It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved technique for preventing leakage of lubricant from an accommodating space that houses a driving mechanism, while regulating the internal pressure of the accommodating space in a power tool. A representative power tool includes a power tool body, a tool bit, a driving mechanism, a lubricant, an accommodating space, a passage and a lubricant leakage preventing region. The accommodating space is disposed in the body to house the driving mechanism and is hermetically sealed. The passage has an accommodating space side opening and an outside opening. The passage extends, starting from the accommodating space side opening, in a direction away from the outside opening. Then, the passage turns around and extends toward the outside opening. Further, the lubricant leakage preventing region is provided with the passage to prevent the lubricant from leaking from the inside to the outside of the accommodating space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power tool, such as a hammer and a hammer drill, which is capable of regulating internal pressure of an accommodating space for a driving mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese non-examined laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-508949 discloses an electric hammer drill capable of regulating the internal pressure of a gear housing. A driving mechanism to drive a tool bit is housed in the gear housing and is driven by a motor. The gear housing is filled with grease for lubricating the driving mechanism and is hermetically sealed so as to prevent leakage of the lubricant to the outside. In the known art, a spiral groove is formed in the outer surface of the rotating shaft mounted to the gear housing to function as a pressure regulating passage via which an inside and an outside of the gear housing communicate with each other. Further, a rotating member is provided on the rotating shaft. The rotating member allows the spiral groove to communicate with the inside of the gear housing when the rotating member rotates together with the rotating shaft, while it interrupts such communication when the rotating shaft is stopped. In this manner, the internal pressure is regulated so as not to excessively increase when the rotating shaft is rotated. As a result, a leakage of lubricant from the gear housing can be alleviated.

Abstract: According to the invention, the length of the passage can be made longer and the lubricant must travel a longer distance before leaking out. Therefore, a higher effect of preventing leakage can be obtained.


A new and useful barrier device for a utility system cover is provided. The barrier device is designed to be coupled to a utility system cover (e.g. a water meter cover), in a way that effectively seals the opening in the cover against ingress of dirt, debris, animals, etc. Moreover, the barrier device also provides a structure that enables a hook like tool to engage and manipulate the coupled barrier device and cover, while maintaining the barrier against ingress of dirt, debris, animals, etc. The barrier device includes a hood with a border that at least partially flattens against a utility system cover as the baffler device is coupled to the utility system cover, so that the border of the hood and the utility system cover combine to form a baffler to materials and objects near the border of the hood. A stem extends from the hood, and is pressed into the utility system cover, in a way that effectively couples the baffler device with the cover. For covers that are too thick for the one piece cap structure, extender structure is provided, to extend the thickness of the cover(s) to which the barrier structure can be coupled.

The present invention relates to a barrier device for a fluid system cover, such as a water meter cover that is manipulated to enable access to the water meter.
Typically, a municipal water system includes underground conduits that are disposed below street and/or sidewalk levels, and contain water meters at strategic locations in the system. An opening in a street or sidewalk system provides access to a water meter, and a water meter cover typically covers the opening and provides a relatively continuous surface upon which pedestrians can walk or vehicles can travel. A water meter cover typically comprises a relatively heavy metal plate like structure that inserts into the opening, and which is manipulated by a person seeking access to the water meter. In the applicants' experience, a water meter cover typically includes an access opening extending through the metal plate, and into which a person seeking to manipulate the cover can insert a hook like tool.
The access opening in a water meter cover, if uncovered, can provide access of dirt, debris, animals, etc, to the water meter, and that is not desirable. However, if the access opening in the water meter cover is covered up, the ability to engage the cover with a tool may be limited or restricted, and that is also not desirable.
The present invention addresses those and other issues in a fluid system cover, by providing a new and useful barrier device designed to be coupled to a fluid system cover (e.g. a water meter cover), in a way that effectively seals the access opening in the cover against ingress of dirt, debris, animals, etc.
Moreover, the present invention provides a barrier device that, in its preferred form, also provides a structure that enables a hook like tool to engage and manipulate the coupled barrier device and cover.
A barrier device according to one preferred form of the present invention comprises a one-piece cap structure configured to be coupled to a fluid system cover. The one piece cap structure includes a hood with a border configured to at least partially flatten against a fluid system cover as the cap structure is being coupled to the fluid system cover, so that the border of the hood and the fluid system cover combine to form a barrier to materials and objects near the border of the hood.
In its preferred form, the one-piece cap structure includes a recess designed for engagement by a tool, to enable a coupled barrier device and cover to be manipulated by the tool.
In addition, the present invention provides additional features that are useful with fluid system covers, and are particularly useful with water meter covers. For example, the barrier device of the present invention is designed to be coupled with covers whose thickness can vary over a predetermined range and which will still provide its new and useful features with covers whose thickness varies over that predetermined range.
Moreover, according to another preferred form of the present invention, structure is provided that can be integrally connected to the one piece cap structure, and which can further extend the thickness range of the fluid system covers with which the cap structure can be used.
Further features and objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide a stereo image processing device that is capable of expanding the effective field of view by using a lens having distortion for realizing a wide field of view. This stereo image processing device has two sensors arranged so as to be shifted from the optical axes of respective lenses in directions separating each other, wherein each of the lenses has a property such that the distortion, in a region of a large viewing angle, is greater than that of an fθ lens.

Stereo camera technique is one of techniques for identifying three dimensional objects. This technique detects a disparity according to triangulation using a difference of images between two cameras arranged at different positions respectively, thereby detecting depths or positions of objects using the disparity. By using this technique, it is possible to precisely detect positions of observed targets. On the other hand, stereo camera technique has a technical problem that it has narrow effective field of view.
Patent Literature 1 listed below describes as "PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED" that "To provide an imaging device that can reduce the content of arithmetic processing, while securing sufficient field of view, to enable high-speed processing operation.", and also describes as "SOLUTION" that "Right and left cameras 4 and 6 offset the imaging center as the center of an imaging element with respect to the optical center as the optical axis of an optical lens by the same amount in opposite directions in the baseline direction. In corresponding point search, a corresponding point R observed in an image photographed by the right camera 6 is taken as a reference point to start searching for a corresponding point L in an image photographed by the left camera 4. In this way, compared with the case where an infinite distance corresponding point is taken as a reference point, parallax can be reduced, and the content of arithmetic processing can be reduced to enable high-speed processing operation" (refer to ABSTRACT).
Patent Literature 2 listed below describes as "PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED" that "To provide a wide effective visual field by also utilizing a non-stereoscopic imaging area, while obtaining precise distance information from a stereoscopic imaging area.", and also describes as "SOLUTION" that "The optical axes of respective cameras 1a and 1b of a stereo camera 1 are arranged so as to be non-parallel on the same plane, the effective visual field is enlarged by the stereoscopic area RM and the non-stereoscopic area RS, a pivot 3 is provided to the central position of a stay 2, and the overall camera system is rotated by a driving motor 4 so that the wide area can be scanned. Accordingly, in the application to an intruding object monitoring apparatus, when the object intrudes into the visual field of either camera, the object can be detected. Thus, the detectable range can be enlarged, when compared with the apparatus using the stereo camera in which the optical axes are arranged parallel. Further, when compared with the monitoring apparatus in which a plurality of monocular cameras are merely provided together, the secure detection simultaneously using the stereo system can be performed so that the reliability can be improved by preventing incorrect detection" (refer to ABSTRACT).
Patent Literature 3 listed below describes that "A stereo camera apparatus, and a vehicle provided with a stereo camera apparatus, can detect an object targeted for detection in a wider spatial range, calculate the distance to a subject with high accuracy, and perform object detection with high accuracy. The stereo camera apparatus (1) includes a first imaging unit (2), a second imaging unit (3) that images an area partially shifted from an area imaged by the first imaging unit (2) in a direction differing from a direction along the baseline length, and a controller (4) that calculates the distance to a subject using an overlapping region between a first image captured by the first imaging unit (2) and a second image captured by the second imaging unit (3)" (refer to ABSTRACT).


