RhoB has tumor suppressive activity, and it has been shown to inhibit tumor cell proliferation in rodent fibroblasts as well as human cancer cells (Chen, Z. et al., J Biol Chem, 2000, 275:17974–8; Du, W. et al., Mol Cell Biol, 1999, 19:1831–40; Du, W. and Prendergast, G. C., Cancer Res, 1999, 59:5492–6). RhoB also inhibits oncogenic and tumor survival pathways and induces apoptosis in vitro and inhibits the growth of human tumors grown in nude mice (Chen, Z. et al., J Biol Chem, 2000, 275:17974–8). Furthermore, targeted deletion of RhoB results in mice that are more sensitive to skin carcinogenesis (Liu, A. et al., Mol Cell Biol, 2000, 20:6105–13). Ras-transformed RhoB (−/−) fibroblasts from these mice are resistant to γ-irradiation-, doxorubicin-, and TAXOL-induced apoptosis (Liu, A. et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2001, 98:6192–7). Finally, RhoB expression levels have been recently shown to dramatically decrease with the aggressiveness of tumors in head, neck and brain cancer patients (Adnane, J. et al., Clin Cancer Res, 2002, 8:2225–32; Forget, M. A. et al., Clin Exp Metastasis, 2002, 19:9–15).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

RHoB as a suppressor of cancer cell growth, cell transformation, and metastasis


A high temperature vacuum furnace which has an internal thermal insulation system to reduce heat losses and an external vacuum vessel which is designed to safely dissipate all heat generated within the furnace to the surrounding air. The vacuum vessel wall remains at a low enough temperature to ensure structural integrity and at a low enough temperature to protect elastomer seals without the use of water cooling.

This invention relates to the construction of an electrically heated vacuum furnace capable of reaching high temperatures on the order of 1500.degree. K to 3000.degree. K without the use of cooling water to protect the vacuum vessel. More specifically, the invention concerns the design of the vacuum vessel and the thermal insulation system, the thermal insulation system being designed to minimize heat transfer to the vacuum vessel, the vacuum vessel being designed to safely transfer all of this heat to the ambient air surrounding the vacuum vessel.

High temperature air cooled vacuum furnace


According to one embodiment, an IC card includes a communication unit, data memory, selector, and inheriting unit. The communication unit performs data communication with an external apparatus. The data memory stores files managed by a hierarchical. structure, a folder as an upper layer of the files, and information concerning the inheritance of a security status between a plurality of folders. If information indicating the inheritance of a security status from the first folder to the second folder exists, the inheriting unit inherits, even while the second file is selected, the security status established while the first folder is selected.

An IC card manages a plurality of files saved in a memory by using a hierarchical structure. An IC card accesses each file in accordance with an established security status. In a conventional IC card, when a security status is established for a file in an upper layer, the established security status can be inherited to each file in a lower layer belonging to the file in the upper layer. In the conventional IC card, however, a security status established for a given file cannot be inherited to files in a layer higher than that of the given file or to files in the same layer as that of the given layer.


A rotor for a wind turbine generator includes a rotatable hub forming a cavity. A plurality of rotor blades is connected to the hub. A heat sink is at least partially positioned within the cavity and extends along a portion of a corresponding rotor blade. The heat sink includes a bottom surface mounted on a thermal energy generating component of the wind turbine generator. An opposing top planar surface includes a plurality of pins extending therefrom. The pins form an air flow path through the pins to dissipate the generated thermal energy from the thermal energy generating component.

This invention relates generally to wind turbine generators and, more particularly, to dissipating thermal energy generated by wind turbine generator components.
Recently, wind turbine generators have received increased attention as an environmentally safe and relatively inexpensive alternative energy source. With this growing interest, considerable efforts have been made to develop wind turbine generators that are reliable and efficient.
Generally, a wind turbine generator includes a rotor having multiple blades. The rotor is mounted on a housing or nacelle, which is positioned on top of a truss or tubular tower. Utility grade wind turbine generators (i.e., wind turbine generators designed to provide electrical power to a utility grid) can have large rotors (e.g., 30 or more meters in diameter). Blades on these rotors transform wind energy into a rotational torque or force that drives one or more generators, rotationally coupled to the rotor through a gearbox or directly coupled to the rotor. The gearbox, when present, steps up the inherently low rotational speed of the turbine rotor for the generator to efficiently convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, which is fed into a utility grid.
The varying rotational speed of the rotor and the unpredictable and inconsistent thermal conditions within the hub provide thermal condition problems within wind turbine generators. Heat generators, including heat-sensitive electronic components stored within an enclosure within the hub, typically generate a significant amount of heat during typical wind turbine generator operation. Component life is typically extended if an internal temperature within the enclosure remains below a failure temperature. Conventional cooling systems for the generator components have been developed to counteract the significant amount of heat generated within the hub. Such conventional cooling systems include air cooled ventilation systems and water cooled systems. These conventional systems are typically complex and require additional components to facilitate cooling. Additionally, these conventional systems require maintenance and power to operate. These factors add cost to the operation of the wind turbine generator.

Method and apparatus for gravity induced thermal energy dissipation


A data movement apparatus (10) and method therefor include a register file (14) for storing data in a plurality of addressable locations. A register decoder (18) is connected to the register file (14) to modify addresses to access desired data. During move commands, data is not physically moved in the register file (14), but the register decoder (18) modifies a variable upon receiving the move command to correlate the new logical address to the physical location.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to digital processors, and more specifically, to the efficient movement and the storage of data in registers of the processors.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been much development in computers and processors to speed up the processing of data and optimize use of data path cycles. Many microprocessor applications require the movement of data from a source register resource to a destination register resource. This has generally been accomplished by the implementation of a move instruction or by the use of an add instruction applied to the source instructor with a constant zero second operand. Both of these methods consume the data path during the instruction cycle to accomplish the move.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art data path resource which may be used for data movement between registers. The figure shows a register file containing some number of register data locations and which has two ports for reading operands A and B, and a port for writing the destination W. Addresses for all these ports are driven by the control unit based on the decoding of the current instruction execution. For data movement to occur between two registers in the register file, an instruction is issued to select the source register as operand A and either operand B is ignored or expected to be a constant zero value. The destination is selected for the write port and the data movement is accomplished by the source passing through the ALU unmodified and written to the destination via the register file write port.
Other prior art has manipulated data and registers in a variety of methods. U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,969 issued May 28, 1991 in the name of Izumisawa et al. discloses a computer system for directly transferring vector elements from register to register using a single instruction. The system uses a dedicated hardware unit and data path which provides the data movement in parallel with any subsequent operations which the main ALU may perform. This dedicated hardware will consume an execution cycle for each data moved which will result in the variable time delay latency from the time the move instruction is issued until the time it is completed. This means that subsequent instructions which access the data can not be executed until the move is complete.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,131 issued Apr. 29, 1986 in the name of Caudel et al. discloses a microcomputer having data movement circuits for within-memory shift of data words. The data movement is accomplished by actual physical movement of the data storage from one circuit to another, and the multiple data shift would take an execution cycle per data moved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,610 issued Mar. 7, 1995 in the name of Yoshida et al. discloses a register address specifying circuit for simultaneously accessing two registers when executing the instruction for transferring a plurality of registered contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,865 issued Aug. 29, 1995 in the name of Corcoran et al. discloses a processor adapted for use as a coprocessor for sharing memory with more than one processor.


A financial institution computing system associated with a financial institution includes a network interface configured to communicate data over a network, and a processing circuit comprising a memory and a processor. The memory has instructions stored thereon that cause the processor to receive, by the network interface, a content request from a user computing device associated with a user, the content request requesting content from a network destination, determine if the network destination is associated with a trusted entity, determine that the requested content prompts the user to input sensitive information, and transmit, by the network interface substitution content to the user computing device responsive to determining that the network destination is illegitimate and to determining that the requested content includes at least one field into which the user may input sensitive information, the substitution content including at least one prompt requesting the user to input sensitive information.

