A method for enhancing a microbial environment for a fuel cell can include the initial step of oxidizing the outer surface of the fuel cell anode to establishing reactive chemical functional groups. The anode surface can be oxidized by washing the anode with a solution of 4-carboxybenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate, followed by washing with acetone, methanol and water. Once the anode surface has been oxidized, the methods can include the step of binding a surface graft matrix to the reactive chemical functional groups (the activated carboxyl groups on the anode surface). EDAC and sulfo-NHS can be used as a surface graft matrix, to bind to the activated carboxyl groups. A biological substance, such as a biological agent or biomolecule, can be chemically attached to the outer terminal reactive groups of the surface graft matrix. The result is a microbial fuel cell with increased power generation and durability properties.

A fuel cell differs from a battery in that it is a thermodynamically open system where the fuel source reactant is continuously supplied from an external source. A microbial fuel cell uses the metabolic process of microbes (such as bacteria, for example) from the surrounding environment to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. More specifically, electrical charges are generated and expelled during the metabolic process of bacteria, which converts biological organic soil content, such as acetates, fatty acids, and aromatics, into by-products of carbon dioxide and positive hydrogen ions. Compared to traditional fuel cells, microbial fuel cells can be more flexible to operate and less expensive to construct.
For a microbial fuel cell to function more effectively, the generated charges must effectively transfer from the bacteria to the anode for the microbial fuel cell. Once this occurs, the charges can travel across and through the anode to either serve as an electric energy source to instantaneously power load electronics, or to charge storage devices such as batteries, capacitors, super capacitors and similar components. Energy (electrical charges, or electrons) that is not dissipated in the load electronics can continue to flow to the cathode, to chemically react with oxygen and positive ions and thereby create thermal energy and chemical by-products.
Graphite materials are predominantly used as fuel cell electrodes in sediment microbial fuel cells because they are inexpensive, electrically conductive, inert, and corrosion resistant. But the power performance of fuel cells comprised of these materials can be hindered because of a graphite system's inability to operate effectively in diverse operation conditions where pH, temperature, salinity, availability of organic matter, and buildup of oxidation products are issues. For this reason, other carbon-based materials such as nanotubes, rods, fibers, whiskers, sponges, fabric, expandable graphite, carbon black, graphene, and fullerenes are often used as material components for fuel cell electrodes in addition to graphite. Electrodes containing one or more of these types of carbon-based materials can show improved electrical conductivity, structural stability, and thermal stability when formulated and processed in an optimized manner when compared to electrodes that are made of pure graphite. These improved material properties can persist even after prolonged exposure to harsh and extreme operating conditions.
Studies in the prior art have also shown that in addition to durability, fuel cell performance can be enhanced by modifying the electrode material formulation. Sediment microbial fuel cells that are deployed in sandy and marine environments have been observed to provide power densities of 1.4-70 milliWatts per square meter (mW/m2), which can be enough energy to operate low-powered sensors and devices. The prior art further discloses that anaerobic bacteria can drive the energy production process of sediment microbial fuel cells by metabolizing biological organic matter from the surrounding environment. Sediment microbial fuel cell anodes have been created from carbon cloth pouches filled with chitin or cellulose, which are insoluble biological compounds. The presence of biomolecules such as chitin or cellulose increased the maximum power density of the sediment fuel cells to 176-272 mW/m2. The power density was also observed to increase as the particle size of chitin decreased. An increase in fuel cell operation time (up to 33 days) was also observed with the presence of chitin and cellulose. Thus, the prior art indicates that the presence of chitin and cellulose introduced an insoluble natural food source that quickly attracted anaerobic bacteria to the sediment fuel cell system, which is needed to drive and sustain the energy production process. As a result, the power performance of carbon-based sediment microbial fuel cells can be further enhanced with the presence of biological compounds.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a microbial fuel cell and methods for manufacture that provide a surface graft matrix that binds biologics (biomolecules and biological agents) to the electrode of a microbial fuel cell. Another object of the present invention is to provide a microbial fuel cell and methods for manufacture that provides an enhanced microbial environment for attracting anaerobic bacteria to metabolize biomolecules. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a microbial fuel cell and methods for manufacture, which integrates a surface graft matrix that binds biological agents to the fuel cell to yield increased power output relative to similar-sized fuel cells. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a microbial fuel cell and methods for manufacture that maintains consistent power generation capacity, even in austere undersea environments. Another object of the present invention is to provide a microbial fuel cell and methods for manufacture that can be easily manufactured in a cost-effective manner.

Grafting of biomolecules onto microbial fuel cells

The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy


Various embodiments herein include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures to create collaboration enabled client applications. In some embodiments, web services are provided on one or more servers that may be called by processes within client applications to facilitate collaboration within a workspace, such as directly within a computer application. Some such web services are application and data agnostic meaning that such web services are not aware of or do not care where application collaboration service calls come from, what their destination application is, or what data is being communicated. These web services, in some such embodiments, just must be properly called by an authorized user.

Use of network hosted conferencing, such as over the Internet, has grown considerably in recent years. There are many products on the market that allow a presenter to share views and audio over a central server with many conference participants. Some of these products may also be used in a collaborative environment, such as between members of a development team. In such instances, control of a computer or computer application on one computer may be shared over a network with other users. Such products offer such functionally in a very similar manner through a server that requires a standalone client software application on each computer of each participant. Such client software is tightly coupled to a server that receives data from one client and distributes the data other participating clients. The client software is typically created and distributed by the same developer of the server software to prevent compatibility and security issues between the client and server software.

Application and data agnostic collaboration services


Disclosed are violet, blue, and green phosphors having excellent durability and high luminance. Specifically disclosed is a phosphor which contains a metal element M (M is at least one element selected from among Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Tm and Yb) for constituting a metal ion, which is solid-solubilized in an AlON crystal, an AlON solid solution crystal or an inorganic crystal having the same crystal structure as AlON. The phosphor is capable of emitting fluorescence having a peak in the wavelength range from 300 nm to 700 nm. Also disclosed is a method for producing such a phosphor. Further disclosed are an illuminating device and an image display each containing such a phosphor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phosphor comprising, as a host crystal, an AlON (oxynitride aluminum) crystal, an AlON solid solution crystal, or an inorganic crystal having the same crystal structure as AlON; a manufacturing method thereof; and an application thereof. More specifically, the application relates to a lighting device and an emission apparatus of an image display device utilizing features of the phosphor, that is, property of emitting light having a peak in a wavelength range of 300 nm or longer and 700 nm and shorter.
2. Description of Related Art
The phosphor is utilized in a fluorescent display tube (VFD: vacuum-fluorescent display), a field emission display (FED: Field Emission Display) or SED (Surface-Conduction Electron-Emitter Display), a plasma display panel (PDP: Plasma Display Panel), a cathode-ray tube (CRT: Cathode-Ray Tube), a white light-emitting diode (LED: Light-Emitting Diode), and so on. In any of these applications, it is necessary to provide the phosphor with energy to excite the phosphor in order to make the phosphor emit the fluorescence and the phosphor is excited by an excitation source with high energy such as vacuum ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet rays, an electron beam, or blue light so as to emit visible light rays. However, as a result of the phosphor being exposed to such excitation source, the luminance of the phosphor tends to decrease. Therefore, a phosphor having little degradation in the brightness is desired. Therefore, it has been proposed not to uses an conventional phosphor such as silicate phosphor, phosphate phosphor, aluminate phosphor, or sulfide phosphor but instead to use a phosphor having an inorganic crystal as a host containing nitrogen in the crystal structure such as a sialon phosphor, an oxynitride phosphor, or a nitride phosphor as a phosphor having little degradation in brightness.
As an example of these sialon phosphors is one manufactured by the following manufacturing process as generally described below. First, silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminum nitride (AlN), and Europium oxide (Eu2O3) are mixed in predetermined molar ratios and the resultant mixture is fired by a hot press method in one atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa) of nitrogen atmosphere at 1700° C. for one hour (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). It was reported that α-sialon activated with Eu ion (Eu2+) manufactured by the above process became a phosphor that emitted yellow light of wavelength range of 550 nm to 600 nm if excited by blue light having a wavelength range of 450 to 500 nm. A phosphor in which a rare-earth element is added to β-type sialon is also known (refer to Patent Document 2) and it is shown that phosphors activated by Tb, Yb, and Ag are ones which emit green light of 525 nm to 545 nm. It is also known that β-type sialon activated by Eu2+ becomes a phosphor of green color (refer to Patent Document 3).
As an example of the oxynitride phosphor, a blue phosphor activated by Ce having a host crystal of JEM phase (LaAl(Si6-zAlz)N10-zOz) (refer to Patent Document 4) and a blue phosphor activated by Ce having a host crystal of La3Si8N11O4 (refer to Patent Document 5) are known.
As an example of the nitride phosphor, a red phosphor activated by Eu2+ having a host crystal of CaAlSiN3 (refer to Patent Document 6) is known. Moreover, Nonpatent Document 1 reports that as a phosphor having AlN as a host, an orange or red phosphor having an emission peak from Eu ion (Eu3+) in the range of 580 nm to 640 nm was obtained as an amorphous ceramic thin film of phosphor activated by trivalent Eu ion (Eu3+) (i.e., AlN: Eu3+) by synthesis using a magnetron sputtering method at the room temperature. In Nonpatent Document 2, it is reported that a phosphor of amorphous AlN thin film activated by Tb3+ emits green light having a peak at 543 nm upon excitation by an electron beam. In Nonpatent Document 3, a phosphor of AlN thin film activated by Gd3+ is reported. However, these kinds of phosphors based on AlN are amorphous thin films which are not suitable for any application in a light or an image display device.
As a blue phosphor for application to an image display device (VFD, FED, SED, or CRT) using an electron beam as the excitation source, a phosphor having Y2SiO5 as a host crystal and including solid-solute Ce (Patent Document 7) and a phosphor of ZnS including a solid-solute emission ion such as Ag (Patent Document 8) are reported.
The present inventors proposed a phosphor having an AlN structure crystal as a host crystal and including divalent Eu ion (Eu2+) (i.e., AlN: Eu2+) in Patent Document 9 (not yet published). The phosphor can be obtained by firing a composite of AlN to which Si3N4 and Eu2O3 are added at a higher temperature than 1800° C. and shows a blue fluorescence derived from Eu2+ as divalent Eu ions (Eu2+) are stabilized by incorporating Si, Eu, and oxygen into the AlN crystal structure.    [Patent Document 1] Specification of Japanese Patent No. 3,668,770    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. S60-206889    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-255895    [Patent Document 4] WO 2005/019376    [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-112922    [Patent Document 6] WO 2005/052087    [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-55657    [Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-285363    [Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-234690    [Nonpatent Document 1] Meghan L. Caldwell, et al., "Visible Luminescent Activation of Amorphous AlN: Eu Thin-Film Phosphors with Oxygen", MRS Internet Journal Nitride Semiconductor Research, Vol. 6, Num. 13, P 1-8, 2001.    [Nonpatent Document 2] H. H. Richardson, et al., "Thin-film electroluminescent devices grown on plastic substrates using an amorphous AlN: Tb3+ phosphor," Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 80, No. 12, p. 2207-2209, 2002.    [Nonpatent Document 3] U. Vetter, et al., "Intense ultraviolet cathodoluminescence at 318 nm from Gd3+-doped AlN," Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 83, No. 11, P 2145-2147, 2003.    [Nonpatent Document 4] H. X. Willems et. al., "Neutron diffraction of γ-aluminium oxynitride", Journal of materials science letters, Vol. 12, p. 1470-1472, 1993.    [Nonpatent Document 5] ICSD No. 70032, ICSD (Inorganic crystal structure database) database (Fachinformationszentrum Karlsruhe, issued by Germany).

