A method for delivering ultrasound energy to a patient's intracranial space involves forming at least one hole in the patient's skull, advancing at least one ultrasound delivery device at least partway through the hole(s), and transmitting ultrasound energy from the ultrasound delivery device(s). According to various embodiments, ultrasound delivery devices may be advanced into the epidural space, one or both ventricles and/or an intracerebral space of the patient's brain. In alternative embodiments, one or multiple holes may be formed in the skull, and any number of ultrasound delivery devices may be used. Intracranial ultrasound delivery may be used in diagnostic or therapeutic treatment of ischemic stroke, head trauma, atherosclerosis, perfusion disorders and other acute or chronic neurological conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical methods and apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for intracranial ultrasound delivery, which may include diagnostic ultrasound, therapeutic ultrasound or both.
Stroke is characterized by the sudden loss of circulation to an area of the brain, resulting in a corresponding loss of neurologic function. Also called cerebrovascular accident or stroke syndrome, stroke is a nonspecific term encompassing a heterogeneous group of pathophysiologic causes, including thrombosis, embolism, and hemorrhage. Strokes currently are classified as either hemorrhagic or ischemic. Acute ischemic stroke refers to strokes caused by thrombosis or embolism and accounts for 80% of all strokes.
More than 400,000 people per year in the U.S. have a first-time stroke. At current trends, this number is projected to increase to one million per year by the year 2050. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Worldwide, cerebrovascular disease was the second leading cause of death in 1990, killing over 4.3 million people. Cerebrovascular disease was also the fifth leading cause of lost productivity, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In 1990, cerebrovascular disease caused 38.5 million DALYs throughout the world. And although stroke often is considered a disease of the elderly, 25% of strokes occur in persons younger than 65 years. When the direct costs (care and treatment) and the indirect costs (lost productivity) of strokes are considered together, strokes cost US society $43.3 billion per year.
Until very recently, almost nothing could be done to help patients with acute stroke. Little treatment existed for ischemic stroke until 1995, when the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) stroke study group first reported that the early administration of rt-PA benefited some carefully selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. Encouraged by this breakthrough study and the subsequent approval of t-PA for use in acute ischemic stroke by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, administration of t-PA has become increasingly more prevalent in stroke treatment. Treating patients early enough in the course of stroke, however, is an extremely challenging hurdle to effective treatment of stroke. Furthermore, t-PA for stroke treatment is much more effective if delivered locally at the site of blood vessel blockage, but such delivery requires a great deal of skill and training, which only a small handful of medical professionals possess.
One proposed enhancement for treatment of stroke is the administration of trans-cranial Doppler (TCD) at high frequencies (i.e., approximately 2 MHz) and low intensities, which is normally used for diagnostic functions. TCD has been shown not only to be effective in visualizing clots, but also to be effective in lysing clots in the middle cerebral arteries, in combination with lytic drugs such as t-PA and/or microbubbles. TCD has also been shown to be safe, with no clinically significant brain bleeding effects. (See, for example: A. V. Alexandrov et al., "Ultrasound-Enhanced Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke," N. Engl. J. Med. 351; 21, Nov. 18, 2004; and W. C. Culp and T. C McCowan, "Ultrasound Augmented Thrombolysis," Current Medical Imaging Reviews, 2005, 1, 5-12.) The primary challenge in using TCD to enhance stroke treatment, however, is that the skull attenuates the ultrasound signal to such a high degree that it is very difficult to deliver high-frequency, low-intensity signals through the skull. Using higher intensity ultrasound signals, in an attempt to better penetrate the skull, often causes unwanted bleeding of small intracranial blood vessels and/or heating and sometimes burning of the scalp. The only other option is to carefully aim a high-frequency, low-intensity TCD signal through a small window in the temporal bone of the skull to arrive at the middle cerebral artery, which is the technique described in the studies cited above and is the only technique studied thus far.
There are two main drawbacks to delivering high-frequency TCD through the temporal window. First, such delivery requires a high level of skill, and only a small handful of highly trained ultrasonographers are currently capable of performing this technique. Second, not all intracranial blood vessels are reachable with TCD via the temporal window. For example, although the temporal window approach may work well for addressing the middle cerebral artery, it may not work as well for reaching the anterior cerebral artery or various posterior intracranial arteries.
Assuming effective ultrasound delivery is achieved, in addition to enhancing treatment of acute thrombotic or embolic ischemic stroke, TCD may also enhance and/or facilitate treatment of other cerebral disorders. For example, recurrent lacunar strokes, dementia, head trauma patients with intracerebral blood clots or perfusion abnormalities, and even Alzheimer's patients may benefit from TCD. In any such disorders, administration of TCD may help restore normal blood flow to the brain, help disperse harmful blood clots inside or outside blood vessels, and/or cause hyper-perfusion in one or more areas of the brain, thus enhancing cerebral function. For example, ultrasound administration has been shown to enhance the production of nitric oxide in or nearby blood vessels, which may thus cause vasodilation of nearby arteries and arterioles and enhance tissue perfusion. (See, for example, W. Steffen et al., "Catheter-Delivered High Intensity, Low Frequency Ultrasound Induces Vasodilation in Vivo," European Heart Journal (1994) 15, 369-376.) In any such treatments, however, use of TCD faces the same challenges—i.e., it is very difficult to deliver at safe and effective frequencies to desired locations in the brain and thus can be performed only by a small handful of highly skilled technicians and can be directed only to a few areas in the brain. Also, the high intensities required to transmit ultrasound through the skull in TCD make its utility for treating any chronic disorder impractical, since any implantable power source used with a chronic, implantable ultrasound delivery device would be depleted too quickly.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have improved methods and apparatus for intracranial delivery of ultrasound energy for diagnostic ultrasound, therapeutic ultrasound, or both. Ideally, such techniques would be usable by a larger number of medical professionals than are currently qualified to administer TCD. Also ideally, such techniques would use ultrasound frequencies that do not cause unwanted bleeding in other blood vessels in the brain and that do not cause overheating or burning of the skin. At least some of these objectives will be met by the present invention.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. RE36,939, issued to Tachibana et al., describes the use of microbubbles to enhance the effects of ultrasound delivery, with or without a pharmacological composition. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,123, issued to Li et al., discloses use of ultrasound energy to enhance bioavailability of pharmaceutical agents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,158, issued to Lauer et al., describes a method of lysing thrombi, involving administration of t-PA or other plasminogen activators, with pulsed mode ultrasound. U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,330, issued to Hynes et al., is directed to an apparatus for frameless stereotactic surgery.

Methods and apparatus for intracranial ultrasound delivery


Systems and methods of allocating sub-channels are provided. A method a signal quality measure associated with a first mobile station is determined. It is also determined that the first mobile station has an associated Quality of Service (QoS) above a predetermined QoS. A number of sub-channels are allocated to the first mobile station based on the signal quality measure and QoS associated with the first mobile station, where more sub-channels are allocated for lower signal quality measures compared to higher signal quality measures.

In wireless communication systems radio frequency resources are allocated for communication between base stations and mobile stations. Due to a number of factors, such as governmental allocation of frequencies, interference and the like, there are a limited number of radio frequency resources to allocate for wireless communications. Thus, allocation of radio frequency resources requires careful consideration of a large number of factors, and any particular allocation technique will have drawbacks with regard to other allocation techniques.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional wireless communication system implementing one resource allocation technique. This system includes a base station 105 and two mobile stations 110 and 115. This resource allocation technique allocates sub-channels on the basis of signal quality measurements, such as carrier-to-interference noise ratio (CINR), where more sub-channels are allocated to mobile stations that have better signal quality conditions than mobile stations with worse conditions. This typically results in mobile stations that are located closer to base station 105 being allocated more sub-channels than mobile stations located further away from the base station. In this technique the base station includes a scheduler to allocate the sub-channels, and this allocation technique is referred to as proportional fair scheduling.

System and method of allocating sub-channels


A retarder stack for transforming at least partially polarized light includes a first retarder and a second retarder. The first retarder has a first retardance and a first orientation and the second retarder has a second retardance and a second orientation both orientations with respect to the partially polarized light. The first retardance, first orientation, second retardance, and second orientation can be arranged to yield the desired polarization transformed light which includes a first spectrum and a second spectrum. The polarization of the first spectrum and the polarization of the second spectrum can be made orthogonal to each other. The polarizations can be linear or elliptical. If the polarization transformed light is linear, the directions of polarizations are different and in one case can be made perpendicular. If the polarization of the polarization transformed light is elliptical, then the polarizations are different and in on case can be made orthogonal in the general sense of orthogonality of polarization states.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for selectively transforming partially polarized light and in particular to a retarder stack for transforming at least partially polarized light for input into various optical devices such as electro-optic modulators, magneto-optic modulators or other optical components.
2. Background of the Related Art
The manipulation or transformation of polarized or partially polarized light is essential in a wide variety of optical systems. Especially with the onset of integrated optics and the processing of optical signals, it is necessary to predictably manipulate the polarization of light before that light proceeds to the next stage in an optical system.
Many optical systems require input light be completely or nearly completely polarized and have a known bandwidth and polarization such as input light from lasers or light emitting diodes (LEDs). It is important, however, to be able to selectively transform portions of relatively wide bandwidth light for eventual use in optical systems. For example, it is desirable to be able to selectively shift a certain band of frequencies within a wide band of frequencies comprising white light.
Color display and color filters are examples of optical systems which utilize wide bandwidth light such as white light to function.