There are many potential traps for the unwary on the internet. For example, various fraudulent schemes exist that are designed to extract valuable, sensitive information from users. For example, so called "phishing expeditions" involve a user receiving an illegitimate e-mail message that is arranged to pass itself off as a message from a legitimate entity (e.g., a merchant, financial institution, government entity). Such e-mails may lure individuals into clicking a hyperlink or the like to an illegitimate website. The website may request private information from the user. If the user enters the requested information, such information may be used in ways that are quite harmful to the user (e.g., opening up a fraudulent bank account). Thus, it would be beneficial to prevent such information from being provided to fictitious entities and to educate users to avoid such occurrences.

Systems and methods for a virtual fraud sandbox


A metal card or a hybrid metal-plastic includes an acrylic resin protective clear-coat layer and/or a “hard” nano-particle top-coat layer overlying any exposed metal surface in order to insulate the metal and reduce the likelihood of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) or a short circuit condition. In a particular embodiment the “hard” nano-particle top-coat layer overlies the clear coat layer. The dual stage protective layers which include a clear-coat layer and a top-coat ensure that the problem associated with an ESD and/or a short circuit condition is minimized. In addition, the dual stage protection imparted to a card by forming a clear-coat layer and a top-coat layer ensures that any card surface treatment or card decoration is protected over time from excessive wear or scratching due to use in conjunction with a POS device and/or handling.

This invention relates to the manufacture of cards with electrostatic protection where the cards include a metal layer.
The term "card" or "cards" as used herein, and in the appended claims, is intended to include a large variety of documents and instruments such as transactional (financial or credit) cards, identification (including National ID or Driver's License) cards, electronic passport pages, gift cards, documents for holding permanent and long lasting records such as medical records or security cards, or other cards used for promotion of a product or organization.
The manufacture of cards formed solely of a metal layer is known. These cards are intended to provide an indication of status and/or bestow a degree of prestige to the user. However, they are generally much more expensive to manufacture than the ubiquitous "plastic" cards.
Due to the prestige associated with the metal cards, it has become desirable to many users to have a "metal" card. However, the cost of manufacturing metal cards makes it uneconomical and hence undesirable in many applications. As a compromise, Applicant proposed in co-pending application titled Combination Card of Metal and Plastic bearing Ser. No. 13/135,139 the making of cards which include at least one metal layer and at least one plastic layer. Such a card, which may be referred to herein and in the appended claims as a "hybrid-card", is generally cheaper to make than a pure metal card and would also have some advantages such as the ease with which information may be formed on the plastic layer including the magnetic stripe, hologram and signature panel.
In co-pending application Ser. No. 13/135,139, Applicant addressed and resolved some of the major problems which exist in the manufacture of a hybrid card (i. e., one having a metal layer and a plastic layer) since the normally different responses of the plastic and metal layers to temperature and stress tend to cause the card to warp and/or delaminate. Consequently, the manufacture of hybrid cards is more attractive.
In brief, it is desirable to have or to make "metal" or "hybrid" cards; where the "metal" cards are either wholly or mostly comprised of metal and the "hybrid" cards include at least one metal layer and one plastic layer.
However, there are significant problems with the handling of metal and hybrid cards and their use in point of sale (POS) equipment. The presence of any metal layer may cause an ESD event or a short circuit. It is known that electronic circuitry in point of sale (POS) devices, used to execute financial transactions, are sensitive and susceptible to electro-static discharge (ESD) events caused by the transfer of electrostatic charge from the card-holder and financial transaction card to the POS device itself. In fact the problem of electrostatic discharge is known to plague the Credit/Debit card industry
The presence of any metal on the financial card increases the likelihood of such an ESD event. The ESD type of event can reset or damage the electronics in the POS device. Due to this phenomenon, a metal card or any card containing a metal layer of virtually any thickness [e.g., greater than 0.001″ thick] can lead to catastrophic failure of the POS device or any like device in certain environments (e.g., cold, low humidity environments).
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to manufacture metal cards and or hybrid cards (i.e., cards having at least one metal layer and at least one plastic layer) with electrostatic discharge and/or short circuit protection.
In the discussion to follow, including the appended claims, reference is made to metal layer(s) for ease of reference. It should be understood that the metal layer may be any layer of electrically conductive material, as is normally the case with metals.

Card with metal layer and electrostatic protection


A tissue repair material includes gelatin granules, and the tissue repair material exhibits a water absorptivity of 800% by mass or more, and a residual ratio of 60% by mass or less after three hours of decomposition treatment using 1 mol/L hydrochloric acid. A block-shaped tissue repair material includes gelatin, and the block-shaped tissue repair material exhibits a water absorptivity of 800% by mass or more, and a residual ratio of 60% by mass or less after three hours of decomposition treatment using 1 mol/L hydrochloric acid.

Progress is currently being made in the implementation of regenerative medicine to regenerate biological tissues or organs with impaired function or lost function. Regenerative medicine is new medical technology that uses the three factors of cells, scaffolding, and growth factors on a biological tissue that has lost the ability to recover by its own natural healing abilities, and reestablishes a morphology and a function similar to those of the original tissue.
Bone regeneration in the fields of orthopedics and dentistry is a field within regenerative medicine that is attracting considerable attention. In bone diseases affecting the feet and hips, bone defect caused by the disease may result in loss of ability to walk. In the case of a bone disease in the periodontal tissue, the bone disease makes meal ingestion difficult. Bone diseases therefore cause a significant drop in the QOL.
Collagen or gelatin, which has high biocompatibility, is employed as a substrate in the field of regenerative medicine.
For example, International Publication (WO) No. 2011/027850 discloses a bone regeneration agent and a bone prosthetic formulation that include a recombinant gelatin, and in which the prosthetic support is capable of promoting bone regeneration by itself.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H08-196618 discloses a cell penetrable collagen formulation formed from a sponge-like collagen matrix having numerous pores. JP-A Nos. 2001-212105 and 2010-046249 disclose a bone prosthetic material in which bio-ceramic granules are used as a granular bone prosthetic material.


A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device for imaging a volume includes a main magnet for generating a magnetic field, an insulator sheet formed into a tube extending along an axis, a gradient coil disposed on an outside surface defining the tube for manipulating the magnetic field generated by the main magnet to image the volume, and a cooling circuit disposed between the gradient coil and a RF coil. The cooling circuit is disposed on an opposite inside surface defining the tube, wherein the cooling circuit shields the gradient coil from the RF coil while cooling the gradient coil.