A compact laser system that removes surface coatings (such as paint, dirt, etc.) at a removal rate as high as 1000 ft.sup.2 /hr or more without damaging the surface. A high repetition rate laser with multiple amplification passes propagating through at least one optical amplifier is used, along with a delivery system consisting of a telescoping and articulating tube which also contains an evacuation system for simultaneously sweeping up the debris produced in the process. The amplified beam can be converted to an output beam by passively switching the polarization of at least one amplified beam. The system also has a personal safety system which protects against accidental exposures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removal of coatings from surfaces, and more specifically, it relates to the use of a high power, short pulse laser system in a compact unit for surface coating removal.
2. Description of Related Art
Pulsed high intensity light can be used to remove paint and other types of layered coatings from surfaces such as masonry, wood, concrete, metal signs, metal beams and most other materials used in the construction of buildings, bridges, statues, roads, boats, airplanes, etc. The source of the radiation may be coherent or incoherent such as from flashlamps, arc-lamps or lasers. If the light pulse is controlled properly it can remove most coatings without damaging underlying surfaces. Several mechanisms for coating removal operate depending on the absorption mechanisms and the pulse duration. Flashlamp or laser-based removal systems with pulse durations in the range from 1 .mu.s to 300 .mu.s remove coatings through a thermal process (vaporization) and have been used in the field of art conservation for many years. Patents employing the flashlamp method for industrial paint removal have since been developed (U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,798). The combination of flashlamp heating with an abrasive particle flux has also been used for aircraft paint stripping (U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,723).
Coating removal without damaging the substrate requires pulse durations substantially shorter than a millisecond, such that the deposition of energy into the coating is terminated before significant heat is conducted into the substrate. This process has been previously described by Woodroffe (U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,765) and also by Lovoi (U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,628). In general, lasers are useful in this application because they can produce high energy density short pulses that can be controlled and which may be of nearly arbitrary duration. In the particular case of pulse durations shorter than about 30 to 50 ns, the deposition of energy occurs in a time scale shorter than the acoustic relaxation time in the surface layer. Such pulse durations can usually be produced only by Q-switched lasers. In this situation, the laser-deposited energy initiates a pattern of photoacoustic stress waves which result in removal of the coating through spallation and not through thermal vaporization. The coating material is separated from the surface in the form of a powder or flakes which can be easily removed as with a vacuum system without contaminating the environment. The short pulse mode of removal has been patented by Boquillon et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,134) in the field of cleaning pollutants from surfaces. For most purposes, the short pulse removal method (pulse duration <30 ns) is the most efficient means for coating removal. The empirical dependence of removal rate on pulse duration has been investigated by Liu and Garmire (Appl. Optics 34, 4409 (1995)).
The systems and methods described in prior art do not address several key issues that limit this technique to specialized areas or small scale applications. Firstly, all methods and devices are based on conventional technologies for producing the radiant energy source (e.g. commercially available Nd:glass or Nd:YAG systems, pulsed TEA CO.sub.2 laser systems, or pulsed flashlamps). These systems are limited to coating removal rates less than approximately 200 ft.sup.2 /hr. In the case of flashlamp and TEA CO.sub.2 lasers, the ablation mode is thermal vaporization, which requires approximately 16 J/cm.sup.2 -mil of laser fluence to remove paint. Q-switched Nd:YAG and Nd:glass pulses are more efficient (around 1 J/cm.sup.2 -mil). For removal rates substantially larger than 200 ft.sup.2 /hr, a coating removal system requires several .times.100 W to several times 1 kW of Q-switched Nd laser power, and 1 kW to several times 10 kW of pulsed TEA CO.sub.2 power.
Flashlamps are inherently more efficient than laser systems and may also be scaled to high average powers, although the radiant energy they produce is far less amenable to precise pulse control, and long distance propagation. The lamp envelope must be placed in close proximity to the surface being cleaned. Commercial Nd:YAG and Nd:glass laser systems are based on master oscillator-power amplifier configurations in which most of the pulsed energy is extracted from a chain of increasingly sized rods or slabs of the gain medium. These designs cannot be scaled to high average power (e.g. by adding more flashlamps and laser rods) without greatly increasing the bulk and/or complexity of the system.
Also associated with the use of a high average power laser system is the need to automate the delivery of the laser energy so that it is used efficiently, effectively and safely. Lasers that deliver high average power optical beams cannot be controlled or directed manually, such as with simple handpieces. Feedback control of the laser power is essential in order to limit the application of laser energy precisely when the surface coating has been removed and the desired underlying layers have been exposed. Feedback sensors for radiant coating removal systems have been described using various means to assess the degree of removal of the surface coating. These include spectral and spatial reflectivity sensors (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,588,885 and 4,737,628), photoacoustic pressure sensors (U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,723), reflected color intensity sensors (U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,798) and spectral emission sensors (U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,517).
In summary there is a need for a compact laser system with a scalable design that can reach kW power levels, operate at wavelengths from the UV to the near IR, with pulse durations in the range of 10 to 30 ns, and which can be integrated into a system for surface coating removal.

High removal rate laser-based coating removal system

The Regents of the University of California


An object of the present invention is to reduce the time a host computer requires to recognize a recordable disc such as CD-R/CD-RW. The method includes the steps of determining whether or not an optical disc loaded in the optical disc recording/reproduction apparatus is an optical disc onto which data is likely to be written (S46), and if the preceding step S46 determines the loaded disc as an optical disc onto which data is likely to be written, acquisition of disc information required for recording on the optical disc is performed by the host computer inter-relatedly with a spinup in the same step (S47). Thus, the optical disc recording/reproducing apparatus returns the disc information to the host computer in step (S4E) without performing the step (S4D) for acquiring the disc information after the completion of the spinup (S4A) for the optical disc onto which data is likely to be written. Thus, the time required for recognizing a recordable disc can be reduced when the disc is loaded.

In typical CD-R drives or CD-RW drives, which are write-once or rewritable optical disc drives, a command for returning information about the recognition of a recordable optical disc to a host computer is a read disc information command or a read track information command. Information concerning recording must be acquired before the response to this command.
Determination of completion of disc recognition depends on the environment of the host computer. In particular, in a host computer environment in which the priority of reproduction from a loaded optical disc is higher, the return of information about the file system of a recorded area after the completion of spinup is typically considered as the completion of disc recognition. In a host computer environment in which the priority of recording onto a loaded optical disc is higher, the return of information concerning recording in response to the read disc information command or read track information command mentioned above is typically considered as the completion of disc recognition.
However, the differences in disc recognition conditions among host computer environments or the reduction in disc recognition time are not sufficiently considered in prior-art CD-R or CD-RW drives. The timing of acquiring disc information concerning recording after a recordable disc is loaded is fixed in a spinup period or fixed in a period between the completion of spinup and the response to a read disc information command or read track information command.
Furthermore, in the case of acquiring information needed for reproduction operation during spinup and acquiring information needed for write operation, the acquisition of all Table of Contents (hereinafter abbreviated to TOC) information and address translation information, which are required for reproduction, is performed separately from the acquisition of track record format information, which is recorded area track record information concerning recording, and the acquisition of track write position information.
Moreover, the count of error retries for acquiring the information concerning recording within a spinup period is set to considerably large value without making a distinction from the error retry count for acquiring information required for reproduction. Consequently, a timeout error due to failure to acquire information concerning recording occurs frequently during the spinup period.
Furthermore, track record information in a program memory area (hereinafter abbreviated to PMA) is also used for acquiring all TOC information on a multi-session disc. Therefore when a CD-R/RW disc is loaded, the track record information in the PMA is acquired during the spinup.
Furthermore, Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) mode is used for the acquisition of information concerning recording and reproduction, which involves access to an inner area and an outer edge of an optical disc.
In prior-art CD-R/CD-RW drives, the timing of acquiring disc information concerning recording after a recordable optical disc is loaded is fixed in a spinup period or fixed in a period between the completion of spinup and the response to a read disc information command or read track information command. Accordingly, it can take much time to recognize a loaded recordable optical disc, depending on host environments.
Furthermore, the acquisition of track record information about a recorded area and a write position, which is information concerning recording, and the acquisition of information required for reproduction are separately performed during a spinup. Therefore, seeks in long ranges and in the reverse direction frequently occur in an optical disc, leading to increased processing time.
In addition, when the acquisition of information concerning recording is performed within a spinup period, a timeout error can occur during the spinup period because the number of error retries for acquiring information concerning recording is set to a large number.
Furthermore, the acquisition of information in the PMA that is used for acquiring all TOC information on any multi-session CD-R/CD-RW disc increases spinup time.
Furthermore, CLV mode, which involves access to an inner and outer area of an optical disc is used for acquiring information required for recording and reproduction. As a result, acceleration and reduction of the speed of the spindle motor frequently occur, slowing the acquisition.