Optical retarder stack pair for transforming input light into polarization states having saturated color spectra


An imaging lens including, in order from an object side to an image surface side, a first lens that is a meniscus lens having a positive power whose convex surface faces the object side, a diaphragm, a second lens that is a meniscus lens having a positive power whose convex surface faces the image surface side, wherein conditions expressed by 22≦(r3+r4)/(r3−r4)≦35 and 0.5≦f1/fl≦1 (where, r3: center radius curvature of the object side face of the second lens, r4: center radius curvature of the image surface side face of the second lens, f1: focal distance of the first lens, and fl: focal distance of the entire lens system) are to be satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging lens and an imaging device including the imaging lens. In particular, the present invention relates to an imaging lens and an imaging device including the imaging lens, in which the imaging lens has a two-lens structure that is capable of size and weight reduction and optical performance enhancement. The imaging lens is used in a camera that forms images of objects, such as scenery and human figures, on an image-taking surface of an image sensor element, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc. The image sensor element is mounted on a portable computer, a television phone, a portable phone, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for cameras that utilize a solid image sensor element, such as the CCD, the CMOS, or the like, that is mounted on a portable phone, a portable computer, a television phone, and the like. It is demanded that a camera such as this is small and light because the camera is required to be mounted on a limited installation space.
Therefore, it is also necessary for the imaging lens used in such cameras to be similarly small and light. Conventionally, a single-lens structure lens system using a single lens has been used as such an imaging lens.
However, although a single-lens structure lens system such as this can sufficiently handle application to a solid image sensor element having a resolution of about 110 thousand pixels, called common intermediate format (CIF), the lens system cannot sufficiently utilize the resolution capabilities of a recent solid image sensor element having a high resolution of about 300 thousand pixels, called video graphics array (VGA), and recent solid image sensor elements having high resolutions of one million pixels or more (such as super extended graphics array [SXGA]).
Therefore, conventionally, various two-lens structure lens systems and three-lens structure lens systems that have superior optical performance compared to the single-lens structure lens system are proposed.
The three-lens structure lens system can effectively correct each aberration leading to deterioration of optical performance. Therefore, the three-lens structure lens system can achieve extremely high optical performance. However, the three-lens structure lens system has a large number of components, making size and weight reduction difficult. Production cost also increases because each component requires high precision.
On the other hand, although optical performance that is as high as that of the three-lens structure lens system cannot be expected of the two-lens structure lens system, a higher optical performance than that of the single-lens structure lens system can be achieved. The two-lens structure lens system is compact and suitable for a high-resolution solid image sensor element.
As such a two-lens structure lens system, for example, the lens systems described in the following Patent Literatures 1 and 2 have been used.
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2001-174701
[Patent Literature 2] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2004-45978
However, the lens system described in Patent Literature 1 is a retro-focus lens system in which a first lens having negative power and a second lens having positive power are set. Therefore, the back focus distance becomes too long. The lens system is not suitable for size and weight reduction.
Furthermore, in the lens system described in Patent Literature 2, a second lens set on an object surface side of a first lens has negative power. Therefore, the lens system is not suitable for size and weight reduction. The second lens has a strong concave surface on an image surface side. Therefore, telecentricity is poor.

Imaging lens and imaging device including the imaging lens


Track maintenance management is defined by the present invention as the integration of all the maintenance engineering tasks which ensure that optimum levels of availability and overall performance of the track infrastructure are achieved in order to meet business objectives. The present invention provides the tools for effective track maintenance management and ensures that an economic balance between resource input and condition of the track infrastructure is maintained while still providing a competitive transport service. The present invention incorporates an essential database and a means of keeping it current. The present invention also provides a means for visualizing and interrelating the sets of data to improve maintenance decisions. The present invention also represents track condition by moving calculation which helps identify problems areas.

Worldwide, railways provide one of the most common ways of transporting cargo and passengers. As used herein "railways" includes above-ground as well as underground systems of tracks and related facilities. Typically a system of tracks guide and support a train-type vehicle formed of a series of cars. Various track configurations are employed. Examples include:
metal rails on cross ties, PA1 metal rails on slabs, and PA1 concrete or steel guide ways. PA1 TM$--Burlington Northern Railroad PA1 MARPAS & Mini-MARPAS--British Rail PA1 ECOTRACK--European Rail Research Institute (ERRI) PA1 1. Prior art maintenance programs focus on predicting maintenance needs based on assumed maintenance strategies and economic analysis. Each necessarily uses a database which includes certain selected and sometimes incomplete items such as maintenance history, traffic patterns, and track geometry as a measure of condition. Computer models substitute for maintenance personnel and limit their involvement in determining maintenance needs and performing cost evaluations. As a result: PA1 2. Prior art maintenance programs analyze predefined discrete sections of track. The selection of a discrete section is typically based on track features and usage within which performance is assumed to be uniform so that the same maintenance would be applied throughout the section. Each predefined section is treated as being uniform in condition; i.e., an average of the track condition over the length of the section is utilized in the analysis. The sections so defined are not generally uniform as assumed and hence maintenance is often done where it is not needed and not done where is needed, i.e., maintenance is not optimally performed. PA1 3. Track performance is in essence represented by longevity of track geometry and extent of required maintenance to meet traffic demands and safety regulations. Many factors influence track performance such as traffic, track features, terrain, drainage conditions, and weather. For proper track maintenance management these factors need to be correlated and studied by persons responsible for maintenance planning. These factors are often not recorded or difficult to access. Furthermore the large amount, the detailed, and the uncorrelated nature of the information make interpretation difficult even when the information is available. The ability to overcome these limitations would permit the maintenance manager to make more effective maintenance decisions even when constrained by limited available funding, and restricted track availability. PA1 1. Providing a means for establishing the required database and keeping it current, and then visually presenting and interrelating important factors needed by the maintenance manager to identify locations and nature of needed maintenance. PA1 2. Track condition is represented by a moving calculation. This treats condition measurements as a continuum and not by predefined discrete sections. This method permits the use of successive measurement runs to define the rate of change in conditions. This approach is used to identify and rank areas for maintenance and renewal independent of track features and usage. PA1 3. Graphically interrelating the influences of track performance. The relation of these influences allows the maintenance manger to correlate the factors needed to accurately assess the cause of the problems and assist in determining the appropriate corrective action. The graphical method enables the interpretation of the large amount of maintenance information and of the detailed and the uncorrelated nature of the maintenance information.
Traditionally track maintenance decisions have been made by railroad personnel using knowledge obtained from visual field inspection of track, track drawings, records of measured geometry defects (i.e., deviation of track for specified configuration), train ride characteristics reported by locomotive drivers, knowledge of recent maintenance history. Much of the relevant information influencing the decision is not in readily acceptable form and is difficult to integrate and visualize by maintenance managers. Thus the process of deciding on the optimum maintenance approach is difficult with the consequence that sub-optimal decisions usually result. Human judgment is essential, but is handicapped by the difficulty in comparing all of the influencing information. Furthermore much of the critical information is known mainly by the maintenance personnel responsible for a particular section of track. This knowledge is not readily transferred when the personnel change. Hence much of the information is lost because of the unavailability of permanent accessible records. It is evident from the above discussion that the optimization of the process of maintenance management would be greatly enhanced by a suitable means to acquire, measure, report, and integrate the relevant information. A number of software tools have been developed for planning maintenance and renewal of railway track. Examples include:
Applicants of the present invention discovered disadvantages of the prior art approaches as follows:
a) incomplete and unverified data results in incorrect or inefficient maintenance decisions, PA2 b) imperfect models caused by the complexity of real-world situations even with complete and correct data also result in unsatisfactory maintenance decisions.
The following publication relates to the subject matter of the present invention and is incorporated by reference.
Ebersohn, W., and Selig, E. T. "Use of Track Geometry Measurements for Maintenance Planning". Transportation Research Record No. 1470, Railroad Research Issues, Washington, D.C., pp. 73-83, 1994.


This invention relates to a dry erase writing board. The dry erase writing board comprises a chalk or erase board having a face side, and a multilayer film which is adhered to the face side of the chalk or dry erase board. The outer or exposed surface of the multilayer film which is adhered to the chalk board or erase board is a clear dry erasable layer comprising at least one fluorocarbon polymer. The invention also relates to a method of preparing the dry erase writing boards of the invention which utilizes a multilayer film having an adhesive layer for adhering the multilayer film to the chalk or erase board and a pattern of non-adhesive material forms embedded into the upper or lower surface of the adhesive layer, or adhered to the lower surface of the adhesive layer. The dry erasable multilayer films described herein are easily applied to substrates such as a chalk or erase board with little or no formation of visible bubbles or wrinkles in the film.