This application claims the benefit of a priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Great Britain Patent Application No. 0423325.0 filed Oct. 20, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention generally relates to a radio frequency (RF) and gradient coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system or scanner. More particularly, the invention pertains to an arrangement wherein the RF coil of the MR scanner is selectively mounted in relation to other components of the scanner, to substantially increase RF coil performance, by maximizing separation therebetween while sufficiently cooling the gradient primary coil.
As is well known, a MR imaging system or scanner commonly includes a cryostat, which contains a powerful superconductive main magnet positioned around a main magnet bore. The superconductive magnet is maintained at an extremely cold temperature and produces a strong static magnetic field, or B0 field, within the bore, the B0 field being directed along the bore axis. Other essential components of the MR system include the RF coil, or RF antenna, and the gradient coil assembly, which comprises a hollow cylindrical structure. The RF coil may be operated in a transmit mode, to generate MR signals in an imaging subject, or may be operated in a receive mode to detect the MR signals. The gradient coil assembly comprises one or more cylindrical coil forms, as well as a set of gradient coils supported thereby, to produce the X-, Y-, and Z-gradient magnetic fields. These fields are required to spatially encode MR data. Typically, the gradient coil assembly is positioned within the main magnet bore.
In the past, it has been common practice to support the RF coil within the main magnet bore by attaching it to a further essential MR system component comprising an inner cylindrical form. The inner form comprises a tubular member which is inserted through the gradient coil assembly, in coaxial relationship therewith. The interior region of the inner tubular member generally comprises the patient bore or imaging volume of the associated MR system, that is, the volume which is disposed to receive a patient, and in which MR signals are generated and detected. The ends of the inner tubular member are attached to the cryostat, by means of end caps or the like, so that the tubular member is supported thereby. Typically, the RF coil is placed around the outside diameter of the inner tubular member, in close adjacent relationship, and supported or carried thereby. The tubular member is made of a non-electrically conductive material, so that it does not impede RF performance within the imaging volume.
As is well known, an MR system requires a RF coil to generate the B1 field, necessary to produce MR data while the set of three gradient coils are required to spatially encode the MR data. Both the RF and gradient coils are positioned around the MR magnet bore, which receives the patient or other imaging subject. The gradient coils are typically positioned outside the RF coil so that fields generated by the gradient coils must extend past the RF coil in order to reach the magnet bore.
In a typical coil assembly, the radio frequency coil is located within the gradient coils with a relatively small spacing therebetween. The close physical proximity of these different coils results in a significant amount of the energy from the RF excitation field being lost due to impingement upon the gradient field coil structure. This loss shows up as a damping of the quality factor (Q) of the contained radio frequency coil which, in turn, degrades the normally attainable signal-to-noise ratio of the imaging device. Accordingly some type of RF shielding is usually placed between the radio frequency and gradient coils to preserve the Q of the former coil and consequently the signal-to-noise ratio of the system.
If coupling occurs between the RF and gradient coils, the gradient coils will absorb or "suck away" RF coil energy. This causes the Q, or quality factor, of the RF coil as well as the signal-to-noise ratio thereof, to be significantly reduced. To prevent such absorption of RF coil power or energy, it has become common practice to place a RF shield between the RF coil and the gradient coils. From the standpoint of preventing RF coil power absorption, an ideal shield would be a cylinder of solid copper, or like conductive material, positioned between the RF and gradient coils. The RF field would induce image currents in the solid copper cylinder, which would serve to reflect the RF field so that it could not interact with the gradient coils. However, such a solid shield would also seriously attenuate gradient fields extending into the MR magnet bore.
In prior art arrangements, the RF coil and RF shield are located between the patient enclosure and gradient primary coils. To increase RF coil performance, the separation between the RF coil and RF shield should be increased while maintaining the RF shield disposed inside the gradient coils. To increase gradient coil performance, the gradient primary coils should be located as near to the patient enclosure as possible. The inside surface of the gradient primary coils needs to be cooled to prevent the coils from overheating and to maintain the patient enclosure temperature within regulatory limits. However, this cooling layer takes up space between the RF shield and primary gradient coils. Positioning the RF shield between the cooling layer and gradient primary coil decreases the cooling performance because the gap between the cooling layer and gradient coil is increased.
Accordingly, there is a desire to maximize cooling by minimizing the gap between the cooling layer and gradient coil, while maximizing RF performance by locating the RF shield next to the gradient primary coil.

Gradient bore cooling providing RF shield in an MRI system


An air intake adjusting system for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of struts which are arranged at distances from one another and can each be rotated about an axis of rotation such that, in a first position of the struts, the air intake adjusting system is open and, in a second position of the struts, the air intake adjusting system is closed. The struts each have a rotating section, through which the axis of rotation of the respective strut extends, and a flap section, which extends from the rotating section and, in the second position, rests against the rotating section of an adjacent strut. The rotating sections of the struts each have a first side and a second side which, when the struts are in the second position, converge against an intended approach flow direction of the air intake adjusting system such that they form an approach flow edge.

The invention relates to an air intake adjusting system for a motor vehicle, and to a motor vehicle equipped with such an air intake adjusting system.
In most current motor vehicles, a radiator grille is generally arranged on the front side of the motor vehicle, through which radiator grille an air current can flow in the direction of a radiator arranged in the engine compartment of the motor vehicle.
For taking over various functions, it is known from the state of the art to further develop the radiator grille such that it can be opened and closed.
The closing of the radiator grille has, for example, the function of improving the aerodynamic features of the motor vehicle. Such a radiator grille is known from German Patent Document DE 10 2009 039 038 A1. In the case of this radiator grille, a plurality of flaps are provided which can be rotated for opening and closing the radiator grille. In the closed position of the radiator grille, the flaps are arranged side-by-side and together form a uniform surface, adjacent flaps not being in contact with one another.
The radiator grille known from this patent document comprises an adjusting mechanism for rotating the flaps, the adjusting mechanism having to operate very precisely, so that the flaps arranged side-by-side form a uniform surface in the closed position of the radiator grille.
Furthermore, one gap respectively is formed between adjacent flaps, rain water or snow being able to penetrate into this gap unhindered. This may have the result that, during the cold season, adjacent flaps freeze to one another or are blocked by snow which accumulates in the respective gap which, on the whole, may lead to faulty functions of the radiator grille.
Furthermore, by means of the radiator grille known from the state of the art, the air flow pattern of the motor vehicle can be influenced only slightly.
It is an object of the invention to create an air intake adjusting system, which is improved at least in partial aspects, and/or to create an alternative air intake adjusting system.
An air intake adjusting system, particularly a radiator grille, according to the invention comprises a plurality of struts which are arranged at distances from one another and can each be rotated about an axis of rotation such that, in a first position of the struts, the air intake adjusting system is open and, in a second position of the struts, the air intake adjusting system is closed.
The struts each have a rotating section, through which the axis of rotation of the respective strut extends, and a flap section, which extends from the rotating section and, in the second position, rests against the rotating section of an adjacent strut, the rotating sections of the struts each having a first side and a second side which, when the struts are in the second position, converge against an intended approach flow direction of the air intake adjusting system such that they form an approach flow edge.
This means that the first and second sides form planes and/or surfaces which, in the cross-sectional view of the rotating section, converge against the intended approach flow direction of the air intake adjusting system such that, in the area, in which they abut, they form the approach flow edge. In this context, the approach flow edge is not necessarily a line or sharp edge but may also be a rounding formed in this area.
In the event that, in the cross-sectional view of the rotating section, the first and second side, for example, each have a radius or form concave surfaces, the approach flow edge is an area in which the first and second side abut or converge while changing their radii, i.e. the first and second side change their curvature behavior.
In the event that the first and second side, in the cross-sectional view of the rotating section, for example, each have a radius such that they form convex surfaces, the approach flow edge is an area in which the first and second side abut or converge while changing their radii.
The rotating sections of the air intake adjusting system may each be constructed such that the first side has a larger approach flow cross-section than the second side.
The approach flow cross-sections of the first sides of adjacent struts may differ such that the approach flow cross-sections increase in an arrangement direction of the struts.
When the struts are in the second position, the first sides preferably each face the flap section of an adjacent strut and the second sides each face the flap section corresponding to their strut.
In the second position of the struts, the flap sections rest against the side of the adjacent strut facing away from the approach flow edge.
In a preferred embodiment of the air intake adjusting system according to the invention, the flap sections each extend from a side of the rotating sections facing away from the approach flow edge on one side, and in the cross-section of the strut in a straight line such that, when the struts are in the second position, surfaces are formed between the rotating sections of the struts with respect to which the first and second sides are sloped in such a manner that they form the approach flow edges.
When the struts are in the first position, the side facing away from the respective approach flow edge and the first side preferably converge against the intended approach flow direction of the air intake adjusting system in such a fashion that they form an additional approach flow edge.
As a result of this design of the air intake adjusting system according to the invention, it is additionally achieved that the air intake adjusting system can be further developed such that, in the installed condition, it has the same visual effect in the first and second position of the struts. For example, when the air intake adjusting system in the form of a radiator grille is arranged on a front side of a motor vehicle, the space between the struts appears uniformly dark or black in the first position of the struts, because, in most cases, the elements behind the radiator grille are not colored. When the struts are rotated into the second position, the flap elements will close off the spaces and form a uniform surface, which is visually similar to the condition where the struts are in the first position. Furthermore, the rotating sections form an approach flow edge in both positions of the struts; i.e. the rotating sections also have the same visual effect in both positions of the struts. As indicated in the above, the air intake adjusting system according to the invention is advantageous in that it can easily be used in the visual range of a motor vehicle.
The distances between the struts may be larger in an upper area of the struts than in a lower area of the struts.
In an area with which they rest against the rotating section of the adjacent strut in the second position of the struts, the flap sections may have an elevation, by which a reduction of the contact surfaces of the rotating or flap sections is achieved.
The air intake adjusting system according to the invention may have a first group of struts and a second group of struts, in which case, the struts of the first group are rotated for the adjustment between the first and the second position in the opposite direction with respect to the struts of the second group.
A motor vehicle according to the invention comprises an air intake adjusting system according to the invention, particularly in the shape of a radiator grille.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellshaft


The invention relates to a preparation method of an identification card with utilizing a protective layer transfer foil having a peeling layer and a releasing layer laminated on the peeling layer, the preparation method comprising: adhering the transferring layer onto a card substrate; and peeling off the peeling layer to prepare the identification card. The peeling layer including a support and a releasing layer, the transferring layer including a photo-cured resin layer. A maximum electrostatic amount of the peeling layer at the peeling step is 0 to 30 kV.