Optical disc recording/reproducing method and recording/reproducing apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An apparatus and method for controlling a memory interface are provided. The apparatus includes a memory controller controlling a memory and a clock generator applying a system bus clock signal and a memory clock signal to the memory controller. The memory controller applies a memory clock signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the system bus clock signal to the memory. Accordingly, a high data transfer bandwidth can be obtained with the same cost and effort as for manufacturing a conventional system-on-chip (SOC) while using a memory having a high operating speed.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to controlling a memory interface, and more particularly, to controlling a memory interface to increase a data transfer bandwidth in a memory interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, most digital devices use inexpensive Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memories (SDRAMs) as main data storage units. SDRAMs are classified into Single Data Rate (SDR) SDRAM and Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM according to a data rate per SDRAM clock pulse. In both SDR SDRAM and DDR SDRAM data is written or read in synchronization with a clock signal. Conventional SDRAM controllers in a system-on-chip (SOC) process input and output by synchronizing an SDRAM clock with a system bus clock, that is, by using the clocks with the same frequency.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional apparatus for controlling an SDRAM interface 100. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of master modules 103 and an SDRAM controller 102 are connected to a system bus 104, and an SDRAM 101 is connected to the SDRAM controller 102. Data is transmitted or received from the master modules 103 to the SDRAM controller 102 via the system bus 104 in response to a system bus clock signal. An SDRAM clock signal processes input/output of data between the SDRAM controller 102 and the SDRAM 101 in synchronization with the system bus clock signal. The SDRAM clock signal is applied to the SDRAM 101 in order to transfer data between the SDRAM controller 102 and the SDRAM 101.
FIG. 2 illustrates clock signal and data transmitting/receiving paths of a conventional SDRAM controller 202. Referring to FIG. 2, a system bus clock signal transferred from a system bus 201 to an SDRAM controller 202 is inputted to an SDRAM via a buffer 203. Write data is written to the SDRAM through a buffer 204 in response to the system bus clock signal. A data strobe signal DQS is output to the SDRAM through a buffer 206 in response to the system bus clock signal. The data strobe signal DQS is also 90°/180° shift delayed by a 90°/180° shift delay unit 207. Data stored in the SDRAM is read in such a manner that read data is latched by the 90°/180° shift-delayed data strobe signal and sent to a flip-flop 205. Read data of the SDRAM is transferred to the SDRAM controller 202 in synchronization with the system bus clock signal, and thus the SDRAM controller 202 operating in synchronization with the system bus clock signal can easily conform to the internal timing of an apparatus for controlling an SDRAM interface. Accordingly, the SDRAM controller is easy to design in the viewpoint of data input/output timing and thus the SDRAM controller is widely used.
FIG. 3 is a timing diagram of a data writing operation of a conventional DDR SDRAM. Referring to FIG. 3, data DQ is inputted to and outputted from the SDRAM at the same frequency as a system bus clock signal because the system bus clock signal and an SDRAM clock signal CK have the same frequency.
However, to increase the frequency of the SDRAM clock signal used to transfer data between the SDRAM controller and the SDRAM to in turn raise a data transfer rate, operating frequencies of master modules connected to a system bus must be also increased. Thus, it is very difficult or impossible to design the apparatus for controlling the SDRAM interface.
While high-speed memories, such as DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM and Rambus DRAM, have recently been developed and form the basis for increasing system performance, the frequency of the system bus clock signal has to be increased in order to use SDRAM having a higher clock frequency. Accordingly, there is a limitation in using SDRAM for a medium-and-low priced SOC because of excessive overhead for a chip size, high power consumption and an increase in the manufacturing cost.

Apparatus and method for controlling memory interface


Aqueous cleaning compositions for removing limescale on hard surfaces comprise maleic acid, an acid which has a first pKa not exceeding 5, and an acid-stable thickener. Compositions comprising maleic acid and alkyl- or aryl-sulphonic acids in combination with thickeners such as xanthan gums are used for removing limescale, for example in large appliances such as automatic dish washers and laundry apparatus.

Tap water contains a certain amount of solubilized ions which upon water evaporation eventually deposit as salts such as calcium carbonate on surfaces which are often in contact with said water, resulting in an anaesthetic aspect of said surfaces. This limescale formation and deposition phenomenon is even more acute in places where water is particularly hard.
It is well known in the art that limescale can be removed chemically with acidic solutions, and a great variety of acidic cleaning compositions have been described for this purpose.
However, in many instances acidic compositions may cause the problem that they present hazards to the surfaces treated therewith. Indeed the acids which are used in acidic compositions, such as phosphoric acid and the like can damage the surfaces being treated. In particular, some corrosion/staining may occur when metal surfaces such as aluminium, chromed steel or stainless steel are treated with such acids.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate this issue in providing a cleaning composition possessing excellent limescale removing capacity while being safe to the surfaces treated therewith.
It is also desirable to formulate a composition particularly suitable to remove limescale in large appliances like automatic dish washers and washing machines. Indeed, limescale deposits in said appliances may build-up on the heater element making heat exchange more difficult. In other words, limescale deposits in said appliances are undesirable not only because they result in an anaesthetic aspect but also as said limescale deposits may result in higher consumption of energy, poorer machine performance and eventually malfunction.
It is thus a further object of the present invention to formulate a cleaning composition suitable to be used for removing limescale in large appliances, said composition possessing excellent limescale removing capacity while being safe to the surfaces treated therewith, especially metal surfaces like heating elements, walls, bottom and any inner part.
It has now been found that the above objects are met by formulating liquid compositions comprising an acid-stable thickener and a specific acidic system, i.e. maleic acid and a second acid which has a first pKa not exceeding 5, or mixtures thereof. Indeed it has been found that the compositions of the present invention comprising maleic acid, said second acid and said acid-stable thickener are significantly safer to the surfaces treated therewith, than the same compositions without said acid-stable thickener, while being also particularly effective in removing limescale. In other words, the use of acid-stable thickeners in an aqueous acidic liquid composition comprising maleic acid and said second acid improves surface safety of the surfaces treated with said composition. Furthermore, it has been found, in the broadest aspect of the present invention, that the use of an acid-stable thickener, in an aqueous acidic liquid composition comprising maleic acid improves limescale removing performance.
An advantage of the aqueous acidic liquid compositions of the present invention particularly suitable for removing limescale in large appliances such as automatic dish washers and/or washing machines is that said compositions provide excellent limescale removal on different types of limescale deposition present in said automatic dish washers and/or washing machines, e.g. on the severe limescale deposits which build up on the warm parts such as the heating element as well as on homogeneous lighter deposits which build up on the extended surfaces like the walls. The aqueous acidic liquid compositions according to the present invention allow to obtain better limescale removing performance at lower total acid level as compared to the powder/granular limescale removal compositions available on the market. Another advantage is that the aqueous acidic liquid compositions according to the present invention allow to prevent tough limescale encrustations build-up that provokes higher energy consumption, less washing effectiveness and possible damages to the machines.
A further advantage of this invention is that said compositions are safe to different hard-surfaces including metal surfaces such as aluminium, chromed steel or stainless steel as well as synthetic materials such as rubber hoses, plastic trays and polymeric connections that are for example found in large appliances.
EP-A-0 496 188 discloses a composition comprising nonionic surfactants together with maleic acid whereby good limescale removal is provided. Although EP-A-0 496 188 discloses thickeners in general as an optional ingredient, no levels are disclosed.
EP-A-601 990 discloses a self thickened acidic composition having a viscosity of 10 cps to 700 cps at 60 rpm shear rate at 20.degree. C. and comprising an organic acid or mixtures thereof, preferably maleic acid and a thickening system comprising from 0.5% to 15% by weight of the total composition of a mixture of a nonionic surfactant and a cationic surfactant. More particularly, EP-A-601 990 discloses compositions which are thickened without the use of a thickener compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,632 discloses foam liquid hard surface detergent compositions, suitable to be packed in a non-aerosol spray delivery package, comprising a mixture of zwitterionic and nonionic surfactants, a hydrophobic solvent, a polycarboxylate detergent builder and a polymeric shear thinning thickener such as xanthum gum. Preferred compositions have a pH of from 1 to 5.5, however no maleic acid is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,150 discloses thickened acidic cleansing and descaling compositions. Thickening Is obtained by adding different surfactants or mixtures thereof. Pure thickeners such as xanthum gum are mentioned as not being suitable to be used in the acidic compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,150. No maleic acid is disclosed.
GB-A-2 106 927 discloses toilet bowl cleaners which have a pH between 2.2 and 3.5 and comprise a non-volatile water soluble organic acid such as dicarboxylic acids having from 2 to 3 carbon atoms, a detergent and a cellulose ether thickener, preferably methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose at levels of from 0.5% to 1.2% by weight of the total composition. GB 2 106 927 teaches away from the use of maleic acid. Indeed it is mentioned in it that maleic acid was not screened for its solubility because of its inherent toxicity.
WO 95/07957 discloses acidic cleansing compositions for cleaning hard surfaces, said compositions being particularly suitable to be applied thereto by means of spray-type dispensers. Said compositions comprise a strong acid alone or in combination with a weak acid, a surfactant and a thickening amount of an organic polymer thickener such as xanthum gum. Maleic acid and sulphamic acid are mentioned amongst the weak acids and sulphuric acid is mentioned amongst the strong acids. However no levels for the weak organic acids are disclosed in the description and no example discloses maleic acid.
EP-A-411 708 discloses an acidic aqueous liquid composition comprising a detergent, an organic acid having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, an aminoalkylenephosphonic and phosphoric acid. Indeed the addition of an aminoalkylenephosphonic and phosphoric acid on top of mixtures of acids likes succinic, glutaric and adinic acid, improves the safety of the acidic compositions for use on enamel surfaces. The compositions therein are microemulsions which may be thickened by the addition of a thickener such as alkyl cellulose. However the acidic system of the present invention comprising maleic acid at a given level and a second acid which has a first pKa not exceeding 5 is nowhere disclosed in EP-A-411 708.
None of the above mentioned prior art documents discloses the compositions of the present invention whereby improved limescale removal performance and improved safety to the surfaces treated therewith is achieved. Also none of the above mentioned prior art documents discloses the use of a thickened aqueous acidic liquid composition comprising maleic acid and a second acid which has a first pKa not exceeding 5, or mixtures thereof, for removing limescale in large appliances like automatic dish-washers and/or washing machines.