Phosphor, method for producing same, and light-emitting device

National Institute for Materials Science


A radio-frequency amplifier (50) has an impedance transformation network (66) with a control input (70) for controlling the transformation characteristic of the transformation network (66). The radio-frequency amplifier (50) amplifies an input signal to produce an amplified radio-frequency output signal to a load (68). The control circuit selects a power level for the output signal, in response to a control signal, by transforming the impedance of the load to a transformed impedance at the output of the radio-frequency amplifier, so that the efficiency of the radio-frequency amplifier is not substantially degraded as the power level for the output signal is changed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a circuit 10 represents a conventional RF power amplifier. The circuit 10 includes a field-effect transistor (FET) 14 coupled to the supply voltage V.sub.s through an RF choke 12. The FET 14 receives an RF drive at its gate 15, thus performing as an RF periodic current sink or switch. A capacitor 16 is disposed between a node 13 and a node 18 for DC blocking purposes. A bandpass filter 19, comprising an inductor 20 and a capacitor 22 is disposed between the node 18 and the load resistance 26. A matching network 24 is disposed between the node 18 and the output 26 of the power amplifier 10, to transform the impedance of the load 28 to a desired output impedance (Z.sub.o) at node 18.
Ideal class C RF power amplifiers, or switch mode amplifiers (class D, E, or F) operate at an optimum output power (P.sub.o) determined by the power supply voltage (V.sub.s) and the operating load line (R.sub.L) by the equation: EQU P.sub.o =V.sub.s.sup.2 /2R.sub.L ( 1)
Thus, for a fixed voltage supply (as in portable radio amplifiers) output power is determined by the load line R.sub.L.
RF power amplifiers of conventional design typically suffer from a significant efficiency reduction when the output power level is adjusted to values below the peak design output power by varying the input drive to the power amplifier. This is true for all classes of amplifiers: A, B, C, E, and F. Maintaining efficiency with RF output power cutback is an important requirement for radios that are designed to save battery power as a result of reduced power operation. One known option for varying output power while maintaining efficiency is to adjust the voltage supply to the amplifier stage. However, this option is inconvenient since a high efficiency DC/DC converter is required in the case of a battery powered RF amplifier.

Radio frequency power amplifier having variable output power


A method of forming buried cavities in a wafer of monocrystalline semiconductor material with at least one cavity formed in a substrate of monocrystalline semiconductor material by timed TMAH etching silicon; covering the cavity with a material inhibiting epitaxial growth; and growing a monocrystalline epitaxial layer above the substrate and the cavities. Thereby, the cavity is completely surrounded by monocrystalline material. Starting from this wafer, it is possible to form a thin membrane. The original wafer must have a plurality of elongate cavities or channels, parallel and adjacent to one another. Trenches are then excavated in the epitaxial layer as far as the channels, and the dividers between the channels are removed by timed TMAH etching.

In many applications it is necessary to form cavities inside a monocrystalline silicon substrate, for example to obtain suspended masses of microactuators and/or sensors of various types, such as speed, acceleration and pressure sensors, or to isolate electronic components.
Buried cavities can be formed substantially in two ways. According to a first solution, shown in FIG. 1, two monocrystalline silicon wafers 1, suitably excavated and presenting each a half-cavity, are bonded to one another, using an adhesive layer (for example silicon oxide 2), so that the two half-cavities form a buried cavity 3.
According to a second solution, shown in FIG. 2, a monocrystalline silicon wafer 1, suitably excavated and comprising final cavities 4, is bonded to a glass layer 5 (anodic bonding process).
These solutions are costly, have a high criticality and low productivity, and are not fully compatible with the usual technological steps of microelectronics processing. In addition, the buried cavities or channels can be arranged only on a single plane, represented by line 7 in FIG. 3, and it is not possible to form cavities or channels at different heights, as shown in FIG. 4.

Method for forming horizontal buried channels or cavities in wafers of monocrystalline semiconductor material


A permanent magnet rotor arrangement that is particularly suitable for low-speed large-diameter electrical generators includes a rotor 2 having a radially outer rim 4. A circumferential array of magnet carriers 12 is non-releasably affixed to the outer rim 4 of the rotor and have a radially outer surface. An inverted U-shaped pole piece retainer 18 made of non-magnetic material such as stainless steel is affixed to each magnet carrier 12 and is formed with an axially extending channel. At least one pole piece 16 made of a magnetic material such as steel is located adjacent to the radially outer surface of each magnet carrier 12 and in the channel formed in its associated pole piece retainer 18.

EP 1309067 discloses a permanent magnet retaining arrangement that is suitable for high speed motors. The arrangement includes a rotor where a spaced array of pole pieces made of a laminated magnetic material are mechanically secured to the rim of the rotor by key members held by screws. A magnet is held in position between each pair of pole pieces by a slot wedge that is made of a non-magnetic material. The slot wedge includes grooves in its opposite edges for receiving projections formed on the adjacent pole pieces. An inverted U-shaped retainer is located in the space between the magnet and its associated slot wedge to enclose the magnet during high speed rotation of the rotor. The retainer is made of a non-magnetic material and has inner surfaces that conform to the rectangular periphery of the magnet, a radially outer surface that engages with the radially inner surface of the slot wedge and circumferential outer surfaces that conform to corresponding surfaces on the adjacent pole pieces. A circumferential outer wrap of fiber-reinforced polymer material surrounds the entire peripheral surface of the rotor structure.
This method of fixing is only really appropriate for rotors with pole pieces and magnets arranged so that the flux in the magnets passes predominantly in the circumferential direction. A disadvantage of this method is the need for high accuracy in the manufacture of the U-shaped retainers.

Rotor having an inverted U-shaped retainer and magnet carrier


A variable gain amplifier to convert an amplifier input voltage to an amplifier output voltage, the variable gain amplifier includes: a plurality of cascode amplifiers coupled in series; a plurality of switching transistor pair circuits coupled in series; and a bias circuit coupled to provide bias voltages to each of the plurality of cascode amplifiers; wherein each of the switching transistor pair circuits is further coupled between two consecutive ones of the cascode amplifiers; a first one of the cascode amplifiers is configured to receive the amplifier input voltage; and a last one of the cascode amplifiers is configured to provide the amplifier output voltage.