Dry erase marking boards are available which may be marked with dry wipe markers, also known as dry erase markers or dry erasable markers. The dry erase marking boards generally comprise a rigid substrate such as a fiber board or metal having a surface coated with a smooth, hard material such as a polymer, enamel, etc. The surface coating is one that is capable of receiving and releasably retaining a marking composition. The marking compositions typically comprise a solvent-based ink which dries to a powder after it has been applied to a surface, and the powder will adhere to the erasable surface for an extended period of time without significantly flaking or otherwise peeling away from the dry erasable writing surface. However, after the ink has dried to a powder, it may be readily wiped off from the dry erasable writing surface with a dry cloth or dry eraser. No solvent is required in the erasing, and hence, these markers are known as "dry wipe" or "dry erasable". These terms are used interchangeably in the present specification and claims.
Dry erase marking boards have a number of advantages over previously employed chalk boards, and the use has steadily increased in recent years. Dry erase marker boards provide a high contrast dark-on-light image, and can be used in combination with various colored inks to produce readable, high contrast displays. Also, dry erase marker boards produce significantly less dust than do chalk boards. The writing surfaces generally are white in appearance and are often referred to as white boards, dry erase boards or dry erasable boards, and these terms are used interchangeably in the specification and claims.
While dry erase marker boards have a number of advantages over chalk boards, over time, the surface of dry erase marker boards often begins to degrade, and the boards tend to retain traces of the marking compositions. This problem is referred to in the industry as "ghosting". While ghosting can be removed, to some degree, by using liquid cleaners, the problem tends to increase over time, and, eventually, the marker board must be replaced.
It has been suggested in the art that dry erase boards can be prepared from films having dry erase characteristics by adhering such films to a solid substrate such as a board with an adhesive. However, one of the difficulties of adhering the films to a solid substrate is the formation of bubbles and wrinkles in the film due to air or moisture trapped under the adhesive film as it is applied to the substrate. Another problem which is encountered is the difficulty of positioning the film with any precision due to the initial strong bond formed by the adhesive on contact with the substrate. It is desirable to be able to reposition, slide, or even remove the film after light application of pressure without destroying the film or the substrate.


Methods and structure for enabling transparent coordination between multiple host systems sharing access to a common SATA storage device to improve bandwidth utilization therebetween in a manner transparent to each of the multiple host systems. The SAS protocol may be utilized by each of the host systems coupled to an SAS/SATA Converter. The storage device coupled to an output path of the SAS/SATA Converter is selectively coupled to one of the multiple host systems each coupled to an input signal path of the SAS/SATA Converter to the shared SATA storage device. Protocol conversion within the SAS/SATA Converter may convert between host SAS protocol exchanges and SATA protocol exchanges of the storage device. Other features within the SAS/SATA Converter may provide queuing or buffering of SAS protocol exchanges from a host system presently non-selected for coupling to the shared SATA storage device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to storage devices and systems using storage devices and, more specifically, relates to methods and structures for coordinating shared access to a SATA storage device by multiple host systems.
2. Discussion of Related Art
SCSI (small computer systems interface) and AT attachment (ATA—e.g., IDE and EIDE) are both popular protocols for coupling storage devices to host systems. Exemplary storage devices may include individual magnetic and optical disk drives, RAID or other logical storage volumes, tape drives, tape autochangers, tape libraries, etc. Host systems may be any device designed to couple to such a storage device including, for example, a personal computer, workstation, or server computing system, a storage host bus adapter within such a computing system, an embedded storage subsystem controller housed within a storage subsystem, etc.
Both the SCSI and ATA standards originated as parallel bus structures and associated command and status protocols. Over time, high speed serial communication media and protocols evolved to compete with the performance of even high speed parallel bus structures but at lower cost. Both SCSI and ATA command and status features have since been adapted for incorporation with such high speed serial communication media and protocols. For example, serial attached SCSI (SAS) protocols allow for exchange of SCSI command and status blocks over high speed serial communication media. In addition, a serial ATA (SATA) version of the ATA command and status protocol has been adapted for utilization over such SAS communication media and protocols. Such protocols are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and specifications may be obtained at, for example, www.t10.org and www.serialata.org.
Utilizing SAS communication media and protocols to communicate between a host system and a storage device allows for multiple host systems to easily coordinate and share access to a common, shared storage device. The SCSI protocols inherently allow a host device (i.e., an initiator) to be temporarily disconnected from the storage device (i.e., a target) when the storage device is not prepared to complete a presently outstanding request. Following such a disconnection, another host system may utilize the SCSI communication medium to perform other operations on the same shared storage device or other storage devices on the same communication medium. By contrast, SATA protocols inherently prohibit such simple coordination and the sharing of a storage device. Rather, when a first host system initiates an exchange with a shared SATA storage device, that host system has effectively locked the communication path to that storage device until the desired exchange of information is completed. No other host system may utilize the communication bandwidth to the SATA storage device until the first host system has completed its requested exchange and relinquished its temporary exclusive control of communications with the shared SATA storage device.
SATA protocols include specifications of a device referred to as a "port selector". See, e.g., http://www.serialata.org/docs/ps—100_Gold.pdf. A port selector is a device that simply multiplexes multiple host systems utilizing SATA protocols for selective coupling to an SATA storage device. SATA protocol exchanges inherently, in essence, require locking of access to the storage device until a complete sequence of command and data exchanges are completed. A port selector is therefore a simple multiplexer that fails to improve upon utilization of available bandwidth. Further, the selection feature of such a port selector is under control of one or more of the host systems coupled thereto. The host systems must therefore take responsibility for managing the port selection features of the SATA port selector. Thus, coordinating shared access to the SATA storage device is not transparent with respect to all of the host systems.
Some prior techniques allow multiple active SATA hosts to share access to a common SATA storage device. Multiple active hosts may allow for redundant controllers/hosts to access a common shared SATA storage device to thereby permit rapid switchover between redundant storage controllers to access a common SATA storage device. However, as noted above, such prior solutions provide no means or structure to allow for improved utilization of available bandwidth by coordinating use of otherwise idle time in the shared access to the SATA storage device.
It is evident from the above discussion that a need exists for an improved method, circuit, system and structure to permit better utilization of available bandwidth in sharing access to a common SATA storage device while doing so in a manner transparent to all attached host systems.

Methods and structure for a SAS/SATA converter


A flexible printed circuit board includes a base and a coverlay. The base includes a main portion and a distal portion connecting with the main portion. The distal portion has a first part and a second exposed part. The coverlay is formed on the base and covers the main portion and the first part of the distal portion. The second exposed part of the distal portion is uncovered by the coverlay. The coverlay includes a curved edge serving as an interface between the first part and second part of the distal portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to printed circuit boards and, particularly, to a flexible printed circuit board having excellent flexibility.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs) are widely used in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In some electronic devices, certain parts are movable relative to a main body. In these electronic devices, FPCBs can maintain an electrical connection between the main body and the movable parts due to their flexibility.
FIG. 5 shows a typical FPCB 10. The FPCB 10 includes a circuit area 11, a gold finger portion 12, and a coverlay 13. The coverlay 13 covers and is attached to the circuit area 11 and overlaps and is attached to the gold finger portion 12. A straight edge 14 of the portion of the coverlay 13 that overlaps the gold finger portion 12 is perpendicular to the extending direction of the gold finger portion 12. When the gold finger portion 12 is inserted into a connection socket of an electronic device, the force exerted by a user to insert the gold finger portion 12 may not (in fact usually is not) be longitudinally parallel to the gold finger portion 12 resulting in lateral stress being applied thereto. Thus stress will be concentrated where the straight edge 14 and the gold finger portion 12 meet, greatly raising the risk of damage to the gold finger portion 12.
Therefore, a flexible printed circuit board, which can overcome the above shortcomings, is desired.

Flexible printed circuit board having curved edge

FuKui Precision Component (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


Providing a noble negative-electrode active material including silicon, and a production process for the same.