A cash processing apparatus comprises a housing provided with a depositing and dispensing section; a display section; a coin insertion section at a position at one side of a central part in a width direction of the housing and into which the coin is inserted; a coin placing section in the housing and having a coin placing surface for temporarily placing the coin, connecting to the coin insertion section side by side and extend to an opposite side across the central part in the width direction of the housing from the coin insertion section to form a shape elongated in the width direction; and a settlement module, wherein both a distance between the coin insertion section and one side end of the housing which is closest to the coin insertion section and a distance between the coin placing section and the other side end of the housing which is closest to the coin placing section are smaller than a depth distance of the coin placing section.

Conventionally, in a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal used in a supermarket and the like, an area is arranged for temporarily holding cash deposited from a customer to confirm the cash before the cash is housed in a drawer. Such an area is called an examination tray or a cash checking tray. By arranging such an area, a store clerk can avoid trouble at the time of receiving and delivering the cash, and can carry out register responsibilities quickly and precisely.
In recent years, in a supermarket and the like, a self-checkout apparatus (self-register) with which a customer can execute a settlement operation by himself or herself independently of the store clerk is used. A coin insertion section capable of receiving a plurality of coins at one time so that the customer can complete an insertion operation of the coins at one time is arranged in the self-register.
Incidentally, among the customers who use the above-mentioned self-register, there exists a customer who inserts requested coins into the coin insertion section after the coins in a purse are temporarily aligned for confirmation in a flat area on the self-register at the time of the settlement.
In such a usage, it is necessary for the customer to pick up the requested coins in hand to insert the coins into the coin insertion section after the coins are aligned for confirmation in the flat area on the self-register. Thus, a flat area as wide as possible is essential while miniaturizing the device.


The present invention relates to peptides, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated cytotoxic T cell (CTL) peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses. The present invention relates to 11 novel peptide sequences and their variants derived from HLA class I and class II molecules of human tumor cells that can be used in vaccine compositions for eliciting anti-tumor immune responses.

Gliomas are brain tumors originating from glial cells in the nervous system. Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia or simply glia, are non-neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and participate in signal transmission in the nervous system. The two most important subgroups of gliomas are astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, named according to the normal glial cell type from which they originate (astrocytes or oligodendrocytes, respectively). Belonging to the subgroup of astrocytomas, glioblastoma multiforme (referred to as glioblastoma hereinafter) is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults and accounts for approx. 40% of all malignant brain tumors and approx. 50% of gliomas (CBTRUS, 2006). It aggressively invades the central nervous system and is ranked at the highest malignancy level (grade IV) among all gliomas. Although there has been steady progress in their treatment due to improvements in neuroimaging, microsurgery, diverse treatment options such as temozolomide, and radiation, glioblastomas remain incurable (Macdonald, 2001; Burton and Prados, 2000; Prados and Levin, 2000). The lethal rate of this brain tumor is very high: the average life expectancy is 9 to 12 months after first diagnosis. The 5-year survival rate from 1986 to 1990 was 8.0%. To date, the five-year survival rate following aggressive therapy including gross tumor resection is still less than 10% (Burton and Prados, 2000; Nieder et al., 2000; Napolitano et al., 1999; Dazzi et al., 2000). Accordingly, there is a strong medical need for an alternative and effective therapeutic method.
Tumor cells of glioblastomas are the most undifferentiated ones among brain tumors, so the tumor cells have high potential of migration and proliferation and are highly invasive, leading to very poor prognosis. Glioblastomas lead to death due to rapid, aggressive, and infiltrative growth in the brain. The infiltrative growth pattern is responsible for the unresectable nature of these tumors. Glioblastomas are also relatively resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, and, therefore, post-treatment recurrence rates are high. In addition, the immune response to the neoplastic cells is rather ineffective in completely eradicating all neoplastic cells following resection and radiation therapy (Roth and Weller, 1999; Dix et al., 1999; Sablotzki et al., 2000).
Glioblastoma is classified into primary glioblastoma (de novo) and secondary glioblastoma, depending on differences in the gene mechanism during malignant transformation of undifferentiated astrocytes or glial precursor cells. Secondary glioblastoma occurs in a younger population of up to 45 years of age. During 4 to 5 years on average, secondary glioblastoma develops from lower-grade astrocytoma through undifferentiated astrocytoma. In contrast, primary glioblastoma predominantly occurs in an older population with a mean age of 55 years. Generally, primary glioblastoma occurs as fulminant glioblastoma characterized by tumor progression within 3 months from the state with no clinical or pathological abnormalities (Pathology and Genetics of the Nervous Systems. 29-39 (IARC Press, Lyon, France, 2000)).
Glioblastoma migrates along myelinated nerves and spreads widely in the central nervous system. In most cases surgical treatment shows only limited sustainable therapeutic effect (Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) 34, 91-94, 1994; Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) 33, 425-458, 1993; Neuropathology 17, 186-188, 1997) (Macdonald, 2001; Prados and Levin, 2000).
Malignant glioma cells evade detection by the host's immune system by producing immunosuppressive agents that impair T cell proliferation and production of the immune-stimulating cytokine IL-2 (Dix et al., 1999).
Intracranial neoplasms can arise from any of the structures or cell types present in the CNS, including the brain, meninges, pituitary gland, skull, and even residual embryonic tissue. The overall annual incidence of primary brain tumors in the United States is 14 cases per 100,000. The most common primary brain tumors are meningiomas, representing 27% of all primary brain tumors, and glioblastomas, representing 23% of all primary brain tumors (whereas glioblastomas account for 40% of malignant brain tumor in adults). Many of these tumors are aggressive and of high grade. Primary brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and the second most frequent cause of cancer death after leukemia in children.
The search for effective treatment of glioblastomas in patients is still ongoing today. Immunotherapy, or treatment via recruitment of the immune system, to fight these neoplastic cells has been investigated. First encouraging results were obtained in immuno-therapeutic studies in humans, in which antigen-specific CTL responses could be induced leading to prolonged median survival times compared to that obtained applying standard treatment accompanied by minimal toxicity (Heimberger et al., 2006).
There thus remains a need for a new efficacious and safe treatment option for brain tumors and to enhance the well-being of the patients without using chemotherapeutic agents or other agents that may lead to severe side effects. The present invention fulfils this need.