A variable gain amplifier (VGA) is an analog circuit that can be used in a front-end receiver in a communication device to amplify or attenuate received signals. For example, when strength of a radio frequency (RF) signal received by the receiver is relatively low, the variable gain amplifier may amplify the RF signal prior to the RF signal being down-converted to a lower frequency. Also, for example, when the strength of the received RF signal is relatively high, the variable gain amplifier may provide increased linearity to the RF signal by decreasing the gain.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional variable gain amplifier 100. The variable gain amplifier 100 includes a pair of differentially connected metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors M1 102 and M2 104. The MOS transistor M1 102 includes a gate terminal 106, a drain terminal 108, and a source terminal 110. The MOS transistor M2 104 includes a gate terminal 112, a drain terminal 114, and a source terminal 116. The gate terminal 106 of the MOS transistor M1 102 is coupled to a first input terminal 118 of the variable gain amplifier 100. The gate terminal 112 of the MOS transistor M2 104 is coupled to a second input terminal 120 of the variable gain amplifier 100. The drain terminal 108 of the MOS transistor M1 102 is coupled to a first resistor 122 with an adjustable resistance value and a first output terminal 124 of the variable gain amplifier 100. The drain terminal 114 of the MOS transistor M2 104 is coupled to a second resistor 126 with an adjustable resistance value and a second output terminal 128 of the variable gain amplifier 100. The source terminal 110 of the MOS transistor M1 102 and the source terminal 116 of the MOS transistor M2 104 are connected together to be driven from a constant current source Is 130. By adjusting the resistance values of the first and second resistors 122 and 126, the amplifier 100 may provide a variable gain to a first voltage Vin applied at the input terminals 118 and 120, and output a second voltage Vout at the output terminals 124 and 128.
Typically, distortion is a consideration in the design of the variable gain amplifier. It is desired that the variable gain amplifier has a wide linear input range. For example, when the receiver receives a signal on a desired frequency channel, it may also receive an interference signal on an adjacent frequency channel, which may have a detrimental effect on the signal received on the desired frequency channel. If the variable gain amplifier has a wide linear input range, the variable gain amplifier may provide increased linearity to the received signal by decreasing the gain. As a result, the variable gain amplifier with a wide linear input range may provide an increased signal-to-noise/interference ratio to its output signal.

Variable gain amplifier including series-coupled cascode amplifiers

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A hand-held extensor for assistance with walking and rehabilitations includes a foot stirrup assembly, which has a foot stirrup strap, and a foot support means, the foot support means further comprises a top surface and bottom surface. A lower strap is securely attached to the top of foot stirrup assembly, through an aperture formed within the foot stirrup strap, the lower strap having a foot stirrup assembly securement means securely mounted thereon, which functions to regulate movement of the foot stirrup assembly, the lower strap further having a length adjustment means securely mounted thereon. An upper strap is removably attached to a top distal edge of the lower strap, the upper strap having a handle securement means securely mounted thereon. A handle is securely connected to a top distal edge of the upper strap by a handle connection strap, the handle to be gripped by a user functioning to allow the user to pull upwardly on the handle to raise the foot stirrup assembly, providing the user assistance with walking and rehabilitation. Alternate embodiments of the invention include the use of a belt and/or shoulder harness to provide increased leverage for lifting the foot stirrup assembly, giving the user the ability to walk with minimal upper body strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a walking assistance device. More particularly, the present invention is a device to assist one who is physically disabled by motor paralysis or injured in walking or climbing steps. The device is essentially a hand-held handle grip or grips wherein at least one strap descends from the hand grip to a foot housing assembly that wraps around the bottom of one or both of the user's feet. The user's foot inserts into the foot housing assembly, enabling the user to use his or her upper body strength to help lift the leg by pulling upwardly on the handle or handles when walking on a flat surface or climbing stairs. This is particularly useful for those stricken with conditions causing paralysis in the lower body, but can also be effective for those with a broken leg, or those undergoing the rehabilitation process, as usage of this device more closely simulates natural walking than traditional crutches or walkers. In alternate embodiments according to the degree of paralysis and lack of movement in the user's legs, the device may include a belt-like harness or shoulder-strap assembly. These provide considerably extra stability to the user and allow the user to utilize extra leverage so that the leg can be lifted with minimal movement of the user's arm and upper body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for walking assistance devices have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,324. Inventor--Bronkhorst
The patent by Bronkhorst discloses a therapeutic walking device has features to aid sufferers from cerebral palsy in reducing the tendency to walk on the balls of the foot. The device includes a foot section and a calf section formed at a 90 degree angle. The foot section has a heel support and a toe support for supporting the heel and toes of the user. A recessed section separates the heel support and toe support and is spaced lower so as to prevent pressure from being exerted on the sole of the foot between the heel and toes. The leg section is strapped about the calf of the user's leg.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,299. Inventor--Bieri
The patent by Bieri teaches the use of a walking device which will approximate the natural walking style of a person while providing support and balance. The device is designed to be easily modified to accommodate individual different heights and body weights. The walking device has a foot member, a support member, and a body member attached to the support member opposite the foot member. The body member has means for attaching the device to the lower portion of the human leg.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,334, Inventor--Semanchik
The patent by Semanchik describes a walking aid which includes a shaft formed of nested telescoping sections which can be readily secured and locked in the adjusted position and which has connected to one end thereof a foot pad having an arcuate sole portion simulating an anatomical foot and a handle portion connected to the other end whereby the handle is constructed so that when grasped the bearing weight of the user is on the hypothermal eminence of the hand which is the anatomically weight bearing surface of the hand. The aid may be provided with one of several distinct handle arrangements which may function as a hand guard, provide illumination and/or arrange to be disposed relative to the foot pad to define and arc of a circle. The foot pad and connected shaft and handle are balanced so that the aid is naturally maintained in an upright position.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,423. Inventor--Hansen
The patent by Hansen describes a reducible walking aid is disclosed that incorporates three bitubular sections in slidable engagement with one another in the preferred embodiment. The first and third sections are connected via a pair of elastic cables attached to slidable, bidirectional hinge elements anchored to the near ends of the first and third sections, with the cables running through the tubular sections of the second section. To reduce the size of the walking aid, one pulls in opposite directions on the first and second bitubular sections. Once the hinges arc generally clear of the second section, the first section is folded over the second section in one direction. The third section is folded in the opposite direction in a similar fashion to accomplish the complete folding of the crutch. To restore the walking aid to its original operating size, one grasps the folded first and third sections and opens them until they are in generally axial alignment with the second section, at which time the first and third sections slide into the second to provide a rigid vertical support. Means are also provided for adjusting the height of the walking aid both below and above the hand grip. The hand grip is of novel design and is adjustable along an infinite number of positions on the second section.
The present invention, in all instances, either accomplishes a different purpose than the above-described inventions, or does so in a novel useful, and non-obvious manner that still effectively achieves its intended result. The above-described patents primarily protect items such as those that include a telescopic solid constructions to aid in walking in the manner of a crutch. The other inventions are therapeutic devices designed specifically to assist the disabled in applying optimal levels of pressure to all areas of the foot. The present invention, in contrast, teaches the use of a device to attach to and around the user's foot for the purpose of allowing the user to lift the leg during walking with greater ease.

Hand-held extensor for assistance with walking and rehabilitation


A method for controlling data packet flow through an infrared adapter is provided and includes receiving a data stream from an infrared device. The data stream has a first data transmission rate. Further, the rate of transmission of the data stream is modified within the infrared adapter to produce an output data stream having a second data transmission rate. Also, the output data stream is transmitted from the infrared adapter. In a particular embodiment, the first data transmission rate is different from the second data transmission rate. Particularly, the second data transmission rate is less than the first data transmission rate.

Some computers are not equipped with infrared (IR) transceivers for sending and receiving data via IR connections. However, many computer peripheral devices are equipped with IR transceivers that can be used to establish IR connections with other devices having IR transceivers. As such, IR adapters have been provided that can be connected to a computer in order for the computer to establish IR connections with peripheral devices having IR capabilities.
Unfortunately, some computer operating systems are unable to handle data from an IR adapter with a transmission rate of above a threshold transmission rate.
Accordingly, there is a need for an enhanced IR adapter.

Infrared adapter with data packet throttle


A system and method of re-distributing power output by a portable mobile communications device while operating in dual transfer mode (DTM) is disclosed. The device determines if more than one uplink slot is active and if DTM is active. If so, power can be separately regulated for packet switched and carrier switched uplink slots. The device determines whether the circuit switched slot is being used for a voice call that is not in a handsfree or speakerphone mode and evaluates factors associated with the current operating conditions. New power settings are calculated based on the mode for the active circuit switched slot and the factors associated with the current operating conditions of the device. The new power settings are then applied to the active uplink slots such that power is re-distributed on a per slot basis that is not necessarily divided equally among all active slots.

The present invention relates to portable mobile communications devices and systems, and more particularly to a portable mobile communications device, system and method that can dynamically regulate the power used for transmission while in Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) based on the portable mobile communications device's current state(s).
DTM permits execution of both circuit switched (CS) and packet switched (PS) applications when more than one slot is available to the portable mobile communications device. However, the total output power available to the portable mobile communications device is fixed meaning that the multiple uplink slots are forced to share the total output power. Typically, the output power will be divided equally among the active slots and the applications utilizing those slots are forced to operate with the power allocated. This may not always be the most efficient distribution of total output power based on the portable mobile communications device applications associated with the active uplink slots.
For instance, a CS application (e.g., a voice call) may prefer more power than an equal distribution would provide for quality of services (QoS) purposes. Many packet switched (PS) applications are not as quality or time dependent and can afford to use less power than what they would likely be allocated under an equal distribution scenario.
Currently, there is no portable mobile communications device controlled system or method of controlling the distribution of total output power among several active uplink slots in DTM.