Secondary batteries, such as lithium-ion secondary batteries, have been used in a wide variety of fields like cellular phones and notebook-size personal computers, because they are compact and have large capacities. A lithium-ion secondary battery has active materials, which can insert lithium (Li) thereinto and eliminate it therefrom, for the positive electrode and negative electrode, respectively. And, it operates because the Li ions migrate within an electrolytic solution that is disposed between both the electrodes.
The performance of secondary battery is dependent on materials for the positive electrode and negative electrode as well as the electrolyte that constitute the secondary battery. Even among them, the research and development of active-material ingredients that form active materials have been carried out actively. For example, employing silicon oxide (e.g., SiOx: "x" is 0.5≦"x"≦1.5 approximately) has been investigated. It has been known that SiOx decomposes into Si and SiO2 when being heat treated. This is called a disproportionation reaction; when being homogenous solid silicon monoxide, SiO, in which the ratio between Si and O is 1:1 roughly, it separates into two phases, an Si phase and SiO2 phase, due to the internal reaction in the solid. The Si phase, which is obtainable by the separation, is fine extremely. Moreover, the SiO2 phase, which covers the Si phase, possesses an action of inhibiting electrolytic solutions from decomposing. Therefore, a secondary battery, which uses a negative-electrode active material being made by decomposing SiOx into Si and SiO2, is good in terms of cyclability.
As a specific example for such a negative-electrode active material, a nano composite body, which includes Si, SiO2 and a metallic oxide, is disclosed in Patent Literature No. 1. In Example No. 3, a composite body with Si:SiO2:CaO=9:3:1 is obtained by heat treating SiO (e.g., a mixture with Si:SiO2=1:1) and calcium (Ca) at 900° C. for 6 hours in an argon gas atmosphere after mixing them in a molar ratio of 2:1.
Moreover, in Example No. 1 of Patent Literature No. 2, a composite body, in which B is doped into SiO1.48, is obtained by cooling SiO2, Si and B2O3 rapidly after subjecting them to a depressurized heat treatment at 800° C.

Negative-electrode active material for non-aqueous-system secondary battery and production process for the same

Abstract: A negative-electrode active material for non-aqueous-system secondary battery including a silicon phase and a composite oxide phase (a CaSiO3 phase, for instance) is obtained by mixing a silicon oxide (SiO, for instance) with a silicon compound (CaSi2, for instance), which includes silicon and at least one member of elements being selected from the group consisting of Group 2 (or Group 2A) elements in the Periodic Table, to prepare a mixed raw material, and then reacting the mixed raw material. The composite oxide phase demonstrates the advantage of inhibiting electrolytic solutions from decomposing in a smaller amount than does the conventional SiO2 phase.


A logic circuit performs a logic operation on a plurality of input logic signals and outputting a resultant logic signal. The logic circuit comprises a pass-transistor logic circuit including: a plurality of field effect transistors, at least two of the plurality of field effect transistors being coupled in series, a gate electrode of each of the at least two field effect transistors receiving a corresponding first logic signal, and one of drain and source electrodes ditto receiving a corresponding second logic signal; and a node for coupling the other of the drain and source electrodes of the at least two field effect transistors, and for outputting the resultant logic signal. The plurality of field effect transistors are thin film transistors (TFTs).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a logic circuit and a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a logic circuit which includes pass-transistor logic using field effect thin film transistors (TFTs) and a liquid crystal display which uses the pass-transistor logic circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A logic circuit which is used in a semiconductor device is required to have high performance with respect to operation speed, power consumption, occupation area, and operation stability. The demand for improved performance has further increased as systems using semiconductor devices have been further miniaturized and highly integrated.
CMOS logic is well known as a conventional logic circuit. FIGS. 22A to 24B show basic logic gates which include a plurality of field effect transistors coupled between a source supply terminal (VCC) and a grounded terminal (GND). The transistors are operated by utilizing the voltage difference between the source supply voltage and the ground voltage, and a binary logic signal is input to a gate electrode of each transistor.
FIGS. 22A and 22B, respectively, show a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function (INV) of an inverter circuit 1. FIGS. 23A and 23B, respectively, show a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function (NAND) of a negative AND circuit 2. FIGS. 24A and 24B, respectively, show a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function (NOR) of a negative OR circuit 3. A more complicated logic function can be implemented by a combination of these basic logic circuits in accordance with Boolean algebra.
For example, an exclusive OR (XOR) function as shown in FIG. 25A is implemented as an XOR circuit 10 by using two INV circuits 1 and three NOR circuits 2 as shown in FIG. 25B. The XOR circuit 10 is a relatively large circuit in that it requires a large number of gates. FIG. 25C shows a CMOS logic circuit 11 consisting of three XOR circuits 10 cascaded in series. The CMOS logic circuit 11, which includes forty eight (48) transistors, is a significantly large circuit as will be appreciated.
In recent years, a pass-transistor logic circuit has been proposed and has received considerable attention (see, e.g., IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, Vol. 25, No. 2, April 1990, pp. 388-395). The pass-transistor logic circuit described in such article consists of n-channel MOS transistors. A binary logic signal is input to a gate electrode and a drain electrode so that the number of the transistors included in the logic circuit is reduced in order to realize higher operation speed and to reduce power consumption.
FIGS. 26A to 28B show typical pass-transistor logic circuits. FIGS. 26A and 26B respectively show a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function of an AND/NAND circuit 4. Signals A (/A) and B (/B) are input to the AND/NAND circuit 4, and an AND operation result C and a NAND operation result /C of the signals A and B are output.
Similarly, FIGS. 27A and 27B respectively show a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function of an OR/NOR circuit 5. FIGS. 28A and 28B show, respectively, a circuit structure and the corresponding logic function of an XOR/XNOR circuit 6.
In the case of a relatively simple logic function, such as an AND/NAND or OR/NOR function, there is no significant difference in the number of transistors utilized between the CMOS logic and the pass-transistor logic circuit. However, in a case of a relatively complicated logic function such as XOR/XNOR function, the number of transistors included in the pass-transistor logic circuit is much smaller than the number included in the CMOS logic circuit, as shown FIG. 28A.
The conventional pass-transistor logic circuit described above has the following problems:
Because signals are propagated by the n-channel transistors only, a voltage level of an output signal is intrinsically reduced from the power supply voltage level by an amount of the threshold voltage of the transistors, and the higher voltage level of the output signal alone will not be sufficient. In a case where p-channel transistors are used, the lower voltage level of the output signal is deteriorated.
When n-channel transistors formed in a P-type semiconductor substrate are used, a voltage level of the substrate is set so that an opposite bias voltage is applied between a bulk portion of the substrate and source and drain regions of n-channel transistors in order to operate the transistors stably. In the case, for example, where a signal having a high voltage level is transferred, voltage levels of the source and drain electrodes become higher than that of the substrate. In such a case, an effective threshold voltage (i.e., a gate voltage level of a channel which is formed beneath the gate electrode) becomes higher due to the substrate voltage effect. Accordingly, for example, with a source voltage level of 5V and a threshold voltage of 0.8V , an output voltage level will be about 3.3V, which is reduced by 1.7V from the source voltage level. This reduces an available voltage level for properly operating the transistors of the logic circuit, so that an error operation will occur in the logic circuit unless measures are taken to avoid such error.
In the pass-transistor logic circuit, a load on an input signal which is input to the drain electrode of the transistor is relatively large because the input signal drives (i.e., charges and discharges) a capacitance between the channel and the gate electrode (i.e., the gate insulator capacitance) as well as a parasitic capacitance between the source and drain electrodes and the substrate (i.e., the pn junction capacitance). In the case of a pass-transistor logic circuit which includes multiple basic logic gates connected in series, an input signal is used for driving a plurality of channel-gate capacitances, source-substrate capacitances, and drain-substrate capacitances. Accordingly an output signal from the pass-transistor logic circuit will be deteriorated. In order to eliminate such a problem, a buffer circuit such as an inverter for shaping the output signal is required for every couple of stages of the basic logic gates. The buffer circuit offsets the advantages of high operation speed and reduction of the number of the transistors otherwise obtained by using the pass-transistor logic circuit.
In addition, a pass-transistor logic circuit consists of single type of transistors (n-channel transistors in the above described example), so that the structure of the logic circuit and that of a buffer circuit, which consists of CMOS transistors, are not consistent. The number of n-channel transistors and p-channel transistors used in the logic circuit and the buffer circuit are different, so that the n-channel transistors and p-channel transistors are arranged in a random manner, resulting in a complicated well structure in a semiconductor substrate. For example, a well will have a complicated shape, be divided into many small parts, have a large invalid region, and it will be difficult to provide a stable well source supply, etc. This makes it difficult to arrange an effective well layout for transistors in the semiconductor substrate.

Logic circuit for liquid crystal display having pass-transistor logic circuitry and thin film transistors


Systems and methods are described for providing multiple voice service modes to a wireless device using data packet transmission through a wireless network. Application requirements including a signal level threshold for a wireless device may be determined. Signal level information for the wireless device may be received and transmitted among various network nodes. The received signal level may be compared with the signal level threshold for the wireless device. The wireless device and the access node may communicate wirelessly to provide voice services to the wireless device application. Data transmission may be converted between a first mode and a second mode depending upon a relative position of the received signal level with respect to the signal level threshold. The second mode of data transmission may be used where the first mode of data transmission cannot because the second mode may consume less network resources.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) are methodologies for delivering data packets containing digital information representing an audio signal generated by a user of a wireless device during a voice call. The wireless device may be capable of wireless communication with one or more access nodes in a wireless network which is in further communication with a network such as the internet. In order to use VoIP or VoLTE, the wireless device must be near enough to an access node of the wireless network in order to initiate and maintain the wireless communication for transmission of data packets to and from the access node and thereby through the network. In various circumstances, a wireless device may begin a voice call in a weak signal area or it may begin the voice call in a strong signal area and subsequently move into a weaker area.
When a received signal level for a serving access node drops below a minimum threshold at a wireless device, call service may be degraded due to dropped packets intended for that device, and eventually a voice session may be terminated if packets continue to drop. However, when a received signal level is too low for voice service, it may still be sufficient for other data services, such as email, web browsing, or text. Data services may be measured by various metrics such as an average data rate. Applications that require smaller data rates may consume less network resources than those with larger data rates, which may lead to fewer dropped packets.