Immunotherapeutic peptides against neuronal and brain tumors and related methods and compositions


Described is an improved approach to implement fast detection of node death. Instead of just relying on multiple heart beats to fail in order to determine whether a node is dead, the present approach performs an on demand validation using RDMA to determine whether the node is reachable, where the approach of using RDMA is significantly faster than the heartbeat approach.

There are many types of distributed systems where proper operation of the system is premised on the ability of the nodes in the system to be able to communicate with one another. As just one example, a database clustering system allows the underlying servers within the computing infrastructure to communicate with each other so that they appear to function as a collective unit. Although the servers may be configured as standalone servers, each server has additional processes that communicate with other servers and where the different servers may access a shared/common set of database storage objects. The clustered database system therefore contains a shared architecture in which multiple running instances can each be used to manage a set of shared physical data files. Each of the database instances resides on a separate host and forms its own set of background processes and memory buffers, but in which the cluster infrastructure allows access to a single shared database via multiple database instances. In this way, the separate servers (e.g., nodes) appear as if they are one system to applications and end users.
In order for the database cluster to operate properly, these servers (e.g., nodes) will need to be able to communicate with one another in order to perform work. The database cluster as a whole cannot work properly if there is a breakdown of communications between the nodes. For example, many aspects of cluster interactions (e.g., lock management, cluster management, and status updates) cannot function properly if one or more nodes in the cluster are unable to communicate with the other nodes.
One conventional approach that can be taken to identify communication breakdowns between nodes in a distributed system is the use of network heartbeat processing. This approach is usually driven by a first node that, when sending a communication to second node, will identify when it does not receive a responsive communication or acknowledgement back from that second node. The conventional approach operates by having the first node start a timer when it sends the communication to the second node. If the first node does not receive the responsive communication/acknowledgement back within a timeout period, then the first node can make a determination that the second node is potentially a dead node. After determining that the second node is having problems and/or is a dead node, the first node can then take action to address the communications issues with the problematic node. For example in a clustered system, one type of resolution that can be taken is to initiate an eviction proceeding to evict the second node from the cluster.
However, the system really needs to be sure that a given node has a problem before taking an action such as eviction, since the eviction process is fairly expensive due to the requirement to move data and processing between nodes and to initiate a possible restart, and therefore it is desirable to avoid any unnecessary or premature evictions. Therefore, the timeout period is usually set to a very long time period to conservatively determine when a node should be identified as a problematic node. Since the timeout period is set to a fairly lengthy period of time to avoid premature evictions, this means that the first node may need to undergo a lengthy wait time period before it can even confirm the existence of the problem, much less take actions to address the problem. A node that is inaccessible to the rest of the cluster will end up causing brownout by being unable to complete its requests. Clients connected to other nodes will be unable to complete their work because a lot of cluster compute workload is consensus based. The inability of the inaccessible node to partake in the consensus protocol until the node is determined to be unavailable and removed from the cluster will cause a delay to the processing on the remaining cluster nodes. This could result in severe latencies and delay periods, where database operations are blocked at a given node for that entire period of time. The delay in processing the database operations could create significant real-world problems for the organization/enterprise that uses the database as a result of the latency.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved approach to identify problematic nodes which addresses the issues identified above.


A powering circuit of an AC-DC converter, for converting a high AC input voltage into a low DC output voltage to provide a load voltage in a stable DC bias range, includes a rectifier, a sensing circuit, a control switching circuit, and a voltage regulating capacitor. The rectifier has a primary side coupled to an AC power supply and a secondary side for outputting a DC power supply. The sensing circuit compares the AC input voltage with a preset reference voltage, and turns on a second switch in the control switching circuit when the AC input voltage is lower than the reference voltage, thereby providing a low DC output voltage. The control switching circuit sustains the DC output voltage in a stable DC bias range. Therefore, in addition to reducing the power consumption of the second switch, this circuit structure is simple and can achieve the purpose of circuit integration.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a powering circuit of an AC-DC converter, and in particular, to a powering circuit of an AC-DC converter that turns on a switch only when an AC input voltage is lower than a preset reference voltage and sustaining a DC output voltage in a stable DC bias range.
2. Related Art
A conventional AC-DC converter adopts an isolated voltage divider design. In this design, after an AC power supply is coupled to a rectifier, an external transformer converts a high AC power supply into a low-voltage DC power supply for a low-voltage DC power supply device. However, the external transformer has a large volume, which goes against the demands for miniaturization. Then, linear regulators such as low dropout voltage regulator (LDO) are provided to solve the above problem, but the power consumption of switches of the LDO may easily cause unsatisfactory conversion efficiency.
Accordingly, the decrease of the power consumption and the improvement of the conversion efficiency have become major topics in the current miniaturized AC-DC power supply system. An AC-DC converter circuit without the use of a transformer capable of outputting a stable constant current, US Patent Publication No. 2002/0044471, has been put forward by the applicant of the present invention. This AC-DC converter circuit is applicable to a load device such as a light-emitting element (for example, an LED) in need of a stable current supply. According to the technical means, a current switching circuit is used to limit a load current within a stable range. A control circuit is used to determine the on/off state of the current switching circuit according to the potential difference between the output and input of the control circuit. When the potential difference is lower than a preset value, the control circuit switches on the load current, and when the potential difference is higher than a preset value, the control circuit switches off the load current, thereby achieving the effect of limiting the load current.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,391 B1 has also disclosed an AC-DC converter circuit without the use of a transformer. A control circuit functioning similarly to a linear regulator is employed to limit the output voltage of a DC power supply. The control circuit has a sensing circuit for detecting an input voltage Vin of an AC power supply, and controls the on/off state of a switch according to the value of the input voltage Vin. The sensing circuit is comprised of two voltage divider resistors connected in series and a zener diode connected in series to the voltage divider resistor. However, such circuit design is obviously complex.


A data transmission apparatus in a communication system includes a verification unit configured to verify a new frequency band for transmitting and receiving data to and from a plurality of terminals; a generation unit configured to generate a frame in the new frequency band; and a transmission unit configured to transmit data through the new frequency band by using the frame, wherein the frame includes data fields in which data corresponding to the terminals are included, and control fields in which control information for receiving the data included in the data field in the terminals is included, and wherein the control fields include a VHT-STF (very high throughput short training field), a VHT-SIG (very high throughput signal field) A1, a VHT-SIG A2, a plurality of VHT-LTFs (very high throughput long training fields), and a VHT-SIG B.

1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a communication system, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for transmitting and receiving data in a communication system, in which a frame is effectively configured in consideration of wireless transmission in a new frequency band and data are transmitted and received through the configured frame.
2. Description of Related Art
In a current communication system, research for providing various qualities of service (hereinafter, referred to as 'QoS') to users at a high transmission rate has been actively conducted. In a wireless local area network (hereinafter, referred to as 'WLAN') system as an example of such a communication system, research for methods for stably transmitting large data at a high speed through limited resources has been actively conducted. In particular, in a communication system, research for data transmission through wireless channels has been conducted. Recently, methods for the WLAN system to normally transmit and receive large data by effectively using limited wireless channels have been suggested.
Meanwhile, in a current communication system, in order to efficiently transmit larger capacity data, research for a new frequency band different from a frequency band used for data transmission and reception in an existing communication system has been conducted. In particular, research for data transmission and reception in such a new frequency band has been conducted.
However, in the current communication system, no concrete method for transmitting and receiving data in a new frequency band different from an existing frequency band has been suggested. In particular, no concrete method for a frame for transmitting and receiving data in a new frequency band has been suggested.
As a consequence, in order to stably transmit and receive data at a high speed through a new frequency band in a communication system, for example, a WLAN system, methods for configuring a frame in a new frequency band and normally transmitting and receiving data through the frame configured in this way are demanded in the art.

Apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving data in communication system

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


An ultratrace detector system for hand-held gas chromatography having high sensitivity, for example, to emissions generated during production of weapons, biological compounds, drugs, etc. The detector system is insensitive to water, air, helium, argon, oxygen, and C0.sub.2. The detector system is basically composed of a hand-held capillary gas chromatography (GC), an insulated heated redox-chamber, a detection chamber, and a vapor trap. For example, the detector system may use gas phase redox reactions and spectral absorption of mercury vapor. The gas chromatograph initially separates compounds that percolate through a bed of heated mercuric oxide (HgO) in a silica--or other metal--aerogel material which acts as an insulator. Compounds easily oxidized by HgO liberate atomic mercury that subsequently pass through a detection chamber which includes a detector cell, such as quartz, that is illuminated with a 254 nm ultra-violet (UV) mercury discharge lamp which generates the exact mercury absorption bands that are used to detect the liberated mercury atoms. Atomic mercury strongly absorbs 254 nm energy is therefore a specific signal for reducing compounds eluting from the capillary GC, whereafter the atomic mercury is trapped for example, in a silicon-aerogel trap.