Mobile device power control for dual transfer mode (DTM)


A check valve is disclosed for permitting a fluid flow in a generally one direction. The check valve is provided with an elongated housing with a central passageway within which a valve member moves for permitting a fluid flow in one direction and for closing a fluid communication when moving in an opposite direction. The valve member has a conically-shaped groove for receiving a sealing member therein. When the sealing member becomes expanded under the influence of fluids passing through the check valve, it is allowed to move from the groove along a neck of the valve member. The interior wall housing is provided with plurality of longitudinal grooves extending in parallel relationship to a central axis of the housing in that part of the housing wherein the valve member moves. The longitudinal grooves ensure fluid flow through the valve member at all times.

This invention relates to check valves for controlling the flow of fluids, and more particularly it relates to a check valve of a poppet type which permits a flow of fluid in one direction and closes the check valve under the influence of a back pressure.
A variety of check valves have been used in the oil industry for controlling the flow of production fluid and of various additives utilized in the field to promote the production rate.
The valves in such an environment are subject to considerable wear and exposure to abrasive, often destructive fluids which can cause damage to non-metal elements of the check valves, such as seals, conventionally made of synthetic or natural elastic materials.
In order to protect the seals and insure longer operational life of the valves, it has been suggested to limit the exposure of the seals, such as O-rings, to the harmful effects of the fluids passing through the check valve. Examples of such technical approach are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,482 issued on Sep. 13, 1949 to D. C. Green and U.S. Pat. No. 2,912,000 issued on Nov. 10, 1959 to D. C. Green.
It has been noted that conventional valves utilized in the field have a common problem of the O-ring's "swelling" under the influence of the destructive fluids, which leads to damage or mutilation of the O-ring and eventually results in disintegration of the O-ring piece-by-piece. The chipped away pieces then block the fluid passageway of the check valve.
It was also noted that conventional check valves sometimes last as little as a few days, depending on the composition of the fluid the flow of which the check valve controls, thereby directly affecting the cost of the operation.
The present invention, therefore, contemplates elimination of the drawbacks associated with the prior art and provision of a check valve with improved sealing capabilities.


A structure for stabilizing an earthen embankment comprises an embankment support for restraining movement of at least a part of the embankment, a flexible fiber geogrid (5) extending longitudinally through the embankment from a first end portion secured to the support to a second end portion, and anchor means (55, 60, 11) for securing one of the end portions. The anchor means comprises a pair of anchor rods (55, 60) extending transversely in relation to the geogrid, and means (11) for limiting movement of the anchor rods. The end portion secured by the anchor means is wrapped back and forth around the anchor rods so as to tighten thereon when the geogrid is pulled in longitudinal tension away from the anchor means. A method of anchoring a flexible fiber geogrid to a support utilizing such anchor rods is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for stabilizing earthen retaining walls or embankments.
It is well known in the prior art to stabilize earthen embankments with supports and associated geogrids extending rearwardly from the support into the stabilized embankment. This includes embankments with a slope of less than 90 degrees and embankments with a 90 degree slope. In cases where flexible fiber geogrids are used, the geogrid often is wrapped over the face of the support and under the floor of the support But, the time and labor required to instal such geogrids is substantial.
Flexible fiber geogrids are available from various sources, for example, Strata Systems, Inc. of Cumming, Ga., U.S. who provide a family of high strength polyester yarn geogrids for soil reinforcement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,810 (Taylor et al.) granted on Nov. 2, 1999 discloses apparatus for securing a flexible fiber geogrid to a support without wrapping over the face of the support. In a number of embodiments there is a need to carefully fold the forward end portion of the geogrid back and forth in layers upon itself to provided improved shear strength. The layered end portion is then secured with a retaining rod which is positioned to press against the layers—in effect sandwiching the layers between the rod and the underlying support on which the layers are positioned. In the field, the required aligned folds may be considered awkward and time consuming to achieve. Further, the anchorage does not have a positive hold on the geogrid. The integrity of the anchorage when the geogrid is tensioned appears to be largely dependent upon the compressive grip which the retaining rod imposes on the folded layers. In another embodiment, Taylor et al. describe anchoring a geogrid by means of a retaining rod around which the forward end of a geogrid is folded 180 degrees backwards. However, by itself, the rod does not provide a positive hold on the geogrid. The geogrid is restrained only by the resistance of backfill which is required to be placed over the folded end portion of the geogrid before tension is applied to the geogrid. The sufficiency of the restraint will be dependent on the length of the folded end portion and frictional characteristics of the backfill, the latter of which may vary depending on dampness and other factors. To adjust for such considerations will require particular skill and expertise on the part of those determining what length a folded portion should have to achieve a desired connection strength.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide apparatus and a method for positively anchoring a flexible fiber geogrid to a support with a strong, reliable connection which requires minimal labor.

Apparatus and method for stabilizing an earthen embankment


The “Universal Utility Trailer” Tilter is designed to be portable and lightweight. This will enable the user to insert it into a standard 2″ receiver hitch on a tow vehicle. Upon attaching the Trailer Tilter to the vehicle the operator can attach any one of a number of Utility Trailers to the Trailer Tilters 2″ ball. By removing the locking pin and operating the mechanism the operator can raise the front of the Utility Trailer thus lowering the rear to a desired level for loading equipment, cars or material. The lowering of the rear of the Utility Trailer until the ramps are level with the bed will prevent the equipment from dragging on either the front or middle while loading. Once loaded the operator can lower the Tilter back to its locking position and insert the locking pin for towing.

Utility type trailers are in wide spread use today in this country and around the world. Individuals use the trailers for multiple proposes, from loading and moving automobiles and equipment to furniture. Utility trailer come with a jack permanently installed in the tongue area. This jack is used not only to help attach the trailer to the tow vehicle but also to raise it to assist in loading equipment. Using the trailer jack to raise the trailer while attached to the tow vehicle creates and unsafe condition as it also raises the rear of the tow vehicle and puts unnecessary strain on the jack. The Universal Utility Trailer Tilter when installed into the receiver hitch on the towing vehicle allows the individual, by removing the safety pin and turning the handle on the jack to raise the ball mount to the desired height, will lower the rear of the trailer without effecting the tow vehicle. Once the vehicle or other equipment is safely loaded onto the trailer, the jack returned to the lowered position and safety pin reinstalled, the trailer can be towed to its destination. Loading of these items is made much easier and safer with this unit.


A decanter centrifuge enables separation of solid and liquid components from a feed solution containing suspended solids by application of centrifugal force. The decanter centrifuge has at least one disc-like dip weir fixed to the outside surface of a cylindrical portion of a screw conveyor on a solid component discharge port side located away from a feed solution supply port. A predetermined distance is provided between the outermost periphery of the dip weir and the adjacent internal surface of a coaxially rotating outer shell or bowl. An overflow hole is formed adjacent the internal periphery of the disc-like dip weir to pass liquid and the outermost edge of the overflow hole is located closer to the rotational axis of the screw conveyor than the outermost edge of a liquid component discharge port. The liquid component in the incoming feed solution is thus reduced efficiently, as the feed solution passes through the centrifuge, by the separation action facilitated by the disc-like dip weir having the overflow hole.

Decanter centrifuges are sedimentation centrifuges used in clarification, dewatering and classification for the mixture of solids and liquid (slurry). Generally, the decanter centrifuge has a screw conveyor in a rotating bowl. The decanter centrifuge has a structure allowing solids, from a slurry introduced from a slurry feeding pipe inserted into the screw conveyor, to be sedimented on the inner surface of the rotating bowl due to centrifugal force. The solids are then scraped toward one end of the rotating bowl to be discharged by the screw conveyor rotating at a predetermined speed different from that of the rotating bowl. Simultaneously, separated liquid is discharged from another end of the rotating bowl by liquid pressure generated due to centrifugal force.
In conventional apparatus heretofore employed in decanter centrifuges of the above kind, dip weirs (baffles) are generally not provided. If the dip weirs are provided in such a device, efficient dewatering can not be attained. However, some decanter centrifuges provided with dip weirs have been proposed.
(a) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-169550 discloses a decanter centrifuge where a dip weir for cake-lay is provided and many blades are formed between the dip weir and a cake discharge port in order to obtain an orifice effect.
(b) Japanese Patent Application No. 62-43745 discloses a decanter centrifuge provided with a dip weir near a clarified liquid discharge port. Therefore, even if solid particles are attached on bubbles of separated water so as to float, the solid particles are prevented from being discharged due to the dip weir.
(c) Japanese Patent Application No. 1-19941 discloses a decanter centrifuge having a baffle disposed at the border between a conical portion and a straight shell. Then, the baffle can be rotatively adjusted to change a clearance between the baffle and a bowl so that efficient concentration can be performed.
(d) Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 57-35849 discloses a decanter centrifuge having a baffle disposed at the border between a conical portion and a straight shell. Then, the conical portion and the straight shell can be separated clearly with the baffle so that efficient dewatering can be performed in the conical portion.
In each such conventional centrifuge, the baffle or the dip weir is provided in order to improve liquid-solids separating efficiency in the conical portion, while the straight shell has a mechanism for transporting the solids using conveyor means. Thus, in the conventional centrifuge, the straight shell does not have any mechanism for improving the efficiency for concentrating a feed solution or for efficiently dewatering a solids cake. Therefore, in the prior art, the water content in the cake depends on the degree of centrifugal force .produced in the straight shell, the length of the residence time of the feed solution in the straight shell, and the efficiency of dewatering of the feed solution in the conical portion.