System and methods for providing multiple voice over IP service modes to a wireless device in a wireless network


An agrichemical-containing composition that exhibits excellent agrichemical efficacy is provided. The agrichemical-containing composition comprises hydroxypropyl cellulose, an agrichemical, an organic solvent having a saturated vapor pressure of 50 mmHg or higher at 25° C., and water. When the composition as a whole is taken as 100 wt %, the content of the organic solvent is 0.02 to 1 wt %, and the weight ratio of the hydroxypropyl cellulose to the organic solvent (hydroxypropyl cellulose/organic solvent) is in a range of 0.1 to 2.

Agrichemicals including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, miticides, and plant growth regulators are used in such forms as an emulsion, a wettable powder, granules, a dusting powder, flowables, and a solution. At that time, a variety of contrivances are made in terms of the physical properties of the formulations in order to exploit the effects of the agrichemicals to a sufficient degree.
Conventionally, a variety of surfactants have been used in agrichemical-containing compositions to exploit the effects of the agrichemicals to a sufficient degree. For example, it is known that an agrichemical-containing composition that exerts a strong effect on bipyridinium-based herbicides can be achieved by combining an anionic surfactant and a chelating agent (see Patent Document 1, for example). Further, it is also known that a highly-effective agrichemical-containing composition can be achieved by mixing a chelating agent with a cationic surfactant and further adding a different surfactant to the mixture (see Patent Document 2, for example).
Further, the use of amine oxide in agrichemical-containing compositions is also known (see Patent Document 3, for example).
Further, a water continuous phase in which N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine salt is dissolved has been used to provide a hardly water-soluble agrichemical active ingredient that is in a solid-state at room temperature with storage stableness and to enhance the efficacy of the ingredient (see Patent Document 4, for example).

Method for enhancing efficacy of agrichemical, and agrichemical-containing composition


A rappel rope storage and deployment system includes a bag for storing a pel rope, the bag having a first opening for exposing a first end of the rope, a second opening for exposing a middle portion of the rope, and a third opening for exposing a second end of the rope. The system further includes a rappel rope disposed in the bag, the first end of the rope extending through the first opening and outwardly from the bag, the first end being enlarged to prevent passage of the first end through the first opening, the middle portion of the rope extending through the second opening for withdrawal of a double strand of the rope from the second opening, and the second end of the rope extending through the third opening for withdrawal of a single strand of the rope from the third opening. The system further includes straps and fasteners for releasably connecting the bag to a person.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to rappel rope systems of the type used in descent from steep terrain or man-made structures, and is directed more particularly to a rappel rope storage and deployment system which easily can be carried by a person and used in emergency life support exercises, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of rappel ropes for descent from natural or man-made heights is well known. Typically, however, the ropes themselves are large and heavy and cannot be stored on the body of an individual. Further, existing systems require that the rope be deployed before use. The deployment sometimes results in entanglements in the rope coil. It also results in the free end of the rope hanging below the descending individual, which can be detrimental in tactical situations.
The advent of high strength, small diameter rappel rope, including rope of 5 millimeter diameter, and less, has made possible more compact storage of rope and new methods for handling the rope. Inasmuch as a relatively long rappel rope can be carried by a person, there is now a need for a compact rappel rope storage and deployment system which can be carried on a person and deployed when needed. There is further a need for such a system that can be used in emergency and tactical situations and wherein the rope does not hang below the person using the rope.

Rappel rope storage and deployment system

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


The present invention relates to a composition for preventing or treating an autoimmune disease comprising, as an active ingredient, PINK1 protein or polynucleotide encoding the same. The PINK1 protein according to the present invention inhibits the activity of Th17, promotes the activity of a regulatory T cell (Treg), and increases autophagy in Treg cells, thereby controlling excessive immune responses. Therefore, the PINK1 protein can be effectively used as a pharmaceutical composition or an immunosuppressant, which is capable of preventing or treating an autoimmune disease, such as arthritis, and the like, caused by dysregulation of various kinds of immune responses.

Immunity is one of self-protection systems in vivo against all external polymers (antigens) which are invaded or injected into tissues. A lymphocyte as a major component of an immune system is a leukocyte which is generated in the bone marrow and circulated in a lymph tissue or organ, particularly, a lymphatic node, a spleen, and onsil along the blood. As cells involved in an immune response, B cells are rapidly proliferated when being stimulated by a proper antigen to form a clone which makes a specific antibody (immunoglobulin) for neutralizing the antigen and the antibody made by the B cell performs the humoral immunity while circulating in the body fluid. Further, T cells are generated in the thymus to move to a lymphatic tissue and are responsible for cell-mediated immunity to directly attack the antigen.
Meanwhile, in all normal objects, one of the important features has ability capable of detecting, respond, and removing many non-self antigens without harmfully responding to self-antigen substances. As such, non-response to the self-antigen of the living body is called immunologic unresponsiveness or tolerance.
When a problem is caused in inducing or continuously maintaining the self-tolerance, the immune response to the self-antigen occurs. As a result, a phenomenon in which the self-antigen attacks the self-tissue occurs to cause autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis and cause immune rejection after a surgical procedure such as transplantation.
In detail, since the autoimmune disease is a disease caused by abnormal response to self-cells, drugs which suppress an autoimmune function have been mainly used for treatment. However, the drugs have many side effects to be difficult to be continuously used and do not sufficiently prevent a recurrence to have a limit in the treatment for a full recovery. In the case of multiple sclerosis, beta interferon is used, but the beta interferon has expensive treatment cost instead of less side effects and inconvenience in that an injection is required during life, and has a slight effect of preventing the recurrence. Further, a method of inhibiting interaction between cells by administrating an antibody to a CD40 ligand has been used, but is not so successful. Other many immune therapies are included, but there is yet no case admitted as a method which exhibits clear therapeutic efficacy.
Accordingly, the autoimmune disease may be efficiently treated and researches of therapeutic agents which are harmless to the human body and have no side effect are required.

Composition for preventing or treating autoimmune disease, comprising, as active ingredient, PINK1 protein or polynucleotide encoding same

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION


A device for attaching baby bottles to strollers or car seats having constraining bars. The device contains a holding mechanism for attaching the device to a stroller or car seat; an angular stem leading away from the holding mechanism; a hollow cylinder attached to the angular stem, the cylinder containing a connector held in place near the stem, a circular cap at the end away from the stem, and a coil spring connecting the connector and the cap; a bottle holder attached to the cap; and an adjustable strap connected to the bottle holder. The angular stem is adjustable relative to the constraining bar. Also, the coil spring allows the bottle holder to swivel around the cylinder so that when the bottle is in use, it may easily be held with the nipple at a downward angle and when not in use, it automatically positions the nipple at an upward angle.

1. Field of the invention
This invention is directed to a device for attaching baby bottles to strollers and car seats.
2. Description of the related art
Devices for holding baby bottles to cribs, carriages, high chairs, car seats, and strollers are known in the art. The ideal bottle holder will be able to hold bottles having a variety of sizes and shapes, have no hard edges which will harm the baby, will be small in size as to be simple to carry when not in use, will maintain the bottle in an upright position when not in use in order to avoid spillage, and will maintain the bottle in a position which is convenient for the baby in that it is within easy sight and reach.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,178,594 to Nixon et al satisfies many of these conditions, but is large and unable to be transported conveniently. Additionally, there are hard edges which may be injurious to the baby. The devices shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,793 to Hunter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,041 to Bryant appear to have the tendency to maintain the bottle in a position wherein the nipple points downward when not in use, thus yielding a mess and wasting the contents of the bottle. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,845 to Pellegrino solves the problem of spillage by maintaining the bottle in an upright position when it is not in use. However, a special bottle holder is required in this device, and it is not apparent that this container would be suitable for holding bottles having a range of sizes and shapes. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,075 to Ible presents hard surfaces which could cause harm to the baby. The infant feeding apparatus shown by U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,626 to Martin requires the seat to be part of the apparatus as the seat requires a special slot in the side of the seat. Thus, this disclosure cannot provide for a simple bottle holder which can be used on a wide range of seats of strollers and car seats. The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,623 to McClure is designed to be slung over a cushioned side panel of a car seat, making it necessary for the infant to engage in contortions in order to use the bottle. Also, it does not appear that this device would cause the bottle to tilt upwardly when not in use. Thus, this device does not solve the problem of dripping bottles. The devices shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,165 to Sussman and U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,381 to Agner require a flat surface for their suction cups. Thus, these devices are not useable in car seats and strollers where there is no flat surface or where the flat surface is inconveniently located.