In recent years, in the service industry field such as public agencies, banks, companies, medical entities, and educational institutions, widely employed are ID cards (also referred to as identification card) such as identification cards, passports, alien registration cards, library cards, cash cards, credit cards, licenses such as driver's licenses, employee identification cards, company member identification cards, membership cards, medical cards, and student identification cards. In such cards, facial images of the card bearers are recorded to identify card as well as textual information images such as text and marks related to the card bearer. Consequently, frequently performed are printing and the like for the purpose of thwarting forgery and falsification of cards. In recent years, widely employed are various contact type or non-contact type electronic cards, or magnetic cards, which store personal information.
In typical cases, the aforesaid facial images are formed by multi-density level full color images which are formed employing, for example, a sublimation type thermosensitive transfer recording system or a silver halide color photographic system. Further, the textual information is comprised of binary images and are formed by employing, for example, a fusion type thermosensitive transfer recording system, a sublimation type thermosensitive transfer recording system, a silver halide color photographic system, an electrophotographic system, an ink jet system, and a re-transfer system. In addition, to thwart forgery and falsification, employed are holograms and fine line patterns. Further, if desired, a standard format is previously printed onto the ID cards.
Some of the conventional card preparation methods enhance surface protection properties by transferring a single layer comprised of a resinous sheet. For example, such methods are described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (hereinafter referred to as JP-A) No. 10-863 (pages 2–4), Japanese Patent No. 2609871 (pages 1–6), Japanese Patent No. 2626801 (pages 1–6 and FIGS. 1 and 2), JP-A No. 8-224982 (pages 1–4 and FIGS. 1–3), Japanese Patent No. 2832478 (pages 1–6 and FIGS. 1–3), Examined Japanese Patent Application Publication (hereinafter referred to JP-B) No. 7-45279 (pages 1, 2, and 4 and FIGS. 1 and 2), Japanese Patent No. 2807898 (pages 1–4), Japanese Patent No. 2524810 (pages 1, 2, and 4 and FIG. 1) and JP-B No. 6-98849 (pages 1–3 and 5 and FIG. 1). Further, some methods perform twice the transfer process to enhance mechanical strength. For example, such methods are described in JP-A No. 11-184270 (pages 2–6 and FIGS. 1, 2, and 5–8) and JP-B No. 11-268457 (pages 1–4 and FIG. 1). Still further, antistatic techniques are disclosed while employing conventional transfer foils. For example, such techniques are described in JP-A No. 7-017195 (pages 1–3 and FIG. 1) and JP-A No. 7-299994 (pages 1–3 and FIG. 1).
Further, for the purpose of enhancing lightfastness of images, some cards use ultraviolet absorbents in the card surface protective layer. Such cards are disclosed in, for example, JP-A No. 6-067592 (pages 1–5 and FIGS. 1–3), JP-A No. 7-205597 (pages 1–6 and FIGS. 1 and 2) and JP-A No. 2002-211091 (pages 1–3 and 5, and FIGS. 1–3).
In conventional methods described in above-mentioned Patent Documents, surface protective properties are enhanced by transferring a single resinous sheet layer. However, mechanical strength (hereinafter referred to as scratch resistance) was insufficient.
Further, in some method, in order to enhance mechanical strength transfer is carried out twice. However, problems occur in which adhesion property between foils is degraded due to weak adhesion between the second foil and the first foil.
Still further, in any production cases in which such an image protective layer transfer system is employed, when a transfer foil is transferred onto a card, charge accumulates during peeling, whereby dust in the interior of the transfer apparatus is adhered onto the card substrate prior to transfer. As a result, problems occur in which during winding the transferred support, dust falls or dust in the apparatus is wound up together with the support, whereby cards of poor external appearance are produced. Specifically, when transfer is repeated twice to enhance the aforesaid mechanical strength, problems occur during the first transfer, in that dust is adhered on a card which was subjected to transfer and during the second transfer, the aforesaid dust is wound up, resulting in foreign matter problems as well as a decrease in adhesion between foils. In addition, static charge results in operational problems which cause bugs in PCs and databases which control the image forming apparatus as well as the transfer apparatus.
Still further, when transfer is repeated twice to enhance the aforesaid mechanical strength, the charge amount in the apparatus increases due to accumulation of electrostatic charge due to peeling at two positions, whereby problems occur in which bugs are more readily formed. In the conventional antistatic techniques related to transfer foils, improvement is tried by the addition of surfactants to a portion of the transfer foil or the use of a curable antistatic layer. However, adhesion of dust on cards has not been minimized and scratch resistant has also not been sufficient.
Further, in order to enhance lightfastness of images, UV absorbents are employed in the surface protective layer of cards. However, surface protective properties have been degraded due to the addition of UV absorbents, and light fastness has not been sufficiently improved due to the absence of UV absorbents near images.

Identification card preparation method and protective layer transfer foil


A method for enhancing resolution and contrast in an MRI image is provided. A transient signal acquisition is applied to acquire a plurality of samples of data, comprising reducing transient signal oscillations and acquiring a plurality of MRI samples of data. Transient signal compensation is applied to the plurality of samples of data to provide data with signal compensation. A noise reduction technique is applied to the data with signal compensation. Data resulting from the applying the noise reduction is used to generate an MRI image.

This invention relates generally to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-destructive method for the analysis of materials, and provides medical imaging. It is generally non-invasive and does not involve ionizing radiation. In very general terms, nuclear magnetic moments are excited at specific spin precession frequencies which are proportional to the local magnetic field. The radio-frequency signals resulting from the precession of these spins are received using pickup coils. By manipulating the magnetic fields, an array of signals is provided representing different regions of the volume. These are combined to produce a volumetric image of the nuclear spin density of the body.
MRI is based on nuclear spins, which can be viewed as vectors in a three-dimensional space. During an MRI process, each nuclear spin responds to four different effects: precession about the main magnetic field, nutation about an axis perpendicular to the main field, and both transverse and longitudinal relaxation. In steady-state MRI processes, a combination of these effects occurs periodically.
Gradient echo (GRE) sequences provide significantly improved acquisition speed, and have found wide use in numerous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications such as cardiac imaging, angiography, and 3D volume imaging. However, because data are acquired while the magnetization is in a dynamic equilibrium known as steady-state, GRE demonstrates different signal characteristics than spin-echo sequences. Manipulating the flip angle of radio-frequency (RF) excitations to induce T1- or T2-weighting generally results in poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Furthermore, the short repetition times (TR) of GRE sequences are not suitable for direct application of conventional contrast-generation methods (e.g., inversion recovery, T2-preparation) every TR.
Patents that are in the field of the invention are U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,747 by Riederer et al., issued Jun. 16, 1992, entitled "Spiral Three-Dimensional Fourier Transform NMR Scan," U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,282 by Mugler et al., issued Sep. 14, 1993, entitled "Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging," U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,557 by Wilman et al., issued Jun. 15, 1999, entitled "Centric Phase Encoding Order for 3D NMR Data Acquisition," US H1,968 by Bernstein, published Jun. 5, 2001, entitled "Hyperpolarized MR Imaging Using Pulse Sequence with Progressively Increasing Flip Angle," U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,193 by Foxall, issued Apr. 26, 2005, entitled "Magnetization Primer Sequence for Balanced Steady State Free Precision Imaging," U.S. Pat. No. 7,646,924 by Donoho, issued Jan. 12, 2010, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Compressed Sensing," U.S. Pat. No. 7,164,268 by Mugler et al., issued Jan. 16, 2007, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Spin-Echo-Train MR Imaging Using Prescribed Signal Evolutions," and US Patent Publication No. 2008/0319301 by Busse, published Dec. 25, 2008, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Generating a Flip Angle Schedule for a Spin Echo Train Pulse Sequence," all of which are incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Contrast and resolution enhancement with signal compensation

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Many of the benefits of solid-state-based storage devices can be obtained, while minimizing the costs associated therewith, by write-throttling solid-state storage media in accordance with empirically derived capabilities. Untested solid-state storage media can be obtained inexpensively due to the lack of waste that is otherwise been inherent in the testing and subsequent discarding of solid-state storage media whose capabilities do not meet stringent manufacturer standards. The untested solid-state storage media is initialized through a testing procedure that empirically identifies capabilities of individual solid-state blocks, or groupings of blocks, within such solid-state storage media. Such empirically obtained capability information is then utilized to throttle the speed at which data is written to the solid-state storage media. Additionally, it can enable binning of individual solid-state blocks, or individual groupings of blocks, into bins that can comprise different performance thresholds.