Decanter centrifuge having a disc-like dip weir with a hole


The invention relates to a chemical-mechanical polishing composition comprising (a) a first abrasive comprising cationically modified colloidal silica particles, (b) a second abrasive having a Mohs hardness of about 5.5 or more, (c) a cationic polymer, (d) an iron containing activator, (e) an oxidizing agent, and (f) water. The invention also relates to a method of chemically mechanically polishing a substrate, especially a substrate comprising tungsten and barrier layers (e.g., nitrides), with the polishing composition.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) compositions and methods for polishing (or planarizing) the surface of a substrate are well known in the art. Polishing compositions (also known as polishing slurries, CMP slurries, and CMP compositions) for polishing metal layers (e.g., tungsten) on a semiconductor substrate may include abrasive particles suspended in an aqueous solution and chemical accelerators such as oxidizers, chelating agents, catalysts, and the like.
In a conventional CMP operation, the substrate (wafer) to be polished is mounted on a carrier (polishing head) which is in turn mounted on a carrier assembly and positioned in contact with a polishing pad in a CMP apparatus (polishing tool). The carrier assembly provides a controllable pressure to the substrate, pressing the substrate against the polishing pad. The substrate and pad are moved relative to one another by an external driving force. The relative motion of the substrate and pad abrades and removes a portion of the material from the surface of the substrate, thereby polishing the substrate. The polishing of the substrate by the relative movement of the pad and the substrate may be further aided by the chemical activity of the polishing composition (e.g., by an oxidizing agent and other chemical compounds present in the CMP composition) and/or the mechanical activity of an abrasive suspended in the polishing composition.
In typical tungsten plug and interconnect processes, tungsten is deposited over a dielectric and within openings formed therein. The excess tungsten over the dielectric layer is then removed during a CMP operation to form tungsten plugs and interconnects within the dielectric. Following bulk tungsten removal, the substrate surface can be subjected to a buff polishing step to remove debris and to provide a more uniform topography to the surface. The buff polishing is demanding in that erosion within substrate features such as the tungsten plugs and interconnects, which is excessive metal removal from within the features leading to nonplanarity, must be minimized or more preferably even reversed. The buffing step involves polishing of two or more different materials, such as tungsten, dielectric, and also barrier materials such as silicon nitride, and thus requires a proper balance of the removal rates of the different materials to achieve suitable surface topography.
In conventional polishing systems the addition of polymeric additives to improve topography, typically results in a significant reduction of barrier film removal rates. The removal rate reduction is greater for the barrier films than it is for the tungsten film. This difference in removal rate change presents challenges in determining the polishing end-point.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to develop new polishing methods and compositions for tungsten bulk polishing applications that provide good removal rates and good surface topography and planarity while minimizing or eliminating erosion.

Method to increase barrier film removal rate in bulk tungsten slurry


A coding method intended to increase the error correction performance without greatly increasing the size of an error correction circuit, the method, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, includes the steps of dividing data constituting one page and yet to be coded into data blocks including a first data block located on one end of the one page to a fourth data block located on the other end of the one page; generating a first error correcting code by coding the first data block; generating a second error correcting code by coding a second data block and a part of the first data block in combination; generating a third error correcting code by coding a third data block and a part of the second data block in combination; and generating a fourth error correcting code by coding a fourth data block and a part of the third data block in combination.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coding and decoding methods for error correcting codes used for correcting data errors, and further relates to coding and decoding devices corresponding to such methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the fields of information processing and telecommunication, it is required to detect and correct errors occurring at the time of transmitting, receiving, and storing information symbol sequences, i.e., data generated by binarizing information to be transmitted, such as texts, still images, moving images, and voice. Errors occur in data due to noises and imperfect media at the time of executing network communications, writing and reading of data to and from storage media such as digital versatile discs (DVD) and flash memories. In order to deal with the occurrence of such errors, using redundancy codes which are added to original data beforehand, it is determined whether any error has occurred, and the original data is reproduced even if any error is detected. In other words, redundancy codes are added to the original data to convert the data into a codeword sequence. Such a codeword sequence with redundancy is referred to as an "error correcting code".
Non-volatile semiconductor memories called flash memories are becoming smaller in size and larger in terms of their capacity. Such flash memories have a storage area including a plurality of uniformly sized blocks, and each block includes a plurality of uniformly sized pages. Data are erased from a flash memory on a block-by-block basis, and read out of and written into a flash memory on a page-by-page basis. Flash memories have gained larger storage capacity through miniaturization and multi-level cell technology. A side effect of larger storage capacity is an increasing number of error bits. It is a common practice to correct errors with the use of an error correcting code (ECC). Examples of error correcting codes include BCH, Reed-Solomon, and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes.
In a flash memory, data in one page are divided and stored in four sections, for example. In other words, four sections placed side by side constitute a single page. Each such section stores one error correcting code. The error correcting code includes a parity check symbol (redundant bits) corresponding to a specific error correction coding scheme in addition to information symbols (original data). If the same coding method is used, error correction performance improves when the number of redundant bits is larger. The number of redundant bits is on the rise as the memory cells utilize multi-level technologies and miniaturization advances, or as higher reliability is required. On the other hand, as the number of redundant bits increases, and the number of correctable error bits, which is determined in accordance with the number of redundant bits, increases, circuitry for error correction becomes larger. This increase in circuit size means a smaller area for data storage and a smaller storage capacity. The increased numbers of redundant bits and correctable error bits also lead to increased time required for reading and reproducing user data. Accordingly, it is required to improve the error correcting performance without increasing the number of redundant bits.
It is similarly important in the field of telecommunication to improve error correcting performance. With the increased communication line speed, a higher error correcting performance is required with limited physical resources. In this specification and claims, the term "page", which is used mainly in the field of storage medium, is primarily used. This term "page", generally refers to data of one unit and also include concepts used in the field of communication such as "transmit data block" and "transport block". For example, the concept "transport block" is used in the long-term evolution (LTE) standards or the evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) standards by the standardizing body 3GPP, and these are equivalent to the term "page".
JP A 2008-108297 describes a non-volatile semiconductor storage device improved in error correction efficiency by mixing a high-error rate portion with a low-error rate portion in a single ECC frame and thus evening out location-dependent fluctuations in error rate among ECC frames.
JP A 2011-003975 describes a technique for generating a transport block codeword by dividing a transport block into a plurality of code blocks so that each code block includes a part of another code block, generating code block codewords by executing error correction coding processing to each of the plurality of code blocks, and combining the code block codewords together. In all examples illustrated in the drawings, an overlap portion is provided between a leftmost-end code block and a rightmost-end code block.

Coding and decoding of error correcting codes


A thin film is etched by irradiating charged particles to a surface of the thin film. An etching time of the thin film is measured by observing a change in intensity of secondary charged particles emitted by etched portions of the thin film. A thickness of the thin film is calculated in accordance with the measured etching time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for measuring film thickness of a thin film formed in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process.
2. Background Information
Conventionally, the following methods are known as methods for measuring the thickness of a thin film which is formed in a semiconductor manufacturing process:
(1) In the method shown in FIG. 5(A), the film thickness of a thin film is measured using an ellipsometer. In this measuring method, incident light IO irradiates a transparent thin film 512 placed on a substrate 511, and the intensity of the reflected light l1 is measured. At this time, the reflected light l1 is interference light between the light l11 reflected on the upper surface of the transparent thin film and the light l12 reflected on the lower surface thereof. Therefore, the intensity of the reflected light is maximized when a difference in an optical path length between the light l11 and the light l12 is a value an integer multiple of times larger than the irradiation light wavelength xcex. Here, a difference in an optical path length L is obtained from L=2d/cos xcex8, wherein xcex8 is an incident angle of the light I/O and D is a film thickness. Therefore, by obtaining an incident angle xcex8 when xcex=L is held, the film thickness D of a transparent thin film can be obtained.
(2) According to the method shown in FIG. 5(B), a needle is placed on the surface of a thin film for measuring film thickness. In this measuring method, steps are formed between respective thin films 521, 521, which constitute a laminated film, using etching techniques. Then, a needle 522 is placed on the surfaces of the respective thin films 521, 521, and the positions of the needle 522 tip on the respective surfaces are detected for measurement of the film thicknesses of the respective thin films 521, 521.
(3) According to the method shown in FIG. 5(C), a film thickness is measured through observation of an etching cross section 531 formed on the thin film. In this method, an etching cross section 531 is initially formed on a laminated film by using, for example, a focusing ion beam device etc. Then, the cross section is observed by using a scanning electron microscope or a transmission electron microscope etc, so that a film thickness is measured.
(4) According to the method shown in FIG. 5(D), component analysis is applied to secondary ions while etching a laminated film. In the example. shown in FIG. 5(D), Si ions are discharged while etching a silicon thin film 541, and Al ions are discharged while etching an aluminum thin film 542. Therefore, etching times for the thin films 541, 542 can be known through component analysis applied to the secondary ions in parallel to the etching. Also, etching rates of the thin films 541, 542 are measured by using another method. Then, using the etching times and rates, the film thicknesses of the thin films 541, 542 are calculated.
The above described thin film measuring methods, however, have following drawbacks.
The method (1) suffers from the drawbacks that the film thickness of a thin film which is not photo transmissive cannot be measure, and that the film thickness of a thin film smaller than a light wavelength cannot be measured. For example, this method cannot measure the film thickness of an oxide film of about 10 nm, which as been recently used in practice for semiconductor devices.
The method (2) has a drawback that a larger burden is imposed on sample production due to very complicated etching processing. Therefore, it is substantially impossible to apply this method to a thin film having a complicated laminated structure.
The method (3) has a defect that the film thickness of a thin film smaller than the resolution of a scanning or transmission electron microscope cannot be measured. For example, as the limit of the resolution of a scanning electron microscope is 1 to 3 nm, the thickness of a thin film thinner than 1 to 3 nm cannot be measured using this method. This method has another drawback in that it requires an expensive measurement device when using a transmission electron microscope.
The method (4) has a drawback in that it requires an expensive measurement device as it requires component analysis.
The present invention has been conceived to overcome the above problems of the related art, and aims to provide a film thickness measuring method capable of measuring the film thickness of a very thin film and realized using an inexpensive measurement device.
According to the present invention, there is provided a film thickness measuring method using a focused ion beam device, comprising the steps of etching a thin film by irradiating charged particles to a surface of the thin film; measuring a change as time passes of strength of secondary charged particles discharged from the thin film during the step of etching; calculating an etching time of the thin film, using a point at which the strength changes quickly; and determining a film thickness of the thin film using the etching time.
A measurement method relative to the present invention can be realized using a very inexpensive device, compared to a case where an etching time is detected through component analysis, as an etching time is detected through observation of secondary charged particles. In addition, as a film thickness is determined using an etching time, resolution can be improved.