The present invention relates to detector systems, particularly to the detection of extremely low concentrations of emissions or airborne compounds, and more particularly to an ultra sensitive detector for hand-held gas chromatographic analyses of various gases or compounds while being insensitive to other materials.
Emissions generated during manufacturing operations, such as the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction, are generally at extremely low concentrations downwind of any manufacturing facility. In order to support field collections and analysis of such target species in a complex matrix, very sensitive and highly specific analytical tools are required.
Recently, a hand-held (portable) gas chromatographic oven and pancake capillary gas chromatographic column has been developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for fast gas chromatographic analysis of industrial gases. However, in order to support field collections and analyses using implace sensors, a new type detector for use in conjunction with gas chromatography, which is both highly specific and extremely sensitive, is needed.
The present invention provides such a ultra-sensitive detector for hand-held gas chromatographic analyses of high explosives (HE), chemical weapons (CW), CW-precursor and CW-hydrolysis compounds, hydrogen (tritium), and other organic compounds, in particular biochemicals biological weapons (BW), signature, for example, while being insensitive to H.sub.2 O, N.sub.2, He, Ar, O.sub.2, CO.sub.2, and saturated hydrocarbon gases. The key detector of this invention utilizes gas phase redox reactions and spectral absorption of atomic mercury (Hg). Compounds easily oxided by mercuric oxide (HgO) with liberate atomic mercury that subsequently passes through a quartz cell, illuminated with 254 nm ultra-violet (UV) light. Utilizing mercury as the indicator species, this detector is exquisitely sensitive (low femtograms) to target compounds of interest.

Ultratrace detector for hand-held gas chromatography


The base station apparatus according to the present invention places pilot data and transmission power control data independently of each other in a slot based on processing delays and propagation delays required for transmission power control and places slots by providing an offset for the slot locational relationship between the uplink and downlink.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to base station apparatuses carrying out transmission power control in CDMA communications and their transmission power control methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
A CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system is one of the multiple access system technologies used in radio communication systems using mobile telephones and portable telephones, etc. when a plurality of stations carry out communications simultaneously on a same frequency band.
The CDMA system implements multiple accesses by spread spectrum communications in which information signals are transmitted with their spectrum spread over a sufficiently wide band relative to the original information bandwidth. In the CDMA system, there are several ways to implement the spread spectrum system above. Among them, a direct sequence system is a system in which a spreading code which has a faster transmission rate than the transmission rate of an information signal is directly carried on the information signal at the time of spreading. In this case, signals from a plurality of mobile stations are multiplexed on a same frequency area and same time zone.
The CDMA system using direct sequence has a so-called xe2x80x9cnear-farxe2x80x9d problem. This xe2x80x9cnear-farxe2x80x9d problem occurs when a desired transmitting station is located far and another undesired transmitting station (interfering station) is near, which causes the reception power of a received signal from the interfering station to be greater than that from the desired transmitting station, preventing the stations using only processing gain (spreading gain) from suppressing correlation between spreading codes, which disables communications. For a cellular system using the direct sequence CDMA system, it is therefore indispensable to control transmission power according to the state of each channel condition on the uplink from a mobile station to a base station.
Furthermore, as a countermeasure for fading which is the cause of degradation of the BER(Bit Error Rate) in terrestrial mobile communications, a method for compensating variations of instantaneous values of reception power by controlling transmission power is proposed.
The operation of closed-loop transmission power control processing is explained using a conventional slot configuration. FIG. 1 shows a slot configuration on a time scale when carrying out conventional transmission power control.
Signals consisting of pilot data 1, transmission power control data (TPC) 2 and transmission data 3 which are time-multiplexed in slot units are transmitted from a base station. Pilot data 1 is a signal with a fixed information pattern and is used by a mobile station to estimate channel conditions for demodulation and measure SIR (signal to interference ratio) and transmission power control data 2 is used as a transmission power control command.
Signals on the uplink from a mobile station to a base station as well as signals on the downlink from a base station to a mobile station are transmitted as slot cycle signals and a 1/2 slot timing offset (TShift) is added to the downlink to minimize a transmission power control delay.
First, transmission power control performed on the downlink is explained. A signal sent from a base station is received by a mobile station with a propagation delay of TDelay (corresponding to the distance from the base station to the mobile station). The mobile station measures reception SIR according to pilot data 4 at the start of a slot. Then, the mobile station compares this SIR measurement result with a given reference SIR and if the reception SIR is lower, generates a transmission power control bit which instructs the base station to increase transmission power, and if the reception SIR is higher, generates a transmission power control bit as a command to instruct the base station to lower transmission power. This transmission power control bit is embedded as transmission power control data 5 on the uplink and transmitted.
A signal sent from the mobile station is received by the base station with a delay of TDelay. The base station detects transmission power control data 6 and determines the transmission power value on the downlink from the result and reflects it in the transmission power at the start of the next downlink slot.
Then, the operation of transmission power control performed on the uplink is explained.
A signal sent from the mobile station is received by the base station with a delay of TDelay. The base station measures SIR according to pilot data 7 at the start of a slot and compares the reception SIR and a reference SIR as in the case of the mobile station, generates a transmission power control bit which is a command to instruct whether to increase/decrease transmission power and embeds it in transmission power control data 8 on the downlink and transmits it.
A signal sent from the base station is received by the mobile station with a delay of TDelay. The mobile station detects transmission power control data 9 and determines the transmission power value on the uplink from the result and reflects it in the transmission power at the start of the next uplink slot.
Since the uplink slot has a timing offset of 1/2 slot with respect to the downlink slot, transmission power control is carried out with one time slot control delay (the result of control 1 slot before is reflected) for both the downlink and uplink.
Then, a case where the transmission rate is lowered is explained with reference to FIG. 2. When the transmission rate is lowered, the absolute time of 1 bit (or symbol) becomes longer, which increases the ratios of pilot data length and transmission power control bit length to the slot length.
In this case, as the case above, signals 11 to 13 sent from the base station are received by the mobile station with a propagation delay of TDelay (corresponding to the distance from the base station to the mobile station) and the mobile station measures the reception SIR from pilot data 14 at the start of a slot. The mobile station compares this SIR measurement result with a reference SIR and embeds the result as transmission power control data 15 on the uplink and transmits it.
A signal sent from the mobile station is received by the base station with a delay of TDelay. The base station detects transmission power control data 16 and determines the transmission power value of the downlink from the result and reflects it in the transmission power at the start of the next downlink slot.
A signal sent from the mobile station on the uplink is received by the base station with a delay of TDelay. The base station measures SIR according to pilot data 17 at the start of a slot and compares the reception SIR with a reference SIR as in the case of the mobile station, generates a transmission power control bit which is a command to instruct whether to increase/decrease transmission power and embeds it in transmission power control data 18 on the downlink and transmits it.
A signal sent from the base station is received by the mobile station with a delay of TDelay. The mobile station detects transmission power control data 19 and determines the transmission power value on the uplink from the result and reflects it in the transmission power at the start of the next downlink slot.
With low rate transmissions in the conventional apparatus, however, the ratios of the pilot data length and transmission power control bit length to the slot length may increase, causing a transmission power control delay due to a closed loop to increase. When a transmission power control delay increases, transmission power control is not reflected in the next slot, disabling appropriate transmission power control according to changes in a communication environment.
It also has a problem that minimizing a control delay would lead to a reduction of the SIR measurement time used for transmission power control, making it impossible to achieve the sufficient measurement accuracy.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a base station apparatus and transmission power control method capable of minimizing control delays in closed-loop transmission power control and suppressing deterioration of the measuring accuracy due to reduced SIR measurement time.
The inventor came to come up with the present invention by discovering by focusing on a data slot configuration that adequately changing the arrangement of a slot configuration could prevent transmission power control from failing to catch the next slot when pilot data and transmission power control data are relatively long.
In this case, the arrangement of the slot configuration is performed by taking into account a propagation delay from a base station to a mobile station, the pilot data length for measuring the quality of the received signal, and time factors that could possibly cause control delays including the processing time after the mobile station has received the last part of the pilot data until it measures the quality of the received signal and embeds transmission power control data, a propagation delay from the mobile station to the base station, and the processing time after the base station has received the transmission power control data until it detects the transmission power control data and changes the power, etc.