Modern storage media includes not only media that store data in a physically sequential manner, such as traditional magnetic and optical storage media, but also media that store data in a physically random manner, such as solid-state-based storage media. Such physically random media allow any one block of data to be accessed as efficiently as any other block of data. These, and other, physical differences between the various storage media commonly available today result in storage media that differ in capability, attributes and performance. For example, magnetic and optical media require a reading and writing apparatus that physically moves from the physical location of the device head to the physical location of a block. Consequently, the speed with which such storage media can read or write data is dependent upon the proximity of the locations of the data on the media, since the device head must physically transition from one location to the other. Conversely, solid-state storage media can read and write data through electrical signals without requiring any physically moving parts. As a result, the data stored on such media can be written, or read, with efficiency that is not dependent upon the particular location of the data on, for example, rotating media.
From the perspective of usage within data center environments, solid-state storage media are perceived as having specific performance advantages over magnetic storage media. For example, solid-state storage media are generally regarded as being more power efficient, more heat-tolerant, and less prone to physical disturbances and failures than magnetic storage media, since, as indicated previously, solid-state storage media can comprise no moving parts. Such advantages can be substantial in data center environments, where operating such data centers at higher temperatures can result in monetary savings resulting from less energy utilization by cooling apparatuses, and where the increased power efficiency of the solid-state storage media can result in further monetary savings from less energy utilization by the storage media themselves. Additionally, solid-state storage media are generally regarded as being able to both read and write data more quickly than magnetic storage media, which can provide benefits in data center environments, as well as other computing environments.
Unfortunately, solid-state storage media are often orders of magnitude more expensive, for a given amount of storage capacity, than magnetic storage media. Such expense derives in large part from inefficiencies in the packaging of solid-state storage media. In particular, solid-state storage media are comprised of individual, transistor-based blocks that store bits of data. Such blocks are manufactured on wafers, which are divided into die pieces that can be sliced out of the wafer. Each die can comprise thousands, or even millions, of such blocks, and one or more dies can form the basis of solid-state-based storage media. The individual solid-state blocks can have differing capabilities, with some blocks being capable of greater performance and/or endurance than other blocks. In building solid-state-based storage media from dies, the failure of die, including the failure to achieve certain performance or endurance thresholds, can result in the entire solid-state-based storage media to be considered unfit for resale. Such exacting standards can result in substantial waste, increasing the cost of solid-state storage media.

Inexpensive solid-state storage by throttling write speed in accordance with empirically derived write policy table


A centrifugal clutch includes vibration isolation ring. The vibration isolation ring reduces or prevents the occurrence of squeaking noises due to the vibration of the clutch outer cover. The vibration isolation ring can be made with a large wall thickness, thereby reducing or preventing deformation of an open-end of a drum wall in the clutch outer cover. The vibration isolation ring has a cylindrical shape and is disposed so as to surround the drum wall at a position substantially corresponding to the location at which a portion of a friction material makes a sliding contact with a drum wall. An end portion of the vibration isolation ring is welded to an outer periphery of the drum wall on a side thereof which is distant from a bottom wall of the clutch outer cover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centrifugal clutch designed to prevent the occurrence of noise such as squeaking due to vibration of a clutch outer cover during a stall state. A stall state occurs when a friction material of a centrifugal weight maintains a state of sliding contact with an inner periphery of a drum wall of the clutch outer cover.
2. Description of the Background Art
A known centrifugal clutch is designed to prevent squeaking of the clutch outer cover. This noise occurs due to vibration of the clutch outer cover. Prevention of the noise is achieved by fastening a vibration isolation ring to a cylindrical drum wall included in the clutch outer cover so that the vibration isolation ring surrounds the drum wall. Such types of clutches are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. Hei 9-236140, Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2002-39227, and the like.
The centrifugal clutch disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. Hei 9-236140 includes a vibration isolation ring formed substantially into a bowl shape through press forming. The vibration isolation ring is mounted to an outer periphery of a drum wall by applying pressure thereto. Because of limitations on the wall thickness of the vibration isolation ring, there is a limit to the vibration isolation effect. In the centrifugal clutch disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2002-39227, on the other hand, a simple cylindrically shaped vibration isolation ring is mounted to an outer periphery of a drum wall, allowing the wall thickness of the vibration isolation ring to be increased.
In general, the clutch outer cover tends to become deformed through repeated cold and heat cycles, which it undergoes as a result of the engagement and disengagement of the centrifugal clutch. A vibration damping effect of the vibration isolation ring is impaired when an open-end side of the drum wall is deformed, since the greatest vibration damping effect is achieved at this location. In the centrifugal clutch disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2002-39227, the deformation, resulting from subjection of the drum wall to repeated cold and heat cycles, is not considered.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal clutch designed to effectively reduce or prevent deformation of an open-end of a drum wall in a clutch outer cover, by using a vibration isolation ring that is increased in wall thickness.

Centrifugal clutch, and method of making same


A system for thermally insulating a building roof structure and providing fall protection includes a gridwork of longitudinal and transverse high strength tensioned bands which co-act with a suspension sheet which is sealed along its edges and fastened at multiple locations to the building structure for both supporting insulation material thereon and providing an alternate means of fall protection.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed generally to a building insulation system wherein the platform of crossing support bands and a suspension sheet material is of sufficient strength to support a man's weight, thereby affording an alternate means of fall protection for accidental falls by an installer of the building insulation system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A system for insulating the roof of new and existing buildings utilizing a gridwork of tensioned support bands underlying a suspension sheet material which supports insulation thereon is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,664 and 4,573,298.
New OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) fall protection standards which affect steel erectors, insulators and sheeters where promulgated in October of 1995.
With pre-engineered building systems now the predominant method of non-residential lowrise construction for buildings, the more restrictive fall protection standards will have a great impact on the contractors involved. One solution is to purchase heavy and expensive safety nets in order to provide the leading edge protection against falls. The costs of this equipment, the maintenance of it, the expense of putting it in place, taking it down, moving, storing it, etc. can result in a substantial increase in the per square foot cost of the roof insulation system being installed. In many rural areas, contractors and erectors have virtually ignored safety requirements or considered them too restrictive and impractical to use. With expanded enforcement efforts by OSHA, few contractors will risk violation of the new fall protection standards.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a building insulation system which doubles as an alternate means of fall protection.
A related object of the invention is to provide a building insulation system wherein installers equipped with such safety devices as a full body harness with shock absorbing lanyards are afforded the added protection of an insulation suspension platform of a strength to support a man's weight in the event of an accidental fall by an installer or inspector while insulating and roofing.
Another object is to provide such a building insulation system wherein each end of each support band of the suspension sheet gridwork is secured to the structure by fail-safe, dual fasteners.
Another object is to provide such a building insulation system wherein the suspension sheet is formed of a fabric with increased weaves per inch to effect a strength sufficient to support a man's weight.
Another object of the invention is to provide a building insulation system wherein the support bands and fasteners are constructed of a size and material to be of sufficient strength to support a man's weight on the installed system.
Finally, an object of the invention is to provide a building insulation system which affords efficient thermal insulation while doubling as an effective alternate means of fall protection.