Device for attaching baby bottles to strollers


A hair braiding apparatus includes a main housing having a lower portion defining a lower interior area. A rotor assembly is mounted to the lower portion of the main housing and includes a rotor motor having a plurality of rotors operatively coupled to the rotor motor. The rotor assembly includes at least a pair of orbital tracks configured to receive the plurality of rotors for movement therealong. A plurality of hair retention members are coupled to respective rotors for positioning hair to be styled. A processor is positioned in the lower portion and electrically connected to the rotors for actuating the rotors to move along the orbital tracks. A memory stores programming instructions to selectively control movement of the rotors and the platform.

This invention relates to a hair braiding apparatus in which strands of a person's hair may be connected to the apparatus and automatically manipulated into a standard braid and other hair styles according to the user-selectable programming instructions that control corresponding rotors.
Both men and women frequently go to hair salons to have a beautician style their hair. For instance, a lady may desire to have her hair braided. There are other styles that also involve the rotation or twisting of hair, such as a technique referred to as corn rolls. While each of these procedures may require a significant amount of time, the rotation or intertwining of the hair follows a repetitious technique that may in some cases be accomplished by a machine.
Various devices and proposals have been proposed in the prior art for a hair braiding machine. Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, each of the existing and proposed devices seek to braid hair according to a predetermined pattern, such as a traditional braid.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a hair braiding apparatus under computer control that can style a person's hair in braiding and similar techniques. Further, it would desirable to have a hair braiding apparatus having hair gripping devices coupled to rotors operated in rotational patterns according to computer instruction. In addition, it would be desirable to have a hair braiding apparatus that allows a user to select from multiple choices in hair styles.


An electrochemical cell may have a PVDF microporous membrane that may be adhesively bonded to electrodes. The adhesive may be a mixture of a solvent and non-solvent that may cause the PVDF membrane to become tacky and adhere to an electrode without collapsing. An adhesively bonded cell may be constructed using multiple layers of adhesively bonded membranes and electrodes. In some embodiments, the adhesive solution may be used as a sizing to prepare electrodes for bonding.

Microporous membranes are used in various electrochemical and energy storage devices such as super capacitors and batteries to separate electrodes. Batteries or super capacitors may be constructed by layering the microporous separator between an anode and cathode, then infiltrating the device with an electrolyte. For convenience, throughout this document the term "electrochemical cell" shall refer to any type of energy storage cell unless otherwise noted.
In many cases, microporous membranes may be manufactured using PVDF or other polymers. Because of the microporous nature, the membranes may be very fragile. Holes or tears in the membrane may lead to shorts between the electrodes, rendering a battery cell or an entire electrochemical device unusable. Blockages within the membranes may decrease performance by not allowing ions in the electrolyte to pass from one electrode to another.
Some batteries are constructed as multiple layers of electrodes and separators. The batteries may be wound into a cylinder, wound about a flat plate, or constructed as flat sandwiches of multiple layers.

Treatment and adhesive for microporous membranes


A directional/omnidirectional antenna system is disclosed. A first printed circuit board has capacitive hats disposed thereon. Each capacitive hat is in association with one of an array of folded monopoles. A second printed circuit board has a switched beam forming network formed thereon. The switched beam forming network is configured to provide a predetermined omnidirectional antenna operation at a first switching position, and a predetermined directional antenna operation at a second switching position. Each of a plurality of feeding elements is associated with one of the folded monopoles. Each feeding element is coupled to one of the capacitive hats and to an antenna terminal. Shorting elements of the folded monopoles are coupled to the capacitive hats and to a ground plate of the antenna. A plurality of decoupling elements improve the antenna pattern for directional and omnidirectional modes and provide greater antenna gain.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a directional antenna 100 from U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,349 "Apparatus and method for an amplitude monopulse directional antenna", which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Directional antenna 100 includes a radome assembly 101, a ground plate assembly 102, a base plate 103, and an adapter plate 104. The radome 105 is manufactured from a polyethersulfone resin having various structures formed on an interior surface, including fastening posts 106, internally threaded grounded portions 107 of the monopole antenna elements, and free portions 108 of the monopole antenna elements. Monopole antenna portions 107 and 108 are coated with copper directly on the surfaces thereof. Capacitors 109 are formed directly on the interior surface of radome 105. Upon assembly, copper coated antenna portions 107 and 108 contact capacitors 109 to form folded monopole antenna elements. Ground plate assembly 102 includes a conducting plate 110. A beam forming network (BFN) is formed on a circuit assembly 111, which is described in detail in the previously mentioned '349 patent. Circuit assembly 111 includes passages 112 providing clearance for free antenna elements 108 to extend through conducting plate 110 and through circuit assembly 111. Connectors 113 electrically couple the aircraft processing and signal generating apparatus (not shown) to the BFN on circuit card assembly 111.
The main disadvantage of this amplitude monopulse directional antenna for use in a communications system configured for Traffic Collision and Aviodance System (TCAS), Transponder, and Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) communications is the difficulties of the omnidirectional mode because of the amplitude and phase differences of the transmission path between the channels and between antenna cables. To eliminate these errors, a special calibration network with variable phase shifters, phase detectors, and an additional calibration signal source is required. Another disadvantage of this antenna is low efficiency due to the strong mutual coupling between the diagonal and adjacent inputs/outputs of the BFN. Experimental testing of the directional antenna disclosed in the '349 patent show 4.1 dB parasitic coupling between diagonal input/output ports at 1090 MHz, and therefore only 61% efficiency. The strong parasitic coupling can be explained by the strong mutual coupling between antenna monopoles and by poor matching between the BFN and the antenna monopoles because the matching network described in the above patent is a one-step quarter wavelength transformer with a narrow frequency band. Combining the narrow-band transformer and the narrow-band 4×4 hybrid matrix with two-branch 90-degree hybrids causes the total narrow band frequency range of the prototype antenna. Therefore, this antenna is not acceptable for the high efficiency combined TCAS/Transponder/UAT system with a frequency range of 978 MHz-1090 MHz or 10.8% bandwidth. A further disadvantage of antenna 100 is that it consists of three metal plates: ground plate assembly 102, base plate 103, and adapter plate 104. The three metal plates therefore mean the antenna is bulky, heavy, and expensive to build.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a directional/omnidirectional antenna arrangement having improved performance over existing aircraft antennas while solving the attendant problems of known antennas.
It is another object of the invention to provide a directional/omnidirectional antenna system that minimizes the amount of base metal plates required therefor.
A feature of the invention is an array of folded monopoles coupled to a switched beam forming network.
Another feature of the invention is the feeding and shorting elements associated with each of the folded monopoles are strips formed on a hollow cylindrical dielectric element.
An advantage of the invention is that the number of metal base plates in the antenna system is minimized.
Another advantage is that the size and weight of the antenna system is minimized.

Aircraft directional/omnidirectional antenna arrangement


A semiconductor laser module includes a flat board, a semiconductor laser, a lens, an optical fiber, a lens holder, an electronic cooling element, and support rods. The semiconductor laser is mounted on the board, and the laser emit a laser beam. The lens focuses the laser beam from the semiconductor laser. The optical fiber is optically coupled to the lens to receive the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser and focused by the lens. The lens holder holds the lens on the optical axis of the semiconductor laser. The electronic cooling element adjusts the temperature of the semiconductor laser, and the board is fixed to the upper surface of the electronic cooling element. The support rods support the lens holder at a position opposing a light-exit end face of the board.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser module having a temperature adjustment function suitable for optical communications, optical information processing, and the like.
A conventional semiconductor laser module of this type is used as a signal source of an optical fiber transmission unit or the like. The conventional semiconductor laser module is arranged as shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a semiconductor laser; 2, a lens for focusing a laser beam from the semiconductor laser 1; and 3, an optical fiber for optically coupling the beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 1 and focused and emerging from the lens 2. The laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 1 is focused on the optical fiber 3 through the lens 2. The semiconductor laser 1, the lens 2, and the optical fiber 3 are arranged on a line so as to optimize coupling efficiency.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a convex board for fixing the semiconductor laser 1, the lens 2, and the like; 5, an electronic cooling element for adjusting the temperature of the semiconductor laser 1; and 6, a module package incorporating the convex board 4, the electronic cooling element 5, and the like and fixing the optical fiber 3. The semiconductor laser 1 is mounted on a heat sink 11. The heat sink 11 is soldered and fixed on the upper surface of the convex board 4. A lens holder 7 for fixing the lens 2 is welded and fixed on the upper surface of the convex board 4 by a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser. The convex board 4 is soldered and fixed on the upper surface of the electronic cooling element 5. The electronic cooling element 5 is soldered and fixed to the bottom surface in the module package 6. The optical fiber 3 is welded and fixed to a fiber holder 10 by the YAG laser. The fiber holder 10 is welded and fixed to the module package 6 by the YAG laser.
In recent years, in an optical fiber transmission unit, strong demand has arisen for a low-profile semiconductor laser module as a signal source to attain a high packaging density. As described above, in the conventional semiconductor module, the semiconductor laser 1, the lens 2, and the optical fiber 3 are arranged on a line, and at the same time, the semiconductor laser 1 and the lens 2 are mounted on the electronic cooling element 5. For this reason, the height of the module package 6 is determined by the heights of the lens 2, the convex board 4, the electronic cooling element 5, and the like which are constituent components of the module package 6.
As one method of reducing the height of the module package 6, the constituent components of the module package 6 must be made compact.
There are limitations in making the constituent components compact. For example, to efficiently couple a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 1 to the optical fiber 3 focused by the lens 2, the NA (Numerical Aperture) for the laser beam incident on the lens 2 must be increased. A decrease in lens diameter while the NA is kept large has physical limitations. In the convex board 4, the strength and thickness of a portion on which the lens holder 7 is disposed have a lower limitation. This portion must have a predetermined thickness or more. In addition, when the height of the electronic cooling element 5 is reduced, the cooling capacity is decreased.
As described above, in the conventional semiconductor laser module, its height cannot be reduced due to the dimensional limitations of the lens 2, the lens holder 7, the convex board 4, and the electronic cooling element 5, which are the constituent components of the laser module, and due to the mounting structure in which these components are mounted on the electronic cooling element 5.
As a conventional low-profile photosemiconductor module, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-226779 proposes a low-profile structure in which a temperature adjustment electronic cooling element (Peltier cooler element) is directly assembled on the bottom surface of a package to eliminate a board below the Peltier cooler element, thereby reducing the thickness of the board portion. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-150146 proposes a low-profile, deformation-resistant structure in which thick-wall portions are disposed at both sides of a board in a direction parallel to an optical axis to reduce the thickness of the board without degrading the bending stress in the optical axis. Still another conventional structure is proposed in which a groove is formed in the bottom portion of a package to reduce the total thickness of an electronic cooling element and the components of an optical coupling system, all of which are disposed in the groove, thereby obtaining a low-profile module. In all the conventional structures, as shown in FIG. 3, a lens holder is fixed on a board. Therefore, the problem of effectively reducing overall module height is left unsolved.