It is intended to provide a stable novel sugar-immobilized metal nanoparticle capable of easily immobilizing a sugar chain, a method for measuring sugar-protein interaction easily and at a low cost using the same without labeling, and a method for simply recovering a protein from a sugar-protein interactant. A maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle was obtained by binding a ligand complex, in which maltose and a linker compound had been bound to each other, to a gold nanoparticle. By adding this maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle to a dilution series of concanavalin A, a sugar-protein interactant of maltose and ConA was formed, and red-purple color derived from a colloidal solution of maltose-immobilized gold nanoparticle disappeared. That is, sugar-protein interaction could be confirmed by visual observation without labeling.

The interaction of sugar and protein (hereinafter "sugar-protein interaction") is an area of study that has been looked at with interest in structural biology for better understanding of cell-cell, cell-extracellular matrix, and cell-pathogen interactions.
Generally, sugar-protein interaction is analyzed through labeling of ligand proteins or conjugate sugars with radioactive isotopes or enzymes. For example, in ELISA or blotting methods, there have been techniques that use sugar chains labeled by pyridyl amination or fluorescence, or proteins labeled with secondary antibodies. As a method that analyzes sugar-protein interaction using sugar chains labeled by pyridyl amination or fluorescence, there is a method in which fluorescent sugar chains with pyridylamine are used to measure sugar-protein interaction by TLC (thin layer chromatography) or HPLC (high-pressure liquid chromatography) (Non-Patent Publication 1). As a method that analyzes sugar-protein interaction using proteins that have been labeled with secondary antibodies or the like, there is a method that uses labeled secondary antibodies to measure fluorescence in arrays (Non-Patent Publication 2).
As examples of a method that does not use a label, there have been available surface plasmon resonance (hereinafter, "SPR") and quarts crystal microbalance (hereinafter, "QCM").
SPR is a method in which a ligand complex including an oligosaccharide that mimics part of the sugar is introduced onto a surface of a sensor chip, which is then used to specify substances, such as proteins, that specifically interact with the oligosaccharide. QCM measures sugar-protein interaction by measuring changes in oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator disturbed by adhesion of some material, by taking advantage of the characteristics of the crystal oscillator that the oscillation of the crystal oscillator under AC voltage remains constant unless it is disturbed by external factors.
There have been many reports concerning synthesis techniques for the immobilization of sugars, including a method in which a sugar chain modified with an aromatic amino group is bound to an aldehyde group in a metal colloid by reductive amination (Non-Patent Publication 3), and a method in which a compound with a thiol group for conjugation with a metal colloid is bound to a sugar chain by glycosylation (trichloroacetimidate method) (Non-Patent Publication 4)
[Non-Patent Publication 1]
M. S. Stoll et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 267, 1795-1804, 2000
[Non-Patent Publication 2]
M. Schwarz et al., Glycobiol. 13, no. 11, 749-754, 2003
[Non-Patent Publication 3]
H. Otsuka et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123, 8226-8230, 2001
[Non-Patent Publication 4]
J. M. de la Fuente et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 40, No. 12, 2258-2260, 2001
A problem of the method that measures sugar-protein interaction using labeled sugar chains or proteins, however, is that it requires labeling as a pre-treatment and the effect of labeling greatly influences measurement variations. Further, while non-labeling methods have been available, the SPR or QCM requires very expensive equipment, which has made it difficult to perform measurement conveniently.
Further, it has been difficult to readily immobilize sugar chains due to the very complicated procedures required for the synthesis and purification, as exemplified by the method of Non-Patent Publication 3 which requires a pre-treatment for the sugar chain that has incorporated therein an aromatic amino group, and by the method of Non-Patent Publication 4 which requires at least five steps for the synthesis.
Further, while the method of evaluating sugar chains based on protein has been used for some time as a technique of analyzing sugar-protein interaction, it is not common to evaluate proteins based on sugar chain. Further, while it would be highly economical, no method has been available that enables a protein to be recovered from a sugar-protein interactant formed by the interaction of sugar and protein.
The present invention was made in view of the foregoing problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a novel sugar-immobilized metal particle that is stable and can readily immobilize a sugar chain, a method for measuring sugar-protein interaction both easily and inexpensively without labeling, using the sugar-immobilized metal particle, and a method for conveniently recovering a protein from a sugar-protein interactant.

Sugar-immobilized metal nanoparticle, method for measuring sugar-protein interaction using the same and method for recovering protein from sugar-protein interactant

National University Corporation Kagoshima University


Provided is an operation apparatus including a main body section including an operation section including a first operation section for performing a record operation of an image pickup device and a display section that displays an image transmitted from the image pickup device, and a fixation section that fixes the main body section to an attachment object. The first operation section and the display section are both located on a first face of the main body section.

The present disclosure relates to an operation apparatus.
In recent years, products such as digital cameras, which apply communication technology to image pickup devices, are distributed generally. The behaviors of these image pickup devices can be controlled via communication from an external information processing device or the like.
For example, JP 2001-326845A discloses a technology that controls the behaviors of a plurality of image pickup devices by means of one remote controller, and displays the image acquired from each image pickup device on the display of the remote controller.


A variable resistance memory device may include a first array of first variable resistance memory cells and a second array of second variable resistance memory cells on an integrated circuit chip. Each of the first variable resistance memory cells may be configured to store a first data value by maintaining a first electrical resistance and to store a second data value by maintaining a second electrical resistance. The first and second data values are different, and the second resistance is greater than the first resistance. Each of the second variable resistance memory cells may be configured to store the first data value by maintaining a third electrical resistance and to store the second data value by maintaining a fourth electrical resistance. The fourth resistance may be greater than the third resistance, and the third resistance may be less than the first resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to memories, and more particularly, to resistive memories.
2. Description of the Related Art
Examples of nonvolatile memories using resistance materials include resistive random access memories (RRAMs), phase-change random access memories (PRAMs), and magnetic RAMs (MRAMs). Dynamic RAMs (DRAMs) or flash memories store data using charges. Nonvolatile memories using resistance materials store data by changing the resistance of a variable resistance material (in the case of RRAMs), changing the state of a phase change material such as a chalcogenide alloy (in the case of PRAMs), or changing the resistance of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) thin film according to a magnetization state of a ferromagnetic material (in the case of MRAMs), and the like.
A resistive memory cell includes a variable resistance material between an upper electrode and a lower electrode, and the resistance level of the variable resistance material varies according to a voltage applied to the upper and lower electrodes. Examples of such resistive memory cells are discussed in U.S Patent Publication Nos. 2005-58009 and 2004-27849, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. In particular, a filament that serves as a current path for a cell current is formed in the variable resistance material. A state in which a part of the filament is disconnected is defined as a reset state, a high resistance state, or reset data (data 1). A state in which the filament is connected is defined as a set state, a low resistance state, or set data (data 0).
A reset voltage having a voltage level, at which the filament may be disconnected, is supplied to write reset data into resistive memory cells. A set voltage having a voltage level, at which the filament may be reconnected, is supplied to write set data into the resistive memory cells. Further, a voltage having a low voltage level, at which the state of the filament does not change, is supplied to read stored data so as to determine whether the read data is reset data or set data.