Building insulation system with fall protection


A Circular Polarization Selective Surface (CPSS) for circular polarized electromagnetic waves is formed from a number of resonating elements arranged in a plane. This type of surface may be used in a wide range of reflector antennas. Each resonating element is formed from a number of electrically conductive segments connected end-to-end one to the other with each segment having a predetermined length and having a total approximate length of 1.lambda.. A central segment having a length about 1/4.lambda. determines the resonant frequency for the element. This central segment extends parallel to the z-axis of a right-hand set of three mutually perpendicular axes x, y and z wherein the circular polarized electromagnetic wave is directed along the z-axis. A second segment is connected to one end of the central segment and extends parallel to the x-axis with a third segment being connected to the other end of the central segment extending parallel to the y-axis. Shorter segments connected to outer ends of the second and third segments extend parallel to this z-axis and toward each other so that a free end of one shorter segment can be connected to a free end of a shorter segment of an adjacent resonating element forming a spiral which can be mechanically supported at its outer ends. This eliminates the need for having support structures in the active area of the surface.

Circular Polarization Selective Surfaces (CPSS) of the present invention have similar applications to those known in the art for vertical and horizontal Linear Polarization Selective Surfaces (LPSS). The surfaces according to the present invention may be used in a wide range of reflector antennas such as in the reduction of aperture blockage by the sub-reflector of a symmetrical dual-reflector antenna, a dual-reflector antenna with a CPSS sub-reflector in which both right and left polarizations can be used at the same frequency with a separate feed network for each frequency.
Several configurations of circular polarization select surfaces are presently known in the art. These known configurations have serious disadvantages for some particular applications compared to a configuration according to the present invention.
A first known configuration is based on optics and consists of three superimposed plates. The three superimposed plates are, in order, a quarter-wave plate that changes circular polarization to linear polarization, a linear polarization selective surf ace and another quarter-wave plate that changes linear polarization into circular polarization. This type of configuration is only actually suitable for short wavelengths, such as millimeter waves, since the three plates become rather bulky for longer wavelengths.
A second known configuration uses two planar arrays wherein the first array receives the incoming signal and passes it to an array of networks. The networks discriminate between one polarization and the other and either reflects the signal back or passes it to the other array which will transmit that signal. This is a very complex design due to the large number of networks required and their physical size.
A third known configuration consists of a planar array of crossed dipoles connected by half-wavelength transmission lines the vertical dipoles in the array of crossed dipoles being separated from the horizontal dipoles by a quarter-wavelength. This type of array is disclosed in Canadian Patent Application 546,499 entitled "Polarization Selective Surface For Circular Polarization" which is assigned to Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. However, the transmission lines with that configuration are difficult to make at frequencies over 1 GHz since they are very small and a practical design needs thousand of transmission lines.
A fourth known configuration consists of a planar array of a multitude of resonating elements arranged in a prescribed pattern on and in a dielectric slab. Each resonating element can be made from a straight wire which is one wavelength in length with two end sections of the wire bent at ninety degrees from the central section and from each other. The central sections are arranged parallel in the array with each end section on opposite surfaces of the array being arranged in the same direction. This type of design is described in French Patent No. 1,512,598.
The third and fourth described configurations for circular polarization selective surfaces uses dielectric slabs for mechanical support. The dielectric material, however, causes unwanted reflections of the incoming waves and also generates surface waves that degrade the performance of the array. The only practical way of reducing those reflections and surface waves is to use a dielectric of low permittivity such as Styrofoam. However, low permittivity dielectrics like Styrofoam are quite soft and cannot be precisely machined. Furthermore, they are readily deformed which makes them unsuitable as supports for these arrays.

Circular polarization selective surface made of resonant spirals

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence


A base station device transmits a control signal for causing a transition from an RRC_CONNECTED state to an RRC_INACTIVE state and including connection parameter information to a terminal device. The terminal device performs uplink transmission to the base station device using the connection parameter information included in the control signal in the RRC_INACTIVE state to which the RRC_CONNECTED state has transitioned. The base station device performs uplink reception from the terminal device that is in the RRC_INACTIVE state to which the RRC_CONNECTED state has transitioned using the connection parameter information included in the control signal.

Conventionally, as mobile communication systems, a mobile communication system (an LTE system) called Long Term Evolution (LTE) that is under review in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), a 5th-generation mobile communication system (5G system), and the like are known.
In an LTE system and a 5G system, as states of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol of a terminal device, there are an RRC_CONNECTED state and an RRC_IDLE state. The RRC_CONNECTED state is a state formed when a radio connection is established. The RRC_IDLE state is a state formed at the time of waiting.
In New Radio (NR), as a state of the RRC protocol of a terminal device, an RRC_INACTIVE state is newly added. The RRC_INACTIVE state is a state formed at the time of waiting in a state in which information (User Equipment (UE) context) used for a terminal device to communicate with a core network is stored in a last-connected base station (last serving cell). Details of reviews of uplink transmission technologies enabling a terminal device, which is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, to transmit a signal to a base station device are described, for example, in Non-Patent Document 1.

Mobile communication system, terminal device, base station device, communication method, and computer program


An all-in-one handheld machine for testing drugs in hairs comprises a handheld shell, a control mechanism, a fluorescent immune reagent card test mechanism, an identity recognition mechanism, and a control instruction input unit communicatively connected to the control mechanism are provided in the shell; a shell surface is provided with a reagent card inlet that corresponds to a reagent card socket of the test mechanism; the control mechanism is controllably connected to the test mechanism and the identity recognition mechanism, and is communicatively connected with a communication unit; the control mechanism, the test mechanism and the identity recognition mechanism are all electrically connected to a power supply module. The invention can achieve the functions of identity card reading and wireless data transmission, and the test for trace drug residues in hairs, thereby meeting the requirements for rapidity, portability and accuracy of an on-site test.

Urine and saliva tests are a common drug test method at the present stage, which are strictly limited by factors such as the coordination degree of suspicious people and sample extraction environment, and thus have low test work efficiency. In general, urine adulterating and gargling in advance by the tested people, substantially metabolizing and discharging drugs in the urine and the saliva after 24-72 hours of drug use of the tested people and so on will lead to a negative result, causing drug users to escape from legal sanctions and patients abstained from drugs to be out of supervision, and other problems. More importantly, urine metabolites and oral saliva residues of some commonly used legal medicines can interfere with drug testing results from urine and saliva to cause false positives, bring inconvenience to law enforcement. Colloidal gold lateral immunochromatography is the main technical means for a drug test at this stage. However, there are some problems such as low sensitivity, poor reproducibility and so on when using immune colloidal gold test paper for testing, which is only suitable for the urine and saliva test for drug users.
Compared with saliva and urine, hair, as a kind of special biological material for testing, has unique advantages of stable sample properties, easy acquisition, easy preservation, long detection time limit, reflection of the use of drugs for a long time (months or even years) and so on, which overcomes the problems in a traditional drug test by the urine and saliva of sampling inconvenience, short detection time limit, easy interference to testing results by legal drugs and the like. It has broad application prospects in public security first-line combats, such as drug prohibition, criminal investigation, public order and transportation.
However, since the level of drug metabolites in hair is very low, typically only 0.2 ng/mg (2 ng/ml), it has not been used in the field test for drug users due to the lack of rapid and sensitive test techniques over a considerable period of time.
The current main hair drug test methods mainly include:
1) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): the method is performed by a complete set of equipment such as an enzyme-labeled instrument, a plate washer, an incubation box and the like, has complicated operation steps, multiple equipment requirements, and high site requirements; and the laboratory test equipment cannot be carried around, the test takes a long time for 45-150 minutes, and the sensitivity is 0.1 ng/mg. In the method, it is required to specially construct a laboratory in a house, and to provide professional technicians in the field of drug test, which can be hardly borne by the district (county and city) finance.
2) Colloidal gold method: in addition to the instrument, it is also necessary to equip a hair breaker. It has low personnel requirements, common personnel can be simply trained for performing the method, the detection time is 5-10 minutes, and the sensitivity is 5 ng/mg. The method usually needs to be used together with the hair breaker, with poor reproducibility, i.e., the testing results for the same sample are often inconsistent at repeated times.
3) Time-resolved fluorescence immunochromatography: it generally adopts a small/handheld instrument. It has low personnel requirements, common personnel can be simply trained for performing the method; and the detection time is about 5 minutes, and the sensitivity is 0.1 ng/mg. However, insufficient and non-uniform fluorescence reaction and poor reagent reproducibility due to the large size of the time-resolved fluorescent microsphere particles, often lead to false positive results.
4) Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry GC/MS: medium and large instruments are required in the method; it has extremely high professional requirements to personnel, and the automatic test cannot be performed; and it has long detection time for 2-4 hours, and a sensitivity of 0.5 ng/mg. The instrument and equipment are expensive; and it has high requirements to environment, personnel and other experimental conditions, and needs long time and high cost for a single test.
Further, the drug abusers can be easily changed into drug traffickers, and the drug taking supported by drug trafficking increases the mobility of the drug abusers and the variability of the organization structure of drug trafficking groups, so that in the inspection process, accurate recognition of the identity of a drug-taking suspect and effective integration of scattered assault test data are the most effective means for restraining the aggravated diffusion of drugs and accurately striking criminal gangs; however, the instrument at the present stage can only perform a single-point test; and the test data results are scattered for each time, the suspect information cannot be accurately identified, and the automatic data uploading function cannot be realized, so that the data has a low effective utilization rate, and finally the dynamic monitoring for drug users cannot be achieved.