Radio communication apparatus and radio communication method

Matshushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An anti-theft device for vehicles has a member which is mountable above the upper surface of the seat portion of the driver's seat so that an unauthorized person cannot sit in the driver's seat when the device is mounted in the vehicle.

The present invention relates to an anti-theft device for vehicles.
Anti-theft devices for vehicles are known in many modifications. One of the most well-known devices is a device which is mountable on a steering wheel so that a thief cannot turn the steering wheel. Other devices are known as well, which are based on different principles. It is believed that it is advisable to provide a further anti-theft device which efficiently prevents stealing of a vehicle.


A novel protein associated with multidrug resistance in living cells and capable of conferring multidrug resistance on a cell is disclosed. Nucleic acids encoding the novel multidrug resistance protein are also disclosed. Transformant cell lines which express the nucleic acid encoding the novel protein are also disclosed. Antibodies which bind the novel multidrug resistance protein are also disclosed. Diagnostic and treatment methods using the novel proteins, nucleic acids, antibodies and cell lines of the invention are also encompassed by the invention.

It is well known that many types of cancer regress initially in response to currently available drugs. However, if the disease should recur, as it does with variable frequency, it is often refractory to further treatment with either the agent originally used for treatment or agents to which the patient has not been previously exposed. Currently there is little that can be done for patients whose tumors display this form of multidrug resistance.
One mechanism by which cancer cells can simultaneously develop resistance to an array of structurally diverse drugs has been elucidated over the last 15 years with the characterization of P-glycoprotein.
P-glycoprotein is a member of a superfamily of membrane proteins that serve to transport a variety of molecules, ranging from ions to proteins, across cell membranes. This superfamily is known as the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of membrane transport proteins. For a review see C. F. Higgins, Ann Rev. Cell Biol. 8, 67 (1992). For example, in addition to P-glycoprotein which transports chemotherapeutic drugs, this family includes the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, which controls chloride ion fluxes, as well as insect proteins that mediate resistance to antimalarial drugs P-glycoprotein is believed to confer resistance to multiple anticancer drugs by acting as an energy dependent efflux pump that limits the intracellular accumulation of a wide range of cytotoxic agents and other xenobiotics. Compounds that are excluded from mammalian cells by P-glycoprotein are frequently natural product-type drugs but other large heterocyclic molecules are also "substrates" for this efflux pump.
The discovery of P-glycoprotein and its occurrence in a variety of tumor types has stimulated the search for compounds that are capable of blocking its function and consequently, of reversing resistance. These investigations have resulted in identification of a large number of so-called chemosensitizers or reversing agents. Some of these compounds act by inhibiting the pumping action of P-glycoprotein while the mechanism of action of others is still undetermined. A select group of these agents are currently under intensive clinical investigation and they show considerable promise as adjuncts to conventional chemotherapy. Chemosensitizers which can reverse P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance include verapamil and cyclosporin A.
Unfortunately, overexpression of P-glycoprotein does not explain the high frequency of multidrug resistance in some of the more prevalent forms of cancer, such as lung cancer. In the Western world, lung cancer accounts for approximately 30% of total cancer deaths. There are four major histological categories of lung tumors: epidermoid or squamous cell adenocarcinomas, large cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and small cell carcinomas. The first three categories, known collectively as non-small cell lung cancers, differ from the last in their initial response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Non-small cell lung cancers are relatively resistant to both forms of treatment from the outset. In contrast, small cell lung cancer, which accounts for 20% of all lung tumors, exhibits a high initial response rate (80-90% in limited disease) to chemotherapy. However, almost all patients relapse with a multidrug resistant form of the disease and two year survival rates are less than 10%. Although the drug resistance profile displayed in relapsed small cell lung cancer patients is similar to that conferred by P-glycoprotein, P-glycoprotein appears not to be involved. In addition, limited studies in cell culture and in patients indicate that multidrug resistance in small cell lung cancer does not respond to chemosensitizers, such as verapamil and cyclosporin A, that show promise with other types of drug resistant tumors.
Survival rates in lung cancer have not improved significantly in forty years and, because of its common occurrence, there is clearly a great need for improved therapy for this disease.

Methods for conferring multidrug resistance on a cell


To provide an exhaust structure for a small watercraft that can cool exhaust gas, reduce the size and weight, and thereby cost of a backflow prevention chamber. An exhaust structure for a small watercraft is configured to be able to cool exhaust gas in the course of leading it to the outside when the exhaust gas of an engine is led to the outside for discharge. This exhaust structure includes a water muffler containing water therein. A backflow prevention chamber is disposed above the water muffler and adapted to prevent water from entering the side of the engine from the side of the water muffler. The backflow prevention chamber is provided with a cooling water injecting portion adapted to spray cooling water to the exhaust gas in an internal space. An outlet is formed in the bottom portion of the backflow prevention chamber to communicate with the water muffler.

One exhaust structure for a small watercraft is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-176719. This exhaust structure includes an exhaust system for discharging the exhaust gas of an engine to the outside. A water muffler is provided in the middle of the exhaust system. An exhaust body (backflow prevention chamber) adapted to prevent water from entering toward the engine from the water muffler is disposed above the water muffler. In addition, a water jacket is provided in the circumferential wall of the backflow prevention chamber.
When causing exhaust gas from the engine to flow in the exhaust system and discharge it to the outside, such an exhaust structure for a small watercraft can cool the exhaust gas in the backflow prevention chamber by allowing cooling water to flow in the water jacket.
However, the exhaust structure of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-176719 is provided with the water jacket serving as a cooling water passage, in the circumferential wall of the backflow prevention chamber. It is necessary, therefore, to relatively increase the thickness of the circumferential wall of the backflow prevention chamber. This hinders the downsizing and weight saving of the backflow prevention chamber. In addition, the provision of the water jacket in the circumferential wall of the backflow prevention chamber complicates the shape of the chamber, which hinders the decrease in the cost of the chamber.


An approach for providing non-commutative approaches to signal processing. Quaternions are used to represent multi-dimensional data (e.g., three- and four-dimensional data). Additionally, a linear predictive coding scheme (e.g., based on the Levinson algorithm) that can be applied to wide class of signals in which the autocorrelation matrices are not invertible and in which the underlying arithmetic is not commutative. That is, the linear predictive coding scheme multi-channel can handle singular autocorrelations, both in the commutative and non-commutative cases. This approach also utilizes random path modules to replace the statistical basis of linear prediction.

Signals can represent information from any source that generates data, relating to electromagnetic energy to stock prices. Analysis of these signals is the focus of signal processing theory and practice. Linear prediction is an important signal processing technique that provides a number of capabilities: (1) prediction of the future of a signal from its past; (2) extraction of important features of a signal; and (3) compression of signals. The economic value of linear prediction is incalculable as its prevalence in industry is enormous.
It is observed that many important signals are "multi-channel" in that the signals are gathered from many independent sources; e.g., time series. For example, multi-channel data stem from the process of searching for oil, which requires measuring the earth at many locations simultaneously. Also, measuring the motions of walking (i.e., gait) requires simultaneously capturing the positions of many joints. Further, in a video system, a video signal is a recording of the color of every pixel on the screen at the same moment; essentially each pixel is essentially a separate "channel" of information. Linear prediction can be applied to all of the above disparate applications.
Conventional linear prediction techniques have been inadequate in the treatment of multi-channel time series, particularly, when the dimensionality is in the order is above three. There are traditional approaches of linear prediction for multi-channel signals, but are not effective in addressing the technical difficulties that are caused by the interactions of the sources of data. In single source signals, such as like voice, these difficulties are not encountered. The conventional techniques assume that the autocorrelation matrix of the data is invertible or can be made invertible by simple methods, which is rarely valid for real multi-channel data.
Also, such traditional approaches do not use the structural information available through modeling multi-dimensional geometry in a more sophisticated manner than merely as arrays of numbers. In addition, these approaches fail to take into account the phenomenon of time warping, which, for example, is critical to successful modeling of biometric time series. Further, conventional linear prediction techniques are based on a statistical foundation for linear prediction, which is not well suited for motion, video and other types of multi-channel data.
Further, it is recognized that most real multi-channel data are highly correlated. Under the conventional approaches, the popular linear prediction algorithm, known as the Levinson algorithm, cannot be applied to highly correlated channels.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a framework for extending applicability of linear prediction techniques. Additionally, there is a need for an approach to predict/compress/encrypt multi-channel multi-dimensional time series, particularly series with high correlation.