Variable resistance memory devices including arrays of different sizes


A liquid ejection head includes a substrate having a supply port through which liquid is supplied and a plurality of energy generating elements provided along the supply port and generating energy for ejecting the liquid, a nozzle plate having nozzles provided therein in correspondence with the energy generating elements, and a channel provided between the substrate and the nozzle plate. The nozzle plate has a groove surrounding the channel. The groove includes a first groove provided in one surface of the nozzle plate at which the nozzle plate is bonded to the substrate, and a second groove provided in another surface of the nozzle plate in which the nozzles are provided. Edges of the first groove have sawtooth shape with a number of very small notches and edges of the second groove are substantially straight.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid ejection heads that perform recording on a target surface by ejecting liquid in a form of droplets, and in particular to inkjet recording heads that each include a nozzle plate having nozzles through which ink is ejected and a substrate having energy generating elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
A so-called side-shooter recording head includes a substrate, a nozzle plate having nozzles provided therein in correspondence with energy generating elements provided on the substrate, and channels provided therebetween.
Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary known technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,831, in which a row of nozzles provided along each of supply ports is surrounded by a groove for preventing separation of a nozzle plate from a substrate. A recording head H1101 shown in FIG. 7 has a plurality of nozzles 6 and grooves 3 each surrounding a group of the nozzles 6. Since the coefficients of linear expansion of the substrate, the nozzle plate, and a tank case (a substrate holding member) that holds the substrate are different, if heat is generated during printing or if the environment in which the recording head is stored changes, the interfaces between the components are subjected to stresses. Such stresses include a stress due to hardening shrinkage of an adhesive or a sealant for bonding or sealing the tank case and the substrate. Moreover, the substrate itself of the recording head is easy to be deformed because of the supply ports provided therein.
Such stresses are particularly influential on regions where the nozzle plate ends (ends of the nozzle plate), i.e., ends of channel walls defining the channels, and the grooves provided around the nozzles and the channels. Therefore, separation of the nozzle plate from the substrate may occur. To avoid the separation, the grooves 3 according to the technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,831 have a sawtooth shape, thereby relaxing stresses applied to the joint between the substrate and the nozzle plate.
However, it has been found that the sawtooth-shaped groove may trigger another problem. In general, when a printer is activated, foreign substances such as paper lint and dust are generated from a recording medium. If printing is performed with foreign substances caught on the surface of the nozzle plate, characteristics including wettability of the surface of the nozzle plate may change. In some cases, such foreign substances may cover some of the nozzles, resulting in defective print such as deflection of the ejecting direction and no ejection of ink.
To solve such a problem, some known printers having recording heads each include a mechanism that removes foreign substances that are caught around nozzles so as to perform stable ejection. In general, such a mechanism includes a recovery pump and a wiping member. FIG. 9 shows an exemplary recovery pumping mechanism provided for a recording head 1000. Referring to FIG. 9, the recovery pumping mechanism, which includes a capping member 13 that caps a recording head, pumps foreign substances caught on the surface of the nozzle plate and a little amount of ink from the recording head. Subsequently, ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle plate after the pumping by the recovery pumping mechanism is removed by a wiping member 12.
Recently, however, there has been a demand for realizing a low-cost printer body by excluding such a recovery pumping mechanism but without deteriorating performance. If the recovery pumping mechanism is excluded, the recovery operation only includes wiping of the surface of the nozzle plate with the wiping member. Referring to FIG. 8, if a foreign substance 8 such as paper lint is caught by the groove 3 provided in the nozzle plate because the groove 3 has a sawtooth shape, it is difficult in some cases to remove foreign substances only by wiping. If foreign substances remain caught around the nozzles 6, characteristics, including wettability, of the surface of the nozzle plate may change and some of the nozzles may be clogged, resulting in defective print such as deflection of the ejecting direction and no ejection of ink.


A power-on reset circuit responds to a power decrease of very short duration by using a delay circuit having a high threshold inverter which reliably detects a voltage as high as a standard threshold voltage as a low voltage when the power supply voltage again begins to increase. A very low current source provides current for driving the power-on reset circuit only when providing a power-on reset signal and draws no current during normal circuit operation.

Power-on reset circuits are widely used in integrated circuit devices to generate a reset signal. Typically they generate a high reset signal, usually equal to the value of the positive voltage supply, during part of the time the supply voltage is rising from zero volts to the final operating voltage, and as the supply voltage reaches an acceptable value, they return the reset signal to a low signal so that operation of the integrated circuit can begin. Power-on reset circuits also generate a reset signal if the supply voltage falls sufficiently during operation that circuit operation might be improper.
Prior power-on reset circuits have several disadvantages:
1) During operation, the power-on reset circuit draws power. PA1 2) In some power-on reset circuits there is no supply voltage threshold detection. The POR signal is released after a certain amount of time regardless of the voltage supply level. If the supply voltage is too low, incorrect circuit operation may result. PA1 3) The length of time the reset pulse is asserted depends to a considerable extent upon the voltage supply rise time, and may not be sufficient to assure that the power supply voltage has had time to stabilize. PA1 4) Some power-on reset circuits do not reliably generate reset pulses if there is a quick power cycle, that is, if voltage is brought to zero and quickly back to normal level.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art power-on reset circuit 11 such as illustrated by Wong et al., at page 769 in the article "Zero-Power 25-ns CMOS EPLD's" published in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. SC-21, No. 5, October 1986. Capacitive node N1 drives inverter I1 and is driven by inverter I2. When the supply voltage Vcc is lowered to ground level, capacitor C1 is discharged through diode D1, which is formed by the P-channel transistor of inverter I2. Since diode D1 turns off when the voltage difference between N1 and Vcc is less than about 0.7 volts, capacitor C1 does not discharge below about 0.7 volts. Over time, capacitor C1 will continue to discharge through leakage. However, if the supply voltage is brought high again while capacitive node N1 is still at about 0.7 volts, inverter I1 will interpret its input node as a high voltage (N1 is higher than Vcc) and will generate a low output voltage. Thus power-on reset circuit 11 will fail to generate a high reset signal POR.
FIG. 2 shows another prior art power-on reset circuit discussed in Harrington, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,166,545 FIGS. 4A6 and 4A6a. Since transistor 202 will turn on as soon as the supply voltage reaches one NMOS threshold voltage (about 0.7 volts), it is possible for the POR signal to be turned off while the supply voltage is at an unsafely low level.
FIG. 3 shows another prior art power-on reset circuit shown in FIG. 8 of Ogawa, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,375. Ogawa discloses a device which uses a P-channel transistor Q11 to provide a discharge path when power goes to a low value. The voltage at node 1 will be brought to about 0.7 volts through P-channel transistor Q11, but since Ogawa's inverter 25 is not a high threshold inverter, this 0.7 volts will be interpreted as a logical 1 when power again begins to rise, so a short power drop does not cause the device of FIG. 8 of Ogawa to generate a reset signal.
As mentioned above, another weakness of prior art devices is the consumption of power during operation of the chip. FIG. 4 shows a circuit disclosed in U.S. Pat. 5,109,163 to Benhamida, which does find a method of discharging a reference node to ground in response to a fast drop in power, but in FIG. 4 a current path exists from the positive voltage supply at node 12 to ground during operation of the circuit. To respond to a quick power drop, node A is discharged to ground by transistor Q3 in response to power again rising, and provides a low signal to inverter 18, which provides a high output signal at node B, turning on transistor Q4. Transistor Q4 therefore pulls node C to ground so that when power continues to rise, the low voltage at node C causes a reset signal to be generated. However, during operation there is a current path to ground from node 12 through node A, and thus this circuit draws power during circuit operation.
It is desirable to provide a power-on reset circuit which overcomes the above disadvantages.


The present invention provides nucleic acids encoding Sprouty related human growth factor antagonist proteins (designated FGFAn-Hy), the polypeptides encoded by these nucleic acids and uses of these and related products.