All-in-one handheld machine for testing drugs in hairs

Beijing Zhong-Tianfeng Security Protection Technologies Co., Ltd.

First Research Institute of The Ministry of Public Security of PRC


Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device of which overall size and weight can be minimized. The liquid crystal display device has a light generating unit for generating a light. A light guiding plate guides the light to a display unit for displaying an image. A reflection plate is disposed under the light guiding plate for reflecting the light to the light guiding plate. A receiving container receives the reflection plate, the light guiding plate and the light generating unit. At least one boss is formed on a bottom of the receiving container for preventing the light generating unit from being moved by guiding a position of the light generating unit. Accordingly, the number of the parts installed in the liquid crystal display device can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be decreased because the manufacturing process is simplified in comparison with the liquid crystal display device including a separate lamp cover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device having a small size for portable mobile communication devices or game devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information processing devices have been rapidly developed in a trend with various architectures, functions and faster information processing speed. Information processed in these information processing devices has an electrical signal format. In order to visually confirm information processed in the information processing device, a display device as an interface is necessary.
A liquid crystal display device, which is lighter and smaller than a CRT type display device, has been developed. The liquid crystal display device enables a full color display with a high resolution. As a result, the liquid crystal display device is widely used for a monitor of a computer, a television receiver, and another display device.
When a voltage is applied to a liquid crystal cell, a molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal is changed to cause a change in optical properties. As a result, visual properties are changed to display various images.
Liquid crystal display devices are divided into to a TN (Twisted Nematic) type and an STN (Super-Twisted Nematic) type. The liquid crystal devices are also divided according to the driving type into an active matrix display type that uses a switching device, and a TN liquid crystal and a passive matrix display type using an STN liquid crystal.
The active matrix display type is used in a TFT-LCD and drives an LCD by using a TFT as a switching device. The passive matrix display type does not use any transistor and does not need a complex circuit.
Further, liquid crystal display devices are divided into a transmissive liquid crystal display device using a backlight and a reflective liquid crystal display device that uses an exterior light source according to a method for using a light source.
The transmissive liquid crystal display device which uses the back light as a light source has a heavy weight and a large volume by the existence of the back light, but is widely used since it independently displays an image without using an exterior light source.
In particular, a liquid crystal display device having a properly reduced size for portability is demanded according to the rapid development of the communication devices. Thus, a display device is desired which has light weight, thin thickness and small size as well as high display quality to be applied to the mobile communication devices and to the game devices considering portability thereof.


A mandrel for transporting a set of substrates includes a rod having a free end and a fixed end, the fixed end configured to be coupled to a transport mechanism. A series of spacer elements are arranged on the rod to keep the set of substrates seated on the rod in respective fixed positions with a last spacer element nearest to the fixed end. A notch is arranged on the rod between the fixed end and the last spacer element configured to catch a substrate that becomes unseated from the last spacer element.

Substrate processing systems generally include several process stations that work together to deposit thin layers of material onto substrates. A transport system may be used to transport the substrates on carrier holders and for transferring to and from carrier cassettes through the process stations.
One example of substrate processing is the manufacture of magnetic disks for storage disk drives. A conventional disk substrate has a center hole for mounting on a hub within a storage drive. The center hole is also useful for capture and transfer of the disk substrate during various stages of the manufacturing process, which avoids disturbing the flat media surface as various layers are formed. One example of a transfer mechanism is to insert a mandrel, a rod-like structure, into the center holes of disk substrates being held in a cassette carrier. The mandrel may be used for extracting disk substrates from cassettes and transfer to other cassettes.

Mandrel for substrate transport system with notch


Set forth is an electrophoretic display device including a display region between substrates, at least one of which is transparent, the display region including a multiplicity of pixels, wherein one or more of the pixels have three or more subpixels, the three or more subpixels being made up of individual reservoirs that each contain a display medium of one or more set of colored particles in a dielectric fluid. The display mediums include two different colors therein so that the subpixel is capable of exhibiting each of the two different colors, and each of the three or more subpixels include a display medium having a combination of two colors that is different from the combinations of two colors of the display mediums of the other of the three or more subpixels. A method of displaying a full color image with the display device is also provided.

Described herein is an electrophoretic display device. More particularly, described is a full color electrophoretic display device having a novel structure that permits the display to exhibit truer color with good brightness while utilizing a straightforward one or two color particle display system.
The electrophoretic display devices herein are thus capable of generating images, including full color images. The electrophoretic displays herein may be used for any display application, and particularly any display application where the image displayed may be changed, including, for example, reimageable paper, electronic books, electronic signage, watch, monitor and/or cell phone displays, and the like.
Electrophoretic displays are well known in the art. An electrophoretic display generally comprises a suspension of one or two charged pigment particles colloidally dispersed in a clear or colored liquid of matching specific gravity and contained in a cell comprising two parallel and transparent conducting electrode panels. The charged particles are transported between the electrode panels under the influence of an electric field, and can therefore be made to display an image through appropriate application of the electric field on the electrodes. The advantages of electrophoretic displays as a means for providing information and displaying images has been well appreciated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,596, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety illustrates an electrophoretic display structure. The electrophoretic display device comprises a white marking material such as titanium dioxide suspended in a colloidal dispersion containing black colorant such as colloidal size iron oxide particles known as ferrofluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,810, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes a dielectric dispersion for use in an electrophoretic display that includes a dielectric fluid, a first plurality of particles of a first color having a surface charge of a selected polarity dispersed within the dielectric fluid and a second plurality of particles of a second color having a surface charge of opposite polarity to that of the first plurality and a steric repulsion thereto preventing coagulation of the first and second plurality of particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,584, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses encapsulated electrophoretic displays in which particles encapsulated therein are dispersed within a suspending, or electrophoretic, fluid.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,525,866 and 6,577,433, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, disclose an electrophoretic display liquid composition for use in an electrophoretic display device that has a multiplicity of individual reservoirs, each containing a display liquid comprised of two sets of particles dispersed in a transparent liquid system.
Electrophoretic display is thus based on the migration of charged particles suspended in an insulating fluid under the influence of an electric field. As discussed above, the display systems may comprise one-particle and two-particle systems. One-particle systems typically comprise one set of same color particles dispersed in a fluid that may have a color different from that of the particles. Two-particle systems typically comprise two sets of colored particles, with each set of particles having a different color, dispersed in a fluid that is typically colorless/clear. A downside to these conventional one-particle and two-particle systems has been the difficulty in achieving full color displays using such systems.
Up to this point, it has been believed that the path to reflective colored electrophoretic displays would require significant modification of the traditional one-particle and two-particle display systems. This is because such systems could at best achieve only two colors.
Current approaches for color devices involve the use of color filter overlays on black and while two-particle display systems, or the use of lateral particle migration of monochrome particles with colored backplanes (referred to as shuttered displays).
An example of an electrophoretic display with a color filter is U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,355, describing an electrophoretic display comprising a transparent top viewing electrode, a bottom electrode and a plurality of isolated cells having well-defined size, shape and aspect ratio. The cells are filled with charged pigment particles dispersed in a dielectric solvent or solvent mixture, and a color filter is placed over the top transparent electrode.
Each of these approaches to making a full color electrophoretic display has drawbacks. For the color filter overlay approach, the color filter is typically located on top of the display device and significantly reduces the amount of incident light reflected back to the viewer, with only about 33% of the incident light being reflected back to the viewer. The result is that although color is perceived, the display is very dark in appearance. Shuttered displays require the use of lateral electrodes, and the design electronics can be very complex. See, for example, Endo et al.; Late-News Poster: Color In-Plane EPD Using an Anisotropic Scattering Layer; SID Digest Technical Papers, p. 674 (2004) and Arisawa et al.; Photo-Addressable E-Paper and Toner Display; IS&T's NIP20: International Conference on Digital Printing Technologies, Final Program and Proceedings, p. 922 (2004).
While known electrophoretic display devices, compositions and processes for displaying images are suitable for their intended purposes, a need remains for a full color electrophoretic display with a simpler, cost effective design that achieves full color and good brightness. Thus, there exists a need for a simpler, more vivid color electrophoretic device, such as a colored particle device.