The radio frequency unit of a millimeter wave terrestrial radio includes a housing with a front face and a back face, a microwave radio frequency transceiver electronics package within the housing, an antenna affixed to the front face of the housing, and appropriate signal connections and feeds. One portion of a dovetail support structure, preferably the male dovetail fitting, is affixed to the back face of the housing. The other portion of the dovetail support structure, preferably the female dovetail fitting, is mounted to a mounting structure. The dovetail support structure allows the radio frequency unit to be readily mounted to and demounted from the mounting structure. A reference plane defined between the radio frequency unit and the mounting structure allows the radio frequency unit to be precisely oriented relative to the mounting structure.

This invention relates to microwave radios, and, more particularly, to a radio frequency unit for a microwave radio.
Microwave radio communications are widely used to transfer large amounts of data, such as in earth and space microwave long-distance communications links. They are also of interest for shorter-range, lower-power applications such as the basic voice, video, and data links between, for example, a cellular base station and a central telephone office. In such applications, the microwave transmission distance is typically about 1/2-5 miles, the microwave signal is at a specific frequency within the range of about 2-94 GHz, and the power output of the microwave transmitter is about 100 milliwatts. Such microwave communications system are generally termed "point-to-point" systems.
Corresponding to the high-power microwave communications systems, a conventional point-to-point system has three basic physical parts: a signal processing unit (SPU), sometimes termed an "indoor" unit having the baseband radio components, a radio frequency (RF) unit (RFU), sometimes termed an "outdoor" unit having the microwave-frequency radio components, and an antenna. Because a microwave feed is required between the components operating at microwave frequency, the radio frequency unit is located within a few feet of the antenna, which ordinarily is mounted outside and aimed at another point-to-point terminal located some distance away. The antenna is typically a parabolic antenna of the cassegrain type. The signal processing unit may be located quite some distance from the radio frequency unit. An ordinary coaxial cable set extends between the signal processing unit and the radio frequency unit, but a microwave coaxial feed is required between the radio frequency unit and the antenna.
As point-to-point systems become more popular, their physical packaging becomes more important. The existing radio frequency units and antennas are bulky, heavy, and, in many cases, difficult to mount, align, and maintain in alignment. With the proliferation of point-to-point systems in large cities, new mounting space on existing masts and elsewhere has become more difficult to find. Installers must hoist the later-installed radio frequency unit and antenna to ever-more-precarious locations in order to establish line-of-sight contact with the remote terminal. The radio frequency unit and the antenna must be mounted in close proximity to each other. Conventional mounting systems for the radio frequency unit and the antenna include arrangements of brackets, guy wires, and turnbuckles. Great care must be taken in the alignment of the antenna with a remote antenna by adjustment of the mounting system. If the antenna must be replaced at a later time, the new antenna must again be aligned.
To overcome these problems, the assignee of the present invention is developing an integrated point-to-point microwave radio frequency unit and antenna, which is much more compact and lighter in weight than conventional systems. However, the problem remains of supporting the integrated unit in a manner so as to make installation and replacement simple and convenient. There is a need for a mounting approach to be used in conjunction with the improved integrated radio frequency unit and antenna, which overcomes these problems. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Microwave terrestrial radio with dovetail attachment and reference plane


A metering dispenser for bubble bath which may be optimally positioned and anchored within a drain of a bath tub is disclosed. The bubble bath dispenser comprising: a container body having a bottom portion having a bottom sidewall and adapted to closely seat within and across the bath tub drain; a central portion adapted to peripherally surround the drain and sealingly seat on the interior bottom side portion of the bath tub; a top wall portion extending upwardly above and around the central portion; and, a cover adapted to seat on the top wall portion of the container body. In the preferred embodiment the dispenser has an overall disk shape and a layered appearance decorated with light markings giving it an unidentified flying object appearance which appeals to young children.

Young children particularly enjoy a bubble bath. They enjoy hiding in and playing with the foam. One method of dispensing the bubble bath soap is to measure it in a cup and pour it into the bath tub. A problem with this approach is that the soap is not maintained in the optimal position beneath the faucet to maximize foaming. Even if the soap is initially positioned beneath the faucet the discharge of water immediately washes it away.


This invention relates to a copper thick film paste composition paste comprising copper powder, a Pb-free, Bi-free and Cd-free borosilicate glass frit, a component selected from the group consisting of ruthenium-based powder, copper oxide powder and mixtures thereof and an organic vehicle. The invention also provides methods of using the copper thick film paste composition to make a copper conductor on a substrate. Typical substrates are selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide and silicon nitride.

Generally, thick film conductor paste compositions contain a conductive component, a binder, and an organic medium as the principal components. As the conductive component, fine powders of the noble metals palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), gold (Au) and silver (Ag), or mixtures or alloys thereof, or oxides of palladium and silver, or mixtures thereof, have been widely used. Glass powder and various oxides are commonly used for the binder for these conductors, and the organic medium is an inert solution of polymers in an organic solvent or solvent mixture. The organic medium determines the application characteristics of the composition.
Fine powders of copper have also been used as the conductive component. Copper conductors can have very good electrical properties, good thermal conductivity and good solderability, and have a lower material cost compared to the noble metal conductors. Conductors based on copper need to be fired in an inert gas atmosphere to avoid oxidation, while conductors based on noble metals can simply be fired in air.
These thick film conductor pastes are typically applied to ceramic substrates by screen printing. Other methods of applying paste to a substrate such as spraying or brushing can also be used. The organic medium is adjusted to provide the proper viscosity and drying rate for the intended application. The conductive component and the inorganic binder, however, can be the same for all of these methods of application.
The screen printing process consists of forcing the thick film composition through a stencil screen onto the substrate with a squeegee. The open pattern in the stencil screen defines the pattern that will be printed onto the substrate. Solvents are removed by drying, and the dried prints are then fired to remove the residual resin and to densify the conductor. Ceramic substrates such as aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride are commonly used.
Improved copper conductor compositions are needed to provide a copper conductor with low resistivity and the necessary adhesion to the substrate.

Copper paste composition and its use in a method for forming copper conductors on substrates


A pendulum stroke teaching device formed from a one piece coupling element for use with conventional golf alignment sticks and an individual's putter club. The coupling element includes two spaced apart apertures for receipt of the distal ends of the alignment sticks. A centrally disposed cavity between the apertures is constructed and arranged for receipt of a putter shaft. The coupling element operates to secure the alignment sticks and putter in a fixed position. The ends of the alignment sticks are placed between the torso and the inner upper arms of the golfer. When the golfer grasps the putter grip, movement of the putter can only take place by use of a pendulum stroke. The teaching device is used for training the golfer to use a repetitive and consistent swing for improving their golf experience.