The present invention relates to a novel polynucleotide encoding a protein called FGFAn-Hy, which is structurally related to a growth factor antagonist protein, Sprouty, along with therapeutic, diagnostic and research utilities for these and related products.
Growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF), are ligands for receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) and are involved in stimulating cellular proliferation and migration. As a result, growth factor and RTK antagonists may be involved in conditions involving uncontrolled growth and vascularization.
Sprouty was initially identified as an antagonist of FGF signaling in the developmental pathway of Drosophila tracheal branching morphogenesis. An FGF family member, Branchless, is the critical determinant of tracheal branching pattern through inducing cell migration which results in branching morphogenesis. It was determined that Branchless induces expression of a potent negative signal, Sprouty, that inhibits branching morphogenesis and was found to act as an negative regulator of tracheal development. Loss of function mutations in the Sprouty gene led to increased tracheal branching while gain of function mutations severely blocked tracheal development. Overexpression of Branchless overrode the Sprouty loss of function mutation indicating that Sprouty""s antagonist activity was specific for the FGF activity in this developmental pathway (Hacohen et al. (1998), Cell, 92: 253-263; Metzger et al. (1999), Science, 284:1635-25 1639).
Currently, there are three known human homologs of the Drosophila Sprouty protein denoted human Sprouty-1, Sprouty-2 and Sprouty-3 (genes denoted h-Spry1, h-Spry2, h-Spry3). H-Spry-2 encodes an approximately 35 Kd protein which contains a cysteine-rich domain. This domain is highly conserved among the human homologs (Hacohen et al. (1998), Cell, 92: 253-263).
The Sprouty mouse homolog (sprouty-2, encoded by gene mSpry-2) also was found to regulate bronchial branching patterns in the developing lung. In this system, mSpry-2 inhibited FGF10-induced bronchial branching. The mSpry-2 amino acid sequence is 97% homologous to h-Spry2, indicating that this protein may be highly conserved among different species (Tefft et al. (1999), Curr Biol, 9: 219-222). Another mouse homolog, sprouty-4, has also been identified (De Maximy et al (1999), Mech. Dev. 81, 213-216).
Other evidence indicates that Sprouty may act as a general inhibitor of RTK activity. In addition to its inhibitory effects on FGF signaling, Sprouty expression was shown to antagonize epidermal growth factor (EGF) action in the developing Drosophila eye imaginal disc, larval peripheral nervous system, embryonic central nervous system, developing wing and developing ovary (Casci et al. (1999), Cell, 96: 655-665, Kramer et al. (1999), Development, 126: 2515-2525). Sprouty also inhibits the action of an unrelated RTK, Torso, which initiates the development of terminal structures in the developing Drosophila embryo (Casci et al. (1999), Cell, 96: 655-665).
Sprouty is an intracellular protein which associates with the plasma membrane through its cysteine-rich domain. Sprouty acts within the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling cascade, and its inhibitory action has been mapped to be downsteam of the RTK and upstream of ras. This suggests that Sprouty may be binding to adaptor proteins, such as Drk (the Drosophila homolog of Grb2) and Gap1, within the MAP kinase signaling cascade (Casci et al. (1999), Cell, 96: 655-665).
The autonomous manner in which Sprouty works in the eye is different from the non-autonomous manner in which it acts in the tracheal system. It has been speculated that Sprouty may not only act intracellularly to repress signal transduction but may also act on a second signaling relay to repress cell fate in the neighbors of Sprouty-expressing cells (Placzek et al. (1999), Current Biol., 9:R506-510).
Many growth factors, such as FGF, EGF, platelet-derived growth factor and insulin-like growth factor, elicit their response through RTKs. Activation of the RTK initiates signaling through the MAP kinase cascade. As a result, the MAP kinase signaling pathway is involved in many cellular actions including proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and organogenesis.
Thus, there is a need for growth factor and MAP kinase signaling antagonists, such as Sprouty family members, which may be useful in modulating cell growth, migration and vascularization.
The compositions of the present invention include novel isolated polypeptides, in particular, novel human growth factor antagonist proteins and active variants thereof, isolated polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides, including recombinant DNA molecules, cloned genes or degenerate variants thereof, especially naturally occurring variants such as allelic variants, antisense polynucleotide molecules, and antibodies that specifically recognize one or more epitopes present on such polypeptides, as well as hybridomas producing such antibodies.
The compositions of the present invention additionally include vectors, including expression vectors, containing the polynucleotides of the invention, cells genetically engineered to contain such polynucleotides and cells genetically engineered to express such polynucleotides.
A nucleotide sequence encoding a growth factor antagonist protein designated FGFAn-Hy is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, and its deduced amino acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2. This growth factor antagonist protein is believed to play a role in the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway involving receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and ras. The polypeptide set out in SEQ ID NO: 2 is 300 amino acids in length, and appears to have no readily identifiable signal sequence, indicating that it is most likely an intracellular protein like the Drosophila growth factor antagonist protein Sprouty. The polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2 displays amino acid homology with the Drosophila Sprouty, as well as with mammalian family members human Sprouty-1, -2 and -3 and mouse Sprouty-2 and 4. An alignment of FGFAn-Hy and other members of the sprouty family is shown in FIG. 1. FGFAn-Hy is most closely related to mouse sprouty-4 (92% amino acid sequence identity). Additional family members can be identified using SEQ ID NO: 1 as a molecular probe.
The polynucleotides of the invention include naturally occurring or wholly or partially synthetic DNA, e.g., cDNA and genomic DNA, and RNA, e.g., mRNA. The isolated polynucleotides of the invention include, but are not limited to, a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or a portion thereof corresponding to the full length or mature protein. The isolated polynucleotides of the invention further include, but are not limited to, a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; a polynucleotide comprising the fill length protein coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1; and a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of the mature protein coding sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. The polynucleotides of the present invention also include, but are not limited to, polynucleotides that encode polypeptides with growth factor antagonist activity and that hybridize under stringent hybridization conditions to the complement of (a) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; a polynucleotide which is an allelic variant of any polynucleotide recited above; a polynucleotide which encodes a species homolog of any of the proteins recited above; or a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide comprising a specific domain or truncation of the polypeptide having an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. The polynucleotides of the invention additionally include the complement of any of the polynucleotides recited above.
The isolated polypeptides of the invention include, but are not limited to, a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or a portion thereof corresponding to the full length or mature protein. Polypeptides of the invention also include polypeptides with growth factor antagonist activity that are encoded by (a) polynucleotides set out in SEQ ID NO: 1; or (b) polynucleotides that hybridize to the complement of the polynucleotides of (a) under stringent hybridization conditions. Biologically or immunologically active variants of the growth factor antagonist protein sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and xe2x80x9csubstantial equivalentsxe2x80x9d thereof (e.g., with 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or 99% amino acid sequence identity) that retain growth factor antagonist activity are also contemplated. The polypeptides of the invention may be wholly or partially chemically synthesized but are preferably produced by recombinant means using the genetically engineered cells (e.g. host cells) of the invention.
Protein compositions of the present invention may further comprise an acceptable carrier, such as a hydrophilic, e.g., pharmaceutically acceptable, carrier.
The invention also relates to methods for producing polypeptides of the invention comprising growing a culture of the cells of the invention in a suitable culture medium under conditions permitting expression of the desired polypeptide, and purifying the protein from the cells or the culture medium in which the cells are grown. Preferred embodiments include those in which the protein produced by such process is a mature form of the protein.
Polynucleotides according to the invention have numerous applications in a variety of techniques known to those skilled in the art of molecular biology. These techniques include use as hybridization probes, use as oligomers for PCR, use for chromosome and gene mapping, use in the recombinant production of protein, and use in generation of anti-sense DNA or RNA, their chemical analogs and the like. For example, when the expression of an mRNA is largely restricted to a particular cell or tissue type, polynucleotides of the invention can be used as hybridization probes to detect or quantify the presence of the particular cell or tissue mRNA in a sample using, e.g., in situ hybridization.
In other exemplary embodiments, the polynucleotides are used in diagnostics as expressed sequence tags for identifying expressed genes or, as well known in the art and exemplified by Vollrath et al., Science 258:52-59 (1992), as expressed sequence tags for physical mapping of the human genome.
The polypeptides according to the invention can be used in a variety of conventional procedures and methods that are currently applied to other proteins. For example, a polypeptide of the invention can be used to generate an antibody that specifically binds the polypeptide. Such antibodies, particularly monoclonal antibodies, are useful for detecting or quantitating the polypeptide in tissue. The polypeptides of the invention can also be used as molecular weight markers, and as a food supplement.
Methods are also provided for preventing, treating, or ameliorating a medical condition which comprises the step of administering to a mammalian subject a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a protein of the present invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Where the polypeptide has growth factor antagonist or MAP kinase signaling antagonist activity, the polypeptides and polynucleotides of the invention can be utilized, for example, as part of methods for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders involving cell growth and proliferation, such as angiogenesis, or any of the disorders described below. Where the polypeptide promotes cell growth and proliferation, polypeptides and polynucleotides can be utilized to promote tissue growth, for example, as as part of treatment for increasing vascularization, wound healing, or any of the other disorders described herein.
The methods of the present invention further relate to methods for detecting the presence of the polynucleotides or polypeptides of the invention in a sample. Such methods can, for example, be utilized as part of prognostic and diagnostic evaluation of disorders as recited herein and for the identification of subjects exhibiting a predisposition to such conditions. The invention also provides kits comprising polynucleotide probes and/or monoclonal antibodies, and optionally quantitative standards, for carrying out methods of the invention. Furthermore, the invention provides methods for evaluating the efficacy of drugs, and monitoring the progress of patients, involved in clinical trials for the treatment of disorders as recited herein.
Mutations in the FGFAn-Hy gene may be associated with uncontrolled cellular proliferation, such as cancer, and the identification of such mutations and detection of these mutations in subjects may provide important diagnostic and prognostic information.
The invention also provides methods for the identification of compounds that modulate (i.e., increase or decrease) the expression or activity of the polynucleotides and/or polypeptides of the invention. Such methods can be utilized, for example, for the identification of compounds that can ameliorate symptoms of disorders as recited herein. Such methods can include, but are not limited to, assays for identifying compounds and other substances that interact with (e.g., bind to) the polypeptides of the invention.
The methods of the invention also include methods for the treatment of disorders as recited above which may involve the administration of such compounds to individuals exhibiting symptoms or tendencies related to disorders as recited herein. In addition, the invention encompasses methods for treating diseases or disorders as recited herein comprising the step of administering compounds and other substances that modulate the overall activity of the target gene products. Compounds and other substances can effect such modulation either on the level of target gene expression or target protein activity.

Growth factor antagonist materials and methods


A multi-purpose tool or apparatus includes multiple mechanical tools. In one implementation, the multi-purpose tool includes an elongated handle, a folding axe, and a folding shovel or spade, as well as a hammer or hammer-head. The folding axe is foldable between an open position and a closed position. The folding shovel is foldable among three positions, which are a closed shovel position, a 90-degree open shovel position, and a 180-degree extended shovel position. The elongated handle is hollow and includes an elongated cavity. A folding saw, as well as a knife and a sheath to protect the knife, are stored within the elongated cavity and can be removed therefrom.

Millions of users utilize various types of mechanical tools, in everyday life as well as in particular projects. For example, utensils (fork, spoon, knife) are often used for eating, all over the world. Similarly, a person may use a screwdriver in order to assemble a toy, or may utilize a bottle opener in order to open a sealed bottle of wine.