A method of wireless power transmission is provided. The method includes, at a wireless power transmitter, receiving a signal from a receiver device and determining a location of the receiver device based, at least in part, on data included in the signal. The method further includes in response to determining that the location of the receiver device is within a wireless power transmission range of the wireless power transmitter: (I) selecting at least two antennas of the wireless power transmitter's antenna array based, at least in part, on the location of the receiver device, and (II) transmitting, via the at least two antennas of the antenna array, radio frequency power transmission waves that: (i) constructively interfere at the location of the receiver device to produce a focused energy at the location and (ii) destructively interfere around the location of the receiver device to form null-spaces around the focused energy.

People are increasingly relying on electronic devices to perform aspects of everyday life. As an example, many people spend a majority of their day interacting with a computing device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer, in order to obtain information and communicate with others, among other such tasks. The frequent use of these devices can require a significant amount of power, which can quickly drain a battery for devices such as portable computing devices that have relatively small battery lives. A user then must often plug in the device to recharge, which can limit the usefulness of the portable device. Further, a user first has to locate a free outlet, which might be difficult in at least some locations. If a user forgets to plug in or otherwise charge a device, the device can run out of power and then be of no use to the user until the user is again able to charge the device. For frequently used devices, such as remote control units for older electronics or gaming controllers for older systems, the batteries might run out of power in between uses, which can be frustrating for a user.
There have been various approaches to minimizing the impact of the charging needs of these devices. In some cases the devices have replaceable rechargeable batteries, such that a new set of batteries can be used if the current set runs out of power. Such an approach requires a user to carry around extra batteries, and also ensure that these extra batteries are charged. Some approaches involve a mat or pad that is able to charge a device without physically connecting a plug of the device, but such an approach still requires the device to be placed in a certain location for a certain amount of time in order to charge, which limits the improvement over physical power connections. Even for devices that do not run from battery power, the need to place these devices within a distance of a power outlet or other such component can limit the usefulness or flexibility of these devices. As users continue to use these devices, and as the number and type of devices grow, there is a desire to improve the way in which power can be delivered to these and other such devices.

Systems and methods of wirelessly delivering power to a receiver device


Tubular needles have a reduced inner diameter tip portion that increases back pressure behind the tip portion. This constricted tip portion promotes improved atomization, particularly when the liquid passes through the needle at near-supercritical conditions. A preferred method for constricting the inner diameter of a needle tip is to dip the dip of the needle in an electroless plating solution, such as an electroless nickel solution.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,021 describes a flame-based deposition technique termed combustion chemical vapor deposition or "CCVD." U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,956 describes a CCVD process using near-supercritical fluid solutions. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/067,975 describes apparatus and process for "Controlled Atmosphere Chemical Vapor Deposition" or "CACVD." The teachings of each of the above-mentioned U.S. Patents and Applications are incorporated herein by reference. The techniques taught in these patents and applications provide for large-scale open-atmosphere deposition of a variety of materials as thin layers on various substrates and also provide for production of powders of fine, generally uniform size. While applicants find particular utility for the needles of the present invention to promote atomization of liquids for CCVD and CACVD processes, and while the invention will be described herein to a substantial degree relative to these processes, it is to be understood that atomization using constricted needles in accordance with the present invention is applicable to a variety of processes where aerosols are used and which can benefit from control of aerosol formation, such as uniformity of flow and droplet size.
Uniformity and reproducibility of coating or powder production in a CCVD or CACVD process depends upon the ability to provide aerosols of known and reproducible characteristics, such as flow rate and droplet size.
The above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,956 teaches CCVD processes in which "near-supercritical" fluids are atomized, such fluids being atomized at temperatures near to the supercritical temperature (Tc), e.g., within about 50° C. of supercritical. Such fine atomization is also important for other applications, such as in the fields of combustion, chemical processing, spraying, particle pressure regulation, analysis, catalysis, desiccation, and powder formation. While the atomization of supercritical or near-supercritical liquids produces aerosols of fine droplet size, the high pressures and high temperatures involved in some cases make it difficult to control the atomization so as to maintain a uniform aerosol. The nozzle of CCVD atomizers is typically a needle of very narrow inner diameter, i.e., in the range of 30 to 500 microns. When operating at near supercritical temperatures, problems can occur if the fluid crosses the liquidus and gasifies within the needle. If the liquid gasifies the dissolved solids, such as precursor(s), may precipitate within the needle, resulting in non-uniform deposition and eventually clogging the needle. Also, gasification of the liquid may result in oscillation within the needle causing cyclical flow variations. The resulting pulsed atomizing can cause significant variations in the proceeds and result in non-uniform product.
The present invention is directed to reducing the tip inner diameter of narrow inner diameter needles, preferably by at least about 25%, more preferably at least about 50% and even more preferably in many instances at least about 70%. The reduced tip diameter needles help to maintain a back pressure that increases the boiling point of the liquid in the needle and thereby prevents premature gasification of the liquid, resulting in more uniform depositions.

Narrow diameter needle having reduced inner diameter tip


An artificial insect egg has a droplet of insect nutrient, and a thin interfacially polymerized shell enclosing the nutrient. A thin water barrier material coating may enclose the shell. The shell has a strength corresponding substantially to that of an insect shell constructed and arranged to be sufficiently strong to allow handling by tweezers without breaking while being sufficiently weak to allow breaking by an insect to allow the insect to withdraw the nutrient.

The present invention relates in general to simulating insect eggs.
Microcapsules loaded with an artificial diet for insects have been produced and used to rear beneficial insects, such as chrysopia carnea (green lace wing), that may be used as a biological test control agent for boll worms and tobacco bud worms on cotton.

c/o Thies Technology, 3720 Hampton, Suite 207


This invention provides an electronic device capable of being connected with an external device. The electronic device includes a first connecting port, an adapting element, and a casing. The first connecting port is disposed at the casing. The adapting element has a second connecting port and a connector. The size of the second connecting port is greater than that of the first connecting port. The casing has a containing space for containing the adapting element. When the electronic device is connected with the external device, the adapting element is separated from the containing space, the connector is connected with the first connecting port, and the second connecting port is connected with the external device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic device and, more particularly, to an electronic device having a containing function.
2. Description of the Related Art
With development of electronic technology, electronic devices with small volume and powerful functions attract more and more users. Usually the electronic devices need various kinds of input/output (I/O) connecting ports for connecting other external devices. A notebook computer is taken for example. A plurality of I/O connecting ports, such as a video graphics array (VGA) port and a digital visual interface (DVI) port, are usually disposed at one side of a casing of the notebook computer. According to standard definitions of different connectors, the I/O connecting ports usually have a certain size, respectively.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional notebook computer having a VGA port. In FIG. 1, a first thickness h1 of a VGA port 10 of a notebook computer 1 in a vertical direction is greater than a second thickness h2 of a lower casing 11 of the notebook computer 1 in the same direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the VGA port 10 is disposed at one side of the lower casing 11 of the notebook computer 1, the bottom of the VGA port 10 is protrudent from the notebook computer 1. Thus, the aesthetics of the notebook computer is deteriorated.

Electronic device with a casing with a containing space for storing an adapting element when not in use