The game of golf is a well known recreational sport wherein individual players progress a ball along a golf course using a variety of golf clubs that each have a loft capable of moving a properly struck golf ball a predetermined distance. The golf course consists of eighteen separate holes, basically consisting of a tee and green section separated by a fairway. Typically, stroke play is used in scorekeeping, wherein the individual with the lowest number of strokes used to advance a golf ball over the eighteen holes is declared the winner. Unique to the game of golf is the fact that a golf ball moved two inches is considered one stroke; conversely, a golf ball driven 360 yards is considered one stroke.
No matter what type of golf match is played, eventually the ball must reach the green portion and be putted into a golf ball hole so as to complete the stroke tally. For instance, a par-five hole has a tee and green section separated by a fairway that can be over 500 yards long with obstacles such as water, sand, and trees that a golfer must navigate. A par-three hole may consist of a tee and green separated by as little as 100 yards, again with obstacles placed therebetween.
A green may be small or large, but in either event, putting on a green is considered easier than driving a golf ball. However, putting a golf ball requires a unique form of training to develop the proper skill. A golfer who takes two or three attempts to place the golf ball in the cup will never excel in the game of golf unless and until the golfer reduces their score by mastering the art of putting. The art of putting requires the golfer to understand the curves of the green formed by uneven surfaces.
Thus, putting a golf ball is just as important as driving a long ball. Ironically, putting is where most golfers have the greatest difficulty. The lack of proper training will not only cost the golfer additional strokes, but unless the golfer learns how to strike a ball consistently, the golfer will not be able to score well consistently.
To properly train an individual at golf, practice requires repetitive motions to develop muscle memory training. While an instructor can provide great insight into various golf techniques, an instructor cannot physically hold the club in a position required for proper muscle memory training.
Golf Alignment Sticks are well known training aids. Consisting of two fiberglass or plastic rods, commonly referred to as sticks, the sticks are an inexpensive but very effective training aid. The alignment stick is used to correct an individual's alignment by providing a visual aid to align the body and club face. The sticks can be easily stored within a golf bag, as the diameter of the sticks is negligible. In the defined use, alignment sticks are placed on the ground. One alignment stick is used to form a line toward a target location, and a second alignment stick is placed just outside the golfer's toe-line to provide a visual pathway. Both sticks are parallel to each other. The visual aid provides immediate feedback to the golfer that they are aligning their body and club head in the proper direction.
While putting is not as physically challenging as driving a long ball, technically it requires a repeatable swing to assure the putter clubface is aligned with the desired path the golf ball is to travel. A common improper putting technique is when the golfer uses their wrists or turns their body during the act of striking the ball. If the golfer is not properly rotating their arms, the golfer will cause a steering effect and result in a pushed or pulled putt.
Thus, while there are various devices to assist an individual in the proper putting technique, there is continued need for devices capable of improving an individual's golf score. Applicant's invention employs the use of the alignment sticks in a new and unexpected manner.


The present invention is directed to detecting leaks in computer memory. Memory leaks are detected by analyzing computer component memory usage records. The first derivative of the memory usage data is computed. If the area under a curve created by a plot of the first derivative of the memory usage data is greater than zero, the second derivative of the memory usage data is computed. If the area under a curve created by a plot of the second derivative of the memory usage data also is greater than or equal to zero, the memory usage data is analyzed to determine how many minima points are present in the memory usage data. If less than four memory usage data minima points are present, a memory leak exists. If four or more minima points are present in the memory usage data, the minima points are further processed to determine if a memory leak exists.

In recent years, worldwide use of computing devices has increased dramatically. Computer application programs ("applications") on running computing devices are used for a variety of purposes, including word processing, accounting, database management, desktop publishing, communications and the like. In addition to application programs, computing devices also have software known as an operating system that controls the operation of the computing device and the various applications and other programs that execute on the computing device. A myriad of different applications, programs, and operating systems may be used on a computing device.
Applications, programs, and operating systems and their component parts (processes, threads, jobs, and the like) consume the memory resources of a computing device. Memory resources, when reserved for the use of a particular program or one of its components, are generally referred to as allocated memory. When a program no longer needs the memory it has been allocated, the allocated memory is supposed to be deallocated, thereby allowing other programs to use the memory. However, deallocation does not always occur. A program's improper failure to deallocate memory is commonly referred to as a memory leak. Memory leaks are difficult to detect because programs operate in complex computing environments that hide the symptoms of a memory leak. Memory leaks often go undetected until all memory resources are consumed or some detectable error caused by a memory leak occurs. It is unfeasible to constantly examine all aspects of a computing device's memory to try to locate allocated memory that is no longer being used. The complexity of current computing environments, and the autonomy of programs and their components, makes such an examination unfeasible. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of detecting memory leaks in computing environments that does not require examining all aspects of a computer's memory. Additionally, there is a need for such a memory leak detection method that does not adversely interfere with the processing and operation of programs on a computing device.
Some previous memory detection methods have involved tracking memory usage and utilizing a low-pass filter to determine if a memory leak is present. The major disadvantage of using only a low-pass filter to examine memory usage data for programs in a computing environment has been a high rate of false positive indications of memory leaks, i.e., an indication of a memory leak where in fact no memory leak is present. Accordingly, there is also a need for a method of detecting memory leaks using memory usage data that does not produce to a high rate of false positive indications of memory leaks.

System and method for memory leak detection


Disclosed is a camouflage garment and camouflage equipment carrying a thermochromic ink composition having a first colour stale and a second colour state, wherein the first colour state switches to the second colour state at a first set temperature and the second colour state switches to the first colour state at a second set temperature. Each of the first colour state and second colour state are stable between the first set temperature and second set temperature. Also disclosed is a method for producing the camouflage garment and camouflage equipment.

Fabrics and clothing displaying printed camouflage patterns are widely employed in hunting and other outdoor activities, sportswear, surveillance and tactical applications. Camouflage patterns are generally designed to conceal individuals, clothing, and equipment by integrating and blending their appearance with the background environment. For example, camouflage colouring for hunting may display patterns resembling leaves, trees, and other vegetation of appropriate colours which serve to render the appearance of the hunter indistinguishable from the forest environment.
Recently, camouflage garments have been disclosed which are capable of changing colour in response to variations in the ambient temperature (see e.g., Harvey et al., U.S. application Ser. No. 13/317,407). Such fabrics are printed with a temperature-sensitive ink which changes from a first colour to a second colour when the temperature of the fabric is brought to a set temperature, and reverts back to the first colour when the fabric is returned to the same set temperature.

Garments and equipment having temperature-induced locking camouflage patterns


The present invention relates to novel statin derivatives of omega-3 fatty acids, and their use in treating hypercholesterolemia, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.

Statins, which are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl reductase (HMG-Coenzyme A reductase; HMG-CO-A reductase), are a class of drugs widely used to lower levels of circulating LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, or LDL-C, known as "the bad cholesterol". The enzyme HMG-CO-A reductase plays a central role in the biosynthesis of cholesterol in the liver, which produces about 70 percent of total cholesterol in the body. Elevated LDL cholesterol level is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), heart attacks and strokes. Statins have been found to prevent cardiovascular disease, and heart attacks in those who are at high risk (WIKI). Besides life-style changes, such as regular exercise, eating less or avoiding fatty meals to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, statins have become the strategic choice of treatment to achieve target LDL-C levels to prevent heart attacks, and minimize secondary or post cardiac events. Since the introduction of statins in clinical use over the last 25 years, millions of patients around the world have benefited from improved cardiovascular outcomes.
In 2013 the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have published widely disseminated guidelines on the use of statins (Stone N J et al., "2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults", J. of the Amer. College of Cardiology (2013), 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.11.002. Under these guidelines, more than 50 million Americans are candidates for Statin therapy (WSJ Mar. 31, 2014/B3).
The most prescribed statins are atorvastatin (Lipitor®, trademark of Pfizer); Pravastatin (Pravachol® trademark of Sankyo); rosuvastatin (Crestor® trademark of Astra-Zeneca), and simvastatin (Zocor® trademark of Merck and Co.). All these four statins, chemically, are a single diastereoisomer in the trans-3-β-hydroxy-δ-lactone portion of the molecule, which is the common key phamacophore in all the statins. The above statins are either totally synthetic (atorvastatin and rosuvastatin) or a combination of fermentation products and subsequent synthetic modifications. The effective doses range from about 10 mg to about 80 mg/day. However, in use statins are not without side-effects. Estimates are that 10-15% of people (or more than 5 million persons) suffer serious muscle pain or other side effects that prevent them from taking statins, or taking them at doses required to achieve target cholesterol levels. Rare reactions include myositis and myopathy, with the potential for rhabdomyolysis (a significant breakdown of skeletal muscle) leading to possibly acute renal failure (WIKI). Serious leg pains after prolonged use have been reported, e.g., with atorvastatin and simvastatin even at their lowest 10 mg/day dose. Thus there is a need for novel statins, which incorporate unique structural features attached to the trans-3-β-hydroxy-δ-lactone moiety of statins which have an improved safety profile than those currently used statins. It is possible that the presently conceived "omegastatins" would also concomitantly lower high triglycerides levels in addition to LDL-C.

Statins of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids for treating hypercholesterolemia