The present invention provides novel purine-based fluorescent dyes that may be used for staining, localizing and otherwise labeling target molecules, such as nucleic acids, for detection, amplification and quantification.

Fluorescent dyes that exhibit an enhanced fluorescence upon binding to DNA or RNA molecules are a basic tool in molecular and cell biology. Majority of the existing dyes bind noncovalently to nucleic acids through a combination of hydrophobic interactions with the DNA base-pairs and ionic binding to the negatively charged phosphate backbone. The most useful dyes are preferably non-fluorescent in the absence of the nucleic acids. Upon binding to DNA or RNA, however, several-fold fluorescence enhancement is measured, thereby enabling the detection of small amounts of nucleic acids.
A variety of fluorescent dyes have been shown to be effective stains for nucleic acids. Examples of fluorescent DNA-binding dyes include ethidium bromide, SYBR Green and SYBR Gold, which are commonly used to stain DNA in agarose gels, Hoechst 33258 and propidium iodide useful in flow cytometry or cell-impermeant TOTO dyes frequently used as a convenient indicator of apoptosis. Selected properties of these dyes such as the brightness, spectral properties, resistance to photobleaching, affinity for either single or double stranded nucleic acids can be modified to some extend with changing the type and location of the substituents.
In order for a fluorescent dye to be a useful tool in molecular and cell biology, the dye has to meet several requirements. First, it should preferably have an excitation maximum between 300 and 900 nm, with a Stoke shift of at least 10 nm. The most preferable dyes have an excitation maximum between 500 and 900 nm. This spectroscopic range is both compatible with the existing detection instrumentation and removed from any other interfering biological molecules. Fluorescent dyes used in nucleic acid research should also have a high molar extinction coefficient, a high quantum yield, good photostability, and significantly increased fluorescence when bound to nucleic acids.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,198, a purine-based fluorescent dye was disclosed that selectively stained nucleic acids. The dye was reported to have a molar extinction coefficient of 60,000 M−1 cm−1, quantum yield of 0.4 and excitation maximum in the presence of nucleic acids around 460 nm with an emission maximum around 478 nm. Fluorescence enhancement of over 7,000-fold was measured upon binding of the dye to RNA.
Moreda and Forrester (Tetrahedron, 53, 12595, 1997 and Tetrahedron, 53, 12605, 1997) described a synthesis and characterization of a range of purine-based fluorescent dyes that were used as fluorescent dyes for DNA marking in the diagnosis of malaria parasites.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. c/o Enzo Biochem, Inc.


A core plate is provided including a plurality of stamped metal semi-trapezoidal members formed from a linear portion of planar stock material. Each member has teeth along a common edge and is connected to an adjoining member by an integral cord. The members are wound into a closed ring.

Friction packs in automotive vehicle transmissions typically have a combination of friction plates and separator plates. In many applications the friction plates are flat metal annular members (referred to as a core plate) covered over on both sides by friction facings. The separator plates are generally flat metal annular members with or without a friction facing. Most core plates for friction plates and separator plates are stamped from flat feedstock material. The stamping operation provides a high scrap rate for a relatively expensive steel material.


An internal combustion engine includes a crankcase with a plurality of piston-cylinder arrangements and a valve head positioned above the crankcase at least in part containing a valve train. The internal combustion engine further includes a head cover coupled to the valve head and having a blowby outlet and a baffle positioned between the head cover and the crankcase and defining an oil passage internal to the baffle. Engine oil circulates through the oil passage of the baffle to transfer heat to blowby gas flowing from one or more of the plurality of piston-cylinder arrangements before exiting the valve head through the blowby outlet in the head cover.

Internal combustion engines have a series of pistons reciprocating within associated combustion cylinders. These pistons are connected to a crankshaft to translate the reciprocating movement to a rotary output. Reciprocating internal combustion engines may have some degree of gases that pass by the pistons from the combustion chamber to the crankcase of the engine, with this gas typically referred to as "blowby gas." This blowby gas would buildup in the crankcase unless vented. While some engine designs may vent the blowby gases directly to the atmosphere, more recent engine designs include a crankcase ventilation system to vent the blowby gas out from the crankcase. The blowby gas may be treated before venting the gas to the atmosphere (an open crankcase design) or routing the gas back to a turbocharger compressor (a closed crankcase design), such as by routing the blowby gas through a filter assembly that separates oil particles from the blowby gas.

Internal combustion engine with internal oil heating of blowby gas


An assembled wire, having: an assembled conductor composed of a plurality of conductor strands each having a rectangular cross-section, stacked and arranged each other across an interlayer insulating layer; an insulating outer layer that coats the assembled conductor including the interlayer insulating layer; and an adhesion layer composed of a thermoplastic resin having a thickness of 3 μm or more and 10 μm or less between the assembled conductor and the insulating outer layer.

In general, the high-frequency rectangular wire is used for coils, and the like, of the AC motor and the high-frequency electrical equipment. This is also applied to motors for a high-speed railroad vehicle, in addition to motors for a hybrid vehicle (HV) and an electric vehicle (EV). Conventional rectangular wires are composed by stacking rectangular metallic bodies each having a rectangular shape of a cross-section and an insulating enamel coating or oxide coating formed on the outer periphery of the rectangular metallic body. Further, as rectangular wires without any enamel coating, there are known those which are composed by stacking rectangular metallic bodies each having a rectangular cross-section and having a bonding thermosetting resin coating or an oxide coating formed on the outer periphery thereof. For example, there is disclosed an assembled conductor having an adhesion layer of an insulating thermosetting resins interposed between conductors (for example, see Patent Literature 1). Further, there is disclosed a rectangular wire, which is composed by stacking rectangular metallic conductors having an oxide coating formed on the outer periphery of the conductor and by covering the stacked conductor bodies with an insulating layer (for example, see Patent Literature 2).

Assembled wire, method of producing the same, and electrical equipment using the same

ESSEX FURUKAWA MAGNET WIRE JAPAN CO., LTD.


An burn-in socket used for connecting an IC package includes an base urged upward by springs, an actuated device floatably assembled on said base, a frame retained on said base, a plurality of contacts received in said base. Said actuated device includes a plurality of sustaining shafts with a plurality of rollers ringed thereon. Said latching assembly includes a plurality of rotating shafts retained on said base and a plurality of latching members engaged with said rotating shafts and rotating between an open position and a locking position. The actuated member when urged upwardly causes to rollers to press on back side faces of the latching members to rotate them between an open position and a closed position with lowered abrasion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a burn-in socket having latching members actuated by a plurality of rollers facilitating efficiency and reducing mechanic loss.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a burn-in socket mounted for an IC package to various test, in which IC package is loaded into or loaded out frequently for connecting or disconnecting with terminals electrically therein, there has been a socket employing a plurality of latching members biased by a plurality of shafts for retaining the IC package tightly. The latching members are forced by the shafts to open and close in response to loading and retaining the IC package. Said shafts engage with said latching members and are mechanically forced to drive the latching members move. However, in the conventional socket, the shafts need to connect with each other moveably and have a relative motion therebetween, which usually brings out a heavy abrasion and a big loss in efficiency between the shafts. On the other hand, the shafts usually define a complicated structure therebetween and increase the difficulty in operation and assembly. In said conventional burn-in socket, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-123926, the socket includes a float cover, four latching members and a plurality of shafts engaged with each latching member. One of said shafts directly engages with said float cover and is pushed downwardly together with the float cover by an exterior operating force thereon, which drives the rest of the shafts shift together to push the latching members upwardly to an open position for loading and unloading an IC package. Furthermore, when the exterior operating force is released off from said float cover, the shafts restore back to an original position, which drives the latching member shift back to a locking position retaining the IC package tightly. In this process, it is understood that there has been a heavy abrasion and big loss in efficiency therebetween with a lower operating efficiency in such a complex structure.
So it is necessary to provide a new burn-in socket to solve the problems above.

Burn-in socket having roller-actuated latching members arrangement